Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks joined Sports Illustrated on behalf of "He Gets Us" and talk about their tough loss to the Packers and what the Cowboys plan is for next year.
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00:00 Ladies and gentlemen, I got two Cowboys.
00:04 Matter of fact, let's change that.
00:06 There's three Cowboys right here sitting
00:08 and looking in front of you right now.
00:09 I'm an ex, these guys play.
00:11 I got Stephon Gilmore, I got Brandon Cooks.
00:13 Let's talk about the end of the season, dog.
00:16 Everybody wanna talk about it, I ain't gonna lie.
00:19 I was watching the game with some friends
00:22 that don't really watch football,
00:24 and I was teared up.
00:25 Out of all years, I thought this was the year.
00:30 Talk to me a little bit about how it ended
00:31 and maybe the disappointment you guys felt
00:33 just in losing to the Packers.
00:36 Nah, we was, for me, I think we was very disappointed
00:40 in that loss, 'cause I feel like this was the year
00:43 we can get to the Super Bowl.
00:45 But I think at the end of the day,
00:48 they was just more physical than us,
00:50 and they was able to establish the run
00:52 and establish a play-action pass.
00:56 They wasn't really beating us really one-on-one,
00:59 but once you establish the run and you can get,
01:02 you know, you got everybody in the box
01:04 and play-action pass, they had a great game plan.
01:08 They schemed us up pretty well, so hats off to them.
01:12 - Brandon, receiver to receiver,
01:14 it kinda felt like timing was off,
01:18 some frustration was going on during the game.
01:21 Is there anything that you feel that was going on,
01:25 or is everything that we saw on TV just--
01:27 - Nah, honestly, I'll be honest.
01:30 A lot of the speculation that was happening on TV was,
01:33 it wasn't what it was.
01:35 It's just one of those things, playoffs, as you know,
01:38 you feel that sense of urgency,
01:40 like, man, we can't keep playing around.
01:42 So that's what that was more of, but yeah,
01:45 like you said, man, I'm disappointed, still hot about it.
01:48 It's even being here, right, you know,
01:51 it's a blessing to be here from the aspect of what we,
01:53 you know, getting ready to talk about,
01:54 but when you feel like you should be in it,
01:57 it's tough to sit here and be like, man,
01:59 not to get upset about it.
02:00 So adding that feel to that fire
02:01 for this off season, for sure.
02:02 - What do you guys have to do in the off season
02:05 to take that next step next year during the year?
02:08 'Cause obviously we got the regular season lockdown.
02:10 We gonna win our games.
02:12 What do we have to do to get--
02:14 - I think every man that's gonna be in that locker room
02:16 gotta look inward, right, and really talk about discipline.
02:20 And I'm talking about discipline from the smallest things,
02:23 not just on the field, but off the field as well,
02:26 and making it a habit,
02:27 because that's when those things gonna show up
02:29 in the post season.
02:30 It's gonna be the little things that show up
02:31 that keep you from, you know, continuing to go.
02:33 So look at yourself in the mirror,
02:35 becoming more disciplined and working harder.
02:39 - Okay, we came in together in 13,
02:41 you've been in the league for 12, came in together.
02:44 Look, y'all are the OGs in the locker room.
02:47 So you talking about discipline,
02:49 you know, taking care of things off the field
02:51 and on the field.
02:52 How do y'all talk to the younger guys in the locker room
02:54 to get those guys to see that?
02:58 'Cause y'all are all already, y'all been doing it,
03:00 y'all know what it takes.
03:01 How do you get those guys to see that?
03:03 - It's tough, 'cause these young guys come in
03:06 and they don't really know what it takes
03:11 to be great week in and week out.
03:14 And you just try to, you know,
03:15 for myself, I try to lead by example.
03:18 And I've been playing a long time.
03:19 You know, bless the guys that look up to me.
03:22 They just ask me questions and, you know,
03:25 ask me how I've been playing so long at a high level.
03:27 And I just try to tell them, you know,
03:30 you gotta take care of yourself.
03:31 You gotta take it serious.
03:32 You can't, you gotta work hard each day.
03:35 You know, you play great.
03:36 You gotta play great the next game.
03:38 So you don't play great, you gotta be able to process it
03:42 and, you know, move on and play great the next game.
03:44 So it's things like that that I try to teach them.
03:47 But it's tough 'cause I don't know,
03:49 the new generation is-
03:52 - It's different, yeah.
03:53 It's different. - It's different.
03:53 Yeah, it's a little,
03:54 it's a little softer a little bit.
03:57 - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:58 - But, you know, just trying to teach them
04:02 as much as I can and lead by example.
04:05 Yeah.
04:06 - All right, so we're obviously in Vegas.
04:07 Super Bowl is this Sunday.
04:09 We got the Chiefs, we got the Niners.
04:11 What do you think Brock Purdy has to do
04:15 if they wanna be the Chiefs?
04:16 'Cause I have the Chiefs as the winners.
04:20 - I think what Brock Purdy's gonna have to do,
04:23 and I think he can do it, got a lot of respect for him.
04:25 I think Kansas City's gonna focus on stopping that run.
04:29 And once you stop the run, now the quarterback,
04:32 I mean, the ball is in your quarterback's hands,
04:33 dropping back every single play.
04:35 So you talk about no more play action, right?
04:37 So I think in order for him to get the win,
04:39 he gonna have to drop back and be able to dice him up
04:42 and pass the ball without the play action.
04:45 - Steph, how would you game plan
04:48 going against Travis Kessler?
04:50 - You want me to answer that?
04:51 - What's that?
04:52 - I know in a respectful way,
04:53 I'm not saying this is for sure gonna stop him,
04:55 but what I will do is I'm putting my best corner,
04:57 and I'm playing him in, and I'm putting him on him.
04:59 And I'm not gonna let him go against the backer all day.
05:01 No disrespect to a backer,
05:03 but the dude might as well be a receiver.
05:06 That's what I'm doing.
05:07 - Yeah, and I'm making somebody else be me,
05:08 not Travis Kessler.
05:10 - Yes.
05:10 - Yeah.
05:11 Some of, one of them, what is it, Scantley?
05:14 Scantley. - Scantley.
05:15 - Yeah, or Rice. - Oh, Rice.
05:18 - Yeah, Rice.
05:19 - Yeah, Rice. - I'm making one of them guys
05:21 go for 200 and beat me.
05:24 And if they do, they deserve it.
05:26 - So going against Kelsey,
05:28 like how hard is that for a corner to do that?
05:31 'Cause that dude is big, dog.
05:33 - I've done it, but he's a great player, man.
05:39 He's a-- - Great player, I love him.
05:40 - But I love playing against guys like him
05:42 because he not as fast as a receiver.
05:44 So I can kind of, you know, it's easier for me.
05:48 'Cause I've been covering receivers all day.
05:50 And you put a corner on them,
05:52 it's just most, it's hard to scheme that up.
05:55 'Cause sometimes he in the court.
05:56 You can't put the corner in the court.
05:58 So you gotta have fine ways to put a corner on them
06:01 on passing downs to try to shut them down.
06:04 Yeah.
06:05 - But it's just tough though, 'cause he elite.
06:06 Don't get it twisted.
06:07 I ain't saying like it's going for sure.
06:08 Stop it, but I'm saying that's gonna be your best bet.
06:11 - You gotta limit him.
06:12 Like you gotta put somebody that can really cover on him.
06:14 Because if you don't--
06:15 - Who you putting on them?
06:17 - This game?
06:18 - Who you got?
06:19 - That'd be Sneed.
06:19 - Sneed.
06:20 - Sneed.
06:21 - Yeah.
06:22 - Or no, I'm not saying--
06:23 - Ambry, who's gonna do it?
06:24 - Sneed.
06:24 - I meant to say Ward.
06:25 Ward.
06:26 - Ward.
06:27 - It'd be Ward that would have to go.
06:28 - Jim.
06:29 - Jim, I mean.
06:29 - That was me, yeah, yeah.
06:30 - I'll put Ward on him.
06:32 I'm not saying it's going for sure.
06:34 Stop it, 'cause Ward is a dog too.
06:36 - Ward's a dog.
06:37 - That's good, I'm saying you're getting your best bet.
06:39 That's your best bet.
06:39 - You want no teammates?
06:40 - Especially, yeah, they were teammates.
06:41 - They were actually.
06:42 - Especially on third down.
06:43 - Yeah, yeah.
06:44 - Yeah.
06:45 - Yeah.
06:46 (laughing)
06:47 - It's gonna be tough.
06:48 - Yeah.
06:48 - So between the tight ends,
06:49 who do you think will have the bigger game?
06:50 Travis or Jordan?
06:51 - I think for what we just talked about,
06:54 I think Kittle can because of the fact that--
06:57 - They can run.
06:58 - You focusing on stopping Kelsey.
06:59 Whereas those weapons on Niners,
07:02 you gotta focus on McAfee,
07:03 you gotta focus on Debo,
07:04 you gotta focus on IU.
07:06 So I think, you know, Kittle might have the ability
07:09 to sneak out there a little bit more than Kelsey did.
07:13 - All right, so we've been talking about a lot of football,
07:16 but we all believe that there's a greater purpose.
07:19 - Yeah.
07:20 - So talk to us about He Gets Us,
07:22 which y'all got going on now.
07:23 - Nah, He Gets Us is a great program
07:26 where we was just watching a video the other day,
07:29 just as far as treating everybody right,
07:33 having good faith,
07:34 and no matter where you come from,
07:37 just loving one another,
07:40 no matter what background,
07:41 no matter what color you are,
07:43 just trying to help out and be there for one another.
07:46 - All right, so I got a little funny thing.
07:51 The last touchdown that I scored in the NFL was on you.
07:57 - On the post, right?
07:59 - And I thought I was gonna be playing a little bit longer.
08:02 (laughing)
08:03 And it didn't happen.
08:04 So we got the picture in Miami.
08:06 We got the picture.
08:07 - You can't show that, bro.
08:08 - You can't show that.
08:09 (laughing)
08:11 They wanted me to ask you to sign it.
08:12 I was like, he ain't gonna sign that.
08:13 - I ain't gonna sign that.
08:14 (laughing)
08:15 - He ain't gonna do it.
08:15 - Bro, I don't know how you caught that.
08:18 - I don't know either, look at it.
08:19 - Look, bro.
08:19 - I barely caught it.
08:20 - Who threw that?
08:22 Brian Fitzpats?
08:23 - No, no, no, no, no, it was Tad Hill.
08:26 - He threw that, I'm like, he ain't never,
08:28 he threw that in there.
08:29 (laughing)
08:31 - I ain't gonna lie.
08:32 - That's what Nevaugh is like, he got it.
08:34 - Yeah, yeah, to this day, I still like,
08:37 I don't know how I caught that.
08:39 Hey, appreciate you guys.
08:39 - Yeah, no doubt.
08:40 - I still have to air everything I got going.