The Facts: Three weeks from tonight, the 2021 NFL season begins with the Buccaneers hosting the Cowboys. Dak Prescott plans to be under center for the visiting team. Hall of Fame scout Gil Brandt, who spent 30 years with the Cowboys, tweeted that Prescott said Wednesday he expects to be playing when the season begins. Brandt acknowledges that it will take a lot to keep Prescott from playing, but that he may not be 100 percent.

Diehards Line: Prescott suffered a strained shoulder — specifically an injury to the lat muscle — early in camp. Simms believes Prescott has altered his throwing motion, potentially to compensate (consciously or not) for the broken right ankle suffered last year. He could be putting more arm into his throws in order to avoid putting stress on his right leg when it digs into the ground as the back end of his base. As Profootballtalk.com notes, based on Prescott’s obvious irritation over limits placed on him in practice before the shoulder injury, he likely will be very impatient about getting on the field. Without him, it’s either Garrett Gilbert or Ben DiNucci at quarterback.