Jason Garrett says Dak Prescott has freedom to change plays, defends play-calling

Dak Prescott has the freedom to change the play at the line of scrimmage if the defense gives a look he doesn’t like, Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said.

But on a pass play to Deonte Thompson that was deflected and intercepted against the Houston Texans last week, Garrett said it wasn’t necessary for Prescott to call an audible.

Wide receiver Allen Hurns questioned whether it was the best play to call with the Texans playing cover two. He also wasn’t sure if Prescott had the authority to change the play.

Garrett said Prescott has the freedom to change the play but on that particular play it wasn’t necessary. All four of Prescott’s interceptions this season have deflected off his receiver’s hands.

“There are certain plays in a game where when you make a call it comes up perfectly against the exact defense you want. There are other times it’s a little more dicey and there’s sometimes where you better get out of that play,” he said. “I certainly don’t view it as that. Sometimes there’s a certain coverage that challenges you. They played two man. That’s a coverage that teams have played for a long, long time. Certainly they mix in doing that and certain routes are really good against that, some routes are a little bit more of a struggle. We’ve completed that pass against that coverage in the past.”

Garrett didn’t bite when asked whether he has an issue with Hurns publicly second-guessing the play-calling.

“I don’t know the nature of that conversation,” he said. “Allen comes to work every day. He’s a real pro. He works hard, does everything we ask him to do.”