NFC Notes: Dak Prescott, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants

Cowboys

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy believes the reception Dak Prescott received after sustaining his broken ankle last season speaks volumes about his character. 

“As a head coach, I’ve stood over some really nasty injuries, and that was definitely top of the list,” McCarthy said, via Tom Pelissero. “But … the response in the stadium and from the Giants sideline to everybody — I’ve never seen anything like that. I think that speaks volumes about how everybody feels about Dak Prescott.”

Prescott recalled that his most vivid memory from the moment of his injury was realizing his season was over when getting carted off the field. 

“Probably just the moment that I got on the cart. I think that’s when all the emotions just started hitting me — that my season was done. I’ve never missed that much time in the game of football and just to know that I was going to be leaving the field, not going to be out there with my teammates, my brothers, and that just hurt. But just the embrace I got — from coach, from my teammates, telling me it was going to be OK from the other sideline — and just that drive off the field was something I’ll never forget.”

Prescott said he felt motivated to recover from his ankle injury and get back on the football field. 

“Football’s always been my life,” Prescott said. “My mom used to say I eat, sleep and breathe football. … I was trying to fix my ankle and get back up on the field. That’s all I knew for the most part, is to get back in there, help my teammates out. I just knew that I could give them support, I could pick ’em up, I could just be there for whatever they need and just be that mental support at the time when I knew I couldn’t obviously be out there on the field. So it was just important for me to get around, and I knew it was good for my well-being too, is just getting back into something that I love.”

McCarthy praised Prescott for never being a distraction during his contract negotiations this offseason. 

“He’s the same man every day,” McCarthy said. “Going through the contract situation — as a head coach you have to learn that you have to separate the business from the football. For Dak to be as young as he is, it was never an issue. … He’s been very easy to connect with.”

Eagles

One of the things the Eagles will be looking to see from QB Jalen Hurts in his audition as the full-time starter in 2021 is improved decision-making. Hurts impressed as a rookie but his completion percentage left a lot of room for improvement at just 52 percent. Eagles HC Nick Sirianni and the staff are working to help Hurts find a balance between playing efficiently without taking too much away from his dynamic running ability. 

“I understand that some part of his game is to be able to move around and make plays. But a wise man avoids all extremes,” Sirianni said via ESPN’s Tim McManus. “It can’t be all rhythm, and it can’t be all scramble. So, it’s like, ‘Hey, what’s the happy medium there?'”

One area Hurts has consistently impressed everyone in Philadelphia in is leadership. Whatever shortcomings he may have on the field, Hurts is a natural leader and has won over the locker room. 

“He’s been pretty consistent since he got here,” Eagles C Jason Kelce said. “He’s a great leader, he’s got a great attitude about him. All he wants to do is win. All he wants to do is compete and beat the team across from him. And you can feel that each and every day. When it doesn’t go that way, you can feel his frustration.

“I really like Jalen’s intangibles. I really like how he goes about his work. And I don’t think that’s changed in the least. Now it’s just some new plays, some new coaches and everything, so we’re all kind of starting from scratch again. But that work ethic and who he is as a person will carry him through that.”

Giants

• Giants OLB Ryan Anderson‘s one-year deal is for the veteran salary benefit of $990,000 with a $137,500 signing bonus. (Dan Duggan)
• The Giants cut Anderson and signed him a day later. Duggan notes that the linebacker’s original $137,500 guaranteed voided because he was on the Non-Football Injury list and re-signed him to the same deal but without a signing bonus. 
• Anderson’s base salary will reduce to $515,000 if he lands on the injured reserve at any point. (Dan Duggan)