Dak Prescott: Can former Manning student become a tormentor?

Did camp instructor Eli Manning teach young Dak Prescott, once a student and eventually a counselor himself at the Manning Passing Academy, too much?

“I definitely learned a lot. It was great to be around Eli and Peyton - the whole Manning family - and just have them coach us and teach us some things,” Prescott said on Wednesday. “I learned a lot. Going into my junior year, whatever it was, in high school when I went, I think that might have been the most vital time of my learning stage at this position. I think the Manning camps helped me tremendously.”

Prescott, of course, will start Sunday when his Dallas Cowboys host Manning’s New York Giants. Prescott was supposed to sit and learn behind Tony Romo, but another Romo back injury has changed those plans.

“I've been preparing all my life, and I guess you could say since I've been drafted to be in this position, but obviously like you said, not this early. Wouldn't have expected for it to happen this early, but it did unfortunately,” Prescott said. “But life doesn't really change for me, I'm the same. I mean I prepare myself each and every day when I was third string to the way I am now, to put my best effort out there on film, game day, and in practice. For it to be a reality now, to be a starting quarterback, it's fun just to get in the huddle and be around a bunch of great guys and get to play in this division.“

Dallas coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday that he has been “very impressed” by Prescott’s “professional approach.”

“We heard so many great things about him coming out of school from the people down there at Mississippi State, the people who have been around him for the last four, five years. His approach is outstanding. He is a very mature guy and he takes a very professional approach to everything that he does and I think that has given him a chance to learn quickly and to get better in a short period of time,” Garrett said.

Will the Cowboys limit the game plan for Prescott?

“I think probably one of our objectives with all of our players is to put them in position where they can succeed. I don’t know if it is a reduced game plan, I don’t know if that is how we look at it. We certainly want to give him an opportunity and put him in an environment where he can have success and he has played a lot of snaps for us in a short period of time, practices, throughout the offseason and training camp and a number of snaps in the preseason games, so he is comfortable with a great deal of our offense, he has handled it well and like with any player, you want to make sure to give them a chance by putting the right kind of plan together for them each week, so that is what our objective is as a coaching staff.”