Mike, in what ways has it been most beneficial to have a healthy
starting quarterback throughout this offseason?
It's been huge. How many has been huge for him?
It's been huge for everybody.
So I think the adult, all the little things that we do,
particularly the meetings, the walkthroughs and all that that
they're important obviously, but
just just for him to
just to have no limits as been outstanding. And I think you
clearly see it in ways moving this year. When you look at his
body, he's, he's clearly
different. Than he was last year. So he's had a heck of
an offseason
I think like anything. It's just, you know, this is your 3,
in the offense, the opportunity to move more problems
potentially than he did in the past.
As far as what he's being asked to do
you see, I think he's clearly
the thing that jumps out
to me is his movement ability to scramble drills and
scrambled situations.
You know what? He activates the scramble drills.
Such as you know, it's just he's got more upset, it's warm
and it's more natural to
So look so good looks really good.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy on quarterback, Dak Prescott and
look. He had a serious injury week, five of the 2020
season. And last year, remember in training, camp, he had
the issue with the muscle pool in the lat right area.
Deep down in his back because he's compensating definitely he
wasn't completely recovered. You compensate, you injure
yourself with your your throwing
arm and the muscles deep down beneath it. And now this year,
he's good to go. The it is exciting.
I don't I like the idea of Greenlight run run run, run run
because that's how he got himself injured. But that's
part of the risk of playing football. You have to accept
that risk. If you're going to play quarterback, just have to
be smart about when you
get out of bounds. When you slide, when you avoid that
contact, you can't fight for that extra yard or two. You're
not a running back. Fighting for an extra yardage. You have
to know when to yield. We talked about that earlier this
week when we
Talked about his
placement on your list of category was was your nine.
He's nine. He's nine, right, nine? Yeah, you know, the up
36, 23 and running shoulder down into the end zone to score
touchdown. No, no. You got to, you got to be more judicious
about that because any
one of those collisions can be the one that gets you injured.
Yeah, 100%. Now I mean you're right I think we're going to
see more Mobility from them either way because and then he
hurt the calf muscle, right against the Patriots and over
time.
So that I think led to him being a little bit more of
a statue in the pocket. You know that.
A great pocket passer
but you know his ability to keep the ball from design
quarterback runs or scramble it's real and it was it was
pretty damn impressive you know before he hurt his ankle for
sure he lost that aspect of his game last year
and it was not the same. You see here, it's still good but
it's not quite the same speed and again I think the thing
I'll come back to is hey the Cowboys yeah they're gonna move
them. They should they're paying the damn guy 45 million
dollars a year. They're going to get
their money's worth out of this guy
and they are. I just feel like that's the way they're going to
go. And I come back to Ash thing that happened, I think it
was two years ago, Mike. Remember when the Cowboys lost
to,
I believe it was Seattle in Seattle
and Jerry Jones kind of made some comments about, you know,
the way Russell Wilson moves around a dub, some things. And
we got to get a quarterback that Deuce, they'll do some of
that stuff too. He's,
this is Mike McCarthy, who came from Aaron? Rodgers is really
good at that. I think that's probably a part of the his
game. They want him to be a little bit better at scramble
by time. Make some more. Plays
Allah, you know Alan Mahomes Rodgers style of football you
know if we're going to pay, you 45 million dollars a year and
I bet you that's where they're pushing him a little
bit here.
Yeah, not just run the ball. But, yeah, your leg then by x
axis until somebody
gets open deck. Prescott yesterday also spoke about
the fact that he will be more mobile this year. Now that he's
more than a year removed from that broken. Ankle here is
Mike made a point to talk about the difference in this year.
Last year. Are you are? Are able to run more and do more
build, more comfortable. You seem like it leaner and more
mobile with The Scrambled. Real, do you feel that way?
No, I definitely do. I mean,
I'll go on each offseason. I'm trying trying to be a better
player and person that I was the year before. And so at this
stage, at this point, I definitely feel like I've
accomplished that think I'm far
show so much further along than I was last year. At this time,
I mean just being able to get the team wraps, as you said,
being able to move more, take care of my whole body and just
focus on everything and not just my leg
to use difference
my confidence. Through the roof. I mean, I feel good on
the move or not. So I mean
to say that on the moves my best. I mean I feel like I can
make every throw from a movie. Yes.
Strange to see reporters face to face with players after
years of covid, isn't it odd? It's just weird. It is, it's
great though. Is it's good to see it back that way. I mean,
I do I love seeing
the player interviews and being able to see the interaction and
being able to read them a little bit as they answer these
questions with people right in front of them, that's something
I've missed over the last few years.
Well, Dak Prescott definitely confident about his abilities
this year, and it is year three in the Mike McCarthy offense.
And even though they don't have Mark, Cooper and CD lamb has to
step up. They've got some weapons, the offensive line is
going to be so important, definitely
to this, you know, to the extent that he has to be
running around, if your offensive line is doing its
job. Well, you don't have to run around, you can stay in
the pocket, and wait for that guy to come open
and, and, and you avoid maybe having to scramble and run
the ball, and maybe get injured. The more time you can spend in
the pocket, diagnosing,
who's open where you can throw the ball, how you can move
the ball down the field.
That's the best way to avoid the type of injury that saw
a couple of years ago. And they'll, you know, No, I think
that you could argue that they've had, they've had to
rely on Dak Prescott too much. I mean, to your point
with the old lines, good? It's not great.
They don't run the ball, all that well, and I mean every
game, we go into we go. Well, here comes the Cowboys, you
know, passing show. They've made it about him and his
ability to dice you up with his right arm in the pocket.
That's what they've done. But I think at times that, yeah,
there needs to be a little bit more help to take a little
pressure off of it. Just seems like Like, you know, again more
times than not, we just go World acts, Gotta Throw for 400
today and maybe three or four touchdowns
to make it happen.
I know they had the defense attorney overs and things like
that this year that helped them when the Cowboys offense, kind
of went through some slow spots there. But
again, everybody's going to be a little more used to Dan
Quinn's defense in that division this year. So that's
going to be different. And I don't think their defense has
got as much talent on it this year with some of
the guys they lost theirs, especially, Randy Gregory and
that loss. So, so I'm going to be interested to see where it
goes with the Cowboys this year. But I expect Dak Prescott
to be damn good.
Yeah. Again, Health permitting in the key is learn the lessons
from the past incidents and avoid those issues in
the future.