Troy Aikman's Thoughts On Dak Prescott and The 2018 Dallas Cowboys 

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Kristi Scales | Sep 5, 2018 | Articles, The League, The Team

“I think he’ll be the first to tell you it was not an overall season up to his standards. But I expect him to come out this year and have a really outstanding season.”

Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, who will be on the Cowboys-Carolina call on Sunday as the game analyst for FOX, joined The Ticket’s Dunham & Miller Morning Show on Tuesday for the first of his weekly visits during the NFL regular season. Aikman was asked his opinion of Dak Prescott, and if he believes Dak will fare better in 2018 after the QBs’s production and stats fell in his second season in 2017.

“I like him, I love him, for that matter,” said Aikman. “I love the intangibles that he brings. Is that in-and-of itself enough? No, but it’s such a big part of it. We’ve seen a lot of really talented guys that have come through this league that have lacked in a lot of those areas and they’ve really flamed out.

“I’ve been a big fan of Dak’s since the day I first met him and he’s done nothing to change my opinion of him. I think he works exceptionally hard. I think it’s important to him. I think his teammates love playing for him.

“He obviously had a great rookie season and last year, by all accounts, because you look at statistics and say, ‘Well, it just was not as good a year’. I think that’s probably a fair assessment. But I don’t think it’s taking everything into consideration. I don’t want to get into all the details of what happened last year, but when you lose your left tackle and the staff did not do a very good job in the Atlanta game, I think you can put a little bit on them.

“I think it was always going to be difficult for him to meet what he did as a rookie no matter what year he put up those kinds of numbers. Of course, being without Ezekiel Elliott for those games was a factor. But that in and of itself, I went into the Atlanta game really looking forward to seeing what Dak was going to be able to do. The idea was that they were going to be able to throw the ball and, I know as a quarterback, when you have an opportunity to show what you can do as a passer, you get excited.

“I think Dak was really looking forward to that, but they just simply couldn’t protect and that wasn’t on him. And that’s just one game, but there were some other times when I felt he wasn’t helped as much as what he could have been.

“And, with that being said, I think he’ll be the first to tell you it was not an overall season up to his standards. But I expect him to come out this year and have a really outstanding season.”

Aikman was also asked by Dunham & Miller about the changes in the Cowboys’ offense heading into the 2018 regular season following the retirement of Jason Witten, the release of Dez Bryant, and the team’s overhaul of its wide receiver and tight end corps.

“We’re used to Jason Witten being the guy in certain situations when a catch needs to be moved in order to move the chains, they don’t have that type of security blanket that Dak has been used to,” replied Aikman.

“The lack of a true #1 wide receiver – and I don’t know that you would say that Dez was that guy the last couple of years – he wasn’t last year. There was not game planning going on, like ‘How ware we going to take Dez Bryant out of the game?’ So now you’ve got some really good players, but I think maybe they have more depth than they’ve had.

“If I were Dak and I was looking at this receiving corps, yeah, maybe now it’s more of a 4-wide type of situation and you’re not relying on the tight end. He doesn’t have the role like Witten had and is used primarily as someone who helps out in protection.

“I said many times back when I was playing that a receiving corps is really only as good as its 3

receiver because, as good as Michael Irvin was, teams can do different things to minimize the impact from those types of receivers. But we had Kelvin Martin for a few years who was our 3

slot receiver. He was outstanding at beating people. Novacek served in that role at times. Between Cole Bealey, Tavon Austin, and Michael Gallup, I’ve had a chance to watch him (Gallup) and I like a lot of things he’s shown. And Allen Hurns coming in free agency. You just need people who can beat defenders in 1-on-1.

guy who can do that, then I think their passing game can still be productive. It’ll be interesting to see how this group does. I don’t know that it’s fair to try to judge what they’re going to be off whatever happens in this game on Sunday because this Carolina defense is clearly one of the best in football. So, we’ll find out and see if these receivers are up for the task.”

Kristi Scales is the Cowboys\' multi-award winning sideline reporter who has covered the Cowboys for 27 seasons.

Enjoyed reading this article, on Aikman assessment of Dak, going into season number 3. If the Hall of Fame Quarterback, and now Fox TV analyst, see Dak rebounding from last year’s substandard showing, due to injuries to the offensive line and Elliot suspension.

Imho, I agree, with Aikman, regarding Dak, having an awesome season, as the Quarterback of America Team. I truly believe have Dak’s career in Dallas, is over, he will be held in the same breath as Staubach and Aikman, as a Cowboys legend. It wouldn’t surprise me at all, if Dak, wins more Super Bowl, than both Staubach and Aikman, during his tenure as the Quarterback of the Cowboys. This is coming from a Cowboys fan since 1966.

Dak, Imho, is the next coming of Tom Brady. Why, simply because both have a large chip on his shoulder, on where they, was drafted. Furthermore, there are the ultimate competitor, and enjoy playing the game of football. In addition, both make the players around them, play beyond the call of duty, and raise the standards of the team, TO reaching its goal of winning numerous Super Bowls. Just, like Staubach and Aikman, would do, when they was quarterbacking the Dallas Cowboys.

Have to give credit to the Cowboys organization and coach Jason Garrett, for seeing, this rare quality in Dak Prescott.

Finally, speaking of Coach Garrett, he will go down, as one of the greatest head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, after its all said and done. Just my two cents worth.

This is, without a doubt, a great comment. Agree, with every, sentiment.

In the future however, I implore you, to please review, your use, of commas, because wowza, that was, hard, to read.

Russell Wilson wins and has a poor offensive line and no back field. So does Arron Rogers. Great Quarterbacks step up and find a way. No Excuses.

Russell Wilson doesn’t run routes and catch passes. Your comment seems to imply that great quarterbacks win games all by themselves.

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