Back in June, as Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott made his gradual return to the field, he expressed a desire to “bury” the ankle injury that snuffed out his 2020 season and dominated every conversation he had in the eight months that followed.
This may not be what he had in mind.
Ever since prematurely leaving the field on July 28, during the team’s first padded practice in Oxnard, the topic of Prescott’s ankle has taken a backseat… to his right shoulder. The veteran entering his sixth season was shelved from throwing for over a week, and has done only soft passing in recent days as he recovers from what has been termed a right shoulder strain.
Prescott, for his part, maintains that he will be 100% for the season opener September 9th.
“There’s no doubt,” Prescott told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. “That’s the purpose of taking it slow and being cautious. The moment I get back and get going again, it’s not going to be lingering, there’s not going to be problems, and that’s us playing it safe and being cautious with it. Last year was a tough year, and I never want to miss that much football again.”
Nor do Cowboys fans. Which is what made a cryptic tweet from team so disturbing. Just when Prescott was seen lobbing some easy throws to wideout Amari Cooper, the quarterback announced he would be getting a follow-up MRI on his shoulder upon the club’s return to Dallas this weekend.
The Cowboys tried to reassure fans it wasn’t a setback or a reason to worry.
It's not a setback.
And it's not a reason to worry.
But QB Dak Prescott is planning on getting another MRI.— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 12, 2021
Much of Cowboys Nation, of course, lost its collective mind- assuming it must be a setback and most definitely a reason to worry.
Pelissero reported that there is no smokescreen here.
“Dak is fine,” he said on-air, confirming the team’s stance.
Coach Mike McCarthy also toed the party line, expressing that not having Prescott slinging the rock in practice sessions or exhibition games is nothing more than an abundance of caution.
“The longer you do this job, the more you worry,” McCarthy told Pelissero. “Frankly, respectfully, we’re protecting Dak from himself. We just don’t want it turn into a serious deal. We’re close. We’re getting there, and he’s doing it the right way.”
He’s doing it, in fact, exactly the way he did his ankle rehab: remaining around the team, doing as much as he can do, maybe pushing just a little bit, focusing on improving, staying ready mentally.
The 28-year-old knows the mental aspect of his recovery from multiple ankle surgeries played a massive role in his relatively speedy return to action.
“Maybe ninety percent or more,” he estimates. “A lot of it was to help the teammates out, and that’s all I know. But at the same time, I knew it was important for me to keep my mind rolling stay engaged in the game, be there as much as I could, and I knew that would help me get through those challenging parts when I wasn’t able to rehab and I was just sitting with my leg up.”
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 12, 2021
As for that ankle injury he wanted to finally bury for good two months ago, he still gets asked about it. But Prescott says there’s nothing more he needs to do for it, no more hurdles to clear.
“None,” he stated plainly. “I’ve done everything, I think, to this point to get myself ready to go. In the team reps that I’ve had, I don’t think about it. It’s not like it’s bothering me or hurts me. Now it’s just getting out there and bringing success for the team.”
Just getting out there, it seems, will be more than half the battle. At least for a fanbase that’s grown impatient wondering if their quarterback will be able to, well, play quarterback sometime soon.
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