Troy Aikman: Dak Prescott deserves to continue being face of Cowboys' franchise
Dak Prescott threw an interception in the second quarter Sunday vs. the Eagles.
He threw another in the third.
Then he fumbled.
And then the Cowboys’ third-year quarterback compartmentalized the turnovers to complete 17 of 20 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime. He finished with a career-high 455 yards on 42-of-54 passing in the Cowboys' 29-23 win.
Hall of Fame quarterback’s Troy Aikman’s takeaway: Prescott passed the test.
“Bill Parcells talked about it,” Aikman told Dallas radio station 96.7-1310 KTCK The Ticket on Tuesday. “It’s easy to play quarterback when you’re winning. But when you go out and throw a couple interceptions and throw an interception that cost you the game, how do you go in Monday morning and confront your teammates and handle that situation?
“That’s when you start to realize what you have in a quarterback.”
Prescott’s interceptions became Philadelphia’s lifeline Sunday after Dallas had outgained the Eagles 233 to 70 yards in the first half. The Cowboys picked up 14 first downs in the first half; the Eagles gained just four. Dallas’ defense held Philadelphia scoreless for more than 38 minutes.
But Eagles safety Corey Graham returned a second-and-15 pass from Prescott to Dallas’ 2 with 6:19 to play in the third.
Carson Wentz threw a touchdown to Alshon Jeffery the next play to cut the Eagles' deficit to 9-6. A strip-sack of Prescott followed on the ensuing drive.
Moments like those, longtime agent Leigh Steinberg says, are when teams assess whether they have a franchise-caliber quarterback.
A franchise quarterback is someone who in part, Steinberg told Paste BN Sports recently, “can, in adversity, having thrown multiple interceptions or picks, having the crowd booing, the game getting out of hand – does that player have the potential to compartmentalize, adopt a quiet mind and elevate his level of play to take the team to and through victory?”
Prescott’s rise came in the form of three late touchdowns to Amari Cooper for 28, 75 and 15 yards. With the connections, the Cowboys notched just the third win by a home team in the NFC East series’ last 12 contests.
“I’ve been through a lot in life,” said Prescott, who at Mississippi State lost his mom to cancer. “I’ve never questioned anything. I’ve never asked why on anything. I’ve had faith and always believed in my purpose in just being able to push forward.”
That resilience, Aikman said Tuesday, is why Prescott is fit to be Dallas’ quarterback moving forward.
“When you start evaluating Dak Prescott and whether to sign him to the big contract, which Jerry has already said he’s going to do, that’s a big factor in that,” Aikman said. “Not only how he’s playing but also does he have the makeup to be able to handle thing when it’s not going well?
“As a quarterback, I know those are tough Monday mornings. But I’ve said it many, many times: Dak’s the last guy that I’d worry about within that organization when it comes to those types of things.
"He’s a terrific guy. I think the world of him and wouldn’t hesitate one minute in having him continue to be the face of the franchise.”
Jones agreed in his Tuesday morning appearance on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. Sure, Prescott has thrown seven interceptions and fumbled 12 times (six lost) after a rookie season defined by his 23 touchdowns to just four interceptions. But Jones said he’s not losing sleep over Prescott’s turnovers knowing how the 25-year-old holds himself accountable.
“He’s got the confidence of the team, confidence in himself that, ‘OK, we’ve had some setbacks here but something good’s going to happen,’ ” the Cowboys owner said.
“Boy,” Jones continued, “what a mentality or what a character makeup for our game of football.”
Follow Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein.