Head Coach Brian Daboll
Q: Anything on (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) today and any other injuries that we should know about?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, with Malik he's in concussion protocol. Any other updates, I don't have for you.
Q: I had a question on (quarterback) Daniel (Jones) on some of the missed longer throws. A couple of weeks ago it looked like he missed some of those longer throws. He was missing them long. Last night it looked like he missed them a couple short. Does it get mental like a baseball pitcher kind of aiming the ball and what do you do to try to fix it?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I just thought he underthrew a couple. One was the snap. He threw it up there. Both of them, he didn't put enough into it. So, we'll just keep working on it.
Q: It's what I keep getting asked from fans. You guys changed the play caller. You have two high volume wide receivers. By all accounts, the offensive line is much better than it's been here for a couple years. And Daniel, by your own admission, has played three good games. So why are you guys still struggling to score? Why are you averaging less points than you have the year before If it seems like some of the problems are fixed?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, well, we got down in the red zone twice. Not in the low. The one time low. We missed a couple opportunities. We're moving the ball better. We just got to do a better job on converting some of these third downs and when we do get in the red zone, which the previous two weeks we have, is finishing off drives.
Q: It's a four-game sample, do you see things on offense that are stopping you from scoring points? Or is each game a different issue?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I'd say they're all a little bit different. But that's what we'll do here the next couple days. Go back, revisit the first four games. See some of the things that are improving. You don't score that many points and only punt once. We've got to be able to generate and get the ball into the end zone. So, there's been some progress. We've got to finish those drives.
Q: And then obviously, you have 10 days, and every concussion is different. But just given what your offense has looked like in terms of Malik's target share and production, where would this offense have to go without him for a game? What kind of adjustments would you have to make?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, we'll just we'll take it day by day here and see where he's at.
Q: I know in the offseason the plan obviously was you're going to have this front four and that's going to generate pressure. Why do you think that hasn't been the case consistently so far?
BRIAN DABOLL: Well, there's been times where they've gotten some pressure and times where we haven't. I thought Dallas did a good job. They got the ball out pretty quick. A lot of three step drops. They played the game in the green a lot. Negative yardage situations. So, I'd say each game is a little bit different. There was some where we had some pressure last night, probably not enough.
Q: As far as the 4th down decisions, I know you put a ton of time each week, different circumstances. But if you take a like a holistic view since you've been here, those analytic sites that do these studies on win probabilities, you've been one of the least likely to go for it in 4th down situations. Why do you think that is? I mean, does that does that register to you at all? Or do you think you need to be more aggressive?
BRIAN DABOLL: I think each game is a little bit different, how the game is being played. And you do what you need to do each game that you think you need to do to go ahead and give yourself a chance. So, depending on how the game's going, the score, how the defense is playing, how the offense is playing, conversions. We went for, I don't know, four this year, whatever it may be, whether it was backed up a little bit or not. I think each game is a little different.
Q: Is there such thing as a losing fatigue? And if so, do you worry about a young team at 1-3 getting some of that?
BRIAN DABOLL: No, I just focus on the next week. That's what you have to do. It's a long season. Each week is different. I think there's a lot of improvements that are being made. It's not showing in the results. There's things that are getting worked on and showing up on tape. So, you've got to be mentally strong in this business and be able to push through the tough times, manage the good times when there's good times and keep correcting the things and do better the next week.
Q: Is there a couple of things that you can hang your hat on with this team? In the game yesterday, the narrative was Dallas can't stop the run and they did stop the run. In some games, your team has been told you can't do something and you have done it. Time of possession, staying on the field, converting third downs. Are there a couple of things right now on offense or defense that you look at and say I know we can do this well?
BRIAN DABOLL: I would say each game is different from one week to the next. You can have a bunch of yards one week, not the next week. Same thing with Dallas. There's a lot of good teams in this league, good coaches, and you try to fix the issues that you have from one week to the next. That's what you try to do.
Q: But don't the best teams have a few things that they almost always or usually do well? We can count on them to do that.
BRIAN DABOLL: I've been part of a lot of a lot of teams that have won a lot of games. Again, the teams that I've been part of, it's a week-to-week deal and you have to keep improving as the season goes and again there's things that we've improved on and things that we need to continue to improve on.
Q: Malik (Nabers) is getting the ball a lot, (wide receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson) is getting the ball a lot. Do you have to consciously try to get other people the ball? The tight ends aren't getting many tosses and things like that?
BRIAN DABOLL: You try to do what you can do to get the ball in your playmakers' hands. I think those two guys are two good playmakers for us. You throw the ball, whatever it was, 40 times last night and they accounted for half of those and then the other the other pieces go. I thought (wide receiver) Slay (Darius Slayton) did a good job of creating separation. He had a couple opportunities. He could've had about five (receptions) for over a hundred (yards). We ask those guys, the tight ends in particular, to block a fair amount. (We) use them in protection. But, I'd say, everybody's viable on each and every play, but you certainly try to get the ball to the guys like a Malik (Nabers), like a Wan'Dale (Robinson), like a Slay (Darius Slayton) that you think you can do some stuff with the ball in their hands.
Q: You keep mentioning these improvements and I'm not doubting that and I obviously have ideas my own like what those might be that the team has been making, especially from maybe Week 1 to now. I'm wondering, in your mind though, where do you see the biggest improvements happening?
BRIAN DABOLL: I'd say there is certainly things that we can do better. But each week, the consistency in whether it's techniques or whether it's fundamentals, those things have slowly been improving. It's not where we need them to be, no question about it. There's games we've performed well in the red zone and then there's games that we haven't. So, the consistency factor really needs to improve.
Q: Is there a specific area though? Your deep balls or your run game or your run defense? Is there anything specific like that that you can point out that you think has gotten better?
BRIAN DABOLL: We'll take a look at that over the next couple days. But, again, you've got to do a good job of improving throughout the season and that's what we'll try to do.
Q: And I know they mentioned Malik (Nabers). Is he in the building? Was he able to come in today or is he at home?
BRIAN DABOLL: He's here.
Q: And he is in good spirits I assume?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, he just texted me right now.
Q: What did he say?
BRIAN DABOLL: That's private.
Wide Receiver Wan'Dale Robinson
Q: Did you get a chance to talk to (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) today and see how he is doing?
WAN'DALE ROBINSON: Yeah, we watched the game and stuff. I think he's feeling alright. Obviously just going to take it day by day. Luckily, we've got a couple extra days of rest, so I think that'll be good for him.
Q: Do you guys have to spread the ball around more? Because it seems like you're getting a lot, he's getting a lot, and everybody else is not getting as much. Will it help the offense if more people get more touches?
WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I mean sure, I guess you could say that. At the end of the day, guys have got to go out there and get open. I think (quarterback) DJ (Daniel Jones) just goes through his reads and once he sees what he sees, and delivers the ball to whoever. Just got to keep going each week and doing what we've got to do and doing what we can as an offense just to go out there and make plays.
Q: You guys are 1-3. Do you feel like you're making progress?
WAN'DALE ROBINSON: Yeah, no doubt. We can go in there and we watch it and we see how close we are and know that there's just little things, little details that we've got to clean up. That's what this long week is for. The first quarter of the season's over with, so we've just got to make sure that we're better from here on out.
Q: You're a young veteran, obviously you've been around, but you're still young. How do you avoid a, 'Here we go again,' in a tough stretch to start a season, 1-3, the record is not what you want? How do you just say, 'We can do better things,' and not face the reality of the fact that you haven't won?
WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I mean, things can flip in a hurry. It's all on us and we know that we've just got to go out there and do our jobs. There's a couple more plays out there to be made and the outcome of these games will be a little different.
Q: Do you really think that? Do you think things can flip in a hurry? This team has been trending down a little bit. What makes you think it can flip in a hurry?
WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I know the type of guys that we have in here. I know they want to go in and work. Everybody feels like it was on them and on themselves. So, just goes to show that everybody cares and wants to get this thing right. We see it. We see it out there on the tape. It's just one little detail, maybe one little thing, one little block. Us as receivers making that one catch. We know it's right there for the taking.
Q: I can remember last year there was a sense in the offensive room that touchdowns were just so hard to come by compared to what everybody else in the league was doing. Now you guys are averaging actually 15 points a game, which is fewer than last year. Why do you think this offense struggles to get touchdowns?
WAN'DALE ROBINSON: We just have to execute in the red zone. We're getting down there. We're doing what we have to do. We just can't have negative plays, and we've just got to finish with touchdowns instead of field goals. It's as simple as that.
Q: Do you see a repeat trend? Is there something that is keeping you guys from finishing in the red zone or getting touchdowns or whatnot? Or is it something different each week, which I would assume is probably more head scratching?
WAN'DALE ROBINSON: No, it's on us. It's that little detail. Making sure we have that one guy covered up or one little detail with the route. It's definitely not the same as last year or anything like that. I definitely feel like we move the ball much better than we did last year too.
Q: And then the drops, you had one, (wide receiver Darius) Slayton had one, I don't know if Malik's counts. I think some people said the team had five drops. Is that a concentration thing? Do you feel like there's so little room for error for this offense? Like one mistake is too hard to overcome.
WAN'DALE ROBINSON: Us as receivers, we feel like we should catch every ball. Especially if it's coming and hitting our hands. So, that's on us. At the end of the day, we've got to make those plays for Daniel even if it's not a perfect ball. For us, it's just making sure we're looking at it all the way in and not trying to do too much before making the catch all the way.
Q: On that third down on the slant route at the end of the game. Just take us through kind of where you saw what happened on that play…
WAN'DALE ROBINSON: He had inside leverage on me. I was trying to break across his face. Really just trying to get his hands off of me to still be able to get some depth to gain that first down. DJ threw a nice ball, just got to make that play.
Q: The way you catch some of these passes, you're catching it with your back to the defense in the flat. You're so good at making that first guy miss. Can you take us through just how you do that? Do you have to look before you catch the ball yourself? Instinct? Feel?
WAN'DALE ROBINSON: It's really more so just instinct and feel. You kind of know where the defender was whenever you made your break and things like that. Just having a feel of if he's coming downhill or over top and knowing if I'm going spinning back or spinning around. Really more so just feel. I think it comes from having the ball a lot as a running back when I was younger.
Q: Is that just your mindset that every time you catch the ball you know that you're going to have to make that first guy miss to get up the field quick?
WAN'DALE ROBINSON: Yeah, no question. That's kind of my mindset anytime I get the ball, is make sure I make that first guy miss. Kind of turn into a running back when I get the ball.
