Dak Prescott: Whatever They Need Me to Do | Dallas Cowboys 2025

Dak Prescott: Whatever They Need Me to Do | Dallas Cowboys 2025

Dak, obviously you guys, you know, fought a hard fight and played well against the Packers. How do you build on that and the importance of getting back in the win column when you guys fixed the Jets? Yeah, I mean, obviously on the offense, got to keep that momentum going the way that we finished that game. Um, those last right those all those drives from the second half carrying into overtime. Obviously, you want to score there, but uh there’s a lot of good. We got to make sure on offense we come out and we start fast. Something that we didn’t do last week and we didn’t do the week before. So, um, that’s the importance this week and we know if we can do that, uh, we can get in that rhythm, uh, and we can keep going and defense is obviously going to make some make some plays, help us out, uh, and get a good complimentary win on the road. D, obviously a long season. How long does it take for you guys to really figure out who you guys are as a team for each individual year? Uh, yeah, I mean, I’d say somewhere through this first quarter. I mean, I feel like we should have a great, uh, great idea after this one. Um, and then obviously in the next road one, you know, another good road game. uh next week I think just these two coming up we should know exactly who we are um after that uh get a good feel on this one and then about what was that game five I guess or six uh we should know exactly what we’re capable of we should know our strengths we should know our weaknesses we should be fixing the things that we need to fix um to make sure that we’re just getting better each week as we move forward Bill Parcels you talk about the importance of demonstrated ability and now that you’ve demonstrated on the field what you can do with GP how important is that for you guys moving forward yeah it’s huge I mean I don’t think that was any surprise to either of us or any of these these guys in the locker room who’s watched us from the spring um practice and and attack the defense. Um but it definitely was um a show right for for the rest of the league and put put them on notice. So uh it’s about continuing to build and understanding um when when C comes back that you’ve just got another big time weapon. You’ve got they got two ones and guys that uh you can move around, guys that you can trust in different positions, you can trust on d on dang near any route. And uh yeah, we just got to make sure that that we build from last week. Um, we’re only getting better this week. You’re averaging 43 pass attempts a game, which is the most in the league. Understanding play two overtime games, but Shotti said this isn’t really by design the way you want to play on offense, but you’ve kind of been forced to play that way. How do you how do you view that, having the ball and playing such a bigger role in anticipating? Yeah, I mean honestly I I I I’m so focused on one play at a time usually when I’m when during the game and or that drive that series just trying to pick the momentum or something that that um that I can get an advantage on that honestly I hadn’t even noticed when we finished these games that it’s been 40 plus attempts. So, um it’s just about just doing my job and whatever it takes at that time, whether it’s handing off play action, screens, understanding the down distance and checking it down. think uh being smart with the ball always makes a coordinator feel comfortable of calling another shot, right? When you’re not always taking them and you’re um being calculated on when you want to. So that’s probably a part of also, you know, a couple of more passes being thrown in that way as you said, just way with the game’s been played. But whatever they need me to do, I’ll do. Went back to Mississippi State there. I don’t think the guy ever did Gus Wally, he Gus didn’t four he had touchdown though. Oh yeah, Malcolm Johnson 23. He’s nice. Played in the NFL. When did you realize how friendly a tight end is? Don’t do Don’t do the dogs like that. Sorry. Sorry. Don’t do us like that. When did you realize how friendly a tight end can be for you when you got here? Yeah. Rookie. I mean, honestly, I could say in college, honestly, Malcolm Johnson, I mean, was was a teammate of mine uh before Gus when I was a young player who was very very consistent, had great hands. Um, and maybe they had him listed as an F a lot of the time, so he wasn’t, you know, a tight end, but very consistent player. Um, always getting open in the middle, you can run option routes with him. And then obviously when I showed up here and Jason Whitten is the tight end in the room, um, when play calls are named after him, you know, when the option concept is the first route in the book, uh, that’s taught by Jason Whitten, you understand, um, how valuable a good tight end can be that knows his responsibility. Um, and I think that’s a big part of of Jake’s success is he knows his responsibility. He knows where he needs to be, why he needs to do it. Um, we’re on the same page and we’re always communicating. Um, there’s zones and there’s uh tough windows that we’re trying to get the ball into that if we’re not on the same page, you don’t feel comfortable throwing it. Um, but I do when you have a guy like that. Is the yards per catch for Jake a defenses are not allowing you to do at this point a little bit, seven yards, whatever it is. Um, or does that even matter? No, it doesn’t matter at all. I think it’s Yeah, it doesn’t matter at all to me. I think it’s completions. I’m sure some of the checkdowns, right, are going to skew his numbers at that, right? So, um yeah, just the way that we’re being played. I mean, I know everybody wants to see the same ball defer. Uh it’s going to come in the right defense in the right time when they give us that look and that play calls happens. So, um just part of it right now. How well are you seeing the game right now? Pretty good. I mean, just as just the way I want to see it. I mean, it’s just as I’ve said before over and over, just the experience paying off on top of the film study and our preparations. Um, and then just the clear communication and what a play is being not only called for, but what that play is being designed for and how we feel like going to attack this or attack that. Um, I think it’s just a result of me knowing all of that and putting it all together and um, feeling good out there. Yeah. People saying you, you know, they’ve never seen you play better. I don’t know if you look at that way. Are you playing the best you’ve ever played? Are you as confident ever been? For sure. as confident as I’ve ever been. Um, yeah, I would say I would say I am. And I I mean, I think I just going right off of the heels of the experience. I mean, I think that’s why, um, every year I feel like I’ve I’ve gotten better and, um, making strides in every G in every part of my game. Um, I know sometimes the numbers and things don’t always show that, but I think right now that they are. And, um, just part of, as I said, the the play quality coordinator, and it helps when you got talent outside. You got guys like CD, George, Ferg, as we’re talking about, and you’ve got a great run game. So, also just a product of uh those other 10 guys or whoever’s in there doing their job. Can you expand upon that run game because it feels like defenses are having to play you honest now because of what you volunteer. Yeah, for sure. For sure. That that’s that’s what you only thing you can ask for as a quarterback is, you know, being able to hand it off and turn around and um know you went and got three, four, you know, five yards if not more sometimes. And that just keeps you ahead of the change. That allows me to take the checkdowns. that allows me to take whatever throw is open without having to try to force something or you know we’re in second alone. I need to get most of this back and um I don’t have those thought processes when you have the run game we do and the success that we’re having. So I was just about continuing to build on that. Given the high volume of passes you have this year, how comfortable are you with kind of the whole offense in your hands like that lead to league pass? Uh great. I mean I’ll throw for 60 if 60 times a game if they want me to. Um I hope I don’t have to. That means the run game’s not working. So, um, whatever they need me to do, I’ll do. I mean, I feel, as I’ve said before, feel as confident, feel like I’m playing the best. I’ve got all ownership, I guess you can say, in this offense, whether it’s getting to another play or or getting out of a certain play. So, um, for me, it’s just about continuing to build and not complacent at all with four games. Does your leadership extend to the defensive side of the ball? I mean, you’re first in the NFL in offense, 32nd in defense, 1-1 game. What’s your message to those guys as you interact with them? Yeah, really just about trusting each other. Um, and making sure that they’re communicating, understanding that such a team game that all 11 just have to be on the same page. And if you’re on the same page, you’ve got a chance, even if it’s not the right page, to be honest with you. So, um, for me, just as the leader, as a guy in the locker room, not truly knowing their X’s and O’s or being able, you know, call a guy out or hold them accountable for this coverage or that blitz or whatever it may be. It’s just um providing encouragement uh just you know to this to their spirit and just to the to their optimism of you know staying positive and understanding that it’s going to pay off. If you watch those guys play, they run to the ball. They’re they’re getting that ball moving. There’s going to be some fumbles and the turnovers and things are going to start happening and when they do, it’ll be a different story. The Jets don’t happen often for you and Whiten was actually on the field last time up there. Last throw to him. Remember that last throw? It’s a familiar venue, but are the Jets fans different from the Giants fans? What do you remember about that last? Not to challenge him, but I don’t necessarily remember them being too much different than the Giants. Uh uh yeah, I remember wasn’t a pretty game. Uh remember going up there, didn’t finish the way that we wanted to finish. I think we had a good end of uh half drive. Got a a big long field goal there at the end. That was probably the biggest positive of that. But ended up going for two, I think, to tie the game or something like that at the end and send an allout pressure. Jamal Adams, right? You know, came off the edge. He got pressure on me. Wasn’t able to give a good good enough ball to Wit and um not the result that we’re looking for when we go up there this time. And I know that was a team also that I believe was winless when we went up there somewhat earlier in the season as well. So, it’s important for me to to to relay to these guys just how important it is um for us to go get this game and how important it is not to look at the records and to understand that every other team wants to beat us and every other team is going to find a way to hype themselves up a little bit more because it’s the Cowboys and um that we’ve got to make sure we go out there with the right energy and start fast and on all on all three aspects of the game. Do you keep books on defense app? Uh yeah, I mean yeah I write stuff down and it’s digitally digitally whatever digitally digital whatever um that I can go back and yeah look up times we’ve played Wils um is what you’re getting at that yeah I mean know his history played against him number of numbers of times um in different places. Is there because Darren Glenn comes from Detroit I mean is it a little bit of what they did too or is it all Yeah, it’s a little bit of a mix in a sense. Um, I don’t want to say they don’t know their identity. Um, maybe they’re finding it, you know, uh, maybe they’re trying to figure out if they want to be more Wilks or if they want to be more Glenn, but, you know, um, yeah, and that that is different. That is different in just the way the two have called it over the years. And so, and they’ve shown that from early games of kind of being more, you know, zone to this last game against Miami and had success doing it more in your face, manto man like they did last year, uh, in the past years in Detroit. So, um, for me it was about just continuing to study this film, getting my my cues and just, uh, going out there and playing fast no matter what they offer us. Shotty said he had a tough conversation with Jaylen after the George pick and stray, just knowing the nature of what that meant. Jaylen said it was fuel to the fire. What have you seen from Jaylen? Obviously made some good plays last week. What have you seen from Jaylen this season? Yeah, a guy that stepped up and a guy that’s consistent and taken advantage of the opportunities he’s been given all that you can ask from from a pro and a guy in his fourth year. um understanding how probably big of a year this is personally for him and you know when you see a trade like that uh not very exciting from from a personal aspect but he understands that this game is about a team and so there’s nobody out there helping George more than than than he is right now and that is the best part of that’s the best part to see as a quarterback honestly understanding how personally that was how challenging that was for him personally and he’s out there helping him in any moment any time that he needs needs it and uh that’s why he’s going to reap the success is because he just does it the right way. Were you thinking at all possibility of one more time? No, I wasn’t honestly until I was asked um from the from the upper level about his potential of being the guy. Um and at that point, I honestly think when I first asked that question, I just started like, “Oh, is an OC like this, this, and that?” And they’re like, “No, I mean, as maybe the head guy.” And I’m like, “Oh, well, yeah. I mean, if I’m promoting him so much as the OC, I don’t, you know, I’m not going to just take away everything I just said because you said head coach.” And then so, uh, that was kind of the first step. Relationship. No, I mean, I I can’t really can’t really say something’s happened or grown in something I didn’t expect. uh always been a professional guy, always been very thorough and detailed and in his coaching and in the communication from player to coach at at every position that that he could impact. And it’s truly been no different as him as the head coach. And obviously, it’s um it’s easy to say that, you know, when me and him have such great communication, he’s the play caller, but just watching him throughout practice with other players and positions, guy that’s true to himself and loves the game and gives it every everything he has daily. You’ve talked about playing against the clock in your mind on the field and making decisions. Does that become even more important when there’s so many potential different offensive line configurations in a week like this? I mean I think it’s just as important. Um I don’t want to put more importance on it because that mean you know I’d have to speed up my time clock. So um yeah I mean it’s that’s just what you need to do in the NFL. you’re playing. I mean, the most athletic, freakiest guys are are on the D line in this business. And so, um, not that guys up front are at a disadvantage, but, you know, those guys get to sub out every so many plays and come in and fresh and, uh, give you a new move or bull rush you. And so, that’s just that’s just natural for me to to think that way and play like that. And so, um, the importance stays the same, for sure. Thank you

QB Dak Prescott met with the media following Thursday’s practice to share his thoughts on what the offense needs to do to continue their success, the importance of a Tight End for a Quarterback’s success, what he’s seen from RB Javonte Williams and more.

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