Dak Prescott is playing in the sand.
It's no day at the beach, these workouts, but Prescott _ along with a group of pro and college athletes _ is having fun. In a sand pit obscured by trees near the back of Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback is practicing his footwork. Prescott is mimicking dropping back into an imaginary pocket with each step.
Prescott, the most surprising sensation to emerge from the 2016 NFL draft, is not satisfied with what he accomplished as a rookie.
"It was a pretty good season, but quarterbacks are judged on who is playing in the last game of the season so it wasn't us this season," Prescott said during a short break in his offseason preparation. "That's why it's important to get out here working, training to try to get there."
A fourth-round pick (135th overall) from Mississippi State, Prescott blossomed after taking over the Cowboys' offense when Tony Romo injured his back in the preseason. Prescott started every game, completing 311 of 459 passes (67.8 percent) for 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns and four interceptions.
The Cowboys went 13-3 and earned the NFC's top playoff seeding, but their season abruptly ended with a 34-31 home loss to the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round.
Asked the best advice he was given as he learned on one of the NFL's most visible jobs, Prescott had a quick response.
" 'Don't ask why opportunities present themselves. Take them and run,' " said Prescott, who tied Ben Roethisberger (2004) of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most victories by a rookie QB in league history. "That was my situation. An opportunity came, I was prepared and I had people all around me and (took) advantage of it."
Prescott is working with trainer Tom Shaw and his team at Disney World, continuing a relationship that began when he was in college. Shaw, the New England Patriots' speed and conditioning coach on three of their Super Bowl teams, said he saw something special in Prescott long before the QB received his first NFL paycheck.
Shaw compared Prescott, 23, to some of the other QBs he has trained, including Tom Brady, Peyton and Eli Manning, and Philip Rivers.
"These kids want to be the best," Shaw said. "Everyone has the idea they want to be the best, but they don't want to go out there to do the little things to strive to be the best: putting in film work, showing up on time, making sure they're where they are supposed to be, doing the things that help them get better."
Prescott (6-2, 226) does.
He could be vacationing somewhere, allowing his body time to recover after a long, grueling season. Instead, he is putting it to work, confident that his time in the sand will pay off later.
The Cowboys are counting on it, especially as Romo's 14-year run in Dallas appears likely to end soon.
"There is no limit in this game at the quarterback position," Prescott said. "Just trying to get better."
