[Ed. Note] Boo, Leonard Davis got hurt at practice but they don't know how bad. Wade explains below.
Wade: Injuries are the same as last week except Leonard Davis got a little hurt in practice today, he did walk off afterwards, but the doctors are checking him. I don’t know the extent. It was the knee and ankle, they were checking everything and we’ll have to see. He got tangled up with guys in a pile on the ground and he stayed down when everybody got up, but he got up and walked off later.
Isaiah Stanback this week?
Depends on how he feels and who we need for the game. I thought he did well and I think Miles Austin did well, we got a couple out to the 35, you want to get it to the 30 if you can.
How do you balance a player’s rhythm and keeping them fresh on the defensive line rotation?
We monitor it well, most of the guys are in good shape and can go longer than what we push them. Sometimes we’ll sub 3 guys in at a time if people are on the field for a long time. It’s situational. It is an advantage the more guys you can have on the d-line that can help. A lot of 4-3 teams have to rotate, but we’ve had guys play every play before. But we want to keep them fresh.
Do you talk to Tony Romo about handling this success?
He handles all that well, if he wasn’t I would talk to him. Wade Wilson has been through this and can help him, Jason Garret helps, too. Tony is mature, it’s the way he feels and it’s not just coach speak, you know "one game at a time," "we can get better," that’s him, he believes that.
Did you know about Jason Campbell when he came out of college?
I saw him play in college like everybody else, I saw a great athlete. I was coaching defense when he came out so I only looked at defensive players. He had a good game last week and looks like he’s developing the way they want him to, you can see the progress. They went no-huddle and let him run the team and call the plays. (Is their offense like Kansas City’s?) It still has Joe Gibb’s imprint on it, it’s Joe Gibb’s offense, they’ll run the ball, be a power team, control the game and throw deep, and now the QB can run. The teams he had that were really good were doing the same things he’s doing now. Al Saunders has some to do it with it, but it’s Joe Gibb’s offense.
What Cowboys/Redskins game stands out to you?
This one. (laughter) It’s the only one I’ve been in. I did see the end of the one last year, kind of scary. I coached with guy who is a close friend who coached at Wash., Richie Pettibon so I got the inside on the rivalry. He’s a good friend but he still hates the Cowboys and wants the Redskins to win. Our team will be fired up, too.
One thing that you’re proudest of so far in Dallas?
It’s not about me, it isn’t. I’m proud our team has come together and are executing well. The coaching staff is responsible for that. I’m just riding the train and clanging the bell. (laughter)
Ken Hamlin’s leadership?
Hamlin came in the first day and was a starter. We had guys who started last year, but he just came in and took over. His attitude was I should be here. That’s his approach, ready to come in and take control. He just started that way. Sometimes when a guy comes over and the team already has a starter they think they just want to make the team. His attitude is to do well and play well.
Have you ever had a guy miss so much time and play well like Greg Ellis?
Bruce Smith. Bruce never went to training camp. A few guys who can do it like that, they have to be real good players. Most players need a lot of work and coaching, he doesn’t need that. He studies what we do but he’s a good player. Some parts of it are natural. You look for the natural feel, pass rush is a feel, you feel like you can beat him here or there. There are techniques to coach to get better, different techniques for different players. He’s been through that, he has the feel and the technique and studies his opponents; how they move their feet, he knows. (What type of pass rusher is he?) He can be anything, he doesn’t have Ware’s speed but he can get around the corner. He has a feel for getting them off balance; he has a whole plan, a real pro. He’s a good pass rusher, He’s had opportunities because we are ahead a lot, although he didn’t play a lot early. He’s hard to block. (How has having Ware and Ellis together helped?) One of them ends up being one-on-one with a blocker. Now they put two backs in the backfield to chip them both. You slide the line blocking one way and the other guy is one-on-one. Having two guys as a threat, that helps us. You can’t double two guys on the outside all the time.
You played Ellis, Ware and Spencer on some plays and moved them around, does that help to throw-off an offense?
We try to get our best players on the field, to come up with something they can do. We move around to do it, we choreograph it. It’s harder for the offense to identify, we’re trying to get matchups. Some of its just to get a one-on-one matchup, at least that’s the plan. (It looked like Eli has some confusion in identifying the "Mike" linebacker?) Our guys told us that coming off the field, that the center called one guy the "Mike" and the QB would call another guy. They settled down a little bit after that. That’s why you have them out there, and we can switch them up where one rushes and one drops into coverage.
Have you ever had a NT like Jay Ratliff that you can drop into coverage?
You saw that. We haven’t had many, if any, none that versatile. We never dropped Ted Washington or Jamal Williams into coverage. Jay can do that, so we include it. It’s what the players can do. He’s versatile enough to drop off the line, he covers the center than is out of there and we get a one-on-one matchup somewhere else. (Did you know Jay played some safety in high school?) We’re not putting him back there. (laughter)
If Davis can’t play, what do you like about Cory Procter?
He’s worked hard, he’s ready to play, like a lot of our guys. You might think if they’re not playing they aren’t working, but he works to get ready, he’s ready to play center or guard.
How is Anthony Henry doing?
We held him out today. He said he felt better today than at this time last week. But we worked him last week and he got sore. We’re taking a different approach this week. We held him out today and he might go some tomorrow. It’s a different approach.
Anybody else held out?
No, I don’t think so. Oliver Hoyte practiced a full practice, everybody else practiced, except for Terry Glenn. (Any update on Glenn?) No.
(Disclaimer: These press conference recaps are just paraphrases of what Wade Phillips says and aren’t vetted for total accuracy on quotes. I shorten and condense things he says but try to get across the intended meaning. Occasionally, what I post loses the context of something Wade said and may appear counter-intuitive. If you have questions about something from the press conference, feel free to ask in the comments.)