When healthy, Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys’ offense have consistently been one of the NFL’s most high-powered scoring attacks. Prescott has been the Cowboys’ starting quarterback for 10 seasons, and he’s missed the bulk of the year twice with injuries. Yet, the Cowboys have finished with a top-10 scoring offense in six of those 10 seasons.
Consistency has not been an issue with Prescott. Yet, one analyst recently suggested Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ roster-building has been the problem, and that’s why Prescott has become a “punchline”. Now, a former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker is refuting that narrative.
Emmanuel Acho Blasts Dak Prescott’s ‘Underappreciated’ Tag
While some may agree that Prescott is underappreciated, he just ranked ninth among quarterbacks in Pro Football Network’s list of 100 players. That’s well below his PFN Impact Score of 82.1 last season, which places him sixth among quarterbacks, just ahead of Jared Goff.
Others would argue that Prescott is actually overrated because he’s led the Cowboys to just a 2-5 postseason record. The very best quarterbacks find a way to win the big games, and Prescott’s playoff record doesn’t match what we’ve seen from him during the regular season, where he has an 83-55-1 record.
One person who believes Prescott is overvalued rather than undervalued is Emmanuel Acho, who spoke about it on “Speakeasy.”
“This is the biggest lie I’ve seen on social media this offseason,” Acho argued. “Dak Prescott has not become a punchline because of Jerry Jones’ roster-building. Jerry Jones built a roster where the Cowboys had like nine All-Pros in a single season.”
He added, “Jerry Jones built a roster that, for the first time since 2007, had a player with 1,000 rushing yards, a player with 1,000 receiving yards, a player with 4,000 passing yards, a player with 10 sacks, and a player with 10 interceptions. You’d have to go back to the 2007 Chargers to find that, and Dak Prescott got that because of Jerry Jones.”
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Acho argues that where that season really went wrong was Prescott’s failures in the playoffs, leading the Cowboys to just 12 points in a seven-point loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
“What happened in that season?” Acho asked. “Dak Prescott goes to the Bay against the San Francisco 49ers and completely [expletive] down his leg, that’s what happened in that season.”
Acho continued, “Dak Prescott became a punchline because the Dallas Cowboys won 15 straight home games… and plays the youngest team in football in the Green Bay Packers… and Dak Prescott throws not one, but two interceptions, and if I’m not mistaken, an interception for a touchdown. That is why Dak Prescott became a punchline.”
Acho wasn’t finished with his rant against Prescott. He believes the team’s failures fall on Prescott’s shoulders rather than on the people above who cut him checks and built what’s been a competitive roster.
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“Dak Prescott did not become a punchline because of Jerry Jones; Jerry Jones has gifted Prescott — first-round pick after All-Pro – after All-Pro — on the offensive side of the ball,” Acho added. “Dak Prescott became a punchline because Prescott didn’t know how to punch the ball over the line… I’m not going to stand for people blaming Jones. Has Jerry made mistakes? Absolutely. But Dak Prescott has made more in more meaningful moments.”
Ultimately, quarterbacks and head coaches are the ones who take the brunt of the blame. We’ve already seen the Cowboys change head coaches twice since selecting Prescott in 2016. If more failures are on the way, they could be looking for yet another head coach again soon, yet some might argue they should gauge Prescott’s value instead.
