Seeing Trey Lance's accuracy issues last Sunday has me wondering if accuracy can indeed be taught. Troy Aikman once said that when it comes to accuracy, you either have it or you don't, but I do think Dak Prescott's accuracy has improved through the years. Then again, he was getting all the reps and playing every game. What do you think? Is this something Lance can improve upon despite receiving limited reps in practice and being a backup? – Royce Withers/Phoenix, AZ
Patrik: I'm of the opinion, having covered the NFL for many years and been an analytical fan for decades, that accuracy can absolutely improve with reps and commitment — as is true with literally every facet of the sport. That said, I believe there are levels to it, as with anything, and that some ceilings are higher or lower than others. The problem is we don't know yet where Lance's ceiling is, and he won't have the opportunity to log thousands of reps in Dallas to determine that so he'll need to progress extremely quickly in a limited time, i.e., three preseason games with only two remaining to take the necessary strides toward trying to beat the long odds of supplanting Cooper Rush as QB2. I believe Lance has the skill set to play football at the NFL level, I just don't have the data yet to determine what that looks like. He's putting in the work and I've seen improvement over this time last year and, honestly, that's all you can ask and then you evaluate from there. So, no, there's nothing more he can do than what he's doing.
Nick Eatman: Yes, I think it can be improved. To me, it all starts with the mental aspect of the game. When you can process things quicker, it should slow down the entire approach for a quarterback. And with that, players should be able to connect on passes better. It's a domino-effect that starts pre-snap, then in the pocket and all the way to the through. So yes, I think as he gets more comfortable he will be more accurate. But, he has a long ways to go because what we saw the other day was far from what an NFL quarterback needs to be. Lance must take advantage of these extra reps right now and of course, the two games to finish out the preseason.
