Dak Prescott is Cowboys 'Problem, Weak Link,' Hoots Stephen A. Smith on ESPN
FRISCO - To the credit of "Get Up" ESPN "analyst'' Stephen A. Smith, he was in his Wednesday morning critique of the Dallas Cowboys actually able to name a couple of roster members outside of Dak Prescott.
Not many. But a couple, and had the colorful "expert'' been asked to name more, he surely would've ducked behind some massive verbiage, yelled into the camera comedically.
It's a good cover. It's a profitable bit.
And the go-to? The QB Prescott, of course, because even the most casual Cowboys observer (of which Smith is truly one) can name him ...
And can use his name when the question is raised: "Who is the weakest link on the Cowboys?''
Smith states that he believes (regardless of whether he actually does) that Prescott is the team's biggest problem. ... a predictable and nonsensical take in two ways:
One, as he listed some of the weaponry the team has on offense around Dak, and essentially "analyzed'' that it's on the quarterback to take care of the football. ... he is simply stating the obvious. ... Even though he stated it within a heaping pile of gibberish.
Said Stephen A.: "Don't we talk about how if you have to pass against the Cowboys you're in a world of trouble? Haven't we said that? So defensively we know what they bring to the table. Offensively, they got CeeDee Lamb, they got Michael Gallup, they got [Dalton] Schultz there, even when Ezekiel Elliott is struggling, you got Tony Pollard there.''
We're not even sure what any of that means.
Two, as soon as the question was broached, the other panelists were so aware of what Smith's by-rote answer would be - Dak Prescott! - that eye-rolls could be seen and groans could be hurt.
Prescott has thrown 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions this season, all in eight games. He himself has stated that he needs to "clean up'' his errors, taking full accountability for any flaws in the Cowboys' 10-3 start.
But in fairness, his work in the last-minute win over Houston? It was all about both "clean-up'' and "clutch.'' And no serious analysis of Dak's week can skip over a 98-yard game-winning TD drive in the final minutes of an NFL game.
It doesn't take an "expert'' to recognize that an NFL team needs to protect the ball and that it's on the QB to manage that issue. And in the case of Stephen A. Smith, it doesn't even take a fake expert to see it.
But truly: A genuine analysis of the Cowboys roster by a qualified football guy would surely bow to the importance of Prescott to the Cowboys ... and surely groan and eye-roll at the idea that he's Dallas' weakest link.
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