Cowboys Break: Hollywood Ending

edition of The Break. We are Alive from the SBbc Morgan Studios at the Star were presented by mill of Light, the only beer of the Dallas Cowboys, and man, this is just becoming a normal thing. On Monday's Cowboys win another game. They beat the Los Angeles Rams twenty two to ten. They have now run the gauntlet on the two Super Bowl teams, beat both of them within a matter of three weeks, four weeks, so doing really well. And we'll start where we start on typically on Mondays.

What was the story of the game. Let's start with you, Nick. The defense is just nasty. I mean, that's just what we wanted them to be all year. We thought they were going to be a team that the Cowboys could lean on, and we thought that it would be because Michael Parsons is a badass and they're leaning on the defense. He's been a badass. They're actually scoring points and yet they still refuse to give up more points than they did the week before, and that's five weeks in a row.

It was awesome, and there's a lot of other storylines there, but I'll just still the easy one. I think Michael Parsons and I wrote it. I think Michael Parsons is the best defensive player in football. I think I think the torch was passed on this day, and I think he's he's the best. Knock him off, although the other one was pretty dub done, pretty damn good. Let's say it's pretty good and he dominates that defensive line, but this guy dominates the front seven. Can play him anywhere

on the front seven. I never saw Aaron Donald go up and guard Charles, even though we probably could have. But I'm saying this guy is actually more versatile than Aaron Donald. Right now, ab what you got, nobody can stop us? Oh gosh, Philadelphia. Now I'm just saying, like, you know, yes, defense it's just it's so impressive what the score ends up being like, and you see the points that they have allowed, and you know, we sit here and we kind of we'll always give them credit

to the defense. But when we're analyzing the next opponent, you know, we talked about the run defense, and we talked about you know, people on social media, I want to point out the place that Trevor and Diggs does give up and think say that. I'm like, okay, what's the end result of what they're giving y'all take that all day long. So it's just it's if it's freaking great because I haven't been here with the defense that

plays the way that they're playing. We got a little taste of that last year, well pretty decent taste last year, but the way they're playing this year and under another year with Dan Quinn and what he's doing with all their player and again, it's just it's the fact that it's not just one player. It's not one player, it's all of them making plays. A week after week you get different guys standing out. So that's what's more impressive to me and more amazing and fun to watch all

the time. This team got ten first downs for the day. They haven't won a game since I think it was November first of nineteen seventy was the last time they did that. It wasn't alive. Yeah, they only got that day that day the Philadelphi Eagles. They got only ten first downs or less than one a game the last time that has happened. Here, Your offense, your defensive lines are really really good. I mean, the defensive analysis here

is very good. This offense isn't turning over the football, and you would think with your backup quarterback that that could be a problem. And they're really doing a very good job of not giving opponents the short fields and things like that. With the turnovers, they realize the offense realizes that there really are good defensively, they run the ball effectively. When we get to who's your player of the game, I got my guy in mind for the Cowboys,

and it's not a defensive player. But they're doing a great job of just saying, you know what, we're good enough on special teams, we're good enough playing defense, and if we don't f it up on offense, we're going to be okay in these things. And that's how they've managed to do this and to Kellen Moore, Mike McCarthy, Cooper Rush, you know, I mean Cooper Rush along the way, made some really good throws and had some bad drops.

Some real I mean, if you if you go back and you look at the Lamb drop on third down, you know, the Michael Gallup drop. I mean, he put the ball where it needed to be. But this guy is refusing even when he gets sacked or gets hit, He's holding onto the ball. He's not forcing it into some spots. And that's where I think that this team

is benefiting the most. That now there's going to come a point in time where you're gonna have to move the ball and you're gonna have to be able to be able to sustain drives because your guys are starting to get nicked up a little bit, your best players starting to get nicked up, and you know, so to put it all on them, I don't think you could do that right now. But man, this offense is doing a good job of protecting that football. Let's talk about

Cooper Rush. He was ten of sixteen, sixty two percent completion rate, one hundred and two yards pass. Not a great day on the If you look at just the raw numbers of that he had three he was sacked three times, had an eighty point seven rating. Um. Overall, Brian, you gave us your opinion. Amber and Nick, I'd love to hear from you. What were your what was your assessment of Cooper Rushing what he was able to do yesterday? It doesn't it doesn't f it up. I mean, that's

that's what it is. That's what I mean Brian is saying. I mean, he didn't he didn't do a lot. He didn't have to do a lot. And that's that's the key I mean. And that's that's the argument that you know, old Dad can do this and all that day and of course Dad could do could could he can do this? You know, that's that's what he He can easily go out and run an offense like that. I thought. I thought Rush played a lot better than his stats show. Um,

you're right about those throws, you know, in the second half. Now, But I will say this the offensive line. They they they did their job, They really did. They They it was a it was tough sledding out there, but man for them to keep running it the way they did and protected him. Um, you know, I thought you're dealing with a guy and Aaron Donald who moves all around. But I thought all of them had had moments of playing really well. And like Brian said about Rush, he

doesn't fumble, it doesn't throw the picks. He tries sometimes throw that interception ball just nobody wants it, but some of those in almost every game where it just doesn't happen. In that first half, I didn't think he was it was as good. He missed some throws there. Second half though, everything was pretty much on the money. That ball to to gallop down the sideline, I mean, that was a beautiful throw. Now, of course the catch was amazing, but

he throws the ball really well down. I just thought, you know, they're not asking him to do a lot. You don't have to do a lot, and he's doing just enough. Yeah, he's doing a great job so far as a backup quarterback. And I mean there's a reason why he's a bike up quarterback. So he's doing what you need him to do to kind of keep this team afloat and the offense moving. But I'm at the point where now I'm like, Okay, I'm ready to see

Dak back in the team. I'm ready to see what he can do with this offense get more points because we're at that spot where, Okay, yes it's great for the defense to be playing the way that they are, but now we need the offense to do a little something more for the defense. So I'm ready. I'm past the whole thought. You know, I was kind of entertaining in my head nick thought a few weeks ago of like I'm sticking with the guy who's winning. Well, now

I'm past that and I'm ready to play. Yeah it sounds like, oh yeah, kind of like that, but yes, I'm ready to have Dak back on this because it makes me wonder, Okay, how much more can they score? And we know Dak. I don't think his level of playing is completely like, I don't think that game was a good reflection of what he really is the first game of the season. So I can't wait to see

him back, and I'm wondering when that's gonna be. If we'll see if he has a full practice this week, but I would imagine we're kind of getting to that point where he's gonna be back into action. Yeah, go ahead, I just yeah. I think Ambar and Nick both are right about that the thing. The thing with Dak and this week will be. I think if Dak had thrown the ball last week, or we'd heard about, you know, practices. You guys live in this building, you live with the players,

you understand all this. You start to hear whispers and I had a good week throwing the ball. Somebody to walk up to you. That just hasn't been the case. The fact that he has another visit with the doctor on a Tuesday and not on a Monday, you know, kind of because maybe it's an off day and stuff like that. I think there's probably another week away, you know. I just haven't heard that for sure. But I wasn't

hearing anything like man last week he threw the ball. Well, I think he's going to need more than just the normal practices this week in order to get ready for

this game. Yeah. I think that's the part that if you look at at what Cooper Rush did this last game, I'm not sure that will be enough against Philadelphia because I think Philadelphia has a better I don't think their receivers are better than that receiver that you saw he's all yesterday, but I think as an offense, I think they are better or offense um, and I do think this will be a game where you may need a little bit more than what you were able to get yesterday.

And I'm a little concerned about that part of whether Cooper can really step up this offense, get this offense operated a little bit better. Like the running game was good, but you need the passing game to give you some of that too when you're playing a better offense that also has a good defense. By the way, what's what's the highest I'm trying to think how many touchdown we've scored, Like what has been the most in one game, not field goals or anything. Two touchdowns two for the two

against the Bengals and two against the Giants. The highest points they've had offensively, they've been twenty five in a game, right, So yeah, that that would be I would I know Dak's average was was high lash higher than that for sure.

Now part of that was you gotta and I don't know if you want to take stuff out, but you want to start looking at you can you can make the argument that some of those games against the NFC East, particularly that last game where they scored just fifty one, they caught, they caught, they caught the Commanders for fifty and they caught the Eagles, and the Eagles didn't play most of the guys for that game. So that kind of game, like, if you want to take that, you can.

But fact the matter is Dak throughout his career and certainly last year was averaging more than than what they're averaging right now offensively as far as points, I do believe the offense gets better with Dak. Yeah, And so that being said, like it's just a matter of you're doing what you need to do. I think you put it perfectly amber he as a backup quarterback. He's doing

what a backup quarterback should do. A really good backup quarterback should be able to find a way to just give you enough so you don't lose in those games where you're just trying to maintain without your start. And I think that's what he's doing right now. Yeah. I thought one thing that really helped him was on first down that Cowboys did a nice job running the football. Never I just looked this up. The average seven point eight yards a pop on first down running the ball. Yeah.

Now they had a big run in there, but with Pollard, but but that was that was and that play was absolutely well blocked. I mean by everybody. Everybody across the line did a good job on the field too. Down the field, yeah, I mean, hender shot and Phoko down there blocking. And that's another thing. When Phoco's in the game, game like, it's probably gonna be a run. I mean that, that's what they typically show. He just taking over the Noah Brown rule right right like over here. So maybe

five years from now he will be actually pretty good. Yeah, yeah, this, you know, we talked about it last week on the show. The way to attack this RAM defense was to run the football at them that you know they want to get up field and all that. And I think the Cowboys did a good job overall of getting hat on hat and then making some very physical runs in this game. So let's talk about that running game a little bit more. Zeke was twenty two carries for seventy eight yards or

three point five average. At one point. Seemed like he was every time he tested the balls five yards. I hate to seem like he was just bulldozing his way to five yards. Paulard had eight for eighty six ten point eight average. With the big fifty seven yard TD he is the home run hitter and very very adept at that role for this team. That all being said, with a great defense an efficient running game, do you think Dallas really can match up with any team in

the NFL matchup? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, because as what they can do is if they can get you in a situation where you have where you're you're you say, you have a negative play, you know, and you're now you're second and twelve or you know, you're second and ten, because they can now you know, teams, not all teams are willing to run the ball on second and ten, you know, because Dallas is going to get you in

that situation and they're going to come after you. So yeah, they could play against anybody bye bye if they keep you. I was worried about this game where the Rams would stay with ahead of the chains, you know, because they don't get penalized. And then you had a crew. Bill Vinovitch's crew doesn't call a lot of penalties. So it's thinking, Okay, how do you get how do you get the Rams into some negative yarded situations? And the Cowboys did a great job of choking the run. They had some tackles

for losses and stuff like that. So yeah, as long as the running game doesn't have an effect in a positive way, Dallas could beat anybody in this league. And you know, I'm coming to the realization of, like, okay, we don't need splashy, flashy plays from the running game all the time kind of how you know, back to

when Zeke got here. I think I still have that in my head of like, Okay, this running game can possibly look like that again, but take out Tony Poler's run the long one for the touch them the running game.

It's like, okay, it can work the way it went down, like then running the ball in that way not necessarily us or I should speak for myself, but me expecting, okay, when when is it gonna happen that Zeke is gonna have that flashy play where you keep expecting them to run for over five more yards if that's the average, you know, And it's like, Okay, this can work, and it can create that balance that we keep talking about

between the running game and the passing game. So I think I'm at that point where I'm like, Okay, this this running game can be effective with Zeke and Tony Polar. Obviously, Tony Polar kind of gives you more speed in that way of him being able to skate, but for him to do that, you also need a guy like Zeke

doing what he's doing as well. So it's just mum burying the thought of like my expectations and realizing that this is okay enough and you add the pretty nice passing game with Dak Prescott coming back, expecting that I think it can. It can work really well balanced out that way. Yeah. I think a lot of people have

to remember too. When you get Dak back, whatever point that comes, hopefully you still got Michael Gallop in the lineup, and as we saw yesterday, he is a big play type receiver that they didn't have the benefit of in Week one. You add him to ceedee Lamb. You got Noah Brown kind of adding a little bit into that mix.

I think you got a good enough wide receiver crew to where you can if you're just averaging let's say you're averaging twenty points without Dak, I think you can push that average up to about a touchdown war with Dak and these these receivers that he didn't have on Week one. So the last two weeks thought Volts hadn't been a factory exact catch. So I think there's some I think there's plenty of reason to believe this offense will be much more effective and efficient in the passing

game once Dak is back. All Right, we're gonna take our first break. When we come back, we want to talk about the offensive line, particularly Tyler Smith. He has had a phenomenal start to his rookie year. Yesterday gotta welcome to the NFL moment or a few of those moments. We'll talk about that when we come back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. The season is finally here. For months, we've been gearing up to win. Now it's

time for the team that performs on any field. United egg In Turf with John Deer zero turns for mowing, compact tractors for loading to many excavators for digging, Gator utility vehicles for hauling, implements for grading, pay tools for bailing, United agg In Turf for winning the official Laggin Turf equipment supplier of the Dallas Cowboys. Visit United Agginturf dot Com for more. Todd thought it would be secure to jog and the cheatah Savannah. Todd believed the big cat

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Tyler Smith. As I said before the break he's really had I think one of the best opening quarters of the season of anybody on the team. He's been really impressive, especially when you put it in the context of he is a rookie making his first start and didn't even do this playing left tackle most of the time that

he's been with the Cowboys during the offseason. That being said, yesterday he faces what Nick thinks is the second best defensive player in the league in Aaron Donald and uh, and you gotta stick with that, um and and Aaron Donald covered the Rams and I don't have to go in the locker room in the Rams locker room, but you talked to you talked to Tyler Smith after the game.

What was his demeanor because it was a game where I mean, he had two two situations where he kind of let Donald buy Donald forced to fumble, He had two holding calls. I think it was against Donald. It was a tough day for him. What was his demeanor like after the game? A guy that that just when, you know, got a lesson, but he understood and he and you know, I think he's excited about learning from it.

I think he's gonna be really good because mentally, he doesn't get down on himself, and he's and he's he takes coaching. The guy that coached him the most yesterday was Jason Peters. Jason Peters off to the side, helped him. Of course, he's got a rib injury. We'll see how how long that's gonna be. But I thought he, you know,

he understood what he was doing wrong. He had a guy he could kind of lean on the sideline, came back I thought he cleaned it up a little bit, and let's not forget and I put this as one of my five plays. Gives up a sack, gets a holding penalty, which you obviously wasn't holding very well because this guy got a sack. Quarterback fumbles. He recovers that fumble that could have been a huge, huge change there for the Rams. So I thought that was big. Yeah,

we were talking to him last night. He said, Yeah, the least I could do in that situation to get the ball on the ball. He's like, at least I could get the ball, And you're right. I love his demeanor, the way he approaches it, Like there are a lot of guys that can get really down on themselves, and it's easy when you got everybody telling you, you know how bad you did, and you saw how bad you did, like you can get down yourself. But it sounded to me like he's the kind of guy has the right

kind of mentality. Yeah, and he can watched y'all twenty two and he probably did on the way home, and he could watch an all Pro Hall of Fame right guard have struggles with him too. Yeah, you know, I mean that it wasn't easy it wasn't easy for Zack Martin in that game. The guy that played him the absolute best was Connor McGovern. Connor McGovern, it's crazy to say that a guy that's not really the best athlete but kind of a maller brawler kind of guy gives

him the most problems. And that's the thing about it was there were a couple of times the long run we mentioned the scoop blocks were really really good, but when it came down to just him having to deal with with Donald's quickness, he kind of powered him and then it got him kind of off balance. But you you watch, like I say, it wasn't you know. I felt like that Tyler Smith got better as the game went on when that matchup kind of came his way.

It's the first two. It was like, the very first Snappy had against him was the you know, oh damn moment. You know that that was, and then the second one was another oh damn moment. But after that it was kind of like, oh, okay. But you can watch Aaron Donald walk Zach Martin back into Cooper Rush as he's trying to throw the ball over to ceedee lamb, you know, and it short hops was his first pass when yeah,

you could see Martin. You could see Martin really struggling to even sit down on him, and Connor McGovern was kind of a you know, fighting him and knocking him around a little bit. And I thought that if you ask me for you know, you could say player of the game, Parsons and this and that. Give me what Connor McGovern was able to do against a guy that is just an absolute pain in the ass to deal with when on that inside rush, Yeah, it's pretty impressive.

And going back to Tyler Smith, I remember when those couple of plays happened. I was in the press box of being like, Okay, well there we go. Donald found his spot and he's gonna go at him every snap. And it didn't really go down that way, didn't materialize that way. They kept consistent with how they move it,

and they started and they started the game. The first five or six snapps were against Zack Morton and then finally they moved him over and then they started playing him on the shoulder of Connor McGovern, and Connor McGovern's eyes got really really big and then he was battling him over there. But when they had to run the ball, and it was those two guys handling those guys over there. They were up to the task that those first two snaps for for Tyler Smith were like, oh geez, my

life is about to become a living hell. And they moved him away and he kind of like, okay, and catch a break, now, catch a breath here. Well, so yeah, that when I talked to Zach after the game, he mentioned that, he said they do a good job of moving Donald around, but they don't want to keep him on the outside. And I even tweeted that too, because

I said, well, they use that to your advantage. If you're gonna just go up against Tyler Smith all day on the left side, then we're just gonna run over here, like we're just gonna run, I mean, and you can't have your best player always on the side. That's why Mica Parsons moves around like that too, And so you know, I thought I thought that was that was bad for Tyler for a little bit, but he did settle down and then other guys got it, got a you know,

hat on a hat on him too. Yeah, everybody did a good job when those first two were just yeah, you close your eyes and you know, when you go back and you know, maybe you know, five six years from now, Tyler Smith will go, hey, what was it like to play against Sarah Donald? Oh, let me tell you man that you know, and then he'll have that moment where he can recall. But you know, he once those two plays went away, they did a much better

job of dealing with him. I bet you Larry Allen won more battles against Reggie White in his career, but I can promise you his rookie year, Reggie White threw him. Yeah, he threw him like ten fifteen yards this way. Um, Larry probably won a lot more as the time time went on. But but well, you know, you have your moments like that. It's funny you say that the guy that gave Larry Allen actually gave Reggie White the most problems was Eric Williams, who's a baller brawler type of

a guy. Just a tough guy, hitching the throw, poke in the eye, hitching the lower area. You know that kind of guy. Yeah, you look at in the growing, you look at at at Tyrant's during his rookie year. You remember how DeMarcus was kind of treating him like that, and it was you know that that's just the nature of it. When you're young and you're coming in you have to deal with some of these guys that are vets and heading towards the Hall of Fame like it's

going to be a challenge. Do you wear and Tyrans? Say Tyler? I said Tyrant meeting Tyrant? Okay, well, in my mind I was a thinking too of Tyring and Tank. Yeah, yeah, then you know he threw Tank around and broke his foot from ten weeks And that's just the nature of it. You're coming in the league, you gotta deal with these vets, like you find out this is a grown man league. These a grown man have been doing this and know how to do it really well, and you got to

get catch up to it. And that's why I think the demeanor is so important. How And that's why I asked me a question, because how how Tyler's demeanor is will be will dictate probably how successfully can be when you have to face those kind of moments and how you rebound her those I want to again, I was gonna say again this is another week that of another example of the players how we talk about that are very,

very talented around the NFL. That at the end of the game, like they they didn't completely dominate you or kill you, so you live to talk about it. Yes, you didn't. You didn't have to drop back, you know, save the equipment, dig a. Did you know you didn't have to do that? You manage you Actually you walk off, but you're thinking, I never want to play against that guy again. But you live to tell about Liz. You're walking on your own two legs on your way to

the buses and everything. So yeah, and your sandwich, get on the bus and go for it. Yeah. Yeah, it's still again impressive, impressive that they're just having killed them completely. I do want to stick with offensive line and talk about somebody we haven't talked about in weeks, and that's probably a good thing. But what did you guys think of Terrence Steele's play? Because I just, honestly, I'm not noticing him, which is a great thing for a tackle

if you're not really noticing him. I'm the I'm the folk on the panel here that probably has the biggest problem with him, and he is. I think he's a much better run blocker than he's a pass blocker because there's things that happen to him too. His technique gets broken down as well. But when you watch him the last several weeks, he has not been the reason why you've struggled in pass protection or in run block. I

mean he's he's done a really good job. And I kind of felt like that that with with Cooper Rush playing quarterback, the little bit of lack of mobility, that there would be more issues there that he would get driven back. He's played a little bit more power than I thought he would play with. And so yeah, the when he when he run blocks, he's really good when the ball goes away, and he's athletic enough to make that cut off or the reach block on the outside.

These young tight ends are helping him too with some of the blocks at the point of attacks. So yeah, I can't you know, I can't complain about him. And and he was I wasn't concerned about left guard or left tackle. I was concerned about the right tackle. But he's playing a lot better than I believed. He's so good for him, And give Joe Filan a credit for getting not done. No, you're not gonna penalty penalty penalty calls.

You're not um. He's not really allowing sa sacked. So to your point, Derek, it's one of those that you don't really notice. That's a good Yeah, that's that's a good thing. Like no problem, keep doing you and you know, as long as we don't keep seeing his name being called on a penalty hole or something like that, then

keep at it. Yeah, I was it's interesting because you look at this at what Philbin has done since he got here, and I know he's taken some criticism at times, but man, he has developed some guys that on a lot of teams probably are guys that running the door. You keep him for a couple of years and you eventually let him go. And you think about Terrence Steele now starting mcgovernor now starting as you said, like McGovern's getting to the point where he's getting really good at guard.

He held off Tyler Smith throughout the entire camp, and he's getting to a point where I think he is he is making a case, whether it's going to be here or somewhere else, he's going to be a starter in the league at God. Yeah, it wasn't pretty form against the commanders, but it wasn't pretty for many of those guys inside against that crew, and they'll have a

chance another again. Pretty good guy exactly. And that's the thing about it is sometimes those maller brawler guys, that just takes them a little bit time to kind of get back in the flow of being that type of a mauler brawler guy. Yeah, all right, we're gonna take our final break, comeback. We're gonna flip over to the defensive side of the ball. Man. There's some means to talk about there well that when we come right back. Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. The season is finally here.

For months, we've been gearing up to win. Now it's time for the team that performs on any field. United eggin Turf with John Deer zero turns for mowing, compact tractors for loading, many excavators for digging, gator utility vehicles for hauling, implements for grading, a tools for bailing. United Egg and Turf for winning the official agg and turf equipment supplier of the Dallas Cowboys. Visit United Egginturf dot com for more. Tod thought it would be secure to

jog in the Cheetah Savannah. Todd believed the big Cat repellent he bought online was reliable and now Todd is trying to be faster than this cheetah that can run eighty miles per hour. But the good news is Todd has AT and T five G. It is fast, reliable, and secure, and he learned the best thing to do is stop running and toss her the backpack with the beef stew at and T five G. Fast reliable, secure, It's not complicated. Five G requires compatible plan and device.

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and now it's time to talk about the defense. This defense is remarkable. Check out some of the numbers from yesterday. Here's the most important part to me. They stopped the run, which they had not been doing in a lot of their games earlier this season. They only allowed thirty eight yards on fifteen attempts at two point five average. I do think the Rams probably gave up on their run

a little bit early. I probably would have stuck with it a little bit more, see if I could pop one, but they did not until credit to Cowboys defense, they only allowed ten points. This is the first time since nineteen seventy two if the Cowboys have allowed under twenty points in the first five games of the season. That goes back to my birth year that they have done that. That is amazing. This defense is doing some really remarkable things.

Five sacks, eleven quarterback hits. They had three turnovers yesterday, which is something that hadn't really been a part of their game this year. Last year it was a big part of their defense. Wasn't something you would think is sustainable year over year, and they're doing it a different way this year. But yesterday they did get those turnovers.

That all being said, talk to me about some of the standout players yesterday, who stood out most to you yesterday on the defensive side of the ball, And there are a lot of answers to this. I wanted to mention Dorian's armstrong. I think the job that he's doing and what he's doing with all the opportunities that he's been given since Randy Gregory's departure has been incredible. Yeah bye, but yeah, he's a guy that you know when he came in, he showed some talent initially when he first

got here, and I remember de Marcus Lawrence. He actually kind of took him under his wing and was kind of mentoring him along the way. And there was a point there where I was just like, hmm, I wonder what de Marcus sees in him? Because I respect de Marcus a lot, and at that point, de Marcus was pretty hot in his game. So it just I knew there was a reason, because nobody just randomly takes you under your wing if they don't see something in you.

So again, I love the way. I love the fact that the Cowboys have stuck with him, and because I think he's a guy that could have easily been gone already and he hasn't. He's taken eventually. It's just impressive. What he's doing on the defense and what he's doing on special teams. It's incredible. So I applaud him and I think he's doing an amazing job. Yeah for me, the guy I mean, other than of course Micah, but the guy I thought played a great game, Maybe the

best of his career was Osa dig Zua. I thought he he was. You know, he's the UCLA guys. He's playing back home again or at least you know, college area. Um. And he was a menace in the backfield. I mean he had four quarterback hits and a couple tackles for loss in a sack. Yeah, good job for osa O Dighizuwa. It's always gotta say it. That was you know how to spell? Yeah, got that right. Um. This was a really really good game for Sam Williams. Yeah, it was.

And Sam Williams was thrown into action extensive when Mica started getting hurt, when Mica was starting to come up a little bit limpy, and you know, and so that in itself you had to have somebody that was going to pick up the pick up the rush, work on the twists, through those types of things. You know, you got to have somebody If MICA's this guy that's always attacking. Sam Williams took it upon himself to be the attacker.

He went after it and in this game, and I was really I was impressed by the way that he was able to play and how physical and they stand him up like you know, Mica stands up and rushes. Sometimes Sam puts his hand down. But this time they took Sam and stood him up and played him in that role, and he really did a nice job doing that. I'm gonna give you another guy too when you get to watch the All twenty two, and he's not going

to show up on the stat sheet. Carlos Watkins played a really really good football game for you there too. And he was one of those guys that elevated off the practice squad and he went in there a defensive and I'll tell you what he was when it came to defending the run. When it came to some of the pressure that he was able to get the push they were able to middle, get in the pocket, the

twist game stuff he was really really good at. Again, he's not going to show up in your box score, but when you watch the tape, it's very much that that Ah there is there is again trying to tip balls going up, you know, helping you know, taking blockers with him is so the linebackers can flow and go

get the go get the ball man. Him and Sam Williams were the two guys that really to me kind of jumped out as like, okay, and this is why they're winning these games with defense, because it's not all about Parsons and Digs and vander ash and these guys. It's it's guys that are filling in that are having to play because Quentin Bohan is not active. You know, That's what this team has done. It's taken backup players

and finding ways to win football games. Talk to me about something, Bryant when you mentioned Sam Williams and something that I feel like I've noticed and we've talked about him being kind of his game being a little too

reckless at times and him needing to clear. I feel that this past couple of games, especially this last one, that's something that I've seen like incredible growth and improvement in I don't know if there's something specific that you were able to see from him and his gaming, the way that he's quickly been able to kind of show

some growth in that aspect of thing. Yeah, I think it's one of those things where the coaches probably got with him and said, we're not going to play if we can't trust you get you know, you can't get stupid penalties. You can't get roughing the pass or personal foul or lining up off sides or anything like that. If you want to play. You've got to do it the way we're going to to teach you. Yesterday they threw him again in the deep end of the pool

and said, go swim. You know, either gonna drown or swim. And you know, that's just the trust. You know, when you when you get when you you know how it is when when people trust you to do the job, you do a better job of it. When you're when you don't feel that way, When you don't feel like that, now they don't care, and then you're you're sloppy with

the way you perform. I think he was sloppy. I think there was things at Mississippi that he was just such a naturally good player that they just kind of let it go. Here. You got to play within the scheme. You can't get stupid penalties. And if we ask you to rush the passer or run on the pick, you got to set the pick and get somebody else home. And I think that that's where he's kind of learning

along the way, is that watching these guys play. Watch DeMarcus Lords and you're all twenty two on the tackle he makes on the third down, and I think it's third and eighteen, and they get they throw the ball on a screen and he comes all the way from the defensive inSpot all the way to make the tackle. With it's close, it's gonna be a near If you didn't make the tackle, it's a first down. But he runs basically fifteen yards to make the tackle that shows

up on film. So if you're Sam Williams, you're like, what God dank? Look look what Tank did there. And he had a play like that too, where where he rushed the passer and then went back out back and it did a nice job that way. So yeah, I mean, and also he's he's just a few inches away from from probably making this game an absolute blowout. Now this was one sided, I thought for the most part. But give the Rams credit for I mean, that was a risky move on a fake punt right down there like that.

They're down nineteen to ten or sixteen to ten, and Sam Williams saw it and and just just didn't get his hand up. And if he would have moved it over and and and bats it down, then they get the ball to twenty five yard line, maybe another field goal going in, you know, to the locker room, and then I think the game would have been on an absolute blowout. So my guy Jody Camillis, you know he I saw him before the game and you know, he said, man, we're just trying to We're just he was Joe s

the Ragman. Yeah, we talked about it. Yeah, we talked about that, and you know a JFA. You know, Joe had the best he would Yeah, he wouldn't ever be able to teach Sunday school. But yeah, but but he's he's not ever gonna change. But he's one of my favorite um people ever in the NFL. Just just a real good dude and still doing it, man, still doing it for the ram I remember, I remember when I was working in the league that that Joe when he was with the Broncos and then he was with the

Giants and falcon and stuff. But you had he had one of the longest reels of fake trick plays. Yeah, he had all the trick plays. So if you wanted to ever study, Hey what are teams doing trick? Just here go get Joe D. Camillis's trick plays and you could you could pick up them, you could get them all. Yeah, I mean he's that kind of guy. Talking to me about Treyvon Diggs because yesterday, of the ten points he

was involved in both of those two scoring drives. Gave up the one long touchdown to Cooper Cup and then gave up the big big played at well that got them into field goal. I thought he played a really good game, honestly, go back and yeah, go back, you look at it. You can. This is a glass half full or empty type of situation. He gave up all of your points. He's the he's one of he is the reason that you gave up ten points. He's the reason you gave up ten points. Yeah, So which way

is it? I mean I thought he I mean, going up against Cooper Cup, the guy makes a great catch. Great catch, by the way, that's Cooper Cup. Yeah, and in my opinion, the best receiver in the league, maybe top three, but definitely up there. I thought he probably thought there was gonna be some safety help on that deep throw. Yeah he's still there. I mean, like I but it's not like one of those situations where we were seen in the past with other players that he's like, dude,

what are you doing there? Like the ball is over there, like like in all those plays Trouble and Digs is like right, there, so it's it's not like he's all the way on the other side. I'm figuring out and it's not a no offense, but it's not a Cheeto than because Cheeto was always there and they were always catching it like he but but he he knocks it down and he's got what ten PPUs more than the Packers as a team. Yeah, yeah, he leaves the NFL and PPUs. Yeah, but he's there. Yeah, yes, I think

it's ninety. But he leaves. He tackled, Okay, yes he did in space. He was really good. Hooker turned the wrong way on the outwall ball. Hooker's reading it and he's they're gonna get a crosser and he turns and then he turns back the other way, which slowed him down. But perfect ball. I mean, seriously, it was a great throw to make to play. On the Cooper Cup one, they're playing what they call man freeze so that everybody's

underneath has got it. And again, yeah, all of a sudden, now you've got guys that are getting blocked because you got all these guys running routes. They're playing man coverage free safety again, really no help with attack. And let's also be clear too. One of the hardest things to do as a cornerback in the NFL carry it across the crosser from from a receiver that can really run. Yeah, like Cooper Cup running across the middle and you're in man coverage. That is a hard hard thing to do.

So so they give up the touchdown Cooper Cup nine thirty three to go in the second quarter, don't score another point the rest of the day. They get inside the Cowboys fifty in Cowboys field position, you know, on their side of the fifty four times, and never score that That isn't another bad hunger. Well, we're gonna we're gonna talk about that because I want to talk about all the special teams because yesterday there were lots of special teams issues. So we're gonna talk about that tomorrow.

I think that's a much bigger careful they blocked a punt they did. That's also where you want to put it in context. But but there are some bad little things that you saw yesterday that could be like that'll be the question for you, guys, is how concerned are you with those things you saw. I'll say this though, too, I don't know the other guys around the league all that. I don't know everyone's gun or depth chart, but I guarantee there's not two better ones on the team than

what the Cowboys. We're gonna we're gonna talk about the way that they lined those guys up yesterday too. Man, I'm about ready to imbout, ready to place one of them. CJ. Why, Man, I don't think the guy's got the awareness. He went right by that guy on that point. Well, I don't think he's thinking that my that my Pro Bowl punter is gonna shank at twenty two yards. I don't think you didn't think the ball was gonna be where it was.

He told anybody. He told me that the guy before the play before set him up because even before the guy faked it out like it was coming up and the ball rolled into the end zone. So he was thinking that was what was happening. But Joseph, don't think is gonna throw plenty like that, Like that was Kelvin Joseph doing a nice shot for you, though. He really is all right, we're gonna we're gonna end the show on that, but tomorrow we are gonna pick that up. I have a lots of questions for you guys on

this special teams. We'll be back tomorrow. Until then for Nick even Brian brought us and Amber Garcia. I'm Derek Heelton. This has been the Break live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com dio. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.