Cowboys QB Dak Prescott - and Madden - Ripped by ESPN's Dan Orlovsky

Football season is right around the corner with, the season opener on Sept. 8. However, Madden season is also right around the corner, with Madden NFL 23 being released Aug. 19.

And also lurking around the corner - as always, when it comes to a chance to rip Dak Prescott - is ESPN's Dan Orlovsky.

The player ratings have been released for the new Madden installment, and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Prescott has an 89 overall rating. This rating comes in sixth among all quarterbacks, with Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady coming in No. 1 with a 97 overall rating.

ESPN analyst Orlovsky is - of course - criticizing Prescott's placement in the top 10.

"I think Dak, I obviously would not have Dak in the top 10," says Orlovsky.

What are your thoughts on these QB rankings @danorlovsky7...#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/AkwSVykWnd
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 22, 2022

The quarterbacks that Orlovsky would have ahead of Prescott at spots six through 10 are Justin Herbert (No. 6), Matthew Stafford (No. 7), Lamar Jackson (No. 8), Russell Wilson (No. 9) and Deshaun Watson (No. 10).

"I'd have Herbert at six. Stafford at seven. And then Lamar eight. Russell nine. No. 10 would probably be ... probably Deshaun," Orlovsky said.

In Cowboys Nation, the notion that Orlovsky is "doing a bit'' here is quite obvious. He's using the "America's Team'' popularity to create some popularity for himself. It's working in the area of "popularity.''

But is it working in the area of "credibility''?

Prescott had a better passer rating last season than every one of those quarterbacks just listed. In fact, Prescott had the third-best passer rating league-wide last season, behind only quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Joe Burrow.

Only Stafford and Wilson had higher yards-per-attempt marks than Prescott last season on that list, while only Wilson had a lower interception percentage. However, Prescott still threw 12 more touchdowns and 1,336 more yards than Wilson last season, while his completion percentage was exactly four percent higher.

Prescott was a serious MVP candidate for much of last season, giving Dallas fans plenty of reason to roll their eyes at Orlovsky's assessment. Going into this season, Prescott has the seventh-best MVP odds among quarterbacks.

We think Orlovsky is generally off-base with his Dak bashing. But in this case? The Madden rating is largely about individual numbers. And while there are obviously Dak-non-believers in terms of whether he'll win titles ... being a Dak-non-believer in terms of Madden-esque numbers is somewhere between "ignorant'' and "comedic.''

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