Cowboys Break: Bird Watching?

We're alive from the s WBC Morriage Studios at the Star. We're talking Cowboys football at you guys for forty five minutes. We'll be joined here momentarily by Bucky Brooks, as he does on every Thursday. He's gonna talk to us about the opposing team's defense, in this case the Arizona Cardinals against the Cowboys offense. But before we get to that, I did want to catch up a little bit on some news that came out this morning during coach McCarthy's

press conference talk about Laton Vanderish. Nick catch us up on what he had to say about him. Well, he says he's going to practice in full expects him to practice in full today. That's big, you know, because I mean you're gonna start doing that on Thursday of a week like this, which is really a Wednesday in their practice schedule, then you know he should be ready to go. I would think I would assume be ready to go

for for Monday night's game against the Cardinals. So I'm still a little bit skeptical of that because it sounds, you know, if it was a broken clavicle, that just doesn't seem like that's that one that heals this quickly. But maybe his does. They know more than me when it comes to anything, but particularly you know, medical stuff. You're selling yourself shortening night doctor. I'm I'm gonna take you guys back Amber and Dave. I'm gonna take you guys back to prior to the season. No, no, no,

prior to the season. And at the time, I'll speak for myself, I thought this linebacking corps was gonna be one of the strengths of this team. Then Layton goes out, Sean never actually gets there to where he can play.

If Layton comes back this week, and I'll even say if he comes back this week or next week, if you take me back to what your thoughts were of what you thought of this linebacker position before, and do you think that's still what they can be at this point, after what you've seen so far from Jalen and what you expect from Layton coming back. Let's start first with you, Amber.

I remember talking about you just wanting to add some depth at the position, regardless of having the talents of or what you thought you had Sean Lee Layton and then Jaalen. But I remember that the Cowboys had their bigger priorities and necessities, so it kind of got overlooked. And then you start adding linebackers. Then you see the potential of an undrafted guy like Francis Bernard, and then

you start feeling good. You're like, Okay, we got some guys here, and then that happens, and with late In coming back, it's great. It's great to hear that he's working his way through it. But at the same time, even when he makes it to a game day, I'm still super super hesitant because it makes me wonder how long it's gonna take him for his mentally, not just

physically but mentally. How long is it gonna take him mentally to kind of go back to feeling himself like he used to be and not being hesitant of making plays because I've seen it in guys. I've said this before. I see it when guys have an injury and then they get back on the field and you kind of you can tell that they create a certain hesitation and that's just naturally. It's just something that usually takes a couple of weeks for you to break through that. But

I am still concerned about the linebacker position. Dave. Yeah, no, a g. I think that was really well said, because the harsh reality is that we're pretty long way removed from when he played at an all pro level as a rookie. I mean two years ago. He missed half of the last season and he struggled at times at A lot of that was because he was playing through injury,

but it is what it is. And now he's missed, you know, four and a half of the five games this season, and who can say how he would have looked at he gotten more comfortable, But like it's worth pointing out that he was out on the field in that first quarter against the Rams when the Cowboys were getting run all over and all out of sorts with the way that the Rams were misdirecting them. So I'm optimistic that he can come back and get his feet

underneath him. And definitely, I mean, they'll be better if he's out there, But that could be a bit of a transition because, like I said, it's it's been a long time since he's been able to regularly get snaps to the point where he was playing at the high level that we got used to when he was Nick. Expectations for the linebacker crew before the season began as far and to where they are now. I thought they

were the best linebacking linebacker crew in the NFL. I thought that they had the potential to be that, and I think that right now. You know, like the first four or five games, they've kind of been the flip side of that, you would say. So it's a nice way to say they're probably one of the worst in the in the league. Um, but I don't. I just I think that that Layton will help them if he comes back and plays like the Layton that we've seen. Um, but you know Sean Lee as well. I mean, you

hope that they come back and get some depth. I think Joe Thomas is just a good, solid player. I think that's kind of what he is. He's good, and he hits hard and and he'll he'll do whatever you ask. But I don't I don't think he's he's special, you know, in any way. But that's okay, that's okay. I mean, because as your fourth linebacker, that's exactly what you need. But he's had to play a lot more. I just

think that, you know, like a lot of positions. They've been banged up, um twice, just like an offensive tackle, cornerback, you know, and not really tight end. But I'm just saying, you know, they've been hit multiple ways and it really affects them. All Right. We've now have Bucky Brooks on the line joining us live from he is with NFL Network. Welcome to the show. We're ready to jump in and talk a little bit of Arizona defense versus Cowboys offense.

And we'll start what we normally start. Talk to me about the strengths and the weaknesses of this Arizona defense. Well, obviously they've been impacted by the loss of Chandler Jones. Losing Chandler Jones, who is a guy who, in my estimation, should have been Defensive Player of the Year in terms of the way that he dominates off the edge. He there's no longer there. So now what you're going to see is the strength of this team would be their

versatility and their multiplicity Undervans Joseph Vance. Joseph wants to bring players from all over the field. He wants to incorporate everybody into the RUSS package. So you have to keep your eye on three guys. Patrick Peterson as the number one corner cover corner. He's gonna take the best guy. Buddha Baker, who's an do it all safety who can come off the edge you're playing the slot. And then Devandre Campbell, the second level linebacker that they got from Atlanta.

He is a explosive sideline sideline menace. He does a great job of making plays happen. And because they dowalop pressure in any and all situations, you have to keep your eyes on those guys because at any point they can be involved in a disruptive play. Bucky, this question is specific to the Cowboys offense. I'm not trying to blame all the turnovers on deck by any means, but when you have a major change at a position like the quarterback, with having Andy Dalton going in there. Are

you expecting this offense to be able to limit their turnovers? Yeah, some of the turnovers limited because I would think the offense now reprioritizes itself and it has to run through Zeke. Doesn't mean that they're gonna run the ball fifty times with Uzeke Elliott, but I think he has to be first and foremost in the minds of Killing Moore when it comes to how they want to go about their game plan. Also, I would think that Mike McCarthy is

poor killing Moore to the side. Without Deck Prescott, it now becomes more important than ever for the Cowboys to play compliment every ball, and so that means Mike McCarthy has to talk to Killing more about Hey, you got to insert some more runs in because time or possession is really critical because I don't know if our defense can get enough stops for us to play in a shootout with our backup quarterback, and so the turnovers have to be a major concern. You have to make sure

that you're mindful love those. But I think some of that will be curved by the way the play calling could change with any doll in that quarterback Yeah, an interesting to note. Their coach McCarthy said this morning in his press conference that a number one on his list of priorities of things they have to fix in areas that they really should be blamed about is the turnover ratio and trying to fix that and he believes that they got some answers to be able to fix that.

Go at your question, Nick, here, I was looking at Arizona. It sounds like they're Their defense starts off the game great and nobody's you know, took the ball, drove down and scored a touchdown to begin the game. The Cowboys, of course, have struggled there as well. What do you kind of assess that too? When you're looking at the Cardinals defense when they come out, is it preparation during the week coaching, you know, for them to come out

and stop teams? And the first driver too, you never know. Because they've been so dynamic with their rush package. They can bring pressure from a bunch of different angles, out of a bunch of different personnel packages. It takes a while off when offensive coordinated and a quarterback to adjust to how they're bringing pressure. They do a great job early in the game setting the tone with some very

pressures and they settle into their game plan. I think what that does is because you're uncertain, you're a little more cautious taking on that kind of approach. You're trying to sort it out. And what you don't want to do early is give them a turn over, give them a splash play, give them something that changes the momentum.

So most teams have started out slow as they're trying to figure them out, and that plays into their advantage because not only defensively are they crazy aggressive, but offensively they also put their foot to the gas and try and really play from a hit from the beginning of the game. So, I mean, Bucky, this is what you're

just talking about. But just for clarity's sake, I mean, I agree with you that Chandler Jones is drastically underrated, but he only had one sack for this defense before he got hurt, and they have fourteen on the year. So is there a guy that they are relying on to help them generate that pressure or are they blitzing that much that that many different guys are getting home. I mean, if you're trying to account for the way that they rushed the passer, where do you think the

Cowboys should start? Man, this is gonna be a challenge. It's gonna be a challenge for any doll in the office ave line. Because they bring it from everywhere, and because they're doing it by committee, particularly with Chandler Jones out, it makes it hard. Last week we saw Dennis Gardeck have two sacks against the Jet. He's an undrafted free agent who had been in the rotation, but he wasn't

a prominent figure. They bring it from everywhere. And because they bring it from everywhere, what they do is they create one on one matchups along the line. A lot of times when you bring five and six, you're trying to isolate one of your players on a particular offensive linement or the back, and that is what they do. They bring pressure, so one of those guys has to hold up in protection and more times than not they crumble under the weight of the pressure. And so they're

gonna bring pressure. They're gonna doallad up in because the Cowboys have struggled with pressure in the past, particularly go back to the Atlanta game. You saw how it took them a while to settle in. I would expect them to really come after them early to see if they can create some negative plays and some turnovers, because that has been the part of the game that has played Dallas. Early in the game, they've been a couple of giveaways. So you're gonn see advanced Joseph can dialload some things

to create those turnovers very very early. We're joined by Bucky Brooks of NFL Network Bucky. Right now, the Arizona defense is ranked fifth in points allowed, which obviously looks really good for them. However, they've played some of the worst offenses in the league. How much do you handicap where they are as far as the points as they've allowed based upon their opponents, or do you think this defense really is a very stout defense that really is

hard to score on. I mean, they haven't played anybody like the Cowboys, like the Cowboys offense, as he presents a unique challenge. You have three legitimate wide receivers that can take over the game at any point. You have a stud running back that can get it done. And now you will have a veteran quarterback who when protected, is as good as they come. And so we will see how good the Cardinals are. But they believe in really throwing a lot at you, and if you're not

on your p's and ques, it can be overwhelming. And so this will be a game where Andy Dawton making his first start for the Cowboys. He has to be able to sort it out. He's able to figure out where the person is coming from, and Kellen Moore has

to help them. I would think, and I know there's been kind of a source spot for Cowboys fans, You're going to see a lot of screens because you need to run the schoens early to get a fit to see if you can slow down this pass or slow down this bricks, this blitz package and really help Annie Dalton get comfortable. So I know people hate it, but I think you'll see three or four screens really really early in the game to see if they can slow

this down. Well, hey, you mentioned creating the balance in the offense between the running game in the passing game, and after seeing what they were able to do last week where they were able to get somewhat a better balance there, how likely when you're going against this defense from MARISONA, how likely are the Cowboys to kind of carry that over and be productive and make that balance work. Well, I think the balance can work, and I think they

may flip the script. I think you may see any Dalton throw more than anticipated in the first quarter because everyone is going to think, hey, you don't have your starting quarterback, they gonna give the ball to Zeke Elliott. And so I would think that the Cowboys will counter that by throwing it a little more early in the game, seeing if they can back them up, get them out of the box before they get a to Zeke. But I think it's really important to look at the pitch

count with Andy Dalton. If Andy Dalton is thirty throws or fewer, I think this is kind of the approach that the Dallas Cowboys want to have. You don't want Andy Dalton to fall into the trap that Dak Prescott was thrust in, and that is throwing the ball forty forty five fifty times. That is not the way to win with your backup quarterbacks starting. You know, I think like every week, we just we hear about the other team, and that's what that's what we do. That's what you do.

You know the scouting report, and it just looks like you're about to play the AFC Pro Bowl team. And the way we talk about you know, it's like, well, they've got Hopkins and Kyler Murray and all the blitz off the edge and all that, but like, why are they getting beat Like are they they look average? They seem like they're average, But are we making them out to be like better than that? I mean what I get that the Cowboys are below average, so this is

gonna be a tough matchup. But I'm just saying, what, they can't be that great, right, I mean, how do you beat the Cardinals? Well, I mean the Cardinal card is pretty good. So early in the year they went on the road and they knocked off the San Francisco forty nine. Is part of that is familiarity from playing within the division. The other part of it is their quarterback is really good. Their quarterback is a unique playmaker. I will put him in the category that he's Pat

Mahomes Light in terms of his playing style. He's able to escape and make things happen. DeAndre Hopkins is playing like the best wide receiver in football. Cliff Kingsbury has made a concerted effort to put the ball in his hands, and they're playing like a video game. My players better than your player. I'm gonna give it to my player more than your player, and we're going to win because of that. The team that has success, the Detroit Lions

had the most success against him. They played his own, they kept the ball in front, they dared, they dared calla Murray to play dink and dunk ball, and he wasn't able to consistently do it, and he had more turnovers. But he has shown that he can carve you up because the Jets tried to do some of that stuff in zone or whatever, and he threw for three and eighty yards. They're good because the quarterback is good. And that's the story of the National Football League. When you

have a good quarterback, your team is typically good. That's why they're so difficult to deal with. All Right, So you're going to be surprised that I'm bringing up a draft prospect, Bucky. But there might not have been a more beloved player in this draft, at least defensively than Isaiah Simmons. I think a lot of people were shocked that he lasted as long as he did, which was even I mean, he was taken eighth overall and that's

still surprised people. But he's not really playing he's getting like twenty percent of the snaps, and I'm just curious from what you've seen why that is, because it certainly seemed in the spring like he was going to be looked at as an instant impact kind of guy. So here's the thing, Dave, when it comes to the evaluation process, particularly for us on the outside, we love all the bills and whistles and the more that you can do when he plays safety in corner and slot and linebacker,

and he can do so many different things. The challenge is when you get him on your team, what room does he go to as a position player? Is he a linebacker? Is he a safety? Can he settled into one spot? Learn one spot before you put more on him? What has happened with Zaa Sims. He's kind of a jack of all trades, a master of none, and so

he hasn't really majored in anything. And so because he hasn't majored in anything, the Cardinals are looking and trying to figure out, I can't remove Buddha Baker because he's a Pro Bowl player to put him at safety. I can't remove the Devondre Campbell because deve Andre Campbell is pretty good Jordan Hicks has been the steadying force in the middle, and the complimentary safety has also been good.

So he's a man without a designated spot right now, and so it can be tough when you have a lot of talent, but the coaches and the front offices aren't on the same page in terms of how we're going to use them. In theory, the plan is great to have a guy that's a Swiss Army Knight. It's a lot harder to execute when you get to playing games and you're trying to figure out how to maximize all the personnel outside of Isaiah Simmons. We're talking to

Bucky Brooks of NFL Network. Bucky, they are also giving up a significant number of rush yards they including one hundred and sixty eight yards that gave up on the ground to Carolina and that was without Christian McCaffrey was out injured right now. So what is the issue with their run defense and is it something that the Cowboys

could possibly possibly exploit. Yeah, I mean the thing is when you bliss and bliss the way that they play like they are, I mean without being there, finesse will defense. They want to play finesse because they want to run around, run around blocks and get to the quarterback. So everyone is focused on hunting the quarterback and they don't really want to take on blocks to the point of attack. I think the recipe for most things in this league is teams that can run the ball and can hit

you in the face. It solves a lot of problems. And when you look at the tape and you see the Carolina Panthers run for that amount of yards with Mike Davis, You've seen other teams have success running the ball. It's not that hard. You gotta run the ball. You need to run the ball because you can control it. And at this time, when you have analytics people telling you did to throw it every down, football is still

a physical game. You gotta run the ball. You gotta test will You got to see if they can handle the pressure getting hit in the face. And I think for the Cowboys it is really important to run the ball with Zeke, particularly with the offensive line being one that is better going forward than retreating and pass protection and real quick before we let you go, you mentioned earlier Patrick Peterson was a guy to keep an eye on. He's a guy that can match up and take away

your top receiver. If you're looking at the Dallas Cowboys, which of those three guys becomes that top receiver that you take away If you're Patrick Peterson or if you're the Arizona Cardinals, matching Patrick Peterson up with someone, well, I think you still have to take away of Maury Cooper. Like it's all funny games that CD Lamb has had big moments, Michael Gallup has made some plays, but we have seen when you leave Amory Cooper unchecked, Amory Cooper

will go for two hundred yards. They cannot have that. So I think even though a Maray Cooper's numbers are down and other guys are feasting, I think defensive coordinators around the league understand that it starts with him in the passing game. You have to take him away and make them go to the other weapons and hope that

your other players can contain Cede Lamb, Michael Gallop. But you cannot let Amari Cooper have his way because if he gets going, then it really makes it difficult for everybody else to slow down the other weapons that the Cowboys have at the disposal. All right, Bucky Man, we appreciate you joining us. We will have you back next week, real quick, Tellsa's gonna win this game? What do you

would expect to see on Monday Night? You know, I think the complimentary factor I think in saying this, and I love Dak Prescott, I think this could help the Cowboys get back to the formula that they'll need to win a ton of games. I think playing complimentary ball, putting the pressure on Mike Nolan and John Fossil to fix their problems is going to be critical. I think the Cowboys win. I think they win at home because they have it, They understand what's ahead of them, they

need to win. I think that must win gives them the urgency to win by about seven. All right, thank you, we will be back. We'll have you next week. Talk a little bit more about our next upcoming opponent. After we get through that Monday night game, we're gonna take our first break and we come back. We're gonna talk a little bit more about the Cowboys versus the Cardinals that want to come right back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. We're back in a tasty treat, sweeping

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shop or Shop Dallas Cowboys dot com. Welcome back to the second segment of The Break, live from the SWBC Mortgage studios. At the start, let's dive in a little deeper on the Cowboys versus the Cardinals, particularly the Cowboys offense versus the Cardinals defense. And I wanted to start first talking about this wide receiver corps Cebee Lamb obviously has been everything the Cowboys expected him to be, probably

a little more. Even this last game he was. He had eight receptions on eleven targets, had one hundred and twenty four yards, a second time this year he's gone over one hundred yards. He was averaging fifteen point five per reception, has long being twenty six yards. But all that being said, he only played about fifty five percent of the offensive snaps. That's thirty six out of sixty six. Now, when you compare that to the other receivers Cooper at sixty four he did forty two of the sixty six.

Gallup was the one that played the vast majority of the game ninety seven percent of the offensive snap sixty four of sixty six offensive snaps. My first question for you guys is should Ceedee Lamb be playing more for this team based upon the production that he's providing. Let's start first with you, Nick, Well, I don't. I don't know about that, I honestly, because what he's doing is amazing.

Because wide receivers are one of those positions that seemingly takes the it's it's the toughest for them to jump in and really have success early, it's just either there's so much that you have to learn and all that. So what he's done has been amazing. I think how they're doing it is good. And I'll point this out of all the plays he made in the game, he probably the biggest play he made, in my opinion, wasn't eight yard catch maybe or ten yard on first It

was Dalton's first pass. I mean, everybody's, you know, just not sure what's even going on here. Dak's getting wheeled out. Everyone's crying, and it's third down and he makes a diving eight yard catch for a first down, and then the next play the Cowboys score a touchdown. That was a very very great catch and he had to change his body, so he's doing everything. I think the Cowboys were handling it just fine. Though. Honestly, Amber, I agree

with Nick. I like the way that they've been managing the game, especially when you're talking about a group of wide receivers that don't have a drastic They're not drastically better or worse than the other. They're pretty balanced there, so I'm not mad about it. I like the balance that they're created, and I think that they're really making it seem like a very smooth transition for a guy like Cee Lamb, who you know, it's not always easy for a rookie to come in this league. So I

like what they're doing right now with them. Dave, Yeah, Lamb's not really my issue. I mean, for better or for worse, the Cowboys are not that team that's to run eleven personnel eighty percent of the time. They like to use their tight ends, even with Blake Jarwin hurt. Honestly, with the problems with the offensive tackles, I don't even begrudge them that. Like, it's probably a good idea to

have those guys in helping. What I think is curious as Amari Cooper's snap counts, I think, yeah, you said it was sixty three this past weekend. Everybody noticed there were there were full possessions where it was Gallop, Cedric Wilson, and Noah Brown, and those two guys are playing great. Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of them getting snaps, but it is a little weird because I agree with Bucky. Amari Cooper, for my money, is the

most down after down important receiver. I mean, people scoff at the possession receiver tag, But like, this is a guy who can catch ten balls in a game and just keep the chains moving. And we know he can take over games downfield if the defense lets him too. But for my money, nobody's more important to just catching eight, nine, ten, eleven passes, many of which keep the chains moving, than

Amari Cooper. So Mike McCarthy makes it sound like it's a load management thing, but at the same time, like he's not really on the injury report. So that's that's very curious to me, and I'm I'm gonna have a close eye on his snap count because I think it's weird that he would only get sixty three percent of the snaps. Amber how much do you read into the fact that he's only getting sixty four percent and Gallops

getting ninety seven percent. You know that that's something that I did notice last game, and it's like he keeps kind of somewhat decreasing a little bit. And because he's not in the injury report, because I was gonna say, Okay, well, we know his battle with the foot injury for the longest time, but that's not showing up on the injury report. And then at the same time, I'm like, Okay, I

know he's not necessarily being a very consistent guy. But at the same time, well, they've been playing home games right now, and his issue has always been on the road, so maybe that's not the issue either. So I don't know if if maybe it's something that they're noticing more during the week rather than on game and they just practice wise. But other than that, there's nothing I can necessarily pinpoint because they we don't get to see the whole practice, So maybe I'm just gonna think that it's

based on how these guys are performing during the week. Nick. You know, I'm just looking at the overall snap count of the of the season, and yeah, ninety three for Gallup and eighty one for for Cooper. Um. You know, what's surprising to me is the one hundred percent of

the snaps against Cleveland for Michael Gallup. That's obviously, um the position that he's playing on the field, and I think that Cedric Wilson and Noah Brown have come in and especially playing some of the slot stuff has really you know, probably taken CD off the field it sometimes, but you know, it doesn't seem like there's anybody that that's a big you know, field stretcher, like like Gallup. So I think, you know, you want them to all kind of compliment each other a little bit more, and

I think that that will happen. I don't think this is a huge problem. I mean, this isn't really where their problems are, you know, I mean, I know what you're saying, but I just think that this is this is okay, it's the other side of the ball that you know. Yeah, And quite frankly, again, I wasn't I was just pointing it out to ask the question. I don't think it's actually a problem for the Cowboys because

they're getting the most production out of them. And I have always been a proponent of the idea of using the data that's available to you to do whatever you

need to do to protect your players. And if they're if they're rationale that they're giving, which it sounds like this is what it is, that they're trying to manage his workloads so that he doesn't end up on the injury report and he doesn't end up missing games, which we know have been problems for him in the past, then I'm all for it, especially again, if you're getting the production you need. Both out of him and also out of CD Lamb and then Michael Gallup as well. Yeah,

I mean Bucky said his numbers are down. Took the words right out of my mouth. Good right, go ahead, No, go ahead, Dave. No, Yeah, that's exactly what I wanted to say. Sorry. Nick. Is like, I don't necessarily think it's a problem. I just think it's interesting. And we all know you don't have to be on the injury report to be having some things that are bothering you. So you know, if they think this is going to help Amari Cooper play the best sixteen games possible, I'm

fine with that. I just think it's interesting. Yeah, I mean the thing about it is is that if Cooper does what he's done and just on pace, I mean I think he'll set the Cowboys single season record for catches. I mean, so his numbers, you know, he's averaging ten point nine, you would expect a little bit more. He does have the longest catch of the season, but for the Cowboys, but I mean his on pace to get one twenty five or something it catches, that's I think

that's the record. That would be a Cowboys record at least, So you know, the fact that you got other guys that are kind of stretching the field a little bit. If that's a possession receiver, that's fine. I mean, Michael Thomas is a possession receiver and I'll take him all day long. So right, and if he's getting it, like you said, if he's getting the production he's getting even with less snaps, that means you're doing something right. You

want to get maximum maximal everyone possession receiver. Yeah, exactly, all right, We're gonna take our final break. When we come back. I do want to talk about Zekiel Elliott and this run offense and how it all is being factored in when you look at what's happening with the Cowboys offensive line and particularly coming up against the team now in the Arizona Cardinals. Who has Bucky told us has some issues at times defending against the run. Well do that when we come right back. This is Dallas

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I hope, so I hope Sunday. Right. I hope I hope Chris was recording that they may actually want to use that like in other venues. Okay, good, Yeah, that's that's a good read right there, Nick Allan, you we may have found a new job for you. Um, all right, So let's jump back in. I wanted to talk about Ezekiel Elliott this last game. He had nineteen runs for ninety one yards, two touchdowns, four point eight average. Um.

They look like they're in parts of games. It reminded me of of what we saw from Jason Garrett's offense early when he became the head coach with the Cowboys. They'd have these games where things were seemingly kind of a little shaky, and they would just have a run drive. Like literally, they would just run, run, run, run, and they're getting three or four yards every run and just picking up first downs and keep running and keep running it.

And that's what it felt like. And that's the kind of commitment to the run I don't think we'd seen around here in some time. That all being said, how do you assess Zeke's play this last game? Do you think he was getting as much as he could possibly get out of those runs or do you think it was you know, do you think that maybe there was some room for improvement on Zeke's part with regards to how they were running the ball on Sunday. Let's start

first to you, Dave. I mean, you know, we can go back to the argument of you know, the explosiveness, and I think you know, Zeke's only run of more than fifteen yards this season was the one that he

fumbled against Cleveland. But I've just I've been so impressed by his physicality and the way that you know, it tipped and this wasn't that wasn't always the case last year, but this year it really seems like it takes two or three tacklers to stop him, whereas last year there were times where it almost felt like he was looking for contacts so he could go down. Maybe that's a matter,

you know, a matter of not being properly conditioned. But he seems like he's in great condition, because even if the runs aren't long, they're punishing and they're hard to stop. So I've been really impressed by his physicality and and his finish I guess you could say, uh, and and they're going to need that to to help to help their offense without Dak. If I had to guess, maybe my memory is completely serving me wrong. But I see

it completely opposite from what Dave just said. I feel like I feel like previous years and again because the Cowboys have had to rely more on the running game and on Zeke based on you know, Dad wasn't playing like like he was playing this year in previous years, so the passing game looked completely different in that aspect um. I feel like Zeke has always been that guy who's able to push for those extra yards and just get those extra dirty yards because he's so he's so strong,

he's so strong to push to push off defenders. But this year he just doesn't seem like the zek that we are used to seeing. In my perspective, he's still doing okay, he's still doing fine as far as just him personally and like physically, but at the same time, the running game just hasn't been as productive as I feel like we're used to seeing. Nick. I mean, what's the phrase, like hold my beer? Is that what I mean?

You don't think he's as physical and I don't know, I mean, I kind of agree with both of him, but I know this against the Cardinals. This guy's gonna run his ass off like he is gonna absolutely, he's gonna do everything he can possibly do. He's gonna try to run over, jump over people. You're gonna now, I hope he hangs onto the ball because sometimes when you're focused on some of that other stuff, but he is

gonna straight run over people. And if and if I heard Bucky say this is kind of a finesse defense, he's gonna attack them. He's gonna play pissed off football because his dude, his brother is not there. He's gonna be on the sideline baby or whatever, but he's not there handing the ball off to him. And you watch the emotion that Zeke runs with this week, I think he's gonna play probably one of his best games. That's why. I mean we saw it in a touchdown. Yeah, Scott

saw it. He was on holding the camera. I was like, almost got taken out there. He was intense. Yeah, I mean that was where I was gonna go next. Though, when you think about this, this defense that they're gonna play, and Bucky said it that that essentially their objective is get to the quarterback, which means when you have defenses like that that are ultra aggressive and blitzing and trying to get the quarterback, they do create these holes, naturally

create these holes. How much do you think the Cowboys are in a position to take advantage of that? Though? Because they do have these guys now we've talked about over and over again night still be honest, they have a lot of unproven guys playing right now on their offensive line. Are the Cowboys in a position to be able to take advantage of that or even against the team that may create those opportunities for him? Gonna start

first with you Amber. You know, it's very difficult for me to make an assessment right now because based on their game against the Giants, I they seem okay, they made me feel like it was it was okay, it's gonna be okay. They're gonna be able to handle it and get better and just kind of make all those pieces glued together and work as a whole team offensively. But then again, I have to stop myself and remember, Okay,

these were the Giants. So it's hard for me to kind of put those two things aside and fully assess that what that's gonna mean for the offensive line and their abilities to create holes as far as like the Running Game specifically, Zeke is a guy that can find a hole anywhere, like he will look for he It's crazy how skill he is in that way. But it's just very hard standing here today on a Thursday for me to fully tell you what my assessment is at

this point, Dave, I'll tell you this. I mean, yeah, yes, they can take advantage of this team. And I think Bucky's dead on about you know, screens and trying to take care of their aggressive or I mean, excuse me, take advantage of their aggres. But the one thing I don't want to see and maybe I don't know, maybe

me and Bucky, buttheads on this. But like I think about Tony Dungee if you watch his work on Sunday nights, like there seems to be this this current of thought that like, in order to protect Andy Dalton, you just need to charge Zeke into a brick wall one hundred times and that'll help you win. And I hate that because I think you're actually doing Andy Dalton at disservice

by doing that. I mean, if you're running on first and second down regularly and putting yourself in obvious passing situations. That's how you get a backup quarterback murdered behind backup offensive tackles. I think they need to be unpredictable. They still need to be throwing the ball scared money, don't make money. Andy Dalton has been to three Pro Bowls. Like, you can't you can't pair this thing down to be so basic that you're just charging Zeke ahead because you

think that's going to help you win. So, yes, that they can take advantage Zeke should be able to have a nice day at the office. But if they're gonna try to play you know, nineteen eighty five football because they don't have Dak, I think they're in for a bad time. Oh. I think they definitely have the weapons to do that and to offset blitz is because they they've got playmakers in the open field like uh, you know, CD and Gallup and and and Cooper that that can

get off the coverage quickly. Um. And you know, so if Patrick Peterson can't cover everybody, you know, obviously, I mean he can take one guy, but I think that you know, he'll probably be better for the Cardinals for him to just stay on one side. But if he's going to chase someone, and you know that that means the other guys are gonna have to travel those two uh, those other two spots too. But yeah, I think I think it's going to be a really a chess match

because they can blitz all they want to. But Andy Dalton, I mean, Andy Dalton is a more accurate quarterback I think than than than Dak. I mean, and and just those passes like that. Now, Dak brings a totally different type of game to the you know, and and I'm not trying to piss off the Cowboys nation by that, but I mean, I think it's it's safe to say that that's not what Dak's best thing is is an accuracy. Um, he's getting there though, He's getting there, and he's been

he's been playing great. But I think against the blitz and things like this, I think Andy Dalton can carve him up if if they can just keep him, you know, block just enough, right, And that's that's the issue. And that's the question I'm going to post back to you guys is, Yeah, I think Dandy Dalton and we talked this, uh with Bucky about this yesterday, but he could be a really good quarterback. From what Bucky says, he can be a really good quarterback when he has time, when

he had when he's protected. Well, when you've got two tackles that are inexperienced playing out there, how how how convinced are you that they can give him the time he needs in order to in order to carve them up, especially against the team And we talked about this earlier as well, where you don't have one particular pass rusher that you need to pay attention to so you can

double him, chip him, do all those things. This is coming from you a lot of different angles, and there's some confusing stuff, probably that they're gonna throw out the Cowboys. How convince you this offensive why I can hold up Dave? I mean, Nick, I'm not really convinced that they that they can. I think you gotta get the ball out quickly. Um, and I think that it's like I said, it's a chess match. Though they're gonna be blitz and all, because when you blitz all over the field, um, you better

get it blocked up. You know, if Zach Martin gets his guy, then then you can you can bust a run right up the middle on them. So it's gonna be it's gonna be a fun game because the Cardinals, I mean, they do all that trickery stuff because they kind of have to. I'm just not convinced that the Cardinals are all that good. I mean, they haven't beaten anyone yet either, and so the Cowboys aren't good either. So this is this is that's why it's a you know what two point line right now, it's it's pretty

much a toss up. Dave. Uh, yeah, no, I'm really concerned if if they're in these obvious situations, like I mean, this is football one on one, but especially right now, you just can't afford to I'll use Jason Garrett phrase like be behind schedule. You know, you take in sacks or you're putting yourself into third and eight or third and ten situations that's not conducive to the success, and that you know you're gonna you're gonna have to find ways to offset that. M screens is obvious, but yeah,

maybe you mix in a drop play. Shoot. I'm the one that said you've got to tweak the offense because Andy's not the same. But you know what, they probably wouldn't see coming as a quarterback keeper from Andy Dalton. Not saying you should do it a lot, but these are the types of, you know, misdirections that you can use to take advantage of an aggressive chill out. I hate any crazy stuff hopping in again, scared money, don't

make money. I'm just saying you gottah, yeah, go ahead. Well, I just think this is interesting this year, Dak Prescott. You know, obviously, in the last decade, Cam Newton's got the most rushing touchdown sixty two. Dad. This year's got I think three. He's passed Andy Dalton or second players on rushing touchdowns by quarterbacks. I didn't know that Andy Dalton was up that high, twenty two. If Russell Wilson has nineteen, this is since twenty and eleven. M Josh

Allen's got twenty. So he's coming in fast year from the from the Bills. But I mean, you know he's not He's not a I mean, it was what we talked about Monday, right, He's not the what you consider to be the statue that sits in the pocket. He may not be you know, Russell Wilson, he may not be. You know, those guys that are just their game, they really can kill you. Running the ball, but that doesn't mean he can't take opportunities and be able to do

something with them. I will just point this out as well, and you noticed it in the last game at the beginning of the game. I think you're going to see even more of it as they go down the line. Cowboys started the game with two bootlegs. Cowboys used quite a bit of screens. Cowboys use up tempo quite a bit to not allow that their opponent to be able to substitute. I think all three of those things will

be critical and you will look. I expect to see a lot of that from this offensive, particularly early in the game, because I think that how they'll slow down that pass rush, they'll slow down those blitz is just a bit, just enough to make them a little more hesitant in doing it, and then they'll be able to get into their regular offense. But I think those are some of the things that they've already shown they're willing to do in order to help their offensive line out

a little bit. All right, we appreciate you joining us. You know a great amber. I was just gonna say the one thing that I think gives me a little bit of ease is because of Andy Dalton's am I note of experience. I feel like he's gonna be a guy that will just throw the ball away if it feels some pressure coming. That he's not gonna have a

be throwing interceptions instantly. He has the experience to know, Okay, I'm just gonna toss this ball and throw it away, even though I mean, that doesn't make it any better really because you're still not completing it past. But I think that my expectations as far as like, okay, getting pressure and having to throw balls that could possibly be intercepted, are lower than what I would feel like if it

was any other quarterback than Ay Dalton. That's a great point, and I think that's going to be really important to how successful they are is how well he can do with diagnosing things and then making the smart play quickly. All Right, we appreciate you, guys, joann Us, we're back tomorrow. We'll tell you what we think is gonna happen on Monday night for this Monday night game, Cowboys versus Cardinals. So then, for Nick Eatman, Dave helm and Amber Garcia,

I am Derek Eagleton. This has been the Break Live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.