OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — When Dak Prescott arrived at training camp Tuesday, he wore a vintage t-shirt celebrating the Dallas Cowboys’ last Super Bowl win as a statement of intent.
After 10 years in the NFL without a meaningful playoff run for an organization that has not claimed a championship since after the 1995 season, their star quarterback is ready to end those droughts through his deeds, words, and even wardrobe choices.
“To go into training camp
and to go into the season to say that those are our goals, I mean, it’d be stupid or we’d be remiss not to own that, and take accountability in that, and take pride in saying this is what we want to be and what we want to do,” Prescott said Thursday.
Prescott admitted to being “definitely less patient” when it comes to the lack of postseason success, his angst rising after missing the playoffs each of the past two campaigns. He has a 2-5 record in playoff games and never reached an NFC championship game, something the Cowboys have not done over the previous 30 seasons.
However, Prescott believes the pieces are in place for the organization to move past those struggles. He expects a potent offense to be even better in its second season under head coach Brian Schottenheimer by benefitting from improved continuity on the offensive line and further growth from the pairing of standout wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in their the second year together.
“We know it’s not going to carry over, and so it’s awesome to see these guys in meetings and just walkthroughs taking every moment, every rep serious because we’ve going to be better than we were last year in our mind," Prescott said. "And that’s our standard, and we’re going to push each other and hold each other accountable to do that."
Coming off a season where he threw for 4,552 yards and 30 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, Prescott has been sharp through the first two days of practice, even pointedly criticizing himself for the two throws he wanted back from Thursday’s session.
As an indication of how high his expectations are for the whole unit, Prescott has set their motto as “GOTI,” an acronym for “greatest offense there is.”
“Why can’t we be, you know? Let’s be the greatest offense there is. You’ve heard the ‘Greatest show on turf’ and all the other different nicknames,” he said.
With their early success coming against a defense that appears to have made strides after being one of the worst in football a year ago, it is giving Prescott another reason to think big.
Prescott is holding off on grander pronouncements, but he has been pleased with the communication and attention to detail the defense has demonstrated.
“When we motion, you can hear how loud they are, and getting to the right fits or calls that they need to make, and just challenging us,” he said. “Like I said, it’ll be awesome when we put the pads on and really see and get the physicalness from them and feel the physicalness from them. But so far, it’s been great.”
With owner and general manager Jerry Jones having already made several significant moves to improve the defensive roster over the past year, and expressing his willingness to make another if the right deal presents itself, Prescott felt emboldened to break out a shirt that had been in his closet for years.
But Prescott understands the opportunity to replace it with one celebrating a title on Feb. 14, 2027, is still far off.
“When you’re watching the playoffs or you’re not getting to even compete for it, you know, that sucks. It’s terrible, and so just to have everybody on the same accord, everybody having the same standard is the way that it has to start,” he said. “We’re only going to get there if we win each rep, we win each drill individually, and then that carries over into offense trying to win each play against the offense, and them doing the same.”
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