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Former Cowboys quarterback Jon Kitna and Kellen Moore were both backups for Tony Romo. Times have now changed and both of them are now coaches in charge of helping Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense" />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteBlogging The BoysBlogging The Boys Amari Cooper Jersey White , a Dallas Cowboys fan communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsLibraryCowboysOddsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Dallas Cowboys NewsFiled under:Dallas Cowboys GeneralHow Tony Romo’s former backups may help Dak Prescott become one of the highest paid players in the NFLNew,40commentsFrom backing up Romo to coaching up Prescott, these new hires could play a big role for Dallas in 2019.CDTShareTweetShareShareHow Tony Romo’s former backups may help Dak Prescott become one of the highest paid players in the NFLPhoto by Jennifer Stewart/Getty ImagesFor the better part of ten years, the fate of the Dallas Cowboys rested square on the shoulders of playmaking quarterback Tony Romo. But all that changed in 2016 when a couple fluke injuries forever changed the face of this franchise. Entering that season, the Cowboys depth chart at the quarterback position was as follows: (1) Tony Romo(2) Kellen Moore(3) Dak PrescottBut before the season begun, QB’s #1 and #2 had succumb to injury and the team turned the reins over to the rookie Prescott. Fast forward three years later and Romo is one of the top broadcasters on TV, Moore has flown up the coaching ranks to offensive coordinator, and Prescott has since started every single game for Cowboys. In that span, Dak has helped lead his team to two divisional titles and has more game-winning drives than anyone else in the league. Prescott is entering the final year of his rookie contract and it’s just a matter of time before he is compensated handsomely.The team is sold on Prescott for the future and are currently negotiating for an extension Womens Michael Gallup Jersey , but reports are the two sides aren’t close yet. With the idea of a rising star quarterback demanding a high price, this cat-and-mouse game could go on for a while. The Cowboys could choose to just stand pat and address this next offseason. That would make the 2019 season a very important one for Dak in terms of what type of money he will command from his second contract. While that would mean Prescott would have to wait for that big chunk of new money, there are a couple factors working in his favor this upcoming season. And as fate would have it, those factors just so happened to have backed up Romo.The offense is now under the control of the super-smart 29-year-old Kellen Moore, who the organization is hoping helps fix the offense. Moore’s innovative ways stems back to his college days where his 50 wins is still an FBS-record. While his on-field talent didn’t translate into an NFL-starting caliber quarterback, his brilliance at running a complex Boise State offense didn’t go unnoticed. Moore had the intelligence to handle a high-demanding Bronco offense that was filled with many different formations and an extensive amount of plays.Moore has been a favorite of Cowboys players both as a teammate and as a coach. He’s always well prepared and has a strong understanding of how NFL offenses work. Prescott will tell you that Moore is one of these young genius phenoms in the game and that clearly must be what the front office believes too for them to trust the offense to such an inexperienced coach.The Cowboys have added a lot of new players to the roster that should aid Prescott tremendously. Prescott went on a tear when Amari Cooper arrived and the two of them will now have a full training camp to work together. Randall Cobb joins the receiving group, and he brings experienced route-running and big play ability to the offense. And the team just drafted the dynamic Tony Pollard. Our own RJ Ochoa provides a great analogy to how the brain trust view Pollard’s potential under Moore’s control.The Cowboys are hoping Moore is that skilled driver.But Moore isn’t the only Romo backup that should have a key role in the success of Prescott this season. From 2011-2012, Jon Kitna served as Romo’s backup and now he’s back in Dallas as their new quarterback’s coach. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesKitna now takes over Moore’s old job and brings with him much more experience. Our own David Howman talks about how the new quarterback coach could be one of the team’s most crucial hires this offseason.Not only will an improvement with footwork help Prescott make better throws, but Kitna’s influence should help Prescott trust in himself to cut loose a bit. Better accuracy combined with a stronger inclination to make throws down the field could be the secret ingredients in helping Prescott reach stardom. And if that just so happens to occur in a contract year Demarcus Lawrence Jersey , somebody’s going to be cashing some rather big checks real soon.The influence of Moore and Kitna could be just what the doctor ordered for Prescott and the Cowboys. And wouldn’t it be something if a couple of former Romo backups helped the team’s young quarterback reach the next level of success and become one of the highest paid players in the NFL. No disrespect to Daniel Jones.The Tampa Bay Buccaneers feel the key to beating the New York Giants is slowing down Saquon Barkley, not necessarily exploiting the inexperience of a rookie quarterback who'll be making his first NFL start when the teams meet Sunday."For us, we've got to stop No. 26. It all starts and ends with him," Bucs coach Bruce Arians said. "Then we'll try to contain the quarterback because he's a heck of a lot more mobile than the other guy."The "other" guy is Eli Manning, benched this week with the Giants (0-2) off to a slow start with a sputtering offense and even worse defense. The two-time Super Bowl MVP has been New York's starting quarterback since the 10th game of 2004, Manning's rookie season.Jones was the sixth overall pick in this year's draft, and the Bucs (1-1) insist they aren't underestimating him or the Giants' offense, which despite averaging 420 yards per game has only scored four touchdowns the past two weeks."I think Daniel Jones is a very bright guy. He had a heck of a preseason. They wouldn't be making this call if he didn't have a great preseason and them thinking he could do the job," Arians said Womens Dak Prescott Jersey , referring to the rookie completing 29 of 34 passes for 416 yards, two TDs and no interceptions."I think the biggest thing is just keeping him off balance," Arians added of the approach to defending an inexperienced quarterback. "First and foremost, stop the run. Stop the run, try to take the easy bootlegs away and make them play from the pocket."Tampa Bay's rejuvenated defense did a good job of slowing down Christian McCaffrey in beating Carolina last week, however stopping Barkley poses an even bigger challenge.The second-year pro is the NFL's second-leading rusher with 227 yards and a touchdown through two games. He 152 yards from scrimmage and scored three TDs — two rushing, one receiving — in New York's 38-35 victory over the Bucs last season.The Bucs limited McCaffrey to 37 yards rushing and 16 receiving, and even closed out a six-point victory over the Panthers with a confidence-building goal-line stand, though Arians cautions against comparing Sunday's task."They're on different planets. Saquon's bigger Demarcus Lawrence Jersey White , stronger, faster," Arians said. "He's got more 50-yard runs than anybody I've seen in a long time."JONES FILEIf there is a concern about Jones, it's ball security. He lost three fumbles during the preseason, one on a snap and two after being hit in the backfield. His only action in the regular season was mop-up duty in the season-opening loss to the Cowboys. The mobile 6-foot-5 Duke product lost another fumble at the end of a scramble on a play where he could easily have gotten out of bounds."You never really know when something like this is going to happen. My job is to be ready and to continue to improve," Jones said. "I feel like I have been able to do that."AS WINSTON GOESTampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston played poorly in Week 1, tossing a pair of interceptions that were returned for touchdowns in a 14-point loss to San Francisco. He didn't turn the ball over against Carolina while throwing for a modest 208 yards and one TD. In three career games against the Giants, he's thrown five TD passes vs. one interception."It's a week to week league, so every game we've got to know going into the game we can't beat ourselves Womens Amari Cooper Jersey ," Winston said. "If the team is good and they outplay us, we can live with that. But we can't live with beating ourselves."THIRD DOWNThe Giants have been horrible on third-down plays and that's one of the reasons New York has made the move to Jones. After two games, the Giants are 5 of 23 on third down, or 21.7%. The Cowboys and Bills have combined to convert 11 of 23, or almost 48%.Here's the result. New York has 31 points. The defense has given up 63. Opponents have averaged almost 32:28 in time of possession. New York is 0-2 for the sixth time in seven seasons.RING OF HONORFormer Bucs star cornerback Ronde Barber will be inducted into the team's Ring of Honor at halftime. The twin brother of ex-Giants running back Tiki Barber played 16 seasons from 1997 to 2012 and is the only player in NFL history with more than 25 sacks (28) and 40 interceptions (47) in a career. He was a key performer on the dominating Tampa Bay defense that keyed the franchise's only Super Bowl run in 2002. His father was Arians' college roommate at Virginia Tech.AP Sports Writer Tom Canavan in East Rutherford, New Jersey, contributed to this report.