Cowboys Break: Different Story?

presented by Geico. We appreciate you guys join us. We got forty five minutes of entertaining conversation about the Dallas Cowboys. Were getting you guys ready for Cowboys versus Eagles that happens this Sunday at three thirty I think it is three twenty three thirty somewhere in that time frame, and so we'll get you guys ready for that. We will be joined by Bucky Brooks of NFL Network here coming up in the second segment. But before we get to that, I want to talk about a few things that Mike

McCarthy brought up this morning in his press conference. One of those things, obviously, we've been talking a little bit about injuries. He did get a few injury updates. Dave, tell me where are we with Leyton vander Esh, Antoine Woods, Xavier Woods, and Michael Gallop As far as their availability this weekend, Leyden Vanderesh and Antoine Woods are not practicing. Neither is Xavier Woods. Actually, Mike McCarthy was was pretty forthcoming that he doesn't think it's likely that any of

those guys play this weekend. Michael Gallup is limited, Ezekiel Elliott is also limited, So that's encouraging. We'll see what's going on with them. But those three defenders all look like they're going to be out. What do they do at defensive tackle? I mean, Antoine Woods obviously is playing a lot for them, and maybe I don't know, maybe he's their best defensive tackle. What do they do with defensive tackle? Just as far as the rotations concern, well,

I think you're gonna see Tyrone Crawford in there. Some we've already seen him in there, but if you if you go back and look at last week's game, you know, I thought I saw Alden Smith in there on pass rushing situations way more than than I have in any other point this season. Maybe that's happened, but it just felt like it was it was different and seeing it from that, that's not going to help you on third

and two. You're gonna need Gallimore, you need Um Hamilton, and then I don't know, I can't think of anybody else that's on the I mean even on the right. Is Ellie still here? Aku? Yeah, we could they could use Ellie on cou He was a healthy scratch a couple of weeks ago. He really struggled against Baltimore, so you know, obviously not lighting the world on fire, but injuries create opportunities, so he might have to get in there because of that. Yeah, I mean, it's it's gonna

be I don't know. It's interesting that defensive tackle position is one that's been a problem all season obviously, as far as you know, you look at all the positions where you've had issues with injuries, this has been one that went back all the way back to training camp when they lost their first guy for the season. So they're still kind of mending that back together. But it seems like over here the last few weeks they've actually

gotten a little bit better. I thought, and I think this is a pretty big deal that you wouldn't have Antoine Wood, who I think has been playing pretty good. Well, you've seen good work from defensive ends and I know that's not defensive tackle or anything, but also some of the ways that they've utilized some of their secondary guys, you know, getting some pressure. We saw Jordan Lewis being

able to get to the quarterback. So maybe that's a way that they can just kind of balance off what they're missing in that area, just create some more pressure from those guys behind. I don't know, but we'll see

what happens with this other quarterback. Yeah. The interesting thing is that the Eagles team, I think it was a couple weeks ago, they had a really nice running day on the ground, and so I think they can post some issues for a defense with regards to their running game, and that's the part where it's probably going to be a bit of a challenge. Let's talk about another thing that I thought came up, and this is a little bit of a different topic. It's not so much football,

but it is a little bit football. But Mike McCarthy was asked about the schedule for the team this week and he made the comment and I thought was interesting he said, the players, the entire football staff will be at home with their families where they should be on Christmas Day. And it made me. The reason why it made me think for a second is because I do think sometimes and you guys know we work in all

of this. I think sometimes we take ourselves very very seriously in football, like we think of it as you know, you got these essential workers like doctors and nurses that you know, they work every day of the year, there's no day off, there's no holiday, whatever, And we kind of put ourselves in that category a little bit because

we can sometimes we had games on Christmas Day. Well, we're right, it's right underneath, it's just beneath that in my opinion, okay, And that's why I wanted to ask me, like, do you I think this is a situation where he's doing the right thing with his team by saying, Hey, I don't care that we got a game coming up on Sunday on Friday, it is important for you to be at home with your families because that's what you should be doing on Christmas Day. I think it's good

to say that. I also think let's not forget that Friday's the day that they really don't practice anyways. It's a day that he's changed the schedule way back before knowing even knowing Christmas was probably on a Friday, So it's convenient. But I mean, I'm not saying it's not true, but it's I mean, because if it really was how he felt, then he would boycott the Thursday Thanksgiving Day game and say, oh, you should be with your family.

Then that's that's not the way it works, you know, But I think it I believe that he believes that way, but I also think it kind of fits into his schedule. Yeah, what are your thoughts? Amber? That doesn't really bother me, But I'll say this, I am still very much bothered by the comment he made a few weeks ago when you know, we had all the schedule changing and they had like a ten day period and he's like, well, I don't want over what was it, uh, not over

coach over prepare? Yes, I don't want to over prepare the guys. And that comment really bother me because looking at the situation that you were at at the moment, you would think that you guys do need to go in over prepare. And I remember I asked Bucky this question, and he had. He had a good point, he had a good explanation, but it's still it didn't sit well with me. And then seeing them that they went ahead and lost against the Ravens, so that just bothered me

even more. So this one about Christmas doesn't really bother me that much. But when we go back to that one. Yes, there are coaches though that have been in the Super Bowl. Obviously not any around here for a while, but there are coaches that coaches Super Bowl that think that the two week break in between is that happens you over prepare big time in there. They would actually rather just

be one week. Sorry, I've heard, Dave, What do you think? Yeah, I was really hoping I would get to, you know, pop the pop Mike McCarthy's balloon a little bit, but Nick did it for me. I don't want to be too cynical, but Fridays their light day anyway, and they also, you know, with the intensive COVID protocols, they've gotten very used to doing things virtually anyway. So I don't know that it's this big gesture that it sounds like on paper.

But at the same time, you know, McCarthy deserves credit too. Because you know, he gave the team time off after the death of Marcus Paul, and he's put a big he's put a big emphasis on being around your family. And I do believe, like even even in a normal year, and even if they practiced on Fridays, like I think he might do something like this because he has put some emphasis on it before. And honestly, I think I commend him for it. You know, you kind of mentioned it, Derek.

You know, the NFL has this like no nonsense, no fun attitude that like, you should never take a day off. Our dear friend Brian brought us used to love working on weekends and holidays, Like if you don't want to work on a holiday, you're soft or you're week And I never agreed with that. And you know, twenty twenty has really hammered home the importance of mental health, Like being around family is good for your mental health. Making millions of dollars doesn't mean that you're not susceptible to

seasonal effective disorder or COVID fatigue or whatever. And it's it's good for these guys to have that chance. I don't you know, good good for Mike McCarthy. I you know Friday is their light day anyway, but yeah, good spend Christmas with your family. Everybody should get to do that. Yeah, I agree with that. I do think that there is some value in entertainment in our country and we're part

of that. There's I talked about it a lot when you know, when whole COVID thing came up, that there is value when people are stuck at home and out of their normal routines to giving them things. And I don't want to call it a distraction, that's somewhat what it is, but just things that can bring levity and and just to smile to people's faces, right, And so I think we were a part of that. And so yes, there are times when we need the best time to

do that is when people are sitting home. It's why Thanksgiving games have been Thanksgiving games, is because everybody's sitting around with their families. So a few people have to sacrifice that in order to provide that entertainment for the masses.

And so we fall into that category. But I do love the idea of when you can allow the people that work in the organization or throughout the NFL, when you can allow opportunities for them to be able to have those moments that, by the way, you can't get back right. To be able to have those moments, I think it's important, and I think it's a good thing that he recognizes that, and then at least in this instance and this year, it falls in a way where

he can do it for his team. And you know, let's also point this part out through that the next day, the twenty six, I think they're gonna be here a while. They'll do doubles. I think they're gonna be here a little bit. So, but most of us are okay with that. Like, give me a day with my family, I'll go and I'll work extra early and i'll work extra late if you give me that day with my family because I need that day with my family. Right So, um, all right, So here's we gonna do. Um. One of the topic

I wanted to hit real quick. This one came up last night. Um, kelln or at least when I saw Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator for the Cowboys his alma mater, Boise State, which Nick, I think you were the one that went up there to Boise State for you were not okay there. We've sent some people, we've sent some people up there before, I think for some work that

we were doing. I talked about it. We never did it, Okay, Anyway, My point is he is, according to all records of how people talk about him, he is somewhat of a god up there um and so it obviously when when it became known that they were going to be looking for a replacement for their head coach, his name obviously

was brought up. My question for you guys is, based on what you've seen so far from Kellen Moore, do you think Dallas should look at maybe paying him a little extra money to make sure that he wants to stay or is it one of those situations where if he wants to go, he goes, and you move on, you find the next offensive coordinator. Let's start with you, Dave. There's a lot of variables to that. I mean, yes, Kellen Moore is a god in the state of Idaho.

He's the winningest quarterback of all time he took that program. I mean, he's like Dak with Mississippi State. It's very similar. First of all, it sucks because Kellen just talked on Monday night, twenty four hours before this happened. Would have been a great opportunity to try to talk to him about it. So we don't know if that's something that he wants to do. He is a god in Boise, but is that who they would be looking to hire? A thirty two year old who's never coached in college.

These are vastly different skill sets. Recruiting is everything in college football, and Kellen Moore has no proven track record as a recruiter, so I think that's important to point out. But also does Kellen Moore want that for himself? You know, there's the fact of the matter that you know, he's a thirty two year old offensive coordinator. He's probably on the fast track to being an NFL head coach if

that's something that he wants. So, you know, we don't even know if that's something he would want to do. But if Boys is trying to hire him, and I were the Cowboys, I would absolutely try to incentivize him to stay because I'm I'm very impressed with the job that he's done through two years. Me personally, Amber, well, you know, I don't know much about college football in

that kind of world, so that's not my area. But the comment that I would make, it's like I wonder where would you if you had to rate, where would you rate a college head coaching job versus the Dallas Cowboys DC not dc OC job. So anytime there's something related with the Cowboys, we know how much attention that gets, how big that is. So it just I wonder would anyone at that position would want to leave the Cowboys even though it's for a head coaching job at a college.

I don't know, but yeah, well, I mean I could say this. Coaches look at contracts, they look at opportunities to get more contracts. And so when you when you get an opportunity to be a head coach somewhere anywhere, really you know that is a four year deal. Five year deal, that's a kind of that's something that helps

your family and helps you and all that stuff. And also it's hard to relate what boyse means to Kellen, you know, as opposed to what's on the outsider says you're the Dallas Cowboys OC versus Boise State head coach. But for Kelln Moore, who's lived in that area and knows what it would be like for this family to kids to grow up, there might be different. But I will say this too everybody in the Cowboys family, fans, all that. Everybody loved Jason Garrett from nineteen ninety two

to twenty ten. They loved Jason Garrett. He was this great story and all that. Now it became public enmity number one because you have this fourth down play here or losing this game here. Scott Frost is dealing with it in Nebraska too, So you gotta be careful when you go back because it's all great and roses and you're a guide and all that, until all of a sudden you made the wrong decision and you lost the unlv and next thing you know, they don't want him anymore.

So it sounds great. But when the honeymoon's over, you know, we'll see, we'll see what happens. But I think he can have success and when they're and to answer your question, no, I don't think the Cowboys should do anything different there. If he goes, he goes, you know, because if he wants that job bad enough, how money's not really going to be the factor in that. And that's that's the interesting part there is You're right. I think it does come down to the fact of personally what fits for him.

You know, we all know, if you've got a university that you have some allegiance too, you've been there, then there's something about maybe going back to that school and being the head coach there. Sue that that's very different than I guess even evaluating it based upon weld, I'll want to be the OC or don't want to be a head coach here, Like, it might be a whole different thing if he was asked to be the head coach at un LV, right, that may not resonate with him,

but this place may be very special to him. It might be the reason why he wants to come back. Another name out there to you is hardball. He kind of figured that out as well, Like going back, going back to me. Excellent point. They coming back to Michigan. I don't know if they love him anymore. Okay, all right, that's totally fair, and I'm not trying to dog Kellen Moore. But Jim Harbaugh had accomplished a lot more as a

coach when Michigan hired him. Absolutely, he had had six He had had success at Stanford and San Diego, turned San Francisco into a Super Bowl contender. I mean it's different because of who Kellen Moore is at Boise State, like, I mean, you know, he is Boise State, but objectively, does he even have the resume to do that at this point in his career. I think you could argue

that he doesn't right now. If that, I mean, if they wanted him to be their head coach, it's more for me because of who he is than what he's done to this point. You know. Yeah, but we see it all time in sports, especially these days, where guys get opportunities based upon their connection, based upon people knowing them and saying, hey, I think that they are the person that may not be ready right now, but he'll be ready in five years, so I'm willing to go

through that. We saw it here with Jason Garrett, like a lot of people thought he wasn't ready to be ocor head coach. Necessarily, he got those opportunities because of relationships. So it happens. It certainly happens. All Right, We're gonna take our final break, our first break. I'm sorry. When we come back, we're gonna be joined by Buckey Brooks of NFL Network. We'll be right back. This is Dallas

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Stetson hats the official crown of all self respecting Cowboys and your favorite football team. Get yours today at shop dot Dallas Cowboys dot com or at Stetson dot com. I'm Jay Novachek, former tight end for the Dallas Cowboys. Back in the day, I was the guy who always got the tough yards and that's why I run with John Deer today. In fact, I have a John Deer three zero twenty five E tractor that can handle any yardwork I need to do, even the tough yards way

out back. So if you have one acre or a thousand, John Deer has the equipment that's just right for you. Visit a John Deer dealer today and run with us. We are the official tractor provider of your Dallas Cowboys. Here it's nineteen o eight. Don't you think we should get electricity and stop using candles to see it night? It's just electricity lights up the room fast. It's more reliable than candles blowing out, and people seem to love it nationwide. Candles, Dear, did you just run into the wall?

I have a new candle please. Historically, switching to new technology is a no brainer. Today it's AT and T five G fast, reliable, secure, and nationwide. Switch to a T and T five G. It's not complicated. Five get requires compatible plan may not be in your area. See att dot com slash five G for you for details. Back to the break. Welcome back to the second segment of the break. Oh, I gotta I gotta say something real quick. All right, I'll tell you about AT and

T Stadium at home. You get a chance to eat the food at AT and T Stadium and you get to bring it to your house if that's something that you're wanting to do, Cowboys cheese, steak, nachos, Cowboy rita when you're watching the Cowboys at home, you can bring it to you. Place your order online, pick up at AT and T Stadium every week this season. Really just one more time here in the regular season. Check out the menu at at and T stadium dot com, slash at home or maybe in the playoffs. It would be

taste even better. I will tell you this. I'm gonna give you a little, a little quick story. I was for Thanksgiving Day. My family had the opportunity to go and attend the game in one of the suites and the food we got a package. They package up some of the food that's left over there, like you can take it with you if you choose to take it. So we took it. Man, that stuff is good at home. I heat it up for the next two days. That

stuff was really really good. I was like, Okay, I'm kind of down on this, you know what you call it at and T Stadium at home. I'm down with that because and y'all know I love food, so so I was like really impressed with it. The quality of food. It lasts for a couple of days. Good stuff. And I can't imagine how much arm twisting went on there for you to eat it. Like Derek's like, I'm not

eating that. That's two days old. You're like eat it, Like, no, that was not you know me, That's not a problem now, I do know you. I'll eat leftovers. It's a good stuff, all right. All right, we went way off the tracks. We're joined right now by Bucky Brooks of NFL Network presented by Texico with techron Bucky, Welcome to the show. Let's start first with the biggest story that's been in Philadelphia the last several weeks. We've seen now, Jalen Hurts

is the starter. He is probably going to be the starter for the rest of this season. Start there with me and tell me what is Jalen Hurts doing now that maybe wins wasn't doing it all the time that he was a start of this season. So this is funny because I think Dallas fans like love him and hate him. Jalen Hurst, to me, is the closest thing that I've seen to Dak Prescott in a long time. And this goes back to the summer before he was

even playing his final season Oklahoma. I talked to Will McClay about the comparison because Jalen was at the Star. I was at an event and I was like, man, this guy has built like plays like Dak Prescott. He said, you know what, you're not out of bounds. And thinking that and fast forwarding to Philadelphia, I think the best thing that Jalen Hursts has done. He has brought a level of leadership and poised to the huddle that has enabled this team to kind of go to the next level.

Whatever is going on with Carson Wentzon, that team, it just doesn't jib you aswered Jalen Hursts, and this team plays better. He is a more dynamic runner than Carson Wentz is. He is a guy who has a little more composure than Carson Wentz had displayed doing his struggles, and I think what he's done. He's also forced Duck Peterson to call a game that is more conducive to the Philadelphia Eagles winning than the way that they were

calling the game with Carson Wentz. They scale back some of the passing, they've gone to some of the read option stuff with Jalen and Miles Sanders kind of splitting carries and attacking the defense in a different way, and its work. And then I would say, to the surprise, he has thrown the ball much better than anybody anticipated. He has been on time, he's delivered it, and I mean the number one thing that you have to do

is not give it to the other team. He hasn't given the ball to the other team, which is why the Eagles have been able to win because he hasn't had any greedious amount of turnovers. But he aside from the quarterback position, looking at the team, whether on either

side of the ball. Is there something different that the Eagles are currently doing from the last time the Cowboys faced them, just leaning into the run their best offensive players Miles Sanders, And so when you put the young quarterback in, you're lean on the running game or it's giving him more opportunities. And we saw he had a hundred yard game as soon as Jalen went into the thing. And when they are committed to giving him the ruck,

he makes things happen. And so the biggest thing I was into the run is mass some of the deficiencies their offensive line leaks or like everybody else is like they have a patchwork outfit. But the running game can kind of cover it up because you can kind of just go body on body and kind of miss and mash. And also when you run and read options stuff, they're guys that you can't block. You just read them, and so it takes some of the pressure off their offensive line.

And so it's the running game. It's all about. Mileson is the running game and the way that Doug Peterson has been calling the place. I'm glad you mentioned the offensive line, Bucky, because that's I mean that for me, it seems like the best matchup in this game is you know, Lane Johnson has given to Marcus Lawrence fits for years, but this guy, Matt Pryor does not seem to be quite as formidable. So please please tell me he's playing right like that where DeMarcus Lawrence canna make

some hey, maybe yeah, he can't make some hay. But I think the main thing with all of this is stop I'll stop in the run. I know we say it each and every week. The Cowboys have to stop the run. And given the things that have shown up on tape in terms of the misdirection the action and some of the problems that have shown up in terms of being able to stop read option power read type plays.

It's gonna be a problem. And so DeMarcus Lawrence. Before they can get to tee off on the passing game, they got to be able to win early downs in the running game, and that has been a problem. And so d law and those guys have to do a good job of controlling the trenches on the rundown so they can get to the opportunity to really get out to the passage. Bucky. You know, the Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts fifty third overall, so second round pick. They obviously

needed some help in other areas. What were they hoping would happen by drafting him? And then, I mean, is it a coincidence that Carson Wentz has gone in the tank here? I mean, and I say this because the Cowboys were thinking about drafting Jalen Hurts, maybe not second round, but like third or fourth. So what was the best case scenario to drafting a guy without your star quarterback looking over his shoulder? Well, a couple of things they

talked about Harry Roseman right after draft. He talks about wanting to create a quarterback factory. The quarterback is the most important part of the team, is the most important piece, and if you're able to develop multiple quarterbacks, it becomes a very interesting trade pond to be able to bring back assets and the like. Because they liked the personality of Jason Hurst, because they had a vision of maybe Jalen doing some of the things that Taysom Hill has

been able to do down in New Orleans. Doug Peterson wanted to have that kind of athlete and making a mistake. Carson Wentz has been hurt a lot in Philadelphia, and the way that you can really look at the quarterback room, as they paid him this money, they committed a huge chunk of their salary cap to the quarterback position. Well, you still need backup backs and it's cheaper to go

in draft one that you can get cheaper. And you look at the total amount of money that they're committing to the quarterback position with their starter in their backup, it is in line with what you want to spend. And so it was a little bit about maybe we can develop a guy and trade them off, but also maybe we can get a cheap backup option that can

come in and play in a pinch. We're joined by Bucky Brooks off NFL Network presented by Textico with Techcron Bucky and Philadelphia is right now thirty second in sacks allowed with four point two per game. It actually looked like they'd fixed this problem against New Orleans where they didn't give up a single sack, but then last week against Arizona they give up six. What did they do in that game against New Orleans that maybe made them a little better in that respect than they've been most

of the season. Well, in New Orleans, New Orleans didn't really know what they were doing, so they kind of played on their heels. Sometimes the read option stuff can do that. It can make you pause and hesitate. You don't want to blizz because you're fearful of what's going on. The Arizona Cardinals took a different tactic. We're gonna bliss him and we're gonna blow it up on the way.

And so they blissed him and they attacked them. They brought cover zero blitzes where all out pressures and zero man no safety help in the middle, and they challenged him and they were able to get home. Now the county. That is, are you willing to live with your corners and coverage like that? Patrick Peterson had a tough time because I want to say he had three or four po penalties in that game, and they went at Patrick Peterson.

So Mike Nolan isn't a guy that typically likes to bring pressure like that, and so I don't know if you can have that same kind of success if you're not willing to dial it up and bring five and six man pressures on random downs. Okay, we've seen that the Cowboys most recent success in those games has come from the defense being able to create takeaways and take the ball. You mentioned earlier how much the Eagles are

currently protecting the ball. If the Cowboys aren't able to get a take away, a single one, whether a fumble or an interception, can they actually win this game, because that has seemed to be the recipe for success for them in this past couple of games. Yeah, they can win the game. I mean from a talent perspective, they can. They can win the game. They can. They can beat him if it's an even game, you don't have turnovers or whatever. The Cowboys can win if they play the

right way. Offensive, defensively, and special teams. I do believe that there's some turnover opportunities that will present themselves with Jalen Hurts. Jaln Hursts is fomming the ball maybe five or six times. Those fumbles have kind of bounced back into his arms, and so I think it has to be a point of emphasis when we get around Jalen Hursts. Let's attack the football. He's been loose with it. He's

been careless with it. You can't knock the ball away, and then you have to figure out a way if you can pressure him and harass him enough where maybe you quicken the clock in his head and he does deliver some air and passes. To his credit, he has been very, very careful with the ball. He is being careful but still being fairly aggressive in terms of taking the shots when the shots are there. The best bet in terms of forcing turnovers is they've given up sacks.

When you get an opportunity to sack him, tomahawk, chop it, try and knock it out. He has been careless with the ball in the pocket. Now, I think that's something that most young quarterbacks have to learn how to do. So the first Eagles game. I don't even know how useful the tape is between having been Denucci back there and obviously I mean, that was a low point for the Dallas offensive line. They've you know, they've stabilized a good bit, but you know, last week was really tough sledding.

I imagine this week is going to be again. I mean, even with how much better the offensive line is playing, particularly Connor McGovern and Terrence Steele, are they up for this challenge of Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox? Do you think well? I mean, I think the last game, the first game, actually Cowboys had opportunities, but they decided in the rison did they want to throw the ball all over the yard with Ben Denucci as opposed to running

the ball successfully like they have been. They had plenty of opportunities. I think that was a very winnable game for them. I think the key in this game is you have to be balanced. You have to be able to mix the run. In the past, I think it has to be a quick game option because making a mistake Jim Schwarzen, those guys, they're hiding some players in the secondary that they don't want to get exposed. And so if they do He's not one to really doll

it up. But if they do, try to come after the Cowboys and get after Andy Dalton dead leaves some random guys on the perimeter trying to cover Cede Lamb and Maari Cooper, and those matchups go the Cowboys way, and so it's a bit of a yin and yang. But I think there are some opportunities to be able to attack. They just have to be careful and selective in terms of when they go after it. Bucky, I'm actually shocked that Dave did not ask this question already.

So we asked this earlier. Did the Cowboys make a mistake with the picking Cede Lamb over Justin Jefferson? And nobody really thought that they did. But did the Eagles? Did they make a mistake in taking Jalen Rager with Justin Jefferson sitting right there or even Brandon I it is too early, I mean, so here's the thing to Justin Jefferson. I think it was a perfect storm Justin

Jefferson going in Minnesota. Now, I would say this, Jerry Sullivan, who had coached him at LSU, badgered me because I went over in and didn't rank him him the top five. When I was talking about wide receivers. I had him at five and he was like, this dude is a dog. He is everything that you wanted. I think he has proven to be an outstanding route runner, but I think the system that he plays in and Gary Kubik system,

I think it just works. You know. I can't say that he would have that same level of success in other places. He's a terrific player, but I think sometimes you have the perfect marriage in terms of player going to the right system, playing with the right quarterback in those things. I think in Philadelphia the main thing was sometimes coaches can be enamored with speed on the card, and Jay Raaga ran really fast, and they wanted more explosive is because the biggest thing that had plagued them

is they didn't have big playability. And I think in their mind, even though Justin Jefferson ran really fast at the combine, they didn't envision him being a the top off the defense type guy and maybe that led them to go with Jalen Raiger. That said, look, they're certainly having an answer for that because Justin Jefferson has been a revelation of first year pro bowler All the things that he's being able to do in terms of putting

them numbers that are in that Randy Moss category. And so yeah, they certainly may have some buyer's remorse, but I do understand their mentality, their mindset when they were going in thinking, hey, Jalen Raiger is maybe a better fit for what we want to do offensively. All right, Bucky, we've got to the point of the show. Will we want you to tell us what's going to happen this Sunday Cowboys versus Eagles three thirty kick? What do you think? Well, I mean, I think the Cowboys to be able to

win this one. I think the more that Jalen Hurst puts tape out there, the better you have an opportunity to defend. The key will be Shaun Lee and Jalen Smith and can they stop the run and can they keep Jalen Hurst from hurting them? But if the Cowboys stick to the script, they run the football, they continue to make Tony Poler like a featured playmaker without zek

and the line, I think they have an opportunity. I think you have seen that this offense has been balanced and steady, and as long they're able to cash in on the opportunities that the defense creates. They should be able to get a win, and hopefully if they can get a win and the Washington football team loses, then everything is on the line the last game of the season. All right, we appreciate you joining us. That's been our segment with Bucky Brooks, presented by Texico with techron Bucky,

you have a merry Christmas. We're gonna take our final break. When we come back, we'll talk a little bit about this Cowboys defense and a little bit about special teams. Well that when we come right back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot com Radio. We're backing the tasty treat that's sweeping airwaves and taste buds. It's new Doctor pepper and cream Soda. Let's take a listen, Doctor and cream Soda. Is he a new combone. Let's music to my ears? Okay, doctor music to my ears and mouth, New Doctor pepper

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slash Christmas. All Right, Welcome back to the final segment of the show Life Nest WBC Mortgage Studios at the Star. We are presented by Geico, and I got some questions for you guys. I want to talk a little bit about defense and special teams. I'll start first with the defense. Over the last few weeks, they've been playing a little bit better, mainly in the fact that they've been getting turnovers, which is something they were not doing earlier in the season.

My question for you guys is is this defense at this point performing at a level that if they were to be able to continue this going into next year when this team has their complement of offensive players back from injury. Is this the level they need to really be at in order for this team to be successful? Not great, but definitely opportunistic and decent. Nick, No, they need to be better than this. When they get challenged by really good quarterbacks, they lose. They they've beaten some

teams that aren't very good on offense. Then Nick Mullins and Brandon Allen and and I mean Kirk Cousins, they beat him. I mean Kirk Cousins and Matt Ryan. I mean they've been in the Pro Bowls. They're not going this year. Their team isn't going to the playoffs this year. But they beat them barely. I mean it took the last second to beat both of them, and they even got exposed by them in that game. So I don't think that they're there. And you can't say that the

offense is better the defense will be fine. Now, I think the defense needs to be able to play better. They need more They need more playmakers. They need more guys that can actually go and take the ball away. We're seeing it more, but they need more of it. Amber Now, that's exactly I mean what I was thinking as well, same a snake. I think that yes, It is good to see this defense finally playing with some

kind of fire. But at the same time, I need to have a defense that I feel confident enough that it is going to be able to compete against winning teams, not against average or below average. You need to hire, you know, there are higher expectations, So that's the biggest thing. It's like, for those that think that, oh, yes, maybe the Cowboys can make it into the playoffs, what happens then? What happens after Week one of the playoffs once they start facing better teams. I don't have that kind of

confidence right now because we haven't seen it. But at least on the good side is that we are starting to see a very different defense as opposed to what we were seeing earlier this year, and that's improvement, at least some kind of improvement, and the will and the fight is there, so hopefully they can build off of that for next year. But they need to do a

lot better and a lot more work. Dave, Yeah, it kind of goes back to what I was saying, And again, I don't want to completely discount it, but I mean, you know, seven takeaways in two games. You can't count on that, Like, that's I mean, it's great, it's great,

and it's awesome that they're getting them. They deserve credit for that, but like, you're not going to force four takeaways per game in the NFL over the course of like a full season, Like you're gonna have stretches where they're harder to come by, and that's when you notice things like the run defense one hundred and fifty yards given up to a bad forty nine ers team with a gimpie offensive line and a quarterback that shouldn't scare you, like Nick against Nick Mullins, you should be able to

load up the box and commit to stopping that, and if he hits us for some throws, that's what happens. But I mean, they just they got run on by that team. They gave up they had They gave up six scoring drives to San Francisco and four possessions of ten plays or more so, four different times they let a Nick Mullin offense methodically drive the field against them.

That's not great. It's awesome that they're getting takeaways, but the things that, you know, the things that you can sustain from week to week, like run defense, have not been there consistently. So I mean, it's been an encouraging stretch, but yeah, they need to be they need to be better if they're gonna be a better team next year. You know, I thought it was interesting about Nick Mullins

heading into the fourth quarter. I was thinking, you know, and I told everyone around me, which is nobody, that I was like, Mullins is playing better than Andy Dalton right now. He is, like Andy Dalton's not playing that great. You know, he keep forcing the ball to Noah Brown. It's not happening, it's not working. And then you know, I mean, they've only taking the advantage of the turnovers.

Mullins is out playing Andy Dalton right now. But as the game continued and it got a little bit more pressure moments, he threw two picks, and you know, Dalton obviously didn't and played the way you you know, you expect him to play. But I mean, the Cowboys took advantage of that. But I mean, I thought, I thought Mullins was kind of impressive a little bit for a while, and then he kind of became the guy that you kind of thought, all right, let's move on to special

teams this year one hundred nice Wander. Nice Wander currently has forty four percent of his punts that have been down within the twenty at seven of the sixteen punts that he has, Chris Jones when he was punting for the team had about twenty one percent, about half five of twenty four. Has nice Wander been an upgrade? That's a simple question with maybe not as simple an answer,

but Dave, let's start with you. Absolutely, he yes, you just said, I mean, yeah, like the ball looks different coming off his foot, the way that they've been able to pin opponents deep. You know, John Fossil was talking the other night about he's had two punts in the last two games down on the opponents one and illegal formation penalties have taken those away, but you know the punter still gets credit for that when the coaches watched tape, like, it's not the punter's fault at the tight end was

in the wrong spot. So yeah, he's he's been outstanding, and honestly, that's that is a low key decision that they're going to have to make. You know, I'm positive you know Chris Jones and the coaches would probably come back and say, clearly, Chris Jones has been dealing with injuries. He was dealing with one in twenty nineteen. It was bad enough in twenty twenty that he had to have surgery. But this is a bottom line business at the I mean, at the very least, I would expect that to be

a competition next year. Like, you know, I don't just give Chris Jones the doubt, like, well, you've had this surgery, now be good. I mean, I know he's on a big contract, but you know, Dan Bailey got cut two and he's the most accurate kicker in team history. This stuff happens. So Hunter Nights Wander has been good enough that I'm like, oh, yeah, Like I want this dude hanging around next year for sure, at the very least a competition. Amber you know, I always forget about Hunter.

And when I'm watching the game and I see a good punt, I'm like, oh, look at you, so I'm a good job. And then I look at the number, I'm like, oh wait, and then I have to look at the roster. I'm like, oh, that's Hunter. Okay. I guess I'm in one of those situations that when you're not really missing someone on the field, and is it really necessary for you to even have them at all? And I feel terrible for saying that because I absolutely

love Chris Jones. He's such a nice guy and I would love to see him do well again, but it just hasn't happened. So I think the Cowboys are at this point where they probably will need to part ways with him next year. And I don't know about contract and all that, don't ask me, but just in general, based on what we've seen so far, I do think that Hunter has done enough to keep the job. Nick, I think that, you know, the only thing nice Wander really hasn't done well is run routes on like fourth down.

It's really that it. I mean, I think I think he's done a better job Hunting. There's just more pop coming off off of his foot there, and then Chris Jones doesn't have that anymore. He just doesn't have that. You can look at the numbers suggest that too, even not just the average, but look at the longest punt that he's had and he doesn't even get one of those.

That number has gone down so younger, stronger, Uh, you know, a nice Wanders has been really good, and he's also, like you said, down at the ball down in there. I mean, that's that can be a weapon. I don't think there's been an issue holding. I don't, you know, I don't think I don't think any of the misses have been because of that. So, you know, I think that you know this one, let's just be about three week injury and now it's like we've no one. Does

anyone even ask Dave in the press conference? Did they even ask about where once Jones coming back? I mean, I just I don't think it's I don't know they do not. I don't think he's even gonna be back next year. Yeah, I really don't. I think you kind of move on from that. But I mean, I agree with what Amber said. I mean, everybody loves Chris Jones. He's a great guy. But I just don't think the

injuries have effected. But I just think the numbers and he just doesn't have the same kind of punting ability that he did before. Okay, before we end the show, this is our final show of the week. We need to go through and get picks. How does everybody think this game is going to play out Sunday Cowboys versus Eagles? And I want to start with you today, who do you think? So? May I have a short answer. I think that the Cowboys can do enough to beat the Eagles.

My only and absolutely only hesitation about this game is can the Cowboys actually get three wins in a road. Other than that, I feel pretty good about the Cowboys being able to take them down and beat them here at home. So I will choose the Cowboys to win against the Eagles, maybe like twenty six, twenty four something like that. All Nick, that's good? Um, yeah, I mean you're wondering if they can have that kind of consistency.

This is one of those like philosophy type questions. I mean, do they have to win three in a row because they don't they don't have to win one? Or do you look at it and say, well, you know, history shows that you're not going to have that kind of consistency even though you've done it twice. So that's lingering, that's there. I just feel like they're gonna win somehow. I think they win thirty one thirty missed extra point by the Eagles. All right, Dave, So Nick, you picked

the Cowboys. Dave, that shouldn't matter. Just pick no, no, no, no, You're right, this is like three weeks in a row. You're like, we all shouldn't do this. We all shouldn't do that. You know, you know why? No? You because like this team, this team pisses me off. I'm that better be a cow by, Oh, no doubt, I am not. I am not a superstitious person at all. Like I'm I'm always the guy. I'm like, it doesn't matter what what color your sleeves are, it doesn't matter if you're

wearing your lucky socks. But I just know, you know, I'm the guy Like I haven't been impressed by either of these two wins. Uh, and I'm still like I want to see more blah blah blah. And I just know if I pick them to win this stupid game, they'll lose. I just know they will. Dave and Dave, Hey, that's just part of a football I thought, that's just part of being a football fan. And you're used to that and you know that world it is, but it

doesn't make it any less annoying. But that's okay. I mean, listen, they still they don't they don't deserve a unanimous pick. And I don't know what Derek's going to do Christmas. He's picking. Yeah, I do, all right, I really sweatshirt. Really, I think the Cowboys should win this game, but I don't trust them, and so I'll pick the Eagles. U. I'll pick the Eagles to win like twenty eight twenty for and you know, I'm not superstitious, but hopefully that

means the Cowboys will actually play well. I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing. This team has broken me. So, man, that's a tough place to be in this year. Dave. It's just twenty twenty, isn't it. It's rough man, all right. I actually think this will be a high scoring game. I think both teams will have some success offensively. I think it'll be a fun game to watch, and I think it'll feel like these teams are better than they are because of the way that they'll be playing and

putting up points. But all that being said, I do think the Cowboys can get to win this weekend. And I'll put it like this, Like we say, you don't trust them to be able to do this, but I just go back to McCarthy's history. Like McCarthy was able to do this at his last stop, he was able to in the first year a team that had underperformed all year figured it out at the end of the season. Maybe it was a schedule, Maybe they're just playing bad teams.

Who knows, but they did. Yeah, but maybe but they did. Maybe it was but they did manage to pull those games together there at the end of the season and win four in a row in that season. I would be interested to see if this team can do the same thing, because I do think I'm not a big believer always that things can translate from one season to

the next. I do think though, when you're talking about a new head coach and guys buying in, because I do think guys look at coaches and they evaluate whether they think whatever they're telling them actually works. And I think in those kind of situations, it can have a carryover effect if you can show them that by the end of the season, we actually stuff was working. All the stuff I was telling you would work, it was working.

I think that's good to have a team like this to go into the offseason feeling like what their coach is telling them makes sense and works. And so I do think they're going to get the win this week. We'll see what happens next week, but I think they'll get to win this week. I think the final will be Dallas twenty seven, Philadelphia twenty four. All right, appreciate you guy, you guys joining us. We'll be back on Monday. We'll let you know what went right and wrong for

the Cowboys versus the Eagles. So then, for Nick Even, Dave Helm and Ambergarcia, I'm Derek Eagleton. This has been the Break Mary Christmas. Everyone, Merry Christmas and hope you guys have a safe and happy Christmas. Will see you guys next week. This has been The Break live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.