Wade: Stanback didn’t practice today, Hoyte practiced. I’d be surprised if Stanback plays. Henry practiced like he has been, not starting, but playing in the sub-packages. Hoyte looks like he’ll start and play. Hoyte did go the full practice, he feels fine, so I think he’s over it.
Decide on a kick returner yet?
Not yet.
Is Anthony Henry getting healthier?
About the same, a ways to go, but we can utilize him in the sub-packages.
Expectations of Tank Johnson’s play?
I don’t know, he looks good in practice but it’s still almost preseason for him. We’ll see where he is in the game, he’s excited and he has fresh legs, I think he can help us. We have a rotation we’ll utilize, use him in certain specific situations and some regular substitutions, depending on how Jay is doing. He has great quickness; I’d say great, unusual quickness for a guy his size. He’s quick off the ball, runs quick stunts, quick pass rusher. (Is he better against the run than the pass?) I don’t know yet, we’ll utilize him against the run where he can penetrate, and pass-wise we’ll see. He seems to have a good feel for our pass rush and the pocket, he might help the outside guys by moving the pocket and not letting the QB step up in the pocket, forcing him outside.
Music again this week?
We got a superstitious team, we play the same songs every week. It sounds good to the players, I like some of it, too. (What are the songs?) Soulja Boy, the other is Journey, I don’t know the names. When we’re doing that they’re doing what they’re supposed to do, stretching, getting ready for practice. Practice is hard, if they can look forward to it and practice better, I’ll utilize it.
Kyle Kosier's play this year?
Kyle got the o-line award last week, we could give the gameball to the whole line but we gave it to him. The whole line had no sacks last week. He played well last week and has been consistent, he’s a smart player, he doesn’t make technical mistakes, he’s good about that.
Is Bobby Carpenter just stuck in a numbers game?
It’s a matter of numbers right now. His attitude is good, he works hard, he does all the right things, maybe it will work out for him.
How important is Brian Stewart?
It was important Stew came here, he knows how I want it done. We’ve had a pretty good run lately. We’re getting used to this, 21 wins and 3 losses in our past 24 games. The other guys are important, too. Paul, Todd and Kacy do a great job. Brian tries to implement the whole thing. The coaches who were here before have told us what the players strengths and weaknesses were and that helped us.
More on the assistants.
You get good character guys, hard workers, most coaches work hard. We got a good mix who are high-character people, excellent teachers. You have to treat the coaches just like the team, same philosophy. That’s the great thing about Jerry Jones, he treats it like one family and that carries over to coaches.
Has Leonard Davis exceeded expectations and why didn’t it work for him in Arizona, he was called a bust?
I thought he was one of the best we played against when I was at San Diego. I’ve been a Leonard fan for a long time. So I’m not surprised, he knocks more people down, right on their backs, he has more KO’s than anybody. (Why the bust label?) Different players in different situations, sometimes they flourish, sometimes not. And expectations play a part, being a high pick and the team doesn’t win, the player doesn’t get recognition. We played against him and I thought he was the best we played against at left tackle. I can’t say what happened in other places. Arizona was all pass when he was there, that’s a disadvantage for any tackle, which was some of it. He’s a good run blocker, and that wasn’t seen a lot.
(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.)