No one is seriously considering Trey Hendrickson or Josh Allen for the award.
Pittsburgh’s TJ Watt led the league in sacks, with 19 across 17 games, clear of two players tied for second with 17.5. No one player stood out above the others amongst the three players considered to be the best at the position. He was the NFL’s best defender this season and should be the clear choice to be named Defensive Player of the Year.Īs witnessed with the various All-Pro teams, from the NFLPA to PFF, the AP to Next Gen Stats, opinion is split amongst who the best edge rusher was this year. The NFL is king, owning 96 of the 100 most-watched programs since September and no player stole the spotlight more than Bland did. Just like Fx’s The Bear was the best show on cable television in 2023, Bland was that on broadcast TV. And what he created when taking over the kitchen in 2023 was worthy of accolade. Instead the team asked him to master boundary-corner cuisine. Leading the team with five interceptions out of the slot in 2022 wasn’t enough. Cowboys’ Bland is clear DPOY, anyone else is a barefaced lie - KD Drummond, Cowboys WireĬowboys fans are probably used to the accomplishments of their favorite players diminished by the national media including DaRon Bland.Īfter a shockingly strong rookie campaign where he ascended to secondary sous chef behind Trevon Diggs, the latest Al Harris protege was sent to study. They cover the drive-starting plays and the situational moments, but it’s more than that. They go over the game plan once again and focus in on what the quarterback wants and does not want called on game day. On Thursday nights, a couple of hours after meetings end, Prescott and McCarthy meet in the coach’s office. Any great quarterback/head coach duo, it has to be like that.” “Just the respect they have for one other, you can clearly see it from the way he coaches him and the way Dak responds to the coaching. ”I want to say throughout the offseason, the amount of time they spent together, obviously that’s the quarterback, but it was on a whole other level,” Cooks said. Brandin Cooks saw it with Drew Brees and Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots and Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams. They have grown tighter this year with their new partnership. They spent hours talking about football and life. When Prescott suffered a fractured and dislocated right ankle in 2020, McCarthy’s first season in Dallas, the coach drove the quarterback home after a rehab session. It’s worked out well and I think the proof is in the numbers.”īefore McCarthy became Prescott’s playcaller this season, they already had a strong relationship. That connection takes extra time, we put the time in early through camp. I’m calling it and he’s hauling it - that’s what Dak likes to say, and that’s the way it has to go. “If you’ve asked any offensive playcaller, that relationship’s imperative to success,” McCarthy said. He completed a career-best 69.9% of his passes.
His interception percentage (1.5%) tied for the second best of his career. He cut his interceptions from 15 to nine. With McCarthy as his playcaller, Prescott had the best season of his career.
You can tell by their interactions on the sidelines that head coach Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott have a great relationship that allowed the offense to flourish. How the Mike McCarthy-Dak Prescott bond spurred the Cowboys - Todd Archer, ESPN