What Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said after Monday’s lopsided loss to Texans

After Dallas lost 34-10 to the Houston Texans at AT&T Stadium on Monday night, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy met with the media after the game Here’s everything he had to say. Quotes courtesy of the Dallas Cowboys media relations staff.

On what Houston was doing to take away the running game

“Yeah, we had a couple looks with motion. It was just more about how they reacted to it. Particularly in their big nickel deal. We went to some base big fronts. I think we didn’t win hit on any of those. Just really couldn’t get it going, frankly, you know the run game. That was a primary focus coming into this. I would have liked to have been a lot more balanced, run and pass. I don’t want to throw the ball 40 times. And then, you know, I think just with the injuries up front. You know, their pass rush got going there, you know, after we got a two-score game and they got to a three score game.”

On going for the fourth down instead of kicking the field goal

“Fourth and two, had a good play, had a run play there, got the coverage we needed. It just wasn’t clean on the outside. We got flushed and had a chance on the over route there. It was a clean play. And I think it’s just like anything, you can’t have it both ways. You know, we’re trying to play it, you know, exactly right, managing the game. You know, 14 play drives. Obviously, had the big penalty on the field goal. But we needed seven there. You know, fourth and two and everything that we’re talking leading into that series that that’s a go for it situation. I felt good about the call.”

On explaining the five straight losses

“It’s very frustrating. It’s frustrating for everybody, frustrating for players, frustrating for coaches. I know it’s disappointing for the fans. We have a lot of moving parts going on, and we just have to be cleaner and more detailed in certain spots. We’re not playing well enough, executing well enough, coaching well enough to overcome some of the mistakes we’re making at the critical times of the game. Even in the first half, we had some opportunities there, you know, to get some more points and didn’t get it done. We just have to play cleaner in these tight spots, and we did not do that tonight.”

On the fake punt

“It was not a high priority. It was a check that reacted to what they were doing, and then they dropped the guy in the coverage there from the backside. They won the chess match there. That was a poor call by us.

On the youth of the team and if he’s having to rely on playing younger players due to who’s available “I’m playing who we have to win the game, everyone who’s healthy. We had a long week of practice, but we had a number of guys that didn’t make it. So, you know, these guys practice, we’re playing the best players to win the game. I think the one thing I guess I should’ve did at the end, and I just I didn’t do, was put Trey Lance in there. I could’ve gotten him a series. That’s one thing that I would second guess myself on. But other than that, we got guys going down, there was a number of guys that went down during the game. You just got to keep playing.”

On if he feels good about how hard his team is playing

“Yeah, I thought they fought. Absolutely. We’re just, you know, our problem isn’t effort. It’s not ever during the week. I haven’t seen that. We’re not making critical plays. You know, the big play ratio, we were minus four at halftime. And that’s usually a pretty good indicator of how the flow of the game’s going. You usually have 16 big play opportunities at the half. Obviously, it didn’t go very well for us in the second half too. We just got to stay after it. We got some young guys playing. We got a six-day week. But, yeah, I’m disappointed. I’m frustrated for our guys because I know how much they put into this. We just got to keep banging away here.”

On Tyler Guyton

“He’s just young. I mean, he’s young and this is what he needs. He has a bright future ahead of him. He’s just very green right now.”

On if he had any thought of putting Trey Lance in earlier during the game and if he thinks he will play more this week

“Yeah, I really just didn’t want to get into, you know, putting him in for a play or two. He’s more than a gadget player, in my opinion. So, we had him prepared to take a series, and frankly, there at the end, I should have gave him that series, and I regret not doing that.”

On Tyler Guyton carrying the fumble

“We’re not teaching offensive linemen to carry the ball, that’s twice now. That was a big play obviously in the game. We need to fall on the ball.”

On how he keeps this team from getting frustrated

“Well, I mean, hell they better be frustrated. I mean, we’re all frustrated. You know, I think there would be something wrong if they weren’t frustrated. So just very honest with everything, and stay in tune with what’s right in front of us. That’s the only way I’ve ever done it. And so, we got a tough road game, got a division game coming up. It’s disappointing. I thought they definitely put the prep in this week. We had some guys that didn’t make it. We had some different practice patterns that we went through. For the most part I thought these guys were ready to go and came out ready in the first half.”

On the pre-snap penalties

“The 12 men on the field, they made a late substitution there. That’s the hardest substitution situation in the game. You know, going in the goal line and red zone and so forth. We didn’t have a chance to match it there and got screwed up. And hen the one on Bones with the field goal, there’s miscommunication. Yeah, that’s something that’s uncalled for. I mean you’re preaching about penalties, especially at this point. Alright a challenge, but we did have a lot of moving parts today, with guys getting injured, and you know who’s up on the field goal block and things like that. It’s normal in the course of a game, but we definitely have to be better there.”

On if he will approach practice any differently this week

“Yes, we’re on a six-day week. So, it’ll obviously be different. There’s only so much you can do on Wednesday. We won’t be in pads until Cincinnati week. So, we will do as much as we possibly can to get ready to go beat Washington.”

On what he draws on to get out of something like this

“I feel in times of adversity the confirmation comes into what you know from your past experiences, but also just trust the people in the room; the people that are doing the work. I believe in this locker room. Our leadership, most of it has been injured. There is good coming out of this. You don’t see it because we’re not winning games. But there’s young men that are getting an opportunity to do more. And I do believe it pays, it’ll pay forward. It needs to hurry the hell up because we

need it in six days; but this is just the reality of what we’re going through. I do believe it, because it’s not only what they do for the organization, but the energy and the effort that they give me. I have every reason to believe that we can play better. We have to be cleaner. The discipline and details; you’re tired of hearing about it but I’m just going to keep pushing it and make them focus on it and I do believe we’ll come out on the other side.”

On if he got any update on Zack Martin’s injury?

“He just told me it was the other ankle when I last saw him in the locker room. But I did not go to the training room.”

On the various injuries that Zack Martin is dealing with

“I just think the big thing is, for every guy, and especially specifically talking about Zack, he’s established here. He has a great rapport with our medical staff. So, we’re always going to do right by the player. He is giving us everything he can.”

On playing young players

“This is it, man. We got seven losses. We’ve got to go. Backs against the wall. We got to fight, scratch and claw. We’ve got to do everything we can to go win the next game. That’s where my mind’s at. That’s what I’m going to coach and that’s the expectation. We’ve got to win. We deserve to win. You know, we deserve the opportunity to win. And that’s about putting the best people out there. So right now we’re young. So, those guys, our young guys, they’re getting a lot of experience. We need to do whatever the hell we need to do to win.”

This story was originally published November 17, 2024 at 11:00 PM.