The Dallas Cowboys will be looking for Dak Prescott to avoid a sophomore slump, and Hall of Famer Charles Haley seems to like where the quarterback is headed. In a recent interview with a Dallas TV station, the former Cowboys and 49ers pass rusher made a comparison between Prescott and a slightly notable former 49ers quarterback.
“Dak reminds me of Joe [Montana]. He’s funny, he’s charismatic, and you know what? They had something to prove. They had a chip on their shoulder. And Dak, man, the more I’m around him, he has so much confidence. He came from nothing, like me. So guess what? What can you do? How can you hurt someone that came from nothing, that had to pull himself up from the boot strap, and walk out on this stage wearing that star on his head, and won ten or twelve games in a row? What can you say, what can do you?
“I tell him all the time, I say, ‘Man, this your show. This your rodeo. I told him that after game four, when he was saying it was Romo’s show. I wanted to punch him in his chest. ‘Hey, hold up. You’ve won four in a row. Then, you win five a row. Now walk out on the field before the game and say, Who’s team is this?’ If he didn’t say, ‘My team’ real fast, I’ll punch him again. Guess what, my team. He’s got to realize he’s got to control everybody. It ain’t whether or if Romo would have came back or not, it’s about the confidence and believing that he was the man. That he was driving the bus. And then, that confidence will spill over, and it did. When you listen to players talk they talk big about Dak, because he’s a man of character and a man of strength and a man of conviction.”
Prescott had a phenomenal rookie season. Dallas went 13-3, and Prescott completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 3,667 yards, with 23 touchdowns and four interceptions. He benefited tremendously from a great offensive line and a strong running back in Ezekiel Elliott. But he did what was asked of him with aplomb. They came up short in the playoffs, but I can’t imagine people could have expected the kind of rookie season Prescott put together.
Of course, now the question is how he builds on it in 2017. They focused on building their defense, drafting pass rusher Taco Charlton and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. They drafted Ryan Switzer to compete for a spot in the wide receiver depth chart, but Dez Bryant will still lead the way there.
I like that Haley seemed to compare Prescott and Montana through their personalities. This wasn’t about saying Prescott is going to be the next Montana. It’s way too early to say that, but a personality comparison is not out of the question. And given Haley’s time in San Francisco, and the occasional consulting work he does with Dallas (and the 49ers), he’s certainly in a good position to offer a qualified opinion.