Cobb: 'Sunday is our time to go have fun'
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin’s Brett Christopherson caught up with Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb, who looked ahead to Sunday’s Week 6 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:25 p.m. This Q&A is presented by Tundraland:
You took a nasty shot to the back of your head from Giants safety Landon Collins on that key 13-yard, third-down catch that sealed last week’s win over New York. How do you reconcile the risks that come in playing football so you can go out there and compete with a clear mind?
Cobb: It’s just a love for the game. Yes, it’s a very violent game, a very violent sport that we play. But I love it. Football has been so great to me over the years. I’m very thankful that I’m able to play. I’ve had many teammates – NFL, college, high school – that had to give up what they’ve loved to do something else. I’ve been very fortunate to still continue to play, and play on this level. I don’t take that for granted at all, and I’m very thankful. I would say the main thing that keeps me going back out there is just a love for the game and enjoying and having fun doing it.
You finished with nine receptions for 108 yards against the Giants, with your highlight catch the 17-yarder on third-and-nine from your own 21 early in the fourth quarter in which you broke some tackles and spun your way to a critical first down. What’s the key in having the ability to break a tackle? Is there a technique to it? Coach Mike McCarthy said that breaking tackles is something that’s stressed each week.
Cobb: It really just comes down to making guys miss. There’s no one way to do it. There’s no defining way to do it. It’s just making it happen. Some guys do it with running through arm tackles. Some people are able to run guys over. Some people are able to use different moves, whether it be spin moves or a side step to get by guys. So it’s just being able to use whatever it takes. It’s more of a reaction whenever you’re able to make guys miss. You’re able to use that leverage if they’re overplaying a certain way – their balance coming up for a tackle. You just have to be able to process all of that and then be able to react to whatever the defender is doing.
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It seems like there’s always a little extra buzz when the Packers and Cowboys meet, especially when both teams are doing well and the backdrop is Lambeau Field. Do the guys in the locker room feel the same way, or is it just another game on the schedule?
Cobb: It’s really just another game on the schedule for us. I think all the buzz comes more from outside. We’re always ready and excited about each game because that’s the only one that we get for the week. We always look at it as Monday through Saturday is what we’re doing for work and Sunday is our time to go have fun. But Dallas being where they are and where we stand, it’s definitely going to be a good game. And I think it’ll be a game that everybody is excited for with a 3:25 (p.m.) kickoff and knowing we’ll have a lot of people watching.
This marks the fourth straight season in which the Packers will play the Cowboys. What’s your take on Dallas? Does that make it easier to study and prepare? Or does the continued roster movement override whatever tendencies you might have learned from those previous matchups?
Cobb: Yeah, the more you play a team over the years, the more familiar you are with the opponent and the type of defense that they play and the players that play for them. Obviously, there are changes every year, but for the most part, the guys will be the same. Just being able to look at what you’ve done offensively against their team previously will help in finding a way to get the job done.
Brett Christopherson: 920-993-7117, or brett.christopherson@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter @PCBrettC