Playoff football can bring out the best in players and sometimes the worst in players. Dak Prescott is one of the most captivating players in the NFL. This comes from the organization he plays for, the big star on his helmet, and historically the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys is one of the most iconic things in sports so being under the microscope is something that should be expected. But is it justified?
Is Dak really that bad? Does he deserve to be paid like some of the best quarterbacks in the league?
When Dak debuted in the NFL, he was thrust into service early because of an injury to Tony Romo and ended up setting a ton of rookie quarterback records and led the Cowboys to the top seed in the NFC. This was a breath of fresh air at the time because Cowboys fans were not thrilled with Romo’s play so the fandom was very happy. At that time folks thought that Jerry Jones had made a fantastic draft pick and the franchise quarterback was there to stay. Because Prescott was a fourth-round draft pick, this left the Cowboys in prime position to pay other players because they were not paying top dollar for a quarterback. He invested in an offensive line, he paid Zeke and other weapons, and shored up the defense. But when his rookie contract was up this led to some dicey waters. After placing the franchise tag on Dak in 2020 he suffered a nasty ankle injury which caused him to miss the majority of the season. In 2021 he was yet again franchised and soon after signed a 4-year deal and at the time had the most guaranteed money of any contract in NFL history. Prescott came back in 2021 and won their division but lost in the playoffs to the 49ers. This season the Cowboys had a chance to win the division again and have the best record in the NFC but were embarrassed in week 18. The Cowboys embarrassed Tom Brady and the Bucs in the first round of the playoffs but were embarrassed themselves by Jalen Hurts and the Eagles in the next round. Prescott’s career has had some severe highs and some severe lows and he tends to throw interceptions at a high rate.
So with a bit of history behind us let’s focus on the now. Dak’s contract going into the 2023 season is quite massive and Cowboy fans are thinking that they have overpaid for a less than stellar quarterback. The offense around him is average. They have glimpses of greatness but are very inconsistent. The offensive line isn’t nearly what it was a handful of years ago, Zeke is half of the player he was, and CD Lamb isn’t a number one receiver. That being said, how great can Dak be? Now let me say that I do not think Dak is in the top tier of quarterbacks and never has, but I do think with the right cast around him he can be very good. We have seen lesser quarterbacks win at high levels before so why not Dak? For Cowboy fans that are blaming Dak for the team’s play, you might want to take a step back and look further into things. The head coach and offensive coordinator are more to blame and the main culprit is the owner, Jerry Jones. Jones is not only the owner but the general manager. He pulls all the strings and is responsible for this team’s successes and failures but since he is one of the most outspoken owners in all of sports I don’t see him going anywhere so Cowboys fans…Blame Jerry and not Dak.
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