Dak Prescott dazzled in the preseason, but the New York Giants defense plans to let the quarterback know the regular season is a different beast.
"He's a rookie so we have to treat him as a rookie," linebacker Keenan Robinson said, via NJ.com. "That means that we have to get him rattled. It's his first big game. He's played preseason games, but he hasn't played on Sunday in the NFL yet. So this will be a test for him."
Added Robinson: "We basically have to ruin this kid's debut in the NFL."
Prescott, a fourth-round pick, enters an ideal offensive situation for a rookie quarterback. The Cowboys boast the top offensive line in the NFL, a potentially explosive running game with Ezekiel Elliott and fresh backup Alfred Morris, a go-to target in Dez Bryant (finally healthy) and a security blanket in veteran tight end Jason Witten.
Even with all the buffers in place, it's not a given a rookie quarterback will perform when the pressure is ratcheted up.
"We'll make sure that we pressure him and if he does scramble, be there to make him pay," Robinson said. "Obviously in the NFL everybody is fast, so if he thinks he's going to get away from us, we have to make sure that our presence is felt and he knows that he has to get out of bounds or slide right away if he is going to scramble."
Prescott's performance is one of the most intriguing elements of opening weekend. The rookie seems unflappable so far. Now that games count, the Giants, with a revamped defense line, want to wreck the young signal-caller's confidence right off the bat.
