FRISCO, Texas – Asked what he likes most about Aaron Rodgers' superstar skill set, Dak Prescott highlighted a comparable trait between the two quarterbacks: elusiveness.
"Obviously his ability to extend the play," Prescott said following the Cowboys' first practice of the week in preparation for Rodgers' Green Bay Packers. "You can cover one through five the first time he looks at them, but then he'll step back and start directing traffic or whatever you want to say, scrambling and making guys miss. It's just impressive to watch him go out there and do what he does."
One of the best examples is one of Cowboys fans' worst memories: Rodgers rolling to his left, avoiding the rush and completing nearly-impossible pass to Jared Cook on third-and-20 late in the Packers' dramatic playoff win at AT&T Stadium last January.
Rodgers has been making special plays out of nothing for nearly a decade. Prescott, the Cowboys' second-year starter, is showing the same type of improvisational ability.
In last Sunday's loss to the Rams, he escaped a sack from All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald, stayed on his feet, rolled left, kept his eyes downfield and delivered an 18-yard strike to Dez Bryant in the middle of the field. One play later he found tight end James Hanna for a 28-yard touchdown.
Those plays kept the Cowboys in the game over the final seven minutes. After the loss, Prescott pointed to throws he missed, saying his accuracy must be more consistent.
"There's stuff I can do," he said Wednesday. "To me it's mostly mentally of just knowing exactly where I want to go with the ball, giving myself the right time in different progressions, not necessarily going through some progressions faster than others, I think being early to throws sometimes. It's a lot of things that go into it. But I'm just consistently working and staying at it.
"If I miss any throw, I'm hard on myself, way harder than any of y'all could be."
From afar, Rodgers doesn't see a quarterback who's struggling.
"I don't really know him that well, but I believe that he's a guy who's got his head on really solid and seems to have a great mentality, a great way about him," Rodgers said. "And I'm sure that he's going to get things going in whatever direction the offense needs it to go."
