Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale
Well, got a great challenge this week. (Cowboys quarterback) Dak's (Prescott) playing at a high level, (Cowboys wide receiver) CeeDee's (Lamb) playing at a high level. They are really turning it on as an offense and really starting to click and when I say Dak's playing at the highest level, I think he's really back. He's healthy and he's distributing the ball well. We had a tough one last week. Really was the tale of two halves. I give Vegas their props because that quarterback and they stuck with the run longer than they have in the past and they were running the ball effectively in the first half. We were going to take away (Raiders wide receiver) Davante Adams and other players made plays. The second half, we made our adjustments after we saw their adjustments and I thought we played tremendously better than what we did in the first half. With that, I'll open it up to questions.
Q: What did you think of (safety) Xavier's (McKinney) comments after the game? Did they bother you?
A: Yeah, I mean it surprised me because it's the first time it's ever happened in my career.
Q: What's the first time?
A: That a player would make a statement like that. I think it was a case where the kid is just frustrated from losing. We spoke, we cleared it up. The example that he gave me of what he was talking about was an in-game adjustment and it was over – I mean it really took a while for him to point out to me exactly what it was, but I think that you grow from that. I just told him that's something that it's hurt the locker room, it hurts the defensive room when you say something like that. I'll tell you all the exact thing I used is it – and I understand clicks and all the things that you do and I respect your profession, but the example I used in front of him and the entire defense was when you make a statement like that, it puts money in your pockets and takes it out of ours, talking about the media, you know what I mean? I said you just have to understand that it was an emotional thing right after the game and you've just got to learn from it, so we're moving on.
Q: Was there anything to what he said in your eyes? Or was it just all frustration?
A: I'll just keep that between us but like I said, we're moving on. I spoke – because I had to evaluate, I had to go back and talk to the leaders and when I say leaders, you don't have to have a 'C' on your chest to be a leader. I talked to the vets, (defensive lineman) A'Shawn (Robinson) and Nacho (defensive lineman Rakeem Nuñez-Roches), I can go down the list, (inside linebacker) Bobby (Okereke), I talked to everybody in every room, and I said 'hey, is
there something that we're not discussing? Is there a problem here?' And to a man, they said no. Like I said, we are moving on and we will see what happens when we come to Dallas.
Q: You have those keep it real sessions with those guys very often. Because you have those, was that particularly surprising?
A: Yeah, that's my point. Because I end every meeting with, 'Does anybody have anything? Any questions? Any concerns? Are we okay? (Are) your families okay?' Because it's a safe space, if you have something, say something. We like the plan. I check all the boxes and I mean it when I say it and we've had discussions and we've had some different personalities that have been in those rooms, that you've had discussions. And I think that's a good thing, before the fact, before the game, those type of discussions. I said, 'I mean it when I say it, so if you have something, say something.'
Q: Were there conversations on the sideline during the game? That's what he seemed to say, he wanted to change things and it felt like he wasn't being heard, so are you saying he didn't say that during the game?
A: I'll just let him explain that because what he explained to me was a coverage that we ran one time. So, like I said, I just think he was frustrated. Like I said, he explained that to me afterwards. I didn't hear about it during the game and that's why, that's another reason why it caught me by surprise. but like I said it's…
Q: What's the best way to prevent it from hurting the locker room?
A: I think we already did that. I think we've talked about it as a group. It's like I said, when I go in there – and it's not the easiest thing to do -- to stand up in front of these guys and say 'Hey, is there a problem?' because there is a lot of people who just glaze over it and not even address it. We addressed it. We like confrontation. I like confrontation and I think that's the only way you can move forward as a defense and go from there and if you don't do that, I think that you are letting something grow, that is needless to let grow.
Q: Will McKinney be in his usual role to start this game this week?
A: You are going to have to talk to Dabs (Head Coach Brian Daboll) about that. I haven't had any discussions with he or (Senior Vice President and General Manager) Joe (Schoen) about it but as of right now, we are planning on him being in his usual role.
Q: Do you think he grew from any of this? In terms of after the fact, after he already said what he said.
A: I think you are going to ask him that. We'll see when we come to play the game.
Q: It seems like that really hurt you though.
A: Yeah, it did. It did because I've always been open, I've always been honest with players and I think if you have a problem, it's just how we handle things in that room.
Q: And this was literally the first time a player under you did this?
A: Yeah, you read it and go, 'What? What is he talking about', you know what I mean? It's alright, we are moving on from it.
Q: In that room though, did other players have your back?
A: I think you've got to ask them that. Everybody was positive with me that I talked to, so I think there might be somebody that's not feeling that way to tell you what you want to hear. I don't know.
Q: And this is stuff that happens in these kinds of seasons, right?
A: Sure. Sure.
Q: Even if it hasn't happened to you before, it's a symptom of a losing season, I would guess.
A: Sure, it's frustration. It's easy for me to come up and talk about it five days later, I know that. You know what I mean? It's easy for me to do now. I don't know how I would've reacted or what I would have said if (you came to me and said), 'He said this, well how do you feel?' You know what I mean? Or whatever question you get asked.
Q: Since we've known you here, you always have a good read on how your defense is going to react to certain situations, how you are going to respond. Obviously, not an easy spot to go into Dallas after what happened in Week 1 and whatever happened last week, how they feel. Do you have an idea as to how your defense is going to respond, do you think it's going to be a positive?
A: I think it's definitely going to be a positive because of what we are talking about before, the leadership that we have in that room. I mean, here's the thing, it's like we have to find a better way to start faster on road trips, especially west coast when you look at it that way. But I also respect and can appreciate the fact that there is four minute drive and it's fourth down and we have guys fighting their tail off to stop them on fourth down with 27 seconds left in the game. That's not a norm in the NFL, of how guys take it all the way to the end and this group does.
I said it before here, I love this group that we have. We've played really good defense for the last month prior to Vegas, and I expect us to continue to just keep getting better. And fix the things, it's more technique stuff in this last game in the first half that got us, but I expect us to keep getting better.
Q: McKinney is a pending free agent, does this impact whether you would advocate for him coming back next year?
A: We've got eight weeks left, so we will see where we are at the end of the season.
Q: I know there is only so much you can do on defense; I'm assuming most coaches are looking at what the paths to victory are in games, and obviously you guys offensively are going with a young quarterback with not a lot of experience against a team that's got, as you just mentioned, some pretty good weapons. Is there any added urgency to score on defense? I know you want to do that every week, I'm sure, but when you are in the situation you are in right now, is there anything you try to dial up or whatever?
A: I think if there is a study of that of when defenses score, it's usually in a high scoring game a lot of times when that happens. I think that we just need to try to execute the best we can execute at the highest level, and I think that we've got a good plan going into this and see how it all comes out on Sunday.
