"OUR STALWART": JONES GIVES DAK PRESCOTT MAJOR PRAISE AHEAD OF WEEK 12
Dak Prescott's leadership has been vital for the Cowboys following the tragic death of teammate Marshawn Kneeland. Owner Jerry Jones calls him the franchise "stalwart" as the team rallies amidst a difficult season.
Cowboys Make Strong Prescott Statement
In his ten years as the Cowboys' quarterback, Dak Prescott has proven to be one of the league's top quarterbacks and has been selected to three Pro Bowls as a result. Prescott has three of the top five passing seasons in Cowboys franchise history, with three seasons of 4,000 yards or more.
However, Prescott's leadership in the locker room and off the field has defined him just as much as his on-field accomplishments have. And nothing has put that leadership to the test quite like the past several weeks in Dallas, where the Cowboys experienced turmoil after colleague Marshawn Kneeland committed suicide.
The most effective leadership comes from players, even though the Cowboys' organisational structure—from the front office to the coaching staff—had to work together to deal with the Kneeland tragedy. Prescott assumed that role.
Dak Prescott, a "Stalwart" with the Cowboys
Jerry Jones, the general manager and owner of the Cowboys, lavishly praised Prescott's leadership contributions during the past few weeks.
Jones referred to Prescott as the team's "stalwart" during a Tuesday interview with 105.3 The Fan in Dallas.
"Well, he is the best leader I have ever been around for a team and period," Jones remarked. "And he simply has a natural understanding of what the scenario calls for; he has had it since he stepped through the door, and a lot of the positive things he has been involved in have been related to that skill right there.
However, you can sense that he exudes confidence. Then, you know you have a guy that, boy, can have a horrible quarter or a poor series, but you know you have a guy who will go out there and just completely forget it and be as aggressive as it requires. In terms of our chances of winning this year, he has been our pillar from the beginning. We are now offering him an opportunity.
Naturally, the overall picture of Prescott is still the same, and his time with the Cowboys will ultimately be evaluated based on his performance in the postseason rather than how he leads in Weeks 1 through 18. The Cowboys are currently a long shot to make the playoffs at 4-5-1, especially with the Eagles coming up in Week 12.
They have a 13% chance of making the playoffs, according to PlayoffStatus.com.
"Why not?" asks Dak Prescott.
However, 13% is not zero, and Prescott is attempting to encourage his Cowboys colleagues to see things positively.
I am aware that I have been saying that, and I will probably continue to ask, "Why not?" Prescott stated. And it is more about our having control, is not that right? Life will give us curveballs, but we are in control, and this past week was one of them," Prescott remarked. And how will we react? I was informing the crew of this. We must pass a test to have a testimony. And this is a significant test for this organisation, for each of us personally, and for our brotherhood and identity.
"Let us honour our brother and be proud." And why not keep doing that, carry that light forward, and perform as well as we did tonight?
JAZZ SLAPPED WITH LABEL AFTER LEBRON JAMES'S RETURN
Following a loss to LeBron James' Lakers, a Jazz beat writer questioned if Utah is "really trying to win," citing questionable roster construction and rotation choices that prioritise development over victories.
LeBron's Return Confirms Jazz "Not Trying To Win
For Utah, LeBron James' eagerly anticipated return to the Los Angeles Lakers was accompanied by a vicious side plot.
Beat writer Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune stated that the Utah Jazz are "not really trying to win" at the moment after the Lakers defeated them 140-126 in James' record-breaking 23rd NBA season opener. Larsen pointed directly to the way the Jazz are assembling and utilising their lineup.
Luka Doncic finished with 37 points and 10 assists, while James finished with 11 points and 12 assists in 30 minutes as the Lakers won for the third time in a row, improving their record to 11-4.
Utah has lost five of its previous seven games and is currently 5-9 and bottom of the Northwest Division after giving up a 21-5 surge in the third quarter.
Andy Larsen wonders if the Jazz are actually attempting to win on X. Larsen described Utah's scenario as "strange" and contended that the Jazz would "attempt to get real NBA-calibre centres" and regularly play their best players if they were genuinely aiming for wins. Rather, he presented it as a team that was more concerned with giving players the impression that they were striving to win than with really increasing victories.
The Jazz are in such an odd predicament. They would aim to get true NBA-calibre centres and rotate their best players if they truly wanted to win.
However, they are only attempting to give their players the impression that they are trying to win, not actually trying to win.
In a follow-up post, Larsen listed several decisions that, in his opinion, do not align with pure win-now basketball: Svi Mykhailiuk starting while young forwards Taylor Hendricks and guard Walter Clayton Jr. were DNP-CDs, rookie wing Cody Williams getting 18 minutes, and Jusuf Nurkić's defensive errors and turnovers feeding a significant Lakers run.
Thus, you get things like Nurkic's lack of defence and TOs driving the Lakers to a 20-point run, Cody Williams' 18 minutes, Svi Mykhailiuk's start, and Hendricks and Clayton's DNP-CDs. Everything that would make sense separately but not together, because of the ridiculous incentives.
On their own, those choices can be justified as experimentation or development. Larsen described them collectively as the result of "goofy incentives" for a rebuilding squad attempting to balance long-term upside with competition.
The situation at Utah's centre is already challenging. The Jazz changed course by starting Nurkic, who is anticipated to have a long-term starting position, as Walker Kessler is out for the season due to shoulder surgery.
Nurkic's errors against the Lakers were brought to attention by LeBron's first game back, a night that became a national talking point and made every Jazz action appear more deliberate. The idea that Utah is more concerned with evaluation than the standings is strengthened when that is combined with a rookie like Williams playing a lot of minutes and lottery talent Hendricks getting no floor time.
The Jazz are still heavily dependent on their players, though. Keyonte George scored 33 points in the defeat, matching his season high, and Lauri Markkanen scored 31 points, demonstrating that Utah is not completely discarding its best prospects despite criticism from the media and supporters.
The Implications for Utah. This is what a "competitive rebuild" looks like in real time, and Larsen's posts following LeBron's Return Game essentially state the silent part out loud. The rotation and roster balance indicate that the front staff is still putting development, flexibility, and future draft position ahead of securing every regular-season victory, even though the Jazz are capable of hanging 71 points on the Lakers in the first half.
On a night when LeBron makes history and the Lakers' new super-duo of James and Doncic appears set, that is a difficult sell for fans, and Utah leaves with more doubts about its long-term strategy. Before facing the Lakers once more in Salt Lake City, the Jazz will host the Oklahoma City Thunder. This will provide everyone with a brief follow-up to see whether the rotation changes or if Larsen's "not really trying to win" read turns into the season's pivotal narrative.
RAUL FERNANDEZ TOPS MOTOGP TEST TIME SHEETS REGARDLESS.
Raul Fernandez topped the Valencia MotoGP test times without any new Aprilia parts. The Trackhouse rider focused on electronics setup using his known 2025 package, dismissing the results as irrelevant for Sepang.
Fernandez Tops Test
Despite not receiving any new parts from Aprilia for the Valencia MotoGP Test, Raul Fernandez led the timing sheets.
Raul Fernandez said he had no new things from Aprilia to assess on Tuesday after completing his testing day in Valencia.
The MotoGP riders returned to the circuit on Tuesday to begin the 2026 preseason for the Valencia Test after finishing in second place in the Valencia Grand Prix on Sunday.
While Aprilia provided its factory riders, Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, with an upgraded aerodynamic package, Trackhouse Racing and Raul Fernandez did not have any new parts for the Valencia Test since the Spaniard continued to ride the same bike from the Valencia Grand Prix.
Fernandez told the MotoGP World Feed, "This is not especially noteworthy; we have gathered plenty of data from the GP."
"We did not test any new aerodynamic, chassis, or engine components today; instead, we concentrated on electronics work. We wanted to improve our bundle, and I am happy about it."
"Given that the season is coming to an end, I am feeling very worn out and need to recover well to come back stronger. Although I am happy to be in the lead in the test, a new season will begin in Sepang.
Fernandez stated that he does not view the "test as a benchmark" because everything will change in Sepang when asked if he had made any progress with his 2025 package.
Not precisely, perhaps because we have spent a lot of time here and finished a lot of laps over the weekend," he explained.
"The manufacturer tested new things, but we had some areas to improve, so we can not use the test as an indicator. We will have to wait for their input before determining what Aprilia can provide us in Sepang."