OXNARD, Calif. — Pressure. Laid directly at the feet of Dak Prescott, by his head coach.
"Defense wins championships," Mike McCarthy said on Thursday. "But the Super Bowl is won by the quarterback."
Prescott, a day shy of his 29th birthday, enters 2022 with as much on his shoulders as ever.
"When he says quarterbacks win the Super Bowl, it means they gotta make big plays in big moments and games like that," Prescott said. "And just the way that this game is evolving, to such a spread game now in the NFL, you've gotta make big time throws, whether it be 3rd down, 4th down to win games."
"He's a guy that emulates exactly what you're looking for," McCarthy said, "because he's always looking to improve in all the areas. This is Dak Prescott's offense, and I think you see him really taking ownership of that."
He's also healthy. Fully, legitimately healthy. And according to his tight end, Dalton Schultz, he's stronger, too.
"I don't know if y'all notice it, but I mean, I catch his footballs every day, and the dude has just an uncanny amount of zip on his ball now," Schultz said. "So I'm looking forward to seeing him take a leap this year."
A leap, and consistent high-quality play all season, and maybe he can be that Super Bowl-caliber QB.
"Knowing the quarterbacks that played, specifically for this team, and knowing their legacy," Prescott said, "the ones that we hold at the highest standard are the ones who have Super Bowl rings. So, it starts there for me, as I'm trying to fill the shoes of those guys who have come before me, and do something for this organization that hasn't been in a long time."
Prescott said it after he signed his big contract -- pressure is privilege.
Now, it's prime time for him to go prove it.