As the Cowboys look to improve on last season’s run to the divisional round, one of the focal points for the team coming into the 2023 campaign is quarterback Dak Prescott and his league-leading 15 interceptions from last year. Prescott himself discussed the issue earlier this month—though, according to the team, not in exactly the way that many reported.
In an article from Gabriel Trevino of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Prescott was quoted discussing his interceptions from last season and balls that were tipped off the hands of his receivers. That version of the quote read like this:
“I know who I am, and you can go back and take away half of those off drops. I’m not saying it’s on the receiver, but if you cut that in half then we start talking about those, nobody is talking about it… Some of it is the offense and them understanding exactly where we are. Mike [McCarthy] does an amazing job with those guys. They know where to be, why to be, when they’re getting looked at. That’s going to be a big jump. I won’t have 10 interceptions this year.”
The team said on Tuesday that those were not the quarterback’s words, and that he was rather speaking about improved chemistry with his receivers that would lead to a reduction in tipped interceptions. The Cowboys wrote that this was, in fact, Prescott’s actual quote:
“Do I blame those receivers, no,” Prescott apparently said. “Mike does an amazing job [with the receivers]. They know where the hell to be, why to be and when they’re getting looked at. That’s going to be a big jump, I think. We won’t have those tipped interceptions this year.”
Prescott led the league in picks thrown despite only playing in 12 games. He threw for 2,860 yards and 23 touchdowns, posting his lowest passer rating (91.1) since 2017.
