Dallas Cowboys: Too much hype on Dak Prescott

The media are focusing on and following Dak Prescott around like a murder suspect in a crime novel, but the negative hype he’s receiving in training camp is way overblown.

We all know the Dallas Cowboys are by far the most watched, talked about, electrifying, and scrutinized sports team in the entire world.

The Cowboys are a sports soap opera, always filled with some type of drama.

If owner/general manager Jerry Jones isn’t hyping the Cowboys up or opening his mouth with more foolery, then the media are there to pick up the slack and find anything noteworthy to discuss when it comes to the Cowboys.

There are times I feel like the media are private detectives or spies from another nation looking to sabotage America’s Team. And true to form, the media have found something to talk about during Cowboys training camp.

Instead of a player facing a four-game suspension or fighting to stay on the field (Ezekiel Elliott), this time it is about third-year quarterback Dak Prescott.

According to reports, Dak is struggling in training camp big time because he has (wait for it) more interceptions than touchdown passes in a practice session.

Also, they’re reporting that Dak is inconsistent with passes and that wide receivers are catching balls out of bounds (Wow! I didn’t know that was a stat)

Simply put, this negative hype about Dak is way overblown and just another reason to talk about the Cowboys. I’m surprised that I’m actually writing an article about it because it is a moot point.

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Fellow DFW sports writer Daniel Ruppert wrote an article about the criticisms of Dak, and used the famous line from NBA  great Allen Iverson to make a point, “We Talkin ‘Bout Practice”

Exactly! “We’re talking about practice! Not a game!” to quote Iverson.

I thought practice was the sanctuary where a quarterback was supposed to make his mistakes, work out the kinks, go through the drills, and shake off the rust from a long off-season.

I’m not worried about Dak’s inconsistencies, struggles, or any other issues no more than I’m worried about Jerry having an epiphany and walking away from the nearest microphone to talk about his ego.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that Dak was a former first-round bust making an NFL comeback. Dak’s perceived struggles are what several NFL quarterbacks go through.

Regardless of who the quarterback is, it’s only natural for quarterbacks to go through the rigors and struggles of ball placement, accuracy,  and other issues that comes with being an NFL signal caller.

It happens to the best of them.

The only reason Dak’s is facing so much criticism is because he is the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, and he’s playing with a brand new group of wide receivers and tight ends.

For example, Tavon Austin, Allen Hurns, Deonte Thompson, Michael Gallup, Lance Lenior, Jr., K.D. Cannon, Noah Brown, Rico Gathers, Blake Jarwin, and Cedrick Wilson (injured reserve) have never played with Dak.

Even though Gathers, Jarwin, and Brown have been on Dallas’ practice squad, they have no rapport with Dak, and every quarterback needs the time and reps to develop a good relationship with their receivers.

So if Dak sails a ball over the receiver’s head or throws an interception, chalk it up as growing pains for training camp. Period.

As a result, there’s going to be a progression stage where Dak adjusts to his receivers, causing the up and down scenario.

To be clear and objective, Dak does need to work on his deep passes, footwork, and accuracy. And Dak is doing that every day in practice, even if he throws an interception on one play and throws a touchdown on the next one.

Mistakes will be made.

That’s what practices are for. And that’s why there’s too much hype on Dak.

• Published on 08/09/2018 at 13:00 PM
• Last updated at 08/09/2018 at 03:48 AM