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Q. On the second touchdown pass, was that the play Jalen went to the line with?
BRIAN JOHNSON: Which?
Q. Touchdown pass to AJ.
BRIAN JOHNSON: AJ play? Yeah, those guys made a great play. You know, ultimately, like right there you're trying to get the first down and get into that but it was a situation where those two guys made a fantastic play and were able to connect for a shot and get in the end zone.
Q. Was that the play he went to the line with, though?
BRIAN JOHNSON: In terms of -- yeah, it was a pass. It was a pass play to try to get the first down.
Q. I know Nick addressed it but the third down -- what was the thought process for why that's the best play?
BRIAN JOHNSON: Yeah, I think, you know, just in terms of just managing the game, there's always those situations on those third-and-long field goal-type deals where there's a couple schools of thought of strategy and how you want to play that scenario and it works out a couple different ways. There's been times where we've done that and it's hit and you've scored, or you've gotten yourself in a position to go for it on fourth down. You know, unfortunately, it didn't work that time and you know, got to be accountable to that.
You know, for me, in particular, like it's just we've got to try to continue to do the best job we can to put our guys in a position to have success on a play -- on an every-play basis.
Q. Was Jalen doing more to protect himself, which makes sense, but has it limited his ability to be maybe a little more elusive when he is running? Sometimes it doesn't look like he's as explosive, I don't know, just telling you -- has it altered his running style because he has to be more cognizant?
BRIAN JOHNSON: Obviously it's always a fine line and a balancing act. Obviously you want to keep your quarterback out of harms way. It's a really, really long season. You have to do a great job of keeping them up right. He has to continually use his instincts and use everything that he has at his disposal to be the best player that he is, and his legs are definitely a part of that equation.
So I think for us, not only as a staff, but for Jalen as well, it's just continuing to find that proper balance in terms of, you know, him being able to use all of his God-given ability play-in and play-out.
Q. As his play-caller, are you cognizant of that added emphasis to make sure he's protecting himself?
BRIAN JOHNSON: I think as the play-caller, you have to be cognizant of everything. There's a lot of different variables that take place throughout the course of a series, throughout the course of a game, and you know, ultimately, like the job is to call plays that work and try to put the guys in the best position possible and making sure that we're scoring points. And I think we've just got to continue to find that balance and find that rhythm and continue to press forward.
Q. From your standpoint, I asked Nick earlier this week, when it comes to getting Dallas involved, it's been a different guy every week. Said he wasn't concerned. Can you put a finger on why the football has not been going to him?
BRIAN JOHNSON: Yeah, there's been some opportunity. It's been pretty strange because he's had some opportunities where the ball could have or should have went his way, and you know, for whatever reason, there might have been a breakdown in the play or a flushing of the pocket or something like that. Dallas is a fantastic player. We do have to do everything we can to try to get him involved early and often.
But I think it just goes to show his mindset, his selflessness, being a team player and understanding that, you know, he still impacts the game in so many other ways that don't necessarily show up on the stat sheet. If you go back and watch some of these early, early games and just what he does on the line of scrimmage, how he draws coverage, it's still having a positive impact on the game. It's no surprise, because he is one of the best players at his position in the NFL, but ultimately, we do have to continue to try to do a better job of making sure that all of the skill position players are doing a great job contributing to our success as an offense.
Q. (Can you talk about Sua)?
BRIAN JOHNSON: Those guys do a great job and stout is awesome in terms of getting those guys to develop and getting everybody the necessary reps they need to be ready to go and having the confidence to put whoever we need to put in the game, that they can go out there and perform.
So for us, Sua, can't say enough good things about how he came in that game and performed on Sunday. He's a player that has a lot of experience, that's played for a while and knows the system, and he's done a great job for us so far.
Q. We've seen the offensive line have success against Donald, last time they faced him, doubled him the entire game. What's the obvious pitfalls of doing that?
BRIAN JOHNSON: Well, I think the biggest thing is any time you play a player of that magnitude, a generational talent, an obvious first-ballot Hall of Famer, there's a certain level of respect. You know, a certain level of gamesmanship that goes into how you attack and how you set up your plan.
So obviously he's one of the best defensive players to ever play in this league, so he's obviously going to draw a ton of attention but our guys, I think they are all excited for the challenge, excited for the opportunity to go out there and compete at a high level against one of the best to ever do it.
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