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Cowboys QB Dak Prescott: Faster & Better Than Ever?

“I plan to come out starting fast,'' Prescott says. "I plan to come out better than I was last year, to be honest.''

FRISCO - The 11-month absence from playing NFL football has been a slow process.

Starting in Week 1 at Tampa Bay on Thursday, Dak Prescott is planning on making up for lost time.

“I plan to come out starting fast,'' Prescott said as he prepped to return to the field for the first time since his 2020 Week 5 season-ending ankle injury. "I plan to come out better than I was last year, to be honest.''

Prescott isn't necessarily talking about just stats; in fact, he has on a couple of occasions mentioned that the idea of throwing for 6,000 in a season is not a goal because it'll mean Dallas' offense won't be as in control of games as it hopes.

I don’t necessarily want the numbers that I had that early (in 2020) because we weren’t winning games and we weren’t being competitive early, and that’s why some of those numbers came about,'' he said.

It's true. In fewer than five full games, Prescott threw for 1,856 yards and nine touchdowns to start the season. But the Cowboys had a losing record. 

So in 2021, his intention is to have success measured not in individual numbers but rather in performance that leads to wins. The idea of "starting fast'' and being "better than ever'' is about efficiency and excellence, and is about the result of the arduous work he's put in over the course of the months and months of post-surgery rehab.

READ MORE: Could Zack Martin Really Show Up and Play At Tampa?

The goals are even more challenging given that Week 1 pits Dallas at Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champ Bucs.

"I have high expectations for myself,'' Prescott said. "I'm ready. I’m definitely ready. ... There is so much work I put into this I’m just excited to go out there and be a part of the full game. Just being out there with my brothers and getting to do something I love.”

And doing it fast. And better.

READ MORE: What Dak's 'New Deal' Really Means