It’s Wednesday of game week, so Jason Garrett addressed the media as we prepare for the Cowboys vs. Giants game on Sunday night. (All answers from Garrett are paraphrased and not actual quotes).
Is David Irving back with the team now?
He came back yesterday to work with strength coaches, he’s not been in meetings yet. We want to get him acclimated, it’s day-by-day. There are some rules limitations on what he can do, we’ll get him involved in meetings then hopefully be ready to go after his suspension ends. He looked good, looked to be in good shape.
Will Randy Gregory practice?
We don’t anticipate him practicing today, he is still in the concussion protocol. Same thing with his knee, he feels good though, hopeful he will be cleared to play.
Thoughts on Saquon Barkley?
He’s a great football player, productive at Penn State, has all the the tools. He’s quick, fast, explosive, strong, he can catch the ball, and can run routes on the outside. He’s a big challenge.
The defense for the Giants has changed.
A little different scheme, now a 3-4 base, still a variety of looks though. They also play 4-man base in certain situation and in nickel, similar to Arizona the past few years. They have good players at all three levels.
Evaluate Eli Manning and the weapons on their offense.
We only have preseason action and one game for this season, but Eli is an elite QB. He has weapons, big time receivers who can run after the catch, a tight end who is outstanding, the running back, he has a lot of weapons around him.
How can you get more out of the receiving group?
You try to refine what you’re doing, make sure you’re doing it at the highest level. You look for ways to give them opportunities. It changes from week to week. We were out of rhythm with minus plays, we need to stay ahead of the chains.
Is Dak more involved in identifying the defense with Travis Frederick out?
He is always involved. There is always communication between the center and the QB. Each of those guys work on it, it varies from situation to situation, but they work together, identifying fronts and protections
Evaluate Landon Collins.
A really good player, can do everything in the run and the pass. They blitz him, he’s just around the ball, you have to account for him and execute well, he will defeat blocks and make plays on the ball.
With the offensive struggles, do you focus on fewer things now, or do you just go ahead with what you’re doing?
You just evaluate what happened, there is not one formula, you evaluate the game, and figure out how we can remedy the issues. Sometimes its paring down, or sometimes it’s doing more stuff.
Why did Scott Linehan move to the booth in this game?
It’s something he wanted to do and he has had done it before in his career. He still has a comfort level and can communicate with Dak. In general when you’re above you can see all 22 on the field better, on the field level you have a better opportunity to communicate individually, but you have less vision of the game.
The difference of being 1-1 and 0-2 in playoff chances, is that a big thing this week?
The biggest thing is coming to work and preparing to do our best, focus on ourselves and what we can do better. Hopefully we have urgency to win every week, coaches and players, every day, every week, it’s very important to feel that urgency.
Do you have any comment on Dez and Jerry Jones being together at the Beyonce concert?
Dez has been a great player for this organization he had a big impact and wish him the best in the future.