Opening remarks: "The last game was a good one. It starts with the offensive line, they played pretty well. Our tight end (Brent Celek) played real well. Our quarterback (Donovan McNabb) played exceptionally well. All of the receivers played at a high level. (FB) Leonard (Weaver) excelled at a role that is fairly new to him with us. (RB) LeSean (McCoy) broke out there on that one run. That game is over. We need to move on. We started to refocus yesterday on a big game here on Sunday night against the Cowboys."
On how much better Dallas is playing defensively than at the beginning of the season: "They are playing at a high level, defensively. They are highly talented. They are playing fast. They're playing with confidence. The general statistics, with the exception of third down, they're pretty good on third down, but the general statistics, they aren't ranked real highly in many things except the third down. However, they are giving up very few points. They are a top-10 team in giving up points. I categorize them as a top-10 team, defensively, especially after the past couple of games."
On whether the Cowboys are rotating linebackers more than they have in the past: "Yeah, (LB Bobby) Carpenter is in on situational aspects of the game, especially their sub packages in the nickel, he's an active player. He's very good. He's made a couple of real good tackles with a blocker right there. In fact, he got cut one time and then made the tackle immediately after that for a two or three yard gain on third-and-about-eight. He's playing at a high level and they are using him and they are putting him in situations that are his strength, so he's doing a good job there. He has coverage responsibility as well. He blitzes. It looks like he's tackling well."
On Cowboys LB Keith Brooking: "Brooking, I've always had great respect for him as a football player there in Atlanta. He's a heck of a player and I think he brings some juice for them, too. He's playing at a high level as well."
On how much Celek's blocking has helped: "Brent is playing at a high level both on the line of scrimmage and in the pass game. He's doing an exceptional job. There are a couple of things that we can get better at there. We try to get better every day at something, individually and as a team. He certainly is playing at an exceptionally high level, so his challenge is to get better at something every day and then continue to play at that high level on a consistent basis, but I would expect him to do that each and every game. Sometimes the stats will be a little bit better than others, but even when the stats aren't, he's playing at a high level."
On Cowboys DT Jay Ratliff: "He's a heck of a player. They are talented across the board. They are talented up front. They're talented at linebacker. They have some excellent cover corners and their safeties are very good, they play sort of toward the call so they free themselves up just a little bit. They are a highly talented defense with an excellent scheme, and Ratliff is one of those highly talented players. They've put him a situation where he either draws help or the matchup usually is in his favor."
On how RB Brian Westbrook looked in practice yesterday: "Good. I think he's good. He's one of the dynamic players in this league when he's healthy, so I'm anxious to get him back."
On the physicality of the Dallas defense and where he thinks they rank in the league: "They're a physical football team. They come after to you. They are aggressive. Now, they had some injuries last year, if you remember, so that sort of took them out of the game that they want to play. They are playing very aggressive right now. They are a little bit healthier at the cover spots. They've added some people to the linebacker spot, and they've always had an excellent – (LB DeMarcus) Ware is the guy that you have to know where he's at every play. Then, the problem you have is they have some other, we already talked about one of them, but they have some other men where if you get them in a one-on-one situation that the matchups are usually in their favor."
On him saying a few weeks ago that the Wildcat wasn't working, and whether that is the reason why they didn't use the Wildcat much last week: "I don't think I ever said that, that it wouldn't work. It's been pretty good. The one ball game where our yards per carry was down just a little bit, we misblocked a couple of things and it's my responsibility. We have to block the thing right. We were seven-on-seven inside the box. That stuff is good. We'll use it. We'll use it situationally. If it's working we'll use it a little bit more. But we misblocked a couple of things that ball game."
On how different Dallas is this year compared to last year's 44-6 victory: "Last year's game has nothing to do with this year's games. They're a different team. Now when you look at it and you study and players look at it and those sorts of things, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the next ball game, even in the same year it has nothing to do with it. Teams change drastically from week to week, let alone a whole season."
On how beneficial it is having Westbrook back on the field in whatever capacity he is used: "It's good to have Brian Westbrook back. Brian is one of the elite, dynamic players in this league when he's healthy. Like I said, I'm anxious to have him back. You're right, you can put him in so many different spots where he's effective and put a little more heat on the defense that way. This is a team that you can do that with."
On whether he has ever had so many new players in key roles: "The fullback is new here. The left tackle (Jason Peters) is new. (G/T) Todd (Herremans) has been out. We've been banged up pretty good. Those guys up front, there were three of them – I was concerned a couple of weeks ago about making it through the game, more than a couple of weeks ago, but they gutted it out. We're a little bit healthier there, so that's first. Second, your main question I suppose is there are a lot of new players and young players, yeah. This is probably the most, yeah. I haven't gone back and figured it out or anything; I don't pay much attention to that because they are all good players and so they are talented. Then, it's my responsibility and the responsibility of the assistant coaches to get them playing at a high level as quickly as possible and that's what they've done. Now we've been up and down just a little bit and so hopefully we can play at that high level that we've played at in more than spurts. We play at that high level and do it a little bit more consistently. I will tell you that with all the new players and the young players that are playing for us on offense, the assistant coaches, the individual position coaches are really key there. I'm fortunate we have some of the best position coaches there are in this league. (Wide receivers coach) David Culley, he's had a rookie back-to-back (years) starting, along with other new players. (Tight ends coach) Tom (Melvin)'s done a great job with the tight ends. He's had new guys in and the tight ends that play for Tom play at a high level. Same with (running backs coach) Ted (Williams), every running back that comes in that plays for Ted plays at a high level. Then, (offensive line coach) Juan (Castillo) takes free agent guys and mulls them into a pretty good offensive line. Then, (quarterbacks coach) James (Urban) has done a great job with the quarterbacks this year. We have great talent there and he's done an excellent job there. Then, (offensive quality control coach) Doug (Pederson) is involved in many aspects of what we do. But my point is, we have great position coaches and they take great pride in what they do. They bust their butt and the players understand that and in return the players bust their butt and then it works that way."
On how the Cowboys can use Ware anywhere: "That's a good point. They do play him a little bit unexpectedly where you may not plan to see him. That's a gameplan thing. You try to know where he's at. The one thing I'll say about him is he is a dynamite player. He is fast and quick like a running back-linebacker-receiver type guy. He's big and strong as well. He's really an elite player in this league and one of the best pass rushers. He had 20 sacks last year."
On how much he has discussed the Cowboys' defense with special assistant/defense coach BrianStewart: "I discussed it with him. He has great knowledge. That's normal for what we do."
On the amount of extra work the coaches do with rookies after practice: "We always do a lot pre-practice and post-practice and you'll probably see more in post-practice. Now this year there is extensive work and there were some reasons for that. (WR) Jeremy (Maclin) came into camp late so that was important. We had a lot of new and young players that we were counting on. Then, with (QB) Michael (Vick), it was really important that way. Then, with (QB) Kevin (Kolb), who is a young quarterback, great experience in preseason, and had not played much in all in a league game, it was important for him as well. All of those things were important and all of the fellows I mentioned did a heck of a job with that. And then we still continue that."
