Dallas Cowboys Notebook #DALvsWAS | Week 14

Calling It OutThe great guarantee debate of Week 14 entered its next phase of the news cycle on Friday.

That's to be expected, after Washington coach Ron Rivera responded to Mike McCarthy's comments about the Cowboys winning this weekend's matchup. Speaking in an interview with Washington Football Team media, Rivera said he thought McCarthy's comments were a mistake.

Naturally, McCarthy was bound to be asked about Rivera's response at his Friday press conference, and he seemed unfazed.

"It's irrelevant what anybody thinks, anybody thinks about what I said in here yesterday. I was talking about my team," he said. "I can always coach my own team. And that's where I'm at with it. We have great confidence in what we're trying to do. It was an honest answer to a question from a great group of people."

Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones was also asked about the storyline during his Friday interview on 105.3 FM The Fan. Jones pointed out that the franchise embraces the spotlight that comes with these sorts of situations.

"We as a franchise, we as the Cowboys, we put it out there. We know we do," Jones said. "We ask folks to look at us, be interested in us, follow us. We know a bunch of people look at us because they'd like to see us. That's sport."

-David Helman (12/10)

Full Go

It doesn't sound like Amari Cooper will be limited this time around.

The Cowboys kept Cooper on a pitch count last week in New Orleans, as he had just recently returned from a lengthy absence due to COVID-19. But as he prepares for this road trip to Washington, Cooper said he's feeling as good as he has in some time.

"No symptoms," he said. "I'm completely over it."

Friday was the first time Cooper has spoken to Cowboys reporters since he contracted COVID back in Week 11. It's understandable that he was asked about his decision not to get vaccinated this year, though he preferred to elaborate much on it. On a radio segment with 105.3 FM The Fan on Thursday, he noted that the topic tends to lead toward unproductive conversations.

"It was a personal choice. I don't really want to go too far in depth about that," he said.

Cooper has pointed out this week, though, one exciting development for the Cowboys' offense. This weekend figures to be the most snaps that the starting three receivers and Dak Prescott have played together this season.

Michael Gallup missed much of this season with a calf strain that forced him out of the season opener. Just as he was coming back from that, CeeDee Lamb and Cooper have missed parts of multiple games in the last month. Cooper said if they play up to their potential with Prescott, it could go a long way toward helping the Cowboys' offense.

"All four of us together, we haven't played a full game together," he said. "I don't know if defenses really know what to expect from us out of a full game together."

- David Helman (12/10)

"Setting The Tone"

Head coach Mike McCarthy expressed plenty of confidence in the team heading into the first of two matchups against Washington.

"We're going to win this game. I'm confident in that," McCarthy said before Thursday's practice.

Quarterback Dak Prescott loved it.

"S--t yeah," he said when reporters told him about McCarthy's quote.

"I mean, obviously if you're preparing for this game and you're a Dallas Cowboy, if you're a fan, you expect to go in and win each and every game," Prescott said. "I don't think he's said anything different than everyone in this building's thoughts. He just voiced it. Now we've got to make sure we're accountable of our words. I think that's all that is, the coach setting the tone for the week and first day back, making sure everybody understands where his mind is and the team's mindset is."

-Rob Phillips (12/9)

Pollard Discusses Foot Injury

Running back Tony Pollard said he injured his foot while breaking the last tackle on his 58-yard touchdown run against the Saints.

"I kind of picked my foot up a little higher and then when I put it down and pushed off I kind of felt a little tear in my plantar fascia," he said.

Pollard said the injury has improved with the extra time off since last Thursday.

"They say once you tear it, it actually heals better and you don't feel it as much," he said. "So I'm waiting until I get to that point."

Pollard said "more than likely" he'll be a game-time decision Sunday at Washington. Head coach Mike McCarthy sounded optimistic that Pollard would be able to play, but obviously that will depend on how the rest of the week goes.

-Rob Phillips (12/9)

Timing With WRs

Last Thursday's win over the Saints was only the second game since the season opener that Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup were all on the field together.

Cooper played only 24 snaps in his return from the Reserve/COVID-19 list. His playing time assuredly will rise moving forward, and a full-strength receiving trio should only benefit the passing game.

Quarterback Dak Prescott said the group continues to focus on fine-tuning their timing together.

"Yeah, we work on it," he said. "You get some extra reps here and there when you can, whether it was Wednesday, whether it's today -- the plays or the routes you don't necessarily feel as comfortable with you've got to talk through them, make sure you get on the same page, do that in our signal caller meetings and just throughout the day to make sure you're on the same page and you're thinking what they're thinking, they know where you want them to be and I know where they expect the ball in certain coverage."

-Rob Phillips (12/9)

Brown Down

Noah Brown was one of the Cowboys' few absences at practice this week, and Mike McCarthy confirmed he'll be missing for a little bit.

"It's going to be a couple-week injury," McCarthy said.

McCarthy didn't elaborate when asked if Brown would need to be moved to injured reserve on Thursday morning, but the team eventually made that move later in the day. Brown will now be out for at least the next three games, which would still give him a chance to return in January.

The health of the receiver corps has been a consistent storyline this season. Michael Gallup missed much of the season with a calf strain, while Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb have both been sidelined in recent weeks. Cedrick Wilson is also working through an ankle injury that held him out last week.

Fortunately for the Cowboys, Cooper, Lamb and Gallup all seem to be fully healthy and ready for a full workload this weekend.

-David Helman (12/9)

Shot Caller

It's become one of the biggest clichés in sports that football coaches are going to do as much as possible not to antagonize the opposing team. That's why eyebrows raised at Mike McCarthy's Thursday press conference when he summed this week up so plainly.

"We're comfortable with who we are and where we are," he said. "But I'm excited about what's in front of us. We're going to win this game. I'm confident in that."

It's not exactly a controversial opinion. But again, it speaks to the withdrawn nature of NFL press conferences that McCarthy's statement caused a stir. Asked if he thought he was providing bulletin material for the Washington Football Team, McCarthy said he didn't think so.

"I mean, what am I supposed to say? Yeah. We fully – I fully expect to win every game I've ever competed in," he said. "I mean, that's what sports is all about. That's what the NFL is (about). Trust me, I understand how hard it is. They're working hard, we're working hard. But we're clearly planning on going to Washington to win the game. There's no doubt about that."

-David Helman (12/9)