On the Cowboys defense and LB Greg Ellis: "I think Greg Ellis has had a wonderful year. Coming off of an Achilles injury that took him some time to be able to bounce back from that and the things that he's been able to do since he's gotten back in the game and gotten in the flow of things, he's had a good year. Defensively, those guys are starting to gel together. They're starting to put guys in position to make plays, their cornerbacks are healthy again, and they're flying around and making plays."

On why the offense struggled after the first series against the Giants: "We just weren't able to capitalize on getting first downs. I thought we had a lot of positive plays in there, and when put in position on third-and-short or second-and-medium, we weren't able to convert to sustain the drive. There were a lot of times where we would get plays and move the chains, but weren't able to capitalize to get in the endzone. In the red zone, when we got the fumble (recovery) by (DT) Mike Patterson, being able to put us in the red zone, that's a situation where you have to score (a touchdown) and in that situation we didn't. We had some mistakes and miscues and I probably should have thrown the ball away instead of taking the sack. Things like that kind of snowball. It's a collection of things at the wrong time. If you look back at that game, there are a lot of positive things in that game, but for us to come out on the losing end makes matters worse."

On whether the offense is the same west coast offense that it has been in the past: "I think it's somewhat of the same west coast offense, but we're adding different wrinkles into it. Every week, you add something different into it to attack the given defense that you're playing. Defenses have been trying to eliminate us from getting the big play, which we had a lot of success with last year and in previous years. That leads us to checking down to the back, throwing it to the tight end, working intermediate routes in the passing game. For what we've been able to do, it's very similar to the normal offense in which the west coast offense is run."

On whether they are seeing defenses they haven't seen in the past: "We've seen base cover 2, we've seen man, we've seen quarters, we've seen blitzes. They are a lot similar (to defenses we've seen in the past), but you have to know who you're facing. We're facing a team we see twice a year. The Giants had an idea of what we do. (Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) calling his defense, bringing his blitzes, trying to eliminate that. You give credit to them, as well, but when we have the opportunities to make plays, we have to make them."

On why the red zone offense hasn't been able to turn the corner: "I don't know. If it's a mistake on my part, if it's mistakes as a unit, or miscues, they just happen at the wrong time. That's the situation that you definitely have to eliminate. We thought we had the answer to it when we started scoring in the red zone for four or five games or so, and then all of a sudden you're back to it again. If I had that single answer, then hopefully we would have it fixed, but as you can see, I guess it's become a problem again."

On whether he has been reluctant to throw the ball downfield: "With the defenses we have been facing, yes. There are chances to take shots, but also you have to be smart with the ball. The situation where, especially at the end of the game, where we took shots downfield and put us in position to kick the field goal to tie, those are opportunities. Other points in the game, you either have to move around in the pocket or check it down to the back because the linebackers got soft and we weren't able to throw it over the top of those guys."

On why he hasn't taken as many shots downfield against the cover 2: "A lot of teams aren't just playing base cover 2, they're playing a soft shell where you can get your linebackers to soften up to be in the intermediate part. That's where we're checking down to the back. A lot of times, we catch them in a zone coverage where we may have three wide receivers going deep, where you kind of hit the slot guys. Sometimes we'll have to hit the outside guys because the nickel-backer runs with the slot guy. In that, it kind of goes off in your head that you have to get the ball out, so you check it down to the back. There are going to be opportunities to get the ball down the field, but there are going to be opportunities where you won't be able to, where you have to check it down to the back."

On whether, at 5-8, it would make sense to take more shots downfield: "I don't believe in that. I believe that if you check it down, you give your guys an opportunity to make plays for you. (RB Brian) Westbrook and our running backs and our tight ends can make a guy miss and pick up 15 yards, instead of just trying to throw it up there and see who comes up to get it. Worse comes to worst, our guy either knocks it down or they pick it off. That's something that you want to avoid, especially on third down. You want to convert on third down and move the chains, because then you have the opportunity to take shots. In this situation, yes we're 5-8, but this isn't the time to just start throwing the ball up and seeing who is able to make plays."

On whether the offense is too reliant on Westbrook: "We ask him to do a lot. For all of us to take pressure off of Brian, you have to elevate your game. If there are plays to be made, they have to be made. This offense asks Brian to do things that not a lot of running backs are able to do. That's a tribute to his athletic ability. Catching the ball out of the backfield, running the ball out of the  backfield, picking up blitzes, whatever it may be. He's a talented guy, so you want to get the ball in his hands any opportunity you can."

On what his greatest motivation is at this point in the season: "For me, and for all of us, I think the motivation is winning these three games and seeing where it puts us. I don't think there's really any added motivation because we're playing the Cowboys or the time that we're playing Cowboys, with them winning the NFC. Our motivation has to be that we have to win this game and the next games to come to put ourselves in a better position to make the playoffs. I don't even like to say 'playoffs' right now, because our playoffs really has to be these next three games. We have to win each game."

On whether getting to 8-8 would be a salvaged season: "At this point, yes. To be 8-8 would be a goal right now, because that would mean that we would win the next three. I try not to even focus on the next couple of weeks and just focus on this week. This week is obviously against the Dallas Cowboys and we need this win."

On whether this season has been internally frustrating for him: "It is, because I haven't been a part of anything like this, even in my rookie year, when we were losing games by three or four. My second year was the same way. We were able to overcome that. This isn't that type of team. We had a lot of young guys then, we have some young guys here now, but a lot of us are older and haven't been faced with anything like that in previous years. So, you have to be able to dig yourself out like we did then to come out with wins."

On his reactions to President Joe Banner's comments last week that McNabb would be back next year: "I felt the same way. I've said that every (time) the question was asked to me, that I would be back here next year and the years to come. I didn't look deeper into it than what was said."

On whether it's important for young guys to experience tough seasons: "I don't think we have that same team like we had back then. When I came in, they were 3-13, and we went 5-11 my rookie year. Then, we obviously had winning seasons consistently. But, this isn't the same team and it's not the same players. In this new age of players who are coming into this league, guys are coming in their rookie year and making an impact. So, you wouldn't expect the same thing to happen like it did back then. That's why it's really frustrating for a lot of us, because the times are changed and things are different."

On whether a lack of impact from rookies has hurt the team: "It's different for different guys and their situations. Some of the guys that were drafted early had to play. For the guys that we bring in here, they're brought in to learn and understand what we do around here and are asked to play in their second year. Situations are different with different teams. Maybe things will change."