Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy, Dak Prescott weigh in on blossoming relationship, QB’s injury, more

Prescott had a good relationship with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, a holdover from previous coach Jason Garrett’s staff who continues to call the plays. But Prescott and McCarthy — who has long prided himself on his close relationships with his quarterbacks, most notably Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers during his 13 seasons, nine playoff trips and a Super Bowl win with the Green Bay Packers — admit they didn’t know much about each other at this time a year ago. (“It was definitely a weird start,” McCarthy said.)

Still, Prescott was playing some of his best football in 2020, until he took off running to his left against the New York Giants and ended up crumpling into the ground, his right foot dangling sideways as he desperately tried to twist it back into place. The severity of the injury quickly became evident, so graphic it has since been scrambled out of replays on some TV networks.

“As a head coach, I’ve stood over some really nasty injuries, and that was definitely top of the list,” McCarthy said. “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.”

Arms folded as he peered down at medical personnel attending to Prescott, McCarthy was clearly distraught. Garrett, now the Giants’ offensive coordinator, came onto the field as well. Players from both teams offered encouragement to Prescott, who was driven off once doctors stabilized the leg. Tears rolled down his face. He extended one fist briefly to acknowledge the cheering crowd before disappearing into the tunnel. Emergency surgery was completed that night.

Prescott’s most vivid memory from that day is “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.”

Given the situation — a season-ending injury, extensive rehab ahead, no contract for 2021, intense COVID protocols in the building, a team that started three other QBs, playoff hopes alive until a loss in the Week 17 rematch with the Giants only because nobody else in the NFC East was winning either — plenty of players, much less superstars, would’ve dropped off the grid. But within days, Prescott was back in the building, undergoing daily COVID testing to stay around his teammates, even seeking out McCarthy to express ideas and thoughts about the offense.

“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.”

Prescott has been outspoken about mental health since his brother, Jace, committed suicide in April 2020. And many athletes struggle mentally during rehab, suddenly immobilized and their entire lives seemingly on hold. Asked how much of the decision to stay engaged was about keeping his mind in a positive place, Prescott said: “Yeah, maybe 90 percent or more. 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 to the game, be there as much as I could. I knew that’d help me get through those challenging parts when I wasn’t able to rehab and I was just sitting with my leg up.”