Dak Prescott vs. Steve Young: How Cowboys QB Compares

Last season was anything but a Hall of Fame case for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, especially after the year ended prematurely in San Francisco. One Super Bowl champion coach, however, still sees Prescott as potentially destined for Canton.

Mike Martz, having earned gridiron championship glory with the St. Louis Rams after the 1999-2000 season, appeared on 105.3 The Fan to discuss Prescott's future.

Martz, an offensive coordinator and head coach of the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" era, backed the eighth-year man as the future in Arlington despite a season that has some questioning his potential as a champion, one where he led the NFL in interceptions and fell short of the NFC title game again. The journey, however, reminded Martz of that of a current Canton dweller.

"You look at Steve Young, he goes from Tampa Bay, (where) he’s the worst-rated quarterback in the league. He goes to San Francisco and becomes a Hall of Famer," Martz noted. "So much of it has to do with getting things tight around the quarterback and when that happens then, you know, he can realize his full potential."

Dallas' "moving parts," Martz explains, have stifled Prescott from reaching his true potential but he alluded to stability both in the rushing game (Tony Pollard back on a franchise tag) and offensive line (most-recent first-round choice Tyler Smith) as reasons to believe in the quarterback as he presses forward.

"I know (former offensive coordinator) Kellen Moore, his philosophy is a little bit more wants to throw up quite a bit," Martz noted. "If you’re not real good on the offensive line, it’s going to be very difficult."

"I think the fact that they’re going to run the ball very well, and I’m sure they will, I think just does so many things for Dak in the passing game. There have just been too many moving parts around him and there are a lot of really good quarterbacks out there that have been through this."

Martz knows what it's like to have unexpected, brilliant success under center, having overseen the rise of Kurt Warner with the Rams. He has two decades of NFL coaching experience under his belt, briefly ending his retirement in 2019 to coach the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football.

The coaching champion is confident that last season was "an anomaly" for Prescott, believing new chemistry with his receivers, primarily top option CeeDee Lamb, could push things forward.

"I think the success of any quarterback has so much to do with the receiving corps, how disciplined they are ... where they’re supposed to be and when they’re supposed to be there," Martz said. "It’s kind of a touchy thing because if they’re not on the same page as a quarterback."

"I think that quarterbacks obviously aren’t gonna say anything about it," They've just got to grin and bear it, so to speak, so I think that’s probably one of the most contributing factors to these turnovers."

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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