Troy Aikman says Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott can manage calf injury by doing this
Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer Troy Aikman expects Dak Prescott will play when the team returns Oct. 31 against the Minnesota Vikings.
The FOX NFL commentator said a calf strain, which Prescott injured on the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime Sunday against the Patriots, is easier for a quarterback to manage than other positions.
“The great thing about playing quarterback relative to other positions is unless you just can’t throw the ball if something is wrong with your shoulder or elbow or something of that nature, then you can manage the injuries a little bit better,” Aikman said during his weekly appearance on KTCK/1310 AM “The Ticket” Tuesday morning. “ My guess is the calf is not going to be 100% in two weeks, but if he goes into the game and knows he can’t run, then he won’t run. He’ll just get rid of the football. So you’re able to manage it a lot better than if you were a wide receiver or at a position where you have to be able to do certain things.”
The Cowboys (5-1) are off this week before returning to play the Vikings in Minnesota on Oct. 31.
Aikman said he tore a calf muscle in a game against Washington and was forced out of the game and did not return. But he played through the injury the next week, he said.
“The timing obviously is good for him,” he said. “I feel he’ll play. We’ll probably never know the answer [of how bad Prescott’s injury is] because nobody will say but I don’t see it impacting him other than potentially his ability to scramble. But they’ve got so many weapons and such a great offensive line and everything else, he doesn’t have to scramble. They’ll get around that just fine.”
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said during his weekly appearance on KRLD/105.3 FM “The Fan” that the bye week came at the right time.
“The fact the bye is there, my feeling is that [should] to take care of it in terms of enough time for it to get to where he can really compete normally,” Jones said. “I would be probably a little concerned if we were playing this week.”
Aikman applauded the Cowboys for pulling out a tough win on the road against the Patriots.
“Good teams find a ways to win those games. Winning on the road is hard and all those things, it’s all true. It’s a tough place to play,” he said. “If I’m in that locker room then I feel pretty good about that win and where you are now going into the bye week.”
This story was originally published October 19, 2021 at 8:47 AM.
