Cowboys’ Awuzie ‘excited’ for ‘great challenge’ vs Falcons talented WRs
The season opener against the Los Angeles Rams didn’t go quite as the Dallas faithful had hoped, but the Cowboys already have another chance to stamp their first W on the schedule.
The Atlanta Falcons make the trip to AT&T Sunday afternoon, and their high octane offense should test a Cowboys defense that has lost a handful of key players this season, as corner Anthony Brown joined the IR late this week with a rib injury.
Dallas cornerback Chidobe Awuzie spoke to the media on Friday about the challenge the Cowboys are facing, the team’s Week 1 performance, Trevon Diggs quick development, and more.
The strength of the Falcons is no secret; Matt Ryan slinging the ball downfield for chunk yardage to Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and company.
When asked his thoughts on the upcoming matchup, Awuzie responded,
“Great receivers, just like every other week in the NFL. Obviously we have a Hall of Fame receiver we’re going to go against. It’s going to be a great challenge and a great opportunity as well, so we’re excited.” Awuzie would go on to add, “Julio has been doing it for years now so everyone knows about how Julio goes about his game but Ridley has really came into his own as well, he’s very quick and a very good route runner.”
Luckily for the Dallas secondary, they should be used to facing great wide receivers day in and day out. Awuzie acknowledged the battles in practice, saying,
“It’s always been a blessing. I’ve said prior that my rookie year I went against Dez Bryant, Cole Beasley, Terrence Williams, guys like that. And now we have Amari, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee… We’ve just always had good receivers in the building to get us ready for games. I feel like we’re going against the best everyday, so that’s always been a blessing for us.”
Awuzie was able to create the lone turnover in the Cowboys Week 1 loss when he pulled down an interception. The former second-round pick touched on the symbiotic relationship between the front seven and the defensive backs when asked about the interception.
“We just had great pressure. I think Aldon Smith and Everson Griffen got off the ball on that one. That’s they key to the game, you know, we all working on a chain. If they’re able to get to the quarterback, then the DB’s are able to make plays, so I credit all my success to them getting off the ball, getting in the quarterbacks face, and the ball happened to be in my hands.”
The Dallas pass rush must be more effective on Sunday than they were last week if they Cowboys hope to slow down the aforementioned passing attack of the Falcons. Cowboys Wire’s own Ben Grimaldi expanded on that crucial portion of the game with the following article.
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Week 2 Key: Cowboys' pass rush needs to come alive vs Falcons
One of the most talked about training camp topics was the ability of rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs. Diggs appeared to live up to the hype in his first career game, and his fellow defender Awuzie had nothing but praise for the youngster.
“He’s a great player. Very poised, he walks around the building like a vet. He lets the game come to him, very coachable, he has all the tangibles and intangibles, so I’m looking forward to Trevon and his career and how it pans out.” Awuzie would elaborate on his compliments, adding, “He doesn’t play around. When it’s time to lock in he locks in, he watches film when he needs to watch film, asks the veterans questions, keeps everybody engaged. That’s what I mean about how he walks around like a vet, he just does everything that he’s supposed to and some.”
The rookie’s job doesn’t get any easier, as he is set to see a heavy dose of the uber-talented Juilo Jones on the outside.
“I do.” Awuzie responded assuredly after being asked if the expects the Falcons to challenge the defense more vertically than the Rams did last week.
While the Cowboys will be without Anthony Brown this week, Jourdan Lewis is able to rejoin the Cowboys after missing Week 1.
Awuzie, Lewis, Diggs, and the other members of the secondary all have their work cut out for them, as the Dallas defense looks to have a bounce-back performance.
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