Time’s moving fast for Dak Prescott, and Cowboys QB is attacking Year 11 with a sense of urgency – Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News
Dak Prescott is highly motivated to win.
OXNARD, Calif. — Dak Prescott’s decision to wear a Super Bowl shirt on the flight to training camp may have drawn headlines, but it wasn’t exactly a new concept for the veteran quarterback. He’s always been on a mission to manifest.
“I said I would be the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys when I was 6 years old,” Prescott said on Thursday. “I said I would be in the NFL, and I got here. A lot of things I said I’d do, I did it.”
There is one difference between
the 6-year-old who dreamed of being the quarterback for the Cowboys and the one currently living that existence. Time isn’t exactly on his side. And he knows it.
Prescott is entering his 11th season in the NFL. He turned 33 earlier this week, making him the fifth-oldest projected starting quarterback in the NFL. The fourth-round rookie who took the league by storm in 2016 is now the second-oldest player on the team behind 15-year veteran Bryan Anger.
Prescott admitted that he thought there would be more chances to go on deep playoff runs after he and the Cowboys finished that 2016 season. They went 13-3 that year and lost by a field goal in the divisional round against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
“We’ll get back here next year,” Prescott recalled thinking. “We’ll block the field goal, or we’ll score and not get in that situation and then you look up and seven, eight years later, you’ve been to the playoffs, you’ve lost some games, some tough games in some brutal ways, and then you get into last season and you think you can control a lot of it and you think your play is ultimately going to be the deciding factor, and I probably had the best year of my career [last year], and we’re not even a playoff team. And then you realize these chances, these opportunities to put teams together that can actually make a run, don’t come often.”
Stephen Jones, Cowboys continuing to explore defensive additions at training camp – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
Will the Cowboys bolster their defense before the start of the season?
OXNARD, Calif. – In the Cowboys’ opening press conference at training camp, owner/GM Jerry Jones said that he had a discussion with another team’s owner about a trade earlier in the week, although the talks weren’t in a place where something was imminent.
He also said he’d be willing to give up a high-draft pick in order to add “firepower” to his roster. Speaking on 105.3 The Fan on Friday, Cowboys COO/co-owner Stephen Jones said Dallas is exploring different possibilities to add, specifically on defense.
“We’ve got several things that we’re considering right now, some of it trades, some of it signing guys,” Jones said. “A lot of these older players who have still got some tread on the tires can come in here and help you. It may come in the form of a trade; it may come in the form of a veteran signing as you move into camp.”
When it comes to what kind of players Jones and the Cowboys are looking to add to the roster, Jones hinted towards them being able to contribute as starters.
“I’d be surprised if the starting players on this defense don’t change over time,” Jones said. “We’re always looking to be better, we’ll continue to monitor this.”
Cowboys training camp observations: Dak Prescott is thinking big – Jon Machota, The Athletic
The first two days of training camp provided much to talk about.
Prescott-Pickens connection
The rapport that standout wide receiver George Pickens has had with Prescott early in camp is ahead of where the two were at this time last season. Pickens and Prescott look similar to what we’ve seen from CeeDee Lamb and Prescott entering previous camps. One of the highlight plays of the first two days was a beautiful ball Prescott threw over the top of cornerback Caelen Carson directly into the hands of Pickens running up the left sideline. There’s no tackling in these practices, but the play would’ve gone for at least 30 yards in a game.
Pickens’ personality has been on display after catches such as that one. He has celebrated after some of his notable plays as if it were a regular-season game. Some might have wondered how Pickens would handle camp while playing under the franchise tag. He appears to be pleased with his current situation.
“I left it up to my agent,” Pickens said after Thursday’s practice. “Even when we were (several) months from training camp, I was already thinking about ball. I was already training. I kind of leave (contract discussions) to the people who can do that for me. I just make catches and make plays and be a playmaker.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones emphasized Tuesday that Pickens could be a Cowboy for the rest of his career.
Pickens’ thoughts on those comments?
“Super excited,” he said. “I’m always super happy when someone thinks highly of me, so shout out to Jerry.”
Caleb Downs making waves at Cowboys training camp: ‘It’s about being great today’ – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
The rookie hasn’t wasted any time proving his was worth a first-round pick.
OXNARD, Calif. — Caleb Downs is getting his first real taste of what it means to be an NFL player and he can’t get enough. The rookie 11th-overall pick has now experienced rookie minicamp, OTAs and mandatory minicamp, but none of those compare to what he’ll experience in his first-ever training camp with the Dallas Cowboys.
The rubber meets the road in Oxnard, and the physicality is already ratcheted way up, as ordered by head coach Brian Schottenheimer. With the first two days of practice of his belt and padded practice firing up on Monday, Downs says bring it on.
“Yeah, I feel like every day things slow down just a little bit, and that’s how it’s supposed to be,” the former Ohio State superstar said. “It’s always positive to have the spring behind me, to be able to learn from what I did in the spring and make the adjustments that I need to and learn what I need to focus on. So, I’m excited for it, and we keep going from here.”
Schottenheimer continues to praise the fact that Downs “never makes the same mistake twice”, and the fact he lives in the playbook certainly helps that remain true. But it’s also his ability on the field, and the fact he craves the game as much as he does studying it.
“Yeah, I mean, honestly, I’m a football player,” he added. “So, 7-on-7 summer workouts, when there’s no pads, that’s good, but I like the real thing. I’m excited for when we put pads — I want to do everything like that, and I’m looking forward to it.
“I mean, it’s [also] just film study. It’s the same thing that I’ve been doing since I was a kid, just making sure that I’m watching everything that I need to watch, going from there and making sure that whenever it comes back, I’ll make the play.”
Daily discussion question: What is the biggest thing you need to see from camp at this point?
