FRISCO, Texas — P.J. Locke has seen Dallas Cowboys defenders doing extra work between team periods this week. The safety said Wednesday at The Star that it is the response everybody wanted after the 28-20 loss to the New York Giants.
While the offense is on the field, defensive players are going over techniques and coverage calls, Locke said.
“The response that everybody wanted. Everybody looks like they want to get better. You’ve seen guys doing extra work even between team periods while the offense is out there on the field,” Locke said. “We’re doing extra work going over different techniques and coverage calls and stuff. So, like I said, we’re just taking it one play at a time, one week at a time at the end of the day. That’s all we can do.”
P.J. Locke Says Dallas Cowboys Veterans Have To Point The Finger At Themselves
The Dallas defense is playing together for the first time, Locke said, and that is no excuse.
“It’s just game one, and it just takes time, man. It takes time. We’re the first time playing together, and like I said, that’s all excuses,” Locke explained. “But at the same time, we all got to take accountability for the product we put on the film. And as vets, as guys that want to get this program right, you got to have self-reflection and point the finger at you. So that’s the approach we’re going to take this week at the end of the day.”
Locke signed a one-year deal with Dallas in March after seven seasons with the Denver Broncos. Defensive coordinator Christian Parker coached him in Denver. Locke, a Beaumont native, went undrafted out of Texas in 2019.
A loss is a lesson, Locke said.
“Yeah, I don’t think you grow being comfortable. So, I think all these, even though we took an L, I picture those as lessons. At the end of the day, you can always find ways to get better. You don’t go out there and play a perfect game,” Locke said. “And obviously, like I said, that is not the debut that we wanted. But at the end of the day, we got another game to play, and we got to go out there and put some good product on them. So hopefully that’s this week. We’re going to continue to have that confidence.”
P.J. Locke On Little Plays That Swing Games
Locke played 28 defensive snaps and 11 on special teams against New York and made 2 tackles. Safety Malik Hooker had surgery Tuesday on a fracture and did not practice Wednesday. Jalen Thompson played all 69 defensive snaps.
The competitive part of losing sends players looking for every little play, Locke said, from a firmer tackle to the difference between second-and-7 and second-and-4.
“Yeah, to a certain degree. I also think that just the competitive nature in you, you go out there and you lose, like you want to find everything. It’s little plays that you probably could have affected in a way, maybe making a more firmer tackle or something like that, making something second-and-7 versus second-and-4, those type of things, the running back falling forward,” Locke said. “All that type of thing affect the game that y’all probably don’t even see, but you can be self-critical in that aspect of it. So, like I said, it all points the finger back at you.”
New York ran for 165 yards on 37 carries. Communication is ongoing, Locke said, and Dallas will keep harping on it.
“Let me tell you, so communication is, it’s an ongoing thing. It doesn’t just stop. Like, you just don’t just get good at it, and like, you got to keep improving, and that’s something we’re going to continue to harp on,” Locke said. “And again, we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation if we came out with a W. But I think at the end of the day, like, it was Week 1, and we got stuff to continue to get better at.”
Dallas hosts the Washington Commanders on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX.
