FRISCO, Texas — The Dak Prescott story seems to start the same way wherever he plays.
“I think,” Prescott said. “I’ve started at every level this exact, same way, unfortunately for those guys: High school, college and now the NFL I’ve become a starter because of injury, unfortunately.”
In addition to the texts with Romo, Prescott heard from other teammates expressing faith in him. Friends from high school and college called as well. He tried to put the phone to the side, but it was hard.
His conversation with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan was short.
“Just that they had confidence in me; I was the next man up,” Prescott said. “Things happened a lot faster than I think we all expected it, but like I said, they have confidence. Just keeping the person that I am.”
That’s worked well in the preseason. Prescott has completed 39 of 50 passes for 454 yards. He has five touchdown passes and no interceptions. He has two rushing touchdowns as well.
But there is a massive difference between the preseason and regular season. The speed of the game is different. The scope of the game plan is different. New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has creative pressure packages, something Prescott has not seen yet.
Prescott said he prepares like he is the starter. Now he is the starter.
With a compression fracture, the recovery time and determination of return to play is dependent on the nuances of the injury. If the fracture is small and the spinal segment is stable, the recovery can be much quicker than if there is significant bone deformity and associated instability. Stable compression fractures are typically managed non-surgically, as will be the case with Romo.
“He plans on standing for the National Anthem,” Tavarres’ agent, Corey Williams, said in a statement Monday. “Myke does not want to be a distraction to the Philadelphia Eagles organization. Myke’s goal is and will always be to make the Eagles 53-man roster and help the team win a Super Bowl.”
Asked if he advised Tavarres to change his stance, Williams replied: “Yes, I did.”
Speaking to ESPN on Monday, Tavarres said he almost sat during the anthem ceremony preceding Saturday night’s game against the Colts in Indianapolis, and he had planned to follow through when the Eagles host the New York Jets in their preseason finale Thursday night.
“Oh, I thought about it. Believe me, I definitely thought about it,” Tavarres said of sitting Saturday night. “And usually I’m front and center on the line with the rest of the guys, and that’s since pre-K all the way up. Saturday’s game, I stepped back, I was in the background, and it didn’t feel right to me at all, and so I will be taking a stand — or sitting down — for the fourth game.”
San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick has created a national conversation for opting not to stand for “The Star Spangled Banner” this preseason because of his views on the country’s treatment of racial minorities.
Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz had an open forum on the topic during a group meeting Monday, according to multiple players. Several people spoke, including Malcolm Jenkins, Leodis McKelvin and Tavarres, one source in attendance said.
“We’ve got an issue in this country in this day and age, and I feel like somebody needs to step up and we all need to step up,” Tavarres said. “We’ve got that right. There’s just a lot going on that people don’t want to talk about, and I feel like us as athletes, we’re looked at as role models. And I feel like with Colin Kaepernick, he’s doing a great job for standing up in what he believes in, and most people may not like that, but that’s his opinion, he’s entitled to it, and I respect him for doing it.”