After a high-scoring tie against Green Bay, the Dallas Cowboys are shifting focus to a Week 5 battle with the New York Jets.
Before the action kicks off at MetLife Stadium, Stephen Jones made an appearance on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM). The Cowboys chief operating officer/co-owner broke down the team’s urgency in fixing its defense, Javonte Williams’ breakout and more.
Here are some highlights from Jones’ radio appearance:
(Edited for length and clarity.)
Cowboys
What do you think is a realistic goal for this defensive personnel for the rest of the season? Could it be an average defense?
Jones: “I think it’s going to be a damn good defense.”
Jerry Jones said a decade ago that his biggest regret was not winning with Tony Romo. Dak Prescott is coming up on 33. Is this the time to increase the urgency of making sure that the defense is good?
Jones: “Well, absolutely. That’s why we’ve had three changes. We’re certainly looking for the right answers. Certainly, we feel like we’ve got good players. We’ve got more good players that are going to join this defense, and [we] have all the confidence in the world that we’re going to have a good defense before this year’s out.”
The Cowboys are heading to MetLife Stadium. Malik Nabers’ ACL injury brought up concerns over playing on turf and grass. How challenging is it to have grass for all 32 teams?
Jones: “I haven’t been involved in any specific discussions on MetLife. We’ve had a lot of discussions on grass and turf. Of course, as you guys are well aware, there’s a lot of analytics and a lot of things that go into looking at the injury rate on both grass, turf, etc. It’s very, very minimal in terms of — if at all — in terms of the injuries that occur on grass versus turf.”
What did you think of Javonte Williams when he was first joining the organization and what are your thoughts on him through four weeks?
Jones: “He’s just been a pro’s pro every step of the way. Certainly, when he came out, we had big grades on him in terms of what we thought he was going to be as a running back and what he could ultimately do.
“When he came out, we thought a lot of him. When he became available, our scouting staff and our coaches did a lot of homework on him. We all did a lot of homework on him, and he became our priority at the running back position. All he’s done is exceed expectations. As good as a competitor that he is on the field, he’s a better leader [and] guy off the field. He’s great for Jaydon Blue. He does everything the right way, and I expect him to keep doing good things for us.”
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