FRISCO, Texas – Cooper Rush is a veteran quarterback, but doesn't have a lot of in-game experience. Barring an injury, he'll have started at least nine games for the Cowboys in place of the injured Dak Prescott, nearly double his career starts coming into the season. As time has passed, the Cowboys are getting more and more accustomed to Rush and what he's comfortable with.
"I think you'd be remised if you said no," Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said when asked if the confidence level in Rush grows week to week in terms of knowing what he wants. "The more you're around the guy when he's playing and even me on the sidelines talking to him during the week… but it's not just us, it's the players, it's the guys you're throwing to."
In his four starts this season, Rush has seen a growth week-to-week in his QBR and has led the Cowboys to back-to-back victories over division opponents. A large part of that success has come from being on the same page with Mike McCarthy as the play caller, as well as his receivers.
"It's not just us knowing Cooper, I do think now Cooper is more comfortable, consistently saying 'Hey, I like this, hey, I don't really like that, I'm not as comfortable with this." Schottenheimer said.
"There are certain things that maybe [Rush] likes differently than Dak likes, and so that moves up or that moves back based on those conversations, the more we go the more comfortable I would say he is of speaking his mind."
In Thursday's win against the Giants, Rush exhibited that comfort level with his fellow veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks. In Cooks' first game back from injury, he caught three passes for 16 yards and touchdown. Those numbers don't blow you away, but two of those receptions were the biggest plays of the game: A two-yard touchdown pass to Cooks to give the Cowboys the first points of the third quarter, and a diving three-yard catch on third down coming out of the two-minute warning to ice the victory for Dallas.
Both of those plays weren't set up by anything special on gameday, but instead on what the Cowboys had worked on during the week in practice, including plenty of conversations between Rush and Cooks to ensure they were on the same page, and in the right spots and the right times.
"The more these guys play together, the more these guys have those communications and conversations like Brandin and Cooper had leading up to the third down play during a random Tuesday practice, that's the key." Schottenheimer said.
"Those conversations are invaluable that you're on the same page, because the timing in the windows is very tight, but it was well deserved for Brandin, and it was cool to see."
The impact that Brandin Cooks has on the Cowboys team and organization cannot be understated, and his connection with Cooper Rush and the rest of the locker room will be a large component of the rest of the season for Dallas.
"He's a big part of our football team," McCarthy said of Cooks. "He's definitely someone that the players in the locker room really look to, just a high quality individual. Everywhere he's worked, his reputation has followed him, it was great to have him back on every front."
