Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott celebrates his birthday every year at training camp in Oxnard, California, but this year is a little different.
“I will be 29 on the 29th,” Prescott said on Thursday ahead of his birthday on Friday. “It will be the golden birthday, so I plan for this to be the golden year.”
29 can oftentimes mean an NFL player is getting near the end of his prime, but quarterbacks are a little bit different.
With age comes experience and knowledge, which is a bigger factor at the high IQ position of quarterback than almost any other position on the field. That breadth of learning leads many quarterbacks to play their best football into their 30s.
Bobby Belt
While the knowledge of the game is always expanding for quarterbacks, Prescott still spent much of the offseason fine-tuning the physical.
“Training more functional, a lot of the rotation work, using my legs, just working on different arm angles, being able to get the power in my throw no matter which way or whatever the route is, whether it’s an out breaker, in breaker, got to get it around somebody. Just a lot of work has been put into it and it’s starting to show.”
It helps that Prescott has been able to have a healthy offseason as well.
“Just being able to focus on my footwork and not having to worry about my ankle or dealing with any other issues, it's a blessing,” Prescott said. “I am just trying to stack good days on top of good days, get in a good rhythm and good sync with these receivers and these young guys.”
Prescott has often remarked that “pressure is privilege,” and there will be plenty on him in 2022, following a Jekyll and Hyde 2021 season in which he looked like an MVP candidate in the first half of the year, before struggling in the second half following a calf injury.
That disappointing second half, and a one-and-done playoff appearance, undid much of the goodwill that Prescott and the Cowboys built up with fans throughout a 12-5 season.
The general sentiment from Cowboys fans over the offseason seems to be one of indifference about what the team does between September and January. Anything short of playing in February will be a disappointment.
“Defense wins championships,” Head coach Mike McCarthy said on Thursday. “But the Super Bowl is won by the quarterback.”
Prescott agreed with McCarthy’s sentiment.
“You’ve got to make big-time throws, whether it be third down, fourth down, to win games. That’s the biggest game, and the biggest moments happen in that game. So 100% understand what he’s saying, and yeah, [I’m] just trying to do whatever I can to get to that moment.”
That’s why Prescott is focused on what’s ahead, rather than doing much reflection on his 29th birthday.
“I like to reflect here and there, just to know where I come from, and where I want to get to. It's a quick reflection, but it's definitely moving forward. As they say, the rearview mirror is a whole lot smaller than the front windshield.”
