Cowboys Break: Grabbing LA by the Horns

have happened, nothing creating big splashes of big news. But the Cowboys did release they cut tackle Alex Taylor Prilorillo and then linebacker Michael Jones on Monday, and then they did sign four players into the practice squad. So Patrick, I'll let you take a handle of those players who they are. If there's much to say there as far as like what they're adding to the team.

before we went hot. Interest in the length of time that Michael Jones was here, I mean as far as it being shortened. The Cowboys obviously got him in, didn't necessarily like what they saw from him in practices. He never got an elevation, and he was here for all of two three weeks, three calendar weeks if you're talking about two games and the bye week. So Michael Jones came in and never really had a shot. They did go out and get Rashaan Evans obviously signed him to

the practice squad for a first round pick. No stranger to the big stage, you know, Alabama product. So yeah, Cowboys added a tight end, which also makes me wonder and I'll get some more information on this after the show. Talk to some folks where Peyton Hindershot is with that ankle injury. That makes me wonder where Peyton Hendershot is. And Brian's probably thinking the same thing as well, you're going to add a tight end is does that mean Hendershot is going to be out a longer period of

time than maybe anticipated? So something to keep an eye on there.

there's some clips I've seen to him. I haven't done a full on report, but there's some people out there that have and you could kind of see some clips of him as a blocker. Seems like something that's a little bit of a strength of his. Uh, you know, he's he's one of those guys too, has career you know, in college you caught like one hundred and eighty three passes,

so he's capable of doing those types of things. But to Patrick's point, you know, you wonder if you know, with the health of hindershot or you know, you need guys to practice, you need those bodies to practice and stuff. But they also might be looking at their situation with blocking it when you go back and as you study the all twenty two from the Chargers game, they tried really hard in that game to use their tight ends

at the point of attack. They tried to use their tight ends on the back side of some polls to get to the point of attack bringing in you know, they pull a guard or pull a tackle, and they were getting compressed and they were getting beat and they were you know, it was a really rough game when it came to running the football. And you wonder if now it's like, do we need to go out and see if we can work out some guys to try and see if we can get some better blocking at

the point of attack. And maybe Celbart is a guy that they kind of look at that well, let's give him a shot and let's see. I mean, you can it's hard to do during during these practices to see how a guy's gonna be. So it's gonna have to be Okay, what are the pro guys seen from him? Maybe there's some stops at along the way in the training camps where they can see that, well, this guy seems like a pretty good blocker. But that's saying a

lot right now. They just they're just not as consistent as they need to be running the football, and somebody has to do with what's going on at the point of attack with their blocking.

something in him as a player. At six one and a half, he's two hundred and forty pounds, so he's got the size that maybe that they're looking for right now when it comes to, you know, that point of attack again, thumper guy that can step up, play the run and deal with that a little bit more size because the issues that they're running into. We've talked about

this a bunch. When they play those nickel packages and stuff and they bring those safeties down, it's, you know, it's guys like Bell and Wilson, those guys, they're tough guys, they're just not big, you know, and teams that they're gonna, you know, they're gonna say, okay, when you get in that nickel, we're gonna run the ball at those guys. So just getting some linebackers with some size and some thump and some point of attack played to him might be something that is on their mind right now.

the mont Clark. But you also don't want to take away any unnecessary reps from a guy like Marquise Bell who is playing at a high level. So if your buddy Johnson, your mission is to get in here and not suffer the same fate that Michael Jones suffered.

run at each other. You can see the movement, you can see how they step up, you can see how they go through the drills. But I give the front office some credit for this one, because to me, it's you just kind of keep rotating that you don't know if you're going to hit a guy like that. You don't know if Buddy Johnson all of a sudden like in this scheme. You know, it didn't work in Pittsburgh, it didn't work in San Francisco, but maybe it works here.

Maybe something clicks for him and then now you got a linebacker halfway through. But a lot of times these teams will just sit there with the same practice squad the whole year and not do anything, and you're not getting any better out of that. I'd still love for him to make a trade somehow someway. We've talked about that a bunch around here, but at least they're trying to churn that practice squad and maybe find a guy that can fit what they're trying to do offensively and defensively.

of those are near one hundred percent. So Mike McCarthy said today that je Ya Tomas, for example, he suffered a hamstring injury that popped up ahead of that game.

with his knee, Zach Martin with a thigh. If all three of those guys are also full participants, that's just magnificent news because this is going to be game three of that combination being together, and that we keep talking about, the more reps they get together, the more to pay dividends for them. So, yeah, expect the Cowboys to trend upwards as far as health. So the bye week, although it was a week earlier than it normally is, it couldn't have been at a better time for the Cowboys.

creating any space. I mentioned the tight end blocking. They've tried to do it a couple of different ways with the zone schemes. They're just not very clean at the point of attack with the combo blocks, getting second level linebackers. They played some good linebackers this year that have been able to run. But they've got to figure out in this off week, is there a better way to run the ball against the chargers. It was more about trying to pull guys, and we've talked to pin and pulls

a word we use down blocks guys coming around. They just really weren't very effective at all? I mean, how are you not getting movement? Two of the best that we've seen in the past have been what Zach Martin playing on one leg right now but hopefully better and him and Steel they've been able to get that right side, get that thing secure where they do get some push and then the tight end is able to get a little shield block and then they can run the ball.

But they haven't really had enough space. To me, I'd like to see if during that bye week, when the coaches had an opportunity to sit down and self scout, are we doing everything we need to run the ball effectively. They're going to have to be able to do it in the second half much better than what they've shown here in the first half of the season. And that's something that I think might be might look a little different, like, Okay, is it the way we're running it, is it the sets?

Is it the motions? We need to do it better out eleven personnel, then we bring tight ends in. Does that make us compressed? I think these are all things they had to kick around during the during the bye week to try and figure out where where.

and the running backs coach. So it goes right to the heart of Brian's point as far as being interested to see what this Cowboys run attack, rushing attack looks like going into week eight and going forward, particularly with Blascow now back on the field as opposed to his duties with coordinating the run game being kind of split between other assistants and position coaches. But for me, it goes back to I still want to see the deep

middle part of the field exploited. I want to see those shots being taken a little bit of optimism, and you go back and look at the Chargers game. They took one or two shots there and it paid off for them. So for me, it's bringing that pendulum back to center and not being fearful of attacking the middle of the field. Make the opposing defense cover three thirds of the field as opposed to just the boundaries, because that's going to stretch those safeties and that's going to

open up plays down the field. More explosiveness. We want to see explosiveness. We want to see those vertical routes, those nine routes on the outside. Well, it's going to be harder if safety is in. Opposing defensive coordinators know they don't have to worry about the middle chunk of the field. So exploit that. Take those shots. And yes, sometimes it's not going to work out for you. Sometimes that's going to be an interception. But I'm on record as saying is I would rather as long as it

doesn't cost the Cowboys games. I would rather the Dak Prescott that throws, you know, for thirty five touchdowns but has twelve interceptions and the Cowboys are twelve and five, thirteen and four versus the Dak Prescott that throws you know, twenty four touchdowns to eight interceptions, but you're nine and you know eight and you're in a wild card situation.

he did a great job with that. But the thing about it is now with him being the primary linebacker and then others having to fill in, I think that's something that it's all on tape now with what the Chargers game was. Will Sean McVay and the Rams, how will they attack this script? So it's gonna be up to Dan Quinn to kind of figure out what's the

next move. Am I gonna be able just to sit in there with Bell and these others just you know, playing that tech, Bell and Clark and those guys playing technique or do I have to be a little bit more creative and keep them from maybe getting exposed until vander esh gets back.

Of course, that is contingent upon how practice goes this week, But that could be a variable that works in favor for the Cowboys, is that teams just don't know what Rashaun Evans looks like with a with dan Quinn cootinating them.

use this guy, use that guy. So I wonder if there's some other move that they're thinking about, because, like I said, I didn't really understand while Wheat they bring him up here, we go sign him, let's go. It's and now he's part of the plan early in that football game, and you're like going, was that really what they wanted or envisioned for that? So coaches are always coming up with ideas and Dan will be no different this week.

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So big news for the Werewolf. The second part of his immortalization will will happen this weekend.

and Matthew probably would. But you know, with concussions he dealt with He had the spinal cord contusion last year. That that that's the one thing that knocked him out. It happened to him in Week fourteen. So so far, so good for him. He's only really dealt with one thing in Week four He's he had a hip injury that kind of slowed him down a little bit against the Colts, but he came back in the game and was able to win the game. He wasn't moving around too well, but he was able to finish the game

and grab that victory. So, you know, good for him. He's he's always been a super tough guy. When you watch him play, he's got a resilient ability to just kind of keep fighting throughout a game. He moves well enough in the pocket, but he's not one of these many these quarterbacks it's going to run away from you. He'll hold the ball until the very last possible second before letting it fly. You can watch him, he's like

a baseball pitcher. His his his platform is usually like he'll throw it sie arm to get it around a guy, he'll loop it over the top. He's got touch, He's not afraid to throw the ball. He's one of those guys though that's always been a good tight window thrower. But if you look at the metrics they talk about, he hasn't made as many tight window throws this year, so he's kind of choosing more of the guys that

have some separation or that are completely wide open. But he's not afraid because he has the arm talent still to get the ball anywhere he wants to put that football. The primary routes that he throws are the in cutting routes. We worried about that a little bit with with what's going on with Gilmore where we see those routes where they'll make Gilmour chase. That's something that the Rams like to do. They'll get the receivers and then they they'll run him on these end routes. They like to try

and trail each other. So all of a sudden, you got a guy that they'll they'll run guys. They'll delay a guy behind another guy, run the route, and then run another route behind Matt to try and give you a little bit more of confused us, right, there, so Stafford, but it's going to be to get those routes off, you got to have protection, and that's kind of been a little bit of a problem for them. The metrics will tell you that teams will play more zone coverage

against him than they will man. It's about a seven to thirty split against him, and then he gets blitzed about thirty percent of the time. His pressure rate is about forty one percent, so you can kind of see nearly half the time he's throwing the ball with somebody in his face. Primarily he operates out of what we call eleven personnel that's one running back, three wide receivers. This is ninety three percent of the time. So the

Cowboys are going to be in nickel. Really the entire time in this game is with the Rams being on the field.

the team kind of falls apart around him. The offensive line. We'll get into that. There's this is a big problem for them. But he's always been able to maintain that toughness. You see him get hit time after time after time, and then he's back still throwing the football side arm under whatever he has to do. That doesn't waver with the way you watch him play at all.

five interceptions of that game trying his best to light you up for four or five touchdowns.

So if you can get him early on to make a mistake, then that'll get him kind of rolling in the wrong direction. But if he gets on kind of a hot streak early, you might be in for kind of a long day there.

cool for him to be able to come home and play. Uh. In college at TCU, uh, Avula played every offensive line position. They've got him playing guard here. He's not the best athlete, but this power makes up for these shortcomings that he might have. If you try and rush him down the middle, he is going to be a hard guy to move. You just can't run through this guy. He's got a great base. He's physical, he's strong, He's really sturdy if

you just try and run over the top. Where he does have troubles is with movement, and you know there were some teams that gave him some problems in these games that I watch, he's a rookie. I think this is where maybe that OsO Odiggy's Wall can take a little bit of an advantage of him because the harder, the more quickness that he deals with you see him, it kind of affects the way that he sets and the way that he moves. You could take him one way, taking back the other and then get on his shoulder

and go. But if you're going to rush him down the middle, you're going to lose all day. He's just going to sit down. And but he's a good, good young lineman for them. He's getting better every game that I watched where there really what they struggle is al

Rick Jackson and Rob Havnstein. Are you know these these guys are the tackles and I think you could take advantage of them because the Steelers, if you watch the Steelers, and I kind of can look at the Steelers the same way with the Cowboys with their ability to play on the edge and have these pressure players, and these two tackles really struggled with movement, and I mean movement of not just running, but it was like it was it was like you know that quick just that initial shoulder,

that shoulder shake or that you know press and then go back the other way. These guys just don't move very well when it comes to dealing with initial bursts from from those edge rushers. So you could kind of get them off on the wrong foot and that and that kills their balance and then you work around them or you work inside. I just think this is one of those games where you need to pressure both of them throughout. Don't give them any easy rushes. Make sure

you're on the movement. You're trying to get them off balance because they will they'll struggle with that. The Steelers did a great job of just every attacking rush was a movement and it got them off balance and then they were able to get to Stafford there. So they will do a much you know, they're a group that will struggle. Like I mentioned in that, their center I want to talk about is Coleman's Shelton, And what's unusual about him is he's really good at helping his teammates,

his linemates. When he's uncovered. I'd cover him, I'd cover him, I'd make sure somebody's on him because He's not gonna win a lot of battles one on one, but he's much better at helping when he can kind of see like, oh, hey, my garden needs help here, or you know, or I got to kind of keep an eye on the rusher over here. He's good at doing that and having that kind of awareness. But when he has the one on one assignment, it's a little bit of a problem for him.

It's unusual for him as he's one of these rare centers that snaps the ball left handed too, so it's a little bit different look when you look down the line. You're used to seeing those right handed centers. He's a left handed center, so it just kind of be a little bit different for your eye when you're looking inside and trying to get off on the ball there.

escapability in Matthew Stafford. So if ever, there was a game that was kind of set for you to kind of tee off on the quarterback like this is it. You're not going to have to contend with Joshua Dobbs' legs or Daniel Jones's legs or any of that nature. It's Matthew Stafford. He's a pocket guy. He's not one that likes to leak out of the back back end of the protection. And you know, rattle off first down, he's going to be back there. The Cowboys are going

to get back there. Matter is after that put your hands on.

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almost fifty to fifty where they line him up. I mean, they just don't say, Okay, we're gonna just put you in the slot, or we're gonna just go put you outside. I mean it's really legitimly split fifty to fifty where they're gonna try and put him. The majority of his targets have come from the slot, and the majority of his receptions, is funny, have come from the outside. So they throw the ball to him inside, but they have

more receptions with him on the outside. So just you know, that's kind of a little something crazy to kind of keep in mind there though. His separation is interesting too. He gets less separation from the slot than he does on the outside, which is, you know, you usually think like in the slot, you have this, you know, you have the ability to use the whole field. You have what they call two way go where you can just

kind of go anywhere you want on the outside. You kind of have a prescribed route that you run exactly. It's it's a weird thing, but he's really good at catching the football. He makes super tough catches. He's tough, he'll take a hit. He's one of those guys that likes to come across the middle. You give him the ball and then he's going to make big plays. It's very similar to what you kind of saw on the

receivers from San Francisco that shallow cross. Hit him with the pass, let him go up the field, or you know, kind of run him a little bit deeper, intermediate across the field throwing the ball, let him run. He's one of those, you know, he's a very very talented receiver in that way. We talked about Puka Dakua and this has been this guy has been a steal for the

Rams through the first seven games of the season. He really burst on the scene because he was filling in for Cooper Cup and you know, but they use him like Cooper Cup and so now it's it's more of a the with cut back. He's kind of gone to a more of an outside role. But man, when every time Stafford throws in the ball, it just doesn't matter where it is, he's gonna catch it. He's just that's

that's the way he plays. And I just was super impressed with, you know, with him and his ability to come in and the nuances of the game and running routes and all that. You know, it's been really impressive. You've got to be aware of both these guys are very similar or how they play. They play inside, they play outside, They drag routes, they go up the field, they turn around, you throw them the ball, they run. Uh.

It's really really it's been impressive. He I think that he has more quickness than what you have from Cooper Cup And you know that's something that you're going to have to deal with right there because he has the ability to create that separation. But the third guy I want to point out two is to two out Well And like his teammates, the majority they have some great names,

great names. To two out Well is a majority of his work is done on the outside because you've got these other two guys that really work on the on the inside. Where he presents a problem is they bring him into the formation, they'll like he's the guy they're always going to put on the move so like the guys will be stationary and then they'll bring out well in motion. They'll make it a trip's formation, scatter, they'll move him across, they'll bring him by himself, but they're

always He's the one guy that's constantly moving. So if in zone coverage, you got to be aware of him starting on one spot and then ending up where you're at, or if you're a man, you've got to be ready to travel across with him and deal with that or bump out whatever you have to do. But he's the guy that's on the move. He makes a lot of

big plays in the middle of the field. You know, there's there's times where Stafford is wearing defensive linemen and he just fires the ball in the middle of the field out well, it goes down low, catches the ball right off the top of the turf. And so he's one of those guys that you know, like I say, you got to be aware of him moving around and with because of the motions to just kind of create issues.

And then also with Kupp and Nakua, two very similar guys to to how they play, so they've got a pretty solid receiving corps with those with those three guys.

the line of scrimmage. So, but I mean, no other way to put it other than how Brian put it. You're gonna have your hands full with Cooper Cup and Pooka Nakula and and to to at well. I mean, that's a lot of quickness, that's a lot of speed, and that's a lot of catch radius. But also keep an eye on a guy like Tyler Higbee. Yeah, yeah, Yeah, that's the that's going to be the pressure release valve

for Matthew Stafford. So if you're covering well on those receivers, and you better make sure if you're jay Ron Curse, if you're those linebackers, if you're a those safeties, keep an eye on Tyler Higby. He doesn't have any touchdowns yet this season, but that doesn't mean that can't change at the blink of an eye. So, yeah, they got some weapons around Matthew Stafford, but as it goes, if you want to neutralize the weapons, you take out the quarterback.

not very It's not his strength at all. His strength is getting up the field and then playing in the slot he kind of plays. There's a lot of run routes that he runs where he's near the line of scrimmage or on next to the tackle what we call in line right next to the tackle, But a lot of his work also is done detached in the slot where he could kind of work a little bit in space. So it just depends on when they get in there. When they get in their eleven personnel, he is always

going to be the tied end and eleven personnel. So it's those three wide receivers and then and then Higbee. Some teams treat Higbee like he's like he's a wide receiver, like you put a guy. When you put a guy like a linebacker or safety that's not really comfortable in coverage. He has success. But if you kind of treat him with a with a with a corner or somebody that can run with him, it makes it a little bit

more difficult for them. So I'm i'm I'm gonna be keeping an eye on how do you match the other those wide receivers that we talked about. The quarterback, Well, that's the advantage you have right there. Your pass rush. Your pass rush is an advantage over this offensive line and can you get to Stafford before the ball comes flying out of there. That's that's where that's where this recipe. That's it.

go under center. It's usually like when they get they get like the Cowboys run the same thing. You just Dak takes a snap, turns and hands the ball to Poller and they just attack the middle of the line. There's a couple of different ways, but it's gonna be like that out that It's gonna be zone block. It's gonna be outside and just kind of let the back. Freeman is a really big guy stewarding thirty eight pounds, so he's kind of a guy that's not really quick.

He's just downhill and tries to be physical with you. Henderson on their side, smaller, quicker.

was pretty eye opening for me. The thing that I like about Henderson is that he is smaller, he's quicker, and he's more decisive where he's going to go with the football. So you know, you got to be ready. One guy is just going to try and run over you, and one guy is going to be a little bit more shifty in the way that he plays with Just.

as Eckler can do. So the confidence there is you've now seen them shut down guys like Bryce Hall, Dalvin Cook, Austin Eckler. That gives you confidence that the linebacker core can do that, hopefully against a guy like Williams as well. And outside of last week, a rushing attack from the Rams that is not their strength, that's not their bread

and butter, and that's what they've been struggling at. So it's a Cowboys run defense that one or two games notwithstanding, has looked very good even in the absence of late Vanderush last week. Versus a rushing attack from the Rams. That a is not their primary goal. That's not the bread and butter, and when they go to it, it typically more often than not hasn't gone well. So I think the linebackers are in a good matchup.