The Cowboys’ 30-year Super Bowl drought predates Dak Prescott, but entering his 10th season, the quarterback understands the criticism of his 2-5 postseason record.
He said this offseason that he wants to win a championship and “be damned if it’s just for my legacy or if it’s for this team. It’s for my personal being, for my sanity. The legacy will take care of itself.”
Prescott was the MVP runner-up to Lamar Jackson two seasons ago and is closing in on all of the team’s major passing records.
But he does not have what Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman do, which prevents him from consideration as the greatest in team history.
“[Criticism] comes with the territory,” Prescott told Clarence Hill of All City DLLS. “That comes with the $60 million. It is what it is. And if I’m sensitive to the truth, then I’ve got a problem with life. Nobody’s more upset; nobody’s more pissed; nobody’s more disappointed about that than I am. Nobody wants to win more than me. I have the proof in what I do, in my hours and my habits of preparation. I understand it’s a team game, but at the end of the day, the quarterback is paid to fill in those gaps, and when you’re not playing well, to understand that and to bring the team back. And have I done that when I needed to? Absolutely not in those crucial times. And if I had, the record wouldn’t be 2-5. That’s being a realist. However, I know what I put into this game. I do it all for a purpose. And when I go through the fire, that just says it’s shaping up what’s to come.
“I would bet on myself, and I’d bet on the work that I put into this thing any day. And trust me I’d give the money I make to win and be broke. I’m not sensitive to it. It is what it is. And trust me, that’s my point. Nobody’s more disappointed than I am about that. All that does is that elevates the work that I put into this and how I approach it.”
Prescott’s hamstring is fully healthy, and he’s got new additions around him, including wide receiver George Pickens, running backs Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders and Jaydon Blue and right guard Tyler Booker.
His confidence in himself has not wavered, and he’s ready to write another chapter.
“What I’ve been through in life, [criticism] doesn’t affect me,” Prescott said. “It comes with the territory. It comes with $60 million [a year as the league’s highest-paid player]. I get to live out my dream. They get to continue to make judgements. And if that’s talking negative on me, that’s them. I have the pen in my hand. I’m going to work. It’s being confident and knowing that I can get better.”
