DiNucci has ‘no fear’ ahead of likely start
FRISCO — It’s not official, but everything is pointing toward Ben DiNucci starting at quarterback for the Cowboys on Sunday night at Philadelphia.
He would become the 14th rookie quarterback to start in franchise history. These quarterbacks range from Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach to former head coach Jason Garrett to former baseball player Chad Hutchinson, to the last rookie to start, Dak Prescott.
They’ve combined for three wins.
“But hey, this is 2020. What else do you expect?” DiNucci said. “Here we are. Week 8 of my rookie year, I’ve got a chance to go out there on Sunday Night Football and do what I love to do. I couldn’t be happier or more excited.”
On Wednesday and Thursday, DiNucci took reps with the first-team offense while the man he’s scheduled to replace, Andy Dalton, watched from afar dealing with the effects of a concussion.
The Cowboys could start Dalton against the Eagles if he’s cleared from concussion protocol. It’s a difficult move given the Cowboys didn’t practice Friday and Dalton would have only one day of practice time, Saturday, with the firstteam offense.
Dalton has 10 NFL seasons and 135 starts along with a command of the offense in his favor. However, needing medical clearance from a health issue that has unpredictability surrounding it is the biggest holdup.
So enter DiNucci, who is now in charge of an offense that’s scored just 13 points
and produced 486 total yards the last two weeks, both losses.
In practices this week, the confidence level of the seventh-round pick from James Madison is apparent.
“He’s been slinging that thing. He’s been slinging that thing,” wide receiver Michael Gallup said. “He’s been good. He comes up after every period that we’ve got, and he’s like, ‘My job is actually pretty easy, I’ve just got to get you three the ball and let y’all go to work. It’s not that hard.’ So it’s been good.”
“He’s got a lot of confi
dence, which is Line One for me as a quarterback is confidence,” right guard Zack Martin said. “Obviously with a young guy possibly making his first start, it’s up to the rest of the guys on the offense to instill confidence in him. All the other 10 guys got to do our part every single play, run, pass, go to make him feel comfortable out there and all the weight isn’t on his shoulders.”
The Cowboys are leaning on DiNucci because of the season-ending injury to Prescott (ankle) and Dalton’s uncertainty.
Both veterans offered advice, with Prescott visiting The Star on Wednesday.
“Kind of just walked up to him and said, ‘Hey this isn’t what you said my rookie year was going to be like.’” DiNucci said. “He laughed and gave me a hug and just said, ‘We’ve talked about this. Go out there and do you. Take completions. Trust the guys around you. You’ll be great. Don’t overthink it. Football’s football.’”
The Cowboys hope to utilize a balanced attack and DiNucci’s mobility
against an Eagles defense that’s tied for third in the NFL with 24 sacks. According to Pro Football Reference, the Eagles have blitzed on just 21.9 percent of their defensive snaps, sixth-fewest in the NFL.
Yet, with a rookie quarterback starting, DiNucci is expecting extensive pressure.
“I think that’s kind of their (mode of operation),” DiNucci said. “They play a lot of man coverage and try to eat you up. They played (the Bengals’ Joe) Burrow earlier this year and (the Giants) Daniel Jones, a rookie and a second-year guy. They’re pressure tendencies were a little higher in both those games.”
When DiNucci was picked in the NFL draft, there was no thought of him playing in a regularseason game. Considering Prescott hadn’t missed a game since his rookie year in 2016 and Dalton had started the first 77 games of his career, DiNucci was to just watch and learn.
But this Cowboys season has included major injuries, which now forces this rookie into a potential starting role. DiNucci’s last start was Jan. 11 in the FCS National Championship Game at Toyota Stadium.
He left that game without a title and little NFL hype. He wasn’t invited to the National Scouting Combine. His Pro Day at James Madison was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. He pieced together his workouts with Atlanta-based quarterback coach Quincy Avery and posted them to YouTube.
The Cowboys, Bears and Browns offered to sign DiNucci as an undrafted free agent. But the Cowboys changed their minds and drafted DiNucci.
“I think that’s just kind of the nature of how this whole year has gone with COVID and everything else,” DiNucci said. “One thing happens, leads to another, I think in the span of 10 days I went from being in a sweatshirt and sweat pants to, ‘Here we are, my number could be called.’ So I’m taking it in stride. I’m the most confident person in myself and the guys around us. So I’ve got no fear, no worries about being able to lead this team on Sunday night and doing what we got to do and get a win.”