Kalen Ballage – September 22, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 22, 2019
Postgame – Dallas
RB Kalen Ballage (transcribed by Dallas Cowboys)
“No one’s perfect. I know that for sure. Last week, I dropped two balls, one for a pick six. We all just have to be accountable. We know we aren’t going to do everything perfect. But at the end of the day, we have to be able to do things more perfect than the other team.”
“(Michael) Deiter did a very good job filling in for Jesse (Davis). Obviously, I love Jesse and hate to see him go down. It’s the next man up mentality. It sucks, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, this team has a lot of heart. We’re fighting right now, pushing through injuries and other things. At the end of the day, we’ve got each other’s backs.”
“I’m seeing progress, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t go on the schedule as making progress. It’s a win or loss. That’s the frustrating part about it. But I think we are making the right steps towards where we want to be.”
(On Josh Rosen) — “I think he played well. Obviously, big stadium and big crowd. He wasn’t fazed by any of that stuff. He was able to go there and make some key throws and do what he was supposed to do. I’m proud of him.”
Josh Rosen – September 22, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 22, 2019
Postgame
QB Josh Rosen (transcribed by Dallas Cowboys)
(How are you doing physically and emotionally?) — “Good to the first. I don’t know, to be determined on the second. I feel like we are making a little progress as a team, but (we had) a lot of mistakes that were very well within our control. So, like every week, back to the film on Monday. Get it fixed.”
(How would you evaluate your start here today?) — “I thought we got off to a pretty good start and started to taper a little bit. I don’t know, I couldn’t think of a particular moment in the game, but I definitely…. Some good, some bad. I’d say right in the middle.”
(Regarding the concussion protocol and how you felt after coming back…) — “Yeah. The spotter kind of pulled me out. So I just had to go back there, get a test real quick, and come back out. Fitz made a really awesome throw to get us down sort of within scoring range, and we weren’t really able to finish the drive.”
(Regarding the changes on the offensive line during the game..How much did that play into the way you were able to play throughout the rest of the game?) — “It’s tough when injuries happen, but I think our guys up front did a really good job of sort of adjusting and playing on the fly. I think (Michael) Deiter kicked out to left tackle. I think he hasn’t done that in quite a while. I mean I think our guys did a pretty good job of adjusting. I think we just have to continue to grow as an offense and just try to figure out what we do well and do more of that and try to eliminate mistakes.”
(What’s the emotional state of your football team?) — “Not great, but not bad. I think given the set of circumstances, I think really good. I think we are all like a really determined group of guys that (are) really prideful and just want to put a good product of football on the field, something that we feel proud about and I think we are getting there. I just don’t think we’ve really quite hit that hump. I think, even last week in the New England game, like yeah we got blown out or whatever, but there was like a couple plays there where we really could have..I slipped up, (could have) taken the lead or in that second quarter. It kind of felt the same way here with a couple of those sort of red zone stall outs. I think, I’m not going to say right there, but I think we are getting there. I think we’ve got good progress. We’re making good progress.”
(Regarding the late hit…) — “I don’t know I’d probably have to watch it. But at the first one I tried to make it kind of clear that I was sliding. I mean you’ve got three Cowboys running up..(I’m not about to?) take them on. I thought the first one I tried to make it a little clear I was sliding, maybe I kind of hesitated for a little bit too long. The one on the sideline I was like about to step out but I didn’t realize the dude, DeMarcus I think, was right behind me. So yeah, I mean I think they’re “bang-bang” so will probably have to watch (the film) to give a better opinion.”
(Do you take any victory from a loss like this?) — “I don’t know if victory is the right word, but positives; yes. This very clearly is not a victory but I think positives, yes. As an organization we are just trying to like sort of find our identity. I think you can find positives and negatives in anything. I thought we fought really hard and I don’t think that not for one millisecond of the game did we give up. Our dudes up front were battling their butts off and defense was playing a helluva game. But it just, with our defense, once we’ve hit a couple of those three and outs and leave them on the field for a little bit too long it’s really tough on them. So I think it’s our responsibility as an offense, that even if we’re not going to score, at least we can string some drive together and, or string some first downs together and give them a break and at least try to stay on the field for a little bit.”
(Regarding how you felt about things were going in the first half…) — “It felt really good. I thought we had the defense on their heels. They have a really good pass rush. They started to emerge later in the game and I thought that we pretty much, for the most part, did a really good job of holding it back early in the game. I thought we had a really good game plan coming into it. It’s just about, sort of finishing the drives. I thought we put a couple of good ones together (drives) but we’ve just got to sort of cap it off. And then we stall it out inside the five twice. So that’s never a good thing.”
(Regarding running the ball on the goal line. You’re a quarterback, so I assume at some point you would have preferred to throw the ball?) — “That’s not my call. I mean..”
(Can you audible?) — “Yeah I can but that’s like given the set of circumstances that wasn’t my job. I thought we had a really good play with a really good look. I can’t say the actual name of the play but I think it was the third one I mis-Mike’d it when I motioned my guy over..I actually…I mis-Mike’d it and I had my receiver blocking a linebacker when he was supposed to be blocking a safety so it’s little things like that..even are on my play. So, yeah, so it’s very fluid and we wished we could have punched it in but hindsight is always twenty-twenty. We’ve just got to get down there a little more often.”
(On fourth down it looked like you wanted to go for it. Is that fair?) — “Yeah absolutely.”
(Because?) — “Because I didn’t want to step off the field. I’m a quarterback and very competitive. I’d be very disappointed in any quarterback in any situation that, in that situation was jogging off the field like alright…If I had a little more say I would have loved to ‘Peyton Manning’ed’ it and waved them off and call the play but we’re not there yet.”
(Have you had a chance to talk to WR Allen Hurns?) — “Briefly. That was probably one of the lower points of my career. I felt really bad about that. Hopefully he’s okay. I think he’s still meeting with the docs and stuff, but yeah it sucks.”
Brian Flores – September 22, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 22, 2019
Postgame – Dallas
Head Coach Brian Flores (transcribed by Dallas Cowboys)
(On the performance of the injury-weakened offensive line. How do you think they performed as the game went on?) — “I thought we gave quarterback solid protection for a good chunk of the game. There were some third downs there at the end where we were trying to get the ball out a little bit, keep going downfield a little bit more but wasn’t as good. The goal going in was to protect him with six, seven, eight guys if we needed to. I thought we got that done in the first half for the most part but at the end of the day, it wasn’t enough.”
(You were able to string some drives together and move the ball downfield. But again, dropped balls, a fumble toward the end, a missed field goal. All those scoring opportunities that you missed. It’s tough to come back from that.) — “Yeah, we had a lot of opportunities. A missed field goal. We were offsides on the onside recovery. We had drops, a fumble, dropped touchdowns, dropped interceptions. You can overcome one-or-two of those but put six, seven, eight of those, together. They were plays that we could make, period. They were just plays that we could make and we don’t make them. We’ve got to start making those plays.”
(On QB Josh Rosen’s first start.)— “I thought Josh made some good throws early. Started off with the long ball to DeVante. That’s a good defense. I thought he was tough. Took a couple of hits. Stood in the pocket. Gave us some opportunities on some throws. The drops didn’t help him. That would have helped us as a team. We just didn’t get it done but overall, I thought he played alright.”
(On G Michael Deiter stepping in at left tackle.)— “I thought he did a good job out there.”
(Is the depth of your offensive line a big point of concern for you right now?) — “That’s something we’ll talk about as we head back in the morning. Like you said, Deiter stepped in and played admirably. Shaq stepped in. The next guys that have got injuries, the next guy’s got to step up and play well for this team. Again, I thought the guys played hard. Great effort. I thought they were in position to make some plays. They just didn’t make them.”
(This was the second game in a row where the first half was tight and the second half became “overwhelming.” From where you’re standing, what are the changes between the first half and the second half?)— “I think as a staff, we’ve got to do a better job with our second half adjustments. I think we…we didn’t play better in the second half as well. I don’t think it’s a conditioning issue. I don’t think it’s execution. We’re just not making enough plays.”
(On CB Xavien Howard’s play and what happened with the ejection?) — “We talk about keeping our poise, really on a daily basis. Games get chippy. You can’t get disqualified from a game. It’s something we harp on a lot. I’ve talked to Xavien about that, he knows that. That’s part of the game. It’s an emotional game.”
(On whether QB Josh Rosen’s play was affected after going through the concussion test.) — “It’s hard to say. I’ve got to watch the film to see if his play was affected at all. He made some good throws. He made some not-so-good throws. We were talking about getting the ball out quick. He did that. He got the ball downfield a little bit. He’s got to slide on some of these runs. He’s got to do a better job of that. We’ve got to coach that better.”
(It’s hard to say if the Preston Williams play in the end zone had a chance to be overturned on replay. What did you and your staff think about that one?)— “We didn’t think it was going to be able to be overturned. We looked at it. I watch every one every week. I watch every touchdown, every one. Those are hard to get overturned. You’ve got to be able to overcome those. We’re not there right now. We need to get there and it’s right in front of us. We’ve just got to get back to work. Come in tomorrow and make the corrections. Come back, Wednesday, improve and get better.”
(On Dallas’ two 100-yd rushers. Why were they able to run the ball so effectively?) — “We’ve just got to do a better job on the edge. We’ve got to a better job tackling. We’ve got to do a better job with our communication. That’s really what it boils down to.”
Josh Rosen – September 20, 2019
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Friday, September 20, 2019
QB Josh Rosen
(So your reaction to being named the starter?) – “I’m excited. I’m very excited. I’m looking forward to going out and play and fight another day.”
(Were you surprised, I guess with the timing, that it happened this week?) – “I don’t know. I didn’t really have any expectations. I was just trying to just practice as hard as I could day in and day out. When (Head Coach Brian Flores) told me to get in the first two games, I just put my best foot forward so I didn’t really have any expectations.”
(Obviously this is what you’ve been looking forward to since the time you got here, but just how your time last year starting 14 games – how did you feel that prepared you moving forward especially as you take on Dallas’ defense?) – “I think any experience is good experience. I’ve got plenty of things that – I remember even saying Sam Bradford teaching me throughout the dog days of training camp in Arizona that I still take with me, and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has been an unbelievable help really since I got here. I think to answer your question, any experience is good experience.”
(This will be your chance to lead this team now as the quarterback. How do you approach things differently as far as the locker room presence?) – “I don’t think drastically differently. I think you just sort of gradually come into that role, but I’m not going to do anything tomorrow or the next day that I did drastically different from yesterday.”
(What is your leadership style?) – “A lot of it is very relationship-based. I think you’ve got to know the buttons you can push and where with certain guys. I like establishing a friendship and connection with a lot of the guys that I’m playing with and get to know them and know that I’m as invested in them as I hope they are in me and this team’s success. That and then the vocal aspect will come with time, but I’m not really a big ‘rah-rah’ guy. I don’t do a lot of motivational speeches and stuff, but I’ll definitely pull guys aside and try to have tough or easy or any kinds of conversations just to try and make sure we’re all headed in the same direction.”
(Why do you think you’re in this role now as a starter? What have you focused on most over these past few weeks that have elevated you to No. 1?) – “I think just consistency. Just being able to consistently get a little bit better every day. I didn’t know what the threshold was, but in Coach Flo’s (Head Coach Brian Flores) mind, there was a threshold at which would be enough for him to name me that starter. I just put my head down for the last couple months, and I guess I hit it.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said he thought you kind of saw an opportunity to seize this job. Is there anything you kind of changed your mindset going into this week that said, “hey, this is up for the taking for me?”) – “Kind of. Maybe a little bit, but I think I got the message in the first game when he put me in at the end that there’s some kind of time clock clicking. It was just sort of my responsibility to get all my stuff right, I guess you could say; but when he put me in the first game, I kind of understood the situation where everything was heading. I just had to patiently wait and keep grinding and know that inevitably it was coming.”
(How does this offense get better?) – “Execution. I think it’s a really complex system coming from New England. I think it’s only a matter of time before enough of these reps and enough of these game reps and practice reps, we’ll get it down and slowly improve. I’m hoping and rooting for dramatic improvement, but I don’t think we’re going to go out and score 100 touchdowns and throw for a million yards. I think the key is just to keep grinding away, don’t do anything drastically different than what we’ve been doing, to trust the process and just continually try to get better and better over time. Obviously right now, we need a spark, and I’m going to try and provide that spark; but not by doing anything crazy out of the ordinary from what I’ve done that’s gotten me up to this point in my career.”
(That being said, what is a realistic expectation for how you can play?) – “I don’t know how to say this without getting myself in trouble. (laughter) But I like to think I’m a pretty aggressive player. We have really good athletes on our team and I’m going to try and let them be the ballers that they are. I think I have a bit more of – I think ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) is a very explosive player as well. I think we all realized that last year. But I think we have different play styles and hopefully mine provides some part of spark to the team.”
(We saw even in the late games you went in you were taking those shots deep whether it was to WR Jakeem Grant or some of those other guys. Is that what you’re mentioning where you may be able to take a few of those deep chances to create some of those big plays?) – “Yeah, absolutely. At the same time, you have to know when to taper it back a little bit and play more diligently. That’s been the battle of my – me against myself – throughout my entire career as I’m a very aggressive player. But sometimes I’ll take chances that’ll be like, ‘Oh, oh. Good job.’ Great in the moment, but sort of that affirmation that it worked. Maybe the next time it doesn’t, it isn’t a good thing.”
(Where do you think you are now in terms of reading defenses and keeping the offense on schedule?) – “Better than yesterday. I don’t know. To give you a frame of reference in terms of against what, but better than I’ve ever been and I’m just continuing to try to improve upon it.”
(There has been a lot of talk about this team and the future and them drafting a quarterback and all the different stuff. Head Coach Brian Flores said he advised you to focus on now, but does that cross your mind at any point what this team’s future and long-term plans are?) – “Yeah, absolutely. You definitely think about it to an extent, but it doesn’t really change anything I do or affect it. I’ve got ears and I’ve got eyes. (motions to the TV in the media room) I’m watching something is going on with (John) Harbaugh and Andy Reid. You see and you hear things, but it does or doesn’t affect you. You try to not let it affect you.”
(Both you and briefly Head Coach Brian Flores has mentioned QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s role in helping you get ready for Sunday. What are some examples that he’s done to help prepare you to start?) – “All kinds of stuff. ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick), as a veteran of his stature, he’s got a good amount of say even within the game plan. I think he’s someone that even a couple of coaches lean on here and there. With me specifically, he helps me with study techniques that have been good with him throughout his career, helps me with different ways of seeing particular defenses, different little tips. I think in football when, a lot of the times you game plan so heavily, you have a million things to look at; but when you get onto the field and you have to snap the ball, you can’t look at a million things. You got to realize what’s the important information that I need and how do I use that information to execute this particular play. ‘Fitz’ has been probably most helpful with trying to understand what information is valuable with regards to defenses and your own plays and trying to play fast on the field.”
Brian Flores – September 20, 2019
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Friday, September 20, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(You made a change at quarterback after – we assume – them having equal reps of competition this week. What went into that decision?) – “Like I said, we gave them both reps each week. We liked where Josh (Rosen) was. He had two good days of practice. We decided to make the move after a good practice yesterday. It wasn’t just the two practices. He had been practicing well up to this point. We felt like that was the right move for the team.”
(Was there something I guess that changed your mind from when you were telling us it was QB Ryan Fitzpatrick early on in the week to when you made the decision with QB Josh Rosen?) – “He made some good throws. He had good practices. I think he maybe saw an opportunity and jumped at it in practice really well. Not to say that wasn’t the case in previous weeks. He’s been practicing well. We felt like it was the right move for the team. Again, I’ve been with Josh – his development is very important to me. So I never wanted to throw him in there too quickly; but I do think he’s ready. I think he’s shown me that he’s ready to go.”
(How much improvement has QB Josh Rosen shown you in regards to reading defenses and late throws?) – “There’s been a lot of improvement. That’s something that we’ve focused on really since he got here – reading defenses, making quick decisions, pushing the ball downfield when it’s the right time to do those things, getting in and out of the huddle, managing the game correctly, limiting mistakes and turnovers and things of that nature. I think mentally, he’s processing all of that a little bit better. I think he’s ready to go.”
(How did QB Ryan Fitzpatrick handle the news?) – “Obviously he was disappointed. He’s a competitor. He loves to play; he wants to play. He was disappointed and if he wasn’t disappointed, then that would be a bad thing. That’s the case for every player on the team. They all want to play. We only have 11 guys that can play at a time. So yeah, there was disappointment; but the one thing I’ll say about ‘Fitz’ is the way that he’s handled this, it’s been impressive. He’s grabbed Josh (Rosen), he’s got him up on the white board, ‘What do you think of this? What do you think of that?’ (He’s) talking him through different protections and talking him through different QB processes. That’s been really encouraging. Again, it’s a tough situation. A lot of guys would be angry. But here’s a guy who is so selfless and his willingness to put the team first, I’m really impressed by that.”
(What are your hopes and expectations for DE Taco Charlton?) – “He’s been here for five hours? My hopes are that he comes in, learns how we do things, gets into the playbook, learns the defense and knows what time the meetings are. I like to take simple steps through the process. But from a football standpoint, learn what we’re doing defensively – alignments, assignments, our techniques. He’s a smart kid. Just spending some time with him, he understands fronts and rush techniques and games, stunts. They do a good job of coaching in Dallas. They’ve got some good coaches there, specifically (Defensive Coordinator) Rod Marinelli, so he’s been well-coached. There is some carryover from what they did and some of the things that we do. I’m excited within the first few hours about the possibilities and the potential; but he has to take advantage of that. Again, the first thing I told him was, ‘You’ve got to be ready to compete. We’re not giving away any jobs here.’ He’s going to have to fight for his opportunities on the field. He understands that. In a lot of ways, he relishes it, which I was excited about. It will take some time but hopefully we can get him going.”
(DE Taco Charlton’s skillset is what? What intrigues you? What things physically does he do that intrigues you and General Manager Chris Grier?) – “Well, he’s big, he’s long, he’s strong. He has good pass-rush potential. We’ve had him for a few hours. What I saw of him today, I was happy with. But like any other player, the goal for him is to improve, learn the defense, get better on a daily basis and if you do that, then the results will come.”
(A lot of guys have come down here and played days after arriving. Is there a possibility that he can play against his old team?) – “Yeah, there’s a possibility. It would be a tough thing to do, obviously. He wants to play. The kid loves football. That’s clear. He wants to play. Hopefully if we can get him up to speed, then maybe (he can play Sunday). That’s a tough thing to do though. No promises on that; he knows that. He’s been in meetings, he’s been asking questions, he’s very eager to get in there and whether it’s scout team to defense. With that type of attitude, he’ll be in there sooner than later.”
(Does QB Josh Rosen have a chance to prove to you that he can be your long-term answer here at QB?) – “I think for Josh, what he needs to do is focus on his preparation for the next 48 hours leading into the game, and then taking one play at a time. I think that’s kind of the best approach for him – to take a long view on this. Then you start thinking about five or 10 years from now, then you’re not really locked in on right now. That would be my advice to him. Is there potential for that? Yeah, obviously. There’s always potential for that. But I think when you start to think that far ahead, you lose a little bit of right now. Again, you don’t know the difference between making that throw on third down and not making that throw on third down. Maybe it’s – I know I’ve said this before – one more play of film he could have watched and one less thought about 10 years from now. That’s kind of always my approach with players and really anybody.”
(Are you confident that QB Josh Rosen will have adequate protection considering you guys gave up seven sacks last week and the line is still in a flux situation?) – “I think every week, that’s at the top of our priority list – protecting the quarterback. We didn’t do a good job of it last week. We need to do a better job. Obviously that’s a point of emphasis. I am confident that we’ll get him protected. Look, it’s a tall order. They’re got a really good rush. We know that. The players know that. The coaches know that. We’ll do everything possible to get him protected but it’s going to take us getting aligned, knowing our assignments, executing the fundamentals, the techniques, play after play after play after play against a good team that’s physical, that’s fast, that has good players. It’s a tall task; but I think this team is up to that. They’ve worked hard this week and we’re going to need – if we’re going to have a chance, we’re going to have to protect the quarterback. It’s at the top of the priority list.”
Michael Deiter – September 19, 2019
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Thursday, September 19, 2019
G Michael Deiter
(What’d you learn from the Patriots?) – “There’s a lot of stuff they did with picks, twists that you need to have better awareness, better technique, all that stuff. Every week, there are going to be different things that pop up where you go, ‘I need to have better technique there, better awareness here, better communication here. Every week there’s going to be different stuff.”
(How much different is this compared to college?) – “It’s a lot different, but sometimes it isn’t. it’s football, no doubt. But it’s really good football. It’s the best football you’re going to play. The people you’re going to go against are better than you’ve seen before. The competition is different. The guys you play against are so smart. They’re smart. They’re mature. They’re pros, so it’s just different. It’s a lot different.”
(You obviously came in as a very polished run blocker because of the Wisconsin offense and your talents, but you’ve held up as a pass blocker. I don’t think there’s been a sack that a metric site has charged against you. Have you been pleasantly surprised at how you’ve done as a pass blocker?) – “No. I would say I’ve done not a good enough job as a pass blocker. That’s something I need to get a lot better with, and the run game. You said ‘polished,’ but I don’t think so. I think there’s a lot I can get better with. Especially with protection, I can get a lot better with some stuff. I’m definitely super jacked about my performance in the pass game. I want to get better.”
(Have you studied any linemen on tape, any NFL linemen?) – “Not since I’ve been here, no. I’ve just been (doing) whatever ‘Guge’ (Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo) wants me to do technique-wise. That’s what I’m studying now – whatever he wants me to do.”
(And were there major technique changes that you had to make from what you learned in May and June under former Offensive Line Coach Pat Flaherty compared to what Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo wants you to do?) – “Nope, not really. (There are) a lot of similarities and a couple differences here and there.”
Preston Williams – September 19, 2019
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Thursday, September 19, 2019
WR Preston Williams
(Your communication with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick – has it continued to grow as the days go by?) – “Yes, definitely. I’m starting to get a better understanding of just what ‘Fitz’ wants me to do, just slowing the game down. When I first got here, it was kind of fast – just coming from college, the transition. But, ‘Fitz’ took me under his wings and showed me the way. ‘Fitz’ has been in the league for a long time. He’s a vet. He is just telling me that it’s football at the end of the day and these guys are better but they’re just more patient. I learned that. I watch film a lot, so I just watch film on them, and just try to diagnose their tendencies and everything.”
(It it the extra work too sometimes, because QB Ryan Fitzpatrick looks at you a lot?) – “Yeah. Over time, me and ‘Fitz’ became close, and just got our chemistry down better. It’s the same thing with Josh (Rosen). ‘Fitz,’ he’s a leader on this team. I look up to ‘Fitz,’ and everybody else does too. ‘Fitz’ knows what he’s talking about.”
Daniel Kilgore – September 19, 2019
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Thursday, September 19, 2019
C Daniel Kilgore
(As a leader here, have you taken on any responsibility in terms of trying to keep the spirits up of younger guys who might be deflated by the margin of defeat the first two weeks? Have you felt that necessary to do?) – “I think the guys have done a really good job of coming in and staying motivated. We’ve got a really young team and there’s not like a whole lot of guys that have been through this before. A lot of this is new for a lot of guys. The will and the want to win is that much higher. I’ve not had to say too much to anybody. Everybody has been willing to come in and tried to get better each and every day.”
(You’re always upbeat and have a good approach to things; but knowing that obviously it’s going to be an uphill struggle and a rebuilding year, how have you handled it from a personal standpoint? Has it gotten you down or deflated you at all?) – “I’ve been through situations like this before. It’s frustrating. My first three years, I was part of some really good teams. The last few years, it’s been tough. But for me personally, I try to separate work from going home. So kind of when I go home, I’m not completely zoned out away from work because I still have work to do and have film to study; but I go enjoy my time with my daughter and my wife and try to catch some (of a) break and stay off of social media, because I’m sure a lot of people have a lot of things to say. For me, it’s really kind of to get a break and still knowing at the end of the day that you’ve got a job to do and you come in every day and do that job.”
(You mentioned how frustrating it was the first two games. You know QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has been sacked several times. Does pride set in? Not that you didn’t have pride but does pride start to set in that you have to better protect him back there?) – “Yeah. That’s the No. 1 job for us is to protect the quarterback. When we’re not doing our job, it’s very frustrating. I’ve said this before: you’ve got to look at yourself in the mirror and see what I have to do better and see what the guys in the room have to do better, and start over every day and really keep building days and stacking days of getting to the point to where he’s not getting sacked. We have another great defensive line we’re going to this week and it’s going to be a large task for us because we have exposed ourselves a little bit in the first two games. But this group has done a really good job of preparing for this Sunday.”
(Do you think rebuilding is either when you have a lot of young guys in terms of they’re just happy to be in the league and might not get caught up in why the roster isn’t better?) – “I don’t know about the rebuilding part. I think the younger guys are quicker to want to do better. If you had an older crew, they might get down and be like ‘Gosh, it’s not how it used to be,’ or something like that. They’re motivated to get better. Again, this offensive line room has done a really good job of staying motivated.”
(Not to reveal any game-plan specifics but is it safe to say adjustments have been made on this offensive line – as we just talked about – to better protect QB Ryan Fitzpatrick?) – “Yeah. It’s just more or less staying inside out, winning our individual battles, communication – it’s going to be loud at AT&T Stadium. That’s a real generic protection deal. That’s every team. That’s all 32 teams of communicating and making sure everybody is on the same page.”
