Stephen A. Smith has hot take about Dak Prescott based on Jerry Jones' recent comments
Leave it to Stephen A. Smith to sum up the Dak Prescott-Jerry Jones situation with an acid-hot take. The Cowboys owner, with all his recent hints and actions, couldn’t be more clear in his message to his starting quarterback.
Smith, on Tuesday’s First Take, says this could be Prescott’s last stand with the Cowboys. It’s almost like a Super Bowl or bust dilemma.
“This is it for Dak Prescott,” Smith said. “This could very well be his last year in Dallas.” Well, technically, in Frisco, a north Dallas suburb, or Arlington, where the Cowboys play at AT&T Stadium. But you get the point.
Prescott, who turned 30 a month ago, was saying all the right things about the Cowboys working towards a Super Bowl. But here’s the deal. The Cowboys haven’t made the Super Bowl since 1996. That’s also the last time Dallas made it to the NFC title game. Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, who got it done in the 1990s, are in their mid-50s now. It’s been a long time since anyone in blue and silver hoisted a Lombardi Trophy at a Super Bowl parade.
Jerry Jones sent all sorts of passive/aggressive hints Dak Prescott’s way this weekend. He traded for 49ers quarterback Trey Lance, the one-time No. 3 pick in the draft. Jones secured Lance for the bargain-basement price of a fourth-round draft pick. Lance had fallen to third string in San Francisco. But now that he’s with the Cowboys, he could have the luxury of learning the system for a year then taking over the show.
Then Jones, casually, dropped into conversation how close the Cowboys came to selecting Jalen Hurts in 2020. It would’ve made so much sense, given that Hurts is a Texan and finished his college career as an Oklahoma Sooner. Last year, he led the Eagles, the Cowboys arch rivals, to the Super Bowl.
You don’t do all this to your starting quarterback if you’re happy with him. At least, that’s how Stephen A. Smith is reading the tea leaves.
“Dak Prescott wins regular season games. Clearly he produces,” Smith said. “Clearly he’s not a scrub. So why in God’s name would Jerry Jones come out there like this with this announcement to the world? He didn’t even consult with anybody, he didn’t even tip them off and didn’t even text them and let them know he had traded for Trey Lance. And then unsolicited, he brings up the fact that Jalen Hurts was somebody he would have drafted.”
These are all good points if you’re wanting to read Jerry Jones’ real thoughts on Dak Prescott. Smith provided the Jones thought bubble.
“You know why he’s doing that,” Smith said. “He’s saying ‘I’m tired of this. I understand what we’re doing during in the regular season. That ain’t why I’m paying this brother this money. That’s not why I … built this franchise. We got our business handled, we worth over $10 billion. Forbes magazine has recognized us as the elite brand in all of sports. Okay, this is what we’re bringing to the table. None of that is enough for me anymore. I got that handled.
” ‘What I can’t do is get on the field, stat, and play behind center and produce. I need (Prescott) to do that. I need Mr. McCarthy, who wanted and insisted on calling plays for the first time in six years for crying out loud, since he was doing it in Green Bay. Okay, y’all want it Dak, you got it Dak. You wanted your money, here it is. … Kellen Moore’s gone, here it is. You better get it done. You better get it done.’ He’s not playing.”
And Smith makes very valid points. Meanwhile, the Cowboys kick off the season, Sept. 10, against the Giants. Maybe Prescott catches the hints.