You guys had been in several one-score games before finally breaking through last week against the Colts:
Gaine: We just weren't finishing games. 3-4 plays in one game can be the deciding factor. We weren't finishing drives. And a lot of that points back to the red zone. At one point, we were fifth in the league in red zone attempts, but near the bottom in terms of turning those into touchdowns, so we were getting at bats to win the game and then weren't finishing. We were a lot better at that in Indy.
What's it like to finally see J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney on the field together?
Gaine: They are playing a lot of major snaps, but the way we look at it, those guys are players that our opponents have to account for. Very active and they play off each other and are very disruptive. They play hard and chase the football. Both of these guys are very good in the running game. That doesn't get the wow factor or the attention, but they are two-way players That's a very big part of it and we want to win on the early downs and position ourselves to get after the passer on third downs. We also have Whitney Mercilus. We feel like the front seven is a strength of ours. We have three guys who are contributing members to that rush.
How big of a priority is controlling Zeke Elliott?
Gaine: First and foremost, we have tons of respect for him. He's a top five back in the league, arguably. One of the better running backs in the NFL. He's that multi-dimensional player. He's a three-down back who can rush inside, outside, play with power and can threaten the perimeter. He has enough speed to create chunk plays, and he doesn't get enough credit in the passing game. Every down, you have to account for him. You may not stop him, but you make an effort to control him. It takes 11 guys to slow down Zeke Elliott.
DeShaun Watson has been sacked 17 times. With the Cowboys being so good in that area, how much of a concern is that for you?
Gaine: I think any team that plays the Cowboys would be concerned with that. We know we have to improve. When you think about their team, the front seven is a handful. They have height and length at corner and can stress the QB and stress the pocket. There are talented blue chip players in that front seven. They are athletic at linebacker, they can really move and run and cover. We have our hands full this week and have to play our best. We're going to work hard to shore up our protection. I thought it got better last week despite the numbers. It's something we're aware of. We're going to have to help the quarterback in that capacity.
Watson had huge expectations after that remarkable seven-game stretch before his ACL injury last season. How has he responded to that?
Gaine: One thing I would want to point to is this is his second season, for all intents and purposes. He has not played a full 16 game season yet. It takes a lot of time to rebound from such an injury. If you ever were going to point to somebody on how to handle your recovery and rehab phase of an injury, it would be DeShaun Watson. If young players want to learn how to get back on the field, just watch what he did.
He's still a young player with a lot of upside. He has the physical arm strength, the mobility and the athleticism, but he has some of the in between stuff that people may not see, stuff like poise, presence and leadership, both vocal and by example. The way he is around his teammates, there's a general calmness that the players trust that this guy can make a play for them when the time comes. And if you watched the end of the Indy game, when he had to make a critical throw, that's the quarterback he can be.
You have one of the most explosive offenses in the league. How strong do you think this receiving group is?
Gaine: It's what I would call a quarterback friendly receiving group. That was a point of emphasis Put as many weapons around our young quarterback to help him achieve his production. And for us when we got here, DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller were already here, they complement each other. We then looked for an inside passing game and we liked Keke Coutee in the draft. We also drafted two young tight ends. We have a young group of receivers. Hopkins is right now in the prime of his career and we feel like the future is bright.
(Mosley makes joke about the Cowboys having a "quarterback unfriendly receiving group." Gaine doesn't respond)
What were your thoughts on Dak Prescott when he was coming out of Mississippi State?
Gaine: He was highly productive, he was a winner and he ran their offense very well. Very instinctive football player, very good with the ball in his hand, a dual-threat. He was highly regarded in that program, he could learn and process information and the intangible profile was all pluses. Now in the NFL, he poses a dual threat to the defense to extend plays outside the pocket, he has arm talent and he can make plays with this legs and get first downs with this legs. I'm not surprised he's had the level of success he's had.
Favorite memory of Bill Parcells?
Gaine: He was a great motivator, a master at messaging I remember coming off a real big win walking though the locker room and there were mouse traps hanging from the rafters. Parcells' famous quote was don't take the cheese. He wanted the guys to see the traps so when everyone was telling them how great you are, that we have another game to play this week.
You guys selected Watson two picks after Pat Mahomes went to the Chiefs. How did you evaluate those two players?
Gaine: Both of these guys are young, physically talented players at the position with a lot of upside with high ceilings and it's been fun to watch these guys develop in year two of their careers. DeShaun had to play last year, and now he's coming off the injury. Perhaps that one year that Mahomes sat on the bench and the one year in Andy Reid's program behind Smith, perhaps you're seeing the dividend of that. Both were first-round worthy players. both in the conversation for us at that time. We were exited as heck we had a chance to get DeShaun.
Both of these guys are wired right from an intangible profile. It's those leadership skills and intangibles that are harder to decipher. Both of those guys offer that profile in pluses and I see it every day in DeShaun. I'm sure KC sees it with Mahomes. It's the football character. That's the part we spend a lot of time researching. Both of these guys graded very high in that area. I'm not surprised by either's success.
