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It's time for the Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com. Were with Ambar Garcia, Brian brought Us, Patrick Walker and Derek Eagleton.
It is Monday, January eighth, twenty twenty four, Season nineteen, episode number one three. Welcome to the latest edition of The Break. We are a lot from SWBC Mortgage Studios at the Star and we're talking Cowboys and the NFC East Championship. They go last night and beat the Washington Commanders in convincing fashion. They went thirty eight to ten and on the road, nonetheless, and so it sets up
nicely for them. They are in the second seed and pretty much everything you wanted to happen if you're a Cowboys fan happened to where the Cowboys have the matchups that you would prefer.
Now, it's all playoff.
Teams, so there are no guarantees when you get to this time of the year, but I would think the matchups play out the way you kind of want them, and so we'll talk about that a little bit as we go throughout today's show. We're going to recap that game a little bit and talk about some different performances that stood out to us.
I'll start first.
Instead of doing we normally do on a Monday where we look for the storyline of the game, I want you to give me a bigger picture storyline of the season. If you had to write a storyline for the twenty twenty three regular season, what would it be.
Patrick, Let's give you the first shot.
I'm going to go with Dak Prescott's resilience. All everyone could talk about after last season was his fifteen interceptions. That's the whole storyline for the entire offseason. And suddenly, even though that was clearly an aberration, when you looked at how Dak Prescott protected the ball in the seasons prior to that, it was, oh, he's a turn over machine.
He'll give the ball away. And we sat here, uh and.
Several of these panels talking cowboys to break, and we started dissecting, said, Okay, some of those are attributable to him, some are miscommunications and miss timing with the receiver on the back end you come up, that's work tip right, perfect example though. Credit the Washington defense for no doubt, but they put in the work this offseason. Dak Prescott, Cede Lamb, Brandon Cooks, Jake Ferguson, these guys and they
got on the same page. You credit Mike McCarthy with you know, his installs for this Texas Coast offense and the timing and things that they've been able those mechanations they've been able.
To get going.
And now you're talking about Dak Prescott leading the leads the league, ends the regular season as the league leader in touchdowns to only nine interceptions and the ninth wi was that kind of fluke tipped interception against Washington. So magnificent bounce back season for Dak Prescott has him uh
in the MVP conversation right up against Lamar Jackson. And I still think that, you know, it should go to Dak Prescott, especially when you consider he's able to do what he did as far as leading the league in touchdowns with only nine interceptions and he sat out several of the fourth quarters the season.
So for me, that's the big picture.
Dak Prescott as if there were any doubt and there wasn't in this building. Dark Prescott is the franchise quarterback now and later for the Dallas Cowboys.
Ironically, I kind of wish he would have actually made the comment that he was was attributed to him. I wish you would have actually said that, because that would have been fun at this point.
But but yeah, no, go ahead, Amber.
Oh, I think this is the year. I feel it. You guys are superstitious. Well you know what. Sorry, before it never happened.
So that's.
What you.
Start over.
We got a ship.
I don't know. I don't know.
And by the way, I say, shoot, say something else my accent and no, it was my accent.
I didn't say that. I don't do that. I don't. But it's a memorable.
Ahead.
Sorry.
The point is, it's a memorable season. You talk about all the Okay, let's gather ourselves. It's a season where many many cool things have happened, historical, historic things. We talk about Darn Bland, the records he was able to set. We talk about finally, Jimmy Johnson getting inducted into the Ring of Honor, such a cool moment. You already said everything about Dak Prescott, which he's having the best season
of his career. He's playing the best football he's ever played, Ceedee Lamb, the connection and the way that Ceedi Lamb has stepped up into that role and just looks absolutely great everything that he's been able to do. So I think like just all these little things, all these little nuggets of happening this season there is very very special. It just leads me to think that maybe you know,
you got what it takes to compete. And I think that this weekend, the setup and how everything fell through for the fell into place for the Cowboys, I couldn't ask for a better opponent than Green Bay. I'm so excited for this weekend. Not only you're playing at home at a teenth stadium, but also you know, Mike McCarthy is still pissed from last year. The Cowboys got beat at Green Bay last year, and then I think he's still kind of you know, you don't get over that.
You're gonna come in this weekend looking to get a win. And I think the Cowboys have everything they can to actually come out this weekend, compete and get a win.
Mike McCarthy's willingness to adjust say the season, oh yes, they were not a good offensive football team to start the season. They had pieces in place to have a very good offense. The way the offense was being run, the way it was executed the first five weeks of the season wasn't going to be good enough for you to be twelve and five and second seed in the
National Football League in this conference. And so his ability to listen to his coaches, to listen to his players, to look within himself and say this is not the way this thing needs to go. I think saved the season. It wasn't going to be good enough. And I think he knew that. I give him credit for that.
And you know, to that point, Brian, I think when it comes to Mike McCarthy, I look at him and I'm thinking, this is why you hired this type of veteran coach. Because coaches have to understand that it's not about them, It's not about their system. It's about how do you tailor what you do to the players that
you have. And as we saw it, as we've seen the season go on, they have more and more, in my opinion, tailored this offense to Dak Prescott and Ceedee Lamb and it is working and everything else is an offshoot of Dak Prescott and CD lamp And I think that's a credit to the coaching staff and their ability to morph this thing from what it was at the beginning of the season when the results weren't what you wanted, to what it has become now in one of the
most prolific from a record standpoint, maybe close to the most prolific offense in the history of the Dallas Cowboys.
You know, one thing I love just the intergect really quickly when it comes to McCarthy. Excellent point by Brian.
One thing I love about McCarthy is since he's coming to this organization, he has shown that he's not he is he perfect, no Mike Nolan, but he's shown that he's not afraid to quickly move off of a thought and idea of philosophy if it's not working, He's not going to hold tight to it for two years, three years, be it a coordinator, be an assistant coach, or just being you know, how an offense is run.
So you talk about one year with Mike Nolan, he moves on. What does he do?
Home run higher with Dan Quinn shouts to the front office for making that happen as well. You talk about in a microbe this season, like Brian said, you had to come to Jesus moment in Week five against the forty nine ers. What do you do You get in lab, you get with your analytics team that has been revamped this offseason, which is something that a lot of people were worried about with Mike McCarthy when he came into Dallas. Is it going to be the old school, just old
football culture. Is he going to embrace analytics. He's embraced it this season like we've never seen before. So all of that goes to the fact that I just love how McCarthy is willing to look something in the face and take accountability for if it's not working, and then he fixes it. And that's why the Cowboys in the position they are right now three twelve and five seasons, clinched the division twice in the last three seasons, and like Ann bar said, you are matched up favorably, You're
you're getting hot at the right time. Your running game kind of found some legs against Washington, which we will talk about here. But McCarthy, he for those that are saying whether the Cowboys have to do this or this or this for McCarthy not to be on the hot seat. Get I get where you're going with that, But when you look at what he's been able to do in his short period of time here, McCarthy's not.
He's he's not anywhere. Stop it, stop it.
No, I'm talking about you know.
Actually, actually we're going to get to that a little later in the show because Jerry did have some comments. He was asked about that last night, and I want to get some comments from you because there are a lot of different ways you can read that. I kind of agree with you, guys, but there's some different ways you could read Jerry's comments. And one thing I know about Jerry Jones, at least from what I've perceived in the years that I've worked in this building, is sometimes
he doesn't like people to feel comfortable. And I read from this and we'll get at this a little later, but maybe it's just a little bit of if I don't want anybody right around here right now to feel comfortable, everybody should be a little bit on edge, because that's when you get the best out of people. And everybody's a little bit on edge. All right, Let's talk about Dak Prescott. You mentioned him, Pat, and last night he was thirty one to thirty six, eighty six, eighty six
percent completion rate. I think it's been four games this season he's been over eighty percent completion rate. And by the way, this is an eighty percent completion rate, eighty six percent completion rate when he's just dnking and dunking down the field. He's taking some shots in there too. That's a great percentage. Two hundred and seventy nine yards passing, four touchdowns, one interception, and one hundred and twenty four point four quarterback rating. You mentioned it, Patrick, I want
everybody give me an opinion here. Do you think Dak Prescott has a legit shot at the league MVP? And if so, how would you make the case for him.
I mean, he has a shot, legitimate shot.
I think it's a legitimate shot.
I think that up to this point, going into week seventeen, Week eighteen, you still had and obviously you still have the conversation of Brock Party.
For example, in one.
Of the quarterbacks right now in the conversation.
Yeah, it's just one of us.
It's Lamar and Dack wanted to and it's for me that's right there, and then you have Purty beneath them as far as he has justification for being in the conversation, but it's.
Neck and neck with Dak.
The numbers just don't match it for right.
So, and I can't stress enough how much I love what Lamar Jackson is doing. And also just as a sidebar, because of when he came into the league, how we entered the league, and how everybody, oh, he's a running back, and for him to put up the quarterback numbers he's putting up and get the Baltimore Ravens despite because they've had adversity as well up and they get that number one seat. So Lamar Jackson deserved to be there. But for me and Dak Prescott, it hearkens back to number
one the level of improvement over twenty twenty two. So that's a big part of it as well, because you look at all the work they put into the lab. He and the receivers, and the receiver coaches and the quarterback coaches, Shot Humer McCarthy, they all went in the lab and then how here we are twenty twenty three slow start to twenty twenty three. As far as offensively, what do you do week five, you get your ass handed to you. You have to come to Jesus moment.
And he's been on fire ever since. Ceedee Lamb has been on fire ever since. Like you said, they've Ceedee Lamb and Dak Prescott offense runs through them. Everything else is a ripple effective that they figured it out even when the run game has not been going well, which means that it was on Dak Prescott's shoulders to carry this offense and through ceed Lamb to make sure that
it kept moving forward. So for me, while Lamar Jackson is the most valuable player on his team one hundred percent, I'm still I'm sixty forty for Dak Prescott based on what he was able to do, the numbers he was able to put up and without having to play as many quarters as Lamar and Jackson had to play in order to put up those particular numbers.
So for me, it's it's Dak Prescott.
And again no knock to Lamar Jackson will deserving great contender in this conversation, but yeah, look at the bounce back here from twenty twenty two, and it's Dak for me.
One beat six playoff teams. The other beat three. That's how you got to kind of look at this and you look at the the only real losses. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a good plan when they play Lamar Jackson. I guess they have the right personnel to match up with him. But you look at what they were able to do in Baltimore. Yeah, it's one more game. They
handedly beat San Francisco. I think that's something that people will look at, you know, when you start to talk about common opponents, you know, how did they and the Ravens played great defense that night in San Francisco, There's no question about that.
But you look at you look at how they got the.
Number one seed. Dallas is the second seed. Was it all on dak Absolutely? You can say a lot of it's on on Lamar Jackson as well. I mean, Lamar Jackson would kill to have Cede Lamb as a receiver over there.
He's got a really good tight.
End and some you know, some some good receivers, but not anything like Cedd Lamb over there. I just think that voters are going to look at the number of wins, the quality wins that maybe the one thing if there's a split, it might be what did they do head to head against one of the best teams in the league, San Francisco. That was a bad loss for the Cowboys, a good win for the Ravens. You know, that's the kind of thing that voters will look.
At, especially when it's this close and you got two guys that really are Yeah.
Well, I'll be honest, I have a pretty biased opinion, and mainly because and you mentioned Patrick last year. We've been following Dak's trajectory for since the star of his career and you kind of you know, you see the things and how much he's stepped up and how much he's changed as a quarterback from last year to this year. And at times there were multiple games where he was the best, the one actually carrying the team, and we had many questions about that, many unanswered questions.
Can he be that guy when needed?
And he showed to be that guy without a set o line, you know, healthy old line, without Zeke not having kulated and that running back quarterback dual type of dynamic there. And we've seen those games for him and just everything. So again, my opinion is completely biased, I'll be honest.
Yeah, I mean, I think he's got a legitimate shot. I agree with Brian, though I don't know that it's hard to make the case that he's better than what Lamar. He's had a better season than with Lamar, and I think that's the key is those those wins against those opponents. I was looking at that last night. You gotta love where Dallas sits. If they're at home, right, the three games that they've played against playoff contenders, they've won them
at home. Yes, there have been four games against playoff teams that they have not won a single one. So it's like when you look at that, that's where you're kind of like, Okay, if they're at home, I love the Cowboys.
Right they're on the road, I get a little bit shaky.
Lamar hasn't had that and so and also you start looking at it and you start saying, Okay, what was the signature when for Dak this season? Was there a game where maybe they weren't favored. Was there a game that they were against a really, really tough opponent and Dak just completely lit him up like Lamar did against San Francisco. And I don't know that to have a game like that for Dak, and I don't know you guys may have one, but I don't know to have a game where I'm like, that was a team that
Dak should not have done what he did. And again that's again, this is not a knock on Dak as much as it is just when you're parsing between two guys who are very very close, both have had exceptional seasons.
That has had an historic season.
Yeah, in my opinion, the best of his career.
But when you're trying to compare him to Lamar, I think there is a little bit of distinction there that I think the voters will actually take into account.
It's going to be a close call, but I mean every point that's been made on this panel today is a valid point in both directions. And that's why it's such a detailed conversation because, like you said, when you get to this point and you have two players that are this close as far as both being deserving, now you got to start nitpicking. Yeah, and then that's the unfortunate part about it, but you know that's what it comes to.
Yeah, all right, we're gonna take our first break when we come back.
Let's talk about the rushing offense last night a little bit better, Maybe you'd say, but we'll talk about that. We'll talk about where they were good and where maybe they struggled. We'll be back Dallas, Cowboys dot Com Radio.
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Back to the Break, Hey, this is the final day that you can vote for this one. This is Walter Paton the Man of the Year Award DeMarcus Lords the Cowboys. He needs your vote and he's their nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Award presented by Nationwide. Help Tank raise funds for Dak Prescott's Faith Fight and Finished Foundation by casting your vote on NFL dot com slash Man of the Year or tweet your support using the hashtag wpmoy challenge.
Voting ends on January eighth. Like I said, and make sure you vote for Tank.
Welcome back.
It is the second segment of the Break with live from that s WBC Mortgage Studios at the Star and this segment's brought to you about blockchain dot com. All right, let's talk about the rushing offense last night Tony Pollard at seventeen rushes for seventy yards, a four point one average, one touchdown. He did surpass one thousand yards rushing for the season, which was important to him and as he said after game, even more important for the offensive line
because that's a goal that they set every year. They want to have a thousand yard rusher. That being said, how would you assess his game last night? And really the running game overall.
From a Polish standpoint, much much better than against the Lions. And like I said after the Lions game, I said, that was one of the worst games I had seen him play as far as vision is concerned. And yeah, he was getting contacted one two yards in the backfield as well. Offensive line didn't do any favors, But you know, last week it was more so I didn't think that he made the decisions in that moment that he should
have much better against the Commanders. He was much more decisive, his vision was much better, and I'd be remiss if I didn't give credit to both TJ. Bass and brock Hoffman for especially for Hoffman. He was thrown in the fires that Martin contracts his illness overnight. He was initially expected to play. But then at at you know, in actors came due and he was set out. You look at brock Hoffman and you say, hey, young man, you're up, you know, with the division and the number two seed
on the line, go and play some good football. And damn it, they played some good football. So Hoffman TJ. Bass helped solidify the interior with Tyler Biaddish. Biadash didn't allow any pressures and they were carving up lanes and then it was just on Tony Pollard and Rico o'doudle, who looked fantastic with his reps as well, to just make the right decisions and they did.
The burst was there.
The vision was their running game looks like it's back on track over one hundred yards and this is what you wanted to see going into the playoffs. You wanted to see several things against Washington Commanders. That was one of those things. And the Cowboys or it seems like they're on track with the running game now.
Man Tony Pollard loves to see the Commanders. He loves those white uniforms that they wear when they play. Because it was another positive game for him. He ran the ball with toughness, like Patrick's talking about, the vision was there. Hunter Lipke helped him a couple of times too with some really good point of attack blocks.
Uh.
They were able to sort some things out up front, got some second level blocks that they needed, but it was just Pollard taking the ball and really attacking the line of scrimmage. And you know when when Pollard gets hit at or behind the line of scrimmage, he's usually a negative play for them.
Uh.
There's some times where they ran the ball in this game where I noticed this, and I've noticed it even more when you when you just sit down and watch one of when you watch Pollard every one of his carries for the whole year, there are plays that they will now scrap because they are asking a tight end to get a block that he can't get, or they're asking a tackle to get a block that he can't get by alignment.
There are a lot.
Of negative plays for Tony Pollard where he where Tony's usually great is making the first one miss and we saw that a little bit yesterday, But going back and watching him play, just kind of having an understanding, there are plays that they no longer run in the running game because they can't block them, and I mean not physically,
they can't get a guide to that. You're asking him to a tight end to be on one side and have to make a block completely on the other side, and they can't get there, and then it turns out to a negative play and then you don't see that play anymore. You know, there needs to be more of that.
Got a play design problem.
Absolutely absolutely, You're asking you're asking players.
To do something.
And this is where the coaching staff I think has been real good here this year is they generally ask their guys to do things they can do, but there's times where they think, well, let's just try this.
Let's see if we could get Ferguson.
To come in motion, stop and go all the way back to his right and block somebody. And then a bad backup linebacker for the Commanders is standing in the hole, you know, where he should have been accounted for, and you try to account for him by making some miracle block. You know, And I've seen this, organ I've seen excuse me this, this coaching staff scrap plays because of that. They need to find them four or five plays, the
running plays that they're really good blocking. No matter what the front is and find a way to keep working those plays. It's not gonna be about Tony Pollard running the ball. It would be nice, it really would be. That's not that's you know, that's all our hope. It's gonna be about Dak. It's gonna be about CD. It's gonna be about cooks at times, Ferguson. That's what this thing is going to be about going forward. You know, find you four or five plays you block, you get
hats on hats and Tony has a chance. Otherwise those plays don't need to be on Mike's call sheet.
You know what. I was really pleased.
It wasn't great the running in, but I was really pleased with the improvement that they had this game, and I was pleased with a lot of things. Actually to end the season. Why do you win on the road the husband and an issue? You win with two backup offensive lineman. I thought they did a really really good job in what was handled there.
Two I mean three to third.
You get thanks, right, third running game, Tony Poller being able to finish the season, the regular season with feeling good. I'm sure he walked out of that game feeling pretty good. Yeah, and better than what it's been for sure, and also the combination with Dowell and what.
He was able to do there too as well. Then fourth.
Brandon Aubrey, he misses two field goals and then he goes on towards the last quarter to score to kick a fifty yarder field goal, which is great. You don't want him ending that game with a bunch of misses. So everything just kind of ended up working to the Cowboys advantage. How you would rather see them finish this and the last game and defense also the way that they played and shatout We were talking a lot of about McCarthy, but shout out to Dan Quinn and everything
he's been able to do. You talk about the linebacker position, safeties and having to do that whole combination trying to figure out with what.
He's got on the roster.
I thought he's honestly done a really, really nice job with what he has to work with.
Yeah, they I tell you what, the linebacker play the moon and Clark had one of his best games.
Yeah, And I'll tell you.
Something scheme specific that they did differently in this game, which I think is what we're going to see going forward. They played Micah kind of as a off the ball linebacker, but it was like he was a It was almost like the old Landry flex where you know, used to move the three technique back off the line. Well, they put Micah like in a middle linebacker position, but they stacked Clark behind him. So what happened is you had your two down, your two down, your three and your
one techniques. Then you had Micah. Then you had the linebacker stack Clark behind him.
So now he was it.
Was like it was like three feet it was like three yards five yards.
Wow.
So what they did.
Notice, So what they did was they allowed Micah to attack the line, attack the line like a linebacker, but they ran Clark over the top, is what they did. So we could run free. So he could run free. But which way the play went? So they hand the bal to Robinson, Mike attacks, the tackles attack, and now
you got a free runner to go wherever. So it was it was a little bit of a scheme where to play mic and not down with his hand down as a tackle, but you're playing him like a lineman near the line of scrimmage, so he could go and run and make play.
Do you happen to remember what down in distance they were doing that, like, was that a was that a rundown type situation?
It was early like first downs they were playing it, but it's something different scheme wise. It was a way of saying, instead of playing him side by side, you played one up, which gave Mike the opportunity to go attack, which was great to do, and then Clark has the ability to run.
It freed him up so much more.
He was able to see it, and then he was able to go and make some plays that way.
To check that out the film, that's a really really interesting way to play it, all right, and real quick. I wanted to also mention I don't know if it was just me, but when I found out that Zach Martin wasn't playing this game, I literally had second thoughts as to whether Dalla should play that.
It was his wife.
I really, I really have. I was like, I got a playoff here.
I kind of want my quarterback around because I didn't know what to think. Like the ron playing Pain was still playing that game, and so I'm like, I don't love this idea, but you got to give credit.
I got to give credit to Basenhoff, and I'm so sorry.
I gotted you.
They played there, They played their butts off, and it wasn't perfect, doesn't need to be perfect, but at the end of the day, they did a good job. And and at the end of the day, Dak Prescott didn't have a single sack, didn't have a single quarterback hit. That says something about how well those games.
Hawkett was so clean.
Yeah, he was pressured, let's and seventeen percent of his drawbacks pushing off.
Well, I mean those guys did great.
Yeah, when they go back and look at the when all the teams are done playing and they go back and look at the players, the free agents that played and played meaningful snaps. When the league looks at that, there are going to be a lot of scouting departments that were going, why did we not draft TJ.
Bass? Why did we not draft him? What?
What did we not like about him? Because every time that he's got the opportunity to play, he stepped up.
I'll tell you. Hoffman is antagonizes people. He really does. It's funny.
After one of the plays he got pushed by three different commanders on the way back to the huddle.
Like a guy shoved it.
That means you were really kicking, he got.
Shoved and he kind of stumbles. He gets shoved again.
He's stumbling even more, and now the third commander just shoves him completely back.
Into the huddle and he never turned around. He just kind of like he looks.
Like a Bourbon state drug. He probably he probably.
Smart like Yam, but that's but that's what he does.
I mean, he plays with that kind of that grit and that toughness, and it's as you said, it's not perfect, it's not pretty. Bass on the other side, should be a starter in the National Football League. He could be a starter for a lot of these teams that Dallas has played this year where it's like, well, their offensive line struggling, they don't have a guard.
TJ. Bass could have been your starter at guard and you'd probably been just.
Fine well with Bass.
I mean, you know he he he has talent. You've been hearing it about it since training camp. Everybody else speaks wonders of him from that side of the building. But with Huffman, we were talking about a pregame Derek the he doesn't have much experience, and that was the question. I'm like, Okay, what is how is he gonna look? We don't know what to expect, what is that gonna look like? So it was great that he was able to handle it the way that he did.
And really quickly.
And I want to flip back to the defensive side of the ball because dan Quinn obviously deserves roses for the adjustments, like like you said, Brian, but also here's another week of Joey Lewis and Donovan Wilson, two of your your key impact veteran guys in your secondary, stepping up and taking the ball away and showing that they are in top form. And this is you talk about things you love to see going into the playoffs. You'd
love to see Jordan Lewis back in prime form. You love to see Donovan Wilson back in prime form taking the ball away. We'll see how the week goes with Stefan Gilmour fingers crossed sound. They're optimistic right now, but they're waiting for the MRI. But the secondary is making some plays. Millie Hooker is back to playing some great ball. Jay Ron Curse is having a very good streak of good football games that he's putting together. Damn what Twitter
is talking about? Jay Roon Curse is out there doing some really good things. So when you have the secondary coming on like they're coming on, you have the linebackers playing like they're playing and dan Quinn scheming him the way he's scheming them, and you have your front four getting pressure. No matter who your front four might be talk about, Dante Fowler, Sam Williams is getting in on the action. DeMarcus Lawrence is still being DeMarcus Lawrence.
Oh soo Diggy Zua.
Jonathan Hankins is back, and Jonathan Hankins looked really good last night as far as gap integrity and controlling the run game in that line.
Of the scrimmage.
So all things are starting to point in the right direction at the right time for the Cowboys, not only on offence but also on defense.
Let's take our final break.
We'll come back and we'll talk about one injury that did pop up last night.
Is it serious? We will talk about it. It's Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
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Back to the break. All right, here we go.
Your Dallas Cowboys return home to take on the Green Bay Packers in Wildcard Round of the twenty two Playoffs. Get ready to white out at and T Stadium Sunday, January fourteenth, at three point thirty pm on Fox, It's time to Seize Everything. For playoff updates, visit Dallas Cowboys dot com slash playoffs.
Well, welcome back.
It is the second segment and the final segment of the break that cut you off.
No, okay, And I was just thinking, man, that all that white's gonna show up with all that green. Get ready. You're gonna be fighting. We're gonna be fighting Packer fans this weekend. That's that's what we look.
Hey, if they show up like they did, I guess us. What was that, Jimmy Johnson, what game was that?
Lions?
Yeah, if they show up like they did, I guess the that was. That was the best crowd we've had in a really really long time.
That was really really good.
Playoffs playoff crowds here, it's usually pretty good.
I remember that trade game was one of the one of a lot of that was the one where Dallas got the break on the m through the touchdown. Yeah and then uh and then but they got the break on the passenger farence call.
So yeah.
Tough thing is that, you know, you when you play teams like By the way, there are there are probably about four or five teams in the travels that are just like the Cowboys. They don't really play real road games. And what I mean by that is when they go on the road, there's still is a good number of their fans in the Stateum, Pittsburgh's like that. San Francisco is like that, Like they're just gonna there's gonna be there.
Cowboys fans. Same thing when we go this week, it was basically Cowboys fans.
That was amazing on TV.
Yeah, it was crazy. It was like a home game. It felt like a home game.
But that all being said, like this is gonna be one where you're gonna have to and I'm sure the Cowboys will be had four noise in this whole game because you're probably gonna have quite a few Packers fans in the building because that's just the way they I mean, that's just the numbers, those those types of teams travel.
Your two teams, Brian, how about that.
You hear this, Cowboys fans, don't don't get don't let them outnoise you right.
Now, right they're coming.
You can control that.
You can control.
There's only one thing in a football game. The crowd can actually control. That's the noise, do something about it.
But your team needs to help you though. Your team needs to play well enough to where you feel like that's nice.
Yeah, But regardless, Like, if I'm going to a game and it's my team, I'm gonna do all my part.
I can't control what you can do. I'm gonna do my part.
What's your email that we can get tickets from you? I know you reach out from that.
Let me just perfect service. Let me make a couple.
Let me let me make a public service announcement. Everybody out there that might know anybody in our.
Group, don't hit them up for I got nothing for you. Don't hit them.
It's a bad look.
Man.
I made a post just now. I'm like, don't don't ask me.
Looking at Can I read that?
I need to take it? Can sell some of your art? Can I have some of your tickets?
Sure?
Especially if you haven't talked to me in the last two weeks.
That made you probably not close enough. Yeah, I haven't talked.
I'll I'll sell.
All right, Let's talk about Let's talk about his defense. Last night, Stefan Gilmour ends up with an injury. He leaves the game with a shoulder injury. What do we know about that injury? And how serious is it?
That sublexation is what I was told last night. Uh, and there's still as of two minutes ago, still waiting on the m R I and that so this afternoon, I'm sure Patrick or somebody like that, if you keep checking on Dallas Cowboys dot com, they'll say, we'll have that injury.
Update for you. But yeah, it popped in, popped out.
What they're checking about is there's anything Is there anything tour or loose in the shoulder that's will determine I mean it was he talked about last night. Fine, everything cool and all that. Today is the big day. How sword does it feel?
You know?
Is there any you know, is there any range of motion in that thing? So yeah, it's uh, it's a hold your breath on an MRI I that nothing in there's torn.
Yeah, and that's exactly where they are.
And you know, the good well, the optimistic side of it is that the Cowboys were not pessimistic about it last night. And if it were something that clearly and definitively would have been, you know, something that ended his season, we would have known that last night, So there's at least some you know, optimism there, Like Brian said, we'll know more when the m R comes back. But fingers crossed he himself and again, you know, some adrenaline was going there. So Stefan Gilmore said that he was he
was going to play. He told Mike he's going to play. He told media he's going to play. Say, he's excited, he's looking forward to it. Let's see how the week goes. And hopefully that holds true because he's going to be massive for for Cowboys secondary that's already without Trevon Diggs.
Yeah, every time they tell us don't worry about an injury.
Again, let's hope that it bears true. Let's just put it that way.
How that flew that team that they said last week?
When Zach I know you did.
Oh, Zach is definitely sick. Saw him on the plane last night when you walked past him. Oh man, he break.
It up to the nose and like laid back. Normally he's like kind of chatty with wasn't at the game?
Was he? I don't think he went the game.
I saw him earlier.
I saw the hotel that morning, but I didn't see him at the stadium necessarily. I saw him at the at the hotel.
It might be sat in the bus the whole time, just waiting for you guys to get back.
So for those who are wondering, well, could Zach have played in that game? Yeah, it's argument. You could argue that he could have. But I'm telling you I saw Zach last night.
It must have been pretty bad for him.
Yeah, whooping him.
But we'll get into it. We'll get into Wednesday. What this matchup looks like Cowboys versus Packers. They got some receivers that you got to be aware of and uh and so it's still is.
Something seven of the last nine.
Yeah, you got to be aware of this team, and then they can post some challenges for you, especially if you don't have Gilmore. So we'll keep an eye on that and we'll let you know how that progresses throughout the week. One other thing on this defense. Last night, another really great performance. And they've really had three weeks here when they've played pretty good football.
What do you attribute this to?
Do you attribute the defenses play over the last few weeks more so to matchups or do you think they kind of turned a corner here and maybe getting back some of that magic that they had earlier in the season when they had Travon Dix and Lake Vandrush still in the mix.
I mean, you could go to matchups, but I mean when you talk about what happened with the Buffalo Bills, I mean they just got run all over by the Buffalo Bills. They didn't even have to pass the ball because they were running so well, bounce back well against the Miami Dolphins as far as the run defense. But then you had the final drive where they allowed them to outfield, and we talked about that because that's not
entirely on the Cowboys defense. The offense should have played better complimentary football and not put them in that position, because before then the Cowboys defense have been playing well. I just think that they looked at that Buffalo Bills game and said, we cannot have this happen to us in the playoffs. What do we need to fix, what needs to happen? We need to execute better. Dan Quinn went back in the lab and said, we need to make some adjustments like Brian is saying they made against
the Washington Commanders. So you're seeing new wrinkles in the scheme start to show up as well. So I mean the matchups matter. They've had some quality opponents though, I
mean they should have won against the Miami Dolphins. You did win against the Detroit Lions, and then you go out and you basically, you know, shut the door on the Washington Commanders by only allowing ten points in the game, where really it shouldn't have been even as close as thirty eight ten if the offense doesn't stumble a time or two. So now this thing, the defense is getting it together at the right time.
Basically, I think you got some young guys that are kind of figuring it out. Yeah, I think Marquise Bell.
There was one time when they when they ran that they ran that fourth down play, they ended up being a screen to the outside and Clark made the play. It's like Clark beats the tackles block to the edge, which was great. But if you watch the end zone copy of it, Bell all of a.
Sudden sees the motion.
He sees trips to his right, and he sees motion going that way. He hauls, you know what, to get out there and get outside. It's like he never hesitated. It's like they're about to throw a screen on us here, and I got to get over there and make a play him. Clark, all those guys got over there in time to make the tackle. I mean they were out numbered to start until until Bell and him ran over there and made that play. So I think he got some young guys that are playing a lot more football.
They well, they've been playing all year, but it's it's really starting to click for them about Okay, they're in this formation, they're gonna do this to me. Oh, I've seen this before, They're about to do that to me. I think they're I think they're having a much better feeling about where they need to be, where they need to fit in a lot of the scheme that Dan's asking to play.
Yeah, this is a this is a question that we probably should wait for the off season. I don't throw out there anyway because I just think it's an interesting question. So you're just taff That's what you can do when you're the host. So, so the question is Marqui's Bell and what we've seen from emer this year, right, would you would you consider bulking him up this offseason, keeping him a linebacker?
Marky spell what you've.
Seen from him, the only knock you really have on him is that he gives up size. Would you consider bulking him up and maybe making him a linebacker if you could do that, if he can sustain the weight, I first.
And foremost, I would absolutely keep him at linebacker. And the thing that helps me make that decision is the presence of Juana Thomas, the emergence of Wanya Thomas. So there's that, and I know that De Marveon Overshown is set to come back, and I love what the Marveon Overshowing brings as far as a super high ceiling, but you still need to see him on the field post torn a cl give him some time to acclimate. We've seen it with Michael Gallup, We've seen it with Terrence Steele.
When it comes to these devastating injuries, especially the torn a cl the guy isn't necessarily going to hit the ground running.
In his first several games back.
So for me, I'm looking at marku Spell saying, continue to do next year what you're doing this year to give the Marveon time to kind of get his groove. Because he was also a rookie, so he's still going to be a rookie because this is a real shirt season. He's going to have to grow through the growing pains even when he's physically one hundred percent and mentally one hundred percent. Now, you got to learn the game. Now, you gotta understand how to make your reads. So I'm
keeping Marque's bell at linebacker going forward. To answer the second part. As far as him bulking up, I don't know if I necessarily want him to bulk up, because I wonder how much of his ability as far as quickness, would that takeaway. And that's my only concern. I'm not completely against it, but that will be my question mark.
He looks like he has the frame for it.
I mean, but go ahead.
Heck no, no, that wouldn't do this to this kid. I mean, and I mean this in all respect to everybody here, but I would not do I think to me, I'm getting over shown back. I'm gonna draft one, probably a couple of them high.
And then how much you like Trotter? Yeah, I love his dad. His dad was hell a player for me.
That shows you how old I am. But the thing about it is with bell Man, you could use him in so many different ways. That's one of the reasons why you know we were we were talking about adding you know, member Shack Leonard was a question and adding him and could.
Shack Leonard help.
I was gonna play Shack Leonard at linebacker with Clark, and then I was going to take Bell and I was gonna just do him in a lot of different roles. I was going to move him around. I think if you ask him to sit there and play just to play linebacker, he's just he's okay.
But you move him around and let him run and let him.
React and let him make tackles and let him you know, if you want to create matchup.
Like what they do with the other safety.
Yeah, I mean, just you know, let him be a part of that. And to me, I think you're taking away his strength if you just allow him just to be a linebacker. I He's proven to me he's more than tough enough. But now I'm going to draft linebackers, get linebackers, and I'm going to do other things with him to help my defense.
Fair great question, Derek.
I like your creative way of thinking.
And.
But no, no, I'm totally no. I'm totally with Bryan. And the reason is I remember all too well when we couldn't find a freaking safety to save our lives, Like the safety position was an issue for so many.
Years, going back to the earlier because.
Okay, yeah, but I'm good my group of safeties there untouched until further notice.
So I'm I like the way he's playing.
I think it's one of those like if he's doing that way, like, don't change it. Keep letting him develop into what he's becoming. But yeah, I'm totally with drafting somebody. You're gonna need somebody, And I wonder, what do you think that's the end.
Of a very real possibility. It's going to be a conversation between him his loved ones. I think that's where we are with let vander As. We have this conversation. It's fifty to fifty, and I just really want him to make the best decision for himself for his family.
And I think that's where it goes. I think it's going to be a question for him and his family of hey, how much you want to play around with this or do we want to just kind of call it quits. But he will have to make that call. I think, all right, we appreciate you guys, So back tomorrow. We're gonna do a little bigger picture of view. I'm gonna do like an end of regular season recap. I got lots of questions for these guys on the playoffs.
I'm not end of regular season.
He quit on it.
No, it's the fact. Matter is we got shot next day.
Everybody here's Here's Tuesday is a big picture day and Washington yea yea yeah, yeah.
Usually Tuesday is a big picture day. And now we don't have a big picture other than the playoffs. And I don't want to ruin all the topics of the playoffs until Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
It's the host, that's what we're gonna do.
Let him do this, let me let him, let him all right.
Let me be back tomorrow.
So then Patrick Walker, Brian Rodis, and Amber.
I'm Derek.
This has been the Break live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
This has been a
Ford sure of Dallascowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.