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Are you ready for a break?
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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 with Ambar Garcia, Brian brought Us, Nick Harris, and Derek Eagleton.
It is Wednesday, October second, twenty twenty four, Season twenty, episode number forty. Welcome to the latest edition of The Break Live from s WBC Morgan Studios at the Star, presented by LG. LG is the world's number one OLED TV brand for eleven years in counting. See why a LG dot com for slash O led Evo. I gotta give you these back. I can't read with sunshades on in the house.
I'm just about to say, okay, give it back, professional.
Right, or she doesn't even read anymore. She just memorized. He doesn't need he doesn't need a script.
You just turn on the brightness on the screen. That's it.
You can do that.
On your iPad.
Start.
We're gonna start.
Here we go. This is the kind of day we're having.
Yeah, yeah, I'm in a good mood. All right, let's up. We got a lot we're gonna talk about today. We're gonna get to Brian's breakdown of the Pittsburgh offense versus the Dallas defense, maybe even get to some player evaluations, looking at particularly the Cowboys defense and some players that we have maybe we haven't talked about as much here recently.
Uh.
And I'll start with some bigger picture questions heading into week five of the season. This team, now obviously two and two, I've had a lot of mixed results. The teams that they've beaten don't appear to be very good teams. The teams that they've lost to, we don't mean, I guess the words really, I mean, we really don't know if those are great teams they have. I think New Orleans has come back to the pack and they're two and two as well. Baltimore is looking like the real deal.
But if you were the head coach and you were walking into the meeting with the team today, what would be your message to this team entering week five of the season, after what you've seen the first four weeks of the season, and knowing where your team is with all the challenges that are around them.
One week at a time. I think that would probably be the most coherent message. You have a gauntlet coming up, and fortunately you have a bye week right in the middle of that gauntlet. But I think you take one week at a time, it can really kind of help this process over these next few weeks of Pittsburgh going up to Pittsburgh playing a physical Pittsburgh team that is three and one and is looking to bounce back off
of loss a really athletic quarterback. You had to take that challenge in its own right and focus on that until that final buzzer hits on Sunday, and then you move on to Detroit and then you move on to the bye week. Especially with all the injuries that the Cowboys are dealing with on both sides of the ball, this is a really important time just to focus on challenge ahead and not try to look at the whole thing.
I'll go in there and be like, all right, guys, sink or swim? What are we doing here? We gotta swim, we gotta stay.
Above with either.
Why doesn't matter what, no, no, no.
We ain't got no floating. We're struggling.
We're in the this is the what what is that hardcore training? Navy seals that going there and they just gotta survive. The cold water is just like tough training, and you're just out for yourself. You gotta keep yourself afloat. You can't be drowning other people. As soon as you're doing that, you're taking someone down with you. So the focus is focus on what you gotta do. Focus on your job, focus on your assignment, do the best that
you can do. Don't be lollygagging during the week. We gotta prepare, do your job, study, learn, watch film, learn your opponent, and do what you gotta do because there's nothing else to be done. I mean, there's nothing else you can be done because of all the injuries, I mean, the way that they're struggling right now, things that you
can't control. So something that I learn about Garrett that stuck with me because they would say it every week, control what you can control, and one day at a time, that's it.
Yeah, I think that I would walk in there and my message to the team would be I need every one of you sitting in these chairs, coaches, players, I need every one of you. It doesn't look great right now with the injuries we're dealing with. But nobody feels sorry for us. You know, we got to find a way our players. Dack gotta have it from you, CD gotta have it from you. Guiden gotta have it from you.
Golston gotta have it from you. I'd start calling guys out, individually, challenge them to play at a level that they haven't played out so far this year. You know, maybe go back and talk about, hey, when we had success when we were down, uh, you know, when we were when we didn't have everybody available and we were short handed and we were playing on short weeks and we're playing three games in eleven days. Remember how we got through that.
That's what's going to take today because we are shorthanded. But again, nobody feels sorry for us. But I would individually challenge those players. I challenge the leaders of the team, you know, and and by challenging them, they would then challenge the players that are maybe player fifty fifty one, fifty two, fifty three on that roster. And it's gonna maybe the practice squad guys too. It's going to take them having a really good week like Ambar's talking about.
You know, we're dealing with another quarterback where that does read option stuff. We got to be disciplined. You know. Nobody's giving us a chance to go to Pittsburgh and win this game. It's really important to Mike McCarthy. He's from Pittsburgh, you know. I mean, you see Mike when he gets kind of emotional about games Green Bay, you know, going to Pittsburgh now with this team, you know, it's it's a challenge for him. But Nick's right, it's the gauntlet that you're about to run.
This thing.
These next three weeks could determine your season. You get out of this thing two and five, you know, you go and you go and lose to Pittsburgh, you lose to Detroit, you take a buy and go lose to San Francisco. We might have a new head coach here, and so now you know you have to and Mike's not going to say that, but as a player, you've got to realize that that everybody in this room is
really fighting, you know, fighting for an existence. Like Amber's talking about, keeping your head above water and making sure that we're doing everything possible to win these games. Don't leave anything to chance, you know, Preparation, you know, taking care of yourself, extra study, whatever you have to do to go out and play better these next three weeks. We have to do that, and if we don't, then the story could be really, really different for a lot of us.
Yeah, you know, I think and I was trying to look it up here and I looked up I kind of got some of the numbers. But I want to say, back in twenty ten, when the Packers won the Super Bowl here and.
Really banged up, they had an injury report that was a crial long, and it was it was one of those things where you kept waiting for them to fall apart because of all the guys they were losing, and I'm talking some of their top line starter type guys that they were losing, and they didn't.
They can't manage to keep it all together. And I think those are the kinds of things that you would want a head coach with this level of experience be able to impart to this team. Is I've seen this work. I've seen what teams can do when they pull together despite injuries, despite injury to some of your best players, what you can still accomplish if everybody's willing to get on the same page.
Are they prior to everybody kind of coming down.
I don't know, and that's wy I was trying to look up. I don't remember what the record was as that was happening. I don't even remember exactly what part of the year they lost all these guys.
I just remember ten and six they were for the season, right, they were ten and six, because the next year they went fifteen and one.
Yeah, and all six of those losses were by four points or less.
Yeah it was, and it was one. But it was one of those things where it's like I remember at the Super Bowl, everybody saying, like, how is this team here? Like, how are they still alive with all the guys that they've lost? And you're right, like, I'm not saying at all, Dallas is that caliber of team. I don't know that
we've seen anything that tells us that. All I'm saying is, I think if you're the head coach, the message you have to give the team is you can do remarkable things sometimes if you're willing to everybody step up and do their job and pull together in a different kind away when you lose players, it's possible. And that's what you're trying to sell I think to this team is the hope that you can do something special if everybody does as you said, does their job.
That's the tough part. And like Nick mentioned, I believe yesterday they were not playing well prior to all these guys getting injured, and so that's the problem right there. You were already struggling with healthy players. So now how do you add this new factor of starters being out and then trying to put together this team and being able to combat the struggles that you were already dealing with. That's a tough thing to do right now.
All right, another question I have for you guys about this. Now, let's let's flip a little bit and talk about specifically the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are three and one heading into this game. Everything they've played so far as two and two, so you can't really get a gauge for how good these teams are that they've beaten or that they lost to. But as in the same way, Dallas is two and two. So here you go, right, what is your general impression
just big picture? We're going to dive into some of the more specific things, but big picture, what do you look at as far as stills are concerned and your impressions of them as a team physical.
I know we talked about it yesterday. Physical football team, and that's on both sides of the ball, specifically in their pass rush. I mean guys like TJ. Watt, Cameron Hayward, even Nick Herbig. I mean, these are guys that get after the quarterback, they generate pressure. They're active in the run game specifically as well. I mean, if you're looking for this Dallas Cowboys run game to get going, I
don't think this is the game where it happens. There's going to have to be quite a bit of intention put this week if you're Dak Prescott on understanding how to escape the pocket and how to be able to find your guys downfield. And I know we talked about it leading into the Giants game. I know it's something that he's been trying to emphasize in his game over
the past couple of weeks. I don't think we've necessarily seen it to the level that we saw in twenty three, but I think there is still a layer that he can add to escaping the pocket and making some plays happen off script. I think he's going to have to be able to do that in this game. I think that's where he makes his where he makes his money in this game up in Pittsburgh. If we remember back the last time they went to Pittsburgh, he had to make his money escape in the pick a couple of times.
But then on the offensive side of the ball. Staying on that point of being physical, they get after it in the run game as well. I mean, they don't have any super productive runners like Naje Harris has been a little underwhelming since he's coming to the league, averaging right around three and a half yards per carry at this point in the season. But he's still a physical runner. He's a tough guy to bring down justin fields, is athletic. He's going to do a lot of different things out
of the backfield, read option design runs. He's going to make it difficult for your defense to be able to stay on track. And then the Swiss Army Knife Corderyl Patterson, who's like fifty six years old and has still found a place in the league and he's still making it work out of the backfield as well.
Think, I mean, the one thing that just stinds out, what do you want me to say? After everything, he just thought some No, the main thing that stood out or stands out for me is the physical part that he just talked about. And this is where we go back to your team needing to be aggressive and keeping up,
not falling behind. Not as well as how fast you're playing the game, focus on doing like tackling the right way and not being a step behind that We've seen this defense or I've seen this defense do where there's just a few steps behind and they don't get there when they need to. So just it's tough again when you're dealing with so many injured guys on your own team. Now you're having to combat a team that's not going to give up easily. They're just gonna go out there
and fight. And what's the word. I can think of the word, but basically tire you down. Where are you out there?
Yeah, I think that it's all good thoughts. The thing that Mike tom Wins one of the best coaches in the National Football League, you know, and one of the reasons why you won that game in twenty sixteen. He kept going for it for two and Dallas kept stopping him. Like four times he went for two in that game, and all the times Ben Roethlisberger got stopped. It's crazy how that ending of that game. But just remember Zeke running through, you know, breaking the Were you.
Down sideline with us? I mean, Nick, we're talking about that. We were down the sideline when ZK had that big run. Were you down there with it?
No?
I was not. I was not there. I was not there, And so yeah, I've done traveling. I think at that point that was like, ain't doing enough? Yeah, figure it out. I kind of wish Ul had gone to that game because that was that was a fun one because Dak had that.
Season here Buffalo game.
I said, you guys flying through hurricanes and tornadoes and stuff, and everybody, Oh, look at this.
It's like right, all right, yeah, yeah, roller coaster.
Everybody's happy, and Derek's looking for his doctor Pepper, and I'm I'm not flying on this plane anymore.
We got more cookies coming.
Yeah, Trey's flying through the air. But yeah, you know, that was incredibly yearpe By the way, Dak is a rookie winning at lambeau Field and at Hinesfield at the time. That's that was that. Not many rookies cause still Hinfield. I don't care what I do too. I still call it and Jack Murphy Stadium, and Joe Robbie and and.
People.
Yeah, named after people. But the thing with with with it's one of the best coaching stabs in the league and they do a great job. They have turnover with some of their staff, but they just Mike Tomlin every year. It seems you talk about a guy that's dealt with over the years of dealing with injury and mainly at quarterback, and they don't they don't seem to get the quarterback
thing right. They always just kind of, you know, every year they're playing with a different guy, and you know it's it's well since Ben Roethlisberger's left, of course, but it's just amazing seventeen consecutive winning seasons for this guy. And they're they're physical, they're tough, They their offenses. Their offense has got some things about it that you can take advantage of. And there's some things that they can try and take advantage of you. I know, we'll get
into that. But when you think of the Steelers, you always think of organizational You think of stability, you think of toughness, and you think of going and having to win at their places. How difficult, it is, but your quarterback has done that before and hopefully he can relive some of that magic that he did in twenty sixteen.
Yeah, it seems like no matter whether that team is good or not so good, they're physical, yeah, and will beat you up.
Yeah.
They play a brand of football that's always tough to match up.
There was a stat at one time where we used to keep up with this, and this was when I was in scouting in the two thousands early two thousands, where you played the Steelers and then the next week
you automatically lost the game. I mean, they had a run where you played them and the next week that whoever played them that week and then played a game the next week, you automatically lost the game because of how much they beat your team up, how much it took out of you to win that game, or that you would lose a game and then week you just couldn't you couldn't recover because they had beaten you up
that bad too, you know. So, but it's still I mean, maybe they're not to that level where they were back you know, maybe with some Bill cowardays and stuff like that, but still with Mike Tomlin, just a ton of respect for how they operate.
Absolutely. All right, we're gonna take our first break. We'll come back. We're going to dive into this Pittsburgh offense, learn a little bit more about what they do well and not so well.
Yeah.
One quick note number one rushing offense in the league. As far as yards are concerned, that should be a little concerning. We'll talk about that when we come back. Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
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Back to the break, Lgo led Evil is the best TV in the game, But don't take our word for it. Digital Trends said the lgoled G four has the best picture of quality they've ever seen. See it for yourself at LG dot com, slash O, Ledevo Welcome back.
It is the second segment of the break Life in the s WBC Mortgage Studios. At the start, the segment brought to you by blockchain dot Com. All right, let's dive in. Let's talk about this Pittsburgh offense, and real quick, I need to correct myself. I said they're the first deep rushing that's why word for it, and my co host quickly quickly told me, no, that's not accurate, And so I went back to look at the site, and I think I made a mistake. I looked at the attempts.
They are number one in rushing attempts. They will do that, not number one in rushing yards, which probably is even more alarming for me because they're so dedicated to the run. But let's talk about that. Let's talk about where they are as a rushing team and kind of how Dallas has to what the key is to their running attack.
Yeah, and they've had some injuries at their offensive line, and they're they've got a little bit of the element of the penn and pull stuff that we've seen before. They like to move the offensive lineman around, they like to try and trap, they like to use their tight ends. Their tight ends are horrible blockers. They really really are. I mean you say their tight ends they're tight ends are horrible blockers. Darnell Washington is probably the better of
the blockers. So if you see number eighty, he's a massive guy. A lot of people thought maybe he had Georgia, he should have maybe been an offensive tackle, yeah, coming out, and so I think his knees were the problem. Yeah, and he was a big, big problem. But they don't block very well at the point of attack. We've seen some teams that played the Cowboys. This team plays a lot of thirteen personnel, one back, three tight ends. That's there. They're like forty seven percent of doing that. When you
watch them in thirteen personnel. They don't run the ball worth a dam. They really struggle with the yards they gained when they run the football in their heavy personnel. That might play into Dallas's favor. They have some problems with their offensive line with the health. Isaac Suamala should be coming back this week, but if he doesn't come back, then Mason McCormick is a rookie, will play in that spot. He played in the spot in the Colts game that
I watched last week at left guard. That means if Suamala doesn't make it back, McCormick plays. So now you get a rookie left guard and a rookie center. Okay, that's kind of where they've had some problems. The guy you attack here is their center, Zach Fraser. I love Zach Fraser coming out of West Virginia in the draft. A really good athlete, second level player. He just doesn't play with a lot of power. He gives up a lot of pressures inside, and he doesn't always sustain his blocks.
They've had some problems with sustains sustaining blocks when McCormick's had to play at guard. He again, he's a rookie. As I just mentioned, he doesn't sustain particularly well. So they tried to angle block, fold, block down, block, through all these things because they don't want to play you one on one. Now, their best running Najie Harris is a physical back, there's no question about that. But the guy that's actually had the most success running the ball
for them is Cordell Patterson. So when they hand the ball to when they hand the ball to him, they put him in the backfield, They swing it to him. They you know, they throw it to him. They toss it to him. But they've had some problems with their offensive line getting sustained. The Chargers did a heck of a job with their linebackers attacking this Steeler offensive line, and and and the and the Steelers were slow to react with how physical that and how quick the the
Chargers played in that game at linebacker. And I think Dallas has got linebackers that are better than what the Chargers were playing with, So keep an eye on that. As far as Dallas playing down hill in this football game, trying to beat these block to the point of attack and make some plays. I mentioned the tight ends.
Frim Youth.
You know, he's a good catcher of the football, kind of an underneath at the sticks kind of guy. That's their offense though. I mean, he'll throw the ball outside the numbers, justin fields will throw it outside the numbers. They got they got a couple of quality receivers, but you know, when they everything is trying to like take care of him, it's routes to the sticks.
Turn.
Every they throw. The majority of their routes, guys are right at the sticks or in front of the sticks. You know the routes, the combinations. It's just try and get the ball. Try and give him some easy throws. But when he does throw it down the field, it is outside the numbers and they got a guy that
will go get it. When you talk about George Pickens, George Pickens is phenomenal body control, balance, the way that he plays when you you have to cover him the whole time because when the play breaks down, he will find space and then you see fields will sling it side arm or run into his left. Just throw it downfield and Pickens will come up with the ball. He is a bad ball catcher and along the sidelines down the field in the red zone. He is their best
receiver by far. They do have some speed. In number nineteen with Calvin Austin, was he wake Forest? Calvin Austin, Calvin Austin, wake Forest. I'm trying to think about it. I thought, off the top of the top of my head, watch the Memphis God Dang, I thought it was a wake Forest. But anyway, I'm glad. I'm glad, I asked you. But see, he's the guy that's got legitimate speed, Like they'll run him inside, throw him the ball and then he'll bust tackles. So you got it. He's a smaller guy.
Got to tackle him or he's going to take it to the house. But they've got some guys that are pretty good run after the catch, guys with Austin and Pickens. Their offensive line is is a little bit suspect, I think in the running game, and they've had some protection problems with the center, and so those are all things I think Dallas can maybe take advantage of.
Looking at justin feels, he's averaging two hundred and seven passing yards per game. He only has one interception, which that's the key. Obviously, you keep him from making at knocked in the air. Yeah, and you allow and allow, you allow him to play, but you allow him to play under the circumstances of don't mess it up.
Right.
That being said, have you noticed anything different about his game and his approach this year, about his mechanics, about anything about what he does that's different than what he was in Chicago.
He's the same guy. I mean really, when he runs around, that's when he's terrifying. He's like, he'll drop back and the next thing, you know, when you're watching say end zone copy, because you're watching the line, he'll drop back and then you could just tell in his brain it's like watch this, you know, and I'm going to take off running, you know, because he now he'll throw the
ball in traffic. I mean, he's lucky he doesn't have more interceptions because he's had balls to get knocked in the air and you know, and the defense haven't come up with him. But he's he will force some passes now. But as far as the thing that you absolutely there's times where he will make the wrong read when it
comes to the read option stuff. You could tell he gives the ball to Harris and then it's tackled for a game to two, where if he pulled it, it's probably gonna be a fifteen yard game, and you could tell you he just slumps when you're watching it. He hands it and he sees it it's a gain to two and then he sees the edge and he's like, oh, you know, you can just you can see him body language go down. I have a feeling in this game he's gonna pull a lot of these balls and run. Yeah,
he's gonna test. He's going to test if Dallas is good enough on the edges, if they're disciplined enough with you know, and we've seen Neil and play with some discipline Golston, you know, discipline player. The guy that's been kind of confused a little bit has been or just kind of put in no man's land has been Micah a little bit. So we'll see how. But I have a feeling that you're going to see fields run the ball more. Remember the game's Chicago, Dallas played here.
That's what he did. Michael made that wasn't Michael have made the big playing for running down Yeah?
Yeah, so there he's going to run. But that that's that's his weapon. And they're good, you know they're good. They're going to They're going to try and run the ball on you. I mean, even though they haven't had success. You mentioned it. Arthur Smith, who is a former Atlanta Falcons head coach. He was with the Tennessee Titans. We all knew the Titans ran the ball, you know, with how they did. So Arthur Smith, uh as the o c here. He's going to try and do things to
protect his quarterback the best he can. But if you make it into a passing game for this guy, could be a little tough. Could be a little tough for him.
When you look at a team like this that has George Pickens who he and and Friarmouth, I think are really the passing weapons like those are the guys you got to be most concerned about. How do you go about trying to account for them, knowing that the secondary has been a little banged up and you're trying to kind of manage that. Is this a game where you have to really think about, uh, you know, how you match up with him knowing that you're gonna have some challenges maybe on the outside.
Yeah, this is a if anything, you need to shade his direction, you know, I'm talking about if you want a safety with the corner, I would shade that direction. I mean they got to guy. Scotty Miller is another guy that they have. I didn't mention him. He's kind of a He's like a useful third down pivot route
slot guy. Yeah, he's a smaller, so what you see him is like they'll get in bunch formation, run to inside and loop him around and throw it in the flat and he catches it and then he's up the field. So they've got they've got third down options that they use. But to talk about furmuth Man, he he makes plays, I just don't know, run after catch.
Yeah, he's like a catch.
It and get whacked and he's on the ground. You know, kind of a guy. He really doesn't. You know. It's not like just these new age tight ends are just running. I mean the film I watched, it's like a lot of catch and then a lot of get cut down with him.
But he knows how to get to it and catch them.
Absolutely. I would Pickens could be a mess to deal with, as you said, but you have to like with digs and then you know, hopefully Carson's back in that mode. But I would make sure that to that side of fourteen that I'm kind of keeping an eye in that direction because he's the one guy that can make that play down the field when they decide to throw it.
All right, let's go and take our final break. We'll come back. We'll talk about this defense, the Cowboys defense, And I want you guys to answer the question for me if there's one thing on this defense right now that you feel like they can at least hang their hat on that this will be good. What is that one thing we'll talk about that when we come back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot com Radio.
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I just took my time with it.
No, she's smart, Brian.
Question, I want you to turn that into a jingle. I thought what you were going to do is sing us a little song there, But it just kind of fell flat after that, you didn't kind of you might have to get into it.
Did we get in trouble for music rights?
That's a thing. That's a real thing.
Oh my god, Yeah, that's.
The real thing. Well, come back into the final segment, final segment of the break life in the s WBC Mortgage studios at the Star. Okay, so here's what I want to do. I want to find out from you guys, Like right now, as you look at this defense, they obviously are without their two Arguably they're two best defensive players for an extended period of time. I'm not sure how long for Michael, but at least for a week.
We know that for a week. That being said, if you had one thing you could put your hat on, because I think last year, I think we all universally agreed this team could get after the quarterback if you got them in situations where a team other team had to pass, good luck to you. What would you say that thing is this year? Does this defense have a thing that it really does well that it can really rely on?
I will say to go first hereby could you know it's funny this week I mentioned about this is something I was curious about when the Steelers we talk about how they run their offense at the sticks, you know, the way the rally and play routes that are played short, you know, kind of try and get off the field
that way. I mean they can't run defense. I mean they get in a lot of bad situations, but when they have to play third down pass defense at the sticks, one of the best teams in the league when it comes So if you play short like that, if you play short like the Steelers are going to try and play in this game with the tight end with Pickings, with you know, with Austin, if they're gonna if they're gonna run routes at the sticks or near the sticks and play short, one of the best teams in the
league when it comes to defending those types of routes, believe it or not. So that to me was encouraging. If if if you're gonna tell me whoa wait a minute, this they're the Steelers offense is based on this right now for their quarterback. And what's the strength that Dallas has, Well, Dallas can combat you playing that way. Now, Dallas can't stop you from running the damn ball. Worth the heck, But you know, and and the Steelers. They're going to try and run the ball. I don't know how well
they're going to be with this offensive line. Running the ball might be like the Giants game, but if it. But the one thing that they can do is is they when they get you in passing situations, they can find ways to get you off the field, especially if you're throwing the ball short.
I do like this linebacking corps. I think there is still a lot of confidence that this linebacking corp should be able to take away. I think most of the issues in the run game have been a product of what's been going on up front, and the linebacking corps has been asked to do a lot of different things. But as far as the veteran leadership with guys like Eric Kendricks, the young tenacity that Demarvin over shown has shown mareslea foul. I still like what Demon Clark has
done and his reps. Even though they've gone up and down and up and down. I think there is still a lot you could take away from that linebacking corps. I think that is a solid second level. I will still stand on the table that this is a top five linebacking corps in the league. I think they just need to be set up in better situations.
I'll be honest, I don't. I mean, I don't. I'm not hanging my hat nowhere. It's still on my head because, like as they were talking, I'm thinking of every facet of the game, I'm thinking of the defense, every part of the defense, and there's been issues in every part different times, and then they've had moments. And I agree the linebackers they've done a really really good job and I've only really seen them struggle when they don't get help from the defensive line. So that's an area that's good.
But if I had to point something that has suit out and that I think has been better than I thought would be these younger players and the way that they've come into this season with no NFL experience and they've been able to showcase things at a level that it's pretty decent, you know, given what it is, and obviously always room for improvement there. But you talk about guys like Overshown, he was out all season last year, the way that he was able to come back this year.
You typically expect for an injured guy that's been out that long that it would take several multiple weeks for you to get back into rhythm. And he was right off the bat so good. So that's a plus. Even Carson, he's been out, he was out last week. We're hopefully expecting him to be back for this weekend. But he's another guy that I think has shined as well. Marshall Kneeland, another guy that so these Yeah.
I think I'm actually excited to see what he can do with those guys out with more plays.
So that's the thing. They they the Cowboys had taken a gamble on these drafted players and hope that they can be good, and they've been good. It's just now, you know, you got to elevate the game as a whole. But that's the one positive thing that I think these younger players have actually been pretty productive for what's being asked.
All right, here's what we're going to do. I got some players, some names I'm going to throw out to you guys, and I want you to give me an evaluation of how you think they've played. One thing that you you've really liked about what they do, and one thing that you would say, hey, this is an area where they have to get better or they should be focused on getting better. Let's start the guy we just brought up,
Marshawn Neeland. What if you liked from him, what do you think where do you think he needs to improved?
I like his physicality.
I think there is Whenever he was coming out of Western Michigan, that was what he was hanging his hat on. As far as as far as a guy that can be two hundred and seventy plus pounds and get around.
The edge with some power.
He's been able to do that in some instances, especially in the run game. But I think I think overall there is still another level that he can take from the pass rush perspective, you know, just trying to get after the quarterback, doing the similar things that you do in the run game, just do it in the pass rush and try to get to the quarterback a little bit more. I mean, that was probably his one knock coming out of Kalamazoo was that he does not have
those pass rushing knacks. I think he finished with four and a half sacks at wester from Michigan last year. Excuse me, He's gonna have to be able to find that here in these next few weeks, especially with Lawrence and Parsons out because you look at the best pass rushers on this team from an edge perspective, you're relying on him, You're lying on Chauncey Golston. These are two guys who have not been traditionally guys who are getting
sack numbers. So Neilan's gonna have to be able to find that that that sack ability here in these next couple of weeks.
Good opportunity this week with Broderick Jones and and Dan Moore. Uh, you know these these tackles have you know, they've they've struggled at times on the edge and and so you know, he just I think he's one of those guys that once he gets it going, it's going to come in bunches for him because he's going to figure out. He's going to figure out like, Okay, this is how I
break a guy down. This is how I get around, This is how I get to the corner, this is how I close on the It's tough with the quarterback, the guy. You know this guy this week, because he's gonna run around, he's gonna make you miss. He's a big guy, he's a physical guy. But once he gets one sack and then the second sack. He could get these in bunches. I love the way he plays with effort. Uh, He's always trying to get to the football. He's learning
how to play with his hands. You know, there's some powers, as Nick mentioned, to his game. There's a lot of positive things about him if they could just get him going as a pass rusher. And I'm not saying he has to be double digit sack guy right now, because I never think that was going to be his game, but my gosh, he looks better now in the NFL rushing the passer than he did at Western Michigan, And so that's encouraging to me.
Have you seen flashes of that yet, Like as far as his pass rushing.
Yeah, it's just you know, what's so hard to evaluate the Cowboys pass rush is because they're never in pact. They never get to rush the passer. It's you know, it's teams that were running the ball fifty two percent of the time on Dallas. You're not good enough stopping the run too, you know, I do know this from metrics and looking at it. You know, with Tank and Mike and out playing, you just lost forty seven percent of your pressures. You know, somebody's got to step up there.
But the guy to me, if you said, give me a guy that can rush the passer, that has a chance of the young guys like Carl Lawson at one time could rush the pastor. I think Neelan's got a better shot of getting home than Carl Lawson, does you know? I really do. Now we'll see what with kJ Henry, He's going to get an opportunity. I'm almost positive I worry about him because he can't get to the edge, but he's a little bit like Kneelan and he just
can't quite finish yet. But once those guys kind of figure it out, then all of a sudden, it's okay, that's how you do it. It just takes that one or two sacks to kind of get him going. But I'm very encouraged by the player because he's he's far better as a player than I even gave him credit for when he was coming out of college.
No he I mean, yeah, he's put in the work and I think it's translated to while we're watching on the field, and I think one of the things with him is he just needs some more opportunities and he's going to get out this weekend. He's about to get it and show up. I think he's a what he's
missing is exactly that. I do believe. Once he finds that confidence of getting to the quarterback getting a sack, I think it's going to become more of a trend for him and he's going to be a very explosive and positive player for this defense for sure.
Let's get one more player, Jeff.
Yeah.
Just from Mike McCarthy at his press conference just now confirming that Brandon Cooks will not be playing this week due to a knee infection that he has developed over these last few days. So we were waiting on official word for that before putting it out on the show, but that's what we got.
It's just keep on coming, keep on coming. I will say this though, I Jalen Tolbert is a guy that I think has played well for what they've asked him to do so far this year, and I kind of want to see what he does with, you know, being the number two. You would assume he's going to be probably the number two. The guy's going to get most of those reps sliding into that number two position and see what he can do with it. I'm interested to see what that looks like.
Everybody screaming for Ryan Flinoy to be active. This is this is his time in the field. So yeah, all.
Right, one of the let's get one more name for me in the show here. Donovan Wilson.
I love what he did against the Giants. I will say it was a really nice bounce back game for him. Against the Giants, he was doing what we've gotten used to seeing Donovan Wilson do. But the first three weeks, my goodness, at times I wondered if Marcus Bell would have been a better option, just to put at the strong safety position and have him at least come and play the run a little bit better. I mean, it was bad angles, bad aggression and trying to bring down
ball carriers. It was a couple of times where he was just kind of escorting Henry for fifteen yards against the Ravens. So but in the Giants game, I do like the different approach that he took. He was big, and the Giants only having twenty six rushing yards in that game as well. It was an all out defensive effort to that point. But Donovan Wilson was a part of that for sure.
Yeah, the angles could be crazy. You're like, boy, did he close his eyes on that one? You know, but he's a blow him up guy, and he could get around the ball. He can tackle, you know, with the best of him. But you're also gonna every once in a while you're going to have that one or two plays where you're like, boy, he did not see that very well. And I think he was much better against
the Giants than he had been the previous games. And you need him to be that guy because if teams are going to run the ball and he's going to be in the hole or in the alley wherever he is, they need him to make tackles, you know, they don't need him to miss. And that's that's something that's if if there's one thing that you could say that really bothers me about this Dallas defense is the miss tackles. I mean, they they give they've given up damn near five hundred yards just mis tackles.
And that wasn't a problem last year, Right, wasn't a problem. I don't recall that being a problem for them last year. But for some reason, it's just been because I think, yeah, let's be clear, all bets off when you're talking about those particular games, because last year those games they just got disc We don't need to about it.
He's I believe he's not wrong. But to me, there there are some there. It seems like to me at every and the Giants game was far better than what the other previous three games were. But man, it just seemed like to me that they've had guys in position in these linebackers in position in that the Ravens game, it's just mistackling, missa mistackling. You know, they were fighting blocks and against the Saints, but they've just given up
so many big plays. But last year I think there was times where teams ranted a little bit and you were like going, well, they just got to tackle better here, and they didn't.
Well real quick. With Donovan Wilson, he's a guy that I absolutely love, but he he started to fade away in recent games. I mean last week he played well, but he was a guy that prior to them giving them giving him the new contract, I mean, you talk about the most aggressive player on the defense. He will not be afraid of tackling, and he's always there. He's always where the ball is somewhere around there, and then all of a sudden that kind of started going away
slowly or missing some of those tackles. So I think he definitely has it in him, but I want to see more from him.
All Right, that's a wrap. We'll be back tomorrow. We'll get into the Pittsburgh defense versus the Dallas offense. Till then form Nick Harris Brian brought us at Amber Garcia. I'm Derek Hilton. 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.