Dak Prescott is at a defining moment in his career. After playing a shockingly amazing rookie season for the Dallas Cowboys in 2016, 2017 presented multiple challenges for the quarterback who took the starting job from Tony Romo.
Now, heading into his third year in the NFL, it’s time for Dak to prove what he’s all about. By the numbers, one could say Prescott regressed a bit during the 2017 season. However, the factors that go in when evaluating a quarterback are way more than simple stats.
2017 was not a good year for the Cowboys. While missing some key players should not be an excuse at all, we can’t deny that Dak was in a very tough spot in his second NFL season. Specifically when it came to playing without his star running back Ezekiel Elliott and his blind-side guardian Tyron Smith.
Cowboys Nation has high expectations for the young quarterback, but that shouldn’t bother Dak. Truth be told, nobody sets the bar higher for him than himself. Just last Thursday, he said he wants to be the greatest quarterback to ever wear the Star.
For some Cowboys fans, who have had the great opportunity of watching Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman take the field, this comes as a complicated objective for Prescott. But it sure would be amazing to see him establish himself as just that in his career.
This is exactly the attitude any quarterback in the NFL should have. If the objective is not be the best, be a champion and be the greatest to ever play, they’re doing it wrong. Dak not only says he wants to be the best QB in Dallas Cowboys history, but he acts like it.
His work ethic and his leadership have shown us the best of him and will continue to do so further in his career. Since his rookie season, we’ve known how special he is. Not any rookie quarterback finds himself in thriller shootouts versus Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers to come back in the last second and win the game.
The loss to the Green Bay Packers in the 2016 was one of the most painful defeats in recent history, but Dak leading the Cowboys to come back from a 21-3 scoreboard to tie the game at 28 is proof enough of how special he actually is.
While it’s not contract year for Dak Prescott yet, he could very well earn himself a big-time extension if he has a very good 2018 season. This could be the money year for #4.
But for him to be considered the greatest Dallas Cowboys QB to play the game it’s clear there’s something else he needs to accomplish. Something that, despite the fact that he was a great player, Tony Romo never had the chance to do.
Postseason glory.
The Dallas Cowboys have been one of the most successful teams in the NFL, holding five Lombardi Trophies. But that was a long time ago, and the younger portion of Cowboys Nation still doesn’t know what it feels like to see their team become the NFL champions.
The team has hope in Dak Prescott to become the player who finally puts an end to a playoff drought that’s lasted more than two decades. It’s time for it to end. And for Dak Prescott to fulfill his desire of becoming the best QB in franchise history, bringing more rings to Dallas is a must.
