Shannon Sharpe, “Undisputed” co-host and NFL Hall of Famer, was asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 10 just how confident the Dallas Cowboys should be that Dak Prescott can defeat the 49ers and lead Dallas to its first postseason win in three years.
Shannon shockingly replied, “Three — one less than the number on the back of his jersey.”
With his co-host Skip Bayless being such a devout Dallas Cowboys fan, it’s possible that Sharpe was just devaluing Dak to get under Skip’s skin. Either way he sounded mighty convincing.
“What I’ve seen from Dak Prescott is up and down. I watched him play great against Atlanta and then the next week he played terrible against Kansas City. I watched him play great against Washington, then watched him play terrible the next week against Arizona. So what am I supposed to do with that? You want me to have trust in a guy that’s done this?”
The Dallas Cowboys ran through the NFC East division and into the playoffs, surviving a tumultuous season with many ups and down and severe media scrutiny to finish 12-5. Those various turns and twists included an injury to their franchise quarterback (who still hasn’t been the same since), COVID-19 challenges, constant social media attacks on head coach Mike McCarthy and the pressures of living up to a media machine infatuated with calling them Super Bowl contenders.
Those aforementioned media members also do a solid job of making excuses for Prescott when he has one of his “dud” performances. Overall, Prescott is a sound leader and capable of lighting up the scoreboard, but the consistency hasn’t been there.
Therefore, certain media types remain on the other side of the fence concerning Dak as an elite brand capable of leading his team to the promise land. There’s a general doubt beyond the Texas plains when it comes to Dak’s ability to consistently perform in the clutch moment.
Can he be nasty and mean like Brady? Will he allow his full talents to shine through like Mahomes?
“Sunday you might catch him doing this (having a big game), but what happens when you catch him doing THAT (throwing picks and spitting the bit)? You going home right?” Sharpe griped.
“I can’t trust him,” Shannon shouted. “He’s up and down. … I can’t ride the roller coaster.”
Dallas is a home favorite to beat a physical and potentially explosive 49ers team. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has never played better and Deebo Samuels has become a one-man wrecking crew and almost impossible to defend sideline to sideline.
Prescott has proven his resilience by returning from a career-threatening injury to lead Dallas to 12 wins and legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.
When Dallas finally gave in and committed a four-year, $160 million bag to Dak to lead the Texas Star into the next decade, owner Jerry Jones made it very clear he felt he will have wasted his money if Dak doesn’t at least get Dallas back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995.
While Dak is a person of outstanding character and a team guy through and through, ultimately, he has to run off a string of playoff gems and bring home the Lombardi trophy to earn the respect of legends — and Shannon Sharpe.
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