mong them because MLB agreed to keep results confidential and the results were subsequently destroyed.I do know that hes

FRISCO, Texas -- Dak Prescott didnt want to take a break in practice three days before his debut as a rookie starter for Dallas.The quarterback suddenly thrust into the spotlight by yet another injury to Tony Romo wasnt happy with his footwork on the drill that had just finished, so he asked offensive coordinator Scott Linehan for a few more snaps.Its one illustration why the Cowboys believe they can survive a few games without Romo after the 36-year-olds fourth back injury in less than four years -- and why they believe they might have found a future beyond their 10-year starter.The fact that hes young and hes a rookie is pretty interesting, because you dont have that happen very often, Linehan said. But for us here, we dont really look at it like weve got this young guy out there playing. We look at it like weve got this really bright kid with a lot of ability who has shown that hes ready for this.In Sundays opener at home against the New York Giants, Prescott will be the first rookie starter at quarterback in Week 1 for the Cowboys since Quincy Carter 15 years ago.Throw in running back Ezekiel Elliott, and the Cowboys have the first such rookie combo starting an opener since Roger Staubach and Calvin Hill in 1969.Elliott was expected to be a starter. Prescott wasnt.The career passing leader at Mississippi State started training camp as an afterthought, the third quarterback behind Romo and Kellen Moore.Not only was he a fourth-round pick, but was taken after owner and general manager Jerry Jones had expressed regret that he couldnt get a deal done to move into the first round to get Paxton Lynch, who went to Denver and will be a backup when the season starts.Early in camp, Moore went down with a broken right ankle that ultimately ended his season, lifting Prescott to the backup role. Then Romo broke a bone in his back when was tackled awkwardly on the third play of the third preseason game at Seattle.By the time Romo got hurt, Prescott already had two impressive preseason showings. And the jolt of having to come off the bench much earlier than expected against the Seahawks didnt bother him either. The 23-year-old led a scoring drive on his first full possession.Tonys injury and him not starting Sunday is a setback, make no mistake about it, Jones said.On the other hand, I didnt expect Dak to come in and have the kind of offseason he had and build the kind of confidence hes done with the staff and with his teammates. That has tempered the setback.As Prescott zoomed up the depth chart, his answers didnt change much. Walked in the door wanting to one day be the starter. Kept preparing the same way, other than getting a lot more snaps in practice.The biggest difference: Instead of watching Romo, hes listening to him, along with Moore and Mark Sanchez, the veteran signed as his backup this week.What Tony did before he got hurt helped me enough, Prescott said. Just telling me things as practice went on, on and off the field, in the film room. When you have vets around me like I do, you feel good going into a game.And Prescott will still have vets with him in the huddle, namely 2014 All-Pro receiver Dez Bryant, who is healthy after a broken foot in last years opener against the Giants slowed him for the rest of the season. Jason Witten enters his 14th season as one of two tight ends in NFL history with at least 1,000 catches and 10,000 yards.Prescott had touchdown passes to both in the preseason.Daks in a real fortunate situation for him to be put in this situation with a veteran offensive group, Linehan said.We have the ability, I think, because of having an offense that has such maturity, that you can put this young player in there and he can continue to be more like himself and not have to carry so much of the burden.Hes handled everything so far. 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One generation will argue for Ted Williams, another will offer a compelling case for Carl Yastrzemski or Jim Rice or Pedro Martinez.Its indisputable, though, that David Ortiz is the most prolific winner in the franchises 115-year history.And so, on the occasion of Ortizs final regular-season game, the Red Sox showered their iconic designated hitter with gifts, brought back 24 of his former teammates from the 2004, 2007 and 2013 World Series-winning teams and announced they will retire his No. 34 early next season, making him the first player to have his uniform number taken out of circulation by the Red Sox before he is elected to the Hall of Fame.Ortiz was feted in an emotional 40-minute pregame ceremony at Fenway Park that included Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and even Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina and concluded with Big Papi going down on one knee and doffing his cap to salute the fans.Before the festivities, Red Sox manager John Farrell said, there may be no more important player ever in this organization, and Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred called Ortiz transformational, noting that he changed the course of this franchise and changed the city, a reference to the sluggers impassioned and expletive-laced speech in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013.We have great memories and theres still great memories to be made in the next few weeks, but hes a legend and hes going to be missed by all of us, Walsh said. What hes done off the field is almost as big as the accomplishments on the field. What hes done with his foundation and really lifting the city up following the Marathon bombing, everyone climbed on his back and he just got the city back on track.As much as anything -- including his 540 career home runs -- that will be Ortizs legacy in Boston. He represents the only common denominator between the 2004, 2007 and 2013 World Series champions, but more than that, he came to symbolize the city since his arrival in 2003.Ortiz was given a haul of gifts that included the creation of a fellowship program to promote diversity in front offices across MLB. Baker presented him with a sign for the David Ortiz Bridge, a renamed span of Brookline Avenue that crosses over the Massachusetts Turnpike, while Walsh gave him a street sign for David Ortiz Drive, a newly named section of road near Fenway Park.Later, a parade of former teammates, including Manny Ramirez, poured onto the field, with Martinez, Mike Lowell and Jonny Gomes holding the 2004, 2007 and 2013 WWorld Series trophies, respectively.ddddddddddddWe had a lot of, I would say, elite players, and I think David is one of the catalysts to that, Lowell said. The fact that he is someone from another country that endeared himself to learning English and being able to express himself, I think he was able to really bridge a gap. He already had that relationship with the Latin players, but I think it really extended to guys from everywhere. When youre that good and you still make other people feel important, I think thats a pretty special quality.And it wasnt only with his fellow teammates. The Red Sox Foundation and team ownership pledged to donate a total of $1 million to the David Ortiz Childrens Fund, a charity that has provided life-saving surgeries for more than 500 children in New England and the Dominican Republic.He can have a conversation with the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a transplant recipient whos 8 years old and feel like everybody is engaged and be on the same level with everyone in between -- all the while in a second language, Farrell said. Hes truly a remarkable person.Manfred addressed the complex part of Ortizs legacy.In 2009, Ortizs name was leaked to The New York Times as one of the players who tested positive for PEDs in 2003 survey testing, which led to MLBs current drug-testing policy. Manfred noted there were several results that were scientifically indisputable at the time, but could not say whether Ortiz was among them because MLB agreed to keep results confidential and the results were subsequently destroyed.I do know that hes never been a positive at any point under our program [implemented in 2004], said Manfred, who indicated he will meet with Ortiz in the Dominican Republic this winter to discuss a potential role as an ambassador for the league. I think that the feeling was, at the time that name was leaked, that it was important to make people understand that even if your name was on that list that it was entirely possible that you were not a positive.But this was a day to celebrate Ortiz, who completed one of the best farewell seasons in baseball history and will now have one last postseason with the Red Sox to add a fourth title to his résumé.?With no disrespect to the greats who have worn this uniform, I think what weve seen over the past 14-15 years, the way this franchise has elevated itself, there may be no more important player ever in this organization, Farrell said. Just the visibility, the magnitude, in combination with the winning, David Ortiz is right in the hub of that. ' ' '