Head Coach Jay Gruden
Opening statement:
"Perry Riley [Jr.], foot, out. Derek Carrier will be questionable. Andre Roberts, questionable. [Quinton] Dunbar will be questionable with his finger. [Deshazor] Everett will be questionable with his hamstring. Keenan Robinson is questionable with his shoulder. Chris Thompson will be questionable with his shoulder. DeSean Jackson did not practice today — with an illness — but he's probable. Chris Baker is probable. Dashon Goldson, probable. [Jason] Hatcher, probable. Will Blackmon, D-Hall, Terrance Knighton, Josh LeRibeus are all probable. T-Rob [Trenton Robinson] — we waived-injured yesterday."
On if the illness affecting WR DeSean Jackson is the same as the one that affected other players:
"No, I think this is a different one. This is an upper-respiratory one for him."
On the decision to waive S Trenton Robinson:
"Probably [revert] to IR, most likely. We'll see how that works out."
On if they have to fill the roster spot today:
"We have until tomorrow to do that."
On if the team will wait to fill the roster spot:
"Yeah, we'll wait just to make sure with these other guys, too, depending on the position."
On if the move with Robinson was related to his lingering hamstring issue:
"Yes. He re-tweaked it the other day and it's probably going to be some time before he gets better."
On if he expects LB Mason Foster to start Monday:
"Yeah, we expect that. Yeah, he's prepared and he's ready to go. He's a good linebacker."
On WR Jamison Crowder's performance on punt returns:
"He's done fine. He hasn't had like a lot of clean looks, but you know he's controlled all of the punts. He dropped one but he recovered it — which is good. You're really looking for ball security and then production after contact and making people miss and he's done a pretty good job. We've got to get him some better looks though. We like where he is. We can always throw DeSean [Jackson] back there if we need to."
Offensive Coordinator Sean McVay
On the impact of WR DeSean Jackson:
"Well, he brings a different element. Obviously, he's been able to make a couple big plays for us as he's really done throughout the course of his career. Any time that you have a threat like that, it's a big advantage for us, offensively, and it definitely does open some other things up for some of the players around him."
On if they have seen signs over the last two weeks of the team having a successful run game:
"I think, you know, like we always talk about, being able to stay in manageable situations where you're able to be efficient on first down — keep your run-pass options open — is the ideal situation to be in. When we are able to do that, I think we are a better offense and that's what we're always striving to try to do is be balanced."
On QB Kirk Cousins' ability to handle the offense when the run game struggles:
"Yeah, I think he's done a great job. He's getting better each and every week. He's a guy that's so conscientious. He learns from his mistakes. I think he's playing really good football right now — making good decisions, handling both the run and the pass game extremely well — and we're very pleased with where he's at right now."
On the Cowboys' pass defense:
"Well, they do a great job. They've got a bunch of guys that if they decide to play man coverage — have the ability to match up — and they do a nice job of getting their hands on at the line of scrimmage and they rotate a handful of DBs on the back end. They've got athletic linebackers that if they ask them to be in coverage they can do that. And, you know, when they do rush guys, they come hard. They are a defense that's extremely sound. They play really good fundamental football. It's a credit to Coach Marinelli [Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli] and those guys. They're an excellent defense."
On why RB Alfred Morris doesn't have similar statistics to previous years:
"Well, I think the biggest thing is he's not getting as many carries as he's had. You feel really good about Matt Jones and then being able to mix in Chris Thompson in certain situations. That's very good for us to be able to have a stable of backs that you feel comfortable giving them the football. Alfred is a rhythm runner. I think he's had some times where you feel really good about what he's doing and there will be some opportunities where he would admit that he'd want back. He's a guy that we have a lot of confidence in. His production over the last three years speaks for itself. You know, he's going to keep getting better as the year goes on."
On if Morris is running the same way:
"Yeah, I think he is running the same. I think, just like anything else, you mentioned it earlier, there's a breakdown, sometimes here and there — he might miss a read, it might be a combination block up front — but he's a guy we feel very confident in and we're excited about what he's going to do on Monday night."
On if TE Derek Carrier can't play Monday:
"Well, if Carrier can't go, then, we have a lot of confidence in Je'Ron Hamm to be able to step up. If necessary, may be able to use some of those linemen in some of those situations that you want to get into those two tight-end sets but we'll see how the game goes on Monday and based on Derek's availability how we go about that plan."
On TE Jordan Reed's penalties:
"Well, a lot of it boils down to technique. You've got to get your hands inside and when you do a great job fitting — you've got to stay in position to stay frontal on some of these defensive players. That's a point of emphasis. He's done a great job in the pass game. He's a guy that he knows he needs to better in some of those situations and we're always striving to be complete players — especially at that tight-end group — and he'll be the first to tell you that he knows he can be better in that run game and I think he will be."
On if it is harder for a tight end to avoid penalties because of where he plays on the field:
"Any time that you're displaced in space and you know, you're trying to fit on an outside pec [pectoral] and maybe the ball bounces inside, sometimes you get out-leveraged and you're on an outside half on a player and if it bounces inside, you're in poor position, but what we try to do is make sure all 11 guys are on the same page and I think some of those issues will be cleaned up from a technical standpoint and it will limit those penalties that you've seen from him."
On how Cousins has looked in practice:
"He's had a great week. He's always going to approach it the same, exact way. He's focused. He's detailed. He goes through his process each and every week with how we implement the game plan. I think he's strung together a handful of really good weeks. I think you see it show up on Sundays and this week has been no different."
On if the coaches are excited about being atop of the division in the first week of December:
"I think we're excited about the opportunity to play an excellent football team in the Dallas Cowboys and to try to win that. Like you've said, we are in a one-game-at-a-time mindset and we know how important this one is. If we are able to win this game, it continues to get more and more important as the season goes on. So, our goal is we're going to play the best football we can when we play Dallas on Monday night. It's going to be an excellent opportunity for us."
