By
Rainer Sabin / Reporter
rsabin@dallasnews.com | Bio
1:06 AM on Sun., Dec. 18, 2011 | Permalink
TAMPA, Fla. -- Rob Ryan wasn't especially boastful about his defense's performance Saturday in the Cowboys' 31-15 victory over Tampa Bay. But it was clear that he was satisfied with the end results.
"I thought we executed well," Ryan said. "Hey, the guys did good and played pretty much sound."
It's hard to argue with that assessment. Tampa Bay gained only 190 yards of offense and entered the Cowboys' red zone once on Saturday. Six days after communication problems surfaced in a 37-34 loss to the New York Giants, the Cowboys seemed to resolve the issues that led to the major defensive collapse that occurred in that game.
"I was happy to see us function without making mental mistakes," Ryan said. "We were smarter tonight. And I think it helped us."
But Ryan's enthusiasm was muted, in part because he realized that the Buccaneers don't feature a top-flight offense.
"They're not the Giants or the Eagles," Ryan said, mentioning the Cowboys' next two opponents. "But we're looking forward to that challenge. We're ready to get it right. Not many chances you get to do a mulligan. But here we go."
Rainer Sabin / Reporter
rsabin@dallasnews.com | Bio
1:06 AM on Sun., Dec. 18, 2011 | Permalink
TAMPA, Fla. -- Rob Ryan wasn't especially boastful about his defense's performance Saturday in the Cowboys' 31-15 victory over Tampa Bay. But it was clear that he was satisfied with the end results.
"I thought we executed well," Ryan said. "Hey, the guys did good and played pretty much sound."
It's hard to argue with that assessment. Tampa Bay gained only 190 yards of offense and entered the Cowboys' red zone once on Saturday. Six days after communication problems surfaced in a 37-34 loss to the New York Giants, the Cowboys seemed to resolve the issues that led to the major defensive collapse that occurred in that game.
"I was happy to see us function without making mental mistakes," Ryan said. "We were smarter tonight. And I think it helped us."
But Ryan's enthusiasm was muted, in part because he realized that the Buccaneers don't feature a top-flight offense.
"They're not the Giants or the Eagles," Ryan said, mentioning the Cowboys' next two opponents. "But we're looking forward to that challenge. We're ready to get it right. Not many chances you get to do a mulligan. But here we go."
