FRISCO, Texas – To this point in their debut season, Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are used to being the youngest guys in the room.
That wasn't the case on Monday, however, as the Cowboys' rookie class visited Workman Junior High School in Arlington, Texas, as part of the United Way's Character Playbook program.
While the duo might be one of the most successful pairs of rookies in NFL history, they offered an older, wiser perspective to Workman's middle school students, who they engaged in a program about character development.
"It was great just watching the program that they're working on, the different scenarios that come up in real life – that come up in my life," Prescott said. "I know they'll go through them. They're only in middle school, but those scenarios and situations will come up. It's very beneficial to them."
A group of local students would likely be excited by a visit from the Cowboys' rookies at any time. But the energy in the building was undeniable fresh off of Sunday night's 29-23 overtime win against Philadelphia.
Prescott and Elliott, joined by fellow rookies Kavon Frazier, Darius Jackson, Jaylon Smith, Clay DeBord, Anthony Brown and Charles Tapper showed up for the program roughly 12 hours after overcoming their division rival. That certainly wasn't lost on the students – who waved rally towels and cheered wildly for the Cowboys' Rookie Club.
"This is a great atmosphere, great school. These kids are excited about the program and obviously about the Cowboys," Prescott said. "It was a great opportunity. It was a blessing for me to see that energy and it inspired me to keep going."
It was a captivating reminder of the energy surrounding the Cowboys' 6-1 start to the season. As easy as it might be to get lost in the week-to-week grind of focusing on the upcoming opposition, it afforded a rare opportunity to take it all in.
Of course, true to Prescott's attitude this whole time, that only lasted about the duration of the Cowboys' one-hour visit to Workman Junior High – before it was time to get back to work.
"A win like that, you've got to enjoy -- a big, in-division rivalry like that, coming off of a bye week. We didn't want to play as well as we wanted to play or as clean as we wanted to play," he said. "You've got to celebrate that one, take some time and then get back at it this morning. Watch the film, worked out and ready for the next game."
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