Cowboys QB Dak Prescott returning to home state in a zone, letting the good times roll
Sunday’s game at New Orleans Saints is special to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott because it’s his first game back in his home state of Louisiana since he played LSU in Baton Rouge as the QB of Mississippi State.
It will be his first ever game at the Superdome after coming up two games short of the 3A State Championship game as a senior at Haughton (La.) High, losing 49-41 to eventual state champion Franklinton.
He attended one Saints game at the Superdome when he was named a high school player of the week but never took the field as a player.
The nostalgia will be heavy in the stands for his family from his mom and dad’s hometown of Vinton, La., who plan to make the two-hour trek to New Orleans for the game. A host of former coaches and classmates plan to attend the game as well.
But it’s really just another game for Prescott as he leads the undefeated Cowboys (3-0) into their toughest test of the season on the road against the Saints (2-1) and their raucous fan base.
“I mean, it would in high school if I had made it there, it would have had special meaning (to play in the Superdome),” Prescott said. “But right now it’s another game, going on the road, always fun, knowing this environment, knowing the Superdome, knowing how their fans are going to be, the intensity, the atmosphere, I’m excited to go in there with my team, the brotherhood we have, the us against the world mentality.
“I’m sure maybe when I’m on the field (he will soak in the moment) and I think back to the high school days, the what if moments if you made it to the state championship. That’s where you played it but it’s the next game for me.”
Interestingly, when Prescott thinks of playing in the Superdome, it’s always about the missed opportunity in high school. It’s something that haunted him in college with former Franklinton running back Josh Robinson in the backfield with him at Mississippi State.
But it was never about the Saints as he grew up a Cowboys fan.
The true beauty of Prescott going back on Sunday is that he is returning playing the best football of his life and enjoying it with the unbridled joy of a kid playing in his backyard with his older brothers Tad and Jace again.
Prescott leads the league in completion percentage (74.5) and is second in passer rating (128.0) and touchdown passes (9) to find himself in the thick of early NFL MVP consideration. He has the Cowboys on the brink of their first 4-0 start in 12 years.
“It has all come together for him,” said Tad, who will drive over from Vinton to the game on Sunday morning with Jace. “It’s a joy to watch. That is how I can explain it. To watch our little brother live out his dream is crazy.
“The only time I’ve seen him have as much fun playing was his rookie year, his junior year at Mississippi State when they were No. 1 and when were playing the back yard as kids and I was his first coach. But nothing surprises us. We expected this because of the work he put in. The goal was to be the best. The reason he is here is because he worked his ass off. That’s why he doesn’t stress and can play free.”
There were no better example of Prescott playing free and having the time of his life doing so than in last Sunday’s 31-6 victory against the Miami Dolphins when he was called out a play and then told his teammates in huddle that “spicy nuggets were back” at Wendy’s and he was going to pick up some on his way home.
Prescott admitted he never got his nuggets, though he may have a new endorsement deal in the near future.
“I’m sure his agents are probably working to get a deal done right there,” tight end Jason Witten said with a laugh. “Capitalize on the opportunity, you know? I don’t think he’s gotten enough there. ... Pass them down to the rest of us, you know?”
Witten said it was classic Prescott being calm, cool and having fun on the field, while keeping his teammates loose.
“Listen, [he has the] ability to lock in and then keep a little bit of personality. ... He’s relaxed, he’s calm out there,” Witten said. “I believe he prepares during the week and then he doesn’t overthink it when he gets in those moments.”
Prescott has been a cool customer since showing up as a fourth-round pick in 2016 and fashioning the finest rookie season of any quarterback in NFL history. His 14 game-winning drives are tied with Drew Brees and Detroit’s Matt Stafford for the most in the NFL since 2016 and they are most for any quarterback in his first three years in the league.
His 35 wins since 2016 are most of any quarterback in the NFL, save for seven-time Super Bowl Tom Brady.
But even Prescott will tell you he is more at ease in 2019 and having more fun playing football than any time in his career.
Credit his comfort, maturity and knowledge of the game in his fourth year in the league, the play-calling and chemistry with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as well as the number of exciting weapons the team has on the outside in receivers Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Randall Cobb to go along with Witten and tight end Blake Jarwin and running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.
Prescott is controlling an unstoppable offense not seen in these parts since at least 2007 when the Cowboys opened the season 4-0 with four straight games with at least 34 points and 431 or more yards in three of the four games.
The Cowboys opened 2019 with three straight games of at least 31 points and 474 yards on offense but actually have a team-record streak of four games with at least 30 points and 400 yards of offense dating back to 2018 season finale.
“I think this game is fun,” Prescott said. “The level of fun we get to have is because we have playmakers. You feel (unstoppable) to a sense. You know if you do your (stuff) right your are pretty much unstoppable. It’s exciting. I’m excited.”
Prescott’s confidence is at an all-time high and he admits has felt he has been a zone to start the season akin NBA star Steph Curry bombing away from 3-point line.
He doesn’t believe he can miss, which he blames for a second-quarter interception against the Dolphins last week. He termed it a heat check.
Considering he completed 20 straight passes between Game 2 against the Redskins and Game 3, marking the second-longest streak in franchise history, and is 22 of 22 passing in the third quarter of all three games, his feelings of being in a zone is understandable.
“I think just his command and conviction in how he’s playing,” Moore said. “He’s letting that thing rip, and it’s maybe a silly way of saying it, but I think there’s something to it that there’s no hesitation in him. He’s hitting the top of his drop, he’s seeing it, he’s letting it rip and he’s very convicted and decisive in what he’s doing.”
It’s what has made the game more fun for him and he has been more daring.
Moore and quarterbacks coach Jon Kitna have encouraged him to push the ball down the field more than in the past.
“I came in as a rookie and you almost don’t want to (mess) it up,” Prescott said. “That is how it was for me in year two and three. Not that I wasn’t getting coached, but stuff I wasn’t getting coached on I wasn’t getting hammered on it enough. Now Kit has come in. They are pushing me to do. Push the ball down the field. You can make that throw throw it.
Kitna’s philosophy here is let her rip. It’s like home run hitters. We are waiting on that pitch, if they give us that pitch we are going to take the shot.”
The results have been dramatic. Prescott has 13 completions of 20 yards of more to six different receivers. He leads the NFL in air yards per attempt and is second in yards per completion among quarterbacks who started all three games.
Prescott says having a plethora of big play receivers for the first time in his career makes it even more fun and easy.
“I haven’t had that,” Prescott said. “I haven’t had that in my career. You throw it and I got guy who do a lot with the ball after they get it. Being more comfortable and trusting and knowing these guys are going to go get it. That’s what’s fun.”
Well, as they say in New Orleans “laissez les bon temps rouler”, so let the good times keep rolling in his first game at Superdome.
This story was originally published September 27, 2019 at 7:00 AM.
