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It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com with Ambar Garcia, Brian brought Us, Nick Harris, and Derek Eagleton.
It is Friday, September twenty seventh, twenty twenty four, Season twenty, episode number thirty seven. Welcome to the latest edition.
Of The Break.
We are alive from the SWBC Mortgage studios at the Star, and today we talk about Cowboys victory. Cowboys beat the Giants last night twenty to fifteen in the Meadowlands. Not a game that you necessarily walk away from thinking they were perfect, but a game where they got a win and they needed a win, and some of the things we saw, I think were very, very needed based on what we'd seen the previous two weeks. We'll dive into all of that here coming up over the next forty
five minutes. As a part of this show, we'll start first with our normal game breakdown question, what was the story of the game, big picture story of the game. After watching last night.
Bryan and Starthy, you know, it's probably pretty clear that you felt like that the way they played run defense was something that you know was much needed. You know, we've asked questions on the show about fit finish. All those things showed up last night. And when you're able to take an opportunity to play a scheme where guy plays down and then another guy replaces him, and then there's another guy behind that and everybody's kind of doing what they're supposed to do, you can you can keep
a team from running the football on you. And they did a really nice job of that last night with taking their down linemen affecting the way the Giants. Giants didn't have clean opportunities to get up on your linebackers. Linebackers tackled very well in this game. When you look at uh, you know, when you look at what Overshown was able to do, just incredible. His ability to close and finish in the Ravens game, he had some missus, uh, you know, Kendricks had some missus. This game. You had
some misses, but it wasn't just backbreaking. And so when you play the scheme, you play it the right way, you have the right fits, you finish, then you're able to to to limit what people can do to you. And I think that's something that Dallas has to be really pleased about. You know, it got a little hairy there at the end with all the injuries and stuff.
But uh, you know that was that was a gritty one at the end in the second half, and maybe you needed a little bit of a gritty defensive performance there because the last couple of weeks have been far from that.
Yeah, you talk about injury when we go back into next when we get into next week and see the first injury report, I bet there's gonna be a lot of names on there from the defense specifically because so many different guys got hurt. But a great win for the Cowboys. Definitely a tough one. I liked this. What I liked was that they didn't give up, that they kept fighting and kept their head in the game despite all the things that went wrong, the penalties, they kept
fighting all the way till the end. Was it pretty absolutely not? And it's still concerning when you look at who the opponent was and you were still struggling against the team like the Giants. So but I'm gonna take the win. We're gonna take the win and then move
on to the next next one. Something that the team talked a lot about was, you know, a short week, and we know the struggles that were happening leading into that Thursday night football as far as all the comments that were coming out the locker room, that could have gone south very quickly. So I think that them getting this WIEN just keeps them level because otherwise everybody, like the headlines today would have been insane if it was otherwise. But a lot of things need to be fixed for sure.
Yeah, for me, it was a gut check game. It really was.
And you kind of if you get outside of just the game and think about the scenario of not only what you guys mentioned from the standpoint of the locker room and all the talk last week, but go back
and think about the teams that they played. They played Baltimore last week, which is known to be an extremely physical team, and what we noticed in the film was they loaded up heavy a lot and just basically ran at the Cowboys and just they took a lot of abuse last week from the standpoint of just the physical collisions that they took and then to turn around and four days later have to travel not have a home game, but I have to travel to New York. During that game,
you had some of your best players. You had Micah Tank,
Zach Trayvon Overshown all leaving the game with injuries. I think it's not a coincidence based on where they were, who they played last week, short week to then get up there and on a night when it was extremely for I think for this time of the year, it was pretty humid out there as well, so you saw guys cramping up like it was just a lot going on, and so for me, it was a gut check game, Like that's one of those games where it would have been very easy to be like, all right, my body's
just not doing it tonight, and you start doing things that outside of yourself, not playing your role, not doing your job.
That's not what we necessarily saw.
It was sloppy at times, let's not make any bones about that. But the fact is it was a gut check moment. They in my opinion, they passed that part of the test and that's how they ended up gutting out that win last night.
Yeah, you know, and you mentioned the sloppy part of the game, it felt like though, and sometimes this has to happen. The Giants helped you a little bit in that football that night, and they had some they had
some untimely drops their quarterback. It's really strange he has lost the ability to throw the ball down the field when you're talking about the vertical routes and stuff like that, because when you watch the tape, you're going to see a couple of times where his inability to get the ball out there cost them an opportunity for an explosive play, a huge play. You got a little lucky on the
other side, and it's a win. But I've just got to point out there's a couple of times where where late in that game, hooker goes for an interception, balls over his head and if it's anybody but Wondo Robinson standing on the other side, anybody with any length and size to him, it's probably a catch. You know. But you know, things like that have to happen in a game for you to win. You know, he he dropped a ball and a third down inside that you know, Lewis drove on and tried to knock loose and in
the last couple of weeks. It seems like every time that's happened, they've caught the ball and it's been an explosive play. Saints the Ravens. You know, you caught some brakes last night. Sometimes in this league you need a few breaks, and you know, and and good that you got him, But you're right about the gut check part. You know, you're you know, they got call ups playing
crucial roles in the game, determining, you know. And I was listening to, you know, to Mike after the game last night, and he was like, hey, listen to he you know, don't look at it as call up. I mean, we were close on all these guys. I mean, so to me, that tells me that the confidence in Booth was confident enough to start him, but it wasn't confident enough. If he starts to struggle, we're going to pull him.
We're going to pull him. You know. So they had they had options and and you know, their options actually stepped up and helped them, you know, get that victory last night.
Yep, all right, let's dive into some of the details of the game. Let's let's start with the offensive side of the ball. Dak was twenty two of twenty seven eighty one percent completion rate, two hundred and twenty one yards, two touchdowns, intercept, no interceptions, one hundred and twenty five point five rating. It's the seventh time in his career that he's had an eighty plus percent completion rate game with two touchdowns. Overall, very efficient night, how would just says his play.
I feel like though that when you looked at Dak, they did a really nice job of taking advantage of some things with the giants and the secondary. They they were able to hit some plays while they were able to get some protection because the protection wasn't always there. They left getting out there for a long time by himself, you know. And I'm interested to see was it. Were
they so concerned about Lawrence inside? You know, I mean if you look at Cooper Bebee, the metrics will tell you that was a thirty percent you know, him being by himself, seventy percent double team, So that means, okay, well, who's helping bebe It's one of those guards. Yeah, And you know, they they felt like that that Geiiton could handle the load on the outside. And you know, there was some struggles there. Clearly there were some struggles and
with the holding calls and things. But with Dak, he's able to you know, he's able to get the ball out when he needs to. He understands what's kind of going on on his you know, behind him over there, his blind side, and you know you could see him, you know, Lamb. They put him in the backfield. They kind of do some things to try and get him the football. They tried to even you know, you saw Rico Daddle run the ball, you know a little bit, and they just tried to do some things to help
the quarterback along. He responded well with the throws, the accurate throws that he was able to make. Ferguson Lamb. They still got to kind of figure out things about cooks, you know. But you know, that's it's a little bit of a a little bit of a game too of like how do you have really first half offense and
not much second half offense? You know that that's another thing that we've kind of It seems like, wow, Okay, they got things rolling nicely here and then all of a sudden things just kind of shut down on you a little bit. But you know, but overall, I think Dak did exactly what he needed to do to win this football game.
Yeah, I think he looked a lot more confident than he did last week, and he looked more poised. Some of his throws were really good, and he was very proud about him hitting that eighty percent. Talking to the media after the game, someone mentioned to him like, hey, you got eighty percent quarterback rating and he was like, yes, he just did like with his fist, so he said.
He mentioned that was his goal headed into this week, and that typically is his goal that he has set for himself to hit that eighty So you can see the improvement some of those throwing Brian, you mentioned Ceedee Lamb and I think they had a better connection. It's still not where you wanted to be. And also you mentioned those throws or the handoffs with him because acting as a running back it hasn't worked. They've done it how many times now, like four overall since they started doing.
That, the read the option to read options people.
But yeah, and then takes off trying to run. I don't know why they keep trying that because it just hasn't well.
We always asked though, like why did he run more? You know? And then I mean maybe that's why you don't run more right there, But the Giants had that one. There were a couple of times when the Giants had you just good call. You know, you gotta tip your hat to them, like okay, you know that might fool somebody, but that didn't fool them on that particular play.
But it's not like to me, like plays like that that hasn't shown to be uh successful successful.
It's almost like that the jet sweep thing with the CD. I'm kind of like over that right now with that situation.
But the other thing is like when you look at a player like Hunter and you see it most of the time when he gets the ball or the opportunity, he takes advantage of it and makes a good play. So it just makes me wonder why not? And I feel like I always we always are me. I'm gonna speak for myself. I always get to myself too, where I see something that could be potentially good and them not trying to do it enough.
And going back to branding.
Cooks and some of the plays where we're always like, oh, why don't you get him the ball? Then they're trying to get him the ball, but it's not successful. So it's just like it's hard to get a full like a good gauge or grip of like what this offense should be because sometimes you think they should make certain plays and then what they do is is just they're not executed it.
Executing it well, you.
Couldn't have had a better game if you're Hunter Lipkey last night. And I say that, look at what his plays that he made, the third down catch that he made for a first down, it was third let men and he makes a you know, he makes catch, great catch. The fourth down run where he's trapped. What happens very next play touchdown the lamb the guy had. He also had three tackles on special teams last night. He couldn't have played any better or been more of a more
important player. His plays led to bigger plays, you know, and that's and that's that's what you gotta You know, when you're when you're going to a game and you're putting him in there and you throw them the ball or handing the ball, and then the very next play it's a touchdown or a big play, you're like, my gosh,
you know that that's what you gotta do. And like I said, on the special teams, you know, he's been really really good as well, so, uh, you know overall defensively though, I the thing that the thing that's gonna be kind of you know is I I'm just this is just the one critical thing I'll say with Mike's Mike could have helped, could have helped Guiden on one play that I thought about, the third and one play when they throw the ball, you know, and they get
the holding call, just run it. Just you know, just you're at a point in time where you're just your defense has faced a lot of plays and you're kind of struggling a little bit, you know, on their end of it. Keep the keep the chain moving, keep it going, keep you know, try and just build something on that. To me, Third and one, just hand the ball to Hunter Lipkey, hand the ball to Rico Daddle. When you pass it, okay, you see what happens. Third and one,
you just just run it. You got game in hand, you're kind of you know, you need to just keep going and decide to throw it. And I'm like, okay, you just put your left tackle who's struggling in a terrible position there, and he gets a holding call and it backs it up, and you know, you don't get the you know, get it. You know, you don't get what you need out of that. So I'm like I said, they got to figure out something about sustainability of the offense though, too.
Yeah, let's take our first break. When we come back. I want to dive a little deeper into that run game because Rico Dondell, I thought, had some moments last night and I'm starting to I wonder if really the running game is starting to crystallize for us a little bit, if they should follow the tea leaves and follow what's working. We'll talk about that when we come back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
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You need it. You need it in your life, all right. This segments brought to you by blockchain dot Com. Let's jump back in. Let's talk about the running game. Rico Dowle yesterday was eleven carries for forty six yards or four point six average. I thought they had some interesting carries too, like they're they're it. I think it was
in thes either late third quarter or early fourth quarter. Uh, they had a drive where they head him back to back for like six yard runs, and I was like, this is the time in the game when the running game. I'm looking for those moments when you need the running game. Is the running game there? Because running don't have to be great all game. There are gonna be moments when you need it. And I thought they were actually getting
something out of it. And then the next drive they come back and they got Zeke out there, and again, this is not a knock on Zke.
This is not meant to be a knock on Zke.
I think my personal opinion is I think ric o' daldo is the best runner you have on this scene.
Yes, I think Lipke.
Is a runner that can give you a little something that's a little different. He can give you a little bit more of that those power runs, and I personally think they should shrink this thing down and really focus on those two runners.
What are your thoughts on that, Brian.
No, I do agree with you, and you know what, I wouldn't this is my opinion. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing what Dalvin Cook has and sit Zeke, I really wouldn't. Yeah, but I like what you're doing here. When they were able to run the ball, they did a really nice job with either Martin or Smith helping BB on Lawrence, and it really once they were able to kind of cure him that it led to the ability to cut the ball in through the middle of the defense. That was you know, and doubtle and those
guys did a nice job. Even there was a couple with Zeke. Zeke had a run that got called back with a double holding call that gat BB and it was really it was actually a really good run and I thought it was a pretty well blocked play. But they secured Lawrence to the point where they were able to make those cuts off off that block, And so yeah, I think I think, you know, I think with with Rico daudele Is as a primary back, I have no
problem with that. I am kind of interested if they get things going up front where the combination blocks and stuff do work, that maybe that we do see. But I don't think they would sit and Zeke, I just don't. I don't right now, and I'm because I'm kind of trying to get John Stevens active too, and I can't get him active as well. But uh, I'll tell you what they did in the end of the game though,
that is to kind of keep it going. Instead of just a first run, they threw the ball to like Ferguson or they threw the ball you know, short, and it's like a six yard gain and then they run the ball and then it so it wasn't run run, run, it was throw it, try and get something and then come to the run with that, and it kind of it kind of you know, the Giants, you're you're instead of handing the ball off and the Cowboys last two
weeks they get the ball handed off on him. It was a seven or eight yard gain and you're like, well, you can't stop the run. Dallas is like, well, we're not really sure we can run it well enough. So what we'll do is we'll try and throw, get six yards and then we'll run, so.
You'll get into second or four. You can make that work.
He got a.
Little pattern with the way, you know, the way he was trying to finish that game with throwing it to Ferguson or you know, somebody, and then going from there, I liked what they were able to do all thatt Rico ran the ball tough yesterday. I really I liked that. I liked with his ability to cut behind those blocks. Right, that's the thing.
He's got a little more juice than any of the other guys in my opinion.
Yes, yeah, I can see that. I mean, he's made those plays, but still we all know the running game is nowhere near where it should be. So I wanted to ask you guys this, we've been waiting to see
Darvin Cook. I mean, at what point when do you think is the perfect time or when they would do or decide to make this move because I'm starting to think, I mean, could it potentially be a product of what they're seeing at practice where they're like, well, he's not simply anywhere ahead of the guys that we currently have.
I don't know about you. I haven't heard. I've heard everything has been positive and everything is ready to go. But I've also heard some whispers that he's kind of wondering what's going on here too.
I get the opinion, and this is just my opinion. I get the opinion that he is an insurance policy for them. I don't get the opinion that they just want to necessarily like they were just getting him acclimate and then they were ready to throw him in there
and take them to what happens. Like, I think they feel like Zeke has a role on this team, and as you said, yeah, like I have a hard time thinking both he ands he correct if somebody's have to go down, And I just don't know that they're at a point where they're ready to put Zeke on the bench.
I just don't. I mean, yeah, I just don't think that.
I think they believe he still has a role for them.
Well if that's if that's the case, then if and I don't know if somebody would poach Dalvin Cook if they there was an injury. But I don't necessarily believe that Dalvin Cook would be loyal to you right now, if somebody came along and said, hey, we'd like to put you.
On your practice squad so somebody could come take him, yeah, I was.
Willing to do it.
I hope I'm not speaking out a turn there, but you know, I just get in the feeling some whispering that it's hey, you know this guy is he's he's like he sees what's going on in the Running Game, and he's kind of like you sure, you sure we can't do this a little bit better, a little bit different. And Io Rico is clearly the best back here on on the on him and Hunter Lipkey and then you know what they do with Vaughan. I think it is
fine for his role. Flet's pick up on the on the fifty five yard touchdown pass is the reason why you were able to get the ball off.
McCarthy has shown multiple multiple occasions that he's not afraid to sit someone out and like make a switch, make a change. So to me, it's just very interesting last night exactly exactly.
Yeah, they they had enough enough.
But four games in now you continue to struggle. I'm like, why, Like it just doesn't make sense in my mind, why not just give it a try, just to at least see you?
But he find out.
What we've heard from them, and I'm talking when I say them, I'm talking about Mike, I'm talking about Jerry, I'm talking about everybody that talks on behalf of the organization.
What we've heard from them.
Is, I don't know that they think the Running Games is bad off as we all think it is. I believe that they are looking at it and they're saying, well, we haven't been in games where we really like the running game, like we've gotten taken out of games where we had, we gotten taken out of our last right, and so I think they believe our running game hasn't really been tested yet, so we don't really know.
Now.
I'm not saying I'm.
Not saying anybody agrees with that. I'm saying they're the ones making the calls. They make the calls, and I'm thinking that the way they're talking makes me think they don't think there's as much of a problem as we think there is, you know.
And that's a problem if we see it.
I mean, it's it's their job to make that call, and we and we we talk about it. We got we got microphones and cameras and we talk about it, and that's what we do. And you know, sometimes you sit in that room, I will say it's from personal experience. There are times when I've watched when I worked for this team and you guys are having your shows. You guys would say something, or they'd say something on the radio or TV, and I would go, they're absolutely right,
They're absolutely right. You know that is you know, sometimes you sit there and go, yeah, I don't know, I don't know about that. But then there are other times where media members would say things and I would go the.
Right and sometimes you come up to mine in Nick's office and.
Say, yeah, I know, you guys are right about that.
Yeah, right about that. I mean, see, that's what I'm saying. They they obviously feel like I think the running game could be better. I mean better, I mean better. They've at least committed to Daddle as the starter. It's not like they're waisting carry. I mean they had. Elliott had five carries. Like I said, the one long run he had came back because of a holding call, two holding calls,
matter of fact, on the same play. But I I would I would be interested to see Cook just for the reason of is could he give you him and Daddle together? Yeah? You know, and I'm with you, you know I would. If you're not, if you're not going to play Cook, then I would say, okay, give me more Daddle and give me more Hunter Lipkey. You know, because Hunter Lipkey can get you four or five yards
with his style, his running style. So if that's what you know, I'm I'm I'm okay with that, but I think this offensive line what I saw with them blocking on On Lawrence yesterday, and he's difficult. He one of the best nosed men in the league. That's a that's a problem you're dealing with. They did a good job on that. If you could block him, geez, you could block others in this league just as effectively. Yep.
And I actually I'm even wondering, like how Zeke is taking all this. I don't know if you noticed this last night, Amber, but uh you Usually usually after the game, Zeke is one of the people that's immediately ready to talk to the media, and I think the media knows that. So after the game, I think all the media kind
of got it there. We were all there waiting right by his locker, and he finished getting dressed, he put on his headphones, turned on his music, got his bag, and walked out, and everybody's kind of like, oh, guess he's not talking, which is very different for Zeke. If it would have been other players, you probably would have been like, oh whatever.
Because regardless, that's right.
And so it does make me wonder how he's feeling about his role right now, because it is a diminished role Brian. What it was week one to where it is now, No role is diminishing, and maybe that is maybe he is seeing the writing on the wall that at some point maybe that he may not be the guy that's acted well.
See that's what I'm saying, and Dalvin Cook is probably thinking the same thing. Well, why am I watching this team run for three and a half yards of carry and we're gonna sit there and go into week five and not do anything about it.
It's definitely to me it has definitely flipped a little bit to where I think it's being established at Rico is the guy, and I want to see a little bit more that because, like I said, I do think he has a little more juice right now than anybody else that we've seen. But I do wonder how the rest of the guys in that room were feeling about the position.
Seg was also, I mean we were standing there by the tunnel getting off the fields and Sege was the first one to get off the field by himself just walking, which again that's normal, players do that all the time. But it was just like you could see a different Something is just not right and whatever it may be, maybe it is what you're saying, Derek, that he's starting to feel the pressure.
And honestly, I don't know. I've not talked to him about this.
I don't know.
It could have just been he just didn't want to talk to the media. I'm just saying it was different than normal because usually Zeki is very talkative when it comes to the media, even after games where he doesn't play well. And that's one of the things I respect. I respect the heck got him for that because.
Not every player does.
He is a guy that after every game he is willing to say, here's what happened, in my opinion, and I think he's garnered a lot of respect. That's why the meat he came around him is because I think he's garnered a lot of respect like that where people say when it comes time to talk, he's gonna be there and he's gonna be ready to be accountable for whatever happened in the game. We're gonna take our final break. We will come back and we'll flip over to the
defensive side of the ball. See what happened over there.
We'll be back. Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
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Final the segment of the break the SWEBC Mortgage Studios.
At the start, I.
Gotta admit I'm operating on fumes right now. We're going to power through. We got fifteen more minutes. We got to give these people what they want. Let's talk about the defense and the thing that jumped out to me. Obviously, I think for everybody I would have guess was the run defense last night against the Giants. They held into twenty six rush yards on twenty four attempts. That's a
one point one average. And for those that will say the Giants run game ain't that good, well, I'll put it in context for you is this is the best run defensive performance that any team has had so far through the first three weeks of the NFL season. That is says that this was not just the Giants. This was an abnormally great run defense defensive effort that the Cowboys put on last night.
My question for you guys is what do you think was different?
The tackling was different, the ability to uh, you know, to ability. Zimmer and the coaches did a nice job. The fits we always talk about. You know, spacing is important, Gap integrity is important, Playing the edges is important. Filling for your teammates are important. Uh, being in position to you know, when you you looked last night, Uh, there are some guys that tackled really well in that game. We talked about overshown. Jordan Lewis continues to just amaze
me the way that he's able to play too. And and I just bring up tackling. It really didn't have anything to do with the running game. But you know, when the ball gets in space, that that ability to limit what those you know, you know, we've seen it the last couple of weeks that run after contact has been a huge problem. You know, if you look at the metrics, there was two hundred and forty one yards of you know, extra of miss tackles for the Cowboys this year, and and it's it's clear, I mean, it's
very evident. So just they are a billy you know, Mazzie Smith and how he plays, and when you have a a confident you know, one technique that plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Last night, even Lynnville Joseph kind of when you watch the tape, Lynnville Joseph looked like now Lynnville Joseph played a lot of his career there against the Giants, probably wanted to show folks that hey, I could still move, I could still play. The first several weeks, he hadn't played with
great range. Last night he played like maybe a little bit better conditioning, maybe a little bit you know, with the going against the guards here and you know with the Giants, it's you know their offensive line, they've got some competent players. They feel better bad. Their protection actually was pretty good on you last night. But Daniel Jones gets rid of the ball now quick. He doesn't hold
the ball like he did back in the day. But the run game stuff, the fits, the finish, all that leads to better run defense.
I just think they were more aggressive overall, and something that I didn't notice its physical.
More physical.
Yeah, the tackling it did improve since last week.
For sure.
There's still some bad ones out there that you're like, what are we doing here? But at the same time, you want to see some kind of improvement. And despite what fans or other people might say that, oh well it was against the Giants, regardless of that, it's a good practice. It's something that you want to see happening. It builds their confidence back up again. We will see about all the injuries and the kind of told that
it took on them. But overall, what I like the most was Mike zimmer some of the adjustments he was able to make, and the players being able to execute it a lot better. People being more focused on doing their own job and working as a team. So I think everyone was more in sync in that regards and playing a lot faster, uh to where they're not just running behind the whole time. Over shown another guy that just man, he's so impressive just overall and the fight
that he puts in in every single play. But yeah, just you know, faster and more physical.
Even in the fourth down run that they converted. You know, you got a you get a penetrating tank lawrence that forces Singletary to have to They're they're they're set up to run the ball to the Dallas's left side of the defense. They've got all their blockers position in that area. Ball is going to the right. They're going to try and get this fourth and one. What happens, tank beats the block, You get a penetrator. Now Singletary has to try and spill it from the backside. Here comes Wilson.
You know that that ball right there, Wilson makes that play. The ball is on the Giants half of the field. And now now they're in big trouble. Yeah, now they're in big trouble. And but you know, you missed a tackle lea foul. His angle was not the best on that one, you know, but they get the first down. But it just goes to show you that when you know some.
Of his tackles. Though, man, that guy he has some strength.
No, No, they absolutely see. I always felt like though this crew, if they're going to be good playing run defense, it's going to be the linebackers. And they didn't play particularly well as a group last week. This week they were much better. But your defensive line was much better. Yeah.
I think that's why I did it for him, because they were lacking that kind of help last week. Is like you're exposing your linebacker is because.
You're Mazzi was.
I think this was Mazzi's best game as a cowboy in my opinion.
John Michael Smith's the center for them is a is a very is kind of an undersized guy, but he's but he's a really good athlete and he could position blocking Mazzi beat him up in this scale. You know when he when he had to block Mazzi one on one, Mazzie was not having any of that. Yeah, you know.
There were several times where I just if I going back to my notes, I could pull four or five plays where Mazzi was a factor in the play being disrupted because of his ability to either get off a block or get some penetration in order to cause the ball to have to go another direction.
It actually seems to me like going back to the fourth quarter of the last game, a light switch might have gone on for Mozzie because I think he had a good fourth quarter last game and it carried over to this game. And I think he, like I said, I think this was his best performance as a Cowboy. I will be interested to see as weeks go on. Now can he sustain this? Because if you can, now
the Cowboys might be cooking with something. Now they may actually get what they expected out of this guy when they picked him in the first.
See this is where Mozzi, you know, he fought through the back and then during the game he fought through a hamstring. More games of Mazzi fighting through things is could only be better in him having success because it could be very easy for him to got the low back kindness, gonna sit this one out, you know, not going to practice, not gonna do this, not going to do that. And you know, so you know, having to fight through and battle. A lot of guys did that
last night. You mentioned about the game, and you know you usually go to the meadowlands. You're not thinking about guys getting ivs and stuff. But that was human. That was a tough one and they had to face a lot of plays. You know, think about that.
They the Giants crazy.
Well, this just shows you after the Giants got that fourth and one, they ran ten more plays. Think about that. You know, you're off the field, you're you're done, but you give up a first down and now you're now you're in a situation where you have to face ten more plays. You know, Thank gosh, the their coach decided kick field goals on the three yard line. You know, that's you know that that's okay. If you're going to do that, by all means going to keep going.
Yeah, I think when you look at just the with the players that they didn't have on defense particularly and at the cornerback position, and the way that they were able to basically even though they gave up some yards.
And they were able to stiffen in the in.
The red zone hold the field goals like that, That to me is a that's if you're going to stop the run, you're going to stiffen in the red zone and force teams to kick field goals. That's a formula for success. Like you don't have to be great. A great defense that is a formula for success, which again, after the last two weeks, you're just looking for some progress to where you're like, Okay, I see what this defense can be that could be successful. That is a formula for success.
That neighbors is going to be a pain in the rear for a low times. Yeah. I mean that kid play, that guy is a you know, he's outstanding. They moved him around. The Cowboys played some you know, they trailed him a couple of different times when they had to. You know, the plays that dig the fourth down play that Digs made. I mean, that could have been a
hell of a catch right there. I mean the kid kind of knocked himself out when he his head hit the ground, you know, and he got the concussion and all. But you know, sheeze. It's it's tough, man. I mean you you you know, you never feel about the Aubrey's going to miss a field gold and all of a sudden, now they've got the ball at the forty three yard line and you're going money, uh oh, here we go. This This could not be good. You know, if they're they're throwing at the end zone, here.
Yeah you're thinking that. I'm thinking Aubrey's gonna seal this game. Yeah, it just doesn't happen at the at the time when you would have just like, I mean, it's so crazy. Now who got a point? Now we're get fifty plus yard field goals, You're just like, yeah, he's got it.
I used the problem.
I used to think, like, there, you know, the ball gets to where it's a sixty yard field gold. I was always leaning over to my guy Zach Walcheck and go, you gotta punt this ball. Yeah you can't. You got to punt this ball. Play defense. And then he knocks it home and all that, and so now I don't even anything.
You know, he's just he's And by the way, that's one miss He's still up there as one of the best kickers in the league.
You just trust him.
I hope this isn't the stop it. What happened with stop It?
You can stop that Evil Talks was missing extra point?
Stop it? All right?
I got one last question for you guys.
If you had to choose between these two guys for the star performer last night, which would it be Missie Smith or the movie marve On overshown.
Man. Overshown was all over the field, and I and I and I want to believe that you know what you should You should probably give it to Massey because Overshow is gonna have more games like this, you know. But Mose, it's like riding this roller coaster at six the bars, you know, the bars in your lap and you're like screaming going down the hill.
That's when you're working with That's when you work with kids, you know.
And you got this one kid that's not very good, like you're working with him on sports Team one. Kids never get but he does something you just make a huge deal. Oh my god, you don't know. You gotta get back that great moment. You got to give him that love. But I'm believing in Mazi. I think this is a turning point. We're gonna look back and we're gonna say at the end of his career, we're gonna look back and say, you remember that fourth quarter of
that Baltimore game. The light came on and this kid turned into a player. I'm just telling you he's gonna he's gonna be fine.
Now.
He may not be great as a one technique technique, it's hard to be great in the year.
He played great technique last night, right, But I'm saying.
So that's not gonna be in every week thing.
There's not gonna be every week when a one technique is like one of the best players on the defense, or at least it shows up that way. If he can just do it consistently, where he does his job, that's all I want from him. To me, that's a great that's a great player. If he can do that at the one technique.
If I told you he had one more tackle than Dexter Lawrence, would you be happy about that? There you go, had one more tackle than Dexter Lawrence in that game.
I didn't really hear much from Dexter Lawrence last Yeah, he's never been double team more in a game.
Yeah that's smart.
Yeah it's smart.
Worried about it, that's smart.
But your left tackles out there out there just.
But you know, I also wonder, I wonder if the reason why we saw so much from him last night that wasn't great was because this is probably the game where they've left.
Him out on an island more than they have all year.
And that's what you get with a rookie tackle when you leave him out on an island.
But he probably learned a lot last night too.
Every week is a learning experience. He is like his hands. It's like it's like he's in the movie Twister, like male boxes is flying off and man hole covers and he's in a car hits him, you know. I mean, it's it's tough.
What he's learning is. It's not like playing it ou. There are no off weeks.
Every week you got a capable pass rusher coming in every week that you got to deal with everything away, no matter what. Now, the interesting part we didn't mention j Watt coming out right. Brian Burns didn't really he didn't do much anything.
He had no pressures this first time, and I think in his career where he didn't have a pressure again yeah.
With ten plus I think ten plus Russian plus rushers. Yeah, yeah, which a lot of that was Steel. Got to give Steel.
His credit still still has been solid. Yeah, still is riding the roller coast with him too. You know, we're in the second car.
There.
We've seen this in the past with the penalties, and that's one thing that we have not McCarthy has not shown to be able to correct those things in the past. We've never seen that until I mean the beginning of the year. This year, it wasn't happening too much. But now after this game, I'm I go, you know, but you know, I.
Wonder if I wonder if a lot of the penalties last night were a result of the fact, again, like I said, coming off a short week, and when you play in those games, it's kind of a game of survival. You just kind of you just kind of keep fighting and you're not as focused, you're not as on your on you know, on it, because you're you're really just battling, like your body is not even ready for this and you're just battling through it.
I wonder if that was a lot of stoppiness. I don't know. We will see next.
Week if we'll see that's me talking not to Dallas Cowboy.
Yeah, no, no, it's all fair. I think there's a lot of things.
I think there are a lot of things you can question, but the fact is, like there's there's ample reasonably that maybe that was an aberration. Let's see what it looks like next week when you have ten days of rest, you're still doing that after ten days of rest and some good practice time.
Now we might have a problem.
All right, We'll appreciate you guys joining us. We're going to be back next Monday and uh, well, I don't know. We'll find some stuff to talk about. There will be some interesting stuff that happens this weekend. We should do some picks today for the rest of the NFL. Give people something to look at.
But I picked the Giant yesterday.
I know you did. It's okay. It happened to next week like that sometimes. Yeah, you know, I appreciate you guys.
It might have been that way next week, but.
Brian brought us and I'm gonna see I'm Derek eagleson. It's 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.
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