A couple of Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks appeared on the radio waves this week.
Current starting quarterback Dak Prescott joined 96.7 The Ticket’s Hang Zone on Wednesday and discussed some of the offseason additions and the changes to the offense.
“You look at the offseason, we’ve had some coaching changes and some little tweaks, I guess you could say,” Prescott began. “Mike McCarthy calling plays, Brian Schottenheimer as the offensive coordinator, and also just weapons [and] additions.”
“Bringing Brandin Cooks in alone [and] Stephon Gilmore on the defensive side, 1000% it feels different. You’re able to take two 12-win seasons over into this one and build. It’s the first time in my career I feel like I can say consecutive seasons are building.”
The Cowboys have made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, losing to the San Francisco 49ers in both years.
“You’ve got to give it knocks,” Prescott explained. “You’ve got to see what it feels like, and [with] us having that, now you feel comfortable. You’re excited about the details and the changes we’ve had on offense and the team. [I’m] [l]ooking forward to it with a lot of excitement.”
Prescott specifically mentioned Cooks, who Dallas acquired in a trade with the Houston Texans in March, as a player with whom he is looking forward to playing.
“The guy runs so fast, and he’s the same speed every route that it’s going to be easy for me to figure out,” Prescott said. “He’s not changing it up. He doesn’t have a pace to himself”
Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman also appeared on the station this week as he joined Norm and D Invasion to wish local broadcaster Norm Hitzges luck in retirement and discussed his own retirement from football.
“At the end of my career, I was ready,” Aikman told the show. “There was a lot of frustration. Even though I thought there was a chance I might go elsewhere and play, there was a lot of frustration that had built up toward the end of my career. So when I got away from it, I think there was a bit of a relief for me.”
“I was able to jump right into broadcasting,” he continued. “It kept me busy, and it’s kept me busy now for the past 22 years, and not a lot of players have that luxury.”
Aikman has been a broadcaster since 2001 but acknowledges there will be a day when he also retires from that job.
“I don’t know how much longer I’ll do it,” Aikman said. “I’ve got a pretty good idea — not to suggest that I’ll do it anytime in the near future — but I’ve got an idea as to when I believe I’ll retire.”
When he does decide to move on again, he hopes to stay connected with the game. He told the show he thinks his chance to become a general manager for a team has passed, but he could be interested in helping teams in other ways.
“There may come a time when I would be interested in helping out a club and not necessarily in an official capacity,” the Hall-of-Famer explained. “I think that would be enjoyable.”
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The Frisco RoughRiders were the only local team that played on Thursday. Here is what happened on the field and behind the scenes.
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Frisco RoughRiders (28-37, fifth in Texas League South, tied eighth in AA Texas League)
Last Game: Springfield Cardinals 3, RoughRiders 2
A couple of RBI singles gave Springfield a 3-0 lead through four innings. Frisco got on the board with a Thomas Saggese single in the sixth and added another on a Scott Kapers single in the ninth. Frisco moved the tying run into scoring position in the bottom of the ninth as Jax Biggers reached second base on a wild pitch, but Josh Hatcher grounded out to end the game.
Noteworthy: Saggese extends his hitting streak to 11 games, while outfielder Kellen Strahm extended his to 12. Saggese, the Rangers’ No.15 prospect, is hitting .302 on the season with nine home runs and 50 RBIs.
— Infielder Nick Tanielu has been transferred from Frisco to Triple-A Round Rock, while reliever Grant Wolfram goes from Round Rock to Frisco.
Next Up: Cardinals (34-32) at RoughRiders, 7:05 p.m. CT Friday
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NHL
Dallas Stars (offseason)
Noteworthy: The Stars have announced their preseason schedule for next season. The team will play seven preseason games, with three at home, two on the road, and two neutral site games in Cedar Park, Texas, and Independence, Missouri.
–The NHL holds its annual entry draft at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday, June 28, in Nashville. The Stars have five picks and will make their first selection in the second round.
