Redskins vs. Cowboys: what the opposition is saying

Every week, it’s interesting to hear what is being said about the Washington Redskins as they and their opposition prepare for the upcoming game. But when the coming matchup is an NFC East Division game, many times the rhetoric isn’t so cliché. The teams within the division know each other so well, opinions, predictions, etc. can be more intense.

This week, the Redskins host the Dallas Cowboys and, since Washington is in first place right now, this is a huge game. Here are a few nuggets that have come out of the Dallas/Fort Worth area this week:

Tight ends Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis are valuable weapons to QB Alex Smith and Reed, especially, is a guy for which teams must plan.

“I don’t want to talk to the specifics of the scheme, but he’s an outstanding football player,” Dallas coach Jason Garrett said of Reed. “We’ve played against him a lot of times and every time we play against him, you see how productive and dangerous he can be. It’s all over the tape. Then once that ball is snapped, we have our hands full. He’s a really, really good player. He’s quick. He’s fast. He’s explosive. He’s got a great feel as a route runner. He’s awfully hard to tackle after the catch, and he’s a difference-making player for them.”

Cowboys defensive coordinator, Rod Marinelli, is extremely impressed with Reed and Davis.

“Sometimes 12 can play like 11 as we see it,” the DC said about the tight ends and how Redskins coach Jay Gruden uses them. “They’ve both really got speed, they’re really good. This is probably the best tandem of tight ends we’ve seen. Athletic guys, receivers. They’ll put their face in there to block too so, it’s a challenge. We’ve got to know who’s in there… what two are in there. They come out with three and they go and do a nice job in the big packages so they do a great job of mixing personnel and using their personnel really. I think they do a great job mixing their personnel for runs and all those things so. They come in and they’re ready to pound the ball at any moment.”

Of course, running back Adrian Peterson was discussed this week.

“Yeah, I mean the guy’s incredible,” Cowboys veteran LB Sean Lee said of the RB. “He’s a Hall-of-Famer. He’s a legend. I mean, to watch him run… When I first got into the league it was something special. Something I had never seen on tape before. And playing against him was a ‘welcome to the NFL moment.’ To see him playing like he is now still… still running as hard as he does… he’s an inspiration to watch. He’s one of the greats to ever do it.

“You have to hit him hard,” the Pro Bowler continued. “You have to bring everything you’ve got. And the problem is he’s so elusive also. The type of jump-cut he has, the type of speed he has and the power… there’s not a lot of people who have that combination. He’s always had that and he’s always been tough to face because of that versatility he has.”

“He’s played really well,” Dallas coach Jason Garrett said of A.P. “He’s obviously one of the elite running backs in, really, his generation of football. I mean he’s been so hard to tackle for so many years and that’s really what you see on tape. He’s big. He’s strong. He’s fast. He’s quick. He’s explosive. He’s a natural runner. He finishes runs. He’s got a great competitive spirit and you need a lot of guys to tackle him. So, that’s certainly what he’s done so far for the Redskins. It’s really what he’s been doing throughout his career.”

Garrett apparently realizes that, while he has been around for 10 years of playing Washington, this year’s defense is different from any the Redskins have had recently.

“Well, I think they have a lot of really good guys on their defensive front and they’ve used a lot of resources here the last few years to draft guys or sign guys and it shows up,” Garrett said of rookie Daron Payne and the rest of the defensive unit. “The two guys from Alabama [Payne and Jonathan Allen] were guys we really, really liked coming out of school. Easy to see why they were picked as high as they were and they stepped right in and transitioned really well and they make that front that much more stout, both in the run and in terms of affecting the passer, certainly, very good in the front seven and really good throughout their whole defense.”

On the other hand, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott maybe doesn’t feel this 2018 Redskins defense is all that different.

“This is a good team,” the third-year signal-caller said. “[Redskins CB] Josh [Norman] had a great game last weekend. They’re playing well. They’ve got momentum from that [victory over the Carolina Panthers] last weekend. It was a big win for them so they’re playing well, they’re playing sound. Just give them a lot of credit on everything they’re doing. But it’s the same defensive coordinator that I’ve faced and we’ll just go in there and do what we do.”

Regardless of the changes on either team, it is a storied rivalry and both teams seem to be concentrating on that this year, perhaps more than in recent years.

“Well, we play in the best division,” OLB Jaylon Smith said. “And to be able to play against the Redskins at their place… it’s always a challenge. It’s a big [game], you know?”

“We know it’s going to be a battle,” RB Rod Smith said. “Every time we go up there and every time they come out here we know it’s going to be a good game, a good battle. So, you know, we’re ready for the fight. We’re preparing and Sunday we’re going to be ready.”

The most original thing that’s been said this week is from Cowboys staff writer David Helman. He kicked off the week with a bit of bulletin board fodder.

“Ezekiel Elliott, Zack Martin, Cole Beasley… name your offensive player,” Helman said. “The thing I keep hearing about is that the communication hasn’t been good enough on the road in these three road losses. I don’t want to hear it this week because I’ve been to FedEx Field. It’s basically ‘Dallas North.’ Like, this is not an away game. There’s going to be a lot of Cowboys fans in the building so, it’s not holding water this week. I’d love to see Dallas play well.”