The Tuna had a pretty entertaining press conference today. We learned that:
- Romo won't start if Dallas has nothing to play for Sunday night
- The Tuna talks to Flozell almost everyday and says his rehab is going very well
- Parcells thinks Henry is tough enough
- The Cowboys won't be choosing a WR high in the draft but maybe an offensive lineman
- And finally, some Cowboys players may be too cheap to buy Sunday Ticket on DirecTV
Everybody practiced today. Marco took some turns. See how he is tomorrow.
Roy's injury a domino effect on special team packages?
He looks a lot better today. We'll have to see on Sunday.
Does playing a night game give you extra preparation?
No, probably not.
What's the key to facing a passing offense?
Disrupt the timing of the passing. Alter the WR routes or alter the QB's timing. Those are the only two ways.
What do you know about this QB?
I know he was about 33-41 for 354 last week. About 80%. Pretty good.
Is the team practicing this week like a team that has a chance?
Yep. Definitely.
Orlando Pace?
He has enormous physical presence and skill. Enormous. So he's pretty much been a successful player since he arrived.
Suisham kickoffs are a concern. Thought about bringing in someone just for KO's?
You think about it. Its an important job. If I knew for sure that a guy would kick a touch back, I would think about it. But if he's just going to kick it to the 5 and the guy I've got is going to kick it to the 8, I don't think its worth it. I don't have a guy in mind.
Expect surprises from the Rams since they have nothing to lose?
They are pretty indiscriminate about their play calling anyway. They for it on 4th down a lot, without much success. So I don't expect anything out of the normal for them just because they have nothing to play for.
Drew the player you thought he would be when you brought him in?
Yeah, pretty much. I didn't know what my expectations would be. I watched him last year and I knew he could throw the ball. That's not a question. The question was whether I could do a good job of helping him out. I think he's done a pretty good job with the tackle situation being what it has been this year. One thing you'll notice about him is he's never mentioned anything about that. That's good.
Flo's injury more devastating that you originally thought?
There was uncertainty about the tackle position from the beginning of camp. We've had problems all the way through, but I can think of about 10-15 teams who if they lost their starting LT that they would be in a similar situation. I think he's a valuable player for us, yeah. I've seen a lot of maturity in Flozell in the past 3 years. His rehab is doing very well, very quickly. This has his full time attention, and I can tell that he misses the game a lot. I speak to him almost everyday. I saw him this morning. I see all the injured guys every day just to say hello and how you doing?
Did you go with the young players at tackle because you wanted to develop them or because you couldn't find anyone else?
Probably a combination of both, really. Its always good to develop young players, but finding tackles is hard. It really is. They just aren't cruising around out there. Especially this time of year. But even then there isn't many options.
Think Drew can be better next year?
Yeah, if we do a better job of protecting him he'll play better next year.
Henry?
Took turns yesterday and today. We'll see. Better than last week.
Has your opinion of him changed? Is he tough enough for you?
Oh, he's tough enough. This is the first time he's been hurt. Its frustrating for everyone here. Him, me, the trainers, the doctors. With the test we've done recently, its hard to figure out exactly where the problem is. All you can do is ask the player. I don't think he doesn't want to contribute. That doesn't make sense.
If you have nothing to play for by Sunday Night, could we see Romo start?
No.
Do you believe in taking OL high in the draft?
I've given it a lot of thought. My days back in the Giants, we did draft 2 OL with our first pick. We drafted Jumbo high in the 2nd round. We went with the best player available in that era. I would have to say I would definintely consider it if I thought the guy could be plugged in right away and be there for 5-10 years ,if you were lucky. There are other positions I would be more reluctant to do that with than offensive linemen.
Like?
Welll ... (extremely long pause) I think taking WR's real high is risky. For one thing, usually you have more options at that position than all the other positions. And I just see a lot of guys who are drafted high who don't play very good. Now, there are others who play real good like Fitzgerald, but it looks like you have to be a little lucky there.
How is Suisham looking in practice?
Pretty good, but I don't know how this is going to turn out.
Have you talked to the players about paying attention to the other games?
I haven't said a word to them about it. They're going to pay attention, so there's nothing I can say to them about that. Even if I tried to stop them they would cheat. I don't know how much of a distraction it will be. I don't know if the games will be nationally televisied, and I got some players who are too cheap to own Direct TV. Not that that's a bad thing. Being cheap.
Have you ever been in this position before in the final game of the season?
Sure. 1988. We lost the game with 26 seconds to go. It lost us the division title and a trip to the playoffs. We had 10 wins that year, and it wasn't enough.
Did you pay attention to scores back then?
Back then, we didn't have instant updates of games. That's one of the things I like about these days with media saturation.
Fowler or Shanle at MILB?
Probably Fowler. I might use Shanle at long yardage situations. I'm trying to use my personnel best, and Fowler does alright on running downs and Shanle is better in pass coverage.
Do the Rams use less 4 wides with Martz out?
No, to the contrary. That Curtis, you can't just sneeze at him. McDonald has been making plays this year and last year.
Does that force you into your nickel more?
I've never liked to just match defenses. I think it gives the offense and advantage when they know what you're going to do. Carolina matched us everytime, and that's helpful to know. It helped us in the running game. Can we play our base against 4 WR's? Yeah, maybe not every snap. But we can. If they are specifically doing that to get us in the dime defense so run the ball, then you want to do something about that.
What about this game troubles you?
They score a lot of points !! We don't score that many points. They're averaging 23 a game. That's not in the bottom 15 is it? When a team shows the ability to do that, it concerns you.
Does it make you feel better that they give up 28?
Yeah, a little. But I don't want to get in a shootout with them.
Has your team played better without Henry than you thought it would?
The person who has played well for us is Jacques Reeves. He has come in and made some plays for us. He's really improved as a player. He tackles and he's very fast. He's learning how to play. I think at the end of the season he might have to do some thing with his eyes. I think it held him back early in his career. Like a lasik or something corrective like that.
Whats the difference between Vitt and Martz?
I've never coached against Martz as a HC. I've never coached against Vitt either, but hee has a very good reputation among defensive coaches in the league. Fujita knows him well and thinks a lot of him. He's been around for a while and well thought of around the league.
Can you say at this point in the season that you made the right moves in the offseason?
Some of them. Nobody bats 100% on any moves. Nobody hits them all right. Quite a few I feel good about. Others I don't. I'm not going to name them off for you. I'm just being honest.
What did you think Steven Jackson when you were looking at him for the draft?
He did talk him, but I watched him on film. I saw a little of Otis Anderson. He has characteristics that remind me of Otis. Now he didn't have a good OL in college. Not like this kid at USC who can run wherever he wants to.
If you were analyzing for TV, how would you analyze Ware vs. Pace matchup.
Physically, it's a mismatch. One guy weighs 357 and the other weighs 250. But that's a confrontation that only takes place 50% of the time. Its not a full time deal.
Are you already working on tape of possible playoff opponents.
I already have people gathering stuff on Tampa Bay. I already know Washington and Giants.
Terrence Copper?
He's been doing okay for us. He's been in every game for us for the past couple of years. I know I'll get 30 plays out of him per game. 20 special teams and 6 or 8 on offense. He knows multiple positions, doesn't say anything and comes to work every day the same way. I put him up with Reeves. Very improved.
How much has it meant to have Terry for all 16 games?
I can't tell you how hard he trained this year. He's a little to himself type of guy. Comes in the afternoon by himself and just trains. Did a very diligent job and improved his strength. He's really stayed injury free this year. Now, his feet and toes bother him every once in a while because he changes direction with so much torque, but he really hasn't had anything this year with injuries other than the dislocated thumb he had Saturday. And he can catch 1 handed anyway. Based on his record, I couldn't have expected this but his approach and maturity is far better than when he first came in the league. He knows how to do this now. His personal life is in order. He's settled down. He's got a good routine. I'm really happy about that. He's had a tough life, now. This one. This one wasn't easy.
How is Kincade doing on scout team?
I wouldn't be afraid to bring him up and use him, especially on special teams. Covering or running. I've had him for 2 years, and I would have him around this long if I didn't see something about him that I liked.
Source: InmanRoshi at CowboysZone
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