NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Dallas Cowboys are waiting for Dak Prescott. In all fairness, this is nothing new to them. The Boys have been down this road before with another QB. Prescott is mirroring the career of former Cowboys QB Tony Romo and that’s not a good thing. Yes, personal stats aside, Romo was a good QB. But team-wise, there were no NFC Championship Games or Super Bowl appearances with him under center.
While Cowboys fans will try their best to argue me down, at some point, they will have to come to terms with the truth. Prescott has the talent to lead and he has the weapons to help him succeed. So what has been the issue?
He wants to be paid and mentioned as one of the best in the NFL and yet, those above him have led their teams to a Super Bowl or at least a Conference Championship Game. Pro Bowls are cool but even now, players who accomplished less are invited just because. That nod no longer holds the same weight it once did a decade or so ago.
Entering this season, Dak Prescott has to prove that he belongs in the elite statute of today’s QBs. Right now, it’s guys like Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, hell, you can even add in Jalen Hurts. Yardage-wise, he’s right there. Over his career, he has thrown for 24,943 yards, 166 TDs, and 65 INTS with a completion percentage of 66.6.
During the regular season, Prescott has compiled a record of 61-36. But his teams have never gone further than the Divisional Round. To be playing for a storied franchise like the Cowboys and can’t bring a championship back, what does that say about the Dak Prescott legacy? The time is now.
Yes, that can go for almost any QB in the league but playing for the Cowboys is different. It’s like the New York Yankees for MLB and the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA. Some teams are just expected to win and rise above the rest. But when was the last time the Cowboys made a Super Bowl appearance? Hell, when was the last time they made it to an NFC Championship Game (1995)?
Dak Prescott has to get that off his back. He has to distance himself from not just Tony Romo but the rest of the QBs in the Conference. Hurts has been in the league for 3 years and he’s been to a Super Bowl. Mahomes has been in the league for 6 years and he has 2 rings. Burrow has been to the big game as well. Jackson has an MVP trophy and Allen has been to a Conference Championship.
Can Dak Prescott Lead The Dallas Cowboys
And no, no one is being unfair because it’s the Cowboys. Just go back to what LB Micah Parsons had to say last week regarding his Dallas Cowboys. He said the Cowboys are the best in the NFC. Every player should feel like that but that’s the type of pressure that’s been handed down to Prescott ever since he took over as the starter. The expectations are high in Big D and his performance must meet that same standard.
The trash-taking is cool but when the games matter most, those same players are left licking wounds. Stop talking and play. No, this is not coming from Dak but it’s putting added pressure on the Cowboys’ signal caller.
Prescott having a good year is a guarantee. It’s time for him to start winning the big games. Right now, he’s no better than Romo. For a team that hasn’t won in decades and watching the Eagles and Giants walk away with titles has to be a punch in the gut for Jerry Jones. No longer should Dallas fans live in the past when mentioning Super Bowls. It’s 2023 and some are still salivating over titles won in the mid-90s.
The Cowboys have not gone through a franchise crisis like the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders, New York Jets, and others. The talent has always been there. Last season was as good as any for the Cowboys to reclaim the throne. But they failed. This season, the team is loaded on both sides of the ball. And whether anyone wants to admit it or not, success or failure will fall on the shoulders of Prescott. It’s time for him to come out of the shadows of those before him and bring that franchise back to glory.
