The following are some postgame locker room quotes from several San Francisco 49ers players following the team's 40-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. These quotes were provided by the 49ers Communications department.
DL DeForest Buckner
That first series started pretty well, especially for you.
"Watching film, we noticed that if we couldn't get there or he was doing a quick three-step drop, he's going to let the ball out fast. We noticed that he had a lot of tipped balls by defenders. My whole thing was if I couldn't get there, then put my hand up. That's what I did the first drive. I got lucky and got back-to-back bats."
It's tough when you get in a big hole, especially as a young team. That just puts you behind the eight ball, doesn't it?
"Yeah, definitely. We want to start off fast and the first half of the season, we haven't been able to start off fast, we always have to try and catch up."
People are looking at this team and saying this is a young team that has some talent. How do you keep going in the right direction even though it's not showing up in the win column yet?
"We've just got to stick together. When stuff gets tough like that, we've got to come closer as a unit and just keep grinding away. In the previous five weeks, we've been so close. Like I've been saying before, it's just one play away. There's no excuse for what happened today. We all didn't play as well as we could in all three phases."
How do you stay positive when you're in this situation?
"The previous five weeks we've been so close. We're right there. Like I was saying, we've got to come closer as a unit, and just put in that extra work on the off days. Whether it's watching extra film or getting your body right or any of that, we just have to keep moving forward as a team."
LB Reuben Foster
What hurts? Everything?
"My feelings are hurt. We lost, but we have to own up to it, be a man about it and correct everything that we messed up on."
Was the hole just so deep that it was tough to dig out of?
"It was deep, but a lot of people are not healthy. We have to take that into consideration. It is what it is but the important thing is that we need to move forward and not think about the last play because we have another game ahead of us."
You gave Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott a nice welcome to Santa Clara shot. How was that dealing with him today? He had over 200 all-purpose yards today.
"It was alright. Zeke is a phenomenal player. You have to watch out for which gaps that he goes to. He is all around, he can go to the A gap, B gap or C gap, it doesn't matter what type of schemes that you run. He is just a freakish player about finding gaps and really playing good football."
How comfortable did you feel calling the plays?
"It was just like Alabama, calling the plays and getting everybody lined up, but you are not going to have a 100-percent game so you have to just do a good job and if you mess up you have to go on to the next play and not dwell on the play that you messed up on. It was comfortable."
The Dallas Cowboys had a lot of big linemen who seemed to be getting out in space and blocking in open space. Was that one of the big challenges today?
"Yes it was a big challenge. The Cowboys are great. They have a phenomenal running back. We just have to go back into the playing board and get our X's and O's up."
Did you say anything or did Ezekiel say anything to you about that big hit?
"No I didn't exchange any words with him. I just hit him hard, got the cheers and got up and tried to turn up."
WR Marquise Goodwin
You guys have been so close, so close, so close. Does this feel like a step back?
"It feels like a loss. The effort is there. We work our butts off every day. Great staff. Great organization. Great teammates. It's hard to win in this league. When you shoot yourself in the foot with turnovers, offensively, it just can't happen. It's nobody's fault but it just can't happen."
San Francisco 49ers QB C.J. Beathard was sacked five times. How do you feel like he held in?
"He kept his composure. I talked to him before the game and just let him know that win, lose or draw, remember who you're playing for. You're playing for God. Don't get caught up in the people in the stands, whether you make a bad pass or bad play. Focus on what you can control. That's you and how you handle stuff that comes your way. I feel like he did an unbelievable job being a young guy, being in his first game starting in the NFL. It's not just college, it's not high school, it's the NFL. It's the elite or the elite. We've just got to play better as a whole and help him out so we can help the team out."
You had a couple of turnovers early. How much did that throw you out of whack or affect staying with what you were planning to do?
"Turnovers are always bad, but you've just got to stay poised. You can't let it bother you. If you do, you're defeated already. It's just one play. Like I've said before, one play will not determine a win or a loss. I love this team, I love everything about it and I know everybody will come back prepared to play next week."
They weren't doing anything unusual out there, were they? It was just a matter of execution?
"Just executing and not turning the ball over. When you turn the ball over, you decrease your chances of winning by so many percent. When you have multiple of those, then obviously the chances increase even more."
C Daniel Kilgore
Thoughts on the offensive lines performance in protecting a rookie quarterback?
"Overall, we just have to protect better. There could be different things. It could've been coverage sacks or just getting beaten man on man. We'll look at it."
How did San Francisco 49ers QB C.J. Beathard do today in his first start?
"Your first start against anybody in the National Football League is going to be pretty nerve-wracking, especially for a quarterback who, in this league, is a position that is held in very high regard. I'm sure there are things that C.J. will look at and want to correct and get better at. That's the same for everybody."
S Eric Reid
You guys have been so close the previous five games, obviously today wasn't like that. Was that frustrating?
"It's extremely frustrating. When you work as hard as I know we have, and you don't get the results that you want. All we can do is keep going, watch this film and get back at it on Monday."
Were they doing anything out there today that was unusual? Or was it pretty much what you expected?
"I wouldn't say anything was too unusual. We've just got to make more plays."
What was the offensive line doing that was giving you problems in particular?
"I don't think they were doing anything extraordinary. We've just got to get in our gaps, get off blocks, and make tackles. We didn't do that well enough."
Just how tough is it to deal with Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott out there? He had over 200 all-purpose yards. Any comments on just how much of a handful he is?
"I don't know the exact number but he got a chunk of that on one play. We've just got to do a better job tackling. Better job of executing. We've got to put this one behind."
Guys in this locker room were very much of the glass half-full philosophy. How do you stay positive during tough times?
"That's all you can do. If you start getting a bad mindset then it will start effecting who you are and how you play. We're going through a rough patch, there's no doubt about that. We've just got to keep going and try to figure this thing out."
CB Rashard Robinson
How frustrating is it for you guys to have to fight from behind?
"It's frustrating, but at the end of the day it's football. We have to just go out there and make a team play and get the offense back the ball. That's the most important thing. We have to get turnovers and get the offense back the ball so that they can put up some points."
What were the challenges with Dallas's passing game today?
"They just made plays on the ball. There really wasn't anything that stood out. They just made plays when they needed to make plays."
On Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant's last touchdown, was there any kind of miscommunication?
"That's just something we're going to have to go over in the DB room. It was a crazy play. We just have to be better as a whole group."
What did it mean to have San Francisco 49ers LB Reuben Foster back in the lineup?
"It meant a lot. He's a force on the field, somebody who can stop the run. He's a great team player. Playing Mike Linebacker, he's going to be the quarterback of the defense, so it's good to get him back out here after missing however many games that he missed."
WR Trent Taylor
It seems like the Dallas Cowboys had such a quick start after the fumble on the punt.
"It was a little bit of a momentum swing. As a punt returner, you can't let that happen."
What were your thoughts on San Francisco 49ers QB C.J. Beathard and how he looked in his first start?
"C.J. is doing great back there. He's a great competitor. He's a guy that we all love to play for and we all trust back there. Obviously it's not what we wanted today, but I think it will just take some time to get everything rolling. We'll see what we can do."
Does this game feel like a step back?
"Not really. We got whooped today. That's all we can say about that. I wouldn't call it a step back. We're 0-7, but with the fight that this team has, we'll continue to fight and go back to work next week just like we do every other week."
Are you eager to look at the film after a game like this?
"It's tough to watch film like that, but you have to learn from your mistakes and make sure they don't happen again."
So much of this game is about confidence, so the next time that something like that punt return happens to you, do you just block it out?
"That's what you have to do as a football player, because that's going to happen to you at some point in your career. If you're not a guy who can shake back from something like that, you're not going to be at this level. It's part of the game and you have to move on."
