It’s been a few days since the embarrassing 23-17 loss to the 49ers at AT&T Stadium. That wild-card round matchup where the lone star team was expected to end up facing off against Tampa Bay at Raymond James Stadium. Unfortunately, none of this happened, with a team that did not respond offensively and left many things pending.
Therefore, there are a lot of points in the loss that again destroyed the hopes of the fans to see the America team on top again. Of course, one of the critics’ strong points is Marshal Dak Prescott.
With his compound fracture in his right ankle in 2020, there was no telling if Prescott would stay with the organization or end up with any other team. Eventually, he ended up signing a four-year, $160 million extension in March 2021. The clear objective was not only to retain the QB, but to get the Cowboys to the postseason and win the Super Bowl.
Full terms on the Dak Prescott contract: 4 years, $160M, up to $164M. He gets a no-trade clause and no tag provision. The guarantee is $126M. Massive.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2021
While the team finished with a 12-5 record and overall leaders in the NFC East, nothing was the same after the road matchup against the Patriots. After the bye week and a win by backup QB Cooper Rush, the relegation began for Dak. With a month of November that included three losses, specifically against Denver, Kansas City and Las Vegas. Just winning in week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons.
December would be a completely different month for the team, but out of four games, three ended with credits for the defense. The truth is that the offense did not look good in practically any of the games in the last month of the year. And to add insult to injury, they had to beat Arizona in Week 17 to have a chance at first place in the NFC and the bye week. Of course it didn’t happen and they ended up losing at home 25-22.
Isaiah Simmons causes the turnover! #RedSea @isaiahsimmons25
????: #AZvsDAL on FOX
????: NFL app pic.twitter.com/5cbnr6Snhn— NFL (@NFL) January 3, 2022
Given this summary of events, it has been seen that Prescott simply might not be up to the task. Of course, there are many other factors such as errors in the plays by the coaching staff. Including managing the clock and not being more risky in certain situations. But in the wild card duel it is not so much the defeat that bothers, but the way in which it happened. The fact that a team was seen without enthusiasm that did not seek to score until practically the last part of the match.
Given all this, there are two legendary Cowboys receivers who have something to say. On the one hand we have Drew Pearson, who ended up being part of the Hall of Fame in 2021. And Dez Bryant, the mythical number 88 who spent eight years with the team and played a good number of years alongside Quarterback Tony Romo.
As far as Pearson is concerned, his words have been forceful and have left no room for error. “I was very supportive of Dak, even from the time of the Draft, I was excited about it,” Drew said. “Especially because of what he did at Mississippi State, bringing that winning attitude here. It says the right things, but now it’s time to move on. And Jerry Jones’s window is not so open at this point, you have to step up.”
“I’m hesitating now with Dak. I saw a lot of steps back as the season went on, that’s a $40 million a year disappointment,” Pearson continued. “It’s not about the money, it’s about him playing the position and not improving, lowering the level in a year in which we started so well. We almost had the NFC East won in the first seven weeks. Then we started going downhill. A lot of that was on the offensive side of the ball, and a lot of it was because of the quarterback.”
“I’m just wavering now with Dak. I just saw regression as the season went on and that’s a disappointment at 40 million dollars a year.”-Drew Pearson (@88DrewPearson) on The Zach Gelb Show on @CBSSportsRadio
— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) January 18, 2022
On the other hand, we have the opinion of Dez Bryant. Although it is a little less forceful than Pearson’s, he left Prescott with clear advice through his social networks to improve his performance once and for all for the next season.
“Amari Cooper is way out of trouble in Dallas so let’s clear things up,” Dez said. “Dak needs to call Romo and talk about reading defenses so he can understand his weaknesses, and how to use his weapons in certain situations.”
Amari Cooper is far from the Problem in Dallas so let’s get that straight…
If you really want to keep it a buck…Dak need to call up Romo and talk about how to read Defenses so he can understand the D weaknesses on how to utilize his weapons in certain situations..
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) January 23, 2022
This will be a topic of debate for the remainder of the year. Whether Dak really has what it takes to stay with the Dallas Cowboys or whether the organization will eventually have to make a move like a trade. At the moment, there are many things the franchise will have to evaluate, including the future of the coaching staff. But Prescott’s performance left a lot to be desired, and it will be time to wait for the solution regarding this issue.
