Mike McCarthy press conference: Coach discusses the poor run defense, says Biadasz has chance to practice this week

Another game, another loss for the Dallas Cowboys. Head coach Mike McCarthy met with the press to discuss the loss to the Ravens, and how the team must turn around quickly to face the Bengals on Sunday. (All answers are paraphrased and not actual quotes).

Addressing performance and discouragement

Mike McCarthy said that he didn’t have a ton of experience dealing with the adversity that this season has brought and that nobody feels good with the results that the Cowboys have been yielding. He talked about how the group is accountable and how they are going to continue to work towards their overall goals.

Effort issues late in game

Coach thought the finish was not good enough and it is something you don’t want to have to address this time of year. He was disappointed because he thought the offense was productive moving the ball, and the special teams had a big play.

Focus going into the game was Lamar Jackson and limiting big play runs

McCarthy noted that the Cowboys planned on doing what they could to stop Lamar Jackson and the ability of the Ravens to have home run plays. He noted that they obviously fell short in this regard.

DeMarcus Lawrence and Leighton Vander Esch noted they were second-guessing themselves at times

Coach said that when a player makes a mistake it admirable they take accountability. He noted that when he sees a mistake he looks to see if the team did enough in practice to handle the situations. He thought on the fourth-down play that Vander Esch was talking about they had the right situational defense called at the right time, but the execution wasn’t there. He said they’ve had moments when they have practiced the right defenses but it just hasn’t translated to the games.

What the players did on Wednesday

Dallas did not practice on Wednesday, but the team had meetings at The Star. McCarthy added that the early report on Ezekiel Elliott is that they don’t see him doing a whole lot with a calf injury on Thursday or Friday.

Delay of game on a field goal try

Coach said that he felt the team was in the huddle too long and that ultimately you’re responsible for the clock and don’t want to waste a timeout. He noted that the team was set for the field goal and that he was surprised that the ball wasn’t snapped.

Fixing any lack of effort

McCarthy was asked about the Cowboys having a lack of effort and said that like anything you have a methodology and a process. He said the team has an extensive rating and evaluation process that goes on after both games and practices. He noted that every snap that a player participates in a game is evaluated and recorded. He said that he is a big believer in self scouting and that it is a process that he has always done.

Andy Dalton as a starter

Asked if he thought Andy Dalton was still capable of being a starting quarterback in the NFL, Mike McCarthy said absolutely. He said that he believed Dalton’s performance in Baltimore was one of his better ones of the season. He noted that there was a lot going on in the game as far as challenges and that he thought Andy stood up well to them.

Week 15 flexed out

The Cowboys were flexed out of their Sunday Night Football game next Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. McCarthy said that the Cowboys were obviously disappointed about this but it is a result of when you are unsuccessful as a football team.

Tyler Biadasz has potential to return

Asked about injuries currently plaguing Tyler Biadasz, Trevon Diggs and Zack Martin, McCarthy noted that Biadasz is the only one that has the potential to practice this week.