Troy Aikman raves about Dak Prescott's 2023 season
It was a phenomenal regular season for the entire Dallas Cowboys team on their way to winning the NFC East. A huge part of that season was the success of quarterback Dak Prescott.
Prescott had such a good season that he even received praise from former Dallas quarterback and current analyst Troy Aikman.
“I don’t know that they ever shouldn’t have believed in him,” Aikman said. “Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they just haven’t played their best football when the games have mattered most, and that pre-dates Dak Prescott. And I think in some ways, he’s been maybe criticized for some of the failures that came before him because of the fan base that’s frustrated.”
Dak Prescott has been the Cowboys quarterback since 2016, taking over for an injured Tony Romo. During his time as the starter, there have been questions about whether or not he’s good enough to get Dallas over the hump. However, as Aikman pointed out, that’s not a unique issue for Prescott in Dallas.
This season was a Pro Bowl one for Prescott, throwing for 4,516 yards and 36 touchdowns in the process.
“But I see a quarterback that’s playing at a really high level, and he’s played at a high level throughout his career. We had the game against the Chargers on a Monday night [Week 6], and they weren’t getting the ball down the field. This has always been kind of a big-play offense, and Dak’s been the quarterback that’s been able to deliver the big balls down the field, and then when they went back to that in that Chargers game Monday night, it’s when it all kind of began, they’ve just been off and rolling,” Aikman said.
“I like what I’ve seen of Dak within the offense, and the way Mike [McCarthy, coach] … I don’t want to say called things … but more the footwork and the way that the ball is coming out. I think he’s seeing the field as well as he ever has. He’s been accurate with the football. But a big reason for all of that is I think the time invested this season in some of the footwork and the things that they emphasized.”
Peyton Manning praises Dak Prescott, is pulling for Cowboys QB in playoffs
Another legendary former quarterback who Dak Prescott has in his corner is Peyton Manning.
“If the Cowboys play well in the playoffs, it’s because Dak is doing the same things he’s done all season. He’s been calm, just collected in the moment,” Manning said.
“Dak Prescott takes a lot of heat, heat comes his way. I think that comes with playing quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. I think he wants that. He wants that platform. Handles it so well. He handles the positives, he handles the negatives. I think Dak just stays pretty even-keel, which is the best quality of a quarterback in the NFL, especially playing in a place like Dallas … It just serves you well if you don’t go through this rollercoaster.”