Why does Jerry Jones expect fewer interceptions from Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott?
Billionaire Warren Buffett once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it.”
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott knows this all too well heading into the 2023 season.
Six years of being considered a quarterback who limited mistakes and didn’t turn the ball over was ruined during a 2023 campaign when he led the NFL with 15 interceptions in 12 games.
He tossed two more in a season-ending playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, cementing what has now become his new reputation as a turnover machine.
Never mind that the more a few of Prescott’s interceptions were the result drops off the hands of his receivers and confusion on pass routes.
And right on cue, Prescott had a pick in the first practice training camp when a ball bounced off the chest of receiver Simi Fehoko and was picked off by rookie cornerback Eric Scott.
Talk of his turnovers consumed all conversations about Prescott since the end of the 2022 season when he averaged an interception on 3.8 percent of his attempts.
Before last season, his interception rate of 1.7% (50 picks on 2,889 attempts) from 2016-2021 is tied for fifth-lowest with Alex Smith among quarterbacks with at least 1,000 passing attempts over that time.
So a general question to owner Jerry Jones about what he expects from Prescott brought up an unprompted but expected answer about not seeing a replay of 2022 in terms of interceptions.
“What I expect is not the unexpected. What last year represented relative to turnovers was unexpected,” Jones said. “I expect to see what we expect from Dak, which is don’t turn the ball over, be protective of the ball. When I think of Dak, that’s the first thing that comes to my mind. That’s what he does good.”
History says as much.
Consider Prescott’s predecessor Tony Romo, who had 91 interceptions over his first seven seasons. Prescott has had 65 over seven seasons, including the NFL-high 15 in 2022, which should be considered an anomaly rather than example of the type of player he is.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said they evaluated Prescott’s interceptions and play after the season no different than they have done in other season.
He doesn’t look at his performance in 2022 “any different than any other year.”
“So I understand the amount of conversation around it,” McCarthy said. “We are aware of the numbers. We all understand that we may look at it a little differently than others look at it. You know, that’s part of it. That’s part of our our business and played under a microscope. I’m very comfortable with it.
McCarthy acknowledges that there will be times when Prescott has an interception or two in the same game. That is part of football. He told Jones as much.
“I mean he didn’t like it. Not gonna say he didn’t like it. But we talked about it the other day and I just said, ‘Hey, you know, there’s gonna be a time where he’s gonna maybe throw two interceptions during the game’,” McCarthy said. “That’s gonna be a great moment for us to learn from. Adversity is coming. You don’t compete in this league and not having adversity on and off the field. It’s not realistic. So that’s part of the everyday grind as a quarterback. You have moments that you just continue to play and don’t let it affect you.”
This story was originally published July 26, 2023 at 12:35 PM.
