“They in different books” SHARPE

“They in different books. Not even in the same book. They in different books,” Shannon Sharpe said when Dak Prescott and Tom Brady came up in the same comparison on Nightcap.

Sharpe was discussing Dallas’ 24–16 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and “Iso” Joe Johnson. The Cowboys had a chance to tie the game late before Prescott’s pass deflected off Jake Ferguson’s hands and was intercepted by Alex Anzalone.

A viewer’s question compared criticism of Prescott’s late production with Brady’s comeback against Atlanta. Sharpe objected to the comparison rather than accepting the rally as an equivalent performance.

“I know this man ain’t mentioned Dak Prescott and Tom Brady in the same sentence,” Sharpe said. “Whatever book you reading and you got Tom Brady, just close the book. Then pick up another book and start reading about Dak.”

Joe Johnson defended Prescott by pointing to his winning touchdown in the previous game. Sharpe acknowledged that performance, saying, “He did, and we praised him.” When Johnson argued Ferguson should have caught Thursday’s final pass, Sharpe also challenged how Dallas had played before that possession.

“It wasn’t like you had been dealing before that either,” Sharpe said.

Prescott finished with 316 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions on 24-of-42 passing. His 17-yard touchdown to George Pickens cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 24–16 after a failed two-point attempt. The final interception stopped Dallas’ next possession with 1:16 remaining.

Jones on Tampa Bay’s physical fronts

Jones, the Cowboys’ owner and general manager, spoke separately to reporters after the game. “Extraordinarily, extraordinarily disappointed,” he said. “You really do need to get it done when it’s there to take.”

Tampa Bay rushed for 241 yards, including 165 from Bucky Irving. Jones said the Buccaneers’ physical play at the line of scrimmage and success running inside surprised him.

“And they basically were very physical, I thought, both their fronts,” Jones said. “Was really surprised how well they ran the ball, how they ran it between the tackles. That was surprising.”

Jones said Dallas had expected Tampa Bay to run outside and wanted to put the burden on its quarterback. Rookie Jalon Daniels instead completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown as the Bucs earned their first win.

“Their staff, their quarterback, all their players got a great victory here tonight,” Jones said. “And it was a tough loss for us.”

Sources: Nightcap; Jerry Jones interview, Cowboys Fan Club; Tampa Bay’s official game report.

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