Cooper Rush is the undrafted quarterback, and he has proven his value in the preseason. Still, the Cowboys fans don’t quite know who he is, so let’s meet Rush appropriately.
10. Basic Info
Cooper Rush is a 23-year-old quarterback who played at Central Michigan. He is 6’3” and weighs 228 pounds.
9. Central Michigan
The Central Michigan University is located in Mt. Pleasant and each year, the school enrolls between 25,000 and 30,000 students. Some of the famous players who have come out of this school are WR Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers), Pro Bowl offensive lineman Joe Staley (San Francisco 49ers), DE J.J. Watt (Houston Texans), although he went to Wisconsin after one year, we will count him in.
8. Dramatic Game
In September 2016, Central Michigan and Oklahoma State met, and it was one of the wildest and most controversial finishes. Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph committed an intentional grounding penalty on fourth down as time expired which was supposed to seal the score to 27-24. However, the officials incorrectly granted Cooper Rush and his team a single untimed play of their own on offense. Then this happened.
7. One More
Rush can throw a ‘Hail Mary’ pass, while in the 2014 Bahamas Bowl, he proved he could be a leader. In a game, he tossed NCAA bowl-record seven touchdowns. Once again Central Michigan had a chance to turn over the game in last seconds against Western Kentucky when they trailed by one TD. Central Michigan went for a 2-pt conversion, but they couldn’t execute the play, thus losing the game 49-48.
6. The Next Tony Romo
Rick Gosselin of SportsDay wrote a column where he compared Cooper Rush to a young Tony Romo. This is just a part of what he said: “It’s time for the Cowboys to find another unfinished Tony Romo — the undrafted college free agent signed in 2003 who spent three years in a quarterbacking incubator watching and learning how the position should be played … Which is why Cooper Rush intrigues me.
“… Quarterbacks who started four years in college and threw at least 1,300 career passes are worthy of long looks because they already have been exposed to everything the college game has to offer. It’s a much smaller step from NCAA Saturdays to NFL Sundays for them. Cooper Rush fits that profile.”
5. Seeing double?
Rush is also an entertainer, and his impersonations of Cowboys coach Jason Garret were spot-on. He tried to sing during rookie initiation, but that went horribly wrong, so he had to do something else. Prescott said: “He got up there to sing one time, and his singing wasn’t very good at all. He got booed in the first three words. He doesn’t have much of a tone, so we had to figure out something else for him to do. That was easy. He did it once, and everybody lobbied for him to do it again.”
4. He Earned His Spot
Cooper Rush had another fantastic performance against the Oakland Raiders, and the owner Jerry Jones spoke highly of him. Jones said: “I’m very impressed. We won’t be waiving him. I can tell you that right now.” Rush has had a significant role in the preseason and has led all Dallas quarterbacks with 398 passing yards and six TDs.
3. Comparisons
Jerry Jones compared some of the Rush’s traits to some Cowboys quarterbacks you have heard of. “One thing Cooper Rush has in common with Troy Aikman, with Dak Prescott, with Tony Romo is they are the workingest football players you can be around,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan’s G-Bag Nation show [KRLD-FM]. “I don’t think you can outwork them … I don’t want to get out ahead of ourselves, but he has some very natural things that make good quarterback.”
2. Projections
This is what his draft profile read: “He played in the MAC, not the SEC. If he made some of those throws against NFL cornerbacks and safeties, they turn into pick-sixes. He’s a great kid, he’s smart, but he falls below the minimum standard for arm strength.”
NFL Comparison: Kellen Moore
1. Teammates Support
The originally projected backup quarterback roots for the young player. This comes from SportsDay’s David Moore: “I root for Coop … Coop’s played great this preseason. He’s been fun to watch. You’re excited when he makes big plays.” According to Moore, his calm nature and demeanor are impressive: “He handles everything so well.”
