Compiled by Matthew Lee and Bryan Tucker
Washingtonpost.com Correspondents
Web Posted: Sunday, October 4, 1998; 8:10 p.m. EDT

Norv Turner
Opening Comments:
I thought they [Cowboys] had a good plan. [Quarterback Jason] Garrett played as well as you can play. They were able to move the ball on first down. He was the key to that. At halftime, I thought we were in the football game. They did an excellent job with their first drive. On the big play, I thought Darrell [Green] had thought the ball was already thrown. They did a good job defensively on us and we were just unable to get anything going to get back into the football game.

Q: Norv, you called this week a must-win game. So what do you call next week against the Eagles?
A: Next week is even more of a must-win.

Q: Why is the third quarter such an Achilles' heel?
A: I don't know how to answer that other than they are a physical group. They ran the ball and got a big play. On the 9-route, Darrell [Green] is on the guy and he thought the ball, like I said earlier, was already thrown and he relaxed a second and they complete a ball and they finish off a drive. I don't know if that drive was different than the first or second quarter. They did good things and they moved the ball.

Q: Why can you do differently to stop the run?
A: Believe me, we have been looking at that hard. We'll play pretty good run defense at times. We just can not sustain [it].

Q: When you were playing defense in the fourth quarter, would you believe that Chris Warren could get 104 yards on his own?
A: No, again he breaks off the run. What happens in those situations is you are all bunched up with extra guys in there and if they break it than they are going to have a big run.

Q: Are you considering putting in Gus Frerotte in next week?
A: As we do every week, we look at anything that can help you.

Q: Can you evaluate Trent [Green's] performance?
A: I thought he did some good things in the first half obviously he struggled in the second half.

Q: How hard is it to make the team believe that you can still turn this thing around?
A: Well, we've asked this question a number of times. I think you have to put faith in the veteran players. They are true professionals, they are going to give direction to everyone else on the team. The coaching staff just has to coach that much harder.

Q: Turnovers were not the problem this week but it was the same outcome.
A: They were not the issue. On the first turnover, Trent threw the ball high and that gave them some momentum. I don't think turnovers were the problem.

Q: How much is Trent's ineffectiveness due to the lack of pass protection by the offensive line?
A: I think it is a combination of many things. Dallas is a good defensive football team and they struggled early against Denver, which most people have. They came out against the Giants last week and held them to 10 points. They held the Raiders to 13 points and one of the plays was a 70-yard touchdown that bounced off a defender's back and they caught it for a score. They've been a good defense through and through for the last couple of years and they got most of the same guys. They present problems. [Deion] Sanders matches up awfully well on one of your receivers and gives them flexibility to do other things with your passing game.

Q: You talked about doing different things to help cornerback Cris Dishman and how did they work today and are you thinking about making any changes?
A: I thought we did some things to help [Cris Dishman]. The first completion is a fade run, he's all over him and the guy makes a great catch. The post down the middle, we had a busted coverage. We are supposed to have a safety deep in the middle and that's his own responsibility. We obviously made some changes with the safeties and that's what happens, you're not as exact as you should be. We came out of the middle on that and I don't think that was Dish's sole responsibility. He's trying to make a heck of a play and he expects that safety deep in the middle.

Q: Do you still think something positive can come of this season?
A: As I said last week's time, hey we got to win a football game. We have to find a way to win a football game.

Q: Have you ever had a game where you have had two receivers get called for going out of bounds and coming back in to make a catch?
A: No. Some of that is they know where the sideline is and you can't do anything about it. You are getting shoved and you are on the boundary. Dallas does a good job of pressing, jamming, rolling up to you and forcing you. Hey, you are walking that tightrope, obviously you are not trying to get out of bounds.

Q: Is Stephen Davis going to play fullback the rest of the year?
A: We've got some things to look at, obviously it will be by committee. Now Stephen Davis will be doing some of it, the two tight ends with one back and James Jenkins have played some of it. He's [Larry Bowie] is a tough guy to lose and he's playing well and adds a lot to the physical part of our offense.

Dan Wilkinson
Q: What are the words that describe the team right now?
A: Frustrated, confused, basically we are an unhappy team.

Q: What's the answer to fixing the problems?
A: I have no idea and that's the biggest problem. No one seems to have the idea to get it turned around and get it fixed. The only thing we can do is keep working hard and keep giving it our best.

Q: Can the season be saved at this point?
A: Without a doubt but we have to find a way to do that.

Q: What's the confusion?
A: I don't know. There is confusion in many different areas of our game right now. Maybe confusion is not the right word. I don't know but we are having problems and we are having bigger problems trying to solve them.

Q: Does the team have confidence in this coaching staff?
A: I don't think that is a problem at all. I think we have confidence in the coaching staff and each other as players.

Q: Have the other teams been that much better?
A: Apparently so. That's the way it has been looking.

Q: Was the anything particularly frustrating on what Emmitt Smith or Chris Warren did?
A: As long as the defense is on the field, a good offensive line with the talented backs they have, eventually something is going to break. You give them 100 shots at it, eventually something is going to break. We held the run in check. That is not what beat us, except that long run at the end, but other than that it was not a problem.

Q: Both backs had 100 yards. Do you really feel that it was not a problem?
A: I thought that their running game did not beat us.

Q: What did?
A: Errors. Mental errors. Penalties, Missed tackles.

Q: Is the worst part of this is that it reminds you of Cincinnati?
A: I don't look at it as far as Cincinnati, I am a Washington Redskin ... All I can say is that I've been through it before and it can get worse if we let it. We are a critical point right now where we have to find solutions and quick.

Q: Are you more frustrated now than at any point in your career?
A: Losing is never fun. I came from a losing team before I came here and it's not fun right now and we just have to find a way to get it done.

Ken Harvey
Q: What happened out there today?
A: To ask a question like "what happened," you can search and you can say what's going on but it's obvious, we have a good team, we do things well when we're going well but we also kill ourselves with mistakes and little things that kill you.

Q: You had the passion and drive in this game. Did the rest of the team have that passion as well?
A: I think it was universally shared but you have to go around and ask each person. I know we went into the game with the attitude that we're going to play hard but the mistakes, each person has to control their own mistakes. No matter how hard I want to play or how hard the next person wants to play, it's the mistakes.

Q: If this was a "must-win" situation, what happens from here?
A: There's still hope. As long as there's hope and there's still a chance, you keep fighting. It's a test of character. It's a test of will and what kind of person are you? Are you going to give up because things look bad. Are you the type of person that gives up? I'm not, we're not. Regardless of what people say or how much they yell, we're not going to give up. That's the way we're going to play and play to the end.

Q: Over the last several games the opposing runners having rushed for more than 100 yards. Is the criticism for the defense deserved?
A: We're supposed to stop the run. This was the year to stop the run and we're not getting it done. It's something we have to keep fighting to get done. We have to figure out a way to get it done. That's part of our job. We shouldn't get mad at anyone but ourselves. That's something we have to get done.

Q: Is there any panic in the locker room after this loss?
A: It shouldn't be panic, it should be pissed off.

Stanley Richard
Q: Talk about the run defense.
A: We need to find a way to jump out early and force the issue. Right now it is really hard to pinpoint what is going on, I just know there are a lot of problems. Eventually we'll turn it around but you don't want it to slip too far.

Q: Talk about the defense against the run on the Cowboys first touchdown.
A: I tell you what, if I make a mistake in my position, bad things are going to happen. If they break off a long run and get into the secondary it's up to us to bring them down.

Q: If this was a must-win situation, what happens now?
A: We have to keep our heads up and continue to do the little things to prepare for the game. If we start shutting it down now we're not going to be prepared for Sunday. We have to continue to do what have to do regardless of how tough it's going to be for us.

Cris Dishman
Q: What happened on the long touchdown pass allowed to Ernie Mills?
A: We're not even going to talk about that. I'm a veteran defensive back. I saw the play, I just couldn't get over to it. I'm not going to point fingers or say it was a busted coverage here. We got to let that go. Our main concern now is not to pick at every play that we do wrong but pick at every play that we do right and go back and see the positive and not the negative because right now, we are snake bitten as a team. Somehow we have to shake that snake off of us and I think these two road games could not have come at a better time. It sounds crazy but when you go on the road, you get closer as a team. We've got two rough road games. I know it sounds crazy but we played a lot better in this game than we did in the past four games even though we came up with a loss.

It's frustrating. There's not one person in here who wanted to lose this game, who wanted to go 0-5. When we went into training camp we looked at this team and said "NFC Championship." We still have an opportunity to get there. We've got 11 games to get there and somehow in these next two weeks before our bye week, we've got to get two wins. Desperate? Yes. Playing for your job? Yes. It has to be. Everyone. From top to bottom.

Marvcus Patton
Q: Where does the team go from here?
A: It's hard right now with what's going on and losing the way we are, over and over again. To sit here and answer those questions, honestly, I have to take a look at the film and take a day and think about it all night. I'll probably be up again all night like I was all last night last week. Right now, anything could happen, could come from this. I'm trying to be as nice as I can and as calm as I can.

Q: Ken Harvey said you guys should be pissed off. Is this team pissed off?
A: Not pissed off enough to win ball games, I'll tell you that much. We haven't been thus far. I don't know if that's the right word but I don't know what it is.

Q: In the Dallas locker room at halftime, they talked about and focused on how the Redskins play in the third quarter. What happens to you guys in the third quarter?
A: I don't know. If I could answer that, it wouldn't be happening. I can't answer that. You're asking a question that cannot be answered because we've done it five weeks in a row. If any one of us knew the answer, it wouldn't be happening, but we don't and it keeps happening over and over. You've seen it, I've seen it, I've been through it.

I'm going to do whatever I can to get us through this. I'm sure everyone else is also. As a person, as an individual, as a team, you're not going to quit. If you're going to go and quit, you shouldn't be here in the first place.

Dana Stubblefield
Q: How do you feel about today?
A: It was a bad day. It was embarrassing and everybody's disgusted. There is no more room for excuses.

Q: Is there a reason why you guys can't stop the run?
A: I think offensive coordinators and running backs are stretching the defense and soon as that back sees the hole – even if it's backside – they are cutting back real fast and we're not holding the point of attack like we should be.

Q: Is it just the defensive line?
A: It is everybody in general. It's the whole defensive line, the defense and the linebackers. We got to stop those cutbacks. If you watched the last two games, especially the Denver game, that's all they did was cutback and Emmitt Smith and Chris Warren did the same [thing].

Q: Do you think you have to change the defensive scheme?
A: No, there's no reason to change the defense. We just have to hold our attack and we got to be patient up front as far as the defensive line. When you are in the three-technique, when the guard comes up to reach you you just got to hold it, hold it and hold it and kind of wait until the back commits to which way he is going to run.

Q: What's the frustration factor right now?
A: Because we haven't won. The frustration is we need to get a win. The guys are trying to get a win and what we are trying not to do is fall in that mode is okay I'm going to go out here and just shoot the gap no matter what defense is called or what the coaches say I'm just going to keep shooting the gap and try to make something happen. We are trying not to get in that frame of mind because all that is going to do is hurt us even more.

Q: Is there a way to avoid that completely?
A: I don't think any guys have been taking it upon themselves to try to make something happen and cut the defense and make it worse.

Q: Were you guys frustrated by them only passing 17 times today?
A: We knew they were going to put it in the hands of Emmitt Smith and the offensive line.

Q: What were your expectations coming in?
A: Our expectations have not changed from training camp. It's going to stay the same so long as I'm here and especially for this defense and that's to stop the run and get the team into passing situations and keep our offense on the field.

Darrell Green
Q: Are you offended by the reactions from the fans?
A: I'm a fan. I'm a fan of basketball, of track. So you do a lot of things vicariously through people and you want them to be successful and you get frustrated. But they're not us, so yeah, they can get frustrated. I think the only line that is drawn with me is when people begin to attack people on a personal level. That's when I think it's improper because you get someone cursing someone and my son is sitting up there, or my mom. I know and you know, that there are people who aren't successful at their job from day to day and they don't have someone screaming and cursing at them. They might get fired and we get fired here too but I think that's where I draw the line. In terms of the fans, hey, they pay our salaries. I don't have a whole lot of problem with them.

Trent Green
Q: What happened today?
A: I really can't pinpoint it. In the first half, we had some things go very well and others didn't. In the second half, a lot of times when you're calling plays and trying to execute plays, it's a chess game and it's just a matter of getting the right plays called and executing the right plays. There were times when there were guys open and there were times when they had the appropriate plays called. It's just a matter of throwing the ball away and moving on. I learned my lesson in previous weeks trying to force the situation and sometimes punts are better than an interception or a fumble trying to make something happen. I was just trying to put us in the best situation to win instead of trying to force something.

Q: If you're the head coach, who do you start next week?
A: If I'm the head coach, I start me (laughter). That's something he has to decide. I still feel confident in what I'm doing and what I can do for this team and I'll prepare next week the same way I have every week, just working harder to get ready.

I try to not deal with 'ifs' and 'what ifs' and I don't know what's going to transpire over the next 48 hours and how [Turner] is going to deal with it. All I can say, no matter if I'm first or second, I'm still going to go out and get myself ready to play.

Q: What approach does this team take this week?
A: Obviously, starting 0-5, the outside pressure is going to be immense whether it be from the media, whether it be from the fans or the ownership. Whatever that may be, the thing that everyone has to understand, the core guys that we're going to have to count on are the guys in the locker room and the coaches in the meeting room. We're going to have to stick together. Starting 0-5 isn't good for anybody and the pressure and negatives of the whole thing, everyone is going to have to stick together. You're not going to find any outside help from anybody.

Q: How was the protection from the offensive line?
A: I thought they did a good job. Like I said, in previous weeks, when you get to a situation where you have to throw like we did there at the end, the defensive line can change their attitude in terms of their pursuit up the field so that seems to me when they had most of their pressure. When the game was close and we could mix in the run, I thought the line did a great job.

Q: What do you want to improve on for next week?
A: We need to have a higher completion percentage, we have to move the chains more than we did today. That's something we've done in the previous weeks and I don't think today, just off the top of my head, we were as productive in terms as moving the ball and the numbers we put up. You have to give the Dallas defense credit. They did some things we didn't anticipate.

Q: What did Dallas do that wasn't expected?
A: In years past they have matched Deion [Sanders] on Michael [Westbrook] and last year they didn't and this year they did. They were rolling some coverage to [Leslie] Shepherd. They did a good job taking that away and forcing us to throw underneath stuff.

Leslie Shepherd
Q: How much does this test your will?
A: It tests our will just going out there and fighting. That what it is and that's what it is about. You have to dig deep and continue to fight without quitting. It is going to test your will constantly week in and week out until you get a win. 0-5 is a bad place to be in.

Q: Was there any revenge for Omar Stoutmire since you burned him on that touchdown [Stoutmire ended Shepherd's season last year with a crushing hit]?
A: There is no personal vendetta against Stoutmire. I told people that from Day One. I was just trying to help my team win. He's a safety and whoever was back there would been there for the touchdown I scored. There was no personal vendetta against Stoutmire or nothing like that, I was just trying to get a "W" which we did not do.

Q: After that touchdown, was there anything to tell you that this game would be a different story since you are usually behind in the first quarter?
A: You always take the approach that you have the chance to win. You always think you have a chance to win. The crowd was behind us for the most part and the defense played fairly well. I think it gave us some opportunities for the chances to make some plays but we did not make enough plays on offensive end. Ten points is not going to get it done in a division game.

Q: It seemed like you were open a lot in the second half but the ball was never there?
A: No, it was not coming. He tried for me downfield, we were just off-target a little bit. We just try to keep on, keeping on. I'm going to run hard regardless if I catch two balls or 12 balls. Sometimes when you are open the guys in the booth can see that and call down and try to call your number but sometimes things do not work out that way.

Q: Trent has not played that badly but do you think it is time to put Frerotte back in?
A: I don't know that is a coach's decision. I know today there were some opportunities that we missed or did not capitalize on, whether it was the defensive line or offensive line breaking down or what have you. The decision of bringing Gus back I don't know and just wait and see. Whatever they do, you just have to roll with the punches.