The last time Giants safety Logan Ryan was in Dallas to face the Cowboys; he was involved in a play that changed the course of the Cowboys 2020 season. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott was running in the open field and was tackled by Ryan. Prescott fell awkwardly and suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle.
Almost one year later, Prescott is back, and the Cowboys(3-1) are on a three-game winning streak and are on top of the NFC East.
Ryan is happy for Prescott, who signed a four-year, $160 million deal in the offseason, and is excited to play against him and the Cowboys on Sunday.
“He looks really good. He looks healthy, which is great, and he looks like he’s operating as one of the best quarterbacks in football with just how they’re moving the ball and the command he has – great command at the line of scrimmage,” Ryan said. “You’ve got to root for a guy that’s a good guy and had a tough injury, obviously. You’ve got to root for stories like that.
“I just love playing against Dak because he’s a competitor, and I am, and we are. I think we have to lead our units. We’ll go out there, and we’ve got to play the game, but between me and him, I’m happy that he’s back, I’m happy that he’s operating at a high level because I think when you’ve played the game for years, and you’ve won some Super Bowls, and you’ve had some contracts, I think what keeps you in the game is the competition. You want to compete against the best. I think that’s why everyone wants to play against (Buccaneers Quarterback) Tom Brady and play against the best. Dak’s one of the best right now, so we want to play against him, and we want to play well. He’s a great challenge.”
While Prescott was recovering, Ryan sent him books and tried to help Prescott through the rehab process.
“I’ve just been in a similar situation breaking my leg and kind of a guy that’s always been go, go, go having some time (with the) injury, whatever it may be – they put you in a cast and say you can’t do anything for this many weeks, and you don’t want your mind to go stale,” Ryan said. “So, I had some books to help me get through it, and I sent him some books, and apparently it helped him get through it. That was obviously my goal and intention, and just wanted him to come back a great quarterback, and he is.”
Prescott’s injury was horrible to watch, and for some players, being the person who caused a serious injury could leave scars. According to Ryan, that was not the case for him, and he explained why.
“I think last year was just a freakish play, a gruesome injury, but it was a freakish play,” he said. “It was a tackle I’ve made over 500 times in my career, and that one just felt different. To me, I didn’t put much beyond the fact of just hoping that he – it was just unfortunate. But for me, it was just, if I had any ill intent or malicious (intent) or try to go hurt somebody, then I probably couldn’t sleep well at night. Knowing it was just a normal play between two competitors, we’ve got to call it what it is and move on and try to come back better from it.”
