Getty Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys.
Dak Prescott hasn’t been able to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a Super Bowl title but Troy Aikman still feels like the franchise is in good hands.
Aikman spoke on Prescott during an appearance at the Children’s Cancer Fund “Light It Up” Gala in Dallas, backing the Cowboys quarterback for the standard he sets for the team.
“Dak has never cowered to the expectations of winning the Super Bowl,” Aikman said, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “He’s the only one I’ve heard since I’ve played that is really adamant about that being the standard for a Cowboys QB.”
Roger Staubach won 2 titles. Troy Aikman 3. Dak Prescott still searching.
“Dak has never cowered to the expectations of winning the Super Bowl,” Aikman said. “He’s the only one I’ve heard since I’ve played that is really adamant about that being the standard for a Cowboys QB.”
Perhaps that’s a subtle dig at Tony Romo, but nonetheless, it’s quite a statement from the three-time Super Bowl winner on Prescott, who has been under fire after a bumpy season. Prescott led the NFL in interceptions despite missing five games with a fractured thumb.
Turnovers were an issue for Prescott but he was still a solid signal-caller overall for the Cowboys. He passed for 2,860 yards and 23 touchdowns in 12 games and had the offense humming for a good part of the time he was under center.
But Prescott is held to a high standard, in part because of the four-year, $160 million contract extension he signed. And he’s expected to eventually re-sign on another hefty deal at some point in the near future that will lower his cap hit but also link him to Dallas for a longer period of time.
Dak Prescott Admits Changes to Cowboys ‘Tough’
The Cowboys reeled off another 12-win season but were ultimately met with disappointment in the postseason, falling in the Divisional Round to the San Francisco 49ers. Prescott — who tossed a pair of interceptions in the loss — admitted that he needed some time to recharge after the earlier-than-expected ending to the year.
“The end of the season was tough, for sure,” Prescott said. “And I took a break off at the end of the season … just everything that you put into a season and then obviously it turned out the way it did. It was different season for me personally, so yeah took the time off but then got back at it.”
The Cowboys enter the year with some new faces in the building and other familiar faces gone. Among those are former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and running back Ezekiel Elliott, who was released on March 15.
“I’m not going to lie to you, it was tough going in Day 1. Not just because of Zeke, but a bunch of coaching changes,” Prescott said. “I can’t say it was tough, it was interesting. ‘How’s this going to feel? What’s this going to be like?’ When I left, it was amazing, honestly.”
Cowboys Working on Turnovers With Dak Prescott
When it comes to Prescott’s play, the turnovers are the primary concern. Luckily, he hasn’t been known as a mistake-prone quarterback throughout his career, so some additional coaching and depth in the wide receiver corps should help him out.
Head coach Mike McCarthy — who is now the offensive play-caller — has already worked with Prescott on cutting down the mistakes.
“Definitely, we spent some time,” McCarthy said in March, via the team’s official website. “He was in for the captains workout (earlier this month). So he came up and spent about four hours with (quarterbacks coach) Scott (Tolzien) and I. And we went back and looked at his decision-making opportunities and the interceptions and potential interceptions and just talking through it.”
Prescott has some work to do if the standard is the Super Bowl but the Cowboys are on the right track. The Cowboys are +1,500 to win it all, per Vegas Insider, putting them sixth in the NFL.