One year ago the seamless transition of power took place.
Incumbent Tony Romo graciously stepped aside as the Cowboys quarterback with an eloquent and poignant concession speech. While the hastily called news conference caught many in the organization off guard, including the head coach, the depth and sincerity of the comments came as no surprise.
The afternoon of Nov. 15 at The Star was significant for the franchise and Romo. It was the final, public endorsement Dak Prescott needed to take his oath as the team's franchise quarterback.
No one could say with any certainty at the time, but looking back it was the moment Romo cut the emotional and competitive ties to the sport he loves. It was the first step down a remarkably fast road that led to a career in the CBS broadcast booth as the network's lead color analyst for NFL games.
All of that came from a statement that lasted just under five minutes.
"It was an incredible speech I think our team really rallied behind," linebacker Sean Lee said last week when asked to reflect on that day. "For him to step up like that was a big impact for our team and reflected the type of personality he has, the type of leadership he showed, the type of great football player he was and how much he cared about this team."
The Cowboys were 8-1 at this time last season preparing for a game against Baltimore. Romo hadn't made any public comments since Aug. 25, the night he suffered an L1 compression fracture in his back in a preseason game at Seattle.
Romo called Rich Dalrymple, the team's senior vice president of public relations, and said he wanted to deliver a statement. The veteran quarterback was going to be active for his first game all season and knew the questions that would follow.
This was a preemptive strike. This was a way to make sure his status and uncertain future wouldn't become a distraction.
Romo stepped to the lectern at the team's interview room with a print out of his prepared statement. Some last minute alterations on the first page were visible. He took no questions.
"He's earned the right to be our quarterback," Romo said at one point. "As hard as that is for me to say, he's earned that right."
Romo talked of the guilt he felt in not being there for teammates, fans and the organization. He had been the Cowboys starting quarterback since 2007 and he considered this the best team that had been assembled. Not being a part of that team as a starter after years of highs and lows, he conceded, "is a soul-crushing moment for me.
"I think you all know something magical is happening to our team," Romo continued later in the speech. "I'm not going to allow this situation to negatively affect Dak or this football team by becoming a constant distraction. I think Dak knows that I have his back."
Romo had gone from being the center of the Cowboys universe, from being the most integral part of its success or failure, to feeling like an outsider.
"It's a dark place, probably the darkest it's ever been," Romo said. "You're sad and down and out and you ask yourself why did this have to happen?
"It's in this moment that you find out who you really are and what you're really about."
What Romo found out about himself one year ago is that he really did elevate team above prestige or individual pride. It's wasn't just rhetoric for him to parrot in front of the media. He believed it.
Once the players heard Romo was holding a news conference in a different part of the building, many of them gathered around the closest TV or watched on their cell phones in the locker room.
"I watched a couple of times," Lee said. "It was unbelievable."
The afternoon of Nov. 15 one year ago symbolically altered the course of the franchise and sent Romo down a different career path. It's been good for Prescott. It's been good for Romo.
Both have flourished.
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