Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott won 13 of 16 regular-season games in 2016. However, he lost two of two to the Giants. And he gets a chance to start the season by going 1-0 against New York.
It all happens amid chatter of a sophomore slump. But during an interview with NBC’s Tony Dungy, Prescott explained the biggest difference between last year and this year.
“I think any player gets better with the more reps he gets,” Prescott said. “And if he uses them the right way, he prepares for his reps the right way. . . . I mean, coming from last year, I wasn’t taking the training camp reps I took this year. I wasn’t taking those [first-team] reps until, really, Week One. I mean, going into Week One of the season.”
He’s referring to the reality that Tony Romo was the starter in 2016, until a back injury suffered by Romo against Seattle thrust Prescott into the starting lineup. Now, Prescott has been the guy since the start of the offseason program.
“Just to have all those reps under me,” Prescott said. “To see that starting defense every week in a competitive situation throughout camp. And see those different looks, get our different plays and just different level of accountability.”
So far, so good. The Cowboys lead the Giants 6-0 in the first half, thanks in large part to the surprisingly stout performance of a defense that lost plenty of players to free agency.