ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --The day after his team defeated the Dallas Cowboys 51-48, Head Coach John Fox held his traditional weekly sit-down with the media.
He discussed the "character win," which came in a hostile environment at AT&T Stadium.
"I'm very pleased with our team," he said. "It was a very tough environment to play in, against a division-leading team for an opponent. I think any time you go on the road in this league you're happy to get out with a win. Concerns—you're concerned with everything. There are a lot of things we can improve at. I kind of like the fact that we were down 14 and I got to watch the grit. Things have gone a little smoother for us so far this season. And then we came up with a huge play when we needed it, defensively. Without that, I'm not sure what happens. So overall, I'm just really happy with the nitty-gritty performance by our team. We went up against a good football team in a tough place to play."
Below are the highlights from Fox's press conference.
On defensive injuries leading to 48 points allowed
"I think at the end of the day, there was no doubt that we were short five guys. We had five guys that were out, really due to injury. Injuries any game make it more rough because you've got a guy going out there that hasn't had a ton of reps all week. That's not an excuse, it's an NFL reality. We'll see where we are this week. We feel really good to come out of there with a win, our second road win of the season. And get back to work."
On if tackling was an issue in the secondary
"Partially. I think there are definitely areas we need to improve in. I think one of our pass rushes, he (Cowboys QB Tony Romo) was standing back there for 10 seconds. In some of our coverages the ball was out immediately. The pass defense is the coordination between the front and the coverage people. And we have new people doing it in new spots; sometimes it doesn't look as well-oiled as we like. But that's all what's fun about this. It's Game 5 and we came out with a 'W' and we go back to work Wednesday."
On whether the offense can be better
"Yeah, they really can. We could have been 7-out-of-7 (in the red zone). We elected to tick all the time off and kick a field goal, so we were 6-of-7. So that's a place we could be better."
On LB Danny Trevathan's play-making ability and how his speed contributes to his success
"I think it all goes into it. He definitely has the physical tools. There are some of the guys in these rooms in these cities in the NFL that don't have physical tools. I think he's picked it up, he's young, he's learning. I can remember one of the bigger gaffes in the NFL thus far, I mean dropping the ball before you cross the goal-line (Trevathan in Week 1). There is nothing like experience and he's getting it every week. That was a huge play he made for us."
On if being a 27.5-point favorite against Jacksonville this weekend makes him nervous
"No. I don't look at point-spreads. We look at the tape. I've mentioned that many times. One thing I've learned is if you fall asleep at the wheel, you wreck. We'll just look at our preparation. We'll look at the tape. All of that junk is for other people; it doesn't have anything to do with us."
On if he worries the team will become overconfident
"No, I think in general, in life, you're dealing with either adversity or prosperity. Sometimes dealing with prosperity is more difficult than the adversity. Our guys understand that. They understand it's more about the process than the results. They understand it's more about the preparation work which will relate to the performance. All that other stuff they don't really pay attention to."
On how a close game manifests itself going forward
"It tests your mettle, I think it's a good spot to be in. I think, you go back to a year ago and that comeback against San Diego kind of propelled us confidence-wise going forward. It's just hard to predict how we're going to react but I think it's a good test and I thought it was a good character win for us this early in the season."
