Sportsnaut
Dak Prescott is the undisputed leader of the locker room for the Dallas Cowboys. However, his comments following a 40-40 tie on Sunday night are more evidence that he is failing in the role.
Last night, the Cowboys had opportunities to score a big win at home against the Green Bay Packers. The game was never going to be easy. Especially with Green Bay looking like early Super Bowl contenders after acquiring former Cowboys star Micah Parsons in a trade before the season.
After being behind for much of the night because their awful defense can’t stop a nose bleed, Dallas was able to get a 30-27 lead with just under seven minutes left. Then the defense blew that lead. However, Prescott and the offense again fought back to retake a 37-34 lead with just over a minute left. And then the D again did what it always does by coughing it up, and the Packers forced overtime.
Well, guess what? Dallas again got a lead in the overtime period. And to the surprise of no one, the Pack were able to march down the field and get a field goal in the final seconds. Ending the game in a 40-40 tie. Now, instead of being 2-2 and getting some momentum, the Cowboys head into Week 5 with a disappointing 1-2-1 record.
Yet, what makes the tie even more maddening than the Dallas defense again showing why they are among the worst in our NFL defense rankings is the team’s leader, Dak Prescott, not holding them accountable.
“I believe in my defense. Yeah, I can be mad about the one second on the clock, I can be mad that they drove the ball, but at the end of the day, I’m pissed that we didn’t score in the red zone,” Prescott said after the game (h/t Pro Football Talk). “We had an opportunity to score in the red zone. . . Not for one second am I looking at the defense.
“I’m a guy that looks inward first, looks at what we need to do and what I need to do to help this team, and if we score in the red zone or start faster, who knows if we’re in this position.”
While the response is admirable, it is not what is needed right now from their leader and captain after falling into a 1-2-1 hole with a quarter of the season over.
Is it nice to be on good terms with teammates? Sure. Is it easier than being hard on them? Of course. But that’s not what makes a great leader at the highest levels of the sport. Sometimes a true leader has to get up his teammates’ tush when they are not playing up to the standard needed. And this...
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