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It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com. Weight with Mbar Garcia, Brian brought Us, Patrick Wolker, and Derek Eagleton.
It is Thursday October twelfth, twenty twenty three, Season nineteen, episode number fifty one.
Welcome to the latest edition of The Break.
We are live from the s WBC Mortgage Studios at the Star and today we'll continue our breakdown of Cowboys versus Chargers. Today we're going to look at Cowboys defense versus the Chargers offense, dive in a little deeper on that. This is actually going be our final show of the week, so we'll also get to some picks here before the end of the show.
We got some things.
Going on tomorrow, so we won't be having a show tomorrow. We'll get to our picks by the end of the show, so you guys will hear what we think is going.
To happen this weekend. So let's get it rolling.
I want to start first today Brian with yesterday, Cowboys make a roster move at a linebacker to the roster Rashaan Evans. What do you have in the way of a scattering report on this guy.
Yeah, I'm glad we got to finally do that. My gang is seven or my general manager and player personnel friends.
Around the league, and I always kind of lean on them.
Because they're the ones that watch the tape and build emergency boards and all that. Rashaan Evans was a guy that when I asked him, I said, give me some linebacker names. When vander Esch went down, Rashaan Evans was the number one guy on four of the lists that I of these general manager and player personnel friends I have, and so I was good to you know, it's nice to see it that way. Just kind of a thumbnail on him. They was talking about how he you know,
he's an instinctive inside linebacker. He's got some thump to him, high motor, high effort type of guy.
The thing that they talk about.
With him is everybody was mentioned he has played a lot of football, and that's something when we start to talk about, you know, Ambar always asks about, well, is he going to be ready. Is he gonna be one of these guys you bring in? Is he in shape? Is he you know, there's all these questions the ramp up. They make a really big deal about that, but everybody
feels like it's gonna be felt like that. Evans was one of those guys that was ready to play, and so that's you know, I could see why he was first on a lot of these teams lists of their emergency boards, and so it that that itself, I think boats pretty well. But I think the thing that everybody was talking about was about, you know, this guy is a physical player. He will he will take on blocks, he'll get off blocks, he'll play in the running game and.
The effort and the motor, all those things that you kind of like in a player.
And they'll get him acclimated to what the Cowboys are doing scheme wise, and then incorporate him and let him go to work. So everybody that I talked to seem to be on board with this. Look at the Cowboys. They have a really nice track record with their pro department and their ability to go out and find guys, either find guys off the street, poach guys from other teams or sign guys, trade for guys.
So I think they're on the right path with this signing.
Right now, Why was a guy like this available?
What was on the street?
You never know, you know, there's sometimes you get to a point where maybe a guy's a veteran guy, and you know, maybe there's maybe it's not the exact scheme fit that you want, and there are other players to become available.
You know, we've got this now with the.
XFL and the USFL that a little bit more of an access to go out and get players. So maybe some players that were with teams won't get an opportunity again, or they get passed by because they're not the fit. And scouting is not perfect, and we miss guys all the time, you know, and maybe it's one of those things where, Okay, we kind of have an idea what he is.
He's an emergency board guy.
And in the cowboys sake, right now, are the Cowboys where they are right now? They're they're in an emergency just because of the lack of depth. But sometimes too, you have a situation where these personal departments just kind of pigeonhole a guy and put him to the side, and then other teams are kind of like, well, wait a minute, we know this guy, we have a history with this guy. Oh, a coach knew this guy. You know,
that's George Edwards. Let's how you got Curse. You know, George Edwards has a history had a history with Curse at Minnesota, and so then you know, you sometimes you get guys that way and it's it's it's it's not perfect.
But that's probably why he was on the street.
Teams not really thinking about him in a way that now the Cowboys well, wait a minute, this is a better fit. We've got to find something better. Of all the guys that they were doubt, I'm sure he was the best one on their list.
I think for those that are asking why why the Eagles released him from the practice squad, it's just a numbers game for the Eagles. Eagles as far as positional content for them as practice squad, I mean, they're running heavy on cornerback at the practice squad. They got three cornerbacks, they got two three wide receivers. So it's just when you look at that and the fact that they already have a lineback, another linebacker and vansomerin on the practice squad.
They've already designated to Kobe Dean for a return. They're expecting him back on the field. They just don't have that need, but they have a need for CB depth. They have a need to make sure the wide receiver core stays strong as far as depth is concerned. So when you look at it from their aspect, you look at a guy one of the linebackers was probably going to end up going and it just ended up being Rashaan Evans.
Their loss is hopefully the Cowboys.
Yeah, we had a chance to interview Brian Baldinger from the NFL Network yesterday. I went to five to three the Fan and we asked him his baldy is he lives in that area that Philadelphia. He has that background, and I believe Gavin Dawson asked him why why did the Eagles move on? And to Patrick's point, absolutely right about they're struggling at corner right now in their secondary. But he was saying, you know, he gives. It didn't feel like it was anything that was a negative as
far as he's a bad guy. He's you know, he's he's being problems, he's being combative and all that.
No, it was just it was like Patrick was talking about, it was very well put a numbers thing with them. So Baldy was very very much a fan of the guy.
He has listen, I've seen him play at other places Tennessee, he goes at one time. This guy was a force to deal with when you watched him play. So hopefully the Cowboys, you know, in week six, you know, catch a break on one of these things.
I mean, the talent is definitely there, and this is a guy who's not you know, he's used to the big stage. I mean he comes from the Alabama program and you know, uh, he understands the pressure of planting and performing in the NFL. He's, you know, a first round pick and I mean he's been there, done that as far as sure is concerned.
And that's what he's coming into. A pressure packed situation.
Cowboys coming off of a butt whooping and they lose their green dot you know, and LVE, which is also one of their best run defenders. So yeah, he's being asked to step in and do a lot. The ability is definitely Their question is you know where is he at? He's only twenty seven, so we're not talking about a thirty two or thirty three year old. He's still fairly young by linebacker standards, so there's still a lot of potential for him to come in and be that impact guy.
But like we talked about on yesterday, I mean, there's no point in pretending that you know one guy is going to be the one that solves the LVE equation until LV returns. But I will say Evans has as good of a chance as anyone to at least help.
Didn't resolve that.
After the Sikh situation during the off season, heading into training camp, him being still being available and team's not really picking him up yet. I've changed my tune on guys that are available, like becoming more open minded.
Yeah, mercenaries, Yeah, k Y Hilton was a mercenary.
So you never know. And again seeks intention totally off topic and his production in New England, it's been you know, But the point is I've kind of become more open minded about that and how you evaluate certain talents and why you wrote there are still guys are are good or can be good that are still available there out there, but you always initially go into that. I thought, I was like, well, if this person was any good, why he's still out there in the streets.
But also keep in mind, I mean, free agency is always a two way street. So you know, once he was released from the Eagles and like that we're talking about, it was a positional numbers game for them. They just didn't need that depth at linebacker. He's released and now he's able to pick and choose where he wants to go. And then you know, Dallas comes up as the blinking light they lose Lve. So maybe those other opportunities weren't, you know, such as that you're being thrown in as
a starter. Maybe it was, oh, we was signing to the practice squad and we'll you know, we'll see how it goes. Now, even if the Cowboys do sign sign him to the practice squad, he's going to get a ton of burn he's getting early elevations often, he's getting a ton of burns. So if you look at it from that capacity, maybe he was waving off those others, waiting for the right spot and this, you know, is it works out wilful.
Yeah, you hope this is uh, you hope this is the reincarnation of an Alabama linebacker that was also a first time pick. Going with this, Yeah, Rolando mcclan.
Dude has talking about having some thump to you. He had dump to him.
But only my only thing that I'm so disappointed about Rolando mcclan only no, no, no, no, man, Rolando mclan was all right, Ye disappoint I ever got to go fishing with him?
Yeah, I always wanted to go fish fish. He loved the fish.
Like his house was on fire at one time and I think he was fishing and he just kind of watched it burn while he was fishing.
So that is Cray.
He's one of those guys. But no, Rwando McLain.
If they could find if you find out, we all know about a big thumping linebacker That was Rolando mclan.
He's such a force, a continued force.
But you know what I love about this, this particular move is the fact that I think the linebacker room needs some veteran presence and I think you're bringing in a guy that has some experience that could help Damon Clark because you really want to see him develop in
only his second year. So I think this move could be not only a guy that can of the best of what's out there and available to you, but it also can have other ramifications to help you kind of develop some of your younger guys in that room without having LV.
Because I mean a couple of weeks ago you brought in Michael Jones. He's a younger guy. Can't necessarily give too much mentorship to Damon Clark worked out Brandon Smith, but Brandon Smith young guy. Submit some familiarity there from the Penn State time he spent with Michael Parsons before
Michael opted out in twenty twenty. But I mean, when it comes to the options as far as who has a ton of NFL experience, Rashaan Evans sixty seven starts and I think seventy three ish NFL games, former first round pick, knows how to be dropped into a pressure peck situation from a big program where he was an
All American talent. So I mean it's kind of a no brainer that he would, like brand say, would be at the top of several people's list, and the Cowboys just kind of forratuitously looked into him because if he's not available and you go into this, uh, this absence of LV, you're kind of you're kind of up against it, and yeah, you're you're going to ask the mon Clark to step up and do more, but still trying to solve, trying to fill that whole is going to be a challenge.
And just to give you an idea of the production he had just last year while he was with Philadelphia, he had eighty six tackles, not a bad year for a linebacker. Had six tackles for a loss, uh, and he had two sacks. So he's a guy that too a little bit of production. And especially when you're talking about this time of the year having to go out and find somebody, I'll take that guy. That guy is probably much better find.
You're not finding this sky in week thirteen.
Exactly, it's not that's it's not going to happen, exactly right.
And and his numbers, some of those were career highs. His tackle tally last year career highs. And that includes not only combined, but his his solo tackles a career high. So, I mean he he had a very very solid you last year.
And I said Philadelphi, I'm sorry Lana last year. All right, let's go ahead and take our first break. When we come back, we will jump into our breakdown. Brian tell us what he's found about this is a lot of Los Angeles charger offense and how it matches up with the Dallas defense. We'll be back Dallas. Cowboys dot Com Radio.
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Cowboys fans, after that move, we've just coined the term rowdy replay.
Let's roll back the table.
Okay, there's our mascot rowdy cheering on the boys.
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Welcome back into Dear Doctor, the show where I answer life's questions with an ice cold can of doctor Pepper. Sheila, let's hear from my next caller.
Would you, Dear doctor.
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Back to the Break, the most action packed motorsports experience in the world returns to Arlington. Head to AT and T Stadium is Saturday, October fourteenth for Monster Jam. Tickets are available now at seat geek dot com, the official ticketing provider.
Of AT and T Stadium.
You know, as you mentioned, you know, fast moving and action packed. I thought you were going to mention our guy, Stephen Thomas. Guess has got a race this weekend.
For those who't know, he's like a friend of the program, of the program. It has been been there.
You weren't around back when Stephen like one training camp, just invited our entire media bus, the entire media team that's just a bus, and take us to an open bar on the bus in Malibu. I guess it was right and had a special a special.
Uh what was it the.
Chef, the chef that won Chopped.
Yeah, it was crazy and he like cooked this whole meal for us. It was it was this phenomenal. But that's our guys.
No, I'm just giving.
I'm gonna praises to Steven.
Well, yeah, he runs.
If you're familiar with the movie Ford Versus Ferrari, Yes, Stephen, Okay, Now Steven and I we talked about just I'll try and make this quick. His racing career started on a bar napkin in the Cowboys Club.
We were fan, by the way, huge fan of the Cowboys. He was. He's a lawyer.
He's one of the one of the most successful lawyers in the in the country, and so but he's a huge Cowboys fan. Well, now he's a huge racing fan. But he's known as a gentleman driver. And so have you seen the movie Ford vers Ferrari twenty four Hours of the Rolls twenty four He's run it. He's won, well,
he's won at Lemon, he's won at Watkins Glenn. He's this guy's like, yeah, he just has been a driver for all three years now and he's won it all all these historic tracks, and he wanted Indianapolis two weeks ago the Innneapolis Motor Speedway on the road course there and he drives on an l m P two car which is a Leman's Prototype car running for the championship this weekend in Atlanta Roade, Atlanta. So going to see
him because of the Cowboys Monday night game. But I know everybody here at Dallas Cowboys dot Com is fan he had.
When we went to his house, he had a room. Do you guys remember where he had a big screen like a projector of simulator, a simulator and it's like you're playing a real video.
With everything Grandismo where you know these kids, yeah, playing games.
That they get it. I actually have that set up. I have a grand Risk I'm set up at home.
This thing he has, he went to he went to he went to England.
He went to McLaren and got a it's a two hundred thousand dollars simulator and put it so.
Literally, when he drives, he can drive any track in the world.
And he he puts his gloves on his helmet and straps in and then next thing you know, that thing is moving and it's shaking and moving, and you see him working his feet and but yeah, he's running for the championship, the IMSA championship.
It's it's called petite Lamon is what we're running.
It looks our guy. Just give him all our love rooting for him this weekend.
Yeah, people that mentions are freaking out right now.
It's all good.
Brought us all right, here we go, Brian, give us a breakdown of this Los Angeles Charger offense.
Yeah, this is clearly a different offense than what we've seen in the previous season with the Chargers because of Kellen Moore being there as a unit. As a unit, Uh, they they do things that we've kind of familiar with with Kellen Moore, but you've noticed and the numbers will tell you, but also on tape will tell you. They run more slants, they run more go routes or vertical routes, and they run more wide receiver screens.
Uh. They like to run the ball.
Out of the what the what we call a sidecar where which is next to the quarterback, or they'll go pistol where they're directly behind, so you'll either see uh, the running back next to you're justin Herbert there and they'll hand him the ball on the inside or they'll turn and spin and hand it to him from directly behind. But that's kind of the two primarily ways that they
like to run the football. They're best players, Their best offensive threats are Keenan Allen, Jared Everett, and then Austin Eckler. In my opinion, I think these are the you know, when you start to talk about the players that the Cowboys have got to be alert for during this football game, those are the three main guys I mentioned the quarterback there, justin Herbert, He's he's one of these young and up and coming guys, super talented. You can't draw them up
any better physically than what this guy looks. Total package when it comes to his makeup, his skill. He's a quick decision maker. He knows where he wants to go with the ball. He's not going to hold it, he's not going to delay in the process. He gets through his reads quickly there and he'll deliver a strike. Physically, he stands really tall in the pocket, but he's had
to share plays. If you watch the pressure plays that he's dealt with, there's a lot of him getting out of there and running and trying to make something happen. He's going to find ways to escape. Cowboy's got to be alert for that. He is willing to run, So that might be a little bit of something you have to keep an eye on. Right there. He could throw on the line with deadly accuracy. He doesn't make the
receivers at all work for these balls. I mean, you know, he usually puts it right where they need to be. But you kind of make sure you get him on the ground when you have the chance, because I've seen him bounce off in the film and the Vikings had him sacked and he's spinning around in the pocket and the next thing you know, it's like a twenty five.
Yard pass down the field for a first down.
So got to wrap this guy up for sure when you get the opportunity in the pocket.
I mentioned Keenan.
Keenan Allen, he's Herbert's go to guy, the quarterback rating of one hundred and thirty point five when he's targeted this guy and so he's yet to throw an interception. By the way, when throwing the ball in Keenan Allen's direction, Keenan's a strong handed catcher. This guy can't run out of okay, He's just not He's not going to scare you with his speed, but what he'll scare you with is his initial burst off the line to gain some separation.
He makes his share of contesting catches. He's a dangerous player. When you put him inside and you put him outside, it really kind of doesn't matter because he'll body up defenders and use his size as to his advantage. He catches the ball well on the move, and he is an outstanding finisher and they'll line him up all over the place. Quentin Williams has kind of taken over for Mike Williams. Mike Williams suffered a knee injury in the Minnesota game, so you don't have to worry about Mikey loss.
That's a huge loss for them because he was having a pretty decent year. But Quentin Williams, if you follow the draft show here on our platform, we talked a lot about.
Him last year from TCU.
He's got that downfield ability, he's got size, the body control. He can be a difficult guy to handle in those situations. He's kind of feeling his way right now as far as learning how to deal with the press coverage stuff. They'll knock him around a little bit. When corners walk up on him, he kind of gets a little bit, a little bit skittish, so you know, be ready to maybe make it uncomfortable for him. Joshua Palmer is another receiver there. He's like a he's got a running back building.
You have to almost do a double take when he's out wide. You're like, waitnute, they got a running back. Oh wait, that's number five. That's Palmer, So you have to kind of you understand what you're getting. He's a really good run after catch guy. He can make things happen with the ball in his hands. He was that way at Tennessee and he plays that way in the NFL. He's much more of a faster guy than he really is a quick guy, but you do see the ball
go down the field to him. I mentioned Gerald Everett, the tight end. He's been outstanding for Justin Herbert early this season. He's an h back move guy. He's got the receiver movement and skills with the hands. You see him lining up in a lot of different spots. He really excels when they get him in space. He's one of the better receivers the Chargers have when it's creating separation. If you look at those numbers and metrics, he's right
over four yards of separation. So he's opened a lot in these routes and that's why that Herbert's able to get him the football. You know, he's not the best blocker, but he's not afraid to block. He's not afraid to stick his nose in there. He's not going to just smash you and then drive you out of the hole. He's going to kind of get in the way and try and turn you. Donald Parham is the other tight end at that but Param's been dealing with a wrist sprain.
It happened in the last game and they had the week off. They're hopeful that by practicing all week that he can maybe play in this game. But those the two tight ends you have to worry about. I mentioned Austin Eckler. I think he's I think he's a tremendous player. You just watch him. He's he's been in the league seven years now. He's dealing with a little bit of a hamstring injury. He's a compact, tough runner. He's got outstanding vision, patience, he could finish runs that way. He
could be a tough guy. To bring on the ground due to his running style. He's built real low to the ground and he's got a powerful lower body or a base the leg drive the power. Where he's very difficult to deal with is that he is around the goal line when they hand him the ball, he finds these creases. I know, people that play fantasy football love
this guy because he's always always scored touchdowns. He's one of those guys that he kind of takes it off tackle and it's kind of kind of muddy, and then he jumps back inside and next thing you know, he's in the end zone.
The good thing you meant.
But the good thing about him is Killen Moore doesn't throw screens to their running backs. He'll throw screens to the wide receivers. So but in the past, this guy was really a good screen catcher. But you don't see him catch the screens anymore. So that's kind of But after watching McCaffrey catch that screen on that first and fifteen player, whatever it was, don't be surprised if they'll work it in some way. But this guy as a
real nose for the goal line. Their offensive line has been a little bit of an issue for them and it's it's funny because they're a team. They're a team that has has invested in their offensive line. Rashawn Slater and Zion Johnson are both first round picks and they both play on the left side together. And but the the the interesting thing is that Rashaan Slater has had
some problems in pass protection. Uh, he has not been as good as we've seen him and the previous couple of years, when I went back and watched the pressures, I'm just curious, there was a lot of times where Slater, the left tackle, was having some issues.
Now, you know, you're dealing with some teams that can rush the passer. The Raiders can rush the passer, the Vikings can rush the passer. The Cowboys can rush the passer.
So keep an eye on on Slater on that left at that left tackle spot. And because there were some times where they were getting the edge on him and it was a struggle for him.
It is only because of his.
Athletic ability that it saved him from disasters a couple of different times. Guy that I think is the weakest of the group here is Trey Pipkins, who plays right tackle. There was a number of times He's one of those guys that gets way out over his feet when he passed blocks. He's scared that people are going to try and get by him, so he has to get his hands on people quick, so he gets a little bit over extended. So Pipkins would be the guy that I
would attack, but keep an eye on Slater. It's just not been as clean in those games, those four games that I watched on him. I was surprised the pressures that he gave up, but that was that was something that I didn't expect. My final thing is they're a pull trap guards. We all remember Kellen Moore how he used to run. He'd like to pull guys, especially down on the goal line. They like to pull. Member Zach Martin used to pull and trap and stuff like that.
They still do the same thing with the way they do it with their guards and their tackles and so they you know, they like to try and get that. You know, that's something that we've seen before with Kellen Moore. I will say this, I think Herbert and Eckler mask for some of the blocking sens of this group as a whole.
So we'll see if the Cowboys can take advantage of that.
I was going back and I looked at the game that they had their worst passing day. It was versus Las Vegas in Week four. During that game, they were thirteen thirteen and Justin Herbert was thirteen of twenty four fifty four percent completion rate.
Not very good.
Yeah, only one hundred and sixty seven yards, one touchdown in one interception.
What did you see in that game?
Particularly that maybe was the reason why they had their worst production.
I think it was it was the pressure that they were dealing with.
They did not handle the Vegas off the Vegas defensive line, Max Crosby's hand, Max Crosby to deal with. I'm sorry, and I don't mean to curse like that, but it really is. I mean, he is a problem to deal with because what happens is the way that Vegas moves them around and they've got guys that they've got inside, guys that caused pressure to get pushed. When you're bad at both tackle spots. We saw that when you played
the Giants in Week one. When you're bad at both tackle spots, you know that makes sure it makes makes your scheme your your your offensive scheme looked really poor. The Vikings did the same thing. I mean, the Vikings were able to get pressure on these guys as well. It's just teams should have that type of pass rush ability and I remember the Titans game of that being is effective and the Titans could rush the pass a
little bit, not like not like the Raiders can't. But with Crosby, they they just that was a big, big issue for them. They were able to take advantage of this. And it was a home game too for the Chargers, which you know you would think, oh, maybe crowd noise got it, maybe something was a problem there.
No, it was.
It was a home game for the Chargers. It just didn't do a very good job of handling that. That the key elements of what the Raider Raider defensive line presents to you.
So that being said this week, where I mean talking about Google mic go back to linebacker this week that maybe you say, hey, let's just mix the safeties in and let them be lined back with the mount Clark Unlet's keep keep Micah rushing the passes.
Honestly, I feel like that to me, the offense is going to dictate how your defense plays in this football game. You've got to find a way to get ahead, put points on the board. The Chargers are capable of coming back in games, but you've got.
To find a way to make them.
The forty nine Ers were never behind, never behind, and that way it kind of dictates the way that they play. They could do things. And you know with that, you know, if you make if you make the Chargers one dimensional. Yeah, their quarterback's good enough. Yeah they have skill guys and all that, but yeah, the pressure. I've seen pressure give them problems, you know, And but we saw pressure give
San Francisco problems. It's a matter of can your offense generate enough points and continue drives and then make the Chargers kind of become a one dimensional team. Hey, don't let them be balanced, you know, make them throw the ball where you can maybe take advantage of that pass rush.
Your corners are definitely going to have the work cut out for them, and your linebackers as well, because obviously what looms large is the likely return of Austin Eckler, which marries to the absence of Lve And we'll get to the injury update. I have an injury update here in the moment, so you will Rashaan Evans play and if he plays this coming Monday, you know, how quickly can he get into dan Quinn's system. What does it
look like for Damon Clark to have more snaps? What does it look like for Malike Jefferson to be thrown into the fire in a big way in that capacity. But I will also say that when it comes to trying to contain the run game, I'm sitting here and I'm looking at next Gen Status, and I was looking at it yesterday and I just wanted to revisit it
during Brian's excellent scouting report. Unlike the Cowboys, who are still trying to figure out things in the offensive back field with Tony Pollard, and you want to mix in Hunter, you want to mix in Douce Far, the Chargers don't do any of that. They look at the single back and they say, it's your game. You're going to have to make this happen for us.
They don't run.
They've literally run zero from A twenty one. They've run zero twenty two personnel. Contrarily, the Cowboys, as they're trying to figure things out, they've run nineteen plays through these first five weeks from twenty one. And I say that to say in twenty one being a two back set. What I'm saying that is what I'm saying is if the Cowboys can find a way to at least contain Eckler, they don't have to worry about the duality of, oh, well it's a two back set, who's the blocker and
who's the decoy and who's getting the ball. It's just a matter of saying, we got to stop this guy. So from that capacity, it makes it a little bit more decisive. Then the execution comes into play. But to Brian's point, Eckler is he's more than a half full so you got a key in on him. But at least you know that they run typically a single back when they have a back back there, so not much the k in on, but the one you got a key in on is.
A big deal.
Yeah, we've seen it before. We've lived this with Kellen Moore. What happens when he wants to play with the fullback. He'll put a tight end back there, right, you know, all of a sudden, he'll he'll put Parham back there in the backfield and be a league block and it won't be effective. They're better off running out of a single back back then they are running with a tight end that gets in the way of Eckler trying to find the hole.
And really quickly because I know we got to go to brick. See I'm feeling that I'm feeling the flow there. Lve is heading to IR. That's been confirmed this morning by Mike McCarthy. Nashawan Wright will see his practice window opened this week, so he will have twenty one days to show that he's ready for active roster, otherwise he has to revert to season ending injured reserve. Peyton Hendershot is now a candidate for IR with that ankle injury,
so that is very very interesting. Likely means, obviously, Sean McEwan, do they sign him to the active roster and you know what's about to be some roster shuffling because of IR moves. Cavante Terpin will start today with the rehab group, but he has a chance to practice, and Mike McCarthy said that Cavante is beating down the door to actually practice.
So it's amazing.
I thought that ankles brand thing came off high ankle for six you say the word high ankle, I'm thinking it might as well just be broken, you know.
For anything. Well, some things that's okay.
But you know, but this but this particular case, I mean I thought the absolute worst watching him go off that field there and listen to your guys reports, you know, from the from the locker room.
Well, I will say this.
Nick reminded me, we've seen a player come back within a week of a high ankle sprain.
We saw I think it was Jason Witten do it.
Yeah, and.
Player I can't remember, Yeah, I know, got played with last k explain. So yeah, he's a little different than most people. But Nick Mixon mentioned one other guy and I couldn't remember who it was. It was another player he mentioned as well that came back pretty quick off of high ankle sprain. But obviously it's a little different when you're Cavante Turpin and your best as set is running. That's a little different like coming back from a high ankle sprain that quickly.
But we'll see, we'll see.
Hopefully he can he can get it together and he can play this week. We're gonna take our final break. We'll come back. Got more questions for this panel about the Cowboys defense versus discharge your offense.
We'll be back Dallas Cowboys dot com Radyo.
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Back to the break.
Er Uh, here we go.
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Welcome back.
Final segment of The Break live from the SWBC Mortgage Studios at the Star.
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You knew exactly what I was gonna say.
All right, here we go.
I found this stat on our next Gen Stats website and.
It we're worthing that thing out.
I know we are, but it's such fine information.
It is great.
But this is going to blow your mind. Check this out.
Justin Herbert he has completed forty nine of fifty passes for four hundred and sixty nine yards and two touchdowns on attempts where he is targeting the seams. Yeah, I don't know if I've ever heard a stat like that, because that just means like that is deadly for them. How does that match up with the Cowboys and what the Cowboys like to do defensively?
Got anything in mind with them linebacker play.
That's the first thing popped in my head was the concern with the linebacker. I mean, that's what pops into your head immediately, because when you hear stat like that, you you immediately think of the linebackers and you say, okay, well, what's their coverage ability?
Right?
And lve quite as it's kept, is not bad at coverage, and you're going to lose that and they're going to attack the seams. Forty nine out of fifty is insanity, That is lethality. And so that means you're going to have to get some help from those safeties and covering those seams. You don't have a choice otherwise that forty nine to fifty is going to become You got three of them, and you got three So because of what's going on with the Cowboys linebackers, you're gonna have to get safety out.
Hard to Like, right now, I'm questioning everything, even the things that were good, you know, like even the good times, I'm questioning that was I.
It's like you're getting divorced and you know you got cheated on.
Start question everything, Bui, and I'm going back like, Okay, dan Quinn, I love him. Let me hold on to that love and respect and appreciation for his knowledge and ability to make things happen. But when you come off two games where the defense played a certain way, now you start questioning, Okay, can they do that again, or can they adapt or can they figure it out despite the injuries or the lack of depth that they currently have. So it's just it's very hard to visualize right now.
But then I keep trying to remember the good times.
Well, the problem you're running into now in trying to remember the good times is to out the last three games defense has been a really been attacked, you know, and they kind of figured things out in the second half of the Arizona game until they gave up the sixty nine yard past at Wilson.
They had things kind of in control. But last week that tests your resolve a little bit of like like, oh, well, what's going on here?
What do you think that does to your confidence for a group like this, Like we've always seen them very confident and and you know, competitive guys that come come out and play at a very high level. But coming off the beat down against the forty nine ers, what do you think that that does to this group's confidence?
Well, I don't know if it has anything to do with confidence. Is it has to do with Maybe there's some players on that defense that masked some issues that you really had.
Maybe maybe there's maybe about it, maybe.
Maybe maybe yeah, absolutely, yeah, maybe the fact that Micah Parsons is one of the best deodorant sticks you've ever had when there's been stink, you know, if you put the deodorant on and you don't stink anymore, or maybe uh, Tank Lawrence or oh so Diggi's or you with digs or digs or digs maybe digs on the field. Maybe
Digs was the great deodorant too. Yeah, And all the sudden when the thing that worries me, if we could circle back about what Patrick was talking about or you were talking about the seams and the linebackers, is the fact that you saw the other day and I don't know really if it's a seam passed, but with the way that Kittle, the way that Kittle got across into an area where it went middle to seam, you know, and all of a sudden, you're you're, you're you're you're
not seeing it right, You're not you know, and we're all were kind of having questions like is it Hooker's guy or is that there's bell supposed to.
Carry that guy?
And that's when all of a sudden that if you have a quarterback that's what was the word use lethality?
What was lethality? It's impressive. But you're like, yeah, but see that's what I'm saying it.
You just worry is that something that now other teams are going to see like, oh well, hey they can't they can't deal with drop depth of the linebacker. Wait, the safety is looking at two different things. They're getting put in bad spots. Yeah, I could say it the great deyodaan is Michael Parson sacking the guy before it gets to being that problem in the secondary, or somebody sacking that guy before it gets to be a problem in the secondary.
Yeah.
So when you look at that, Brian, I look at it and I'm like, this is not just a one game problem. We've seen throughout this year, even in some of the games where they won where receivers get lost like they there's the defense kind of loses them. And what we've heard from them in the post game has been communication. Yeah, communications wasn't right. I mean And in Arizona game, got a guy that's just wide open and again it was a crossing type route and they just
lost him. And that's one of those situations where I am getting a little bit concerned and you talk about what the players are thinking, I do start to wonder if the players start thinking like there's there's maybe there's too much that they're thinking about and maybe in some respects they're gonna have to dial this down a little bit, to simplify things a bit, because there is this lack of communication or understanding or something in these moments in
games where you're getting guys who are just getting it open because they're just busted plays, and they're busted plays in the secondary well other.
Than the injuries, it makes me wonder what a game was it was it against Arizona where like guys looked confused or like Mike I was lining up. So it just makes me wonder how what is different really aside from injuries, Like what is different when you had such a connected, tight group in sync, And by that I'm specifically talking about when they're on the field acting and everybody reacting. We talked about, like literally starting the season,
how every single player was having a good day. Everyone made a play, tackle, got the ball, did something, and it was all around an unanimous great effort from everybody. But then all of a sudden you start seeing games like that, Like, aside from obviously the opponent and what they're doing when it comes to communication and all of that, what has changed.
Which changed and those two losses what I pinpointed was the fact that the Cowboys have so many quote unquote dogs on the defensive side of the ball, so that when they get down and out, everybody wants to be the hero. Everybody's chasing the big play. That's the difference. When you're blowing out the New York Giants, you don't have to chase the big play. You just get to play football and then you can go out there and.
Kick them butt.
Same thing against the New York Jets, same thing against the New England Patriots. But when you start struggling and get punched in the mouth by the Cardinals, and then you need in your offense is also struggling, and now you start feeling that pressure to score defensively and get those extra takeaways you want to be you're trying to
be the guy to do it. On the very next play. Well, then maybe you're too aggressive on your pursuit for a tackle and then you chase the wrong shoulder and now it's to the house or whatever the case may be. So in those losses, this is why it's key that the Cowboys. Why I should say this way, that's why one of the biggest cas for the Cowboys continued success is they have to play from in front as opposed to behind, because once they start playing from behind, everybody
wants to be the hero. And yes, you have a defense full of guys who can be the hero. But the more you chase the big play, the less likely you will get the big play. What's more likely is that you're going to give up the big play.
All right, let's get our picks. See what everybody thinks is going to happen this week. Cowboys travel to Los Angeles take on the Chargers Monday night football.
Amber, What do you say, sure, I'll start holding on to the good times and to the stat of holding on to that and holding on to the stat of that. The Cowboys are nine and one or I think that's ten and one of wins after a loss, so they have shown a tendency to be able to come back and win after they get bit beaten.
Too.
But I'm choosing a victory. I'm choosing a win for the Cowboys. I think we will get a tight, like a close game score, maybe something like twenty three twenty.
Yeah. I think the I think it's gonna come down to a game winning field goal for the Cowboys. I think Aubrey's gonna have to knock one home. It might have to be for some distance, you know. I think it's it's one of.
Those games where I've I've got this, I've got this vibe. I keep hearing the number keeps going in my head of you know, twenty seven to twenty eight, something like that.
You're doing the fortune Tiller things.
Yeah, I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go Dallas twenty seven to twenty four.
In this one, I thought the Cowboys had a good chance of escaping with a close win against San Francisco. But I knew that that would be a tough one, and I thought it'd be emotionally draining, and I said it out loud, you know, off the air, but I said, they're going to win to San Francisco and that's going
to cost them the charger. But Brian made an excellent point I think last week when he said, you typically lose the ones you aren't supposed to lose, and you win the one when the ones you're not supposed to win. I think that the flips they lost against San Francisco, and in the fashion in which they did, they have no choice but to bounce back. I believe wholeheartedly the defense will bounce back. I don't think they want that reputation of getting their butt kicked two weeks in a
row offense and heading into the by offense. I don't know yet. So because I don't know about the offense, this is going to be a low scoring game. I think the Cowboys win it on an Aubrey kick. I agree with you there, but I think it's twenty to seventeen. I think defense does their job. Offense just I don't know yet.
That's the There's a side of me that could have very easily picked the Chargers game.
I think we all think it's going to be a close game, however it goes.
I just don't trust the offense right now, to be honest with that, and I just did because of the again, the ten and one.
I think there's some merit to that. That's just not hollow numbers.
They do find a way to play, right, They better find a way to play better because they're three and three coming back. There's gonna be some hell to pay in that off week.
Especially if the Eagles continue to win. They're going to start getting distanced, putting a gap and put space between one and two.
So I also agree Cowboys win, but I think it's a very close game.
I think it's a lower scoring game. I have a seventeen sixteen.
It's going to be just it's gonna be a defensive game, really, I think, because like you said, Patrick, I've not seen anything yet that gives me confidence that this offense is there, and so I think this is gonna be a game where it's going to have to be the defense and they're gonna have to make some plays, and I think
they will. I think they'll respond well, and the history is on their side, and like what they've done over the last two years, two and a half years, is we know when they lose, they come back the next week.
And they give a really great effort.
They usually get a win.
Better figure it out.
Yeah, So we'll see what happens is Monday. Till then for Patrick Walker, Brian brought us Ambergarcia. I'm Derek Eagleson. This has been The Break.
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