*Watch the live streaming video of coach Gary Kubiak's weekly press conference at 3:30 p.m. CT Monday on Texans TV.
After the Texans and Cowboys played Sunday at Reliant Stadium, the coaches and players from both teams spoke with the media. The following is a transcript of their respective interviews.
Houston Head Coach Gary KubiakLB Xavier AdibiSS Dominique BarberT Rashad ButlerTE Owen DanielsLB Zac Diles RB Arian FosterCB Kareem JacksonWR Andre JohnsonSS Bernard PollardCB Glover QuinLB DeMeco RyansQB Matt SchaubDE Antonio SmithLG Wade SmithWR Kevin WalterDE Mario Williams
Dallas Head Coach Wade PhillipsDallas Owner Jerry JonesLB Keith BrookingRB Tashard ChoiceLB Bradie JamesCB Mike JenkinsQB Tony RomoLB DeMarcus WareTE Jason Witten
Houston Texans Head Coach Gary Kubiak
(on why the Texans were able to dominate the Colts but not the Cowboys) "Well, we played better against the Colts. We struggled today. We made mistakes. We weren't very good in the red zone. We hurt ourselves with some big penalties. Everybody's good in this league. It depends on how you play and we just didn't play good enough to win. Dallas is excellent and they did a great job."
(on if the red zone issues from this game were the same from last year) "No, I think the thing that bothered me, well the first time, was penalties. We went backwards because of penalties the first time. The last time we got our tails kicked. They knocked us backwards. That's just a part of manning up and doing a better job. We've been doing a pretty good job in the red zone but not today. We're one for three and that's not good enough."
(on the performance of the offensive line) "I thought we actually ran the ball pretty good, but we had nothing to show for some of our ball movement because as we stepped forward we would take two steps back. We would move the ball, get plus forty, plus forty-five. We'd get a penalty and end up first and twenty and then we are trying to make a first and twenty. I have to look at the film but average-wise we, ran the ball okay. We get off schedule at the end because we're throwing the heck out of it. Our quarterbacks went down too much in the last two weeks, I can tell you that."
(on what he can do to prevent the quarterbacks from going down) "Well, we had a new left tackle and I've got to go see how he played and evaluate that. You try to do things formation wise and protection wise to help but basically somebody's got to block the guy. Whether you're doubling with the tight end and tackle or whether you're doing it with just your tackle or chipping with your back. You've got to be good enough to get it done. You can't run and hide from the situation. We've got to be better than we were today."
(on if they purposely overloaded the strong side on passing downs) "No, actually our sacks, one I think was just holding the ball and we've got nowhere to go with the ball. Another one, we were in absolute max protection. We couldn't keep anybody else in and that's how we go down on that one. Another one was a blitz and a red zone where (QB) Matt (Schaub) is trying to make a play. I can't quite remember what the fourth one was. I only remember us being hot where we didn't have enough to pick up what they brought one time, if I'm correct. I'll have to go back and look."
(on if he thinks QB Matt Schaub's pocket presence is admirable or if he held the ball too long) "I just said it was one time that I could remember that he held the ball. I think it was the first time we got the ball. We went down, I think from around the thirty, thirty-five and we had third and about three and he goes down on that play and we're not able to kick the field goal we have to punt, if I'm correct. He didn't really have anything right there, you've just got to make sure you don't take the sack and let's put (K) Neil (Rackers) on the field and kick a field goal."
(on if the offense should ever go 58 minutes without getting in the end zone) "I hope not. I give them credit. They did a good job."
(on if he is worried about CB Kareem Jackson's confidence) "I think Kareem's got a lot of confidence as a person and as a player. People are going to come after him because he's young. We're all young back there. It's not just Kareem. He's just going to have to step to the plate. That's the way we're going and we've got to find a way to get it done."
(on what bothers him most about the way we performed on both sides of the ball) "Well, the biggest thing I told the guys was, and that doesn't always mean I'm right, right after the game I've got to look at it but, I'm disappointed. I think we had our chances. We were going to be in a great football game. We're inside the ten, three-nothing game. We had our chances. We went backwards. We're on the one-yard line in a fourteen-point game. The crowd is into the game. We've got a whole quarter left to play and we went backwards. When we really needed to stand up defensively we gave up some big plays. It's an all around situation not just one group or another. We had a couple big penalties. We should have pinned them back on the fifteen. If we keep our poise on the kickoff return by them and then we don't go off sides and give them a free first down. You know, I can go all over the place. We got beat. They did a hell of a job."
(on the ability to balance run and pass on the offense stance) "Well, we try to be as balanced as we can, that's what we want to do as a football team. We were trying to do that and I think we were pretty close to doing that until we got down by fourteen. Then we probably got out of whack from that standpoint, but that's something we want to do. It's something we want to be and hopefully we get that accomplished."
(on the injury status of WR Andre Johnson) "It's the same ankle, he nicked it again. What I was just told as I walked out of the locker room is that they don't think it is worse than it was. I didn't see any reason to let him go out there and take another shot on it. I'm trying to get him to next week."
Houston Texans LB Xavier Adibi
(on his assessment of the loss) "They just made more plays than us. We had chances to get off the field. We didn't tackle that well and we had a chance to get a tunrnover and didn't capitalize. We have to go to the film room and just learn from it."
(on if the loss is harder because of the in-state rivalry) "A loss is a loss."
Houston Texans SS Dominique Barber(on the conversation he had with brother Dallas RB Marion Barber) "The first thing he asked me was if I was healthy. That's just our relationship. It's not about the wins and losses, but it's about us coming out healthy. Then it's okay."
(on the Texans defense lack of turnovers in the first three games) "We've just got to find a way to get the ball back and give it to the offense. When our offense has the ball, they're tough to stop. We've just got to get in there and when the plays are there to be made, we've got to make them."
(on if there are any confidence issues in the Texans secondary) "Absolutely not, we've got great leadership back there. We're going to keep grinding. I know (Texans defensive backs) Coach (David) Gibbs will have us ready for Oakland next week, but it starts tomorrow making our corrections."
Houston Texans T Rashad Butler
(on his assessment of the loss) "We played as a group and guys were out there battling and executing to the best of their ability, but we made mistakes. We couldn't make mistakes like that in the red zone. From here, we look at the film hard tomorrow morning and go prepare for Oakland."
(on the mood of the locker room) Everybody is definitely disappointed because we want to win. Nobody plays the game to just get by or lose. I was playing today expecting to win but that didn't happen."
(on his own performance in the game) "I felt I played fairly well. I cost the team six points when I jumped offsides down in the red zone. That definitely can't happen. I definitely have to play even better next week versus Oakland. My main goal is to get better every week."
Houston Texans TE Owen Daniels
(on his performance today) "I think I just need to execute better. I can't say anything right now. I just need to go back and look at the film. Whatever we need to fix, we'll able to fix it. We have guys who want to work. We can deal with this loss, forget about it, and regroup tomorrow."
(on his thoughts on today's game) "It's tough every week. It's hard to win every week. You're probably not going to win every week. You're going to try your butt off to get that win every week. These things happen. They played well and they deserved to win. We'll regroup. If we can get up 3-1, that's a good start."
(on how frustrating it is not to score in the red zone) "It is. We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times. We got down there and had some penalties that really set us back. Being good in this league is about being good in the red zone. Those are some things we've been trying to clean up since this off-season."
Houston Texans LB Zac Diles
(on what went wrong) "Credit to the Cowboys, they played a good game today. We just had little mistakes here and there that we have to come and hash out when we watch tape tomorrow. Like I said, give credit to the Cowboys. They came and played a great physical game today."
(on the Texans not being sharp and at their best today) "It was pretty much technique-wise stuff. It was stuff that is easily fixable. When we come inside and watch the tape and figure out inside leverage and just be inside. It's nothing that we try to overdo. It's just little technique errors, but like I said, nothing against the Cowboys. They came in and executed their game plan and they came out with the win today."
(on despite losing the Texans still have a chance to have a fine season) "Definitely, we have 13 games left. We have Oakland next week. So it's another road game for us. We just have to go out on the road and come together and play hard and fast and just play good football."
Houston Texans RB Arian Foster
(on his assessment of the loss) "It was tough. We know we can play we just have to execute when we get the chance to."
(on the offense not being able to capitalize in the red zone) "It comes down to execution. We can't put up 3's when we're trying to get 7's down there in the red zone. That's something we tried to emphasize in the offseason. We tried to get it done but it's the NFL; you're not going to win them all. Sometimes it's about how you recover and how you go back to work the next week."
(on how the Cowboys defense was playing them) "We still had over a hundred rushing. We were moving the ball well on the ground we just didn't execute when we got down in the red zone."
(on the outlook of the offense going forward) "Don't jump off the ship yet. It's just one game. That's football. You win some and you lose some but there's always next week. It's about how you rebound. No one is panicking, not even close. It's all about how you come back to work tomorrow."
(on whether he was surprised that they struggled to score in the red zone) "We shouldn't have problems with scoring like we did. Obviously, we expect a lot out of ourselves but you are going to have ups and downs. It's just about getting back to work."
Houston Texans DB Kareem Jackson
(on today's loss being a learning experience) "It's definitely a learning experience. Any time you play like that, it's definitely a learning experience. It's football. You have to go out there and correct it."
(on whether or not the Texans defense lacks confidence) "It's very difficult. I don't think any of us lack confidence. We have a great group, we're confident. Everybody is saying we're young. That doesn't matter. We have to come out here and make plays like everyone else out there. We just have to work."
(on Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo) "Romo is a good quarterback. This is the NFL. Everyone has good quarterbacks. He made the plays that they had to make for them to win. You have to give the guy credit. At the same time, we didn't come out and do the things we were supposed to do in the back end. Anytime you're giving up big plays like that and 27 points, you can't expect to win."
(on his performance today) "You're always going to face adversity. You have to know how you're going to bounce back from it. I'll take this as a learning experience. I'm going to come in tomorrow, watch the game, and correct the mistakes and try and get better each day."
Houston Texans WR Andre Johnson
(on how he feels following the game) "Very disappointed about the loss. Ankle-wise, I reaggravated the high ankle sprain that I had and we're going to do the same thing we did last week as far as treatment and see what happens."
(on how much he was limited following his ankle injury) "It was bothering me. It's been bothering me since I injured it, but I'm able to play with it. If I wasn't able to play with it, I wouldn't be out on the field, so I felt comfortable enough to go out and play with it, but it bothers me a little bit."
(on why the offense struggled to score against Dallas) "We just didn't execute like we want to. We didn't execute our offense like we did the first two games and it showed today. We had penalties and just mistakes that were made, and that's just some of the things that we didn't have happen, or if we did, we found a way to overcome them, but we just didn't find a way to do that today. They were the better the better team."
(on the pass intended for him that was intercepted) "I was actually trying to go by the guy. He kind of bailed out anyway and (QB) Matt (Schaub), he threw it. I kind of stumbled during the route and he picked it off, so we'll look at it on film and at times like that, you would like to have a jump ball because he didn't really pressure me or anything like that, but I just tried to grab him or something to stop him from intercepting the ball."
(on whether his stumble on the interception was due to his ankle injury) "No, I think I might have stepped on him, his foot or something, kind of stumbled, but I'm not sure. I'll have to look at it again to see what exactly happened."
(on if there is a risk of making his injury worse by returning to the game) "I'm not worried about that. I just go play. I'm not worried about my ankle when I'm out there. I'm out there trying to help the team win the game and that's my focus. I'm not worried about my ankle. The only reason is I felt pain when I got tackled today. That's the only reason I came off the field. I went over to the sideline, the doctor checked it out and told me I hadn't done anything worse to it, but I'm going to feel pain every time I get hit on it if I continue to play. You just have to come out for a few plays til it goes away and then go back out there, so that's what I'm going to continue to do until it gets better."
(on where the emotions of the team are after today's game) "Guys are upset. I wouldn't say that we're down. We came in after the game and guys felt like we didn't play to the ability that we're capable of playing. We didn't play our best football today. Guys were saying, 'Hey, let's come in tomorrow, watch the film, fix it and move on to next week.' And that's all you can do. The game is over; you can't go back and and fix anything. All we can do is look at the tape tomorrow, fix our mistakes and move on to Oakland. The attitude in the locker room, the guys were upset because we didn't get the victory, but no one is in the tank. We're ready to come in tomorrow and fix our mistakes and move on to next week."
Houston Texans SS Bernard Pollard
(on the play of the Texans defense) "We keep giving up plays. We make mistakes and we need to stop making them. We can't give up 27 points. We can't do that. I think we have to find some way and somehow to man up and to stop this passing attack. It's been ridiculous. It really has. It's something that we have to improve on."
(on looking at the opponents passing yards from a different perspective after a loss) "They attacked us and we have to finds a way to stop the attack. I think until we do it, teams are going to continue to bombs away on us. You don't want that in the National Football League because these receivers can run and these quarterbacks are accurate. We've just got to be sound."
(on if the youth of the Texans secondary the cause of the giving up passing yards) "We're young, but at the end of the day everybody's getting paid. Nobody's giving any money back. So, we have to improve. Nobody will give a check back. You won't see that in the NFL. Nobody's going to give their check back. I think if you're not going to give your money back, then you'll have to improve. Yes we're young, but at the end of the day these young players are making a lot of money and none of them will give money back."
Houston Texans CB Glover Quin
(on how tough the loss to the Dallas Cowboys was) "It's tough. You come in expecting to win a big game like this and it didn't happen."
(on whether there are any confidence issues in the secondary) "None at all. We just have to go back to work and keep fighting and keep battling."
(on how big it would be if the defense could force some turnovers and interceptions next week) "It would be huge. We caught ourselves trying to win the turnover battle. We lost it today. Nine out of ten times in the NFL, if you lose the turnover battle, you lose the game. They made more plays on defense than we made."
(on whether or not the Dallas Cowboys did anything the Texans were not expecting) "They didn't do anything different. They played and we didn't. We had them at third and long and we just didn't make plays to get off the field. At times, we had to go right back out there and get back to work. "
Houston Texans LB DeMeco Ryans
(on the what the biggest problem was for the defense) "Tackling. We got them in 3rd and long situations and didn't tackle. We just gave up a lot of big plays. We were in a lot better postion to give the offense the ball back but definitely on 3rd down you can't give up big plays and expect to win. On defense, this is the second week we spotted them 27. We can't give up 27 points in this league and expect to win. We got to get things fixed on the defensive side of the ball."
(on whether Tony Romo showed him anything different) "No, nothing he did differently. Our guys just didn't make a play."
(on whether getting pressure on the quarterback has decreased over the last two weeks) "No, we pressured but he got the ball out quickly. That's what you expect. When you're coming and he's already in shotgun with three steps and getting the ball out quick you just have to tackle on the back-end because he has time to get the ball out.
(on what the Cowboys offense did) "Just a lot of draws. It was nothing right downhill or power running. It was a lot of draws and trying to keep us off balance. It wasn't anything special in the run game."
(on being able to make plays as a defense) "We had opportunities. To be a great defense you have to get turnovers. That something we'd done since the first week. We have only one turnover as a defense. Great defenses in this league get the ball out and put their offense in good field position. That's something we're not doing. We have to focus during the week in practice on getting the ball out more."
Houston Texans QB Matt Schaub
(on how he felt the Texans performed against the Cowboy pass rush) "They didn't do anything that we weren't expecting. They're going to line up and run their scheme. We just have to do a better job offensively in our execution—making plays and taking care of the football."
(on goal-line stand late in the game) "We tried to run twice, and couldn't get in. We then had the 3rd down play where we had PI (pass interference) and holding off-set penalties. Then the next try we just didn't execute and had to settle for a field goal. We can't do that if we want to win."
(on inability to score a touchdown in the first 58 minutes of the game) "We want to do what we want to do this year. We can't go 58 minutes without scoring a touchdown. We've got too many playmakers. It's about execution. We were moving the football, but then we hurt ourselves with penalties and turnovers. We just have to clean that up if we want to be a good team."
(on his style of play) "There's times where you try to hang in there, and there's times when you take the checkdown or you try and find time in the pocket. There's a fine line there given the game situation, most definitely."
(on his overall performance in today's game) "I would have to go back and watch the tape. I felt like our guys up front were battling. That's a good front seven that Dallas has. We hung in there and guys were battling to give me time, guys were getting open downfield."
(on how much he feels the Cowboy's good play came out of desperation) "I don't think so. It's that we didn't execute our gameplan. It's about us and what we do. It wasn't about them. It was about us taking care of business and executing our plan and playing football the way we know how."
(on interception of pass thrown to WR Andre Johnson) "I was trying to give him a chance in that situation. He comes back out, and based on the coverage, he was the guy I was going to. They ended up making the play and we didn't."
(on coming in hoping to be 3-0) "We had a lot right in front of us. The opportunity to go 3-0 to start the year. We have got to look at the mistakes that we made that keep us from getting to that goal. We need to fix those things and get ready for Oakland next week. There's a lot worse places to be at after 3 games than 2-1. We have a lot of football left this season. There's 16 games. It's one game. We didn't play up to our level and standard that we have as the Houston Texans. Right now we have to go look at that and critique ourselves. We've got to be hard on ourselves and be ready to go next week at Oakland."
(on T Rashad Butler's play) "I felt Rashad stepped in and played extremely well. Obviously we will have to watch the film and check out how everyone was doing. I felt like he hung in there and really battled the whole game. He was very confident in what he could do and I had a ton of confidence that he was going to go out and play well. I feel like coming out of the game that he did that."
Houston Texans DE Antonio Smith
(on what went wrong) "I think they executed their offense a little bit better. They made big plays. When you make plays you'll know you'll win games. I think in the end we didn't make enough plays."
(on if the loss came down to the Texans losing the turnover battle) "Not getting turnovers is a big thing especially when you're in the minus category. What happen is that they went back to the drawing board and studied us and changed their game plan. As a defense if we want to be great then we'll have to adapt. I think that's what they did. They threw the ball quick and got the ball off. They didn't let be disruptive and get in (Dallas QB Tony) Romo's face. They max protect a lot, so that gave him a lot of time to get the ball of quick."
(on if the Texans defense didn't adjust to what Dallas was doing) "They just had a good game plan. We got to learn how to adjust at any game plan you bring up."
(on if this loss took away a lot of momentum from the team) "I don't think it took a lot of it away. I think it actually helps you. You go to the film room and study your weaknesses and how you're opponent want to attack you and it helps you to be a better team. In games like this sometimes you over look things. Instead you should go back a watch for what is causing you to lose games and you figure out how to stop it."
Houston Texans G Wade Smith
(on if he thought that T Rashad Butler was comfortable in his starting role today) "He was no different from what I've seen about him. I didn't feel any intimidation from or anything like that. (Dallas OLB) DeMarcus Ware is a great player, but he put his shoes on the same way as everybody else. I think (Texans T) Rashad (Butler) went out there and did his job."
(on what was most surprising about today's loss) "I think that we weren't consistent enough. We make a big play and get a penalty. We get in the red zone and get a penalty. You go to score points in this league. The offense scored 13 points and that's not good enough. It's not going to win games in the NFL."
Houston Texans WR Kevin Walter(on what went wrong during today's game) "They came out and they outplayed us in ever phase of the game probably. It's early in the season. We're 2-1. We wanted to be 3-0. We just have to get the job done next week and move on."
(on whether or not the Texans ever thought they were out of it) "You never think you're out of it. If you think that way as a player, you shouldn't be on the field. We know what we can do. Obviously we didn't get it done. We have to put more points on the board. We have to capitalize in the red zone. We didn't do that today and that's what hurt us. "
(on whether the Dallas Cowboys surprised the Texans at all) "They played basic defense. They've got a good defense. You have to give them credit. We knew what kind of atmosphere it was going to be. We knew we were going to be fighting all day. They got the job and we didn't"
(on whether or not the Texans came ready to play) "You hope days like these don't happen. This is the NFL. If you don't come to play each day, you're not going to win. They came out ready to play. We were ready to play, but in the end, they made more plays than we did and that's how they won the game."
Houston Texans DE Mario Williams
(on today's loss to the Cowboys) "We didn't make the plays to win the game. That's pretty much our problem."
(on how disappointing the loss was today) "It's very disappointing, but at the same time, we have a lot of corrections that are possible and are to be made. We'll be alright."
(on what went wrong from his perspective) "We didn't get turnovers and they did. We failed to get the ball back in our hands throughout the game. If we don't win the turnover game then it'll be hard for us to win."
(on how surprised he was of this loss) "It's was just one of those things that if we won the turnover game then we would've been alright."
(on the Texans failure to get to Dallas QB Tony Romo) "When you throw the ball that quick then it'll be the same way. He was letting the ball go tremendously quick. We'll be alright."
Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Wade Phillips(on the victory) "Our team came out and showed the way we can play. The little things that were missing for a couple games, I thought we came through with. We played solid all the way around, mad a lot of big plays in the game. Its nice to come back to my hometown and win this game. We said there was a sense of urgency, we needed to win this game. We put some pressure on ourselves to win the ball game and we came out and did it. We had a lot of guys that played really good, a lot of guys that impressed me. You could tell that we were ready. I emphasized that we need to be that ready every game. And that's a promise that I got from the team, that they will be. It's a nice victory. I thought our defense played great. They have a heck of an offense. It shows you at the end of the game that if you play zone against them, they can move the football with the passing game. As the game went along, I thought we got better and better. You can tell the receivers and (QB) Tony (Romo) are starting to click. And we ran the ball well. We had a lot of people out there, especially at the end of the game, making first downs to put them away."
(on WR Roy Williams' big game) "Yeah, big game for (WR) Roy (Williams). But we expect that. We expect that and I know he expects that."
(on whether or not the players' team meeting helped) "It did now, yeah. The players' team meeting helped now. I think its just the team itself getting ready to play. We practiced well all week. It's a combination of a lot of things."
(on the players taking ownership of their responsibilities) "Well, I felt they did all week. Who knows if you're ready, but I thought we were ready. Some good things happened. Our field goal kicker kicked a 48-yard field goal at the half. That was a big play for us. We had confidence in him and he came through for us. Those kinds of things really help you out."
(on the two 4th down conversion attempts on the first drive of the game) "We wanted to be real aggressive. We went for it on 4th down twice. We thought we could make it and we didn't. We made one of them. We had them down there right in between kicking a 50-yard field goal and having a chance to make it. We thought that we had a better chance to make it."
(on the team's red zone defense) "We've been playing pretty good on defense. I think we have a pretty strong defense anywhere on the field."
(on whether or not the timing of the team's goal line stand was significant) "Oh, yeah. The sack made them go for the field goal, and the game was over. When they went for the field goal there, they had no chance. And they couldn't go for it because it was too far back."
(on the team playing well with its back against the wall) "I just think that this season we've lost a couple games that didn't feel like we should have and we did. We're 1-2. We can't be 3-0. But we learned from it. We worked hard from it and I think we're going to turn this around."
(on QB Tony Romo's play) "Well I thought Tony was outstanding again. He's played well all three games. His command was pretty good. You could tell he was on the same page with his receivers. That last touchdown to (WR) Roy (Williams) was great. Roy made a great move and he put it right on the money. That's what we had seen in the past, for some reason, Roy ran those slants and the pass was behind him or Roy cut it too short. They got in sync today. I think that's good for us and bad for the teams that play us."
(on whether there was anything he saw this week that made him think his team would play this well) "Well I felt we played well the first game and the second game too. So don't ask me. Ask somebody else. I'm around them, and I know how they felt. It was a real emotional week, especially for (NT) Jay Ratliff. All these things come together."
(on how the team prepared for Texans DE Mario Williams) "Well they have a tough defense. We knew that going in. We faced (Chicago Bears DE Julius) Peppers and we faced some pretty good guys already in the first couple games. I think we only got sacked once this game, and we only got sacked once in the other two games"
(on any players that stepped up and took a leadership role before the game) "Well, there were quite a few of them. The guy that stands out to me was (LE) Marcus Spears. Our captains too. (ILB) Bradie (James) is very vocal. (C) Andre Gurode is another guy. You have to back it up."
(on the personal significance of tying his father for wins as a coach) "It proves I've been in it a long time. I mean, he's my hero. I think he's one of the greatest coaches that I've ever been around. I've been around several Hall of Fame head coaches. I've been around guys with 200 wins. He's the best I've ever been around."
(on how tough a week it was, knowing his team could be 0-3) "It wasn't a possibility, in my mind."
(on what led him to be this confident in his team) "It was a combination of things. I've been around for 34 years and I've been around teams that have a lot of heart."
(on DE DeMarcus Ware's play) "Yeah, DeMarcus has been playing well. He's an outstanding player, and he gives us everything he has."
Dallas Cowboys LB QB Keith Brooking(on sack of Texans QB Matt Schaub on goal line) "We call those "lay ups." I was just concentrating on getting (Schaub) down to the ground because it was a crucial time of the game and crucial down and we held them to a field goal. The play before that with the pass interference, you try to make up for that a little bit. It was a close call. Right place at the right time."
(on both teams maybe holding back in the first half offensively) "We were playing consistent on defense. We came in to the locker room at half time and felt really good about where we were offensively and defensively. They gashed us on a couple of runs. They have a great running scheme and it's designed to get you out of your gaps with zone blocking. They did a good job with that. They creased us a few times but I felt overall, especially in the second half, we were consistent in stopping the run and preventing the big plays which is what killed us last week. We prevented them from throwing the ball over our heads and they have the best receiver in the league even though he was banged up a little bit. You're going to be hard pressed to drive the ball on this defense if we keep the ball in front of us and make the tackle."
Dallas Cowboys RB Tashard Choice
(on running the team running the ball more) "We made (Cowboys QB Tony) Romo more efficient. That's huge for our offense. We controlled the clock and let the defense. It was a good feeling."
(on shutting dow the Texans offense going in to the bye week) "It's huge because you never want to start 0-3. You want to start with wins. Unfortunately, we played well in the first two games but didn't get wins. Now we have to put forth a good effort every time out. This is how we can play and what we're supposed to play like. It was a "let's go" game."
Dallas Cowboys LB Bradie James(on getting first win of the season) "Total team win. We win as a team and guys just played with fire. We wouldn't be denied. I hate that they scored at the end because defensively, we kind of came out not wanting those guys to score. We felt like last game they scored too many touchdowns on us. Our communication was great. Our offense played well. Special teams played well and guys just showed up today and we have to have that in order to win. It's so hard to win in this league. You can't just think you can step out there and guys are going to lay down for you. You have to go out there with fire and relentlessness."
(on defense forcing turnovers) "That's been something we've been missing. We've been chasing the quarterback and finally got him. Sacked him a lot. Nobody wanted to go out there and just play for credit, we wanted to get a (win). You don't want to go in to the bye week with a loss and be 0-3. So guys just took it upon themselves, communication was great and it was total team effort. Now, I'm kind of happy we have the bye week early so we can come back on fire."
Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo
(on how he prepared himself for this game) "I think preparation wise, it's the same each week. I don't know that anything changes. You've got to put forth a lot of time watching what they do, try and get a game plan together of what you think they're going to try to do, what they're good at and what you think you can expose them with. They're good. That is a good football team. This is a tough place to play and we just kept grinding out. I felt the guys played really well, great game today."
(on offense stepping up) "It's important. We ran the ball well. I thought the offensive line played a great game. I give them credit. They fought all week and they played great in the game."
(on feeling a sense of relief after this win) "There's no sense of relief. For us it's important for the season going forward to win today. We knew that we needed to come out here and get a win. We're still in a position where we've got to keep grinding to get out of this and we understand that. We know that it's not always going to be perfect, but we've got to find a way to keep getting wins. The commitment level is there, the effort levels have been there. We just have to minimize the mistakes and things that get you beat, and make the plays when you're there. Relief just seems like a bad term, from my perspective, it's an exciting feeling."
(on the first few 3rd and longs getting him in to a rhythm) "I think it's a tough environment. It's a loud stadium. Their fans are passionate. They did a great job. They have a good front seven, it's a tough place for us. You don't want to be in a lot of 3rd and longs. When you go long percentages go down, but there's also a time and place where someone has to step up and we need to make a play, you just can't get off the field. I think the first 3rd down was a long one and it was a big play. Big catch by (WR) Roy (Williams) on the sideline and it got us going a little bit."
(on team playing well with their backs against the wall, last year and this year) "Last year I don't know, I think it's a different team. Every year is a new year. We're finding our niche for what we're going to calling and what we're going to be doing a little bit. You never really know until you start to see what things start to work, what guys are good at, and what we can handle. You've just got to play around with it. As we continue to get better with different personnel in different positions, that part of it grows. Effort wise, the effort didn't change from last week to this week. You look at the tape and the efforts there. You've got to not do the things that get you beat and you've got to make the plays when they're there."
(on how confident he felt going in to this game after a great week of practice) "I talked about this all off season, and we obviously were in a situation and we still are. To get over the hurdle that we need to take from previous seasons or last year, there's a mental toughness to it. There's this mental fortitude that you've got to be down 10 in Minnesota, you're back's against the wall, and no one's giving us a chance etc., and you need to come back and still find a way to execute the next play, and the next play, and the next play, and do it at a high level. For us, that's really what you have to do. You can't get caught up in what people talk about each week. It's a bunch of fluff and crap, and that's just part of it. I think that what happens is you just go ahead and keep going forward. You keep grinding. Now, are you always going to win? No. Are you always going to lose? No. But I do know that's the only way you have a chance to be as good as you need to be."
(on biggest difference in their running game) "The running game was tremendous tonight. I think that allowed us to keep the ball away from their offense a little bit at different times. I know at the last two minutes of the half I feel like we only had three possessions in the game up to that point. That just goes to show you how important a possession is, or a flag, or a penalty, or whatever it is that can get you taken off the field. When you're running the ball and eating the clock, you're able to minimize and keep yourself at good distances, and it makes my job a lot easier and gets everyone going a little bit too."
(on WR Roy Williams having a good game) "Yeah I am happy. I am happy for (WR) Roy (Williams). He comes to work. He works real hard and this is great to see. He had a great camp this year. He did a good job in the preseason and I don't think this is any big secret, he's just doing what he's been doing day in and day out. He was in the right spot and he made a couple of really big plays and that might have been the difference."
(on making improvements each week) "You start to figure out what you do well. What we're not quite as good at, where we're OK. When someone consistently can't do this, we've got to quit calling the play, or if someones not going to be able to cover this guy, then we're not going to put them in that situation. Over time you start to learn that as a football team. I think as we go forward, we're starting to get better at that. The first two games we lost, but we still moved the ball. You're not judged off that. You're judged off putting the ball in the end zone and winning the football game. That's what we did today."
(on getting the field goal at the end of the first half) "I just told (K) David (Buehler) that is was huge. You understand the points obviously matter, but the momentum side of actually getting the ball down there, this isn't just a normal ending to a half. Just having a field goal you change field position. You kick off, they get it at a certain spot. The offense feels like they've accomplished something when they come off the field. The psyche of it matters. You never know late in a game when it comes back and that field goal allows you to be within a score, or you're up more in a score, they're just tremendously important."
(on great play action during last two minutes of half, getting in a two minute mode) "We talked about getting in to that a little bit. Our guys do a great job of knowing what to do when we get in that mode. These guys have been in the system a long time. We communicate well and we've had success since I've been here doing that. I give credit to the guys working hard every Thursday when we do that. These guys run, they go through the whole practice, then at the end of practice we get in to two minute mode and I make them work because it's important. You look at our games and twelve of the games are going to come down to one team or the other have two minutes. Probably all of them are. If you look at the statistics it happens a lot and it's an important part of the game."
(on how he thinks Texans QB Matt Schaub played) "I'm not watching the defense every play so I'm not sure. One of the biggest misconceptions is how people go against other quarterbacks. You're playing against different defenses, different looks and everything. I think Matt's been playing really good football for a long time now. He's a big reason why this team has turned it around, I know that. The biggest step they probably took was getting him in there. This teams going to be really good, they're going to be tough to deal with the rest of the year, they do a lot of good things."
(on how WR Roy Williams handles critiques and criticism) "I give him credit, he really doesn't show it. He doesn't show the sides that get him down. He just comes in and goes to work and he's committed to the approach and really he is the kind of guy that you don't know how everything is affecting him. It's a good trait to have, to be able to keep going forward. You've got to put all that stuff aside and come out and be able to be your best on this next play, in this next game. If he or any of us decided everytime we listened to or read something about us not being good enough, we'd never come out and do anything well. You've got to have the mental fortitude that allows you to keep getting better and keep improving and give you a chance to be as good as you can be, and he's an example of that."
Dallas Cowboys LB Demarcus Ware
(on sense of urgency to win the game) "I think it's knowing the importance of what you're playing for. We're playing to get out of this slump. We're not trying to be an 0-3 team going in to the bye week. Winning is going to motivate us to play a lot better."
(on losing to Texans in pre-season) "Coming in to this game you have to have some type of chip on your shoulder, some type of anger. A lot of mistakes weren't made that were made in the pre-season game."
(on defense getting turnovers) "Anytime the defense can get turnovers, those are key plays that let the offense get the ball and go down the field and score some points. That's what it's about."
Dallas Cowboys TE Jason Witten
(on Cowboys QB Tony Romo and Cowboys WR Roy Williams getting in sync) " You can't be happier for Roy with all the criticism he's taken the last couple of years and he's just stayed with it and played big today. We knew we were going to need him. That's what we're used to in this offense; run it, run it, run it then boom a slant for 60 yards or so."
(on critisicm the team had taken for being 0-2) "We still need to play better. We're exhaling a little because we didn't want to be 0-3 but we still need to climb ourselves out of this. Just keep digging one day at a time."
(on 90 yard drive after Cowboys CB Mike Jenkins' interception) "That was the turning point of the game and it was a great play by Mike to get the turnover like that. When you get those turnovers you have to capitalize on them."
(on playing well in every phase of the game) "That's what impresses us more than anything. This team understood where we were at. Everyone took accountability and we knew we had to play well. It has to stay that way though. Not to undermind this win because this is big, but we have to continue to play well at a high level. This is what we need to look at as a blueprint for how to play."
