Vanilla Or Rocky Road - Dak Taking What The Defenses Give Him
By Mike Fisher
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FRISCO (105.3 The Fan) - Preseason phenom Dak Prescott on Monday exhibited exactly the right amount of casual cool - cool as rocky road ice cream, in fact - in our one-on-one conversation on the subject of locker-room fashion and exhibition-game defense.
"Naw, not really," the Cowboys rookie QB told me when I asked if his "You're Killing Me, Smalls!" T-shirt represented a fashion statement or any statement of another kind. "I just haven't had a chance to do my laundry yet. It's all I had in the closet and it matched what else I had on."
The Cowboys have been scrambling, travel-wise, in recent days, with the move from training camp in Oxnard to their second preseason game against the Dolphins on Thursday, and now their move into the new facility The Star at Frisco.
And Prescott has been scrambling as well. And staying in the pocket. Throwing for touchdowns in two preseason games. And running for touchdowns, too. The rookie fourth-round pick from Mississippi State has calmed Cowboys concerns about needing to give up assets in order to acquire a veteran QB to back up Tony Romo.
And yes, that takes into consideration the fact that his wild success in the preseason so far this summer has come against opponents that played so-called "vanilla defenses."
Prescott noted to the media at-large on Monday that he didn't even care if defenses threw "rocky-road ice cream" at him. (A "vanilla" joke, get it?) I asked him about the quote later, noting that it is not a fair criticism because all defenses are playing vanilla in the preseason and not all quarterbacks are 22 of 27 for four passing TDs and two rushing TDs, as Prescott is.
"Right, as you say, it is what it is, a criticism ... People are going to find something to criticize all day," Dak said. "I just focus on how I can help my team."
And what was that "ice cream" thing again?
"I don't care if it's vanilla or rocky road," he repeated. "If it's what they're giving me then I gotta take it."
Prescott respectfully reiterated on Monday his goal to be Romo's someday-heir, and smart Cowboys recognize that such a baton-passing represents a long-term project.
But for now ... Can Dak Prescott continue to throw completions with the same ease he exhibits throwing on his "Sandlot" T-shirt? That's where the Cowboys are moving toward, even when the ice cream flavors become more varied.
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