Jason Garrett: Tavon Austin dealing with concussion, Taco Charlton competing for active roster spot

It was a magnificent Week 1 for Jason Garrett and the Dallas Cowboys, but now it’s time to turn the page. The Cowboys go on the road this week to face division rival Washington. Let’s check in on what coach had to say to the media. (All answers are paraphrased and not actual quotes).

Concern of overconfidence in the next game

Jason Garrett isn’t going to say anything super spicy with regards to the next game on the Cowboys schedule so he noted that the team has to be objective when watching the tape from last week in order to find out how they can be better. He noted that there was plenty from the tape that they had to clean up and the team knows that. Even on good plays, he thought there were mistakes made. He wanted the team to not look at the results but at the process and clean that up.

Zeke’s strength

Asked how Ezekiel Elliott is able to get stronger as the year goes on the head coach said that Zeke was a really good football player. He talked about how more carries tends to put Elliott in a better rhythm throughout a game which is something that might happen across a season as well.

Handling Elliott’s load

The Cowboys were careful with how they handled the workload for Zeke last week and Jason Garrett said that it’s a process that they take step by step to see exactly how their guys are doing. They will look at how he does today at practice then begin discussions about how to use him.

Players not practicing

Luke Gifford, Mike Weber, Tavon Austin, and Tyrone Crawford are all players who won’t practice on Wednesday. Jason Garrett said that Austin had concussion symptoms after the game against the New York Giants. He also noted that Randall Cobb is doing better with his rib issue.

Byron Jones’ performance

Coach thought Jones splayed well and that they are optimistic about his recovery and moving forward.

Thoughts on September 11th

Today marks the 18-year anniversary of one of the greatest tragedies in United States history. Jason Garrett recalled that he was living in New York at the time of the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and said that he felt it was very important to remember how we rallied together as a country and helped people during a time of such tragedy.

Zeke did a really good job on Sunday

There is a lot of interest in Ezekiel Elliott’s physical shape and Jason Garrett said the Cowboys were pleased with where he is. He noted his weight was good when he came back and had obviously kept himself in shape.

Michael Gallup has improved greatly

Jason Garrett noted that the receiver has grown tremendously due to his own work and the coaching that he has received. He praised Sanjay Lal and Kellen Moore for the work they have done with him, and praised Gallup’s confidence and the fact he is playing fast and is improving.

Earliest memory of Kellen Moore

Jason Garrett said that he always like Kellen Moore and had great admiration for his college career at Boise State. He said that the Cowboys were excited to bring him in and noted that Moore immediately contributed and knew how to play to his strengths and weaknesses. He said that they felt like Moore would eventually transition into coaching and here we are.

Adrian Peterson

Coach said that the Washington running back is “as rare as rare can be.” He threw a lot of kudos in the direction of Adrian Peterson, he’ll be one of the guys that Dallas has to stop on Sunday.

It’s hard to compare Adrian Peterson to Ezekiel Elliott

Garrett has never been one to enjoy comparisons but he did note that both Peterson and Zeke are great players.

Taco Charlton’s role

Asked to describe Taco’s role on the Cowboys, Jason Garrett said the former first-rounder is competing, competing to be able to wear a jersey on Sunday. Garrett did note that not being active isn’t exactly a negative reflection of a player, this is obviously a much-discussed subject, it’s just that they have the 46 active who they feel give them the best chance to help the team. It all comes down to practices and playing in games, and coach said they would go with the guys who they think give them the best chance to win regardless of where they came from or when they were drafted.