Getty Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
The Dallas Cowboys will go as far as Dak Prescott can take them in the postseason, at least according to head coach Mike McCarthy. The newly slimmed down Cowboys coach explained the growth he has seen in Prescott’s game but acknowledged that a Super Bowl will only be possible if the team’s franchise quarterback can lead them to the finish line.
“Oh no, I don’t think he’s a finished product but where I see him grow, I don’t know if there’s an area that he hasn’t grown, to be honest with you,” McCarthy noted during a July 28, 2022 press conference. “You look at his physical conditioning, he weighs the same, but he’s obviously more leaner, more flexible. He’s put a tremendous amount of work into that, so you’re seeing that pay off. I think his ability to throw from different arm slots, I think you’re seeing an increase in ability there and that’s obviously a tribute to his training and the extra work that he puts in, just like anything.
“This offense is built around making the quarterback successful and this is Dak Prescott’s offense. And I think you see him really taking ownership of that because, at the end of the day, defense wins championships but the Super Bowl is won by the quarterback. I think if you just look at that statistically, I mean, that’s my opinion. That’s how I view the journey and the vision of how you prepare your team and what the team needs to look like. And I think he’s a guy that emulates exactly what you’re looking for, because he’s always working to improve in all the areas.”
ALL the latest Dallas Cowboys news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Cowboys newsletter here!
Prescott on McCarthy’s Comments: ‘It Means [the QB] Got to Make Big Plays in Big Moments’
Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb working on the deep ball
When asked about McCarthy’s proclamation, Prescott co-signed his head coach’s comments about the Super Bowl. Prescott admitted he has to “make big plays in big moments in games like that” to achieve the kind of success the Cowboys want this season.
“Obviously, the old saying [goes] defense wins championship, it’s true and when he [McCarthy] says quarterbacks win the Super Bowl, it means they got to make big plays in big moments in games like that,” Prescott responded during a July 28 media session. “And just the way that this game has evolved to such a spread game now in the NFL that you’ve got to make big-time throws, whether it be third down, fourth down to win games and that’s [where] the biggest game and the biggest moments are. They happen in that game [the Super Bowl]. So, [I] 100% understand what he’s saying and just trying to do whatever I can to get to that moment really.”
Dak Was the No. 11 Ranked Player in The Atheltic’s QB Tier Rankings
A 7-7 scramble drill has Dak Prescott finding Dalton Schultz.
Prescott was ranked No. 11 in The Athletic’s Mike Sando’s latest quarterback tier rankings, a list compiled based on votes from leagues executives and coaches. The Cowboys QB1 landed in the tier-two group with Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson ranked just above Prescott. One NFL head coach described Prescott as a “really solid” quarterback in 2021 believing it was a continuation of his overall body of work as an NFL player.
“He played like how he always does,” the coach told The Athletic. “He’s a solid player. Really solid. He’s not going to change and all of a sudden become something more special. He’s had a premium setup — premium offensive line, premium skill position players, and you know what he has done? He’s been really solid and they’ve won a ton of football games. He has legitimate intangibles in terms of his leadership and toughness, and he’s a good player.”