Stephen A. Smith Unloads on Dak Prescott, Cowboys Following Week 8 Loss

Week 8 brought us another loss for the Dallas Cowboys as they fell to the Arizona Cardinals 33-30 in overtime.

Sadly, the late-game collapse feels all too normal at this point, but so do the press conferences that follow. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer is again saying he needs to get to work and be better while Dak Prescott is preaching patience while defending the coaching staff.

Another thing else that feels normal these days is seeing Stephen A. Smith lose his mind while railing on the Cowboys. That was the case again on Monday as he called the team "pathetic" on ESPN's First Take. Naturally, he took aim at the defense, but also said Dak Prescott isn't handling things correctly by the way he's defending his teammates and coaches.

"I'm really sick and tired of that damn Dak Prescott saying all the right things after a post-game conference. I understand the defense is trash. I understand they're horrible against rushing. I understand they gave up," Smith said.

He went on to say that while Prescott is technically saying the right thing, it's actually leaving the team without the leadership they need. Smith claims the accountability is gone in Dallas and said Prescott should take a page out of the book of many other star quarterbacks who might not have been so nice seeing a 14-point lead evaporate.

"Could you imagine if some of the superstars that you've seen play defensively throughout the years of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady and Drew Brees and the list goes. Could you imagine how they would have been on the sidelines? Could you imagine how they would be in a post-game conference if you asking them about a team's putrid performance like that?"

“They are trash. They are horrible. They are pathetic!”@stephenasmith goes OFF on the Dallas Cowboys after their loss to the Arizona Cardinals 😬 pic.twitter.com/58g5c1WPr2
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 2, 2026

Stephen A. Smith says Jerry Jones should have hired Rex Ryan

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones walks the field during warms ups prior to a game against the Arizona Cardinals. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's not just Prescott who makes everyone feel secure in Dallas, according to Smith. He says the coaching staff doesn't hold players accountable, which is why he believes Jerry Jones messed up by not hiring Rex Ryan when he was looking for his new defensive coordinator this offseason. Unlike Parker, Ryan is known for being overly aggressive and Smith believes that fire is what this defense lacks.

"Jerry Jones made a mistake by not going and getting Rex Ryan to be his defensive coordinator. You need somebody fiery. You need somebody that's going to hold cats accountable. You need somebody that's in Dallas that's going to make people recognize that their jobs are on the line if they don't go out there and produce," Smith said. "Because individually as talent, they seem to have it. But you know what? The losses don't hurt enough because life is real comfortable in Big D."

Ryan hasn't coached in the NFL since 2016 when he was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills. He doesn't feel like a real candidate at this point, but that doesn't mean Smith's argument is wrong.

There's definitely a lack of leadership in Dallas, which is why this team is so prone to mental mistakes and late-game collapses. That falls on Brian Schottenheimer more so than anyone. Sure, Parker has not lived up to expectations, but this team was just as bad in 2025 without Parker. The one common denominator is Schottenheimer and his seat needs to be hotter than anyone's in Dallas right now.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer on the sidelines against the Arizona Cardinals. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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