Troy Aikman Critical of Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman criticized the team’s current signal caller, Dak Prescott, in an interview with 1310 The Ticket on Tuesday morning.

According to the Hall of Fame quarterback and current Fox NFL analyst, Prescott needs to be more accurate and have better anticipation.

Via Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News:

He needs to be more accurate with the football. I’ve said for many, many years, as long as I can ever remember, when I’m asked, “Hey, what do you look for first in a quarterback?” The first thing I look for is accuracy, because the rest of it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter how tough you are. It doesn’t matter how smart you are or what a great leader you are. None of that stuff matters if you can’t put the ball where you have to put it. I’ve seen too many errant throws in that regard, and then there needs to be a little more anticipating. When there’s two deep safeties, you’re looking for somebody to take the middle of the field, and that should be your first read if you have somebody who is taking the middle of the field versus those kinds of looks. I don’t see great anticipation on what a defense is doing and how I might be able to exploit that pre-snap or as the ball is snapped.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones offered up a vote of confidence for Prescott during his own Tuesday-morning radio appearance in the wake of the team’s 19-16 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday night.

“He did some things that kept us in that game (in Houston),” Jones told 105.3 The Fan, according to Machota. “I’m firmly in the corner that we’ve got a quarterback we can build with for years to come. No doubt about it.”

Troy Aikman Praised Dak Prescott Before the Season

“I like him, I love him, for that matter,” Aikman told 1310 The Ticket in September, according to 5 Points Blue. “I love the intangibles that he brings. Is that in-and-of itself enough? No, but it’s such a big part of it. We’ve seen a lot of really talented guys that have come through this league that have lacked in a lot of those areas and they’ve really flamed out.

“I’ve been a big fan of Dak’s since the day I first met him and he’s done nothing to change my opinion of him. I think he works exceptionally hard. I think it’s important to him. I think his teammates love playing for him.”

Cowboys Struggle vs. Texans

Prescott and the rest of the Cowboys offense had a terrible time trying to move the ball against a Texans team that’d surrendered 27 points per game heading into the matchup. The quarterback connected on 18 of his 29 pass attempts for 208 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, though each pick bounced off a Cowboys receiver.

For the third time this year, Dallas failed to gain 300 or more yards from scrimmage. They’re currently 30th in the NFL in points per game, ahead of two teams currently helmed by rookie quarterbacks, the Buffalo Bills and the Arizona Cardinals.