Notable comments from Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, running back Ezekiel Elliott, and more in the lead up to the Week 2 game vs. the Los Angles Chargers.
Head coach Mike McCarthy on Joey Bosa
"Well, he has a lot of length. I mean really when you watch him play and you know coming out as a high pick [in the NFL Draft] just out of Ohio State, he's a very smooth athlete, has excellent twitch, long-levered. I think you realize cause you know we haven't played these guys, this will be a new experience. This is what we refer to as an 'uncommon opponent,' so we spend a little more time in team meetings and the early group meetings making sure we really identify their personnel and he was definitely at the top of the list for our offensive guys. Just an excellent player, has great understanding. They're moving around [and] they are a multiple defensive front football team, so we gotta be really good at locating him and knowing where he is at all times."
RB Ezekiel Elliott on Joey Bosa
"Joey Bosa, man, that's my brother. [We] came into college young men, 17 [years old,] a lot of shared experience, a lot of great times together. I actually got to spend some time together this offseason [with Bosa in Dallas] you know it will be good seeing him again this Sunday.
"We basically became men on that campus together and able to win a National Championship here in Dallas. We both were messy; we both were big mamas' boys so we weren't the best cleaners, we both had our moms come do our laundry on weekends when they came in town for the game."
McCarthy on Justin Herbert
"Very impressed with him. I mean obviously, he was rookie of the year last year. But his ability to not only keep his eyes downfield, he has the athletic ability to make plays in and out of the pocket. But he can make any throw at all quadrants."
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn on Herbert
"I certainly have been impressed by Justin. I thought the thing that jumps out to me, well two things, one is the arm strength, and this is a guy that can really rip the ball so that's number one whether it's quick game or the strength of the arm, I think that jumped out. Then I would say outside the pocket, this is a player that can really create on the move much like Dak [Prescott] does where he gets outside and now, he can rip the ball down the field. So, when you have a player that can do that it's almost like defending two plays."
Quinn on Herbert's ability to make plays outside the pocket
"He certainly has the speed that he could run it, but the big plays that happen with guys like a Dak or a Russell Wilson, they get outside the pocket and can rip, and he has that kind of arm strength and the kind of athleticism to do that. So, we gotta defend plays longer when you're defending a quarterback like that."
McCarthy on Chargers' wide receiver group
"This a very tall receiver group and you'll see a lot of contested catches. The catch radius on all their guys is significant so that's what we're preparing for. The yards after the catch [ability] will probably be one of the better teams we compete against this year."
McCarthy on Herbert's style of play
"I think it's extremely impressive and it's really impressive for the way he plays, I mean he's not checking the ball down all day, I mean this guy's coming off his back foot and he's ripping it. A lot of vertical throws, a lot of 50/50 balls, that's why we are really focusing on the contested catch because the size of the receiving group, you know they're never covered."
McCarthy on Chargers head coach Brandon Staley's style of coaching
"I think with his offensive background, [a] former quarterback, he looks at the game from a quarterback's perspective. You see a lot in their disguise, you know they hold their disguise a little longer. The whole theme of making the quarterback play one second later, that's a common theme that you see in defenses that are high in scheme and high in disguise and he definitely has a heck of a system that presents that challenge.
CB Trevon Diggs on Keenan Allen
"He's a very good wide receiver, one of the best wide receivers. He can do everything, he's got all the moves. He's a very good wide receiver. His route running, his ability to catch the ball stands out the most."
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