Cowboys Break: Fundamental Change

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Cowboys Let's go. Are you ready for a break?

Yes?

Are you ready for a break?

Absolutely?

Ready for a break?

Yeah?

And so much for that. It's time for the Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com.

We were on.

With Ambar Garcia, Brian brought us, Patrick Walker and Derek Eagleton.

It is Wednesday, April third, twenty twenty four, Season twenty, episode number one. This is welcome to the first edition of this season of The Break, presented by LG. We got a brand new sponsor for the beginning of this season. LG's new sponsor of the show, and so we'll be bringing you lots of content this this season that will be presented by LG. So, how's everybody doing today? We're good.

Number one.

It is episode number one of this season. So we're in twenty sea. This is our twentieth season. I'm doing Cowboys Break, all right, and this is episode number one.

That's kind of a big deal.

Kind of a big deal.

And by the way, there's timetable here, like why today.

April just begin? This a new fiscal year for the NFL that would be when we flipped the number of stress.

So there you go, the one consistent. He said, twenty years.

Shut your dumb No, I.

Was not saying it like that.

I'm giving you the information. One consists about twenty years.

Bacib strikes of it.

Yeah, for sure, fairst of all the twenty years.

Actually, I will say this, there was a brief period. I can't remember the year. There was a brief period when we're still back at Valley Ranch. Yeah, when I got off the show because I was like, I got too much business work to get done. Sure, uh, and then we lost somebody. I think that was when Rowan left and I was like, I don't have anybody, just put on the show. So I got back on the show. And then I just kind of was like, do it.

Me, Mickey Rowing and uh City Drso I.

Thought that would have been talking cowboys.

That was talking cowboys.

And I think when I got off the show, I thought we pulled Rowing off. I thought we pulled Rowing over to Break and I got off of the Break and I was off for maybe maybe like it was in the off season, I think, And I think it may have been for like a few months. And by the time we got to that next season, I was right back in.

And I remember, I remember working with all those folks.

Yeah, it was fun.

Actually, speaking of which, one of the things I kind of want to do this year and I haven't decided if and how I'm going to do it, but I want to consider it being our twentieth season, trying to bring some of the folks that have been a part of the Break over the years back for some episodes. It would be really cool. I know DIA's back in town now with my Bill Bringer.

It's kind of a fun June project when you got nothing going on.

We got a lot of people that have been around it will get Helm and the call in a bit. You know he's in la I don't know if he'll be in town, but you know, get him and rolled through and.

Help me out. First, the first thing you put Helman on was the Draft show yep.

And when he first cart everyody's like, I don't know about this guy looks kind of goofy.

You know, I don't want to I'm like, I need.

He grew a beer and he was like, oh you kind of college school.

I'll take him. You know, LSU guy, you gotta take care of less you guys.

But well he took care of you.

Oh, he took care of you.

I'll tell you what, seriously, I would never take another job.

In writing unless you can bring him.

Yeah.

He literally every year he was here, he read every story, edited every story, every even after all the stories he wrote in the game, he would edit my stories. That's crazy. And he's like, man, you got a little better at write it a little better. And bro, I'm just glad you're here.

And still this day the image you have of him is sitting there looking at his computer, rubbing his eye.

Yeah, he goes, tell goes, you actually made a very coherent sentence there, Brian.

Really good for you. Way to go, you know.

And I'm like, I write like a scout, you know, dash whatever and all that. And he he would make all that work.

And I do I owe.

Him everything unless you guys take care of you.

We try, I gotta.

I gotta say that.

Takes two guys to work one story, but.

We but we may try that. We may try to pull in some of our old break hosts and have them join our show a few times this year with it being our twentieth year celebration, and maybe at some point we'll have some kind of big celebration that nice.

Yeah, that will be nice.

Could taken sure, I'll do that. I will take us all at dinner.

I could do that.

You know.

I'm not going to turn down.

He never turned down, but I just throw it out there.

Yeah, we can do that. All right, Let's jump in. Let's talk Chris is like.

I mean, Chris the smoke drink right right right with the smoke because the smoke out of the whiskey glass.

Yeah, and a new fridge Homebamer. All right, let's talk.

Let's talk about thirty visits they are starting this week. And uh, I guess first, Patrick, give me kind of an idea of what who we can expect some of the names that are kind of out there that we've reported that are that are gonna be here this week.

Okay, So thank you for putting me right on the spot. I got the nation, so let me just pull it up. All right, So what's been reported and I'll just go quickly unit by unit.

So for offensive line, we.

Have Matt gon Kelviy's the beloved Jackson Powers Johnson.

That's a big, big name.

We got Fuega out of Oregon State and Graham Barton out of Duke. Those are your reported offensive line official thirty visits. And again for those that aren't aware, those start today running backs. Reported running backs. We got Jonathan Brooks. That's a big name to keep an eye on. I know, there you go. You want to say, hook them, you.

Got hook them? There you go, all right.

Braylan Allen out of Wiscott, Wisconsin, he's one. Bucky Irving out of Oregon, Trey Benson out of Florida State. That those they reported running backs. There are others, but we're working to confirm those names. Who else we got defensive line? We got Darius Robinson out of Missouri. He's a reported one. Keep an eye on a guy like Byron Murphy. We're working to confirm that he's an official thirty visit. Linebackers. This is a massive group that the Cowboys are focusing on.

It's a lot of a lot of players that will be coming through. And to be noted, the Cowboys are traditionally they'll get they'll get some of these guys. You'll see them draft these guys they bring in. So it is worth noting what stands out to you about these names, Brians. You look at these names, what kind of pops out as you, whether it's particular players or particular positions.

Yeah, of Fuaga, the tackle might be the best tackle in the draft. And I know that people talk about alt from Notre Dame. Fuaga is from Oregon State. Surprising, you know to me that immediately when I heard the name. Very well in great job by Dallas Cowboys dot Com getting those names together and getting them out. Nick Harris has done a tremendous job on the Draft show as well. And but the first thing that came to mind is

That is it. That is if you're you're going to have to go.

There are teams that have him and I've talked to that have him as the best tackle in the draft.

Uh.

You know, he would be top ten.

And that you know, I thought the landing spot for him would be at the at the lowest would be the Jets at ten. You know, they went and got Tyron Smith. We've talked about Tyron Smith going there. Uh, but Fuaga is a tremendous player. Could play guard, could play tackle, He's athletic, he's powerful.

Uh.

You know that those are the kinds of things I mean, that's that. That was one of those that I'm like thinking there's something up there because I just don't think you're gonna get him at twenty four. Powers Johnson, the center from Oregon, is dealing with some medical things. They checked him out at the Combine. You're starting to see him some mock drafts of some of the prominent mock

Here do you know what kind of medical.

It's some things that need to be checked.

I have an idea. I want to get some things confirmed what he has. I don't want to sit here and then say, well, he's got this and it's actually not, because yeah, there's a couple of things though. That again, talking to my gang of seven around the league, talking to people, some trainers around the league. There's some things that have to be checked there. So hopefully we'll get that done before the night of the draft. Barton is

Here.

Let me let me give you a name that I really really really like out of this whole thing when you when you start to talk about linebackers, especially inside linebackers. Uh, you know Cooper's outstanding from from Texas A and M. But this Travian Wallace from Kentucky is a bad man at six and thirty seven pounds. Uh, you don't have to take And I'm sorry, I'm not turning this into the draft show. I'm just telling you they're bringing in dudes that can play football, and that's the whole idea.

He's a one starter type guy.

Oh.

Absolutely, he's a plug and play guy. This is this guy mean because he's got such a feel for how to play, whether you put him in coverage or you know, like he understands like sometimes the linebackers they drop and they kind of just float around. He's a drop I see what you're trying to do behind me and get over guy. You know that a lot of yeah, you know, and Mike Simmerpool. When I know about Mike, Mike wants guys.

See a first round or second round guy, Like I.

Think he's more to me. I feel like that when I had him on my board was in the second round. But the thing about him is though him and Wilson, Peyton Wilson from North Carolina State, maybe another name that I don't think you said, Peyton Wilson from UH from North Carolina State. If you didn't, don't, I might be a name that you hear about here in the next few days.

I don't. I don't know. But the thing about the thing about these guys.

They're very Yes, yes, he's confirmed.

Okay, Peyton Wilson, Wallace. Keep an eye on these cats, both of them. Instincts downhill players, tough, make every single tackle, play well in coverage. Healthy, not as healthy as Wallace, Okay, dealing with some stuff there, and that's maybe what keeps him out of the first round. But that might give you the opportunity to to me, Wilson could be a trade back guy, you know, if you drop back, if you know, say say for example, we get in this draft and all of a sudden, you know, Baltimore.

Calls you, you know, are Buffalo.

Calls you at twenty eight, and you could pick up their their third they're into the round. Third, Baltimore calls you at thirty, you could pick up the end of the round third for them, you don't have a fourth.

Those are trade back options right there.

The way the Cowboys have got this thing set up, Like I say, Fuaga is a go up. Some of the these other guys might be. Okay, we're in kind of no man's land right now. We're between our second round pick and our first round pick if we go back a certain level. We got to get this guy because we can't get him back at fifty six. So the list that they're bringing in I applaud them for what they're doing right now.

But two things worry me about. You put these injury together. Linebacker in injury like you look at and especially if you start looking second round, just think about the litany of second round of linebackers the Cowboys who came in the door already injured. That that wire great play. I mean they had the ability for fear, they were great, had the ability, but just couldn't get over that injury bug, right,

But given with how much is a stake this year, how much because of the cap, how much they're going to have to rely on the draft? Is this a draft for maybe they don't take those types of risks in because we know in the time in the second round they take it. Yeah, they've draft drafted players that fall back to the second round because of injuries or whatever. They take him and then sometimes they turned out to be good talent, but we know the risk in that

I don't know that they're going to depart from their their annual way of handling things. And I say that to say I don't think that Will McLay is looking at it as, Okay, I need the best possible draft pick at every possible selection this year. Because he looks at that the same way last year, the year prior, he'll look at it the same way next year. So I think his approach is going to be the same. But I also do think that it matters what the

So it's it's contextual.

But I don't think that this is a situation where will McClain his scops go into the offseason saying, oh, well, we got to change things up.

This is the scary thing. And I'm not trying to be the wet blanket guy. You're dealing with a lot of coaches that are on one year deals. Are you drafting for coaches that are on one year deals? Or are you thinking about the fact that, like a lot of your depth went flying out this door. You know, you got to think about And I know a guy like I say on Mike Zamra, I know how Mike operates. Mike is a bring me whoever you got guy, I'll coach you. I'll tell you what I like in a player,

But you do wonder, you do wonder is how.

Much influence will coaches have on this draft, knowing that potentially it could be a completely different staff. But that's something you always, you know, you think about. You just got to go out and like Patrick said, you go out, you have a plan for what you want to do, You get your players, you go forward, and you hope that you know, everything works out. But that's a little bit of the danger right now with everybody being on that on that one.

Deal, and on top of that, I think you have to add. And I know they try to block out outside noise and you're not gonna allow it outside noise to affect kind of what you do in this type of business. But at the same time, I wonder if the amount of pressure that they felt surrounding the Cowboys, from the fan base, from the critics, everywhere, all around the media this off season, does that change into maybe the strategy that they're used to in drafting for the future.

Really, I don't think that has one even small amount of difference, makes one small bit about a difference to the people that are making the decision. I don't think they care one bit what is the national narrative or whatever. I think at the end of the day, they feel confident in Will McLay and Will McClay feels confident in his evaluation and the evaluation of his team to where I don't yeah, and I don't think that at all is impacted by what people think of it.

It's not the outside pressure. It's the eternal pressure of.

Not signed free agents. That's that's a legitimate.

Pressure because of what it means, like what it's left you.

Now put a lot of pressure on two areas. One area is the draft. The second area is undrafted free agents. The one thing that Jones family will do is they will pony up for you. Look at all the undrafted guy. Look at what they've done.

TJ.

Bass.

Guys like that that they the money that they've spent. They will spend money on undrafted free agents. You know why those guys are on their draft board.

TJ.

Bass like a fifth round guy. All of a sudden, he goes through the whole draft, nobody takes them. We got to have that guy. We thought enough of him. You know, they're willing to do that. This puts a lot of pressure on them because of what happened in last year's draft. You know, and we'll see what happens with Mazie and you know, Schoolmaker and those guys. We'll see what happens with Overshown. You know, you still got

And not to get too far into draft talk, but it also makes me wonder if they're going to be looking even more so this year for opportunities to trade back and get more picks. It just gives them more cracks at it gives them more bodies in the building. I think that could be another strategy where they're trying to fill in the depth that they've lost in free agency, is by getting more picks to do it.

Yeah, we talked about it yesterday, just kind of offline where it was like the Cowboys they really want that fourth round pick back. They really want that back, and I think they're going to go into the draft trying to figure out how to get that back. So I do expect at least one trade back, maybe Day one, early day two. They're going to trying to get them a fourth round a.

Minute, go back for spots, You grab you a third if you want, no doubt.

All right, we're going to take our first break. We win and come back, and I got some questions for you guys about kind of where the Cowboys sit heading into the draft, post free agency, or at least the first round free agency, where they sit, what their biggest losses are, and some areas where they have some strength that maybe they can can look to exploit. We'll talk about that when we come back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.

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Welcome Back.

It is the second segment of the Break presented by LG. We are live from the SBbc Mortgage Studios at the Star and this segment is brought to you by blockchain dot Com. All right, so let's jump in. Uh, here's what I wanted to to talk about let's talk or actually, before we get to that, we just got some breaking news. We'll go to Let's go to Patrick and get that that break news. That's old school. Most people don't get that, right. I got that coming.

Through on the wire, right.

Cowboys have officially agreed to terms with swing tackle Tonydogas. So this will be a second a second goal for cho Manydoga with the Cowboys. It's on a one year deal through twenty twenty four. Does this absolutely guarantee Edoga spot. No, he will be up against whomever the Cowboys decide to pick in the draft, assuming they go at tackle, and then of course we'll see what happens in undrafted free agency. But still an uphill battle for a doga between mini camp,

And I still say keep an eye on Tyler Smith. I don't think it's a done deal after Tyring isn't coming back. I just say keep an eye on it.

We'll see what a first moving this.

As far as moving to tackle.

I do I feel like that the.

Draft, that draft is going to dictate.

I think the draft will dictate that, all right, So.

Here's what I want to do. I want to I want you guys to think about these names. And by the way, you could throw in another name if you choose. But if you had to say one player was the biggest loss for Dallas in free agency, a guy that signed somewhere else, that was here last year, who would you say it is. I'll throw out some names. Dorn's Armstrong, Tyler Biattish, Tyron Smith, Tony Pollard, Dante Fowler, Jonathan Hankins.

It's Tyron Smith for me, and I get what you're saying.

I know you're you're gung ho, and I'm not mad at that your gung ho about the Tyler Smith to left tackle.

I get it. We've had the conversation.

My only thing was, and I know I've heard Brian say this before, so I think we're on the same page with this.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

It's not that we we aren't in on that, because we're in on that, but it's the fact that the team has shown such adversity. I'm such an adverse reaction to me. You don't think that will that I don't feel like I should spend that innergy that's thinking about it.

That's what I mean.

But I feel like if that holds true and they are still so verse to possibly moving because even when you hear Mike McCarthy speak from the owners meetings, he basically said, well, yeah, it's an option, but the way he downplayed it was like, that's not our first, second, the third option.

Right.

So that being said, if that holds true, then the loss of Tyrone Smith weighs very large for me because who's your left tackle? If you keeping tid I'm gonna pass it off. You almost got me fired. And my boss is the one asking the question, trying to I'll tell you all jokes aside, he's not your answer starting to left tackle.

Your leader quotquote.

Unemployment office, I man just yanked the wheel on it.

Know.

So if they hold firm on well, depending on how the draft shakes out, I think the answer is in the draft. If you don't get your answer in the draft, you're in huge trouble period.

Bottom line.

But as Brian has told us, this is a very deep draft for tackle there. If you don't get in the first round, you might not.

Just you have to find your insight at some point in the draft. Yeah. Yeah, and it doesn't have to be day one, but you have to find us get.

About awesome too. I do think that's something we should keep an eye on.

Sure.

I think last year camp there was enough there to make me say a little more development. He might be a guy that could be answered. But keep going, Bran.

Yeah, you know it's funny. I keep if you would have just said, and I love Fowler and Armstrong and those guys, if you would have just said, who's a bigger loss, Tyron Smith or Jonathan Hankins, if you focus it even that way, let me ask you this, did the Cowboys run defense really play better with Jonathan Hankins in there? Do we still have questions even if you had Jonathan Hankins back, which you still have questions about.

The run defense? Fair? You know That's the thing.

I just kind of keep circling back because we talked they don't have a one technique on this roster right now. I mean they're gonna try and get Mozzie Smith built back up and hopefully he can help out.

You know, they're okay.

At three, Patrick told us the Murphy from Texas is coming in.

He's a three technique. He's best three technique in the draft.

Yeah, I mean he seriously you talk about a but he's not a one technique. He's a three, you know, and you've got some three techniques already on this team. Maybe it doesn't keep you from draft, but it's gotta be Tyron Smith, right. I mean even though if you say that we hey, they don't have a one, but were they really? Were they really that much better with Jonathan Hankins, So immediately all think Kyler, it's the run

Let me ask you this, how much Yeah, talking out of this one, how much was the poor run defense a reflection of specifically Hankins play or the poor linebacker play?

I think this is why we're getting all these linebackers on thirty visit, you know, and legitimate downhill fix.

Right, you put Hankins with one of those linebackers in the run defense?

Fix? Is my question.

Kendrick's my guy Wallace from Kentucky. You know, give me one of give me that comed you know, Demon Clark. I think the Moon Clark. The thing about him is he went backwards for me and I was expecting him to go forward. And maybe that had something to do with Layton Vanderesh being out. Yeah, you know, things started to kind of you know, it kind of because too much.

But maybe the whole run defense itself.

Maybe it's not just Jonathan Hankins, as you say, maybe it's Jonathan Hankins linebackers safety play or undersize safety is trying to play as linebackers. Yeah, you know, but the Tyron Smith one hurts you just because now you're in a moment where you maybe have to move an all pro guard or you're going to have to use the twenty fourth pick overall on a tackle. That's the one. There's a lot of moving parts with that Tyron Smith loss.

I mean, I think you definitely saw the different friends. Uh, when Jonathan Hankins was there versus him not being there, we got a good look at what that was like for a brief period there. But with Tyler's Tyron Smith right now, and I say this right now, I'm not suffering the loss as much just because I feel like it's been coming for years now.

Okay, I want to ask you the question.

You you've all along kind of been like, I don't want to be held hostage. I'm sorry if I'm saying it's the wrong way. I don't want to be held hostage by the position anymore. You've you've been all along, and you've been You've been, You've been upfront about that. You're like, listen, I keep dealing with this every year. I keep dealing with the unknown.

Is that? Are you okay with moving on? You're like, you're okay with this?

Right, I've been okay because of that, I think, Uh, someone who suffers from anxiety.

Yeah, I don't know what.

I was speaking to a lot of cowboy fans.

I like to know what actually I got going on. You know, the an injury you cannot predict and all that, But when you have a recurrent issue, okay, you know what you can possibly expect.

So I think.

And that's not to say that when he was on the field he was invaluable, because he really really was and has been. But I think more so than him just leaving is the fact that even with him being here, let's say he was still here, I still have a crap ton of questions around the O line in general, because they were not They were good protecting Dak. They were pretty solid protecting him in the passing game, but

Yeah, I agree with you and Bro. I think that for me, it really is more Hankins than Tyrone because I've also been in that same camp with you tear the band aid off at some point you gotta do it. It's hard to walk away from really great players. But we've seen a consistent pattern you can't get more consistent than knowing Tyron is not going to be able to play seventeen games. We know this, This is historically a fact, right,

Brian, when you talk about got them on this, I know, and that's fair.

I'm looking forward to it. But but but when you talk about the defensive side of the ball, when you said Hankins, you know you gotta look at him and say the run defense, Well, I think ammor made on a stue point there. If you're gonna do that on defense, and you gotta do the same on offense and say the run offense wasn't great, Right, What's Tyrant also a part of that?

Right? Yeah?

The thing that I think I accepted the unknown with Tyron Smith because he was so great, because I knew I can win twelve games because he's gonna play. You know, we saw what others play in the position, how it affected the way you're it affected the chance you had of winning the football game.

I still have nightmares from Atlanta.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's been a long time, but that's but that was a nightmare game. But to me, I I think that, like, yeah, I know that it's It's not I could wake up in New Jersey and not play that day and my chances of winning that game went probably way down because of him not being in there. But does it I think I would rather accept that. I think I would rather accept the unknown of every week holding my breath as opposed to this guy we got in here right now other than other than Tyler Smith,

But that's also where I get back to, and I know, I know what you're saying the Cowboys have shown no desire to want to do this. But I'm looking at this roster and I'm saying, if you cannot draft a tackle that you think is capable, Tyler Smith will will be. I will put money on it. He will be a Pro Bowl caliber.

That's yeah, I agree with you, and I think bass is more than case left guard.

So so you have the answer sitting here if you choose to take that option. And that's also why I think when you go into the draft, for me, I'm looking at center as a more important position. I got to get drafted than even tackle because I have an answer here. It may not be my preferred answer, but it is an answer, and it's a it's a workable answer.

Well, you know, I'm always going to go center over left tackle.

We had this conversation because I feel like the more important part of the offensive line is protecting the interior. Sure, and you if you allow the interior to collapse, it doesn't much matter what happens on the edges because your play is blown up. So I'm really on that for a slightly different reason, but I'm with you on that.

This is why you run the best media department in the in the world and not.

Shot right now.

They would walk down, they would say, they would say, Derek, congratulations here you run one of the most powerful media entities in the world. You're not picking play see but you're not wrong.

See that you're not wrong.

If we if we took all the Cowboy Nation and got all got in a room, if we all got in this one hundred and fifty set meeting room that they have with the players and had everybody say that everybody's with you, and they would walk in and say nope, nope, and you would go, okay, well, thanks everybody for coming.

You know, make sure everything you know.

But no, that's it's it seems.

I don't know.

Well, honestly, I do think we do.

I don't know.

I don't know. I do know this about Jerry Jones.

I know how important it is, and Patrick's absolutely right working with Jerry Jones, I know how important it is for him to have the middle of the pocket the way it is.

That's it.

You look at the you.

Look at the you know they draft a center in the first round. Teams were drafted Travis Frederick. I mean, like people, he's a third round no that's a first round player right there. You know, look what they did with Zach Martin. No, we're not taking Johnny Manziel. We're taking a guard who played tackle.

At Notre Dame. We want him in the game.

We want him a guard.

They're their Their idea of keeping the front of the pocket clean and the ability to step up is important to them.

It's it's a fundamental.

It's like something if they walk down from the mountain with the ten commandments, Thou shall protect the middle of the pocket. You know, that's one of their ten commandments right there. You know, Jerius Moses is awesome, by the way, that would be kind of cool, but you know he he get but grow it out, you know you can do it right, Yeah, you can absolutely do it. So the thing about it is, though, that's a fundamental. That's that's my opinion of it. You know, I say, I

From Duke and now now Amber.

Yeah, going back to the pressure. Are you at a poem where you you have to step out of your fundamentals and try something different?

Okay, I'm going to take a break, and then when we come back, you can ask that question again and we'll see what they have to say.

We'll be back.

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Final second of the Reach today live from s TOWBC Mortgage Studios at the Star, presented by l g amber Just before the break, you had a question, let's throw that question back out there.

Well, we keep talking about fundamentals and how the Cowboys have been all these years. And how they usually handle free agency draft. Are we at a point where dot te pod is just making so much noise right now that you're like, oh my god, this is about to tip over where you have to step out of what you're used to doing, and now you're kind of forcing yourself to try different things or different methods than where you're used to doing everything.

I think there's a difference between fundamentals and.

Your comfort zone.

I think those are two different things, and I need I think that once you understand that, then you would understand my answer to that, which is true, Fundamentals you should never get away from. Okay, whether it be you know, valuing the interior of the offensive line or the xterior of the offensive line, you don't change that just because of what you might be going through this offseason free agency or how the last season ended. Fundamentals are fundamentals

Even if you you know.

Kind of grabbed a sharpie and wrote that as the eleventh commandment on your tablet. That's not actually a fundamental that's your comfort zone. That's what you've kind of struct I disagree with that.

I think for this organization. I think their approach to free agency is a core principle for them. They believe you we heard Stephen talk about it. They believe, yeah, but that that would be a core principle, like that would be the basis of what they believe and how they operate is we are we believe that you're going to overpay for free agents, and we're not willing to overpay for free agents. As as Steven said, you're gonna get to pay a good guy great money or you know,

I agree.

In the aspect of what you're saying that it is a core principle for them. I disagree that just because something that's been deemed a core principle, that that suddenly makes it a fundamental Okay, so example.

Tell me the difference.

Let's use an example. All right, human body, all right, you breathe. Fundamentally, you don't have a choice. If you want to keep living, you gotta keep breathing. Right, If you want to keep living, you got to keep eating. But what if I said my core principle for the past twenty years was to eat French fries every day at you know, twelve noon, because I have the way, right if I felt.

Like that, your.

Gravy on the front hot. But let's say I chose you because I gotta eat. That's the fundamental thing, right, But what and how much I consume or how little I consume? That might be a core principle for me, and that might work in my favor, it might not work in my favorite. If I'm if my core principle is I'm going to eat broccoli every day at noon, then it's probably going to work in my.

Say that probably if.

You say that though in the cowboys world, and take that analogy to the cowboys world. What becomes fundamental because there is nothing that you have to do. The only thing you have to have to stay under the cap.

That's it.

Well, you have to spend a certain amount of money.

That's different.

You got the cap.

That is that is what. That's not a fundamental principle. That is just a law. A fundamental principle is this is how we view it, this is how we're going to approach it, and it is the basis of what we do.

Right, he was on the debate team and he's married to a lawyer.

No, I'm just like, tell me where I'm wrong. Here, tell me where I'm wrong.

I was also the team.

You're not shocking outside playing football.

I don't think we're as far off as from each other's points as we think. I think we're splitting hairs because you're not wrong in that. It's it's it is their core principle. It's how they deem that they want to operate. This is how they feel like what's going to put them in the best position for success. But then you look around the league and other teams have different core principles. And let's talk about the new England Patriots during their dynasty years, their core principles turned them

Would you say their fund What would you say? Was it a principal or fundamental? What they changed with trading draft picks for players.

I think that's a principal change.

I think I don't because that's something they love their picks, right, and we saw what they did with Cooks.

And which goes to my point.

I think that is a change. That is the core principle they decided to change.

That's which which for me means it's not a fundamental because if you can change that, then it's not a fundamental certain and that's where we're kind of split.

Yeah, I guess, I guess I don't. I don't see fundamental. I don't define fundamental the way you do. But that's fine.

That's that's why I said we're not We're not far off.

It's just a matter of how to me, to me fundamental and and core principle I think are very similar things.

But but to give to her but to me not not the same.

But but to get to your point, I don't think they necessarily are changing. They've shown us this offseason they're not looking to necessarily change their core principles of how they view roster building. I think they are sticking to the principles that they've always had, Like this is not new, this is what they've always done. The only difference between this year and last year. Last year actually traded for some place.

That's something new.

But they had to even spend money in free agency.

But you have, you have They also get before for Trey Lance, who they never used.

Right when what's the last time they faced the situation with a quarterback and other potential players CD Lamb, Mica Parsons, eventually too, where now they're kind of tight to where it changes the amount of spending during free agency and what they've done this year, because even their own guys, they've lost a lot of their own key players for the team, or maybe there were, but I think the

There's a different set of circumstances this year because you didn't do what you normally do.

Sign exactly, you are now forced to some principles need to change.

To your point, some core principles do that, and I.

Guess that's the point you're making, is you aren't resigning your guys, so what is like.

You than what you're used to. That's how I think the situation is because now as Brian listed everything that's going on with the coaching staff and everything that's happened, and the amount of pressure and even Jerry Jones he said him many many times how much he wants to win, and that's I think every year as the years go by, that just enhances even more and more and more. So it's at a point where, yes, obviously you have to drive for the future. I mean, you're bringing young guys.

I will say that that some core principles need to change. It's a short example being when they tried to adopt the core principle of wide receiver by committee of blue in their face and that now you have a Marii Cooper. So certain things like that. Yes, you go into this offseason and you say, hey, these are what's happening. We can't continue to stick to this, this and this, But certain things just need to stay the same, which would be like valuing your center over your outside edge.

Things like that.

I think quickly, I think they evaluated their team into Steven Jones's point he didn't want to pay good money for mediocre players. I think that's why they let a lot of these guys walk. You know, they they made the determination. Maybe it wasn't free agency from the outside, but more like inside these players, Tyler, I'm sorry, you're not worth ten million dollars a year.

I think they don't feel like there was a huge drop off from him to Hoffman for the money that you're.

Sure that's the value.

Yeah, from Sam for the money that.

And you can argue that, but I think that's again it goes back to their core principle of not wanting to overpay and free agency even for their own guys, if they don't think those guys are necessarily worth the money. You know, he's going to get the last word because I did get the end the show. I appreciate you guys.

People on social media, please vote who had the best the better debate here.

Yeah, let's let's take.

This is always fun.

This is what we do, what we did against all right, ain't never scar.

I appreciate you guys. We're back next week. We'll get into a little more draft talk because I do want to go to some of these names, uh from from Brian on some guys that you should be keeping an eye on as we approach the draft.

It's the Draft Show tomorrow.

I will, but I want you to bring some of that to us to We'll watch the Draft Show and everybody go out and check out the Draft Show, but bring some of that over here. It man talk about it till then for Patrick Walker. Brian brought us in Ambergarci. I'm Derek Eagleton. This has been The Break live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.

This has been a production of Dallascowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.