The pressure is as high as ever for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who is now 30 years old.
Being the Cowboys quarterback is arguably football’s hardest job. Being a quarterback is hard enough, let alone being the quarterback in Dallas. With all the glamour of the biggest names in Hollywood, the pressure that comes with that fame does not leave much room for error. The spotlight is always on you on the field, away from it. It is part of the job. How you deal with that pressure will make or break you.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Turns 30 Years Old: Is Time on His Side?
Living With the Past
Prescott turned 30 years old this past Saturday, the same day training camp officially opened with the usual fanfare that surrounds the fabled Americas Team. The star on their helmet has been somewhat tarnished over the last three decades. A myriad of coaches and superstar players have yet to find the title-winning formula. Former Cowboys legends of the game, like Tom Landry and Roger Staubach, then Jimmy Johnson and Troy Aikman won the big one, but no Cowboys team recently has. This just adds pressure to the Dallas star quarterback.
Different Eras
It is difficult to compare the play of these quarterbacks as they played in times when the game was completely different. What you can consider though is that when Staubach won his first Super Bowl he was 29. Aikman won the third of his titles when he was the same age. Turning 30 means that the clock is ticking on Prescott, and he has had an abundance of talent play alongside him. It will feel like his opportunity to land the big one is slipping through his fingers like the sands of time.
Check’em out!@dak & @_CeeDeeThree are bringing the 🔥!#CowboysCam | @AmericanAir pic.twitter.com/Xj9qflIdD4
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) July 29, 2023
He will be encouraged when his number one wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb came out publicly and suggested that he can play on into his 40s. I’m not sure the Cowboys organization will wait another decade for a sixth Super Bowl victory. After all, it’s been almost three decades since they last lifted the Lombardi Trophy. Prescott is now the last of the 2016 Draft crop still on the Cowboys roster and knows that also brings some weight. “I’m blessed to play this game, blessed to be in this organization. It’s not forever everybody. I know what to do, know what I want to accomplish, and I know what this team wants. And it’s about that now.”
Getting it Done
Under pressure, Dak has of course had injuries that have otherwise curtailed seasons that leave a case of what might have been. In 2020 a fractured ankle made him miss the last 11 games. And only last year he missed a handful of games when he didn’t quite have a full hand as he busted his thumb. “I feel great, knock on wood. I would say physically what I’m capable of doing with my strength, throwing the ball, by far better than I was at 23 coming into the league, or even two years ago.”
So, with the body in good shape, it comes down to mentality, and getting over the hump. After a dismantling of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round six months ago, with a 143.3 passer rating, a franchise playoff record. He backed it up the following week with a two-interception game in a bruising loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
“Only thing that I can do is get up and keep swinging. That’s exactly what I’m gonna do every chance I get.,” he said. How many chances remain to be seen though? The Cowboys look to their highest-paid player to finally deliver the big one. Proving that he deserves that big salary that he was so long looking for.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
