There's no need to anoint Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott. His stat line has already done the job. Nine games does not ensure stardom or even success in game No. 10, but reasonable attempts to find blemishes in Prescott's game return only more supporting evidence.
You might have heard: Prescott has played well enough for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to leave $108 million favorite son Tony Romo on the bench, perhaps forever. Familiar disclaimers apply. Prescott plays with $70 million receiver Dez Bryant, $37 million tight end Jason Witten, the game's preeminent offensive line and Ezekiel Elliott, arguably the NFL's most exciting young running back since Adrian Peterson.
Back to the fun stuff. The harder you look at what Prescott has accomplished so far, the harder it is to resist hyperbole, especially when comparing him to other rookie QBs in the past 10 years.
Prescott has fared better statistically through his first nine games than any of the 27 other first-year passers in ESPN's Total QBR vault, which dates to 2006. His 82.5 QBR is better than Andrew Luck's, better than Cam Newton's, better than Russell Wilson's, better than Robert Griffin's, better than Matt Ryan's -- better than them all.
Prescott has completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 2,339 yards (8.4 per attempt) with 14 touchdowns and two interceptions this season. His 106.2 passer rating is fourth best in the NFL.
The conversation picks up there.