Dak Prescott explains why he should’ve also played soccer growing up – CBSSports.com

Dak Prescott is the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. He’s coming off a phenomenally successful season, and if his play in the future bears any resemblance to what he did in 2016, he’ll be in that position for a long, long time.

So, why does Dak wish he played soccer as a kid?

Here’s how he explained it to Pro Football Talk while answering a question about his favorite non-football sporting events to attend (via Joe Machota):

I have a personal favorite, honestly, going to watch FC Dallas soccer games. That’s a sport that I didn’t play growing up and obviously I could not play now. My feet are nowhere well enough to play soccer, so I admire those guys. The way they control the ball, that I’m fortunate to do with my hands, but they control it with their feet. It’s beyond belief to me. … 

“I’m not going to say I would’ve [picked soccer over football if I could go back in time] but I definitely would’ve played soccer. One, just to improve my footwork. To get that base and to get that start at a young age, playing soccer and getting my feet quick.”

That actually makes a pretty decent amount of sense. 

Plenty of professional athletes talk about the benefits of playing multiple sports growing up, but Prescott has a very specific reason for wanting to have played this specific sport. Footwork is one of the most important elements of a quarterback’s skill set, and being able to maneuver in and out of tight spaces would surely help almost any passer elevate his game. 

Things turned out just fine for Prescott. He made his way to the NFL, after all, and won Offensive Rookie of the Year as well. But maybe he could’ve been even better.