Cowboys 20, Vikings 16
Q. What does this kind of night do for your team, the way you won it and without Dak?
A. I mean, this is definitely a gut-check win for us. We talked about it this morning in the team meeting, hey, it's going to -- complementary football, and coming into a loud place, they're coming off a bye week, this is a difficult place to play, and we knew we wanted to be balanced.
I can't say enough about Cooper being ready, number one, to jump in there and be ready to go, was productive, did an excellent job, commanded the offense. I thought Kellen did a really good job just kind of taking what they were giving us. I have a lot of respect for Mike Zimmer, just the way he's always coached and the way his defenses try to dictate where the ball goes, and Cooper did a great job distributing the football.
We lost the turnover differential, but you look at that, and the offsides there on the punt, and our defense responded every time. The way the defense responded, keeping the point total down, overcoming way too many penalties, particularly on that last drive, defense, but I just think the adversity of the back and forth and the up and down, and I can't say enough about our football team the last two weeks or the last two games, New England and tonight.
Just neutral thinking, just the steady, and we've got a lot to correct, so it's always a good thing as a coach when you win tough games and you have a lot of things to correct because it's an opportunity to grow.
Excellent win for us tonight. We knew it was going to be tough coming in here. Always is. I'm proud of our football team.
Q. What impressed you most about what Cooper did tonight?
A. I knew it was going to be a little bit of a moment until he got settled in. That's normal coming over here. They've done a great job with their home field environment, and I thought once he got settled in, he ran the offense and handled the adjustments throughout the game.
It's really the way our season has gone. I think our coaching staffs are doing a really good job of in-game adjustments. I think communication between the players and just going through it -- we've got to do a much better job on the penalties. We spent the whole bye week breaking them down and going back through them and we had way too many again tonight.
Q. Can you talk about Cooper's poise on that last drive.
A. Yeah, I was glad everybody got to see that because that's Cooper Rush. I think that's a real strength of him. He plays the quarterback position like a seasoned veteran that's played 10, 12 years in the league. That's the man I get to see every day. He's very steady, very intelligent. He's a great teammate. The quarterback room, just the way he conducts himself, I think it reflected in how he played tonight. He was ready to go, and that's what the backup has to do is go in there every week and prepare because he's one play away from getting in there, and I think his performance reflected that.
Q. How big was Amari on the last drive?
A. I thought Amari was huge all night. It was great to see him get some opportunities, get some targets. When Amari Cooper gets targets, it's production. We had a run-pass option on the touchdown. I think when you look at the Xs and Os of it, you thought the ball was going to be handed off, but I think everybody on the sideline knew where the ball was going. No, I thought Amari was big for us tonight.
Q. (Indiscernible).
A. Well, I mean, he's gifted, very gifted. I just think his focus, and it was a one-on-one opportunity, and Amari came down with it. Great focus and concentration.
Q. You talked so much about that Super Bowl year you had with the Packers and how you viewed the 77 guys. Is this another one of those wins like you've talked about?
A. Definitely. Technically we have 84 in the house right now, so we've got more than 77. If we just roll on with our returners and so forth. But I was trying to impress you with my statistical --
Q. Analytics?
A. That's not really analytics, but absolutely. I think in today's NFL it's been evident for quite some time, you have to develop the younger players, and the fact that we are winning games is the most important, but we're playing a lot of young players, and this is only going to pay dividends for us as a football team moving forward. We have guys coming off on our return. The competition that we have during the week is outstanding. It's just a better environment for all of us to work in and grow, but yes, you can't have enough of your own guys.
Q. What did you learn about your football team tonight?
A. What did I learn? I think it just confirmed the ability to fight through adversity. This bunch has a lot of character. They're tight. They enjoy one another. I mean, it's a fun group to coach, and they just don't blink. The sideline, it's just been very consistent, particularly the last two weeks. I thought we really took a big step as a football team fighting through adversity. It's hard to win on the road, I don't care who you're playing. It's hard to win a game as you all know. But the away games are very difficult. We've gotten it done the last three, so something we can definitely build on.
Q. Micah Parsons was especially active. The red zone stop there late, of course the field goal, the penalties. Defensively what stood out for you tonight?
A. I'm not sure, are you talking about Micah?
Q. Micah had a really strong game, and then the defense in the red zone, the field goal late in the game. Just defensively what stood out to you as you look back?
A. I think really the adversity defense I thought was outstanding. I think the response after the turnovers by the offense, obviously the offsides, I thought they had the one long drive with the three penalties that we held to a field goal, I thought just the way they kept battling, I thought our adversity defense was really good.
Q. How did you know Dak wasn't going to play and what's the prognosis going forward?
A. I mean, really, the plan -- we just stuck to the plan. Rick Brown, he kind of led the charge there as far as setting the plan what Dak was doing each and every day and the work he was going to get done. We just wanted to complete the plan and just make sure that we were making a sound decision.
Q. Did Dak count on being ready to play next week?
A. I mean, just to see if he could -- see how close he could get to being ready. Trust me, we've had all the conversations that you all had, just the different options, three quarterbacks and all. We had all those conversations.
At the end of the day you've got to trust the players and you've got to trust the rehab people. For Dak it's a very strong relationship with Jerry Steven. Obviously I know everybody was talking about it, we were talking about it, also, we just wanted to make a good sound decision, and I definitely think we made the right one.
Q. What was it that ultimately made the decision for you and the brass in general?
A. Well, just all the things that went into it. Can he play the game a certain way or can he play the game a hundred percent. We looked at all those things, and frankly at the end of the day I think this was a great opportunity for us as a football team to grow and win through another adverse moment. We didn't have our leader, we didn't have our starting quarterback out there, and we went out and won a tough game in a hostile environment on the road, so it was a great opportunity for us, and I definitely feel like we made the right decision.
Q. There was a special moment between Dak and Cooper coming down the tunnel just a little bit ago right after the game. Dak held him in a bear hug. What can you say about the relationship between those two and what Cooper did tonight, what that means to Dak?
A. Oh, definitely. Dak was his biggest supporter, cheerleader on the sidelines all the way through. Those guys, they've been together a number of years now, so they're tight. They're close. It's a really good quarterback room. Trust me, you look at two guys you want to show examples and symbols of good teammates, look at Cooper Rush and Dak Prescott. That's a great picture.
Q. How powerful is the feeling of confidence breeding confidence in the sense that Cooper probably felt he could do it, now he knows he could do it? You guys felt you could win all these games, close games, now your team knows they can win these games?
A. Well, I don't want to be ignorant, but we knew we would win this game. We had full confidence we were going to win this game regardless if it was Dak or Cooper. That's the way you prepare. There was never any blink. I personally didn't even -- I didn't -- this is how you have to win it. It's like the next guy has to step up and go. It goes back to your question earlier. It takes a lot of people to win this thing. Our players have bought into that.
Q. Did Dak try and talk you guys into playing?
A. I don't -- Dak wanted to play. If it was Dak's decision he would have been out there tonight. It was a group decision, and we made the right decision.
Q. You've talked to us a lot about continuity on the O-line. When Tyron got hurt, was there continuity with Terence on the right side? Did you think about putting La'el in at all?
A. It was more about reps, preparation. La'el went back this week. We have rep rotations and the reps go through the week, so it was more just staying true to the guys that had repped.
Q. How much has Cooper improved because a year ago he didn't make your team? Where did he make the biggest steps?
A. Well, I think he's improved. Number one, his opportunity improved. I think we've got to recognize that. We signed Andy Dalton last year, so Cooper's opportunity to make the team was not the same as his opportunity to make the team this year, so I think that was a big part of it.
He was here every day. I don't recall being -- February, March, April, May, I don't recall a day not seeing Cooper. He was here, very committed, very consistent, so our offense has evolved clearly. It's a different offense than it was last year, so he's evolved with us, so he's done a very good job for us.
Q. How big was the play on 3rd down?
A. Oh, it was huge. Puts us in the ability to score a touchdown as opposed to 4th down and potentially kicking a field goal.
Q. How much do you think this building helped with the preparation of Cooper?
A. I think environment, expectation of what you're going into, I think it helps you get started. You know, it's a hard place to play. (Indiscernible.) It's a difficult place. I think it goes into your preparation. Our guys did a good job all week with the silent count and things that we worked on. At the end of the day we knew it was going to be tough. We knew there was going to be a bunch of adversity tonight, and our guys delivered. Really proud of them.
Q. (Indiscernible).
A. Yeah, no, I just -- you could see right away he tried to go outside. They went after us with nine, vertical balls and double moves and so forth, and I thought our guys once we settled down, I thought (indiscernible) played a really good game. I thought he did a lot of nice things. He's been so consistent, he's just having a heck of a year. Really like the way our guys responded to the challenges that they were facing.
Q. Player's first career touchdown to go for 73 yards; how key was Cedric Wilson to the game plan?
A. Cedric Wilson is a hel of a football player. I can't say enough about him. He can play all the positions, special teams. His throw, (indiscernible) on a scramble drill highlight tape. He's outstanding. But you see the instinct. We caught a cover two, had to cover there, he banged post (indiscernible) well done. I can't say enough about Ced.
Q. A couple plays before the last touchdown, it seemed like Amari was on the sidelines injured.
A. No, he come out and I don't know exactly what happened because when we were talking, he turned around and he said I'm good, so he just went back in, so I couldn't tell you exactly what it was. I don't know if he had to catch his --
Q. He had a hamstring he was trying --
A. Thank you. I'll tell you what, you take Rich's spot, all right, because he's -- that's all he has to do is get the damn injuries.
Q. To have a hamstring injury two plays before and then go back out there --
A. I thought Amari was huge for us tonight. When we have opportunities to get him one-on-one, it's a great match-up, and I thought Cooper did a great job taking advantage of it.
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