Brandin Cooks is tired of the talk.
The Dallas Cowboys were pushed and shoved around like a junior varsity team during their past two losses to the New Orleans Saints and the Baltimore Ravens. Players, coaches and management - namely owner Jerry Jones - have talked about what’s wrong with team, particularly on defense.
Cooks, the team’s wide receiver and former Oregon State Beavers star, said the time for talk is over.
“I think at the end of the day, three games in, but we can’t keep coming back here like we need to fix it, now’s the time absolutely,” Cooks told reporters on Wednesday. “No better chance with a short week in front of us to go out there and play our brand of football and fix the things that we are talking about.”
The Cowboys (1-2) have an opportunity to “fix” things when they take on the New York Giants (1-2) Thursday night. The Cowboys have dominated the Giants in recent seasons. They have won the past six games and 13 of 14 overall. They beat the Giants by a combined margin of 89-17 in the two games last season, including a 40-0 win in the 2023 season-opener.
Cooks and the Cowboys aren’t focusing on the past, they are focused on making sure everyone is paying attention to the details of the upcoming game.
“Doing your job. Honing in on that and being able to play fast,” Cooks told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s everything - you can’t rely on what we do in the building. What you do on your own time preparing away from the facility, it’s huge in this game.”
The Cowboys will be playing in just their fourth game of the season, however, for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, the pressure increases each day. Losing to the Saints and Ravens was bad, but a loss to the Giants would likely set off alarm bells in the front office. They need a win to get themselves back on track.
“We’ve got a great task in front of us,” Cooks told reporters. “I think we’re going to handle it well. We’ve prepared for it well. We’ll see come Thursday.”