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Hall of Famer on Dak Prescott: “He’s built to last”

By Steven Mullenax

Aug 8, 2015; Canton, OH, USA; Jerry Rice (left) and Steve Young during the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 8, 2015; Canton, OH, USA; Jerry Rice (left) and Steve Young during the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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A Hall of Fame quarterback chimes in on just how special of a season it was for Dallas Cowboys rookie Dak Prescott under center last year.

Winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and being named to the Pro Bowl in your first season somehow doesn’t seem like enough praise to me. In fact, I believe those accolades only highlight just how under appreciated and/or misunderstood what rookie quarterback Dak Prescott did under center last season for the Dallas Cowboys.

Naysayers point to rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys dominating offensive line as some sort of proof Prescott’s accomplishments are somehow tainted. The fact the 23-year old was able to lead a locker room of NFL veterans to a 13-3 record last season, the divisional round of the playoffs and, oh…by the way, dethrone Tony Romo as the permanent starter; isn’t that proof enough? Doesn’t that deserve more recognition?

Not enough? Okay, how about the fact the rookie passer did a few things no other first-year quarterback has ever done in NFL history? Prescott currently holds several league records. Here’s just a few… (source credit: NFL.com)

  • Regular season wins by a rookie quarterback (13) – Tied with Ben Roethlisberger
  • Rookie completion percentage (67.8)
  • Rookie TD-INT ratio (23-4)
  • Rookie passer rating (104.9)

Bottom line: What Prescott did last season was nothing short of amazing. And to perform so well in the midst of a quarterback controversy while playing under the bright lights for America’s Team is truly hard to fathom. And when it comes to quarterback controversies and bright lights, former San Francisco 49ers and Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young is an expert.

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Having to replace a legend in Joe Montana, Young likely understands better than anyone the obstacles Prescott overcame during his first season. Although the former Super Bowl champion denies it as even Young is in awe of just how well Dak performed in 2016.

"“[Dak Prescott] is built to last.” former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young told reporters at the NFL Honors event via The Shreveport Times. “Nothing that happened to him happened to me. I have no idea. I shouldn’t even be speaking about this. I have no idea how he did it. He looks like a guy that can go 15 years.  He played like it this year.  Nobody in his rookie year has ever done this.”"

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It certainly appears, in Dak Prescott, the Dallas Cowboys have found their franchise quarterback of the foreseeable future. Now the young man will go about the business of proving 2016 was not a fluke. And hopefully, getting the respect he so richly deserves. Just ask Steve Young.

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