Cowboys Break: First Quarter Review

The Break. We are live from the s WBC Mortgage Studios at the Star. Nick thirty four. What comes to mind? Oh, man, it's hershel Walker. But but if you ask some of the historians, they'll tell you at least one historian, Cornell green was pretty good place. I'll take Cornell Green Good Cornell Cornell green Man. I didn't know anything about him until last year and we did something about him on our the show I Do with Kelsey Charles. I was like, we crast it's amazing. Oh yeah, yeah, he was. He

was a freak. I mean, I know Brad Sham will say it for years. He said he needs to be in the Ring of Honor, and you know, he's just he hasn't been. But I'll say this about hurshchel Walker and you and I've argued about this a little bit. I think Hershel Walker needs to be considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yes, some Pro Football Hall. This guy, this guy, but Dad's you just add him up.

Since he left college, he would be like the second leading rusher or third leading rusher in the history of the league. I mean he was putting up about you ye consistent or a definitely consistent. It's a Pro Football Hall of Fame herschel Walker. You gotta remember, I mean me because we can think about what running back coming out of the league getting all you know, hit and all that he was getting like twenty two hundred yards

in the USFL. Then he comes to Cowboys and really just changed the whole franchise with just how good he was and what he led to. So thirty four I I I think herschel Walker. He's one of my favorites. Of course, you know, I was a kid. I was a tony of dour set fan, and then he came along. He was bigger, stronger, faster. I felt like a trader. Yeah that's okay, did you have the jersey. Yeah, yeah I did. I didn't. There's a story. Oh there's a story about that, but that's not for this thing. Shouts

out to my guy. He's not he's not listening, but shouts out, Philip Tanner, come on, come on, my favorite again. Very narrow, very narrow scope for me. But I like, I can't even go there, Like I can't even think of thirty four? Is I try? Oh? I mean, with all due respect to pet of course, like he who maybe carried the ball ten times in the regular season in his career, it's not you know, I get it. He's not at herschel Walker carried our flight. We just

personally like him because he did do wonderful man. Dude, all um, this is what actually one of my favorite kind of shows that we're gonna do today, even though it's not quite the quartermark because it's seventeen games this year, we're gonna do a little quartermark review. Um. I got a ton of questions for you guys that are like big picture questions, and I'm gonna do my best not to like do that thing where I just crap on your segments. Please don't I looked at your rundown and

I was like, okay, all right, anyway, go ahead. Well you just did so think you're right. I can't, no, but the point is bad, candid, and I'm not gonna crap on it. I wanted to. I wanted to. I thought about it, and I just said it on air. But hey, you know, I have to let you know how I feel. Okay. So, so what we're gonna do is we're gonna have some of those questions. They're big

picture questions, and I'll have you guys answer them. And we're gonna force Dave to answer because he likes to ride the fence sometime, so we're gonna make him answer these questions. And uh, but before we get to that, let's get a quick update on injuries right now. Amari Roup Cooper is the one that that's most important to in my opinion, had a hamstring injury in the last asking Wooden hamstring. I think where's he sit at this point?

Amari Cooper's he's not fine. I feel like we say that too often when we're like, yeah, he's he's he's gonna play against the Giants, but he's dealing he's dealing with some stuff. His ribs probably still hurting him. He's got a hamstring added onto it now. I think that hopefully he can use the bye week to get right, but I don't. I have every expectation that he will be playing up until the bye week. But he's dealing with some stuff. Yeah, that's the best way to say,

dealing with stuff. He said himself he was gonna be okay. But I've heard that before too from players, But I do in this case, he kind of knows his body well and I think that, you know, And the best part is is I don't think he'll be hurting the team by going out and doing and playing it. He helped him. He helped him on it last week. And I think he's proven and this is not a shot against him, but he's also proven. Then if he can't go,

he won't. Yeah, that happened in the Jets game two years ago, right, So if he can't go, he won't. I think that he, you know, he does what he can to make sure he's out there. I think he will be out there in this game. They announced the hamstring injury for him early in the last game, right, wasn't it like one of the first couple of series. Yeah, so, and obviously he had some big plays later in the game, So you think he played through it during that game.

Obviously it's a little different when you're already warmed up, your adrenaline is already pumping. But that does I think Bodewell for his possibilities of being able to play this piece. Let's talk about Treyvon Diggs. He was pulled in the fourth quarter. What does he sit from a from a health standpoint, fine, that's a quote from Mike McCarthy said, he'll be fine. Doesn't seem like there's again. I mean, maybe that's something that'll be bothering him. But the coach says,

you're fine. I assume you're fine. I don't. Yeah, I don't think that we need to be worried about that movie. I think we're really putting. I think we're just kind of taking this a little too far. I mean, because he he had something he needs to play. They all have something you play through the game when it gets out of hand a little bit. There's, like we said yesterday, if there's a has to take him out, take him out, and they did. I think we saw his value in

the fourth quarter. Arm as much as we saw it in the third you know that's that speaks volumes for him. I mean, because he played great in that and that you know, two interceptions, but with him not out there, and he wasn't the only one, but with him not out there, and I think the mindset sort of changed,

like let's just get through this game. I think Jerry Jones made a really prescient point on his weekly interview with the Fan this morning here in Dallas, and he was like, Yeah, that comes with the territory where you're second guessing why they pulled him if he aggravates that injury to the point where it's a big deal and you're talking about him missing time playing in a game that you're up by three scores, same thing everybody. Everybody's

even more mad. People are second guessing you even more if you send him back out there and let him to let him get hurt in a game that you pretty much had in hand. I know it got dicey at the end, but it was fine. So hey, yeah, you're damned if you do, damned if you don't a lot of times. But he's okay, it's fine. Where are we with the COVID guys? You had keanum Neil Bradley and I both missed last week and the week before.

What happens at this point, Yeah, I didn't realize all the issues that happened with Kean O'Neal until Stephen Jones kind of said that in one of his radio interviews that he had had it. And then I guess he was had to get let four five positive or negative tests, and then after like four negative tests in the fifth when he gets positive, become so well he was he was a close contact. He didn't even test positive. They were like you. There were a few days when he

was got to isolate. We'll test you five times, and he got to the fifth day and he tested positive. So and then by that point he was close enough to not obviously he was going to miss the Eagles game, but he was close enough to the Carolina game that they put it in jeopardy for that as well. And when you test positive, that restart your clock right day. Yeah.

Mike McCarthy said yesterday that he was they were. He's waiting to hear the results of their tests, but he expected them at work today, So I hopefully we will see that they've been activated to day before we get into the whole. You know where they are at the quarter point and all that. I think this is probably the best that we've seen. I think maybe the best that we've felt, or at least I felt about this

team at this point in a long long time. When you think about the guys that aren't playing, there's some really good players and key players on the d line, like of course Tank and Neville Gallimore and Tristan Hill if he can't get back, and even uh Joseph and Kean O'Neill, Carlos Watkins, exactly a lot of guys like that. Lyle Collins if he returns to the starting lineup, Um wow, I don't know, good lord, I don't know. No, he

will maybe not want to move to guard. Okay, well, people are I'm saying there's some really good players, Michael Gallup, a lot of players that are not here. And you have to remember there's gonna be guys that get hurt, and there's gonna COVID and so there will be something a setback. But you're also getting guy, You're gonna get better than what it looks right now, and it looks really good right now. So you have guys to come back to offset whatever happens in the future, if at all.

I mean, I just think this is this thing is as positive as I remember in a while. That's actually a really interesting point because I'll ask you guys to go back now for me and think about some of the years when Dallas had really good teams. You think got two thousand and sixteen, two fourteen, two thousand and seven. I think it was in those years. It doesn't I don't recall them having this level of injury to this

level of player in those season. It seems like they were relatively healthy in no seasons when they were really good. Do you you guys recall that or do you think it was, you know, similar type of situations they would just able to overcome it with death. Nothing was like sixteen sixteen. It was just it was just you were just waiting for the bag to drop, you know, like you have the milk with like wet, you know, bag, it's just going to drop at some point, but it

never does. In the fact, it just gets stronger and stronger, and you're like, what's going on here? I mean, it was just the babies. They didn't know any better. They was out there ball and they didn't know an Yeah, it was one the one of the greatest years. And then just the sick ending at the end, just the way it went down like that. But um, and obviously nothing there was an injury that catapulted them into that, right with Romo, but obviously where and in fourteen Romo

was hurt. You gotta remember that year started with a terrible loss to the forty nine ers when you know, on the road at ATNC Stadium, and it's like that was it was bad. And then he didn't look anywhere close to that in the next game against I think Tennessee. Romo didn't hit his stride that year until December. Yeah. Really, I mean if he had played and I'm not knocking him, but if he had played at the level that he played for the last five weeks for more of the season,

he might have won MVP. Like he didn't. Really, he didn't catch fire until the narrative had already kind of been written for that year. Yeah, Um, that was and that was a fun year too. They just kind of that's when they figured out because it was the first year he'd ever had a real running game. Yeah, and it was like, oh, so this is what this is they developed into a team like this one where you had it was multidimensional, you could do a lot of

different things. But they did lose Um, they did lose Sean Lee on the second day of that year. UM, so obviously that's significant. But yeah, I mean my memory is fuzzy, but I don't remember them juggling as many things as they're doing right now, especially when you throw COVID in there as well, where guys that aren't hurt are missing games. Didn't have Randy for week two, didn't have Keyan O'Neill this past week. I know there's been other guys, but those are probably the two biggest, right Um.

And then Lyle's not hurt either, he's suspended, So that's yeah. So no, I don't I don't remember those years because I am curious to see how Keyan O'Neill kind of fits back into it. Um. He didn't do a whole lot in that first game that I remember against the Bucks. I mean, I know that they have a good role for him, but I wonder who's whose spot he takes. Um, does he take Layton spot in the nickel? Does he does he take um jay Ron Curse? Who's played some

different stuff and don't hope not on there. So I'm kind of wondering how it's all going to good problem to have. I'm just saying I don't know exactly what happens when he comes back. He didn't mention Jalen. Yeah, well, yeah, he can take Jalen spot. He probably will take Jalen spot there. It is a good problem to have. Yeah, all right, we're gonna take our first break a little early. We're gonna come back. We're gonna get into our quarter season review. I got a lot of questions for these

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Message frequency may vary. Message plays favorite FLA. Welcome back to second segment of the Break Life from the s WBC Mortgage Studios. At the start, it is time for the quarter season review. It's a little bit before the quarter of the season. It's our seventeen games, but we're gonna act like this quarter of the season, all right,

So here are the questions. Let's start first with what has been the most impressive performance when you factor in offense, defense, special teams, and factoring in the quality of the opponent. They played Dallas loses thirty one twenty nine to Tampa Bay, close game, they beat the Chargers twenty seventeen, They dominate the Eagles forty one to twenty one, and then they win this last game against Carolina thirty six twenty eight. What's been the most impressive performance? This is what I hated.

I just I just we don't. We still don't. You just don't like to think. No, I just know, honestly, I hate and I get it. We're here, like we're we're filling air time. It's a runaway train. To quote Mike McCarthy, like, we have to have opinions about these things, but like we don't know. We don't know if the Carolina win was impressive right now, we don't know if the Bug loss was impressive. You know what you know?

You know what you know? After four games, it's not meaning that this is what it's going to be at the end of the season. It means after five games, what is your opinion? I got visibly angry last night on Sports Center, and I love Scott Van Pelt. I think he's like the best at what he does. But him and the Monday Night football guys were like, yeah, AFC West looking like it goes through LA. Now statement, Baby, I'm just like, are we kidding? Are we serious? But

that's also that's also part of this. That's also the fun of watching sports is there. It's fluid. As my god Jock Taylor always says, sports is fluid. What is true today may not be true two weeks from now. But what we're talking about is today today I care about. But I see. That's my point though, is I think you have to take more of it into account. And so if you're making me answer this, I think losing to the Bucks is the most impressive and they've done

so far reigning champs, same team as last year. The most hostile environment LA was a home game that was a road game. Hostile environment. Fans are pumped to raise the banner, fire, the cannons, the goat, all that crap and they go in there. And it was before tam but their secondaries decimated. Now it was healthier at the beginning of the season. Uh, and they went toe to toe with them. I feel the most confident that Tampa will have a say in the playoff slash super Bowl

race out of any of the teams they've played so far. Yeah, I think that our thoughts of the team, of what we thought about the team going into the kickoff and after the game probably changed as more and the Tampa game than any other and that and that just goes to your expectations and all that. Um. Not saying it was an impressive loss or whatever, but I think you saw right there this was a good football team, because

you know, the Bucks are good. That's what That's what Dave's trying to say, is that it's just hard with all these teams, but not them, not not with Brady, not with with that coach, not with them returning all those guys back, They're going to be there and to go in there and play them like that, play them really well. I think you got a good sense of wait a second, we might have a little something. They

can figure out how to win, and they have. So I think that one was was a that was a it was it was It was just a good moment to figure out what this team has. We obviously know a lot more about every team than we did at the start of the season, but we still don't know enough too, and that's I guess that's my point. But I think the Bucks are the closest thing on their

schedule so far to a known commodity. The same way I think, even with their struggles, I know they're two and two, the Chiefs are a known commodity, and until proven otherwise, they would have to fall three or four games under five hundred before I even blinked cool. Okay, most impressive win, then, most impressive win Chargers for Chargers Panthers. Why why why? Um, a little a little bit more adversity had to figure out, I had to had to. Well,

they had adversity in that game too. I mean, this is gonna be a coin flip, but I just think that was like a real test to like this team. You know, they had to figure out how to go and beat them, and they did and then then they got explosive with it. Um. I just I just thought it was, you know, just playing on defense offense. I mean, I think that they're a good team Chargers, though I could I could argue that one too. I just think from what I saw, I think that one was an

impressive game. The way they just said no, it's not going like this. We're going to take control. If I mean, people are annoyed over the years about the way I talk about Aaron Rodgers get ready for the same thing with Justin Herbert. I think the world of him. I think he's going to He's going to be in that conversation of guys who run the league before too long.

If he isn't already there, he saw it. If you watched the game last night, he was incredibly impressive against an undefeated team playing in a road environment in his own stadium. Again by the way the Raiders had happened for them. Yeah, I have a ton of fans on the West Coast. He's just really impressive. And he did a lot of the stuff that I thought he would do, extending plays, chunk plays. He's a hard guy to beat

because of that arm strength and that athleticism. And the Chargers played a sloppy game, but that counts, you know, And like we said at the time, the Cowboys didn't. The Cowboys played the clean, are more composed game, which has something too absolutely it does, and I just yeah, and I won't we don't know this right now, but I won't be surprised if the Chargers are a factor in the AFC race as well. Had a funny I got I got an interesting stat that I kind of

came across last night. The Cowboys. Right now, four games they've they've defeated three teams that had a five hundred record or better when they've faced them. When they faced them, I mean, they were one and one against the Eagles, they were one and oh, the Charger were one to oh, and then the Panthers were three and now last year they didn't be they didn't beat anybody that had a five hundred record, and they finished the season nobody that

they beat was five hundred or better. So it's early, but it's just they've already defeated three teams that have that have had a winning record or five hundred at the time. And consider this, Three of the four teams they've played have three and one records at this point. Two of the teams they've beaten have three and one

records at this point. I will say, which when you said that this is the most positive you can remember, I was trying to rack my brain, and twenty nineteen came to mind because that season started off gangbusters, but they didn't do anything that really impressed you. You know, they beat a bad Giants team, they beat a terrible Dolphins team. I don't remember who they beat week two. Yeah, everybody was saying it, though, you're right, everybody. Everybody was

probably Washington. MIT's typically what they play in a week two, right, I can't remember that though. That's gonna drive me crazy. I look it up. But um no, but even that, but people were super high on them. They were like Kellen Moore's offense is cooking, this is there, this is the truth. And but they hadn't been tested the way that I think they've been tested this season, and I think that makes a big difference. They did. They beat Washington at FedEx thirty one twenty one. I can't even oh,

I do remember that. I just remember z that was the guy that was the game where Dak on the option keeper he stiff armed Josh Norman who went and for like thirty yards. Yeah. Um. And then they turned around and lost three in a row, one of which was too a terrible Jets team. Yeah. Um so yeah, I this is as good as they've looked while playing teams that I think are good slash decent so far, but but to take it to the next level, it's got to happen this Sunday. It's got to happen next Sunday.

I mean, you gotta go do that. You gotta you gotta win, you stack. You can't just say, oh, it's New England, it's Belichick. You gotta go beat them. I mean, this is the time to beat him and the interest and they haven't beaten him since number thirty four herschel Walker won a game in overtime against them in nineteen eighty seven. Have not beaten them up there. O, my god. Nick doesn't remember our meeting yesterday, but he remembers the

score of the game before I was born. All right, next question, best free agent signing Demante Kazy, Dron Curse or Kean O'Neil. It's not Neil, not yet, can't be Neil. I'm it's gotta be I'm super impressed with Curse. It's gotta be Cursed's especially because what's this guy? He wasn't a startled Yeah, that's yeah, it's gotta be Curse because we kind of had an idea of what Kazy could be, right, I mean, he had a seven interception season, He's played at a high level. He's played at a high level

under dan Quinn. Jaron Curse, as far as I'm aware, had no history with dan Quinn. He played for Minnesota and Detroit. And he said this when we talked to him last week. He was like, yeah, this is similar to what I've done my whole career. And I was like, yeah, dude, but you were playing like twenty percent of the snaps. You're playing one hundred percent of the snaps now and

looking like a beast doing it. I'm laughing because last night or at the end of the day, Shannon Gross does his interview with him and Brad Sham do The Cowboys Hour, and Jayron Curse was the guest. Yeah, and they have a segment on there called this is what what Wikipedia says about you. So he I was looking at Wikipedia about jay Ron Curse and I didn't know this he was reading it. He's had some off the field issues. Oh okay, yeah, off the field issues like

like worst like like pec Man Jones type stuff. I mean, I don't trying to compare him that bodyguard. No, no, no no, I'm just saying he's got a list of things that have happened in college, and so you know, Shannon's like, oh no, what have got that list? I don't know what to what to think of. Fanon's like, oh, we're not gonna play. I don't think we're playing this game. Yeah, so I don't really know what it came out with. But he was just reading all this stuff and I

mean he'd had some he'd had some things. But you know, we said in the press boxes, guy plays angry. And I even asked him after the game about it and he was no. He said something like no, not really because you know I yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm angry. Do when I get him? He I say this as the highest compliment. He is the type of player that I would hate if he wasn't if he was playing against my team, because he's talking trash after every play.

He like shoves you right at the sideline. He's waving at the Eagles on his way off the sideline after that play last week. If I was a fan of the opposite team, I would I would just want to shut him off. He's the type of guy that says like, what are you gonna do? Yeah? You know, like you know how cool? You don't like that? What are you

gonna do about it? That? And it's like nothing, And I don't I don't mean to take away from Kazy at all because he's been good, but he's he's this team's free safety Like if you want, he's he's twenty yards off the field doing free safety things almost all the time, only pissed if he gets fined. Yeah, no, that would be cool. That was that was such such a bad call of mine. It just it. I think it was a result of what it looked like rather

than what it really was. What did I say about that flag a few weeks ago, Like they look the roughing the punter flag, they look for hallmarks. Yeah. Yeah, if the crowd goes flag flag and they're twenty guys through flags, I mean they all through flags when they when it happened, not all of them could have had that that greatest special that should be reviewable. Yeah, And

I don't know what else you're supposed to. Stephen Jones said that, Um yesterday he said, you know, we're we don't as Competition Committee, we don't want to make this every thing is a review game. Every play is a reviewable, PI reviewable that they're trying not to do that, But that seems like, I mean, that's something that's got to be.

The fifteen yard penalties, especially the automatic first down, they just changed the whole game, and that one change that that kind of changed the momentum there and really got Carolina in position to go score and get back in it. Good safety play is maybe my favorite thing about football. I love it, like the instincts that it takes and the angles. It's almost like math, like to be good at it, you know. And and I don't want guys head hunting the way that they did, like Jack Tatum.

There's no place for that in the game anymore. But you can do everything right and make an amazing play, separate the guy from the ball and still and still get penalize. That just sucks. That's the NFL. In college college you get kicked out of the game, get kicked out of the game, and that's just it, you know. And then then we sit here and go, man, why didn't he make a play over the middle because he can't stay in the game. Yeah, he's so all right,

let's go on to the next question. And I will say that one was an example of it, but they're gonna be more questions like this where there can be more than one, right I did, I didn't. I just want to finish my point that they've got Curse playing like six positions right now. He plays like big dime linebacker. He played. He can play too high. He's played in the slot and the place where he usually is is lined up over the tight end. I mean they put

him down in the box like that all the time. Yeah, you mentioned what are they gonna do when they play the Raiders. I think, as you mentioned that on Twitter, I think he's going to be a good candidate for s I throw a fourth guy in there and that and that on your list, or let's not overlook the fact Brian Anger is a good punter. He's a good punter. He's doing a nice job. And I know that nobody wants them to punt and they're frustrated when he's on

the field or whatever. But he is a good punter and there's a reason why John Fossil wanted him, and I mean I've been very impressed with him. He has good you know, he angles it well, good distance. I mean he's gonna put it on the on the nine yard line if it's like around midfield he's gonna do with his job and all that. I think he's been impressive as well. That's the first time I've thought about

him this year. Speaks to how well he's playing. He's done that job, I mean, and that's what he's supposed to do, all right. So this may be the hardest question we got. Who is the most important defender, Trey Von Diggs or Michael Parsons. Michael Parsons. That's not to me, It's not even close. Michael Parsons is the most important defender because he allows them. You don't know. You know pretty much what Diggs is gonna do. He's gonna guard your your best guy. Can't he stop him? And that's

that's great, that's a great thing to have. But you don't know right now what Michael Parsons. Where he's gonna line up, what type of player he's going to be. Is he going to be a rusher right in the middle of the gaps? Is he gonna be on the outside? Is he gonna play linebacker? You have to figure it out because he makes that much of a difference, and he's gonna change the whole defense based off of where he is. I think he has been by far the

most important player. Argue with me, though, I mean, I don't disagree with anything you just said, but I have I just I have a hard time taken that away from Diggs after what he's done. And that's that conversation is really fascinating because it's an age old football adage that pressure means everything, but over like in recent years, we're really we're seeing teams challenge that, like the Patriots

and the Dolphins, even the Seahawks a decade ago. Like, you build from the back up, and if you have really elite coverage, it can help your pass rush. And I wonder, and I don't know this, I'm just kind of thinking out loud, but I wonder how much it helps the pass rush if the quarterback is hesitating that much? Like is he opened? First of all, do I want to and especially moving forward now where you're like, do

I even want to test that guy? And now all of a sudden, you've hesitated just enough that somebody's getting home because and I don't want to take too much away from him, and dan Quinn deserves a lot of credit, but did all these guys suddenly turn into like did the Cowboys just have five all pros rushing the pastor all of a sudden or is something else happening that's giving them that extra time to get home? And I think Trayvon Diggs is a big part of that. Yeah,

I think, But you could argue the other way. You know, you say that they haven't got interceptions like that in the past. Is it now all of a sudden, this past rush that's helping. I mean, my only thing is if the teams want to take the Trayvon Diggs out of the game and just not mess with them, they can't. That also means their number one receiver is going to be out of the games too, exactly. But can you take Michael Parsons out of the game? Can you just

say I don't want to mess with Parsons today? Depends on how much Dallas moves your choice, and it sounds like they're moving around maybe what we've seen. But it's not the quarterback's choice to take Parsons out of the game, because he's gonna be in his face, you know. So that's why I think he I mean, this is a great argument to have because it's like, whoever second is

a really damn good second? I will say this, like, if they wanted to just say we're gonna make sure that Michael Parsons doesn't beat us, they can do that. They can adjust their project protections for wherever he is and say we're gonna make sure that we got multiple guys taking care of him. Problem with that is the same thing that you talk about with Treyvon. You gotta give something up in order to do that, which means now you're gonna make Grandy Gregory have one guy trying

to defend him. And that's the part where it makes it really interesting is if you're gonna take either one of those two out of the game, it means that you got to give up something, you got to go up something major. And that's where I think it helps. And that's where I think this question really is a hard question to answer. The one area that I would say that does create a difference for me is so far the takeaways have come from from digs and that

those are game changing plays. Those are changing gag plays that that you need if you're going to be successful in this league. So to me, that that would be my if I'm like really really trying to figure out, how do I you know, find that difference between the two guys that are really equally yoked. I think that's the difference for me. I should know this, but I don't. We I mean, Biggs had one pick that led directly to a touchdown because he scored it. But how many

points off of his takeaways have they gotten? Well, they got ten in this last game because one of them was a touchdown, one was a field goal. So that's that's ten points in a game that he won by eight. I'm not sure about the Tampa game, but I mean that they were down there, they probably scored. They score after his interception in La I don't remember. Can't remember his interception in La the one. It was the diving one again, that was, in my opinion, one of the

most Dak got picked off the text drive. Yeah okay, but but you know, to your point about the interceptions and like where are they coming from? The pressure that last or the one in Carolina, I mean against Carolina where he was like playing safety. Yeah, that was kind of a product of the defense. But most of the others he's he's made the play, yep. I mean, there's nothing about scheme. That's just him being close enough and recognizing where the pass is and then having the ability

to go jump in. Yeah, all right, we're gonna take our final back when we come back. The question I'm gonna have for these guys is which player has been more productive in backup duty? There are a lot of guys that are playing right now. Is backups who've been most productive that when we come right back to the Dalas Cowboys dot Com Radio. Hi, I'm Clint Tullison with you not at Aggin Turf before you can park yourself in front of the game. Park yourself in a John

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quarter year review. Next question for you guys, which player has been more productive in backup duty? You got Terrence Steele, you got Cedric Wilson, you got j Ron Curse, you got OsO Diggi Zuwa. Which has been more impressive? Terrence Steele, Jez. And that's again, I mean, there's not necessarily a wrong answer. This Jaron Curse is probably the He's one of the biggest pleasant surprises on the team. Osa you kidding me

what he's done? I just say Terren Steele because we saw how much of a struggle it was last year, and so you have something to compare it to Jaron Curse. It's never played here before. Obviously, Osa is a rookie, didn't know what to expect. You had an idea of what to expect with Terren Steele and it wasn't good.

And he's completely flipped that narrative on its end. If they thought Terren Steele was ready to take that leap, they would never tried to sign Ti and Secky, you know, And they brought him in to be the swing tackle. And as it stands right now, and Ti and Secki is cleared to return to the team, and they've already kind of said, I mean, nothing's changing here. Of course, I don't know what happens when when Lyle comes back.

I mean, I'm sure he comes back to his spot because he's an established VET and he's a really good player when he's been healthy and all that. But I think just from the confidence standpoint of saying, hey, we know we have a swing tackle now and Terrence Steele, and I don't think they make any moves at guard or center or anything like that. I hate how people have a tendency to do that, and we've gotten a lot of questions about it. And first of all, I mean,

Terrence Steele is a great success story. Lyle Collins when he's healthy and available, which I understand hasn't been enough recently, is damn good. I mean, going twenty seventeen, the fire that he got thrown into and the way that he played against guys like von Miller and Khalil Mack. I think people tend to forget about that. But then also, why why don't you want to have three really good tackles for a team where neither starter has been able

to stay on the field. Yeah, that's a good problem to have, And and I think you know it's but he's done a nice job, and you know, I just can't I'm just so impressed with the power that he's playing with him. He's playing as a stronger player. I mean in the run game, we're seeing it because he has that build that you think athletic. He's young, he's gonna be okay in the past, but he's been really

good in the run. All Right, we're gonna extend that question, but I want to make sure you understand the caveat to this, I'm saying who is more in danger of losing their starting job? And, by the way, the answer maybe that none of them will lose their starting job. But I'm asking who is more in danger of those guys we just mentioned, So it will be Lyall Collins, Michael Gallup, Donovan Wilson, and Neville Gallimore. Who's more in danger of losing their starting job? Let's say, Do I

swear I wasn't waiting for you to talk first. I just but the reasons. Yeah, the reason I had had no Nobel Gallimore because I was like, between those two, I was thinking about him, and I'm like, OLSA has been really good and we know how it goes in football, Like the younger guy, if he's really good, kind of gets to the edge sometimes the defensive line is you I mean you rotate? Yeah, I just don't even think

much about who starts and it doesn't matter. Yeah, which I mean Brent Urban's probably going to be off the field more true, that's the guy. I think Brent Urban might problem unless he's at at yeah, at one technique. I could see Gallimore kind of playing that. Um, yeah, I think he can do both. You think you can put Gallimore and also on the field same time. I think so, yeah, yeah, I'd like to see that. Um,

I just I just feel like Donovan Wilson. I mean, if they were said it's kind of the same thing I just said about Steel. But if they were so sold on Donovan Wilson, they wouldn't have signed every safety that's that's had some value to him in the whole offseason. I mean, they wanted to get better there, and I think they thought he could be a pretty good player. I think they were hoping that somebody sticks with this.

Malik Cooker and Casey and Curse and they all have all kind of sticking right, and I think they throw a lot of things at it, hoping that one or two would stick. The reason I hesitated is just because it's not so much that like Jron Curse or anybody else is definitively better than Donno. But you can specialize those roles so much. Like I just talked about all the things Jron Curse does. Do you want Donovan Wilson

manning up on on a tight end? Probably not. He gives up a little more regular Ye, yeah, same thing. Curse is six four two fifteen. He can come down and play linebacker in a dime and you can you can get extra faster dbs on the field. Would still have him out there and be in a dime formation.

Maybe Donovan can do that with him. But I just think you can specialize things a little bit more with Curse, And so I hesitate to say, like take his starting job, but I do think Curse will eat into his snaps because they want to find ways to get him on those onto the field in those sub packages. All right, next question, considering all they've dealt with, and I'm including injuries, I'm including the expectations that they had. And by the way,

good expectations and bad expectations can all have consequences. You got a lot of expectations to be great. That could be a lot of pressure as well. Right, all those things being considered considered, who has done a better job dan Quinn or Kellen Moore? Dan Quinning dan Quinn just because we knew the offense was gonna be good. I mean, this is Dak's sixth year basically doing the same thing. It's third year with Kellen as Yeah, third year with

Kellen as the coordinator. And you, I mean, you have Dak the way, we can go on and on about all the talent on the offense. The whole narrative all offseason was like, can you get enough from the defense for them to be worth a damn? And they're better than worth a dam right now, but do you give a little bit more deference to the fact that you look at this this offense and not only have they been good, they've been good in so many different ways.

And that is about the coordinator, right Kellen Moore is doing great job. If you're asking me, who's done it? Like and great on a curve, I always do. The expectations for the defense were in the toilet. They were awful last year. Yeah, and they're good, but they're fine. I mean, I don't want to overhype them too much. They're fine, but fine is good enough when you when you have that offense, and we knew that they would. Every reasonable expectation was that the offense would hum like

this and it is. Yeah. And I also think that the offense has helped the defense because they've gotten some fast leads and they've gotten you know, the couple games they had the ball, so they they they've done a great job. That's helped the defense. But I mean, I don't think it's just been a product of that. I think the defense has done a really nice job taking the ball away. Uh you know they sometimes on some short fields, they've come out there, They've done pretty good

in the red zone. Um, you know, I just I think it's I think from an expectation standpoint to defense, especially when you talked about all those guys that have been banged up, a lot of them are on the defense. They've had to go tap into the depth and it's still working out. And it's we didn't have it for so long, Like the way dan Quinn can completely rearrange things in a given week to maximize their I mean, moving micat to end is the obvious example, but he's

done it with a lot of guys. We didn't have that for so long. It was always line up and do what we do the best that we can and hope for the best. And dan Quinn is like, why would I do that? Like, based on what we're seeing from their personnel, we're going to alter this thing and put guys in the best position. Randy said that after the game. Randy was like, he's so good at putting guys in the position that they need to be in to make plays. I've said this, No, I just that

wasn't the case for a long time. No, it hasn't been the case, and I've said this so many times. I just think the combination of making it simplified for the players, but it's still exotic enough that everybody's moving around, and the fact is that they're playing a lot of young guys, too young guys first year of this defense and doing things. He is the furthest thing from vanilla. This defense is not that, and it's it's mixed, you know,

combination of a lot. This has been it's been fun, and that's why I think Michael Parsons is kind of the centerpiece. I don't play chess. I don't know what what that piece is called, but that does all the stuff. The queen the queen, Yeah, so you can do whatever she wants to do. Well. I don't want to call Michael Parsons the queen, but I mean she's kind of you called him that. I called him there in We're in twenty twenty one. I hope we're all mature enough

to realize that we're talking about chess pieces here. He is, He's He's a queen in chess, and that's exactly what you want him to be. Move all over the board. That's I think like a traditional defensive end is like a rook like it's all I mean, if you only need to go one direction, it's great. It's when you've

got to change it up that that's a problem. And that's why I hope they keep moving him around and making him as versatile as they possibly can, because it's it's fun to think that again, like it football is like chess. It's like, Okay, you want to put Rashaun's later over there, We'll move him over here. Or if you you we feel bad about the matchup on the line, we'll drop him back into coverage. We can blitz him through the A gap if one too. There's so much

fun stuff you can do. All right, real quick, we don't have much time left. I had another question I want to get to, but I want to get to this final question. If you had to rank the next quarter, so let's look at the next quarter of the season. Ranked the next four opponents from most challenging to least challenging, and you got New York, you got at New England, at Minnesota and Denver m most challenging of that group at New England. Okay, I think was the most challenging

of that. I would have said Vikings until I watched that game on Sunday. No, I'm still I know. And before that, you're right, before that, they had looked pretty good in some games. And I know the weather sucked, but to hold that offense down like that forced them to settle for as many field goals as they did. And by the way, it's Foxborough in in October, like the weather might suck when they go up there in a couple of weeks. So yeah, one, but Minnesota is

a tough place to play. Why damn horn? When I hear that. When you hear that horn, you just assume your quarterbacks getting scraped off the field with a dispatchela. Thanks for joining us, Brian brought us. Um yeah, those those two, especially back to back road games, I'm not one in two. There's a bye week in between though, No, while you're right, but just yeah, both two games in a row on the road. Um, that's one in two, give me three. Den Denver's gonna be tough. Let's just

let's face it. I mean there'll be a lot of orange out there. It's at ANDC Stadium, it's at home. But I mean Denver doesn't come to town much. Last time they did, Peyton Manning was the quarterback. I mean, they'll have a lot of fans there. They're playing well that that could be a tough game. Yeah, I mean, I'm not impressed by what Denver's done to this point in the season. Got their butts kicked by Baltimore two days ago. But I have a very low opinion of

the Giants, so Denver by default. Okay, all right, that's a rap. We appreciate you guys. Y'ls were back tomorrow. We're gonna start getting you guys ready for those Giants. Another second, I guess second opportunity this season that the Cowboys will have to face a division opponent, an opportunity to maybe get to two and o in the division. That's always a good thing. We'll talk about that more tomorrow. Bucky Brooks will join us. Till then for Nick even

Dave Hellman, I am Derek Eagleton. This has been The Break live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys football club,