Within the vast realm of sports, some roles or positions receive more attention than others.
The starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, the franchise player for the Los Angeles Lakers, and the centerfielder for the New York Yankees are a few examples from the past.
Dak Prescott has been donning the last of those helmets for the past eight years. Even after an MVP-caliber 2023 year, there are still a lot of doubters and people who are scrutinizing him. The criticism of Prescott, which is truly impossible to quantify, is ludicrous in the eyes of wide receiver Brandin Cooks, one of Prescott’s primary targets.
Cooks called the criticism of Prescott on Wednesday, via Jon Machota of The Athletic, “blasphemy.” It is astounding. Every year, no matter what, the guy turns up. achieving success and managing his group.”
NFL quarterbacks are subject to constant criticism. It is almost a given that having America’s Team as your signal-caller will bring even more benefits.
Three Pro Bowl selections, six seasons with 3,000 or more passing yards, three with 4,000 or more yards passing, and three more seasons with thirty or more touchdowns are just a few highlights of Prescott’s impressive résumé. The starting quarterback for the Cowboys is 73-41 overall during the regular season.
Prescott is frequently denigrated by the obvious negative that the Cowboys’ postseason misfortunes. Prescott is 2-5 in the playoffs, having guided the Cowboys to the postseason five times, with both of his wins being in the wild-card round.
For the whole century, the Cowboys have failed to reach the postseason.
Dallas has not progressed past the Divisional Round since winning the team’s final Super Bowl in the 1995 season; in that time, the team’s record is 0-7, the worst in the NFL, according to NFL Research.
The Cowboys won Super Bowl XXX when Prescott, 31, was a toddler.
Although he is not primarily to blame for Dallas’ struggles this century, he has still been the team’s face—at least among players—during the ongoing playoff turmoil.
According to NFL Research, the Cowboys have won nine division titles since making their last trip to the championship game in the 1995 season—the most in between conference championship game trips in NFL history. Prescott has spent four under center.
According to NFL Research, just five quarterbacks have participated in at least three Divisional Round games without taking home at least one championship during the Super Bowl era (since 1967).
Tony Rome (0-3 in the Divisional Round) and Prescott (0-3) are two quarterbacks for the Cowboys.
Apart from the typical criticism and foolish remarks made on social media about NFL quarterbacks, Prescott finds that the worst criticism is directed at him toward the conclusion of every season when the Cowboys fail to win and the previously described historical patterns are accentuated.
That is just not reasonable, though, in Cooks’ opinion.
Cooks, who has played for the New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams, and New Orleans Saints in the past, stated, “He can not do it all by himself.” “A lot of those great quarterbacks that I’ve been with, Tom (Brady) and Drew (Brees), don’t get me wrong, they won a lot of games, won a lot of Super Bowls, but they had a lot of help around them as well, right?”
Cooks makes the point that a quarterback, no matter how good, cannot win it all by himself.
“Us players around (Dak) also got to step up,” Cooks said. “So, when we hear that disrespect, I take that personally and as his teammates we should take that personally, because at the end of the day, somebody has got to be able to help him get over that hump so we can go win one.”
Still, there has been a lot of disdain for the Cowboys due to their failure to go past the Divisional Round under Prescott. That will not likely alter in the absence of a protracted postseason run.
For the time being, though, Prescott will focus on his enormous 2024 season—the final one left on his present deal.
No matter how outrageous the rumors around Prescott are, if he chooses that path, the veteran Cowboys quarterback will receive a lot of free agency love.
Until then, the Cowboys, led by Prescott and Cooks, want to shut up the naysayers in 2024, starting on Sunday when they play the Cleveland Browns.
