Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks with reporters after the Cowboys’ 44-17 win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday.
On how pleased he was with the victory:
“I was so pleased to see our guys to come out with everything that you want in a football game, that you want to have happen from the time they walked out there today. That’s a credit to the head coach [Jason Garrett] in a big way. That’s a credit to the staff and the players. You saw it out there today [that] this team has a lot of pride. To me, everything about today starts with Jason Garrett. He got it and he passed it on to the players. It was great to see the big plays. [Wide receiver] Dez [Bryant] was frustrated to start the game. He said he had some bad press. I told him I had some, too.”
On wide receiver Dez Bryant and running back DeMarco Murray exceeding expectations this season:
“The reason Dez can do what he does for the Cowboys or for me is because he has an uncanny way of predicting the future. Certainly, I can agree with him. ‘Looks like we are going to have to cover that… You know what that we need to cover.’ I’m pleased with [their performances] across the board… That anybody who had a contract issue with the Cowboys have gone out and proved it. The best way to know you are getting a pay check is to go out and to perform. This bunch has done [that]. They are performing what I call the incentive plan.”
On how surprised he is that Murray broke Emmitt Smith’s record:
“It’s such a team thing, a rushing record. You have to have a lot of protection. You have to have a good quarterback who is very efficient so you can have that threat. Of course you go to the guy. You have to be mentally tough to break a record like that, to endure not only the physical aspects of it, but you have to endure being tired and pushing on. Like a lot of great backs, the more he got tired, the better he got during this season. So the good news is we have him healthy going forward as we go into the playoffs. Now it’s about getting ready for this tournament and that’s how you get the top recognition. I will say if you win 12 ballgames, there is some recognition these players should take some pride in. I know I do and I know our fans do, too. Now we have a chance to take everything we built and paid for, the foundation and the experiences we had…We have a chance to carry that into a tournament I like to call the playoffs. Our team is ready to do that like any team, and frankly any team I’ve been associated with have different nuances than the teams I had in the 90’s. Still, this team has a uniqueness to it that could serve us well in the playoffs. ”
On Bryant breaking the team record for receiving touchdowns in a season:
“Another way to look at it is these guys are breaking these records when it is on the line. Our stars have a lot at stake. Now you can say this day maybe, but this day is not over yet. Hopefully these records serve as us doing something special when it comes to getting to the playoffs. Anybody who looks at this team or the NFL today and doesn’t realize that the NFL today is not a dress rehearsal to break records. You are doing that in action. It’s a foxhole, time relevant to football time and not dodging the bullets. I’m proud of these guys.”
On how far this team has come:
“What they did is the same thing they did during training camp. They had their heads down, they worked. We saw it coming out of training camp, what we didn’t know was that we had a handful of key players that were coming off injury and their injury rehab, such as [Anthony] Spencer, such as [Henry] Melton, and frankly [DeMarcus] Lawrence who was one of our top round picks. It’s still to be seen when these boys will get better and when they get better with a winning team situation and they have done that. By the way, your rehab goes better when you are winning. This bunch responded today across the league. We were playing well at the right time.”
On if quarterback Tony Romo deserves consideration for MVP:
“He is my MVP and he should be every Cowboy fan’s MVP. That is a guy who has used his skills whether they were [his] own or acquired or if they were God given. He has used it as efficiently this year as we have ever seen. Now, we know what the quarterback position is in the NFL, and if you ask me, I think so.”
On the Cowboys winning in December:
“Those qualities have a way of sticking with you whether they are positive or negative. When you get those characteristics of fading in December, there is only one way to cure it and that is to prove it in the people’s eyes. I know a lot of fans and media are accustomed to it but now we have proved it right before their eyes. We have basically cleaned it up in December.”
On if the New York Jets have contacted Will McClay for their General Manager job:
“They have not contacted him and I own Will. I own him. He cannot go anywhere. No, seriously, that is what success does and always does. It creates a lot of opportunity in a lot of different ways for people. We have been sold on him for the past couple of years on the job he has done.”
On Head Coach Jason Garrett and Romo meeting his expectations this year:
“I think probably I have done my best on setting high expectations. This was my best year. Maybe I should look at the experience or maybe we should go into the season with less paid high veterans and let’s talk about how we are going to take those veterans and put [them] together to win that Super Bowl. I am superstitious so I will be reading my transcripts.”
On any injury updates on linebacker Anthony Hitchens or defensive tackle Henry Melton:
“High ankle on Hitchens and it may not be that serious of an injury. Melton, I don’t have a word on him.”
On starters staying in the game that long:
“If you can get away with it, then it is fabulous. Couldn’t have done more in the last hour and a half to get ready for next week’s situation.”
On how he will watch the outcome of the later games:
“Really attentively.”
On if Garrett should be considered for Coach of the Year:
“Yes, Jason has serenely done the job. I really appreciate the little things about Jason. Even in the face of the face of the wins we should have, I knew he would get better with experience. Even through the negative, he kept getting better. I firsthand watched Jimmy Johnson become the Head Coach at Oklahoma State. I watched how that evolved. I knew firsthand how he became a better coach then when those guys first hired him. My point is these young guys need to stay in there and Jason is a really outstanding guy.”
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