FRISCO – The Dallas Cowboys have devolved into a team demanding low interest with few stakes in terms of their hopes for the 2024 season. At 5-7 and without Dak Prescott for the remainder of the season, there is not much for this group to achieve besides tanking or playing spoiler for the postseason hopefuls on their schedule.
But that will not stop the national talking heads from spinning their weaves of Cowboys narratives, especially when it comes to Dak Prescott. Stephen A. Smith, the most notorious of that group saw his opening to take a jab at the quarterback. In response to Prescott’s staunch defense of head coach Mike McCarthy, Smith bashed Prescott for his shortcomings in helping his coach’s case to retain his job. Rich Storry-Imagn Images Rich Storry-Imagn Images “Why don’t you go out there and win for him? Wouldn’t be a discussion,” Smith said Wednesday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “Very, very simple. You’ve been the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys for nine years. You’ve got two playoff victories to show for it.”
McCarthy is close to finishing his fifth season with the Cowboys, but the second of which snake bit with a season-ending injury to Prescott. The partnership of McCarthy and Prescott has gone 12-5 in the three additional seasons though posting only a 1-3 record in the postseason. Ultimately that is where the criticisms will stem from and there is no getting past Prescott’s and the Cowboys shortcomings in that area dating back before his professional career.
Whether Prescott’s defense of his coach is a valid stance is up for debate. However, just last week, Smith went after Jerry Jones’ musings of a potential McCarthy return. On that occasion though, he was sure to point out the failures of the head coach rather than justifying his defense. “There’s no reason on God’s green earth today, this season to be talking about your coach as if he should feel secure with his future considering how your team has looked.” Whichever way Smith or Prescott feels, it seems the McCarthy fallout will be the first domino to fall for the Cowboys once the season comes to a conclusion. Until then, Smith and others will continue to grasp at trivial threads to keep juicing the Cowboys conversation.