'It's Contagious!' Dallas Cowboys Jake Ferguson Reveals Dak Prescott In-Huddle 'Mode'
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has been playing at a high level ever since coach Mike McCarthy "cut him loose' him post-bye, and that decision is looking better and better with each passing game.
Prescott's 374 passing yards and three touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 28-23 loss was one of the better performances of his career.
With Dak coming into his own in McCarthy's "Texas Coast Offense" recently and his confidence growing, young tight end Jake Ferguson has noticed a difference in Prescott on the field.
“You can feel it in the huddle, when he gets in that mode, and he gets in that huddle, he makes the play call, and gives a little bit more extra flavor at the end," Ferguson said. "It's like, 'Alright, all 11 of us are going to go, you know kick some (butt).
"So ... it's contagious.”
With Prescott garnering the plaudits for his play against the Eagles, Ferguson himself had a career-best game that might have gone under the radar.
His 10-catch, 91-yard, one-touchdown game was a coming-out party of sorts for "Ferg," as it now makes it back-to-back games with a touchdown catch.
Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (87) has lifted the lid on Dak Prescott's increased confidence in the huddle.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
While Ferguson was a slow burn in his rookie season sitting behind Dalton Schultz, who is now with the Houston Texans, the second-year tight end has moved up the pecking order.
But what does he attribute to his good form recently?
“I think that kind of goes off Dak and my relationship and what we're trying to build and keep striving for," Ferguson said. "But it also goes back to our scheme and what Schotty [offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer] and coach [Mike] McCarthy are kind of putting into our heads. Knowing, 'Hey this is when I have to be open on these certain plays,' and that's kind of attributed back to our scheme and the knowledge and all the information they're giving us to be successful in the passing game.”
Prescott needs to enter that "contagious mode" on Sunday against the New York Giants, and one could imagine that Ferguson will again see his fair share of targets.
With a softened schedule in the next three weeks, 5-3 Dallas needs to keep pace with the 8-1 Philadelphia Eagles, who lead the NFC and the division, and that starts with taking care of business against the Giants.
After all, the most contagious thing in football is winning.
