Getty Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott calls out during a play in an NFL game.
The Dallas Cowboys are just days away from their first NFL game of the season, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady is making himself heard.
Dallas and Tampa are set to face off to open their respective regular seasons for the second-straight year, with last year’s battle being a barnburner but with the Buccaneers winning 31-29.
In the buildup for the September 11 clash, Brady talked to local and national media. According to Dallas Morning News reporter Calvin Watkins, the Buccaneers QB dropped his review on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
“TB12 on Dak: ‘I love everything that Dak [Prescott]’s done since he’s been the quarterback. I watched him his rookie year, he led the team to a great record. Never let any of the success get to his head. He’s done an amazing job,'” Watkins Tweeted on September 5.
TB12 on Dak: “I love everything that Dak [Prescott]’s done since he’s been the quarterback. I watched him his rookie year, he led the team to a great record. Never let any of the success get to his head. He’s done an amazing job.”
Since Tampa Bay’s 31-29 win last year, the Cowboys and Bucs went on to win their respective divisions, but both suffered early knockouts in the playoffs. Both sides will be entering Week 1 with something to prove, and that starts with a duel between two of the most prominent quarterbacks in the league.
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Buccaneers Get the Edge Last Time Around
In terms of season kick-offs, the 2021 battle between Tampa Bay and Dallas was about as good as it gets. Things started off hot with both Brady and Prescott throwing touchdowns in the first quarter, and it never seemed to cool off from there.
After three lead changes and a 28-26 score entering the fourth quarter, the Cowboys and Buccaneers played a final 15 minutes, initially culminating in Dallas kicker Greg Zuerlein making a 48-yard field goal for a 29-28 lead with 1:24 on the clock.
However, Brady did what he does best: win. The future Hall-of-Fame QB led Tampa Bay down the field for a chip shot from Ryan Succop, and Tampa walked away with the 31-29 victory.
Brady completed 32 of his 50 passing attempts, totaling 379 passing yards and four touchdowns against one interception. Conversely, Prescott threw 58 times, completing 42 passes for 403 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
A year later, both offenses have changed significantly with the departure of Amari Cooper from the Cowboys and Antonio Brown from the Buccaneers. But the QBs remain the same, and it’s fair to expect another high-scoring game as long as Brady and Prescott are on the field.
Cowboys QB’s Contract Brought Up by Jerry Jones
Another source of chatter before Sunday’s game comes from the mouth of Dallas owner Jerry Jones. The 79-year-old leader of the Cowboys is always turning heads with his comments, and his most recent words centered around Prescott’s contract.
Talking to 105.3 The Fan, Jones admitted that the quarterback’s huge contract limits what the team can do elsewhere.
“The more you pay the quarterback, the teams that pay the big ticket on the quarterback, they have to sacrifice other places,” Jones said on September 2. “The facts are there’s no free lunch. Every dollar you spend on a player is a dollar you can’t spend someplace else.”
It’s the nature of a salary cap, but Dallas paying an average $40 million a year to Prescott per Spotrac does put the Cowboys in a sort of bind. That being said, Jones is the one who has created the situation as the general manager of the team.