OXNARD, Calif. – Dak Prescott is 24 years old today.
Year 23 was a pretty good one.
Last season, Prescott became the first rookie quarterback and only the second player in NFL history (Tom Brady) to throw for at least 3,500 yards with fewer than five interceptions in a season. This offseason, Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan can't recall him throwing an interception in any of the organized team activities.
"I said, 'You were kind of due,'" Linehan said Thursday after Prescott threw two picks in the second padded practice of training camp.
On the first, defensive tackle Stephen Paea altered Prescott's throwing motion with a rush up the middle. On the second, Prescott told Linehan, "I got greedy there."
Prescott has said there are times in camp where he'll take chances with throws on occasion. If he's going to test his ability down the field, he'll need to find out now rather than a regular-season game.
On his second interception Thursday, he tried to fit a pass to receiver Brice Butler through a tight window. Linebacker Mark Nzeocha anticipated the throw and made the pick.
Prescott, overall, looked sharp and accurate in the first week of practice. And one of his best traits, Linehan says, is moving to the next play after a bad one.
"He's really coachable," Linehan said. I don't really need to get mad at him. He knows when I'm mad at him because I give him a look. It's not so much that as we've got to learn from those things and one of the great things he did last year is protect the ball. He's going to have an interception.
"He just works on his fundamentals and takes to coaching like no one else, in my opinion, and just works on a daily basis to get better."
