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POSTGAME QUOTES: Rams vs. Cowboys
Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher
(Opening statement)
“Last week, after the Tampa game in the locker room, I told guys, ‘Hey, we’ll take the win, but there’s so much room for improvement.’ Despite the fact that this is a very, very difficult loss for us and the way they’re feeling right now, there’s a significant improvement in this football team this week and today. We can’t overcome a mishandled snap and turn the football over to an offense like that or a drop in coverage for a touchdown. Those things against good football teams are hard to overcome, and we nearly overcame those things. We’ve still got some work to do. We’ve got some time to look at what we’re doing and make some adjustments and heal up and we’ll go from there. But I’m very disappointed for our players, because they played very, very hard and very smart today.”
(On losing a 21-0 lead)
“You go up 21-0 and you know you can’t ever let up. That’s precisely why I went for it on fourth and less than a yard. We need touchdowns and we needed to execute and we didn’t. This is an explosive offense with balance, and based off of our matchups and our history, we needed points. Thirty-one points should be good enough to win, but we need to do a better job defensively. You can’t make excuses. We had three or four rookies playing, but they had a bunch of people hurt, too. We just have to play better defense when the offense is controlling the football like that.”
(On his thoughts regarding a couple flags that went against the Rams)
“I’ll have to look at the tape. It’s not going to be fair for me to comment in detail on some of those things. Let me look at the tape, and I’ll see. I’m hoping they got the wrong jersey number on the hold there on Eugene (Sims). I’m really hoping that maybe there was a hold somewhere else on the defense.”
(On the Rams’ pass rush on third-and-long)
“We were rushing three, trying to take some things away. They matched up well and he (Cowboys QB Tony Romo) got rid of it when he needed to. We knew we were facing a good offensive line and we’ve got a deep one-on-one. We did get there, we missed him, and then we came back and tried to get him again and we hit him in the shoulder and we got a penalty for that. We’re going to keep working. Our defense needs to get better in all areas right now.”
(On how QB Austin Davis played)
“Oh, I think you saw how he played. He’d love to have two balls back, and that’s how this game is. He was in complete control again. He has a touchdown pass dropped—possibly two—I didn’t get to see it. I thought he played well enough for us to win.”
(On if Davis played well enough to merit a change from Shaun Hill as the starter)
“No. I’ve stood behind that decision.”
(On what happened when the Rams were stopped on 4th-and-1)
“I have to look at the tape. We got stuffed inside. The way we were going, we were knocking them off the ball. We also made some plays where we knocked some people off the ball consistently today.”
(On if he received an explanation from C Scott Wells regarding the botched snap)
“Did not. Schotty (offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer) and I haven’t had a chance to talk to him, but obviously, he thought we were under center and brought the ball up and we were in gun. That’s pretty much all on Scott. Fortunately, we were able to hold them to a field goal.”
(On if being stopped on 4th-and-1 was a momentum changer in the game)
“No. Like I said, we needed the points against this football team. If I had to do it all over again, we’re going to go on 4th-and-inches. Running teams make those plays.”
QB Austin Davis
(On how difficult this loss was)
“Yeah this one’s tough. Just felt like we played a good ball game and had a chance to win and kind of let one get away tonight. So this one’s tough to swallow for sure.”
(On the interception)
“Obviously, I’d love to have that one back. I probably forced it a little bit. We’re down three, really just trying to get into field goal range. Of course if we get a score it’s even better, but I’d just love to have that one back. I put one up for a Quickie (Brian Quick), and I thought the corner made a good play, so that’s just football.”
(On being up 21-0 to start the game)
“We came out and the offense was rolling and started with a good drive and then defense made some big plays. Kind of lulled right there before half and they kind of got back in it. And we knew all along they were going to score points, and we didn’t do enough to win the ball game.”
(On how much more comfortable he was starting this week opposed to last)
“Honestly, it felt about the same. I thought guys really made some good plays down the field and put us in position to win the ball game, and just kind of building off of last week.”
(On what the difference was between the first and second half)
“Obviously, we didn’t get the job done. We were probably a play short here or there. So it felt good, we were rolling, just kept waiting to make that big play to get the win. Tip your hat to Dallas, they made those plays and we didn’t.”
(On what he did or didn’t see on his interception)
“I had a little edge pressure and tried to step up and just forced one. That’s the one I’d really love to have back. We were kind of backed up in our own territory, trying to get one pushed, and just didn’t see that guy at all. I’d love to throw that one away and live to fight another down.”
(On TE Jared Cook putting the loss on himself)
“Well, obviously he can’t put this game on himself. You can go down the list, there were numerous plays that we all could have made to change the outcome of the game. On the sidelines we’re all frustrated, trying to keep it together. I mean that’s stuff happens all the time. We talked, we’re fine. I didn’t even think twice of it.”
(On the missed snap from C Scott Wells)
“It was just a miscommunication. We were trying to do something with a protection. Just one of those plays obviously we’d like to have back. In the course of a game you make a play here and there and you feel like that was just the game, but it’s really the accumulation of everything. So I’d love to have that one back too.”
(On if he feels he has done enough to be the starter going forward)
“Well I’m not really thinking about it, honestly. I just wanted to come in and play hard for this team and give us a chance to win. This one hurts, would’ve liked to have gotten a win. (Head) Coach (Jeff) Fisher has been pretty clear, when (QB) Shaun (Hill) is healthy, he’ll be the starter. Until I hear different, that’s my approach.”
(On the deep balls to WRs Brian Quick and Kenny Britt)
“I just trust those guys. They make really good plays down the field and they’re big, tall receivers. Pass rush in this league is serious, so you have to get the ball out and sometimes you just have to trust that they’ll make plays. More times than not they do.”
RB Zac Stacy
(On Austin Davis’ second career start)
“AD did a great job today, just keeping his poise, making his reads and everything. It just goes back a couple of plays here and there to put us back in this ball game.”
(On that opening drive being a key drive for the offense)
“It’s just a matter of execution, whatever play is called we try to execute to the best of our abilities. It’s always good to open a drive like that. We want to have that mentality each and every week.”
(On having three running backs get carries)
“We bring a lot to the table. For the most part it’s about keeping us fresh.”
(On the fourth down missed conversion and momentum)
“Just execution, it’s just a must have situation we have to have. It really didn’t change the momentum. We have confidence in our defense to get us back on the field.”
(On being up by 21 and watching the second half)
“Despite the 21 point deal, any loss is frustrating. We just have to get better, plain and simple. We actually did a lot of good out there on the field, couple of penalties here and there, couple of bug plays would put us on top. We just have to get better.”
DE Robert Quinn
(On how they lost this game after leading 21-0)
“It’s frustrating. We had the game going the way that we wanted and Dallas made some great plays and got the momentum on their side. Games like that, we have to finish. Put them on the defense. We had a 21 point lead and there’s no way that we should lost that but Dallas came back and made plays that they needed to win the game.”
(On the pass rush)
“We are getting good rushed. We have been back there but when we get our opportunities to get them down we have to get them down. Guys are going to constantly continue to work and try to build on that.”
(On some the close calls that went against the Rams today)
“It’s frustrating but you have to play through it and make a play to correct it. Guys are out there selling out trying to make a play to win the game and we were just one play too short today.”
(On how they contained Dallas RB DeMarco Murray today)
“He had a few good runs but for the most part we contained him. To be up 21-0 and to give that game away, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Dallas made the plays when they needed to make them and gave them an opportunity to win the game,”
LB James Laurinaitis
(On the frustration after the loss)
“Extremely frustrating. At home up 21-0, that’s got to be a blowout. I just feel like each phase made mistakes and regardless of all of that, heck, even at the end we have a chance to win it. But goodness, 21-0 it shouldn’t come down to the fourth quarter.”
(On if he feels snake bitten by the penalties)
“It does but you can’t allow yourself to go there. Otherwise every time something goes wrong you’re just going to say, ‘Gosh, here we go again.’ You can’t allow your mind to go there. So, you have to rise up above the penalties. Some were questionable but heck, there are those in every single football game. We’ve just got to self-check, gut-check, go to work. This bye will be a good week for us to really self-examine who do we want to be as a team. So, I’m looking forward to getting to work and trying to correct some of the stuff that we screw up with.”
(On how you get over a loss like Sunday’s)
“I wish there was some magic potion we can all drink and forget about it. Quite frankly having two weeks to really settle in a loss is going to be hard to get over. But you’ve got to do it man. That’s what this profession’s all about. You’ve got to have amnesia in the mist of the game and definitely after the game. We’ll look at and goodness we’ve got to correct it. We’ve got to go back to work because we’re getting into the meat of this thing here now. We know what we’re up against. We’ve got to get back to work and just I wish I had something more you. But really to me it comes down to what are you doing individually for your craft? How hard you work individually? Check yourself and say, ‘Hey I am really doing everything I can?’ Then you go back out there and do more. I trust the guys in this locker room that we’ll do that.”
Dallas Head Coach Jason Garrett
(On being down 21-0 and coming back by sticking true to the game plan)
“It was just a matter of banging away and trying to make drives. Obviously the two turnovers in the first half hurt us and it gave them an opportunity. They did a really good job on their first drive, possessing the ball and going down and getting points. We needed an answer back. The biggest thing we needed to do was drive the football and get a score. The best way to do that is to have balance. They were hell bent on trying to stop our run and they put a lot of guys around a lot of scrimmage the whole game, versus all of our personnel groups all of our formation, they were determined to take it away. I thought Scott Linehan did a really good job persisting with the run and continuing to establish the line of scrimmage. It becomes a matter of making some plays outside to open it up and loosen it up and (QB) Tony Romo and (WR) Dez Bryant made a couple of those plays down the field and they were good play for us in the game.”
(On always preaching about going to the next play)
“You have to put the previous play to bed and go on with the next one. It is what the best players do, it is what the best teams do. It is a sign of mental toughness. You clean the slate and get ready for the next challenge. We certainly try to preach that as a team, and sometimes it is easier said than done. I think it is a sign of maturity for both of those guys (Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr) to do that. They made some plays on our guys outside early on in the ball game, and they had to wipe it clean. There probably is no position, other than quarterback, that has to do that as much as the cornerback position in this league. Because you are out there on an island and the guys on the other side are good. I thought our guys really battled back, and with a significant play for us at the end of the game to ice it for us. A true sign of mental toughness and it is just what you have to do in this league.”
(On the play of QB Tony Romo)
“At first glance and from my vantage point it looked like he was more of himself in this ballgame. I thought he made some throws down the field that were spontaneous throws where he had been moving in the pocket and keeping his eyes down the field. He really looked like himself. Obviously, the big third down run later in the game was huge for us. Again, he looked like himself. I thought he did a really good job of managing the game. We didn’t have a lot of plays in this game, in the fact of the two turnovers, us running the football and them possessing the ball, we didn’t have that many opportunities. I thought he kept his poise, got plays out and threw to the right guys and made a lot of plays for us during this game.”
(On the play where Romo ran for the first down on 3rd-and-13)
“It is a challenge. They are all up there and committed to the line of scrimmage, and we had a couple of negative plays there and you have to overcome them. We have to understand the importance of that drive, to go down and get points in that situation. I thought we did a good job of maintaining our patience, focus, and execution. You know when you get in those 3rd and long situations and really some bad things can happen. I thought Tony did good managing them. He obviously made that one play with his feet and climbed out of the pocket on the other one. I though he did a really good job, obviously it all starts with protection, and our guys up front did a really good job on those two plays. They were great conversions for us.”
(More on protection)
“We ran a deep over-route to Terrance Williams off of a hard play action and both the corner and the safety seemed to jump over. Tony has great vision; it is one of his really great traits as a player, both when he is in the pocket and on the move. He saw the safety coming over and the offensive line gave him some time to whip through that. Those routes are down the field, they take time. The protection gave him time to see the throw and he certainly made it good on the other end that was a good play for us. That was pretty consistent throughout the game. They challenged us a lot of different ways, different fronts, different looks, and different pressures. You have to handle it in the run game; you also have to handle it in the pass protection game. For the most part our guys did a good job up front.
(On what he told RB DeMarco Murray)
“Get back to work. We are going to continue to give him the ball and he has to get it right, and he is going to get it right. This is a different situation, every one of these has been a different situation, but that is the nature of this league and that is what they play in this game. For us to drive the ball and to answer their drive to get into closer territory and to have the ball come out like that, that coupled with Tony’s interception that is turned for touchdown, those are huge plays. Taking points off the board for us and giving them an opportunity and giving them points. We have to do a better job that can put us in the hole for the game.”
Cowboys QB Tony Romo
(On staying true to the gameplan even after being down 21-0)
“You just understand that these games are 60 minutes, and they’re not over just because you get off to a bad start. Obviously, you don’t want to but I do know that we’ve been on the other side of that, where we’ve gotten the lead. It’s not easy to close teams out because it’s difficult to continually be safe with the ball and score points when you have a big lead like that. Just learn that you keep grinding away and if the game gets within two scores and there’s more than six minutes left, you’ve got a really good chance of honestly winning the game.”
(On what it says about the team’s resiliency and sticking with the run game)
“We are who we are, and I think that’s who you want to be. You want to continue to do what you do well, and then you advance off that with some stuff that could be beneficial. It was great to see the guys play well.”
(On if he felt better today that he did in the previous two games)
“Yeah, I did. I think I felt stronger. I felt as if everything was firing – activation, sequencing, stuff like that – that wasn’t necessarily as well as I had wanted it to the first couple weeks. I’ve played through injury and stuff before, and so you understand that and just kind of manage it and play to the best of your ability. It was good to feel better this week than the previous and I think that helped.”
(On the third down efficiency on the drive that allowed them to gain the lead in the 3rd quarter)
“It was a great drive. I think the guys handled the environment well. They threw a lot of stuff at us and we were able to kind of execute under duress, pressure, whatever you want to call it in the situation of the game. The run was good, had to make one guy miss, which was obviously an exceptional move (laughter) that I think he probably wants back. Then the next one, (WR) Terrance (Williams) did a nice job, got open, I had time, I tried to look off one guy and deliver the ball. And then on the touchdown, it was a great play call by (Cowboys Passing Game Coordinator) Scott (Linehan).”
(On if he was aware of the location of the first down marker on his scramble for a first down)
“I saw the stick. As I started to scramble, I looked to see where it was at, where I had to get, and in the process I saw a few people that I had to get through to get there. You take a look at what’s your best option to get there. At that point in the game, you’re probably going to try because the game feels as though it’s coming down to that drive or you might get another one, but it’s an important drive obviously. I made the decision to make a move on him and we were lucky enough to get to it. Once I get the first down, I don’t know the benefit of trying to take a hit for another yard or two.”
(On if he was surprised at how open Cowboys WR Dez Bryant was on his touchdown catch)
“It’s funny, the corner who was following him around, he guessed right on the interception to the house. He guessed on that and then he guessed again later, so he was one-for-two, I guess – gave up one and got one.”
(On if that play call was an in-game adjustment or was drawn up prior)
“It was a play we had up for the game. Dez isn’t necessarily the No. 1 read on that, but when you have a corner like that who likes to kind of read other stuff and see and just take chances, it gives them a chance to create big plays but also for us to, so we were able to.”
(On if they wanted to attack Rams CB Janoris Jenkins with a double move after he jumped the route on the interception)
“Yeah and it’s a situation we probably should’ve – in the single situations where he was one-on-one with Dez – I should’ve possibly given Dez a double move early in the game to send that signal to him instead of a sticks-type route that we did on that because that’s his M.O. and that’s what makes him make some good plays but it also came back to hurt them.”
(On if his only thought on the touchdown pass to Bryant was to not overthrow him)
“Yeah, when they’re that open, you want to make sure. I took a peek and I knew he was open and said, ‘Let me make sure he’s as wide open as I think’ because no one ever comes that wide open. So, you wait about a tenth of a second longer just to be like, “No, he actually is that wide open.’ So you just give him the ball. You just want to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”
(On if he thought he could thread the pass to WR Cole Beasley on the defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone)
“I thought I could actually thread it in there. I think if he doesn’t get pass interfered, it’s a touchdown. He splits them. The play’s not designed for that, but he did a really good job of adjusting – he was doubled. They literally doubled Dez, (TE Jason) Witten and Cole on about three plays, which was a little abnormal – I hadn’t seen that very often. When you double, you can run through people because one guy’s playing inside, one’s playing out and Cole did a really good job on his route coming in and then taking it vertical. As I got through the progression to the fourth guy, which is Cole, I saw that and for him you want to lay it out in front so he can run away from them instead of up the field which is a jump ball, per se and then Cole did a good job.”
(On if he’s going to take Wednesday practices off on a regular basis moving forward)
“We’ll talk about everything with (Cowboys Head Coach) Jason (Garrett) and Scott (Linehan) and figure out what’s best. I think more than anything, you have to figure out what’s going to give everyone the best opportunity to play at your best. If you’re just tired or sore, that’s part of football nor does anyone get anything for that. I think it’s mostly you want to have the functioning strength that you might have without as many torqued situations throughout a week and I think with me, that was a benefit this week. We’ll see going forward how that reacts and everything, but it was a good week. We switched up to some more functional strength training, which was good and that helped so we’ll see.”
(On if how they won is more important than just getting the win in terms of momentum going forward)
“That’s a great question – no. (Laughter) I think momentum is real – I think that’s a reality in sports. I think within a game, after it, what you try and do, honestly, is get rid of that and play every play as if you had to have it and at your best. I think it does matter but at the same time I don’t know that you want to ride that as your M.O. is to when you’re only playing well is when you have good momentum.”
(On remaining committed to the run even though they fell behind early in the game)
“We stuck with the run. Sometimes last year, you either don’t get the stops or you don’t get the points. I know it’s a great question. That’s going to be a nice headline because part of it is legit – there’s some truth in it. But if you don’t get stops defensively, it really doesn’t matter. I think – where did we play, at Chicago last year? If you can’t create, our defense created a couple turnovers today that are huge and if you don’t get those things, it’s nice to say, ‘Keep doing what your offense has been doing and just do it and it should work out well. You’ll just lose sometimes by 25 as well – we’ve done that. I think what it is, it’s more about the in-game how this game is going. The fact that we weren’t in a rush because it was so early in the game to just and that’s a good job by Scott and the staff. I felt we did a good job just calling a really well-called game.”
Dallas WR Dez Bryant
(On Janoris Jenkins’ interception)
“He played it well and you’ve got to give it to him.”
(On the 68 yard touchdown catch against Jenkins)
“I had to get him back. I had to get him back.”
(On the pass interference against Janoris Jenkins)
“He thought he didn’t commit pass interference so we were both just watching. He grabbed me, if not it was going to be a catch. It was fun out there. We were having fun.”
(On if he was surprised on being wide open on the 68 yard touchdown pass)
“No, I made that happen. I made the move and got open.”
(On what it took to get that wide open on the touchdown)
“It’s about being focused and paying attention to the coaches. I give a lot of credit to coach (Derek) Dooley. Truthfully, I got that move from Terrance (Williams) on the top of the route. I gave him a little bit of the outside and then came back in when I saw him flip his hips. I knew I had him.”
(On not giving up on the run game)
“The identity we were creating, we wanted. We wanted to be strong. We wanted the world to know who we are. We do a great job doing it. Each and every week we want to practice hard and come out each and every Sunday and play the best ball we can.”
(On Tony Romo making a statement today)
“I think it was self explanatory. Tony went out and did what Tony does. I say it each and every week. All the questions and things everyone talks about, I think he showed it with his play. He goes out there, he’s poised, and he knows what he wants to do. I don’t think you can ask him to do anything other than that.”
Dallas LB Bruce Carter
(On his interception return for touchdown)
“It was a total defensive effort. We were able to get good pressure on him (Austin Davis) and I don’t think he could see exactly who was around the running back or who he was trying to throw to and I was able to slide in, pick it off and score.”
(On his confidence level and what it means)
“I’ve been feeling good. At the beginning of the year I made a promise to myself and everybody around me that I was going to go out and have fun regardless of what would happen while I’m playing and if I made a mistake -- it’s about the next play, same if I score a touchdown. When I scored the touchdown the first thing Coach Lus (Matt Eberflus, Linebackers Coach) said to me was ‘next play, next play.’ That’s my mindset right now and I just want to go out there and have fun.”
(On where he plays on the field)
“I’ve been playing all over the place, but football is football. When you’re in there, you have your assignment, you go out there and execute and make plays.”
(On coming out of the game briefly)
“I got hit in the head. I got real dizzy and I came out and they ran some tests, but I’m fine.”
(On the Dallas defensive front seven making a difference)
“Anybody on this team wants to come out and make a difference with their play. Everybody wants to be that guy that when plays need to be made to go out there and make them. As a unit we bend sometimes but we don’t break. If we continue to work hard in practice I think we can be as good as we want to be.”
(More on his interception catch for touchdown)
They got great pressure on the quarterback and I don’t know if he was throwing off his back foot or not But I don’t think he could actually see who he was throwing to and I slide right in there and was able to make a good play and it all worked out well. It felt great. I haven’t had an interception since college and that felt great. Even when I was on the sidelines I still couldn’t believe it happened. It’s a great feeling and we’re going to keep working.”
(General comments on the Dallas defense after three games)
“We have our moments where we don’t do things like we should, but we have to keep working at it like anything you do. But, I think the talent is there, the coaching is there and once we put it all together I think it’s going to be a great thing.”
(On the perseverance of the Dallas Cowboys)
“As a team we came out and we were real slow behind the ball. They (Rams) got off to a good start, but we kept fighting. Nobody looked at the scoreboard and we kept doing our jobs and executed and fought til the end.”
Cowboys CB Morris Claiborne
(On if his interception was at the top of his list of personal bests)
“Yeah definitely. You get that feeling when you can make big plays for your team. It’s just awesome. I’m never satisfied. I still have to keep improving. There’s a lot of bad things. I’m more of a guy to focus on the bad things that I did in this game and not the good so I can just keep improving. I still have a lot of room for improvement and my team expects me to improve, so I have to keep improving.”
(On if he feels the momentum of the game changed with the interception and if the team’s confidence increased after the play)
“Oh yeah. Everyone was excited. When you make big plays like that, like when (Cowboys LB) Bruce (Carter) had the interception that was another big play. It’s just good when you can make plays for your team like that and it gets everyone going.”
(On if this was a game of perseverance and what was going through his mind when they were down 21-0)
“It was just communication, just little things. They made a lot of good plays too. You got to give credit to the Rams, they made some good plays. We just had to keep fighting. We told ourselves we were going to keep fighting, that’s what type of team we are. We’re just going to keep fighting, keep fighting, and keep battling, chipping away at it and we did that. Fortunately enough we came out with the win.”
(On if the team talked about anything at halftime to change anything)
“Not really. Just minor adjustments like always, just corrections. Some of the plays that gassed us and some of the different calls we were going to try to call to stop it. It was nothing too different than any other halftime. We were just trying better ourselves for the second half.”
Referee Clete Blakeman
Pool Report, Conducted by Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
(On who the penalty was called against following Rams DE Eugene Sims’ sack on Dallas’ second-to-last possession)
“97 defense (Eugene Sims).”
(On what Sims did on the play that caused the flag)
“It was reported to me that there was a receiver that was coming across the formation and there was a grab and a restriction of that receiver by No. 97. It’s a judgment call by our line judge and he felt there was enough restriction there to warrant a call.”
(On if the penalty occurred while Sims was rushing the passer)
“I don’t know that. I have not seen a replay of it, so I can’t really comment on specifics like that. But that’s what was reported to me, that there was a grab and a restriction of an eligible receiver by No. 97.”
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Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher
(Opening statement)
“Last week, after the Tampa game in the locker room, I told guys, ‘Hey, we’ll take the win, but there’s so much room for improvement.’ Despite the fact that this is a very, very difficult loss for us and the way they’re feeling right now, there’s a significant improvement in this football team this week and today. We can’t overcome a mishandled snap and turn the football over to an offense like that or a drop in coverage for a touchdown. Those things against good football teams are hard to overcome, and we nearly overcame those things. We’ve still got some work to do. We’ve got some time to look at what we’re doing and make some adjustments and heal up and we’ll go from there. But I’m very disappointed for our players, because they played very, very hard and very smart today.”
(On losing a 21-0 lead)
“You go up 21-0 and you know you can’t ever let up. That’s precisely why I went for it on fourth and less than a yard. We need touchdowns and we needed to execute and we didn’t. This is an explosive offense with balance, and based off of our matchups and our history, we needed points. Thirty-one points should be good enough to win, but we need to do a better job defensively. You can’t make excuses. We had three or four rookies playing, but they had a bunch of people hurt, too. We just have to play better defense when the offense is controlling the football like that.”
(On his thoughts regarding a couple flags that went against the Rams)
“I’ll have to look at the tape. It’s not going to be fair for me to comment in detail on some of those things. Let me look at the tape, and I’ll see. I’m hoping they got the wrong jersey number on the hold there on Eugene (Sims). I’m really hoping that maybe there was a hold somewhere else on the defense.”
(On the Rams’ pass rush on third-and-long)
“We were rushing three, trying to take some things away. They matched up well and he (Cowboys QB Tony Romo) got rid of it when he needed to. We knew we were facing a good offensive line and we’ve got a deep one-on-one. We did get there, we missed him, and then we came back and tried to get him again and we hit him in the shoulder and we got a penalty for that. We’re going to keep working. Our defense needs to get better in all areas right now.”
(On how QB Austin Davis played)
“Oh, I think you saw how he played. He’d love to have two balls back, and that’s how this game is. He was in complete control again. He has a touchdown pass dropped—possibly two—I didn’t get to see it. I thought he played well enough for us to win.”
(On if Davis played well enough to merit a change from Shaun Hill as the starter)
“No. I’ve stood behind that decision.”
(On what happened when the Rams were stopped on 4th-and-1)
“I have to look at the tape. We got stuffed inside. The way we were going, we were knocking them off the ball. We also made some plays where we knocked some people off the ball consistently today.”
(On if he received an explanation from C Scott Wells regarding the botched snap)
“Did not. Schotty (offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer) and I haven’t had a chance to talk to him, but obviously, he thought we were under center and brought the ball up and we were in gun. That’s pretty much all on Scott. Fortunately, we were able to hold them to a field goal.”
(On if being stopped on 4th-and-1 was a momentum changer in the game)
“No. Like I said, we needed the points against this football team. If I had to do it all over again, we’re going to go on 4th-and-inches. Running teams make those plays.”
QB Austin Davis
(On how difficult this loss was)
“Yeah this one’s tough. Just felt like we played a good ball game and had a chance to win and kind of let one get away tonight. So this one’s tough to swallow for sure.”
(On the interception)
“Obviously, I’d love to have that one back. I probably forced it a little bit. We’re down three, really just trying to get into field goal range. Of course if we get a score it’s even better, but I’d just love to have that one back. I put one up for a Quickie (Brian Quick), and I thought the corner made a good play, so that’s just football.”
(On being up 21-0 to start the game)
“We came out and the offense was rolling and started with a good drive and then defense made some big plays. Kind of lulled right there before half and they kind of got back in it. And we knew all along they were going to score points, and we didn’t do enough to win the ball game.”
(On how much more comfortable he was starting this week opposed to last)
“Honestly, it felt about the same. I thought guys really made some good plays down the field and put us in position to win the ball game, and just kind of building off of last week.”
(On what the difference was between the first and second half)
“Obviously, we didn’t get the job done. We were probably a play short here or there. So it felt good, we were rolling, just kept waiting to make that big play to get the win. Tip your hat to Dallas, they made those plays and we didn’t.”
(On what he did or didn’t see on his interception)
“I had a little edge pressure and tried to step up and just forced one. That’s the one I’d really love to have back. We were kind of backed up in our own territory, trying to get one pushed, and just didn’t see that guy at all. I’d love to throw that one away and live to fight another down.”
(On TE Jared Cook putting the loss on himself)
“Well, obviously he can’t put this game on himself. You can go down the list, there were numerous plays that we all could have made to change the outcome of the game. On the sidelines we’re all frustrated, trying to keep it together. I mean that’s stuff happens all the time. We talked, we’re fine. I didn’t even think twice of it.”
(On the missed snap from C Scott Wells)
“It was just a miscommunication. We were trying to do something with a protection. Just one of those plays obviously we’d like to have back. In the course of a game you make a play here and there and you feel like that was just the game, but it’s really the accumulation of everything. So I’d love to have that one back too.”
(On if he feels he has done enough to be the starter going forward)
“Well I’m not really thinking about it, honestly. I just wanted to come in and play hard for this team and give us a chance to win. This one hurts, would’ve liked to have gotten a win. (Head) Coach (Jeff) Fisher has been pretty clear, when (QB) Shaun (Hill) is healthy, he’ll be the starter. Until I hear different, that’s my approach.”
(On the deep balls to WRs Brian Quick and Kenny Britt)
“I just trust those guys. They make really good plays down the field and they’re big, tall receivers. Pass rush in this league is serious, so you have to get the ball out and sometimes you just have to trust that they’ll make plays. More times than not they do.”
RB Zac Stacy
(On Austin Davis’ second career start)
“AD did a great job today, just keeping his poise, making his reads and everything. It just goes back a couple of plays here and there to put us back in this ball game.”
(On that opening drive being a key drive for the offense)
“It’s just a matter of execution, whatever play is called we try to execute to the best of our abilities. It’s always good to open a drive like that. We want to have that mentality each and every week.”
(On having three running backs get carries)
“We bring a lot to the table. For the most part it’s about keeping us fresh.”
(On the fourth down missed conversion and momentum)
“Just execution, it’s just a must have situation we have to have. It really didn’t change the momentum. We have confidence in our defense to get us back on the field.”
(On being up by 21 and watching the second half)
“Despite the 21 point deal, any loss is frustrating. We just have to get better, plain and simple. We actually did a lot of good out there on the field, couple of penalties here and there, couple of bug plays would put us on top. We just have to get better.”
DE Robert Quinn
(On how they lost this game after leading 21-0)
“It’s frustrating. We had the game going the way that we wanted and Dallas made some great plays and got the momentum on their side. Games like that, we have to finish. Put them on the defense. We had a 21 point lead and there’s no way that we should lost that but Dallas came back and made plays that they needed to win the game.”
(On the pass rush)
“We are getting good rushed. We have been back there but when we get our opportunities to get them down we have to get them down. Guys are going to constantly continue to work and try to build on that.”
(On some the close calls that went against the Rams today)
“It’s frustrating but you have to play through it and make a play to correct it. Guys are out there selling out trying to make a play to win the game and we were just one play too short today.”
(On how they contained Dallas RB DeMarco Murray today)
“He had a few good runs but for the most part we contained him. To be up 21-0 and to give that game away, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Dallas made the plays when they needed to make them and gave them an opportunity to win the game,”
LB James Laurinaitis
(On the frustration after the loss)
“Extremely frustrating. At home up 21-0, that’s got to be a blowout. I just feel like each phase made mistakes and regardless of all of that, heck, even at the end we have a chance to win it. But goodness, 21-0 it shouldn’t come down to the fourth quarter.”
(On if he feels snake bitten by the penalties)
“It does but you can’t allow yourself to go there. Otherwise every time something goes wrong you’re just going to say, ‘Gosh, here we go again.’ You can’t allow your mind to go there. So, you have to rise up above the penalties. Some were questionable but heck, there are those in every single football game. We’ve just got to self-check, gut-check, go to work. This bye will be a good week for us to really self-examine who do we want to be as a team. So, I’m looking forward to getting to work and trying to correct some of the stuff that we screw up with.”
(On how you get over a loss like Sunday’s)
“I wish there was some magic potion we can all drink and forget about it. Quite frankly having two weeks to really settle in a loss is going to be hard to get over. But you’ve got to do it man. That’s what this profession’s all about. You’ve got to have amnesia in the mist of the game and definitely after the game. We’ll look at and goodness we’ve got to correct it. We’ve got to go back to work because we’re getting into the meat of this thing here now. We know what we’re up against. We’ve got to get back to work and just I wish I had something more you. But really to me it comes down to what are you doing individually for your craft? How hard you work individually? Check yourself and say, ‘Hey I am really doing everything I can?’ Then you go back out there and do more. I trust the guys in this locker room that we’ll do that.”
Dallas Head Coach Jason Garrett
(On being down 21-0 and coming back by sticking true to the game plan)
“It was just a matter of banging away and trying to make drives. Obviously the two turnovers in the first half hurt us and it gave them an opportunity. They did a really good job on their first drive, possessing the ball and going down and getting points. We needed an answer back. The biggest thing we needed to do was drive the football and get a score. The best way to do that is to have balance. They were hell bent on trying to stop our run and they put a lot of guys around a lot of scrimmage the whole game, versus all of our personnel groups all of our formation, they were determined to take it away. I thought Scott Linehan did a really good job persisting with the run and continuing to establish the line of scrimmage. It becomes a matter of making some plays outside to open it up and loosen it up and (QB) Tony Romo and (WR) Dez Bryant made a couple of those plays down the field and they were good play for us in the game.”
(On always preaching about going to the next play)
“You have to put the previous play to bed and go on with the next one. It is what the best players do, it is what the best teams do. It is a sign of mental toughness. You clean the slate and get ready for the next challenge. We certainly try to preach that as a team, and sometimes it is easier said than done. I think it is a sign of maturity for both of those guys (Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr) to do that. They made some plays on our guys outside early on in the ball game, and they had to wipe it clean. There probably is no position, other than quarterback, that has to do that as much as the cornerback position in this league. Because you are out there on an island and the guys on the other side are good. I thought our guys really battled back, and with a significant play for us at the end of the game to ice it for us. A true sign of mental toughness and it is just what you have to do in this league.”
(On the play of QB Tony Romo)
“At first glance and from my vantage point it looked like he was more of himself in this ballgame. I thought he made some throws down the field that were spontaneous throws where he had been moving in the pocket and keeping his eyes down the field. He really looked like himself. Obviously, the big third down run later in the game was huge for us. Again, he looked like himself. I thought he did a really good job of managing the game. We didn’t have a lot of plays in this game, in the fact of the two turnovers, us running the football and them possessing the ball, we didn’t have that many opportunities. I thought he kept his poise, got plays out and threw to the right guys and made a lot of plays for us during this game.”
(On the play where Romo ran for the first down on 3rd-and-13)
“It is a challenge. They are all up there and committed to the line of scrimmage, and we had a couple of negative plays there and you have to overcome them. We have to understand the importance of that drive, to go down and get points in that situation. I thought we did a good job of maintaining our patience, focus, and execution. You know when you get in those 3rd and long situations and really some bad things can happen. I thought Tony did good managing them. He obviously made that one play with his feet and climbed out of the pocket on the other one. I though he did a really good job, obviously it all starts with protection, and our guys up front did a really good job on those two plays. They were great conversions for us.”
(More on protection)
“We ran a deep over-route to Terrance Williams off of a hard play action and both the corner and the safety seemed to jump over. Tony has great vision; it is one of his really great traits as a player, both when he is in the pocket and on the move. He saw the safety coming over and the offensive line gave him some time to whip through that. Those routes are down the field, they take time. The protection gave him time to see the throw and he certainly made it good on the other end that was a good play for us. That was pretty consistent throughout the game. They challenged us a lot of different ways, different fronts, different looks, and different pressures. You have to handle it in the run game; you also have to handle it in the pass protection game. For the most part our guys did a good job up front.
(On what he told RB DeMarco Murray)
“Get back to work. We are going to continue to give him the ball and he has to get it right, and he is going to get it right. This is a different situation, every one of these has been a different situation, but that is the nature of this league and that is what they play in this game. For us to drive the ball and to answer their drive to get into closer territory and to have the ball come out like that, that coupled with Tony’s interception that is turned for touchdown, those are huge plays. Taking points off the board for us and giving them an opportunity and giving them points. We have to do a better job that can put us in the hole for the game.”
Cowboys QB Tony Romo
(On staying true to the gameplan even after being down 21-0)
“You just understand that these games are 60 minutes, and they’re not over just because you get off to a bad start. Obviously, you don’t want to but I do know that we’ve been on the other side of that, where we’ve gotten the lead. It’s not easy to close teams out because it’s difficult to continually be safe with the ball and score points when you have a big lead like that. Just learn that you keep grinding away and if the game gets within two scores and there’s more than six minutes left, you’ve got a really good chance of honestly winning the game.”
(On what it says about the team’s resiliency and sticking with the run game)
“We are who we are, and I think that’s who you want to be. You want to continue to do what you do well, and then you advance off that with some stuff that could be beneficial. It was great to see the guys play well.”
(On if he felt better today that he did in the previous two games)
“Yeah, I did. I think I felt stronger. I felt as if everything was firing – activation, sequencing, stuff like that – that wasn’t necessarily as well as I had wanted it to the first couple weeks. I’ve played through injury and stuff before, and so you understand that and just kind of manage it and play to the best of your ability. It was good to feel better this week than the previous and I think that helped.”
(On the third down efficiency on the drive that allowed them to gain the lead in the 3rd quarter)
“It was a great drive. I think the guys handled the environment well. They threw a lot of stuff at us and we were able to kind of execute under duress, pressure, whatever you want to call it in the situation of the game. The run was good, had to make one guy miss, which was obviously an exceptional move (laughter) that I think he probably wants back. Then the next one, (WR) Terrance (Williams) did a nice job, got open, I had time, I tried to look off one guy and deliver the ball. And then on the touchdown, it was a great play call by (Cowboys Passing Game Coordinator) Scott (Linehan).”
(On if he was aware of the location of the first down marker on his scramble for a first down)
“I saw the stick. As I started to scramble, I looked to see where it was at, where I had to get, and in the process I saw a few people that I had to get through to get there. You take a look at what’s your best option to get there. At that point in the game, you’re probably going to try because the game feels as though it’s coming down to that drive or you might get another one, but it’s an important drive obviously. I made the decision to make a move on him and we were lucky enough to get to it. Once I get the first down, I don’t know the benefit of trying to take a hit for another yard or two.”
(On if he was surprised at how open Cowboys WR Dez Bryant was on his touchdown catch)
“It’s funny, the corner who was following him around, he guessed right on the interception to the house. He guessed on that and then he guessed again later, so he was one-for-two, I guess – gave up one and got one.”
(On if that play call was an in-game adjustment or was drawn up prior)
“It was a play we had up for the game. Dez isn’t necessarily the No. 1 read on that, but when you have a corner like that who likes to kind of read other stuff and see and just take chances, it gives them a chance to create big plays but also for us to, so we were able to.”
(On if they wanted to attack Rams CB Janoris Jenkins with a double move after he jumped the route on the interception)
“Yeah and it’s a situation we probably should’ve – in the single situations where he was one-on-one with Dez – I should’ve possibly given Dez a double move early in the game to send that signal to him instead of a sticks-type route that we did on that because that’s his M.O. and that’s what makes him make some good plays but it also came back to hurt them.”
(On if his only thought on the touchdown pass to Bryant was to not overthrow him)
“Yeah, when they’re that open, you want to make sure. I took a peek and I knew he was open and said, ‘Let me make sure he’s as wide open as I think’ because no one ever comes that wide open. So, you wait about a tenth of a second longer just to be like, “No, he actually is that wide open.’ So you just give him the ball. You just want to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”
(On if he thought he could thread the pass to WR Cole Beasley on the defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone)
“I thought I could actually thread it in there. I think if he doesn’t get pass interfered, it’s a touchdown. He splits them. The play’s not designed for that, but he did a really good job of adjusting – he was doubled. They literally doubled Dez, (TE Jason) Witten and Cole on about three plays, which was a little abnormal – I hadn’t seen that very often. When you double, you can run through people because one guy’s playing inside, one’s playing out and Cole did a really good job on his route coming in and then taking it vertical. As I got through the progression to the fourth guy, which is Cole, I saw that and for him you want to lay it out in front so he can run away from them instead of up the field which is a jump ball, per se and then Cole did a good job.”
(On if he’s going to take Wednesday practices off on a regular basis moving forward)
“We’ll talk about everything with (Cowboys Head Coach) Jason (Garrett) and Scott (Linehan) and figure out what’s best. I think more than anything, you have to figure out what’s going to give everyone the best opportunity to play at your best. If you’re just tired or sore, that’s part of football nor does anyone get anything for that. I think it’s mostly you want to have the functioning strength that you might have without as many torqued situations throughout a week and I think with me, that was a benefit this week. We’ll see going forward how that reacts and everything, but it was a good week. We switched up to some more functional strength training, which was good and that helped so we’ll see.”
(On if how they won is more important than just getting the win in terms of momentum going forward)
“That’s a great question – no. (Laughter) I think momentum is real – I think that’s a reality in sports. I think within a game, after it, what you try and do, honestly, is get rid of that and play every play as if you had to have it and at your best. I think it does matter but at the same time I don’t know that you want to ride that as your M.O. is to when you’re only playing well is when you have good momentum.”
(On remaining committed to the run even though they fell behind early in the game)
“We stuck with the run. Sometimes last year, you either don’t get the stops or you don’t get the points. I know it’s a great question. That’s going to be a nice headline because part of it is legit – there’s some truth in it. But if you don’t get stops defensively, it really doesn’t matter. I think – where did we play, at Chicago last year? If you can’t create, our defense created a couple turnovers today that are huge and if you don’t get those things, it’s nice to say, ‘Keep doing what your offense has been doing and just do it and it should work out well. You’ll just lose sometimes by 25 as well – we’ve done that. I think what it is, it’s more about the in-game how this game is going. The fact that we weren’t in a rush because it was so early in the game to just and that’s a good job by Scott and the staff. I felt we did a good job just calling a really well-called game.”
Dallas WR Dez Bryant
(On Janoris Jenkins’ interception)
“He played it well and you’ve got to give it to him.”
(On the 68 yard touchdown catch against Jenkins)
“I had to get him back. I had to get him back.”
(On the pass interference against Janoris Jenkins)
“He thought he didn’t commit pass interference so we were both just watching. He grabbed me, if not it was going to be a catch. It was fun out there. We were having fun.”
(On if he was surprised on being wide open on the 68 yard touchdown pass)
“No, I made that happen. I made the move and got open.”
(On what it took to get that wide open on the touchdown)
“It’s about being focused and paying attention to the coaches. I give a lot of credit to coach (Derek) Dooley. Truthfully, I got that move from Terrance (Williams) on the top of the route. I gave him a little bit of the outside and then came back in when I saw him flip his hips. I knew I had him.”
(On not giving up on the run game)
“The identity we were creating, we wanted. We wanted to be strong. We wanted the world to know who we are. We do a great job doing it. Each and every week we want to practice hard and come out each and every Sunday and play the best ball we can.”
(On Tony Romo making a statement today)
“I think it was self explanatory. Tony went out and did what Tony does. I say it each and every week. All the questions and things everyone talks about, I think he showed it with his play. He goes out there, he’s poised, and he knows what he wants to do. I don’t think you can ask him to do anything other than that.”
Dallas LB Bruce Carter
(On his interception return for touchdown)
“It was a total defensive effort. We were able to get good pressure on him (Austin Davis) and I don’t think he could see exactly who was around the running back or who he was trying to throw to and I was able to slide in, pick it off and score.”
(On his confidence level and what it means)
“I’ve been feeling good. At the beginning of the year I made a promise to myself and everybody around me that I was going to go out and have fun regardless of what would happen while I’m playing and if I made a mistake -- it’s about the next play, same if I score a touchdown. When I scored the touchdown the first thing Coach Lus (Matt Eberflus, Linebackers Coach) said to me was ‘next play, next play.’ That’s my mindset right now and I just want to go out there and have fun.”
(On where he plays on the field)
“I’ve been playing all over the place, but football is football. When you’re in there, you have your assignment, you go out there and execute and make plays.”
(On coming out of the game briefly)
“I got hit in the head. I got real dizzy and I came out and they ran some tests, but I’m fine.”
(On the Dallas defensive front seven making a difference)
“Anybody on this team wants to come out and make a difference with their play. Everybody wants to be that guy that when plays need to be made to go out there and make them. As a unit we bend sometimes but we don’t break. If we continue to work hard in practice I think we can be as good as we want to be.”
(More on his interception catch for touchdown)
They got great pressure on the quarterback and I don’t know if he was throwing off his back foot or not But I don’t think he could actually see who he was throwing to and I slide right in there and was able to make a good play and it all worked out well. It felt great. I haven’t had an interception since college and that felt great. Even when I was on the sidelines I still couldn’t believe it happened. It’s a great feeling and we’re going to keep working.”
(General comments on the Dallas defense after three games)
“We have our moments where we don’t do things like we should, but we have to keep working at it like anything you do. But, I think the talent is there, the coaching is there and once we put it all together I think it’s going to be a great thing.”
(On the perseverance of the Dallas Cowboys)
“As a team we came out and we were real slow behind the ball. They (Rams) got off to a good start, but we kept fighting. Nobody looked at the scoreboard and we kept doing our jobs and executed and fought til the end.”
Cowboys CB Morris Claiborne
(On if his interception was at the top of his list of personal bests)
“Yeah definitely. You get that feeling when you can make big plays for your team. It’s just awesome. I’m never satisfied. I still have to keep improving. There’s a lot of bad things. I’m more of a guy to focus on the bad things that I did in this game and not the good so I can just keep improving. I still have a lot of room for improvement and my team expects me to improve, so I have to keep improving.”
(On if he feels the momentum of the game changed with the interception and if the team’s confidence increased after the play)
“Oh yeah. Everyone was excited. When you make big plays like that, like when (Cowboys LB) Bruce (Carter) had the interception that was another big play. It’s just good when you can make plays for your team like that and it gets everyone going.”
(On if this was a game of perseverance and what was going through his mind when they were down 21-0)
“It was just communication, just little things. They made a lot of good plays too. You got to give credit to the Rams, they made some good plays. We just had to keep fighting. We told ourselves we were going to keep fighting, that’s what type of team we are. We’re just going to keep fighting, keep fighting, and keep battling, chipping away at it and we did that. Fortunately enough we came out with the win.”
(On if the team talked about anything at halftime to change anything)
“Not really. Just minor adjustments like always, just corrections. Some of the plays that gassed us and some of the different calls we were going to try to call to stop it. It was nothing too different than any other halftime. We were just trying better ourselves for the second half.”
Referee Clete Blakeman
Pool Report, Conducted by Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
(On who the penalty was called against following Rams DE Eugene Sims’ sack on Dallas’ second-to-last possession)
“97 defense (Eugene Sims).”
(On what Sims did on the play that caused the flag)
“It was reported to me that there was a receiver that was coming across the formation and there was a grab and a restriction of that receiver by No. 97. It’s a judgment call by our line judge and he felt there was enough restriction there to warrant a call.”
(On if the penalty occurred while Sims was rushing the passer)
“I don’t know that. I have not seen a replay of it, so I can’t really comment on specifics like that. But that’s what was reported to me, that there was a grab and a restriction of an eligible receiver by No. 97.”
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