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Cowboys Let's go. Are you ready for a break?
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It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com with Mbar Garcia, Brian brought Us, Patrick Walker, and Derek Eagleton.
It is Wednesday, October eighteenth, twenty twenty three, Season nineteen, episode number fifty three. Welcome to the latest edition of The Break, and I have got a really special surprise
for you guys out there listening. I actually, when I put together this mashup of hosts on the different shows, the one thing I wanted to do on this show, Cowboys Break, was I wanted to people I thought probably had some of the most diverse opinions of our entire staff and put them together and then just like toss the ball up in there and let y'all go just like.
The That's exactly what I've done.
We've got Danny McCrae from Players Lounge, We've got Nick Harris from Talking Cowboys, got John Michold also from Talking Cowboys, and it's time to step up. You guys are now in the big leagues and so we can get this thing rolling. I do want to start first with a
big picture, really big picture question. After six weeks, six games, give me just your biggest storyline you think that's surrounding this team at this point of the season heading into the by after what McCarthy calls the first trimester.
Starr with you, John, Probably I was gonna say a stale offense, but there was a little bit of a heartbeat in Los Angeles, so I'll say a somewhat stale offense.
That's my thing.
I mean, there's been up and downs with the defense, but it's it's the offense, like where Yeah, obviously it can't be what it is right now. When you play the Eagles multiple times and get to the playoffs, it has to get much better. So can they continue building on where they are right now? I would think that at the bare minimum, they have to get something going in the run game for that to happen. So that would be my overarching storyline because going into this season
that was gonna be the big thing. Was you know, no Kellen Moore and Mike McCarthy's calling the plays, how's it gonna look. And the way the season started, you're like, well, this complimentary football thing, nobody else knows how to do. This seems like it's pretty easy here. But yeah, it's it's definitely getting that offense going and how's it gonna look.
So for me, it's inconsistency. That's that's been the thing. You never know what team you're gonna get every Sunday each week. It's like a Jekyll and Hyde and you typically know about halfway through the first quarter. It's like, Okay, this is the team that they came with today, or it's oh, this is the team they came with today. So there's got to be a level of consistency, especially with the opponents that you mentioned that they got coming up out of the break. You know, you got Rams Eagles.
You know, it doesn't get easier, and then later in the season Buffalo Miami. You have to have consistent team on both sides of the ball to play against those type of opponents. So for me, it's insist See why, there is a lot of negatives that you can draw out of these first six weeks. So you're still foreign two and I think that's probably a best case scenario, considering how they've played in some of these games.
Yeah, mine is the lack of what I expected from being from bringing in Brandon Cooks, having Ceedee Lamb going into this year, hearing what I heard out of training camp, expecting Michael Gallup to then be healthy, saying all right, we have some explosive players this offense. Although we're gonna play to the strength of our defense, we're still gonna be able to take some shots and complete those passes.
And we just haven't seen that. Right.
So, when I'm looking at a guy like Brandon Cooks and you say, okay, take the top off right, bust some hamstrings as he's running down, the defenders should be scared of him. I haven't seen that, and that's what I expected. So to your point, yes, this offense and not being able to then stretch the field and put some fear and some defenses is it's kind of that thing where I'm like, we got to see it if we want to be successful of this season.
You touch on some thing their expectations. I'll take you guys back to training camp in Oxnard and what you thought of this team at that time. How much has that changed? Good or bad from what you thought of them going into the season to where they are right now.
Because I wasn't at training camp, but I was hearing man Brandon Cooks fast, looking explosive. I was hearing about the crazy catches that Ceedee Lamb was making. I was hearing Michael Gallup is looking a lot healthier than he was last year. So my expectation was, Okay, although we're playing to that strength of the defense, we're still gonna go out here in dak Prescott's going to look like the dark Prescott of old because he has the weapons now which we've been asking for, and then I haven't
seen it. So my expectation hasn't been met. But can it still be yes, because the last game we did see some shots get taken. Michael Gallup drop dropped, you know, one or two or whatever. But we're still taking those shots, and I think as the season goes on, if you continue taking those, then you'll catch them.
I would say, if we're just going record wise, they're right where I thought they would be.
I mean, at that time we chalking training camp, I'm thinking Aaron Rodgers is going to be with the Jets, and I thought that they would lose the Niners. Now, I didn't think it wuld look that ugly, but I thought that they would probably be around four and two, So that part doesn't surprise me. But the blowouts they had to start the season, just how I wouldn't want to say lack of ever, but just how poorly they came out against Arizona. I never would have expected that.
And then just the fact of just how they got blown out by the Niners. I never thought that that would happen. I just felt like this team is built to play the Niners tight to where it comes down to like a last possession or two, let's see who's going to win this game, And for them for to be that one sided, I never would have expected that.
With the fact of I mean, I get that they didn't have overshown, I get that they didn't have digs, but relatively speaking, you all across the rest of the league, I mean, they're relatively healthy going into that game. Finally that you know, the first team offensive line together, So I didn't expect that part of it.
Yeah, I remember telling people back home whenever I was at training, Cable was like, you know, this team is pretty goo, like they it looks like they can play complimentary football on both sides. Just by the way the offense is being constructed. You see the big shots that they're able to take with the speed, guys like Brandon Cooks, and it wasn't only him. Cavante Turpin was getting super involved in the offense. We saw a glimpse of that in San Francisco, but I expected maybe a bit a
little bit more of that at this point. And then Jalen Tolbert. I expected him to be a little bit more ingrained in the offense as well. But I think you could say that for any of the pass catchers at this point. As far as defense, the defensive side, Treyvon Diggs. Obviously, that injury hurts and that affects expectations in the secondary, But overall, I don't feel like my overall expectations declined whenever he was, you know, put out of the picture. The pass rush, you know, it's been
up and down at times. Again, it's been like a Jekyll and Hyde, it feels like, but whenever they're on it's it's one of the best defenses in football.
What about the tight end room, Yeah, because like we talk about it on the players lounges of like, Okay, Dalton Schultz was should we pay him?
Should we not? But quarterbacks, the good ones.
They need those outlets, right, those guys who are the safety blankets. Romo had it with Whinden, You see Kelsey, You see all these teams Goddard with with Philly, they have those guys. And you expected with Dalton Schultz leaving us drafting a guy in the second round of school and then also having hinder shot in Ferguson saying, Okay, Dak Prescott's going to have his guy stressed and seem if not, he's still going to have that safety outlet,
and we haven't seen it. And to me, I think that is a huge, a huge thing as far as what Dak Prescott has not been able to do in the offense.
But as you say that, my thought is, I think, yes, schoonmaker, hindershot. I don't think they've played up to Pat. I don't think they've been where you would have expected them to be. I think Ferguson has been as good as you would want him to be at this point in his career.
I think he's given you that.
I actually don't know if Dak even uses him as much as he's available to him.
I think there are plays when you see.
Ferguson gets open and that goes somewhere else with the ball for whatever reason. Sometimes it's completion, sometimes it's not. I don't know that I look at Ferguson and say he can't give you. The only area where I think Ferguson is not giving you what you had previously is in the red zone, and that's part of the red zone problems. Maybe you're not getting that same level of production from your tight ends in the red zone. But other than that, I think you're getting what you wanted from fergus.
So, yeah, so I think I don't think it's I don't think it's the players. I think it's the comfort, comfortable, comfortableability with the player, right, because that Schultz is Dak's guy, right, So you have to then work to be have that connection with that with that person.
Right.
Whitten and Romo had that connection to where Witten could close it.
I mean Romo could close his eyes.
And he would know exactly where Witten was going to be or if Winden was going to run the opposite rout of what he was supposed to do. Romo knew exactly why he was going to run that and the ball would be there. That is just a connection thing versus the skill of of what we have in the tight end room. I just don't think we have that. Yeah, and I think you had that with Dalton Schultzen. It was growing and you could see that in the numbers
that that was Dak Prescott's guy worth the money. No, no, no, no no, I'm not saying we should have got I'm saying, when you look at what we're missing on the offense, then you may be missing then that safety blanket connection that Dak Prescott says, no matter what, no matter what, I'm going to be able to look at this guy or throw the ball up and he's going to figure out figure out a way to come down to get it on one of those third downs that you need or in the red zone.
I think, in my opinion, I think Jake Ferguson's right where he needs to be, coming into a year where he's the full time starting tight end. If you had asked me this time last year, hey, one of these tight ends that's in the building right now, he's going to be the comfortable tight end one I would have lost my mind. It would be like there's no way. But Ferguson he's taking that challenge. I think he's right where he needs to be. He's creating that chemistry with Dak.
He texted him before they left Levi Stadium last week and said, I'm with you to the wheels fall off, and that was That was kind of huge towards not only their chemistry, but you know, him being able to build that, you know, on field dynamic as well. I think there's I think there's a lot to be taken away from that. So I like where Ferguson is at,
but the rest of the titands combined. I think I looked at up yesterday two receptions for four yards, so there's there's gotta be there's got to be some sort of added added, you know, expertise there in that tight end room. Scoonmaker, I think, is the guy you look at, though you brought him in as a second round pick,
first round pick, hasn't done a whole lot either. So there's there's even added pressure on to schoon Maker for that for that same instance, so I want to see him get a little bit more ingrained in the offense, get him some red zone opportunities. He's got that big, wide frame. I want to see them try to use that in one on one situations. I think there's a lot a lot of stuff to be played with there.
Yeah, it's interesting how Schultz was a fourth round pick. Ferguson's a fourth round pick, and Jake's definitely ahead of where Schultz was after well going into his second season.
So because which.
Yeah, yeah, so with that being the same, you know, you kind of compare expectations there a little bit. But really since Witten, I don't know that they've had that you know, I guess they did to certain points last year with Schultz, but there really was a little bit of some growing pains where it was supposed to be Schultz and actually it wasn't supposed to be Sulz, supposed to be Jarwin and Jarwin gets hurt, and then ever since then, they've been trying to find that next guy.
And there's just something about tight ends.
Man.
It just it's so tough to project, like who's going to be good in terms of where they're drafted at. You know, you know, like you see a Kyle Pitts goes super high, You're thinking, oh, this guy's coming in. He's about to wreck this league right now, and maybe if he's in a different situation, he does. But tight ends are one of those positions that it's like, I guess you just keep taking swings at the bat and
hope that you get the right guy. I think Ferguson's the right guy, But to your point, I don't know if maybe he's quite right now where Schultz was when he laughed.
You know what really hurts here is the fact that you could use a receiving type tight end that really excels in that part of his game but also has a little bit of run block and John Stevens student, I feel like he would have just been perfect at this moment right now.
But between him and Overshown, I'll toss that to you.
Guys like both of them during training camp were where guys have really stood out and you could see a role for them developing. Which do you think was a bigger loss for this team?
I would have to be Overshown, just because of the injuries that have happened since then in the in the second level, and they were already thin before Overshown even went down, and thenfore Layton Vander esh went down, I would have to say him just because there's there's probably more of a role for him than John Stevens, but both of them do hurt in their own respective ways.
Yeah, I think it's overshown for me because not only the way he was playing, but there was something about like kind of a swagger I thought he would have brought with his playmaking ability that I wonder a little bit if they lost some of that with Digs going down to you know in that Niners game, it's like you watch a Niners game, You're not like, oh, if
they have Trayvon Diggs, then this game's totally different. Not from a playing standpoint, maybe that the game is totally different, but I do think that that was like a major blow to this team because he brings something that is a little bit of a swagger, a little bit of
an energy that's a little bit different. And then Overshown I think would have done the same thing where you just have these ballhawks on different levels making these big time plays, and I think it's taken them a little bit to get over that.
So it would be overshown for me.
Yeah. Same here.
I think when you see the impact that Overshwan was having in the preseason, you say, okay, if he can translate that then to the regular season, then you have a very strong linebacking corps. And then you look at the teams that have good defenses or great defenses, those linebackers are flying around. I just remember watching Tampa with
with Devin White right on the sideline. The sideline you're watching Fred Warner now up there with San Francisco, Like, the lineback and position can change the game for you. And when you look at the guy like Overshowing, you're like, oh man, that's the expectation for this guy. Maybe a little should be a little bit higher than what we
thought it should be. So with him going down, I think that was a huge especially with now Lve and then now you have the Mount Clark as a young guy and they're kind of kind of taking the reins. It's just hard to make up for a.
Guy like that.
Frankly, that was what overshown was that Texas was that kind of fly around got always around the ball, always making plays. So it wasn't really a shock to me to see it when he got here, but certainly it was a shock to see it happened that soon and him to start flashing that early and flashing as often as he did, so I really think that's a huge loss for them. We're gonna take our first break when we come back. I got a lot of questions for these guys.
We're gonna roll through.
Some of these talk about what we think has happened to this team over the first trimester.
Well, then when we come back. Dallas Cowboys dot Com Rao.
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Back to the Break Welcome back.
It is the second segment of The Break Life in the s WBC Mortgage studios at the start were presented by blockchain dot Com. All right, I got a list of questions here that we're going to go through. Uh that will kind of tell everyone your opinions on what's happened over the first six games of the season. My first question for you guys is I want you to
rank these in order of most meaningful win. New York Giants, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers top to bottom most meaningful win.
Chargers.
First looking at the Jets, now, I think the Jets was a was a was a good win because their defense is playing really well. Giants and then Patriots. I don't know what's going on with the Patriots by everybody, so all of a sudden, those type of those blue bows don't seem as as as significant as they did at the beginning of the season.
So that's what I got.
I agree with the first too.
I got the Patriots just above the Giants only because when they played the Patriots, you know, they still had oh my god, it's blanking me Graham, Grand Valley State kid, Matthew Judon, and they still had Christian goan Zales, and so I think that was a little bit he that's true.
That's true. Do you got the first or second quarter?
It was early yeah, yeah, yeah. And then just to hand Belichick that worst loss. That's the only reason why.
And also I just don't really think too much of the Giants, so that's why they're just last there.
But now I agree with you on the Chargers.
I I'm not saying that anybody should do this, but I often go into games going, Okay, who's got the better quarterback, and I thought the Cowboys had a really good chance to win that game, but I did not think that Justin Herbert would play that poorly. And so because of that, I was like, man, that's gonna be a impressive when you can get that, especially coming off the Niners the Niners loss, so I would have that there.
And then also just because looking back on the Jets now, you're like, man, that's looks like a pretty good win.
I guess that defense a lot better than a lot of people thought.
So yeah, I had to take the Chargers win first as well to the same points as you guys made, you know, being able to bounce back off the Niners loss and going into the bye week, all those things. For me, Number two is the Patriots win because of the Trayvon Diggs injury and then being able to bounce back and show that the defense still can perform to a high level and Deron Blant still can fill in,
you know, for for injured guys and play well. And those two interceptions were huge, and I think that gave confidence that entire defensive unit, even if they kind of lost a little bit up the next week. But the third third out of the Jets and then fourth Giant.
I just because I want to just push back a little bit with this. Patriots did they? So we gave Bill bail to check his worst loss, and what happened the next week stink worse.
It was worse.
Its close.
I think it's the worst than McCarthy are.
Ok yeah, And I'm like, wait, so the Patriots again, And then I'm looking at it and I'm saying, Okay, as it's happened, You're like, oh, this is impressive.
And then the next week they go get smoked and I'm like.
I wanted to have some positive like take away from this, and now they wouldn't got smoked again.
The same thing with the Giants. They wouldn't. You know, they playoff team last year.
Then you go into the first game, you're like, okay, we just beat the playoff team like that, and they one got forty put on them again. Like a couple of weeks later, you're like, us, what does this mean about us?
So yeah, I don't know. Patriots.
Next question, which problem area do you think is most urgently in need of being fixed? The red zone offense penalties? Right now, they are thirty first in the NFL and penalties per game, or the offensive line.
I'll start here and say penalties, just because it seems like every time I was looking up on Sunday night, yellow flags just all over the place. There's got to be some sort of discipline emphasis going into this bye week. They've been talking about it since the Arizona game. Mike McCarthy has he said one of the plays lights as the team penalties and we got to clean those up. And even in some of the wins, like the penalties have really put them behind in some certain areas. It
almost cost them the game on Monday nights. So for me, it's got to be penalties. But I understand the case for either of the other two.
Yeah, penalties for me, just because I don't even think it's just this year thing. It's been the last few years. I mean, that was a huge issue, and that lost to the Niners at AT and T Stadium. Remember when the fans were throwing stuff. I mean obviously there was some you know issues there. I just maybe I'm biased because of since I've covered the team, I've only covered
two eage coaches. It's Jason Garrett and Mike McCarthy, and they're definitely on those Mondays after games when we go do the walk up with Jason Garrett, there was plenty of like complaints and stuff about the penalties and things like that. I just don't remember as many times where Wisconsin like, well, double digit penalties here, you know, and especially the pre snap stuff. I mean, and I know that that bothers Mike McCarthy the most. It's the lining
up off sides, false starts and things like that. So that for me is clearly number one, because I mean, I think if the offense stays healthy, I do think that the red zone will figure itself out.
The longer these guys play together.
If you can keep that offensive line healthy, I do think that I'll figure itself out. The penalty thing, though, I can't sit here and such say today that I think it's gonna be any better five weeks from now.
Yeah, I'm going I would say offense because we did expect I did expect more. But then if you're gonna play this type of offense whereas conservative and you plan to the hands of your defense, then you can't afford to be behind the sticks. You can't afford to then extend drops on defense as well, because that is not
what you're playing to. So I think it's more important and more impactful for you to take care of what you're doing in the penalty with your penalty numbers, because third and fifteen, first and fifteen are you make a big play and then all of a sudden you get a holding call that sets you back when you're not that explosive on offense. You need to make sure that you have that cleaned up, so, you know, because I don't know how much faith we have in converting a third and fifteen.
Yeah, it'd be different if like some of these penalties were not you know, or if they were you know, part of the game. You know, physical pass interference as those happens to every team, Like I wouldn't be worried about that if it happened once or twice a game. But it's the lining up off sides, so twelve men on the field, having to burn a time out so you can get the right guys on the field. It's it's not it's lining up on the line of scrimmage
when you shouldn't be. It's just it's the little things and that's just discipline at the end of the day. That that's something that got to work.
I remember Kevin Joseph did that and we were like, oh goodness, grazy Kevin Joseph. Of course right because he would get a penalty on defense, penalty on specal seams.
We thought it was over and I was like, wait, hold on, wait, not curse.
Yeah, exact same side of the field playing man and man covers lined up outside. So I think it's a it's an attention to detailed thing and also then the lack of focus, but that is something I think you can get fixed, especially from a veteran guy.
So hopefully you won't see any more.
Of those, but if you do, yeah, I know it's a it's just like like you said, it's not just this year. This has been a couple of year thing of dealing with penalties with Mike McCarthy.
Yeah, fourteen for fourteen penalties eight nine yards in that. I just looked it up for that nine game two years ago in the playoff. It was such a huge part of that game, and that's when I really kind of was like, maybe this is just the style that
they want to play. There's always I've always had that belief, but like the Seattle, you know, back end of the defense, like, hey, we're gonna be physical, but I bet you don't call all these I bet you don't throw all these flags, and a lot of times they don't.
And to be honest with you, I think the Niners kind of play that.
Way a little bit too, where they get real grabby on the back end and they're just like, well, they're not gonna throw a flag in all this. That's one style. The other is all the pre snap stuff. You can't have that, you know.
So yeah, yeah, I'm I'm actually kind of surprised that none of you guys took the red zone offense, just because it goes back to what you are arguing, Danny, when you're gonna play the style of game where you're gonna say, we're going to be a little we're not gonna be as explosive offensively, we're going to play into the hands of our defensive special teams, gonna get short fields, give our offense opportunity to get scores. To me, it becomes even more important when you get in red zone,
especially when you get in goal to go situations. You gotta score. You gotta score touchdowns. You can't settle for field goals. And to me, I think that's a bigger problem when you start thinking about it, because how many games this year with the Cowboys have scored even more points than what they scored If the offense just could have taken advantage of the opportunities that were there before them, I think that really is the biggest issue.
I'm the fool here because I love dan Quinn so much that I'm like, even when we get in it, like when the red zone problems are there and they were kicking field goals, I was saying, hey, man, in every drive with a kick in your team, if your defense plays how we expect them to play, has a shot in any game, right, So if you get down there instead of going forward on fourth and fourth and whatever, if you kick a field go and leave with three, I still think that you got a shot at winning
the game. So I was okay with the field goals and not scoring the touchdowns. I thought when I thought that our defense was always going to be a that's.
My question, like, do you guys still think that this defense is as special as we may have thought it was earlier in the season.
I know after week two I was.
Saying, hey, that we might be watching their ascension to being the best defense in the league and maybe one of those defenses that you talk about years down the road. I don't know that I believe that anymore. What do you guys fall with this defense?
Yeah, definitely not. It's not the Legion of Doom or the eighty five Bears that they were trying we were all trying to compare them to. After Week two, it's not that, for sure. My expectations have changed. But I think a little bit goes into the complimentary football that the offense has been giving them. I mean, in that first half against the Niners, my goodness, like they were. I can't I can't fault them for any of their
faults that they had. Even when they were backed up into the red zone off that Tony Pollard fumble, Jordan Lewis was able to force the McCaffrey fumble and get give the offense another opportunity and another three now. So there just needs to be a little bit better complimentary football from the offensive side. But that doesn't mean the defense is perfect. The run defense has been up and down.
That they were able to limit Eckler, they were largely able to limit McCaffrey until you know later in the game, Jordan Mason came in and got some extra run and then in the Cardinals game that kind of speaks for itself. But if they can just have consistency in that run game, I think they'll be fine. I think they can still be a top five defense in this league. I'm confident than that. They just need to find a little bit of consistency.
Yeah, I worry about us playing the upper echelon teams. As we said, the teams that they played at the beginning when we thought that they were going to be this generational defense and then we figure out that those teams are also playing that way against other teams. Is where I'm like, okay, well the confidence went down. Then then you lose Trayvon Di's and you're like, okay, all right, we'll see, we'll see what that is a huge loss because we know at any given time Trayvon dis can
then get an interception or take that interception back for seven. Right, he's an eight entire like he could change the entire game. So I don't feel as confident playing against a team like Detroit. Like there I say, like, oh wait, we're talking about the Detroit Lions. Like when you get to playing those teams, the Eagles, maybe the Rams. I don't feel as comfortable as I felt before because I was like, we can shut anybody out after the first two games, but we can hold them to zero. And now I
don't feel as confident and then. But the great thing about it is we won't be playing the forty nine ers again until possibly the playoffs. And I think that is a that's an offense that just gives you problems, especially when you have young guys out there playing and they have to figure out how to read pulling tackles and then not see the go sweep coming across. I think that was that was played a lot into why they were able to make some of the players that they did.
I'll tell you this, every time I watched the Miami Dolphins, I just dread Christmas Eve. I just that's gonna be tough because this defense that struggles with speed that they've proven it so far this season, and that is probably the fastest team in football history.
And not only that, you think about what they've done over the first this defense has been solid in a lot of areas win area. I think that doesn't get talked about a lot. Is they lose receivers downfield regularly.
Every game.
It tends to happen at least once or twice. This last game they didn't get burned by, but Keenan Allen had two plays where he beat them downfield. Should have been a touchdown on at least one of them them
in my opinion. And when you start playing teams that are but by the way you think about the quarterbacks and the wide receiver tandems that you've played so far, they're nothing compared to what you're gonna face as the season goes on, right with the Eagles, with the with the Bills, with the Chargers, like, there's gonna be some some teams that have real walk quarterback wide receiver duos
that that can that are extremely dangerous. If the Cowboys don't get that part fixed on the back end, that's gonna be a problem and that will be exposed as defense. I think in a way that they haven't really been exposed at this point.
Yeah, listen, Keenan Allen and and Justin Herbert before they got to that game on Monday, unreal. And I don't even watch the Chargers like that, but I do have Keenan Allen on my fantasy football.
Team, So I know, I know he's having a hell of a season.
And if Justin Herbert does hit that the one it was a double move on he fell down and if you hit that, if you hit that, then the game is different, right, So yeah, you are going to play against some teams.
Where you're hit.
They're here, they they're not missing that one. Justin Herbert had a very bad day. That was the problemly an anomaly, and thankfully he had it against us because it helped us going to the Bible with the win.
But yes, you are, Yes, we saw it with Kittle.
Kittle got open on that on the one play where it's like who's to be covering. Everybody was in man coverage, but it looked like he was in And it was just those situations where they lose receivers in the back end of the defense and then those things can turn to really big plays when you're playing really competent offense.
And I don't think you can be a generational defense if to have that game against Arizona not in week three. You don't need wake up calls in week three of your generational defense. Like everybody says, defense travels, I mean you can have a bad game, but it it can't look like that. I'm sorry, not against Joshua Dobbs and that crew, and I mean no disrespect to them, but I mean, look what they've done since then.
That can't happen, and not.
If you're going to be on that you know, like the Ravens Bucks, those great you know Seahawks defenses.
Yeah, and I wonder how much of it is initiated in the secondary, in the back end, by maybe them expecting the pass rush to get home a little bit quicker on other times, because you look at the games that they've won, it's the pass rush that's kind of started the momentum there, and then the secondary is able to play more physical, They're able to come up and
you know, lose some guys downfield as a result. But justin Herbert, yeah he had a bad game on Monday night, But how much wasn't attributed to that pass rush getting home. I think they had seventeen pressures in total, and when they have more than fifteen pressures and stan Quinn's been here, they're seventeen and two. So whenever they get home, it allows that secondary to be a little bit more physical a little bit more aggressive, but it's going to burn them.
And it burned them against Arizona and that Marco Wilson's sixty nine yard reception, and it's gonna burn them again. It's just it's kind of a nature of just having that type of defense. But you look at the Niners. They play the exact same way. They have an aggressive pass rush and their secondary plays aggressive too. They don't give up those big plays. So there's got to be something on the back end that gets fixed.
Yeah, I'm glad you wrapped that Wilson play though, because that was a big backbreaker when that defense was really starting to get momentum playing well. They overcame what they did in the first half, and then you have that and you're just like.
I think it was third down too, It's like all right.
And the other thing is too, is that I always complain about this, like it's it's just tough to see some of the stuff when you're watching it, like on TV, when you're up in the press box and you're just seeing you just see some of the stuff before it happened, just like, oh, why is that guy? If anybody within twenty five yards, agad does anybody else see that. Anybody else see that? And then he throws you just like, oh,
that's not gonna be great for them there. So yeah, just because the defense overcame things but then still had that. That's another reason why I just it's hired for me to say. I will say though, I thought that going into the season. Now going into next season, with what I think they'll be able to keep you get over shown back and digs, I do think it does have the pieces there in spots to be one of those type defenses.
I just don't think it's there yet.
All Right, we're gonna take our final break. We will come back.
Next question I will have for these guys will be what has been the most important what will be the most impactful injury as we go down the rest of the season between Leydon, Van Dersh and Treyvon Diggs will be back.
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Back to the Break.
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Today, welcome back. We are in the final segment of the break Reel Lives from the s WBC studios.
At the start, I got my special guest here today, Danny McCrae, Nick Harris, John Maschota, and they'll be with us today and then again on Monday. We're not gonna have shows on Thursday and Friday this week. I know the fans are gonna hit me up about that, but I think it's important to give our guys a little time to kind of regroup and uh and get their live together.
What are you doing me?
Yeah, I'm gonna sit on my couch.
There we go and do.
Absolutely, you're not going back to New York.
No.
Last night, half one. Last week.
My daughter's in college. This I went go see her for parents weekend. I've been traveling between games and going to see her. Like I've been traveling a lot lately. I'm very happy to go just sit somewhere.
And just sit.
Okay, so here we go.
Next question I have for you guys, what do you think is a more impactful injury and you can talk about it to this point, but also projecting down the line based on what you've seen between Leyton Vandersh and Trayvon Diggs.
Not necessarily the best player.
Between the two, but which one is going to be more impactful as far as they're the they're loss to the team.
LV.
To me, I think when you look back at this team over the last two years, the thing that you try to fix on defense has been the run game. You go out and draft Mosi Smith in the first round because you're like, hey, in order for us to compete and make it deeper in the playoffs and we play against these physical teams Philly and the forty nine ers, we need to be able to stop the run. Well, Lady, vanders is a huge piece of you stopping to run
and your inability to do that. If that's what the effect of not having LV is, then that's used for you because you've on defense, you feel like that is what stopped you from being better and moving further in the playoffs.
So I think it's LV.
Yeah, I think it's LV too, and it's just because of the I mean, you go back to the way the team look going into training camp, and at that time you were like, man, it looks kind of thin at linebacker, looks kind of thin at linebacker, and then overshown, captain proven, and you're like, Okay, they got some depth here.
They're gonna be okay.
Then you lose him and you're just like, who it looks pretty thin again. Now, I will say Mark east Bell has definitely exceeded my expectations, but I just still think that there is better death with and and it kind of factors in just the way Jeron Bland's played like he's just picked up right where he left off and he continues to exceed my expectations as well.
So because of.
That, I still think they can get the takeaways that they've been able to do so well the last couple of years, which I never thought I would say that if you told me that Digs is gone and you know, after a couple of games end of the season. But they do have enough of those playmakers on the back end. But I still have concerns about linebacker.
Yeah, I'm there too, with Layton being the more impactful injury. I love what Marky's belt did against the Chargers like, do not get me wrong. I think he could make an argument he was the best player for the Cowboys on Monday Night. You know, he was filling running lanes, he was stepping back into coverage, he was reading things pre snap. He was doing everything you wanted him to do.
But it's hard to expect that from him every single game out, especially whenever the speed ramps up when you played teams like Buffalo, Miami, Philadelphia, and when the scheme kind of ramps up with teams like Miami and Detroit and things like that. So I kind of worry about Marque's spelt long term going into the season at that
linebacker position. And again, he's undersized, and you know that's that's gonna be tough whenever you're going up against those really physical runners that will probably plow through Bell a couple times and he's gonna get his bell wrong. But I think I think that's got to be the more impactful injury. And also again factoring in what Deron Blant has done so far, he's been he's been incredible. I
think they got a young star there. It's crazy to think that easily the third best cornerback on this team is leading the NFL in interceptions since the startup last season. So no, I really like what Darron Blan's done.
I do hate to imagine Deron blanet slot and Trayvon Digg still outside. Yeah, just just what with Stephan, Like the dreams that you have about like the turnover ability and ability to lack of players down with having all three of those on the field, I'm sure they'll be dreaming about it going in the next year, But like I, we're missing a lot with.
I'll tell you this, this is something I've been kind of thinking about over the course the last couple of weeks as de Ron Bland is just ramped up and looked really good. Does he play so well this season that you let Gilmour walk after a year and just put him on the boundary or would you rather have Bland in the slot and bring back Gilmore and have all three of them together.
Well, you know, it brings up an interesting question because I know on our show we were talking yesterday about Gilmore and Brian was making the point that he's starting to see some things that suggest to him that Gilmore may have some challenges as the season wears on.
That being said, I think then.
Your question becomes even more apparent if not only is Bland playing much better or playing showing you that he can play on the outside in a real great way for this team. In addition to that, maybe Gilmore isn't as great as maybe wanted him to be or thought he should be. How does that affect him.
I gotta see Gilmore because I see those same things. But it's Gilmore, right. I have to see him then play for the rest of the season before I can say I'm not sure, because him losing a step is still probably going to be better than whoever you bring
in here, especially if it's a young guy. If we can get Gilmore playing how he's playing now right, whereas they're not attacking him, he still can go out there and turn the ball over and you can get darn Bland inside because do you remember so Orlando Scandrick was here, how many they fought tooth and nail to make sure that he stayed here. Because the importance of having somebody who can really play that nickel position is huge for your defense. That allows you to do so many things.
So if you can get a guy like Darron Bland and still have Gilmore, I think you try to do that. But that all is if Gilmore continues to play and he's serviceable. Right, if you get out there and for the next six weeks of the season and you're like, oh man, we're in trouble, then yeah, d ron Bland probably is going outside.
Yeah, when you play those teams that we were talking about earlier that have those real speed guys out at wide receiver, that's when it gets real challenging. Because I think even when you had Digs, my concern was when you play faster receivers, Gilmore going to be able to keep up? If you're taking fast receivers and sending them cross field, is he going to be able to carry that guy? And I don't know what the answer is to that. I'm seeing things that suggested maybe that's going to be a.
Challenge for him.
I think the one thing you can look at from Gilmore so far that will give you a little bit of positivities the fact that he's not giving up anything downfield. Most of the most of the stuff that he's giving up in the routes and he's being beat on or comeback, so it's like quick ends across the middle of the field. It's the action in front of him. So as long as he can stay there, I'm cool. But once he starts giving up things downfield, I think does when you have that conversation.
Man, I'm not saying it it was his fall on it, but I'm pretty sure he was the one on Garrett Wilson when he busted that big one across, when he came across the field and busted that big touchdown. So I think that if he was on a different team, I'd probably have a little bit more concern, But just because for me, this thing starts with the pass rush and if it's there, then he should be fine back there.
But yeah, no, it's just funny thinking bast past this season because they're gonna have some tough decisions to make at several places.
I'm gonna give givemore just a little positive those deep over routes, which I wish that we would see Brandon
Cooks running a little bit. Now, Yeah, it's not many guys, depending on who the receiver is, who's gonna be able to run all the way to the opposite side of the field and then stay stepped the step With certain guys, absolutely, they line up in tiny end trips and then they run number three over and if you got a guy like Tyreek Hilder, the Chiefs did that repeatedly, just over and over again because you can't you can't cover.
So okay, so this isn't the same thing, but so would it be somewhat similar though on the Cook's touchdown where he had to come all the way across, you know, and Dak threw it up and he had kind of a loft. It like its same deal as what you're saying, like they have to carry it. Now, you have to have a good protection from your offensive line even hold that.
But to all THESS that.
One kind of but they in the rezone like that, and you have to get through all the traffic. So that is that is the bigger part. When they're running and then then going vertical, that is that's a foot race.
That's a real foot race.
The traffic then helps those guys when they do those shallow crosses. Yeah, but like I said, when you see Tyreek Hill run that deep over, if you see if you give it to Ceede lambarv Brandon, because guys like that, then I think you'll see if somebody's in man that deep safety, he either has to jump that that number three going across or it's open every time.
There's nothing you can do about it.
All Right, one more question I wanted to get to before we end the show today. Right now, Dallas is ranked twenty first in rush yards per carry at three point nine yards. What do you think is the biggest factor that needs to improve to improve the rushing attack, the offensive line, the running backs, or.
The play calling go ahead.
I just think if the offensive line, if by some miraculous chance, since it doesn't happen, I'm saying it's miraculous if you could keep that starting five together that's finally been together now for these last two games, I think
it will gradually get better. The issue is is that seems like it's hoping for a lot with the way they've had so many injuries over the last couple of years there, And so if that happens and it just well, you know, every week you don't know who's starting at right tackle or whatever, I think it's going to be tough to really get it going because it really hasn't been there. But I do think that those guys, those five are talented enough that if they can keep working together,
eventually something will click. It's not going to be, you know, like it was with DeMarco Murray or Zeke at the beginning of Zeke's career where they were leading the league, but good enough that it helps the rest of the offense if you can keep that five healthy.
For me, it's the play calm because whenever you look at when Kellen Moore and Zeke were here, it was Zeke was going to be that downhill physical guy here in the last couple of years, and then once Tony Pollard started to ascend, you were like, Okay, we can be creative in the run game. We can throw in some hitches into this offense that we haven't been able to do before. And that creativity has just been completely
evaporated in this offense. And they're treating Pollard almost like Zeke, like he's not a downhill guy and he can get you yards if you need him to get you yards. But I want to see him on the outside. I want to see counters. I feel like we haven't run counter one time this year I think two draws by my account, So get him open in space and let him see some things at work. And I think it
also factors in with the receiving game as well. I know this is talking about the running game specifically, but there's so many things that they could do in the receiving game with Poller that they haven't been able to do. I was I think I mentioned it on Talking Cowboys yesterday. After that sixty yard reception on Monday night, I was kind of sad because I was like, we're not going to see that because that was improvisation and it was just Dak finding a guy that was open across the
middle of the field. There's opportunities to do that with Pollard. I just feel like they're not being explored.
Yeah, real quick before you go, Danny, just to that point.
I think it was back after Week three or week four, I found the stat that at that point in the season, the Cowboys that run Pollard between the tackles double the number of times they'd run him to the outside. Speaking of how they're using him, I think that's really kind of the key, is that they're using him as though he's Zeke, And it does make me wonder, Like we saw in that last game.
He was in the open field.
There was rarely a time I can remember in his career when he was even with the defensive guy and the guy caught him and that guy when got him on that play, and even talk about after games like I got to be back in the lab to figure how to turn that into a touchdown. But I do wonder if the way that they're playing him now is affected that to some degree and he's not as explosive maybe or not having to show that explosiveness as much, and maybe that's affecting his level of explosiveness.
Yeah, I mean and effort not to repeat what y'all said, mine is those but then also think your lack of ability to stress the field on offense. So I don't know if I want to call it play calling or are inability to be able to connect on those deeper routes, because we all know if you go into a game and the defense knows that you can't stretch the field, they're just gonna sit there and tempt you to do it, right, and they'll be able to run cover two.
Right.
If they can stop you while they're running cover two, then they're gonna run that all day, right, So you have to be able to then say, okay, they're in cover too, We're gonna stretch these guys out, make them get creative on defense, and then hopefully that opens up more lanes on the offensive line. But if not, if you're not able to then say, all right, that can beat us, then they're just gonna figure out a way to stop you with the whatever they have in the box.
I think hopefully these gallup plays, Brandon Cooks, deep overs, maybe some longer shots, I think hopefully that will open it up a little bit. But I'm with y'all on creativity in the run game, especially with a guy like Pollard. Don't run him in there like Zeke, He's not that guy. He's easy create like you can run counters, some traps, some tosses outside to get them, get him an over field, and then fear put fear in those defenders.
Yeah, they're buying large and not throwing to the deep middle of the field at all this year. There's only been a few times this year that they've done it, even tried it.
And last year.
If you remember in the offense that we're doing that a ton, so you're not challenging that part of defail to your point, then defenses at some point just start to say they're not gonna throw there. We don't have to worry about it, and you just cover the other parts of the field, which makes it even harder to do what you want to do in those parts.
Of the same Fran ran cover too, they ran cover too, and we didn't and we did not. We did not.
We did not take advantage of them running cover too, and they were stopping to run with cover too.
You know.
So until you're able to figure that out, then yeah, you got an issue. But you should be able to complete some passes and cover too.
All right, appreciate you join us. We'll be back on Monday.
You got lots more questions I'm gonna throw at these guys till then. For Nick Carris, Johns Shoulder, Danny McCrae, IM, Derek Heilton. This 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.
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