Dallas Cowboys Notebook #AZvsDAL | Week 17

More To Grow

Given Trevon Diggs' production this season -- he leads the NFL with 11 interceptions and needs one pick to break Everson Walls' single-season Cowboys record -- it's easy to forget that only four years ago he was wide receiver at Alabama, not a cornerback.

As good as he's been, making his first Pro Bowl in only his second season, Diggs says he's not completely comfortable playing cornerback yet.

"I'm still learning, honestly," he said. "And I've still got a lot of work to do. I'm just working. I don't know how long it's going to take for me to master something, but I know a few things and I use those few things that I do know and use it with my ability.

"But I'm just going to keep working. I really don't know how it's going to take but I'm looking forward to know because it took me all my life to master wide receiver."

Diggs credited Cowboys defensive backs coach Al Harris for his development these first two seasons.

"He basically taught me everything that I know as far as playing corner in the NFL," Diggs said.

-Rob Phillips (12/30)

Dak Running

The stats suggest that quarterback Dak Prescott has appeared to be more selective running with the ball this season. His 126 rushing yards through 14 games are the second-lowest total of his career behind 2020, when he gained 93 yards in only five starts last year.

But Prescott recently said there might be a time later in the season to get more aggressive on the ground. That looked to be the case in last Sunday's blowout win over Washington, when he picked up 21 yards on four scrambles.

"If there's an opportunity to run, obviously this back part of the season, heading into the playoffs, everything matters. So I'm playing that way. I'm preparing that way," Prescott said. "If those running lanes are there -- obviously I'm still going to be smart in taking the contact and those types of things -- but yeah, when it's needed, when the lane's there, I'm not going to hesitate."

Prescott said the Washington game was probably the best he's felt running in a game this season since returning from last year's season-ending ankle injury. (He also sat out the Cowboys' Oct. 31 win over Minnesota with a calf strain.)

"I just think it comes from a lot of months of taking care of my body, prehabbing, rehabbing when injuries came up, but in the same sense, staying ahead of everything and making sure that my leg is positioned the right way, my body feels great and doing all the little necessary things, and different modalities that I have in place to make sure that I'm feeling the best that I can in the latter part of the year," Prescott said. "And I feel fortunate and blessed to be feeling as well as I do this late in the year."

-Rob Phillips (12/30)

100 Percent

Ezekiel Elliott has been battling through a knee injury since the first month of the season but can sense noticeable improvement the last few games with the aid of a knee brace, something he hasn't worn since high school.

"I'm very encouraged by the direction it's going," Elliott said Wednesday. "I feel more explosive. I can tell I feel faster and I can tell there's more stability in it. So, I mean I think it kind of gives me extra confidence in my knee."

Elliott said he might continue to wear the brace into the playoffs. Either way, the injury is heading in the right direction as the regular season winds down.

"I think if I keep progressing, I think by about the playoffs I'll be close to 100," he said.

-Rob Phillips (12/29)

Micah & The Record?

With 13.0 sacks and two regular-season games left, Micah Parsons is getting closer to Jevon Kearse's NFL rookie record for sacks in a season (14.5).

"It is on my mind," Parsons said. "Obviously that would be an extraordinary thing to do for a guy that's just an off-the-ball linebacker. It would really mean a lot to me. I know I can do it. I've just got to get the job done and really just do what I do best and that's just hunt. If I do that, I know I can get it."

Parsons' 13 sacks are particularly impressive because he's only been a part-time edge rusher and blitzer in defensive coordinator Dan Quinn's system this season. With 1.5 sacks against the Cardinals this Sunday, Parsons would tie the record in 16 games, the same number of games Kearse needed in 1999 before the league added the additional 17

th game.

'It would be real nice to take that record or even come close to it," Parsons said.

-Rob Phillips (12/29)

Cowboys Zoo

By now, it's been well-documented that Micah Parsons views himself as the "Lion" of the defense. The lion-backer who starred for the Penn State Nittany Lions, has been on the hunt all season long.

But apparently, Parsons has some animalistic nicknames for some of his teammates as well.

While Parsons says the defense debated on giving Trevon Diggs the title of a "jaguar" until he decided on a different animal for the Pro Bowl cornerback.

"I was like, 'No, you're an eagle, bro. You're in a league of your own. Eagles only fly with other eagles. No other bird can reach their altitude.' So Tre's the eagle and I'm the lion. He owns the air and I own the ground. That's what we've got to do. That's why we're 7-11."

Parsons said other players have "to earn your animal card" and he'll be the one to dictate that over time.

When asked about facing Cardinals' speedy quarterback Kyler Murray, Parsons had a name for him as well.

"Kyler's a cheetah. The cheetah's the fastest animal, but I mean a lion doesn't just go by himself," Parsons said. "It's a lot of lions and lionesses. So if you've got a pack of lions, then I like the lion over the cheetah any day of the week."

-Nick Eatman (12/29)

Dalton's Turn

In the last two weeks, Dalton Schultz has posted the second-most catches of his career, getting eight against the Giants and then eight more last Sunday vs. Washington. Both games also saw Schultz reach the end zone.

But the fourth-year tight end was asked what has changed in the approach.

"Nothing different in terms of game-plan wise," Schultz said. "Everybody runs the same plays in football. Our plays don't change dramatically week to week. We don't go into a game plan saying 'we're going to feature this guy.' It just all shakes out how defenses wants to play us. We've done a good job of keeping the quarterback clean and letting him get the ball out. I think it's a product of the offense and (Dak) has a lot of confidence in making those throws. I'm glad to see it's paying off for me."
After these last two games, Schultz now ranks second on the team with 69 catches, third in yards with 733 and tied for second with six touchdown catches.

All of those stats are career highs for Schultz, who picked a great year to have this success, considering he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

-Nick Eatman (12/29)