What are fans missing from Dallas Cowboys defense trashing talking QB Dak Prescott?
Another day, another preposterous Dak Prescott narrative has gone viral.
One day after Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy openly talked about the passion and competitiveness between the offense and defense being so intense that he didn’t feel the need to hold joint practices with other teams, the world has seemingly lost their minds over a video of cornerback Trevon Diggs and others profanely talking trash to Prescott have denying him a touchdown on a scramble.
Diggs used a curse word in telling Prescott to shut up after the play and it was interpreted as an example of players on the Cowboys having no respect for the quarterback after the playoff losses of the past two seasons.
It couldn’t be further from the truth.
The fact is Diggs and Prescott have been talking trash to each other in practice since 2020. They are close and no one is upset.
And what was missing from the scenario was a video of Prescott talking trash to the defensive backs, namely safety Jayron Kearse, after throwing a touchdown pass to tight end Peyton Hendershot earlier in practice.
McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn have said they want the intensity in practice to toe the line between fair and foul.
But more to the point of what is happening in practice and what has transpired over the last couple of years is a changing of the guard in Dallas.
This is not the Cowboys defense of the late Tony Romo era or the early days of Prescott. Or even McCarthy’s first year when the unit was widely considered the weak link of the team, keeping them championship glory.
Remember in 2013 when Romo completed 25 of 35 passes for 506 yards and passed for 5 touchdowns only to lose 51-48 to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos?
Remember in 2016 in the NFC Divisional Playoffs when Prescott completed 24 of 38 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns, rallying the Cowboys to two scores in the final 4:08 after trailing by 18 in the first half and by 15 to start the fourth quarter to tie game at 31-31 with 35 seconds left.
But that was before Green Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw a 36-yard pass to a toe-dragging Jared Cook on the sideline on third-and-20 with :12 to get to set up the game-winning field goal.
Remember in 2020 when the Cowboys fielded the league worst unit, allowing a franchise-record 473 points, while giving up the second-most yards and second-most rushing yards in the team’s history?
Well, those days are over.
If the Cowboys finally break through in 2023 it will be led by a defense that will is a prime contender to the best unit in the league, led by a bunch of alpha dogs who are taking a back seat to no one in the organization.
That starts with Quinn, whose title should be head coach of the defense.
Never mind his Super Bowl title as defensive coordinator with the Seattle Seahawks and trip to the Super Bowl as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, he says he’s heading into the 2023 season with a chip shoulder.
He doesn’t want to be considered one best defenses in the league he “wants to be No 1.”
He told me as much
That mentality goes flows through his entire unit.
There are no mealy mouth players on the Cowboys defense.
Micah Parsons. Dog.
Diggs. Dog.
DeMarcus Lawrence. Dog
Kearse, who chirps about every touchdown scored by the offense. Dog
Donovan Wilson. Dog.
Rookie nose tackle Mazi Smith, who said this week that he doesn’t even “like football, he likes hitting people”. Dog.
You rile up a bunch of dogs. You are going to get bit.
Prescott knows as much and reveals in it.
Plays have been hard to come by every day in practice.
Parsons is wrecking things as a pass rusher and getting too close to the quarterback at times.
But he said last week that he put everyone on notice, including Prescott, that the was bringing it it practice and was going to hold everyone accountable.
And secondary, which is deep as any unit in the league, is making it hard on the receivers.
But Prescott and his improved group of pass catchers have had their share wins so far, much more than last season in training camp.
And the Cowboys quarterback who is far and way the No. 1 leader of the team is not backing down or complaining about being disrespected.
It may not look good to the public. But no one is crying about it Oxnard.
This is competition. This is what they Cowboys want in practice.
And if they finally breakthrough in the playoffs, this will be a big reason why.
Dog gone it.
This story was originally published August 3, 2023 at 9:46 AM.
