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Cowboys Let's go. Are you ready for a break?
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And so much for that.
It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com with Mbar Garcia, Brian brought Us, Patrick Walker, and Derek Eagleton.
It is Friday, January fifth, twenty twenty four, Season nineteen, episode number one oh two. Welcome to the latest edition of The Break. We are alive from the s WBC Mortgage studios at the Star and today we get you ready for Cowboys versus Commanders. It is a final game with the season. Terry Jones, in his radio address a few minutes ago, made the statement, this is a playoff game. We're playing Sunday and we have to win this game.
It is a critical game for the Cowboys. I think we all agree on that it is about home feel advantage for them, and that's their fastest and easiest way to ensure they have home feel advantage at least for the first two rounds.
Of the playoffs. So let's dive in.
Let's first start with injuries, because there is a really really interesting group of injuries, not only for the Cowboys but also for the Washington Commanders.
Patrick run it down.
All right, y'all bear with me, because it's a lot going on on both sides. So let's start with our hometown, hometown Cowboys. Good news. Ric o'dowdle was upgraded to full practice on yesterday with that ankle, so check he's back. Well, you know that'll be guaranteed if he gets no game designation today, but looks like he's back. Jonathan Hankins suffered no setbacks in his return to practice. He was a getting limited on Yesterday Thursday, but still trending towards possibly
check returning. Tyler Smith no change in his situation. Like Brian said yesterday, likely a game time decision. They rested him again yesterday, did not participate with that go on Plantar Fascia.
We'll see what his status is.
I think it will probably be doubtful full game designation, but we'll see.
How they play that out. Not so good.
Dorian's armstrong popped up on the injury report and he didn't go down to limit it. He went from full to D and P so he did not participate with an ankle injury. Keep an eye on that. Armstrong obviously has been having a strong season one of his best Chill and Chauncey Ghoston now joined one Ye Thomas and Malik Hooker as battling the bug that's been going around so illness designation. They were both ghosting and IDOGA d
n P did not participate on yesterday. Hooker's also dealing with that ankle injury, So those you want to keep an eye on.
Has anyone, sorry, has anyone missed, because again because of illness, I don't remember. I think they've all ended up playing.
I think when Hooker ended up missing it was because it was because of the ankle.
So nothing comes to mind, but something tells me, yeah, someone probably.
Did, but I can't.
I can't remember anything.
Michael played through his and then.
Uh, most people have.
Wasn't Jayron run and caught the book?
I believe it's made its way around the defensive back room and the defensive line room as well. But hopefully that trend stays stays because they're battling it right now. Now let's slip to the commanders huge. Jonathan Allen still did not participate in practice on yesterday. I checked on his status this morning as the Commanders start practice and he is D and P again today.
So that means Jonathan Allen.
Will have going the entire week without practicing with that knee injury.
Is that a situation, just real quick? Is that a situation like with Tyron Smith? You always have to ask that with veteran players where they just kind of let him kind of go through the week and then he plays on Sunday.
I talked to some people at the Commanders yesterday. They got a lot of guys right now that are asking why why do we have to play?
It's a fair question to that point.
And if you're ready to go to the Caribbean, and if you know, Jonathan Allen has been his voicedest displeasure throughout the year.
Yeah, that's the fact, and he is.
He's still with the knee. They have a lot of veteran players right now that are not interested in playing football. They understand the coaching situation. Uh, you know, there's coaches on that staff that are coaching for jobs, maybe not with the Commanders but with other organizations. Maybe a new coach coming in it says, hey, this guy does a good job. With our tight ends. I want to keep him around. I like him. You know, maybe ownership says, you know, hey, we need to keep this guy. So
they're in a really terrible situation right now. And they're in a terrible situation because, uh, they're they've got a lot of veteran players that are just they're they're done, they've had enough, and so they're interested in playing young players. But they're that they that they understand what's ahead of them and what's about to happen as soon as that game's over. I still always feel like you need to be nervous. You just don't know how a game is
going to go. But the way the commanders are looking at this at certain key spots would both well for the Cowboys.
But wait, there's more.
So you go to the commander's secondary. So you know, Kendall Fuller starting nickelback, still did not practice with the knee issue. Also didn't practice, isn't set to practice today on Friday, So there you go. Cam Currow didn't practice. Quad injury safety, Christian Holmes back up rotational cornerback did not practice, still in concussion protocol. Now here's another big one for them. Casey two Hill defensive end. He has
five sacks on the season. Downgraded to limited, so he's battling through a shoulder injury now after being full participant earlier this week. And then you flip to the offense starting right tackle Andrew Wilie. He's still limited with his elbow. But here's another massive one. Curtis Samuel was downgraded to DMP. Did not participate on yesterday with a hamstring injury. So it's a soft tissue injury, and you know how tricky those can be, so on both sides of the ball.
For Washington, like Brian said, be it a mix of true injury and or the players saying to themselves business decision. They got a lot going on over there. But that just really makes it more of a trap game if you ask me exactly.
The last thing I want is the is the are the cowboy players reading that and saying, oh, well, they're giving up and not taking it seriously. You got to go in there and really put them away. And I know I've heard I think I've heard you say this, Brian, and these kind of situations got to go into a game and just kind of knock the will out of them early and If you do that, they do tend to buckle and fold in the game.
You have to destroy their will to compete. Yeah, it is what you have to do. And so you know, this is a hot t shirt game, but the message needs to be made. You need to go and win however means you can. I don't care if it's one point or one hundred points. Just go find a way to win that football game. Because really, and I've said this in a couple of different platforms, now, I do believe your Super Bowl life is depending on it. I just don't see this team going on the road and
having to win a bunch of games. You know, all the home games. You've put sixteen straight games at home. There's a reason why you play a lot better here. So to me, that's the focus right now. I don't care about one or one hundred. Just find a way to go in there. Don't get stupid penalties, don't you know. Turn the ball over and just play to the level that you can play at, and you will destroy their
will to compete. You will be a better football team than them when it's all said and done, when you line up, you will be the better football team. Go play like the better football team and go finish this thing off.
The perfect situation for the Washington Commanders would be to play enough competitive football to dispel any narratives about obvious tanking, but to play just poorly enough wherein you don't win this game and you secure your.
Number two overall pick.
But here's where it gets dangerous even with that as far as the Cowboys are concerned, because assuming they go with this perfect scenario, we want to remain competitive through three and a half quarters whatever. But the Cowboys have shown that they can inflict self you know, self inflicted penalty question, right, So if they're playing just well enough to lose but look like they could win, and then you have two or three penalties that actually accidentally push
them over into the win column. So to Bryan's point, you need to go in there and demoralize them early, hopefully get off to a fast start, and then those guys will start making more and more business decisions and saying, you know what I forgot, We actually do suck, so let's just go ahead and finish this.
I would yeah, I would hate to be working in this front office or coaching staff if they lose this football game. I honestly would I don't think that would be a good situation from anybody. You know, you need to coach like you need to have that that desire to go win this game, because, like I say, there's there's a lot riding on the line for the Dallas Cowboys and this one a lot.
With Ever, with all that being said, do you guys look at guys like Tyler Smith and Jonathan Hankins and say, all hands are on deck, we can't afford if you can play, even if you're not one hundred percent, if you can play, you need to be out there. Or do you say, let's be smart because there still are playoff games, we have to be aware of it.
I don't feel like a game where you can win it without those guys. To me, it feels like that. But then again, I mean I was ready to sit down Tyron Smith, I Lee. So I don't know. It is one of those things that, man, you do not you want to have those guys fully healthy and available for the playoffs, But the implication of having those home games it's so big and so important.
So I don't I feel like you can win this game without Tyler Smith and Jonathan Hankins. But I feel like you you sit Tyler Smith because there's not any rush there that needs to be worked off. He needs to rest that foot and be ready for two weeks from now. Jonathan Hankins, however, has missed multiple games. He has to get his wheels greased. He has to get right. So ideally you go out there, you get him playing first half. Hopefully the game is out of hand. But
in you know, in the Cowboys control, you start pulling guys. Hey, Jonathan Hankins, good job, grease you. Willis come off the field, Dak Prescott, come off the field, get ready for Cooper rush. So ideally that should be the game plan. But I would like to see Hankins on the field. I would not like to see Tyler Smith on the field.
Yeah, the injury to Jonathan Allen and kind of where I'm here and that's gonna go. And I hope I'm right about this as somebody telling me from the commanders. But if he doesn't play, I feel a lot better about Tyler Smith not playing in this football game. TJ. Bass has done a fine job. My concern is like the Rams obviously don't care whether they're the sixth seed of the seventh seed, and there's a possibility that you could catch them as the seventh seed depending on some
wins and losses along the way. With some of these teams, Mike concern thought they were I thought they were solidified.
They had they can drop this out.
They could drop to seven. Yeah, so depending on if you get a Green Bay win and a Rams loss, there's kind of some serien nose where they could drop down to six or seven. And if that that's the case, now you're dealing with that, Aaron Donald, So, I need uh I need Uhler, I need Tyler as healthy as possible if that's the case.
So there you go, man, that's a yeah. I didn't realize they they were still positive.
The Rams don't care that far. You know what, the Rams. This is why the Rams are scary. They don't care if they're the sixth, the seventh. They know they're going on the road, and they're telling you right now, we don't care if we're gonna have to play the two or the three, we don't care.
And they started saying that they were sitting guys this week.
Oh they're gonna sit their whole team. They're good the.
Cars and so on. In the forty nine is interesting enough.
That's gonna be an interesting game because I don't think anybody's playing their guys.
They're they're they're completely sitting everybody that they could be. They can finish the year ten and seven. The Rams, they don't care. They just don't care. They're got They're thinking more about the health of their team, whether they have to go travel as the six or go travel at the seventh. They don't. They don't have time for your Uh, they don't have time.
They don't you know, that's what makes them scary to No.
Yeah, when you get a team that has the attitude like we don't play anybody. Yeah, we'll show up at Detroit. We don't care. We'll show up in Dallas. We don't even know they got hammered here. We don't care. If we're the seventh seed, we'll show up.
You would think they'd be like, there's incentive for us to play, to be able to go to Detroit, versus.
After what happened to him in Dallas. It's like it's it's like like our fear of going to San Francisco. They have none of that. Now we're like, oh God, please you gotta get home games, you know, if you've got to set this thing up. You know, they're they're like, we don't have time for your six seven doesn't matter. We're gonna rest our team and we're gonna be ready when the thing starts. That's scary.
Yeah, I didn't know. You just introduced something I really wasn't wasn't paying attention to.
So we'll think. We'll see how that goes. Are we gonna take our final first break when we come back. Uh Amber has a little game for us, and then we'll get to the final segment. We'll have some predictions for you guys. Tell you what the keys are for the Cowboys offensively and defensively.
We'll back Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
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Cowboys fans, after that move, We've just coined the term rowdy replay.
Let's roll back the tapes.
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Welcome back into Dear Doctor, the show where I answer life's questions with an ice cold can of doctor pepper. Sheila, let's hear from my next caller, would you.
Dear Doctor?
My friend supported me during a tough time, But what's the right gift that says thanks for being a soldier to cry on.
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Back to the break.
How about this one, Walter Payton's Man of the Year Award. It's being given out this year. Big award, by the way your quarterback went it last year. Great honor. DeMarcus Lawrence is the Dallas Cowboy's nominee for the twenty twenty three Walter Payon NFL Man of Your Award presented by Nationwide, helped Tank raise funds for the Dak Prescott's Faith Fight and Finish Foundation. By casting your vote on NFL dot com slash Man of the Year or tweet your support
using the hashtag wpmy Challenge. Voting ends on January eighth, so go vote for Tank.
Welcome back to second segment of the Break Life in the SWBC Mortgage Studios. At the start segment brought to you by blockchain dot Com Amber, you got a game for us.
Yes, no, we haven't done that long. I forgot about the game. You reminded me, So I came up with something really fast, and I did this arts and craft right before the show with some utensils. So basically, this is a game called who am I. I'm gonna it's kind of like trivia, and I'm gonna list three things about somebody and then you guys got to put it up and then guess who it is. Yes, since we don't have you know, it's radio. But we'll deal with this.
Derek you get the knife because you like throwing jabs. Ryan you get the spoon because you like gumbo and all that stuff. Very you get the fork because you don't like soup, all right, and then Chris is gonna since I'll be reading, Chris is also going to help judge who you know. I don't. I don't like no cheaters, So y'all have no I put it out.
Everybody with it.
She gave us the yeah, but I'll read three things. I can add a bonus if needed.
And you guys are these players?
Yes, you guys got to put it up as soon as I'm done talking. Okay, all right, the.
First only when you're done talking, we can't do it, Earli, Yes, can you.
Say your name is the buzzer as well for our podcast listeners.
Okay, sure that makes sense. Yeah, so put it up and say yeah, I got it.
There perfect, Like, okay, we'll try. I could also serve as a bad example too, if you like.
Al Right, okay, first one, and I think these are all easy, but because maybe I know the find out all right. As a senior wide receiver, I caught forty two passes for six hundred and seventy eight yards and six touchdowns. I graduated with a degree in integrative biology in twenty twelve. I was drafted in the third round. Bye, Jacksonville.
Oh, these aren't just Cowboys players. These the other.
These are current Cowboys player coboys plays.
It's wide receiver twenty twelve draft.
By Jacksonville, senior wide receiver. Do you guys want a bonus?
Obviously have to active, Chris.
They're all active? All right?
Yeah?
Give it away, Chris, Can I guess?
Go ahead, Chris, Yeah, go ahead.
Anger Brian Anger was a receiver.
Yep, he was a receiver as a senior.
Okay, wait a senior in high school? College? Uh, that will make a difference.
I think maybe it was high school.
It had to be high school.
Okay, college.
You said these were easy, all right, thought you didn't like?
Chris gets the point, thank you?
Look all right, I don't got it.
It is not that we don't know.
I don't know the bonus question was gonna be. The bonus thing was gonna be. I've been invited to Orlando, but I'm trying to book a fly to Las Vegas. Okay, that narrow is it down?
That wouldn't help me?
Okay, you guys, I know that.
I'm just saying I would have still been thinking what wide receiver. Other than.
That was a little tough, but okay, next one, next one. Fans wanted me gone after my big contract renewal because I wasn't meeting expectations. I'm a fun guy, but don't mess with me major munications at state.
Okay, go ahead there. I knew it was right. You got Marcus Lauren.
That one was That's easy. Oh that was it?
Yeah yeah yeah, all right.
So I will, I will because I was right.
How about this, if you know the answer, just say your name.
All right, Well that's what I said.
I had, Brian, but put up your stuff. I worked hard on those, Okay.
So hard. Yeah, with the whole puntion.
Of the big all right, next one, Michael, Oh.
Michael Patrick won that one.
This is off the rails, Gallup, off the rails.
Of the game, Michael Gallup. I'll eliminate that one. Okay, next one. In college, I was one of four sets of brothers on the team, graduated with a degree in management entrepreneurship, played one hundred and fifty two games and only missed ten. Four brothers Zach Morton, Yes.
They have four sets of brothers.
Yeah yeah, all right, next one, next one, don't be committing no crimes around me because I'm major in criminal justice. Oh No, shoplifters, don't worry. I can catch them because I'm fast. On game days, you can catch me playing special teams or an offense. Patrick, Yes, okay, Derek is clueless on this.
Do you think about how do you think about this? Game?
Is it?
Is? It?
Is it?
Do you know?
I only have two more? Okay, people say they hate me, but they can't stop talking about me. I have a master in workforce leadership. My name rhymes with champagne. Patrick rain yep rain to coulda prescott.
That was not rhyme rhyme.
That was an easy one.
All right, last one, Come on, last one, Derek.
Maybe if you and I trade, maybe maybe I'll try anything.
Yeah.
In my spare time, I like to rest and sleep. I have pride. Females are in charge of the food, but I am not. In my case, I do the honting.
Derek Michael, alright, good, all right, thank you.
It was this.
It was the got it include the pride.
The pride was that was the cue.
All of it was about a lion, restless, sleep, the pride, and then females are in charge of the food. But he does in.
This case, Patrick, Yeah, finally took one.
All right, sorry, next week. Sorry that it's great.
It's a great game.
Job you guys, good job.
You just got terrible contestants. Yeah, we're bad, not you, we're bad, terrible us.
Yeah, well started right, Okay.
Okay, it's true. But when I saw it, I was like, oh, no one would guess that for sure.
Masters, you know what, you know your audience.
No one was going to get to get interesting fact about him.
All right, final jeopardy question. You don't lead with the final jeopardy questions.
Remember I did this right before the show, so it was all on the fly.
I was in the blue ten after that one with the concussion.
Yeah, all right, let's duck in. Let's talk about the Cowboys versus the Commanders. Let's start with offensive key. Give me an offensive key, will go around the table. Offensive key for the Cowboys in this game, I'll start with you.
Amber, offensive key. Run the freaking ball, like, find a way to run the ball. And uh, obviously you won the the passing game. We're talking about the Cowboys, coy you won the passing game to still be what it's been recently, but also show up on the road. I think that's sometimes something that kind of disappears a little bit when on the road just by mistakes, their own
mistakes and committed penalty or errors. But this is a game where I hope we can see a little bit of the running game, just to go into the playoffs with a little spark in that area where you're just not flat out, shut out and not able to run anything whatsoever. So to me, I would like to see some balance in that.
Throw the ball as much as the weather will permit you to do. So it's a secondary that even when they're completely healthy, they're not really good at defending and covering, and you add to the fact they're ravaged by injury. Right now, you should have more time ideally to drop back and throw the ball. If Jonathan Allen is in fact not in the game, that should alleviate some of
that interior pressure, those challenges up front. So past the ball, attack those corners, young and veteran, because it's going to be there for you again, weather permitting. But I'm with you. Amber said it earlier this week. I would like them to get some semblance of a solid run game as well.
I would like for them to get up to the fast, start passing the ball, and then kind of work in the run game to start managing the clock in salting that away, and then hopefully we can go into the playoffs confident not only in the passing attack, which I think we're all confident in for the most part, but rushing attack as well.
Get everybody involved. Yeah, the last time you beat the Commanders on Thanksgiving, you got everybody involved, whether it was Turpin, whether it was Gallop, whether you know, everybody was involved in this game. Pollard ran the ball really well. I feel like though that the best way to beat the Commanders is against with matchups. They're going to struggle with the matchups. So the aggressive part of it is great.
I think that's the angle you take. But make sure you get everybody involved to win this game.
You guys.
A couple of you guys mentioned the running game. Pollard had an interesting quote earlier this week. He said, I thought I would probably have had a better year than I'm having now. I think he's admitting to the fact that this hasn't quite been the year that he would have expected or won it. I paid a little bit, yeah did, but it was a one year deal, and so now he's going to be back up this year.
What specific there was one thing that you could identify for him that you would say, hey, just do this one thing better. It would make the difference in the Cowboys running game and in his own abilities and what he's doing right now with the Cowboys.
He's averaging a yard less when you talk about to and through the hole. There was a time when you looked at him when with first contact he's averaging like a yard less And maybe that's a little bit about what's going on with the offensive line and then not being able to really kind of secure. But there have been times where things have opened up for him and he hasn't really taken advantage of it. You watch the Commander's game, it's the best he's run the ball all year.
So that's kind of my hope that maybe he gets that going again. But if there was something, if he could have his burst back, if he could have that burst, and I think that's the one thing that's really kind of eluded him this year.
I'd like to see more of the home run ball as a receiver out of the backfield. I think the fact that he has through sixteen games no receiving touchdowns whatsoever. He's down almost one hundred yards receiving over the previous year. That's an element of his game that has always made him explosive, and I think that opening up or that getting back to where it needs to be will help open up his ability to run because it changes how he can be defended by linebackers and cornerbacks and safety
is trying to play in the box. So for me, I just I want to see him. You know, you talk about like the focus drop on that middle slant against the Lions.
Can't have that happen.
So when he gets the ball in his hands as a target out of the backfield, I just want to see him hit more of those home runs, get more of those big gainers, because I think that's the biggest part that's been lacking this.
Year for him.
Yeah, to me, I would say think, but don't overthink. I feel that at times, and we've seen him in the past, so he has the instincts and being able to find the whole and know where to go first and take that initial jump at the goal. But sometimes now I feel like maybe, and this is just me assuming that he's just overthinking things and just kind of runs without really analyzing the full feel and everything that's
going on, like the prediction aspect of it. Yeah, the feel and the patience and the really going back to him playing just football and just kind of let go whatever is in your head and just trust yourself. Basically, do you think.
The money got to him? Do you think the money of having to try and live up to that the tag?
If I had to guess, I would say what probably got to him more was having.
To be the man is than the money.
I just I just think that there is something too, and I think it happens. You see, it happened with running backs all the time, especially running backs who haven't been used to that. And you remember think back in college, he wasn't a single guy. He was a he was a guy that was and so when you when you think about it from that standpoint, I think that that's the part that I would look at.
And again I don't know.
I have not talked to him personally about this, so this is all speculation, but I would guess that that's maybe part of what we're seeing because there are those moments when I kind of agree with you amber that maybe he just doesn't play. He may be thinking a little bit too much some of the drop pass that happened, you know. I know, Brian, you said it was ripped off.
But I do think there's been some other moments where I was like, you know, that's not like I'm used to him like making the play when it's there, And there have been moments when the play was there and he just didn't make it for whatever reason. And I just wonder if it's just a little bit too much to be in that situation where you're the man, everybody's looking at you, and you got to make the playoff.
He you know, he could have been the man in that forty nine or playoff game last year, and if you really watched the game, he was having a great game. Yeah, and he probably could have been the difference maker until he got hurt. Yeah, you know. Unfortunately though, that was his opportunity to be the man.
And but he wasn't the leader in that room. He wasn't he wasn't dealt the task of you're the leader of this room. Zeke was still there. Zeke was still the guy when there was a problem with the running game who everybody looked at. Everybody looked at Zeke. Right, that's a different when the media is looking at you like, hey, the running game isn't working, you're the problem, right, that's different.
You know, it's the same reason that everyone loves Cooper Rush more than they love Dak Prescott. Not everyone, but there's a faction of fans that love Coop. It's always the guy behind the guy that gets then and then that's what happens all the pressures. Right, we talked about
it running backs. You know, it happens with running backs, and you know it's going to happen continually with running backs and just other positions, skill positions, because whoever the guy is, unless they're going crazy, like you know, Ceedee Lamb is going right now, it's always going to be well, let the guy behind them play. So it's that it's
the psychology. And I don't think it's much to do with the fact that he's getting ten point one million dollars on a franchise tag because he's this is still a contract year for him, This is still proven. He had to go out there and have a big year, and to his admission, he didn't have a big year. It's not up to his standard. It's not up to the Cowboys standard and it's not up to our standard
as well. We can all you know, say that, admit that, but you know, I think it's just it's different when, like you said there, when you become the guy, right, so, Zeke stood in front of that train for years and that's what it became. But now Tony is RB one, the crowd gets put on your head. Now you start to realize what comes with that, the criticism from the media, the criticism from the fans, the fact that now they're calling for Rico doubt or like they were calling for
you when you were playing behind Zeke. That's that's how it goes, the same way they were calling for Lance Dunbar when it was DeMarcus Murray fumbling the ball.
Let's also be clear, I don't know that I necessarily think it's so much even just the fact that is the focus that has that that has that may have had made may have made the difference for him. I think it's also about just the fact that the workload is different. The expectation of the world was everywhere right, I mean, this is we we heard uh Skip Peete talked to he talked, I think he talked to you
personally last year about this sledge. I know I had some conversations with him as well, and he was like, you know, everybody's calling for him to get more, but maybe more isn't better. Maybe maybe he's a guy that needs to have a certain amount. But when you're the man now, the expectation is you may go into some games and you need to just be the man.
For most of the reps, like most of the game.
And I think that's the part I'm a little bit like, maybe that's weird.
I'm gonna get everybody in trouble here by asking this question. Then is that on him or is that on the front office for putting that on him? You know, they got rid of Zeke. They they gave it the franchise tag to Tony and they made him the number one back here and then and then you got rid of the guy who's telling us that you probably need to have two guys.
Where I look at that, I think the Cowboys didn't do themselves any favors by not giving Tony Pollard a Tony Pollard, you know.
What I mean?
Like the thing about Zeke.
Zeke had a Tony Pollard, right, and so it's nice to have that second guy who is comparable. Now, he may not be as good as you, but he has those skills right and he can he can make some big plays for you. And again this is not a knock on ric o'dowdele, but but ric o'doddle, if you would have gone out and then this draft gotten somebody in this second a third round with as a running back that that was a very capable back that, by the way, might be your starter a year or two
from now. I think that does take some of the pressure off Tony because they can hit those big plays and they will have those moments in games that can can really really make a difference, and it forces a defense. It still keeps your running game going even though you're relying on this other guy, so you have two different roles. But I think that's where I would look at the front office and say, you didn't really help Tony Pollard by giving him a Tony Pollard.
I think it goes to you made it a great point, and we've talked about this before going into the season. How would Tony Pollard look in the post zek era, And we said, what what would his running style look like and what would his accountabilities be with number one and credit to him in this particular aspect.
His pass protection has has improved very assively.
Yeah, so roses to Tony Pollard for improving in that, especially on a past happy team.
So there you go.
But he was going to be tasked with making more of those dirty runs and doing more of the heavy lifting, which of course is going to make it easier for a guy like Rico Dalda to then step in. And no knock to Rico because when he's healthy he has shown quickness and good vision and things like that. But it's just it's always easier on RB two when RB
one is the one doing all the heavy lifting. And what Tony Pollard is finding out because he hasn't been that lead back since high school, what he's being reminded of but now at the NFL level is ah, this this gets tiring. Like, so you might be good in September by the time December rolls around.
See this is why.
Ezekiel Elliott was dealing with knee issues and PCO issues come late November December.
It's a different workload, it's a different animal.
So the best way that Tony Pollard, outside of the obvious which is more continuity and good blocking up front to open up those run lanes. But from a Tony Pollard as an individual standpoint, if he can get back to being explosive as a receiver out of the backfield, it just changes how they have to defend him. And I think that that would solve a lot of the where's his explosive ground game run? So yeah, but heavy last day. I mean, when you put the crown on it,
here you go. All right, let's take our final break. We'll come back.
We're going to get to some picks that we have for the final week of the season. I will not only hit the Cowboys game, but some other games that are important to the Cowboys in the NFC we'll do when we come back.
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Welcome back.
Final segment of the Break Life from SWBC Mortgage Studios at the Star. It is time to make our picks for this week. Actually real quick. Before we make our picks real quick, we're going to go around the table. We talked about offensive key. Give me a defensive key for the Cowboys this week.
Turn Sam howel Over he's prone. To give him the ball away. Get the pressure on him.
He can do what he does right. He does not play well on the pressure. So easy formula.
Get back there in the backfield, make him uncomfortable and take the ball away when you get the opportunities.
Eric Bimmy doesn't want to run, but don't encourage him to run. You know, that's the thing about it. They do not want to hand that ball off. They like throwing the ball off. You talk to the people at the commanders, they'll tell you it's just a product the way that Eric is. And so yeah, I don't encourage them to even attempt to run the football in.
This game, clean football. And I was thinking to the turnovers we saw, was it just one or two last week?
To Seo and Jordan on the indust.
Jordan and Jordan, I want to see that again. I think they do. Is one of those things we always say they come in bunches, and I think again, just put a bow tie on the season and get some turnovers in this game.
All right, let's get to the picks.
Let's start first with the Chicago at green Bay game.
Who do you think is gonna win that?
Uh?
Green Bay didn't perform well against the Bears the first go round, but playoffs are on the line form, so green Bay takes it at home?
Right, m broom Bay. I like groom Bay better. Just that's it. That's all I have to say. I think I just have a better feel for them.
Repeat of the Lions Packers game of last year with green Bay having to win to get in. Give me the Bears.
Take the Bears on that game.
I think the Bears going into uh Lambeau.
And get the win.
All right.
Seattle at Arizona.
Arizona like that Giant Killers, I'm going with Seattle.
I think Arizona. I think Arizona exhausted themselves against the Eagles and the Seahawks.
They did the job they needed to do.
Now have to win to at least have a shot at it. So yeah, give me the Seahawks.
Yeah, Arizona was they won for their coach last week and so good for them for doing that, and good for the Cowboys for that as well. Give me the Seahawks.
Yeah of course, I mean Seattle is someone competing actually for something.
Yeah, I agree, see how see me Seahawks over the Arizona Cardinals. Le's goed Minnesota at Detroit.
Detroit's angry.
So yeah, Detroit just by virtue of Dan Campbell being pissed off. So he's pissed off last week. They're just Dan Dan's pissed off. And Minnesota is Minnesota.
Minnesota's off the quarterback.
To Yeah, yeah, no, it's Detroit.
Then Mullin starting.
It doesn't mean any one of.
Them, Yeah, no telling who finishes.
It's like we're gonna be Mullen.
Yeah yeah Detroit. I mean that was embarrassing what happened. I mean, to lose a game like that, you gotta win this one.
I agree, Detroit wins de troice the better team. Troit will won this game at home against Minnesota, right Philadelphia at New York.
I'm going to stick to what I said I said a couple weeks ago. I think they split this this two game series with the Giants. So going with the Giants on this one. Let's stick with.
That, right.
I've been saying for the last two weeks, Philly, they're gonna win. I mean, it's it's time to win and gohold, well no, they're still in the playoffs. But uh, but then go home, but then go home. But yeah, it's it's hard still, it's it's still hard for me to visualize a win from the Giants. But at this point, I'm done picking the Eagles.
Go Giants, Philadelphia, Philadelphia.
Yeah, I'm kind of torn on this one. I kind of tend to believe the Giants is gonna win it just because I think the Giants are gonna come and give them a little bit of you know, that's always the worry is when you play these kind of games, some of what we're talking about with the Cowboys. Those teams have nothing to lose, so they'll throw everything at you.
And I think the Giants are a team that mentally they're just more like we want to win this game, like they're gonna I think they will go into this game thinking as opposed to thinking, hey, the offseasons here. I think they're going to this game saying, let's go out with a win. And so I think They're gonna give them a really good effort, and Philly keeps doing the things they've been doing. Yeah, I think that's I
think that's the way that they lose it. And and so I think I think New Yorkis will winning this game. All right, Let's get to the game of the week, Dallas at Washington.
Who do you think wins that game?
Commanders come out competitive, but Cowboys start to put their foot on the pedal, Commanders start making business decisions. Twenty seven to thirteen.
Cowboys twenty eight thirteen, Dallas.
Thirty twelve Cowboys. All right, safety involved in something, something weird. You know, we always experience something weird, especially.
On that field.
And I will go twenty eight ten. I think it will be. It will be a blowout.
We'll get to wrap up early, go get our Johnny rockets and head onto the bush, get some jailr and head on back, head on back to Dallas. Just so everyone knows, here's kind of how you're thinking about this this weekend. Green Bay wins and Dallas wins. That is your first round matchup at at and T Stadium, however, and we're assuming Dallas wins. However, if they don't win. If green Bay loses, then it goes to Seattle. If Seattle wins, Seattle is in Seattle would be the matchup
for the Cowboys. If Seattle doesn't win, then it goes to Minesta.
I think is the next one.
That would then have an opportunity. As we talked about, likely they're gonna win, but they do have a chance at that point, and then you'd see what happens at that point. But really it's the Chicago, Seattle, Minnesota. Those are three teams that are in contention. I think is the top three options to play the Cowboy.
Can I read it? I'll read it for you. You're right here. We go the opponent, if it's the Rams, that would be Rams lose to forty nine ers. Seattle beats Arizona, Packers beat Bears. Say again, Rams lose to San Francisco. Seattle beats Arizona, Packers beat Bears. That's how you get the Rams. Ye, Seattle opponent, Seattle beats Arizona.
Say Packers beat Rams.
Uh, Packers lose Packers, Packs Packers beat Bears. Rams lose to forty forty nine ers. Oh, I got you, yes, yes for them to the Rams lose to forty nine Ers. Seattle beats Arizona Packers beat the Bears. Seattle, Seattle beats Arizona Packers lose to Bears. Packers, Packers beat Bears, Rams beat forty nine Ers, Saints, Saints beat Atlanta Cardinals beat Seattle, Bears beat Packers.
There's sure got it, So Seattle, what you're saying is the Saints are ahead of the Minnesota in the possibilities of getting it, but they need other people to.
Win.
They need to win, and a Cardinal win and a Bears win gotta get in.
Yeah, got it?
And that doesn't matter with Seattle. I mean, I'm sorry what happened with the Rams.
This is your opponent. These are your cowboy possible opponents.
Got it.
I'll have to think about that. Well.
Either way, as we were talking, when we're talking about the Rams a little bit earlier, cowboys did beat the Rams and beat them soundly at home.
So if you gotta play the Rams, you'll be all right. You can deal with it.
You can do it.
I don't care. You can deal with it. You can do it. I'm not gonna let you do this to me, Brian.
No, if they can do this, this is not a problem. First round is not a problem to be able to handle that.
Stop it.
I know, I'm just trying to. I don't. I don't want to see that. I just don't.
I just don't come Yeah, right, I'd rather see any of those other teams than the Rams. But if it's the Ram car, all right, come on Bears, all right, appreciate you guys. So we'll be back on Monday. Hopefully we'll be back after a trip to that stage. Jimmy Rockham, we'll be back on Monday. So then for Patrick Walker, Brian brought us ambergar C to Derek eagletson. This has been the Break live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
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