Cowboys' Brandin Cooks labels criticism of Dak Prescott 'unbelievable' and 'blasphemy'

FRISCO, Texas — Proper or fallacious, quarterbacks are given the lion’s share of the credit score and the brunt of the criticism relying on how their NFL team performs on recreation day. It makes some sense contemplating it is the place that has the most important influence on a given recreation’s end result. 

The Dallas Cowboys know that higher than anybody given the venom-filled critique that comes Dak Prescott’s approach, notably after the group’s 48-32 NFC wild-card playoff disappointment at dwelling towards the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers in January. Nevertheless, Cowboys huge receiver Brandin Cooks, an Eleventh-year veteran who has registered over 1,000 receiving yards with 4 totally different groups, is placing his foot down on the unyielding criticism going Prescott’s approach because the 2023 Second Crew All-Professional quarterback is within the midst of a very public contract negotiation. 

The 30-year-old huge receiver has caught passes from the likes of Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Jared Goff, Deshaun Watson and Davis Mills all through his profession, which incorporates stops with the New Orleans Saints (2014-2016), New England Patriots (2017), Los Angeles Rams (2018-2019) and Houston Texans (2020-2022) earlier than being traded to the Cowboys in 2023. By no means earlier than has he seen a quarterback of his get attacked to the extent Prescott does. 

“It is blasphemy. It is unbelievable,” Cooks mentioned on Wednesday when requested in regards to the criticism Prescott takes. “The man reveals up yearly, yr in and yr out. Placing up numbers, main his group. He cannot do all of it by himself. Plenty of these nice quarterbacks that I have been with, Tom[Brady] and Drew [Brees], do not get me fallacious, they gained quite a lot of video games, gained quite a lot of Tremendous Bowls, however that they had quite a lot of assist round them as properly, proper? Us gamers round [Dak] additionally obtained to step up. So after we hear that disrespect, I take that personally and as his teammates we must always take that personally, as a result of on the finish of the day, any individual has obtained to have the ability to assist him recover from that hump so we will go win one.”  

To Cooks’ level, the Dallas protection allowed the youthful Packers offense, led by first-time beginning quarterback Jordan Love, to attain touchdowns on six of their first seven drives, together with 5 consecutive drives in a row. Prescott put collectively what was arguably the most effective yr of his eight-year profession in 2023, throwing for an NFL-best 36 touchdowns and registering the most effective passer ranking of his NFL life (105.9, the second-best within the league final season). That manufacturing additionally led to receiver CeeDee Lamb incomes the primary First Crew All-Professional choice of his younger profession after catching an NFL-best 135 passes for 1,749 yards (the second-most within the NFL) within the first season of coach Mike McCarthy serving because the Cowboys’ offensive play-caller. Lamb’s receptions and receiving yards totals broke Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer Michael Irvin’s single-season group information in these metrics set again in 1995, the final Super Bowl season for the Cowboys. Because of Prescott’s efforts, Dallas possessed the No. 1 scoring offense in soccer, averaging 29.9 factors per recreation. 

Dak Prescott 2023 Season

* First in Cowboys historical past to be outright NFL go TD chief in a season

Sure, Cooks admitted the group is conscious of the commotion encompass Prescott, however the group would not have the ugly remarks on the prime of its thoughts. 

“We locked in,” Cooks mentioned. “I believe the massive focus is tuning out the noise, specializing in what we obtained inside this locker room and taking it one recreation at a time and never get caught up within the roller-coaster of a season or, what persons are saying.”

Some could understand Cooks standing up for his quarterback in a public method simply days earlier than their Week 1 opener on the Cleveland Browns on Sunday as pandering, however the huge receiver maintains his protection comes from a spot of affection and respect for the way Prescott lives his life, not simply as a soccer participant. The three-time Professional Bowl quarterback overcame the loss of life of his mom Peggy Prescott in 2023 after she misplaced a battle with colon most cancers, and he beat the percentages of constructing it within the NFL as a fourth-round decide again in 2016, now coming into his ninth season because the Cowboys beginning QB. Prescott additionally established a basis (Religion, Battle End) that funds colon most cancers analysis, psychological well being advocacy, regulation enforcement and group funding and hardship help. His philanthropy earned the quarterback the Walter Payton Man of the 12 months Award in 2022, which is given to the NFL participant who shows exemplary, humanitarian dedication to charity and group service. 

“Like I’ve advised Dak earlier than, and I am not saying this as a result of I need the ball, however I’ve a lot for love for that man,” Cooks mentioned. “Simply his story, overlook being a participant. So that you cherish these moments with guys like that. Our receiver room, like I mentioned our locker room and the whole lot yr in and yr out adjustments. To have the ability to have that relationship that goes previous soccer, and it should final a lifetime, however these moments do not final without end.”

McCarthy spoke with Prescott on Wednesday morning simply previous to his common press convention, and he raved about his quarterback’s focus forward of the 2024 season. 

“I believe he does a superb job of it,” McCarthy mentioned of Prescott’s potential to compartmentalize. “I believe he is obtained an amazing assist system. Simply frankly simply left him within the quarterback and heart assembly and yeah, he is all soccer. He is dialed in. He is all the time been that approach, so I believe he does a superb job of that.”

Prescott himself admitted he even tunes out Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones’ public comments to the media in an effort to stay locked in forward of a make-or-break season in Dallas during which 24 gamers, together with himself are coming into the ultimate years of their present contracts (in keeping with OverTheCap.com), together with McCarthy and his whole teaching employees. 

“Yeah, for certain. You have to adore it, truthfully,” Prescott mentioned on Aug. 29 of the uncertainty forward. “You have to adore it. You have to embrace it. That is the problem. We because the gamers or the coaches do not have the total say in whether or not we’re right here or not. So it is about us controlling what we will. Proper now it is about sticking collectively, making this locker room, embracing this tradition, embracing each other, not placing essentially strain on ourselves however understanding that this group will not be the identical after this, whether or not it’s the coaches, whether or not it’s the gamers, whether or not it’s a few of the key items, I simply doubt will probably be the identical. And that is simply the enterprise of it. Yeah, it is now. Interval.”