Mike McCarthy gave Dak Prescott a sparkling review of where the quarterback is on his road back from a significant ankle injury on Tuesday.
Wednesday, Prescott took it a step further.
"I've buried the injury," Prescott said, . "Honestly, guys, you know me, from the point of practice, from the point of just moving forward and going about my life, I've buried it mentally. And I think you guys and a lot of people around have to help me in burying it as well as we move forward."
Prescott's message: Stop asking me about my ankle. It's not as easy as that, of course, as his first training camp and game action will be points at which he'll undoubtedly be queried about it yet again, but what Prescott intended to intimate was that he's moved on from thinking about his ankle.
The moment didn't quite come on a football field, either, but on a dance floor.
"Had a good Cinco de Mayo, was a little active and at that time maybe did some little dance moves and I felt like I'm ready to go," Prescott said. "So that was the time that I said in my head, 'The injury's gone.'"
The true first test will come in training camp, when the pads are on and the speed of the action ramps up closer to where it will be in a live game. For now, though, Prescott feels very confident about the trust he's gained in his ankle and how he's adjusted the use of his body mechanics when delivering passes.
"Just knowing that I could do all the different drops, get away from pressure when I need to," Prescott said. "I'm sure you guys see the scramble drill that we've done a few times. That was a big one for my confidence, just being able to pivot and turn out left, get out to the right, change directions, not feeling anything and then look at the tape and realize day by day that I'm running more smoother, I'm getting better, I'm using my legs more when I throw. Those are just all building blocks and stepping stones for me to get where I want to be. It's just exciting."
Exciting indeed, especially for Cowboys fans who had to endure a bit of a quarterback carousel when watching their team following Prescott's injury last season. If the lavish contract Prescott signed didn't tell you enough, Dallas' performance without him would make it impossible to ignore that he's simply their best option by an incredibly wide margin. In order to again be available to lead Dallas to victory, he'll need to be healthy.
So far, so good.
