'I Know Who I Am!' Dak On Interceptions; Cowboys Jerry Jones Reacts
OXNARD, Calif. - The quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys is a high-pressure, high-reward job, and that didn't change when Dak Prescott took the starting job from Tony Romo in 2016 as a rookie.
Prescott enters his eighth season as the Cowboys' signal-caller and turns 30 during training camp. Coming off a 15-interception regular season - as season in which he played only 12 games due to injury - there are concerns. He added two more interceptions in the post-season. And now there's a sense of urgency.
Is Prescott worried? “We are a talking point,” Prescott said in mid-July during a break at his youth football camp. “As you find something to talk about, that’s the first thing to go to. As I’ve said before, I know who I am.”
And what does team owner Jerry Jones say about Dak as camp opens here in Oxnard on Tuesday?
"What I expect is, 'not the unexpected,'' Jones told us. "Last year was 'unexpected.' I expect ... don't turn the ball over. Which is what - when I think of Dak - is what comes to my mind. That's what he does (well.).''
Anyone who plays under center for Dallas is placed under a microscope not from game to game, but from play to play. So when the slightest lapse in performance arises, the haters pounce. And that's exactly what's happening this offseason.
Historically, Prescott hasn't been the interception machine that some will make him out to be. Over his first six seasons, Prescott never threw more than 13 picks, and never hand an interception percentage of more than 2.7.
In 97 career regular season games, Prescott has thrown 165 touchdowns to just 65 interceptions - a career 2.0 interception percentage. In six career postseason games, he's thrown 11 touchdowns to five interceptions - an interception percentage of 2.3.
New offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is clear on his feeling of Prescott. “The guy is a great player," Schottenheimer said upon the team's arrival in Oxnard for training camp. "I mean, he’s going to go out there and he’s going to compete -- ‘I can make that throw.’ He’s just got to understand situations of the game and down and distance, and all that stuff, and clean up some of the decisions that he knows last year he kind of missed."
Former Cowboys quarterback and NFL Hall of Famer Troy Aikman isn't concerned either. “Personally, I was not concerned with [the interceptions] and I don’t think the Cowboys are either. And I hope Dak’s not, because people like to say every interception has a story of its own, which is true, but I didn’t think Dak was that reckless with the football.”
This will be a new season for Prescott and one of several changes. Gone is former offensive coordinator and former Prescott teammate Kellen Moore. Head coach Mike McCarthy has said the offense will differ slightly from previous years under Moore, and it's hoped Prescott can thrive with the changes.
"He’s really handled these changes and adjustments and the input,'' McCarthy said. "I want smart, Hall of Fame-type quarterbacks, and the only way to get there is you got to make them own the offense -- and you see it.”
Follow Timm Hamm on Twitter and Instagram
COWBOYS FISH REPORT … now a podcast! Join us inside The Star, ANY TIME!
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Cowboys?
Follow FishSports on Twitter
Follow Cowboys / Fish on Facebook
Subscribe to the Cowboys Fish Report on YouTube for constant daily Cowboys live reports!
