IRVING, Texas – Brandon Carr didn't wait for reporters to ask him about the Falcons receivers Wednesday afternoon.
The cornerback has heard the same questions almost every week about the receiving threats in Chicago, Baltimore and New York, among others. This time, before even being asked, he started talking about the inimitability of Atlanta receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones.
"All right, Brandon, what about these receivers?" Carr joked, as if he were a reporter asking himself the question. "Ah, these receivers. Another challenging week. They've got some guys who can go get the ball, they have a quarterback who can make any throw on the field, a high-powered offense and the record to prove it."
Carr began to get more serious when discussing the specifics of what the Falcons threats bring to the table. After holding Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks to six catches and 69 yards combined last week, Carr said the Cowboys must prepare for two receivers who might be even more explosive this week.
"You have Julio, who's a big receiver that can stretch the field, plays the deep ball well, great run after catch," Carr said. "They do a lot of things underneath for him, because once he gets the ball in his hands, he's very elusive. Then you have Roddy, who's the veteran of the group, who's pretty much the backbone of the group."
No receiver this season has torched Carr and the secondary quite like Brandon Marshall did in Week 4, totaling seven catches for 138 yards and a touchdown inside Cowboys Stadium. Since then, the cornerback play seems increased exponentially, culminating in a shutdown performance against the Giants.
Carr said he lost something in his game in that matchup against Chicago, and each week he's been working to regain it.
"I didn't lose confidence," Carr said. "I think I just lost my swag a little bit. It took a left turn on me, but I got it back right. I'm ready to rock-and-roll now."
Carr describes himself as an introverted person who needs to feed off his own game more than other people. He said he "lost the whole swag" by trying to tailor his game to how other people wanted him to play, rather than playing the way that got him to the point he's at in his career now.
Last weekend's matchup against the Giants featured perhaps the best games of the season by Carr and rookie cornerback Morris Claiborne, who each finished with five combined tackles and a pass deflection. Carr said that was a performance he and the rest of the secondary can piggyback off against Atlanta.
"It's a different challenge, different caliber receivers, a different style of receivers," Carr said. "But at the same time, somebody has to cover them. It's going to be a Sunday night game, so all eyes on us."
