Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had arguably the best season of his career in 2021.

The former Mississippi State star passed for 4,449 yards, 37 touchdowns, and only 10 interceptions while posting a passer rating of 104.2 (the 37 touchdowns and 104.2 passer rating were career highs).

Prescott dealt with a calf injury for part of the season — it sidelined him in October for the Cowboys' matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

Without that calf injury, it's reasonable to suggest that Dak could've had an even better season.

But Prescott isn't looking at his season that way. He's not willing to use the calf injury as an excuse.

"I wouldn’t say it lingered as long as people gave me the excuse of it," said Prescott on the Rich Eisen Show on Thursday. "I went through a period of time during the season where I just didn’t play my best ball."

Prescott's worst game of the season came against the Kansas City Chiefs in late November. In the loss to Kansas City, Prescott passed for 216 yards, 0 touchdowns, and two interceptions. His quarterback rating was a season-low 57.9.

That's around the time that Prescott's calf injury would've been lingering. It's very likely it was a factor in Prescott's subpar play against the Chiefs.

But instead of using that as an excuse, Prescott is taking ownership of his less-than-stellar play (which wasn't very often in 2021).

That's what an elite leader does. And there's no doubt that Prescott is an elite leader.

Public comments like this are what endear a player to his teammates.

There's a reason folks in Dallas believe in Prescott so much — he's an elite football player.

Featured image via Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports