Getty Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott continues to draw criticism stemming from his late-game rushing touchdown amid Sunday’s 43-3 blowout of the Atlanta Falcons.
And the calls are coming from inside the house.
During their weekly radio appearances, both Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones and vice president Stephen Jones expressed displeasure with Prescott’s decision to put himself in harm’s way for a meaningless touchdown, less than a month removed from suffering a calf strain.
“I worry about it,” Jerry Jones said Tuesday, November 16 on 105.3 The Fan, via The Athletic. “We got to realize that at the end of the year what this is about is being standing. Warren Buffett one time said the hardest thing about accumulating wealth is to be there to spend it.”
“Let’s don’t do that,” Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “But certainly, I mean, that’s Dak. At the end of the day, we have to protect Dak from Dak, but he’s the ultimate competitor.”
This, one day after Cowboys legend Michael Irvin similarly critiqued Prescott, cautioning the $160 million franchise field general not to “do that s*** again.”
“We don’t need that TD that bad bro!! @dak don’t do that s*** again!!!! WE NEED YOU HEALTHY!!!!” Irvin tweeted during the game.
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Dak Justifies Putting Himself in Harm’s Way
The play in question occurred near the end of the third quarter, with Dallas having established a 36-3 lead. Facing a 4th-and-2 from Atlanta’s four-yard line, Prescott kept the ball following a play-fake to Ezekiel Elliott and, scrambling to his left, collided with several defenders near the end zone before breaking the plane.
This would prove to be the Cowboys’ final score of the contest, punctuating a record-setting victory. And, knowing his day was winding to a close, it meant a little something extra to Dak, who’s overcome ankle, shoulder, and leg injuries — and its accompanying criticism — across the past calendar year.
“I had to re-establish some toughness,” Prescott said in his postgame press conference, via Yahoo Sports. “At that point, I was actually getting ready to dive and just didn’t want the ball to go off a guy’s leg or something like that and realized I had the defender squared up. And at that point, yeah, it’s goal-line. I told you guys earlier in the year: certain plays, certain positions on the field, I’m going to go back to my instincts and [I’m] going to get the touchdown or the first down. But being smart about it.”
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Jerry Maintains Optimism on Tyron
The Cowboys czar couldn’t say for sure whether stud left tackle Tyron Smith, inactive for two consecutive games due to bone spurs in his ankle, will return for Sunday’s highly-anticipated road showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.
But Jones echoed his son’s optimistic posture regarding Smith, hopeful the seven-time Pro Bowler can take the field at Arrowhead Stadium, relegating fill-in LT Terence Steele back to reserve duties.
“I mirror that,” Jones said Tuesday, November 16 on 105.3 The Fan. “I would say that I get the same information that he gets and that’s the way it looks. We will see as the week goes along, but Tyron is very, not predictable is the word, but you can measure how he is doing, what he is doing. He is the ultimate pro at this stage in his career, and “You can get a good feel if he’s going to be active that week. It looks good.”