Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott plans to make this a ‘golden year’

Dak Prescott has just one playoff victory in his first six NFL seasons, but he has every intention of making this a memorable year for himself and the Dallas Cowboys. “It will be the golden birthday,” said Prescott, who turns 29 on Friday. “I plan for this to be the golden year.”

Both Prescott and Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy received plenty of criticism after a disappointing 23-17 wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers last season. That game ended when Prescott ran downfield with six seconds left on the clock and was unable to spike the ball for one last play. That defeat left Prescott with a 1-3 career postseason record and kept Dallas without a Super Bowl title since 1995.

Prescott has been unable to do what Hall-of-Famers Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman did – lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl title. “I mean obviously knowing the quarterbacks that played specifically for this team, and knowing their legacy, and the ones that we hold at the highest standard are the ones that have Super Bowl rings.” Prescott said. “It starts there for me, trying to fill the shoes of those guys that have come before me and do something for this organisation that hasn’t been done in a long time.”

Taking the rough with the smooth

While playoff success has eluded Prescott, he did throw a franchise-record 37 touchdown passes last season and threw for 4,449 yards – the fourth-highest single-season total of any Cowboys quarterback. “When you don’t win games, it goes on our shoulders sometimes and that’s okay,” Prescott added. “I’m a guy that will take it whenever. Take the good with the bad and just continue to help my team, help all 53 who will participate in the game, but as coach says, it takes more than that. It takes the whole unit, the whole organisation. I don’t really worry about where the criticism or blame or any of that goes.”

The Cowboys open their season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 11 September.