Dallas Cowboys Bosses: Unfiltered Quotes From The NFL Draft
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IRVING (105.3 THE FAN) - Sometimes it's best to get Cowboys quotes unfiltered because then there is no 'writers bias' or spin.
With thanks to the Cowboys media department, the Thursday night press conference featuring Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones and Jason Garrett talking about their work in the first round of the NFL Draft, highlighted by the acquisition of Ezekiel Elliott:
Jerry Jones: "We are of course happy with our pick, and we do believe it addresses what we can be as far as getting better on offense, and we feel it gives us a chance to help our defense. We don't necessarily subscribe to the fact that this is a pure offensive pick. We think this could add 10-12 plays to the game each week on the offensive side of the ball. That was one of the things that impressed me about the player. I don't feel we lacked a punch in our running game; [Darren] McFadden is very much in the picture, so is [Alfred] Morris and so is [Lance] Dunbar if he can get well. This gives us a real unique strength at that position, and we obviously thought it was our best pick."
Stephen Jones: "We sat there, liked what we had with Ezekiel [Elliott]. We actually had an offer on the pick, that was interesting to us, but decided it wasn't worth the risk to move out of that pick. We're really convinced that at the end of the day, this was the guy that did the most all the way around our football team."
Jerry Jones: "Stephen, what I thought was interesting was they had promised – the team we were talking to about trading down a few picks – good friend with Stephen – the deal was they were going to tell us who they were going to draft. After we had gone through all the acts that we were thinking we were going to trade down a couple of picks and take the risk, we decided to keep the pick, they decided not to trade only come to find out the player they were going up to get was Ezekiel. So, we wouldn't have made the trade in the first place."
Stephen Jones: "That was definitely how that worked out."
Jason Garrett: "My only comment is that we think he is a damn good football player. There is a real consensus in our building for him. When you pick four, there are a lot of good players up there. There are a lot of guys that could positively affect your team – for now and for the future. The evaluation first was of the player – what he does. We think he is somewhat unique for a back coming out of college in this day and age. He is an inside runner. He can run in between the tackles. He can capture the edge. He's an outstanding receiver. He's an outstanding blocker. He's a sturdy guy. They handed him the ball a lot. He made a big impact on Ohio State's success over the last couple of years. He's an outstanding person – character as a guy, great football character. We feel like he fits in with a lot of the guys we drafted here in recent years. There is just a lot to like about him. Having said that, there are a number of guys we were considering, but as this thing got close, we had a real good consensus in our building for him. Like Jerry and Stephen said, there was a lot of conversation leading up to it. You get locked in on a player that you really want, then you start playing the draft strategy. Can you move back a little bit and still get him. I think we all have a real positive feeling for what we did – stay there, pick the player, we feel good about what he is going to bring to our football team."
*On the consensus that Ezekiel was the right pick:
Jason Garrett: "Jerry said it well; a player like this allows you to play a certain style, and that can have a positive impact on the other players on the offense. Great runners and a great running game helps the quarterback. It helps the receivers because you get a lot of run defense where you get favorable looks outside. Hopefully you possess the ball more. You get more plays on offense, fewer plays on defense and that allows your defense to play at a higher level. This is similar to how we played a couple of years ago. We ran the ball so effectively, and I thought that had a positive impact on everybody throughout our team. We believe Zeke gives us a chance to do that. Again, as Jerry said, we feel awfully good about Darren McFadden, we feel awfully good about Alfred Morris and the recovery of Lance Dunbar. Those guys are in the mix; we like what their roles could be for us. We just felt like we added a really good football player to our team that's going to allow us to play the way we want to play."
Jerry Jones: "I'll add this. He's young but we talked a little bit in this draft, at least I did, about ability, but we talked about availability, which means on the field. While he certainly has had an intense career at a high level at Ohio State, he's relatively young. He hasn't had an inordinate number of hits. His style affords him some good things regarding punishment as far as a runner is concerned. It's a big deal. You get a back of this level, frankly as a running back, right in the prime of his career. You can literally hit the ground running. You don't have a year or two of acclimation that you might have at other positions. This really is the other side of the coin, relative to the running back and what it can mean. It has cap implications; it has value for an impact player. We looked at all of that. As we are sitting here, obviously, you look at where we are at with our team, and if you do assume a healthy Tony Romo and you assume a healthy Dez Bryant, look at our offensive line and do look at our backs, you can say 'boy, this is a defensive draft for sure. How, well, that's how.' We think that impacts and ultimately does, as any team does, helping one part of the team, helps the other part of the team.
*On whether the team using a high pick on a running back a year after DeMarco Murray left says something about how special they think Elliott is:
Stephen Jones: "I think it says a lot. It was tough to let Murray leave, and I think we have an opinion, that, at the end of day, especially with running backs after they have had some wear and tear on them, may not be the right investment as they go forward. It is real easy to sit back and say, 'well the value of the running back is coming this way financially in terms of cap dollars.' We actually have done some work and believe that some of their best years, the great ones, are in their first five years. So you are maybe getting the best part of the running back in his first five years versus the second contract. Now, we all know one who was right here who is a Hall of Famer and owns the rushing record that may never be broken that panned out pretty good for 10, 11, 12 years, whatever the number was. Those things happen, but I do think we really did a lot of getting our hands around it. Sometimes you are getting the best part of him when you get him right out of college and they are ready to roll. We do think that, one of the things about Ezekiel, is that not only is he a great running back, which we all equate to running, but he brings so many other things to the table. He is so well rounded; about as well rounded as we've seen in a while in terms of catching the ball out of the backfield, protecting the quarterback, which we all know in this room is so important to us with Tony [Romo]. He just brings so much to the table right there. We just finally got our hands around that this is a special guy that was worth spending this pick on."
*On whether the success the team had in the 90s with Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith played into taking Elliott to pair with Romo and Dez Bryant:
Jerry Jones: "Well it is convenient and pleasant to make that analogy, but we all know that was then and this is now. We've got the emphasis and a lot of rules in the NFL are oriented towards the passing game. It wasn't hard fresh off of the great year we had two years ago to see, touch and feel what it means to have a dominant running game, and one that can really create that balance. I do think of balance when I think of those 90s teams with Troy and Emmitt and Michael. We can't forget that we had an offensive line. We inherited most of it when we got here with [Mark] Tuinei and [Nate] Newton and [Kevin] Gogan and those guys there. So, the point I'm saying is that it may be different rules, a different game maybe to some degree, but balance still compromises defenses and this may be an analogy of what we might expect from him. Another thing real quick; for a big man, he has real burst. He has a gear when he sees the hole, and he has lateral skills. Those combination of things, plus he punishes at the end, those combination of things I think will complement and fit what we are all about and remind you, we don't have to go all the way back to Emmitt, it will remind you of some of the things that we got done with Murray. I though it was so interesting when Jason [Garrett], it really got my attention, when he said that the first thing he would do when he would go into the game when he played for the Cowboys is look at Emmitt and say, 'get ready, you are going to get a lot of passes in the flat.' He said, 'I'm telling you, that was a big part of my game.' It really helped him function while stepping in on a backup basis. Having said all of that, I do believe he brings a dimension for Tony that should make us all sleep better."
*On if the Cowboys had an interest to trade for another first round:
Jerry Jones: "Stephen's fingers are—so I'm going to let him talk about it. He's had a long night on that phone, working phones and talked to a lot of teams about us moving out of the second and getting up to the first."
Stephen Jones: "We made a big push. We tried and a lot of times you can get those things done. This time it didn't come our way. Really felt like we had a heck of a chance of getting in there and we were working hard to get our pick up there and had a player in mind that we liked and unfortunately it didn't go our way this time. We weren't able to get a trade that we felt like was within range. We didn't end up getting it done. So it was a little disappointing that we didn't get it done, but sometimes things work out for the best and we think that's what will happen right here."
*On how he feels about the group going into the second pick:
Stephen Jones: "That was the hard part. I mean at the end of the day we knew if we moved up there to the first to get a player then we were going to be leaving a couple good players on the board that might could help us really win this year. You never know who you're going after if he's going to be worth two players, but obviously we felt he was and we worked hard at it, but I still think we do have left on our board some very good football players that we think can really help us."
Jerry Jones: "We were working real hard to get up there for the quarterback Paxton Lynch."
*On when they started actively trying to trade:
Stephen Jones: "I think when it fell past about halfway through the draft we started really getting our attention that could be something we could get our hands around."
*On if a quarterback is still a priority this draft:
Stephen Jones: "We're always looking for players that we wanted to get done in terms of adding to our team. We really felt good about this particular player and it didn't work out and of course we—after that happens we'll reevaluate and look at where our situation is with the remaining quarterbacks. I wouldn't totally say that we're out but I wouldn't necessarily say that we're all in either. It's something that we'll evaluate as we go and if the right quarterback hangs in there again and we like him then we wouldn't rule out anything."
*On if he's at the point of needing to take a pass rusher:
Stephen Jones: "I wouldn't say totally, but at the same time I think it's pretty obvious that we want to help our defense out. Jerry and Jason both said this running back really helps our defense out if you can control the ball and you can keep the defense off the field and do the things that a great running back can do, kind of like we did two years ago, and that helps your defense. At the same time, we'd all like to improve on our defense. We know we're getting help from players that were injured last year with Tony, with Dez, obviously Lance Dunbar and of course Ezekiel brings some of that, a little bit of everything, and I think that will be a big plus for us. I'm not afraid to say we're focused on the defensive side of the ball, but it could be at a number of positions."
*On what type of role did the Cowboys' offensive line play into getting Elliott:
Jason Garrett: "Well I think our offensive line has allowed us to play a certain style of football that we want to play. You've heard me say this before, you've heard all of us say this before, we made significant investments, used significant resources to assemble that group and they allowed us to be physical running team last year. I thought we did a good job running the football last year, and so when you get a chance to add a back like this, you feel like that can only enhance that style of play. In reference to Emmitt, Emmitt's greatest trait was his ability to carry the football week in and week out, year in and year out for a long, long time. We feel like you have to be built a certain way to be able to do that and we feel like Ezekiel Elliot is built that way and when we put him behind that offensive line you can really control the football. And again, it helps everyone else. It helps the quarterback, it helps the receiver, it helps the defense, and really the pervasive impact of this player we thought was the most significant for our football team."
*On when they came to the conclusion that Elliott was where they wanted to go with the pick:
Jerry Jones: "It's fair to say that as you know, we've been grading and bringing together scouts and the coaches. I personally started our evaluation process not thinking that we would ultimately end up with a running back, on a personal basis. But I'm reluctant to say this because you're going to say people always say this, but he had our highest grade in our draft. And so that got your attention even though you said, 'Look. You need some of these other things.' I'd say it was about a week or 10 days into our draft prep after the Senior Bowl that they came in and had visits with the coaches and basically said – look, I know we feel like we're in pretty good shape here, but I think this guy could, really when I look at our players, make the biggest impact of our players and we really ought to look at him. Even though it looks like we're piling it on a little bit, or that it's a high pick for a running back. But we felt like he just fit us really well relatively to where we are with our quarterback, (Tony) Romo; relative to where we are with our offensive line. And frankly, the fact that I think we've got some pieces that we'd like to play better on defense, it really addressed a lot of those areas. And we didn't have to take a player that was so narrow in what our personality is and maybe get a foundation player. Jason (Garrett) is fond of using that word, but a foundation player. We think we've got a chance to have a foundation player. And now he warrants getting up there and picking in those top-five or six and we didn't want to waste that opportunity to be that high."
*On what his definition is of a foundation player:
Jason Garrett: "I think one of those guys that are a cornerstone-type players that you want to build your team around. Again, a great character guy; a personal character guy; great football character; talented guy; a guy who loves to play football; a great team guy; and who's able to handle a significant role and a significant burden on the football team. I feel like we've done that on the offensive line. We feel like we have that at quarterback; we have it at tight end; we have it at receiver; now we have it at running back; we have some pieces on defense that you regard that way. Again, the kinds of guys you want to build the rest of the team around. They represent how you want to play, the approach you want to take, the kind of people you want to have in your organization. We felt like Zeke was one of those guys."
*On how hard it was to pass on Jalen Ramsey:
Jason Garrett: "Jalen Ramsey's a great football player. We spent a lot of time with these guys. We got a chance to go work them out, visit with them, bring them here, see them at the Combine. You watch him play and he's an outstanding football player. He has so many things that you want in a player physically; how he plays; the impact he makes in the game. He's a damn good football player, and he was certainly in the discussion amongst some other guys. We spent a lot of time talking about these players and the impact they can have on your football team. He's certainly regarded very prominently by us and around the league. So he's in the discussion. He brings a lot to the table. We just felt like Zeke Elliott was the kind of guy who could help our team the most right now."
*On how he sees the running back competition:
Jason Garrett: "We think a lot of the running back room that we have. We have a young player who we think a lot of that we just drafted and we have Darren McFadden who we had the great fortune to have on our football team last year who grew into the role we gave him. And we've been trying to tackle Alfred Morris for a few years now when he was playing for Washington. He's a damn good player. We're excited about where Lance Dunbar is. He was a contributor for us before his injury. So when you think about that group together, each of those guys can carry the football for us, they can protect for us, we can throw the ball to them and they all have their own styles, but they can be contributors. So as we get into it we'll get out onto the field and start practicing football and see how the roles crystallize and we'll get going."
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