FRISCO, Texas -- For the briefest moment between plays, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott gets a breath. Then Coach Brian Schottenheimer's voice is in his ear, calling the next play. Prescott relays it to the huddle, then walks to the line and studies the defense. What's the front? Where are the safeties and middle linebacker? Are the corners playing off or in press coverage? He weighs those answers against the quarter, the clock, the score, the down and distance, the weather and the noise of the crowd.
With center Cooper Beebe, he sets the protection, uses hand signals with his receivers and may abandon the original call for the backup he picked in the huddle. All of this can happen in roughly 40 seconds before the snap, Prescott told ESPN. At the snap, what looks like chaos is choreography to him, built on hours of film study on opposing coordinators and the subtle tells of defensive linemen and linebackers.
Prescott estimates a normal play brings two to 10 decisions, such as whether a pass should be layered over the top, kept low or thrown as a fastball or changeup. He says many of these choices become unconscious through repetition in practice.
The play he broke down came in the 2024 season opener against the Cleveland Browns. On third-and-5 from the Cleveland 21, Prescott saw Cover 0 with no deep safeties and checked into a route. He moved tight end Jake Ferguson toward defensive end Myles Garrett, then watched the Browns' Jordan Hicks run free through the left side. The 21-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks came hours after Prescott signed a contract extension that made him the NFL's highest-paid player at the time.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing