Charles Haley sees a little bit of Joe Montana in Dak Prescott.

The Hall of Fame linebacker believes there's an undeniable resemblance between the Cowboys quarterback and his former 49ers teammate that stems from their self-assurance when stepping onto the football field.

"Dak reminds me of Joe," Haley told NBC 5 of Dallas-Fort Worth. "He has so much confidence. He came from nothing, like me. So guess what, what can you do? How can you hurt someone that came from nothing, that had to pull himself up from the bootstraps and walk out on the stage wearing that star on his head and go 10 or 12 games in a row? What can you say? What can you do?"

While Prescott's career is just getting started, Haley believes his ability to step up and make big plays when the pressure is on proves he is capable of being a successful leader now that quarterback Tony Romo has transitioned to the broadcast booth. Let's also not forget Prescott is armed with some pretty reliable weapons in Ezekiel Elliott, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten.

"I tell him all the time, I say, 'Man, this is your show. This is your rodeo,'" Haley said. "I told him that after game four when he was saying it was Romo's show, I would punch him in his chest. 'Hey, hold up. You've won four in a row. OK. Then, you win five in a row.' Now I walk out on the field before the game and say, 'Who's team is this?' If he didn't say, 'My team' real fast, I'll punch him again. ... He's got to realize, he's got to control everybody.

"Whether Romo would have came back or not, it's about the confidence and believing that he was the man. That he was driving the bus. And then, that confidence will spill over. And it did. When you listen to players talk, they talk big about Dak, because he's a man of character and a man of strength and a man of conviction."

Prescott, who turns 24 July 29, earned a Pro Bowl selection and Rookie of the Year honors in his innaugural NFL season after being selected by Dallas in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. He threw for 3,667 yards and 23 touchdowns with a 104.9 passer rating while limiting himself to just four interceptions last year.