Dak Prescott: Making Myself and the Team Better | Dallas Cowboys 2024

how you doing just talk about your initial feelings of CD being back and you get your receiver back before start of season yeah excited obviously I've been in contact with them all the training camp um the moment happened facetimed him uh just to see his excitement see the guess used see the weight off of his shoulders uh how pumped he was to get back um and then obviously him being in the building having a couple of practices now with him um the guy's in one of the best receiver super athletic um Elite so that that makes that whole connection I getting back on the same page that much easier um not going to be too difficult when you got a guy like that that's smart knows how to get open um I just got to make the throws well the natural question is CD got paid are you next uh not really sure not um not my focus anymore to be honest with you um told you guys that really can't say ever was really my focus um it's about making myself and this team better getting us in the best position uh the most confident to go up to Cleveland and start the season off with a win uh with with Todd or or do you want to shut him down when the season starts um no I mean that's that's up to Todd and those guys once again I'm not going to be a part of them here as the season starts um uh and they've been going they've been going obviously heavily through tyd Todd and Steven both um so yeah it's just all part of it as I said my job and my focus now is control what I can and um as I said well back in Camp it's to it's two parts to this uh both sides have to come to the agreement you don't need a deal done before the season uh I don't need a no no do you would you like it done before the season uh I think it says a lot if it is or if it isn't um but however doesn't doesn't really matter to me to be honest with you what does it say if it isn't just how people feel which people I don't know how do you how how do you feel if go right about that you open that door yeah I know okay how do you feel about Jerry said the negotiation isn't about your Merit as the Cowboys quarterback but more about their cap situation what do you take from that when he says you know it's not really about what you're doing yeah I understand that that's the business and the nature of this this game that we play um uh yeah I mean I stopped honestly listening to things that he says to the media long time ago so um doesn't really hold weight with me you played under the franchise tag and better on the future this is a little different how will you try to block out the noise of oh this might be his last year here and all that kind of stuff yeah I mean I'm blessed man I'm super blessed I'm blessed to play this game to be in the year nine to feel as I do healthy as I do as confident as I am the experience that I've had um I'm blessed to play this game I'm getting paid a lot of money to do it I've already got paid um to get paid again that's just part of it uh that that's that's I'm do up for that whether it's it's signing here whether it's somewhere else that I don't care to think about at this moment um it's all part of and so for me as I said it's about controlling what I can and that's being the best version of myself best leader make sure all these guys in here understand that we're on a mission um it's not about next year right now it's not about my contract it's not about anything but getting ready for game one against the Browns and simple as that going back to CD obviously him coming back to the team the value there is it goes without saying but silver line to his hold out can you talk about how in the long run it'll help you guys that the opportunities and training camp will being taken care of by the younger guys yeah I mean mentioned before obviously him not being there those are valuable Reps for guys that um that that had to step up I mean obviously C's not there a guy you want to go to when it's manto man where he's not there somebody else got to show show that they can be the guy that wins and as I said we're going to get into the season and people are going to say from Play One hey we're putting two people on CD and we're going to take them away so therefore these other guys have to be ready and willing to step up and my confidence in them has to be no difference than it is in CD and so that's what this Camp um allowed us to create and allowed us to get that chemistry those connections me understanding uh which guy to go to in certain situations and them having the expectations of wearing when I'm throwing the ball what is for Coach McCarthy does that a first of all does that surprise you that it's that long now that it seems like it was just yesterday maybe he got here and he shows up to your event Char charity event and other guy stuff what does that say about him and and how he wants to be involved with you guys yeah I mean he's a first off a hell of a coach um but a better man um and I think as you said showing up to to my to my um Foundation Galla to showing up for people off the field um for being who he is and always having the conversations and understanding players for the people that they are having those conversations with them one-on-one um yeah it's been been a Fast 5 years obviously it started off rough in 2020 but just to see um the trend that we're going in uh for him taking over the offense now going in the second year of it a lot to be excited about I'm a guy that I owe so much to um think of him much more than a coach uh he's a friend he's uh yeah he's uh he's a special guy is your best piece of advice or coaching tip or anything along the way that really stands out to you think about him and your relationship with so many honestly I'm not even going to say one or can't think one off the top of my head but so many whether it be about a family about having a daughter and raising a daughter um whether it be maybe things his dad told told him that he uses now in today's world whether it be um handling relationships handling your business um we have so many of those talks that yall know that are usually on Fridays or or Thursdays um that that as I told youall before they're 20 30 minutes of football and then 30 minutes to an hour of life and so uh those are very valuable conversations to me and I thank thankful for them there's a lot of uncertainty with a lot of you guys on this team including your coach love is a sense of urgency to let's get this done because you don't know what the future may hold yeah for sure um you got to love it honestly you got to love it uh you got to embrace it that's the challenge um once again we we as the players of the coaches um don't have the full say in in whether we're here or not and so um it's about us controlling what we can right now it's about sticking together making this locker room um embracing this culture embracing one another not putting necessarily pressure on ourselves but understanding that this team won't be uh the same after this whether it be the coaches whether it be the players whether it be some of the key pieces um I just doubt it'll be the same and that's the business of it so uh yeah it's now period Dak you talked about Dad's strength last year when you found out about MJ now that she's here you're going into your first season with her here how does that change your mindset as a dad now one more time one more time so now with MJ you have your dad strength how does that change your preparation for this season and specifically getting this deal done does that change your mindset being a dad now uh I'm blessed I mean I'm blessed to to to be a dad be the father of little MJ starting a family um I'm thankful for the balance that that honestly SJ allows me to to have and um to focus in when I walk in these doors it's about football nothing nothing nothing else to be honest and and just to have my focus here um to say it changes the contract not really uh the money's going to come one way or another as I said that's just the nature of it being in my last year and um yeah I'm just thankful for those responsibilities now um but when I get to go home I do get to forget about football for an hour a couple hours whatever it is my time with her and I'm grateful for that Cleveland's an uncommon opponent to have them week one Jim Sports a guy does a lot of things is there a benefit to that that gave you more time to study study them up yeah sure but then then again uh Schwarz is a guy that I played for first what three years of my career so so um understanding who he is his mentality his personality as a play caller definitely helps definitely something that I go back and look on to um and him being kind of a guy that he is who he is and it's respect to him he's had a lot of success at it that definitely helps uh having that past experience against him but yeah then anytime you get more than more than four more than a week of preparation against a team should be valuable did CD's added weight kind of surprise you when he walked in the building or did you already kind of know he had put on those 10 15 pounds uh I mean I think I'd read something um but I don't always believe what I read but saw it in the biceps when he popped in he wearing a lot more sleeveless shirts so uh as long as the speed's there and it looked like it was out there I'm fine with however big he is you said back in Camp it'll take about a practice or two for y'all to get back in Rhythm where is that kind of now after a couple of walkthroughs we've had three practices good to go what do you think about your running back room you added cook and you got Zeke obviously and Rico what do you think about what you got yeah I love what I got um guys that that have experience when you talk about those first two guys and then young guys whether it be Rico whether it be deuce or or honestly even Hunter um guys that that that care about this game understand their role understand their responsibility whether it's pass protection um whether it's getting out um or obviously if it's running the ball um each and every one of those guys know knows their role take pride in it uh and will play a huge part to this team whether it's one of them whether it's by committee or not um they're all looking forward to making opportunities the most of the opportunities that they get what have you seen from Z to say he still got it I know we know what he's done in the past but what are you seeing from him in practiceing campus say this guy is still yeah just yeah I mean one obviously just how intelligent he is um understanding where he needs to run where where the blocks are setting up understanding the the there's no smarter probably back in when it comes to the pass protection than Zeke uh so having all that understanding he's still physical still just wants to get downhill that's going to be a big threat in the Red Zone um a lot of factors that that play into that is that something y'all missed last year that the red zone for sure running game for sure how much did you miss having him around how much do you enjoy having him around speaking of the business of the game you seem pretty wounded when the SE was turned loose and now you got him back uh yeah I mean it was tough but that but then again just awakes you to the the nature of this business um to say he was wounded no but um yeah to see a guy that you grow up with uh leave and have to go play for another team sucked and I actually felt more for him um than anything so to have him back and to see his smile to see how excited he is to see the Zeke that I know again um that means more to more to me than than anything what are your expectations for the tight end room especially being so young and Jake having his breakthrough last year uh a guy like skoon John Stevens Jr what are your expectations yeah to be the best tight ends in in the game and I'm I'm going start and put the pressure on on Ferg I mean obviously he leads it he's the oldest guy in that group um and a very very young group but um John Steven schoon maker um brevan uh some guys that can play some guys that have great size that are matchups uh matchup advantages um but it starts with Ferg his just intensity his approach to the game how he leads those guys in the meeting room and I know if they can he can rub off on them more and more they'll be a hell of a room you shut it down this weekend get away from football or hard excited for college football tonight U probably have that in a couple drinks um Saturday rest stop Sunday I'll get back to it uh yeah throw on