The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
Cowboys.
Are you ready for a Break?
Yes?
Are you ready for a break?
Absolutely ready for a break? Yeah, and so much for that.
It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys.
Dot Com.
With Ambar Garcia, Brian brought Us, Nick Harris, and Derek Eagleton.
It is Wednesday, October sixteenth, twenty twenty four, Season twenty, episode number fifty. Welcome to the latest edition of The Break. We're live nest WBC Mortgage Studios. At the start, you turn too quick. Nick should have stayed looking at the other camera. I don't know, turn too quick.
I feel like it's three seconds in the lane, like you again, and you gotta get out. Yeah, I get going.
I said an extra second just to make sure.
So thank you, Thank you Tommy setting the ample love Yeah, and and the referee would call a healthy on you.
LG LG is the world number one o led TV brand for eleven years in accounting Seat wide, LG dot Com, Fort Slash oh led Evo.
Welcome to the show. We got our mix up shows still happening today.
It's our final show of the week before, we'll get a little bit of a little bit of a break.
Nice time to have a bye right now.
So it's a good time for us take a little break. Its good time for everybody to take a break.
Go to your corners and uh and let's just see where we where we land come one day getting ready for San Francisco. There was a lot of news around the NFL yesterday. There was a bevy of of moves that were happening, big moves, teams trading wide receivers Davante Adams Mari Cooper both being traded to to other teams.
Uh.
Jerry made it clear earlier this week. And and I know Nick, you've you've seen this report, but uh, he made it clear earlier this week that they're not going to be expecting to be players in this you know, whatever is going to happen before.
The trade deadline.
Here's the question I have for you guys, because as I started thinking about this, I think there are kind of two ways you can look at this.
What's more valuable to this.
Team draft capital or a big time player that they could possibly go out and trade for that they think would change the trajectory of where they are this season and where they can go.
I think a big player just because for for draft pick, it's because you still have to develop the player. If we want impact right now and be able to go somewhere with this team, I think it's now is the time, which means getting a big player off season I.
Would say I would say draft capital because if you get the player, it's and I've said this, if you're going to draft for a player, it's got to be somebody that'll.
Be here longer than a year.
So if you're going to just rent the player for this year, I don't know, especially receiver receiver stuff. They don't they don't always come in right and understand what you know, the terminology and all this kind of stuff, So how much how long are you getting the player for it? Like you know, I think what made it work for the Jets. I don't know about Mark Cooper, but words for the Jets is that that terminology that Aaron Rodgers uses and in the connection he's got with
the Van Adams. I think that they can maybe speed up that process. But for me, knowing what they're gonna have next year is gonna be you know, they just don't have a lot of players that are going to be here on the for the on the solider cap. They need as Mets draft picks as they can get.
Yeah, I agree with you, Nick.
I think my philosophy in general is just you build through the draft, right, it doesn't matter where you are as an organization. That capital is so important because you can build guys in through your system from start to finish not have to make that adjustment that you were talking about. I mean, it's nice to get a veteran, experienced guy who's played it.
Know y'all never agree with me.
I think we're pretty across the board.
But no, exactly, just.
To wrap that up, like having the younger guys building, you think about the young guys that are already playing for the Cowboys. If you get those guys experience, you get those guys snaps, you keep building through the draft, you're gonna be.
Looking at a really solid veteran group.
But how long do we have to wait for that?
Right?
And that's that's that's that's always the problem, And that's the thing. Like, and I think there are some teams, like, for instance.
Like Buffalo.
I think Buffalo's four and two, they look like a different four and two than the Cowboys three and three. I mean, and I think that where they are right now, if they were to get Amari Cooper, that seems like that he's a He's a piece that they've been missing. The Cowboys, I think have more than one piece right now that they would need. True And that's where that's why I think for the Cowboys, I don't know if it makes as much.
Yeah, And that's and that's I guess where I want to go with this is when you look at this team, if they're if they're as you evaluate it right now, where are the areas that you would say they need to upgrade this if they want to have any success this season?
Like, what are those positions right now?
Probably defensive tackle would be one for me, yeap and that's you know, not to take a shot at anybody in that room already, but they're they're just not getting any sort of push up front in the run.
Game, actually moving backwards exactly.
They are getting pushed and that can't happen. You know, you need an anchor in the middle of that defensive line. I think os has had some really good games this year. Mazzi had one of his better games a couple of weeks ago against New York and but you need that consistency, right, you need an anchor there in the middle of the defensive line. I think if you look ahead to this draft, it's a really good class for defensive tackles.
So this might be a good year for the Cowboys.
Maybe use that one of those early round picks on a defensive tackle to bolster that line. But I think that's where it starts, because if you stopped earlier, early round.
Yeah, okay, so that's that's where the Cowboys are picking. Huh, early round, you've already got it.
Okay, eround, I'm trying to get me in trouble.
It was his first or second round pick.
Because I'm with you. I was with you. I was like, top fifteen, were they going to Pike?
No?
You know what I wonder, you know, we don't see this in practice? Because you said they don't get any push. They don't get any push. I could I make the same argument about the offensive line. So my question is who wins out in practice?
What did you see a training camp?
I don't know.
I mean they well, they don't really, It's not like I don't know. It's not like really going at it like live practice. But I'm like, the offensive line is not pushing, you know, and creating a lot of run opportunities, and the defensive line is getting pushed back. So in practice, I mean, I want to know, is that like a good back, good like battle out there, good matchup. It's not good for the games because they're both struggling, but in practice, I bet they're like a good day.
We had a good day.
It was back and forth, it was really good competitive, but neither one of them seem to be at the standard of what they need.
Yeah, I'm with both of y'all, both the defensive line and offensive line.
There's pieces that we need.
I said that on this last show to the storyline, since you had me do a double dip, I'll say that if you're big and you're strong, and you you can push people around, that's that's what they need. Offense defense, that's fine, you know, Yeah, but here's here's there Travis Hunter of Alignment that can do both.
Yeah, that guy, but yeah, that'd be great.
But here's also the thing, like they I know, right, are they? I don't think that because I don't even
put wide. I mean, I'm sorry, I don't put offensive line in that same category because I don't know that right now the Cowboys would even if that player was somehow available to them where they could go and get him, I'm not sure they would want to take out one of the starting five to put that guy in, because, as we talked about yesterday, I think we all at least agree, the best five offensive lineman may not be
the starting five and for value valid reasons. Right If that's the case, do you think they're really going to go out and get somebody and replace one of these guys, because I think they have a vision for ch these guys. They've paid one guy steal that they're going.
To keep in there.
I don't think they're moving him out of there, but that's that's been an area where they've had some inconsistencies. Zach Martin ain't going anywhere for this year, but there's in a place where they've had some inconsistencies. The rookie center and the rookie left tackle. You put him out there and you know that there's going to be some going pain. So they're not going to change those. You're developing them. And obviously the left guard's the best offensive lineman.
You got so off the line. I throw out when I say, if you were going to look at a position, I don't even look at that because that wouldn't be one that you would change out talk about defensive tackle. Is running back in that mix, is wide receiver in
that mix? But the question becomes, is there a single player that you go out and spin draft capital on that all of a sudden, Now your team goes from where they are right now, where they're three and three, and everybody's kind of like, I don't know, the wills seem a little wobbly, to oh wow, this team can really compete in the NFC against the better teams in MC.
Yeah.
To me that that position is usually a defensive end, a position a player that can just come in a wreck a game, and I don't know if they're going to do that. That's a lot of draft capital and to go get certain guys that are.
I would love that though.
Yeah, that would be great, and Michael Park would love that too, because they keep losing. You keep losing, you know, pass rushers, but I just don't there's not a lot of positions you could say that guy changes a lot. It's usually you know, maybe a great cornerback would or.
A great receiver would.
But I think that's also the thing, like you give up all give up all that draft capital to get what would effectively be a second wide receiver. Like that's that's where it gets a little bit challenging. You give up some draft pick, you give up a draft pick or multiple draft picks. You've probably got to pay that guy. So now you've added to the amount on a cap that already is struggling a bit. You know what, does that Does that really make sense? Does that really help you in the long term?
Yeah, I don't think in one position.
I think definitely not as running back, because we know we can get a free agent running back to so many running backs now they don't. You don't need to have like a first round or second round running back anymore. I think the league is kind of shown that now you can get a free agent, you can get someone that's not even you know.
In the draft that's high.
That makes a difference.
I wish they would have gotten somebody though in the draft this year.
They didn't.
They didn't and even the free agent that they pick up was like not even a starter at his school in Missouri. So like they really didn't didn't address that position. They tried to, or at least they said they tried to. But you know, with all those picks, I thought somebody they would have they would have picked up there, And that's what I'm looking at. I'd look at the practice squad right now. If I was the guy was other teams practice squads, there's young running backs.
Probably out there. I would do that.
If you're not going to use your own guy who's for whatever, whatever the reason, Dalvin Cook is there. But I mean, I think it's time to kind of look at something. But I still think it's the guys up front. If you don't get him blocked, it doesn't really matter.
Yeah, it's not going to matter who you throw out there if the offensive line isn't getting any push.
So I agree with Derek.
I don't think you look at offensive line as a position where hey.
We need to draft a guy, or hey we need to go pick somebody up.
Because the five that they've got out there has been clear with everything that's been said this week, they're going to ride with those five guys and just wait till they put it together, right, Just get some continuity out there and so once that happens, maybe the run game starts to open up, and maybe the guys they do have start to show you what they showed you in Pittsburgh. Right and Nico Daddle gets twenty touches and gets eighty seven yards, maybe you start to see that stack. But
right now it's just they're not putting it together. There's no continuity the last two games. So yeah, the consistency it gets, it gets difficult.
Yeah, we're going to take our first break a little early here, but when we come back, I actually want to dive into that topic a little bit more and talk about the running backs and ask you guys the question, which of the running backs Hunter Lipkey, Rico Dwell or Dalvin Cook do you think the Cowboy should commit to and be willing to really ride and give an opportunity to really be your lead running back. We'll talk about that when we come ba Dallas Cowboys dot Com.
Radial Todd thought it would be secure to jog in the cheetah Savannah. Todd believed the big Cat repellent he bought online was reliable, and now Todd is trying to be faster than this cheetah that can run eighty miles per But the good news is Todd has at and T five G. It is fast, reliable, and secure, and he learned the best thing to do is stop running and toss her the backpack with the beef stew at and T five G. Fast, reliable, Secure.
Five G requires CAMPAPBA plan and device five G may not be available in your area. See add dot com slash five G for you footy deals.
It's the official min's skincare brand of the Dallas Cowboys, Jack Black and right now Cowboys fans can get fifteen percent off their seventy five dollars order. Plus because every deal needs a playmaker, your order will include a free five piece skincare set and free shipping. The Jack Black Playmaker is four of Jack's favorites and a full sized intense therapy lipball. Make a play for the playmaker at Getjack Black dot com slash Cowboys with the code Cowboys VIP.
That's get Jack Black dot com slash Cowboys with the code Cowboys VIP.
Don't put off getting your oil change Dallas take five oil Change. A proud partner of the Cowboys is faster than you think. There's no appointment needed. And no waiting room. Yep, you hurt that correctly. Take five is so fast you don't even have to get out of your car. You can take advantage of Take five's fast, friendly and simple service at any of their locations across the Dallas area. And remember at Take five you stay in your car
because they're faster than you think. Take five the official oil change of the Dallas Cowboys.
From the field to the festivities. Lu Casey embodies the essence of luxury and tradition. Handcrafted with meticulous precision, each pair offers unmatched comfort and style. Stand tall while you're tailgating or cheering in the stands with the Dallas Cowboys Collection by Lucasey. Shop the collection today at the Lucasey store at the Star and Frisco, or online at lucasey dot com. Lucasey the official boot of the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Hey y'all, Matt Pittman of Meat Church here. With football season kicking off, I'm already gear enough to bring the smoker back to AT and T Stadium for some epic tailgates, But with that Texas heat, it's crucial to keep my handcramp and cold. That's where Yetti's insulated colster can cooler comes in clutch this year. You can even get them with the iconic star engraved on the side. Licensed YETI Cowboys gear is now available at stadium pro shops, concessions and on yetti dot Com.
Check it out today.
YETI official cooler and drinkware of the Dallas Cowboys.
Back to the Break.
All right, LG oled evo is the best TV in the game, but don't take our word for it. Digital Trends said that lgoled G four has the best picture quality they've ever seen, So see for yourself at LG dot com.
Backslash olet Evo. Welcome back.
It is the second segment of the Break life from SWBC Mortgage Studios. At the start, the segment brought to you at blockchain dot com. All right, so let's talk about the running back position on the break. We've been talking a lot about the running back position more from the standpoint, and this goes back to training camp. Brian
and I both have a theory. Brian brought us and I both have the theory that if Dallas would just commit to Rico Dowbell, he could be successful in this offense as the lead running back.
The running game may not be great.
But it certainly would be serviceable. My question for you guys is, do you guys agree with that premise and is he the guy that you would do that with or would it be someone like a hunter O Libkey or would it be someone like a Dalvin Cook. So it's kind of a two part question. Do you agree with the premise and to who should be that guy?
I do not agree with that at premise. I think that most teams in the league have two backs, and I think the Cowboys are using two backs with Rico and Zeke. I don't think either one of them are good enough to be the lead guy. I don't think Rico is. I think he's solid. I think Rico would be a solid number two, But I don't think you
have that lead back right now. So I mean, even in the game he had against Pittsburgh, I mean eighty seventy yards, I mean that's not something that you would be too excited about.
I just unless you're the starving man who just got assaulting Cracker exactly and you're like, oh gosh, that so good.
It was.
It was just right really really great and that's and that's fine, but he's not going to get fat on that, you know what I mean. He's just it's just like you need another one and you need to put some mone in. Well I'm just saying like that's fine, but he's he's not going to go into sumo wrestling just because he had a couple of assaulting crackers, like doesn't help the problem.
But he seems to be the guy that we have right now.
That's what we have to that's what we.
Have to work with.
He's not in every down back, but that's what we got. But at the same time, like I love Hunter Lipkey, I think he's just a versatile back. You know, you can play the f the wide age backfield, slot, everything, and then you could see that Dak has a lot of confidence him in third down situations. So I love him. I know that he wouldn't be the solution to the problems. And then Dalvin Cook doesn't seemed to even be in the equation, right, so I think we just have to go with Rico.
Yeah, I agree with that. I think Rico's your guy, not an every down guy obviously. I think in those short yard situations, you look at Zekie, look at Hunter Lipkey. He probably lucky over Zekera, I think, I'll being honest. But when you look at Rico, I mean, he's averaging north the four yards to carry every time he touches the ball every game that he's played. You're keeping the offense on schedule doing that. It's what I've said before,
he's just not getting touches. And when he did get touches, you saw what he did. Sure, eighty seven yards doesn't blow you out of the water, but when you went back and watched the second half of that Pittsburgh game, he was moving around. He's establishing the run for this team like we hadn't seen all season before.
What's impressive of the four yards to carry is that there's no thirty nine yard or that's like messing up. There's nothing longer than a thirteen yard run exactly by the entire team this year.
Yeah, exactly, And.
That tells you even more about how productive he's being just in those steady production four or five yards.
You know, exactly. It's all about keeping your offense on schedule right. One of the things that michaemccarthy said he was so happy about in that Pittsburgh game was setting themselves up is that it was the best they played on first and second down. They're setting themselves up in third and short, third and manageable situations. Whereas you look at some of the other games this year, you've got third nine, ten, eleven constantly just because guys are getting
pushed back, tackles for lost things like that. So if you're setting up the run well with Rico, watch run away from it. Just give him touches.
Yeah, And I'll be clear, I wasn't saying he should be the every down back because I think it's clear Hunter Lipki has I don't think done a good job as a third down back. I think they should actually find ways to give him more opportunities to get the ball in his hand because I think he's I think he's he's the kind of guy that, you know, I liken him to somebody like Uscheck in San Francisco.
He's not just a blocking fullback.
He's a guy that you can give the ball and trust him with the ball, and throw passes to him and do things that can kind of create mismatch issues for the defense. But that being said, I do think Rico is the guy that if you committed to him as being the guy that was going to get the majority of the touches, and you use the other backs to spell him when he needs to be spelled, rather than I'm gonna take this series and run somebody else out there, or whatever the case might be.
I think if you did that, I think you'd.
Probably get more out of your running game than what you're getting right now. Again, may not be great, but it certainly I think will be serviceable for this offense and right now what they need and they need right now, they need just a respectable running game where defenses are like, we have to.
At least respect it right now? They don't, right all right.
I don't think many defenses are, and I think that's part of what you're seeing in the passing game and the struggles there. I don't think defenses think about the running game is something that can hurt them. You said, A thirteen yards the most you've gotten on the ground.
Right, Yeah, there's no juice there, Yeah, right, all right.
Next question I have for you, guys, jal and Toba continue to be the wide receiver to when Cooks returns?
No, yeah, I said no, I say no to that but this is okay because you're second and your third receiver, like they play a lot, and I'm fine with with that. There's not like it's the the third guy now is creeping into like to change all that.
I mean, like, would it be Brooks I mean or or yeah, Brooks Turpin.
I mean, Turpin's kind of a unique player, so he's doing yeah, and he's still gonna.
Do all that, right, So it doesn't that's not gonna change.
So no, I mean, receiver two receiver three, that's not a huge difference for me. So I would probably put Cooks back into the into the same role. But I think they got to use Cooks differently.
But that's the question.
Have you seen an appreciable difference in the offense without cooks versus with.
Cooks have four red zone targets? I mean, I know obviously cooks have been yeah, hurt, but doesn't.
He I Again, I think the point I'm making is Jalen Brooks. I don't need Jalen Brooks to take any of the theirs away. So it's fine if it's gonna be Cooks. It's too Tolbvert is too. That doesn't really matter because I think three guys still play a lot. So those are the three, doesn't It doesn't matter to me. It's kind of like cornerback, where if it doesn't matter
who's the start, second, third, they're all gonna play. So I that's fine, it's not it's not the fourth guy though that I don't think Cooks goes to the fourth spot.
So if he's the.
Three, that's fine. You still need them. You still need to get him down the field more though. Don't run the routes they've been running with him. Get him a little bit more vertical, which is what we're seeing with Tolbert too, to make a place when he can see the ball.
Yeah.
No, messy man, so messy.
He's on one today?
Is today his whole life? Yea, his whole life.
But it's no emotion, just looked especially.
I don't know what you're talking about.
I kind of miss it, but I don't like.
You got to.
Like that.
No, I'm with you.
I think that the gap between two and three is not as large as maybe some folks think it is.
I think Brandon Cooks.
Obviously brings you that veteran experience, and he's been in the offense for quite some time now. But Jalen Tolbert shown you that he can give you wide receiver to production. Right, it's not consistent, but he should you that he can do it. And so if that means, you know, you you lessen your targets to him, but he makes them count and that third wide receiver spot and you're getting Brandon involved. Your offense is going to be fine. This is an offense we know it is going to throw
the ball around a lot. So the more options you've got to throw it to that are reliable and that you've seen play reliable for you this year.
I think the better the irony there of the you know, because everyone saw it and that Brandon Cooks has really been one of the big reasons that Jalen Tolbert has matured as a player and maybe even as a as a person. I mean, he's a he's a great leader for that locker room, and he took Tolbert under his wing from the very beginning.
So it's kind of I right.
Because like he gets hurt, he comes back, he's like, do they even need coox? You know you got Tolvert now, you know, it's like.
I'm you know, he was a young you know, I'm I'm the Jedi night. You know, I got him. I got him up here. Now all of a sudden, you're just like a you're good.
Well, the thing about it is for me, but the thing about it for Cooks is I think Cooks is better than what the Cowboys, than how they use him.
I agree, I.
Think you should be able to if you look at his career, what he's been able to produce at every stop. I just don't think Dallas is getting that out of him. And I don't think that's about his skill level at this point. I think for whatever reason, he's just not getting the same kinds of opportunities that he once did. And maybe Dallas just isn't using him in the way that he can do more things than just kind of be your guy. That this stretches the field. I think
Cavante Turpin can do that for you. I think Brandon Cooks has a deeper skill level than that, and I just don't know that they're using it in that way.
You know what's funny, Derek, that you say over and over again I've heard is that the usage like Rico Cooks, like we're not using our players to the best situation setting them up to succeed, right. Well, that's that's which is so funny because I've heard that now it's the same thing over and over again.
That sets up my next question.
How much of the ineffectiveness of the offense do you guys attribute to the play caller? How much credit or how much of that does does Mike McCarthy have.
To wear a lot? I mean, that's the preparation.
We talked about it yesterday of the slow starts and to begin in the game.
That's what they're preparing for.
And you know what, if you're gonna call Schottenheimer is the offensive coordinator. He's the offensive coordinator, and he helps to share with the game plan. He's part of it as well, because because they give him that title and it's supposed to be setting up your game plan, setting up the structure of it, and it hasn't been good enough either.
So I mean he.
Goes up there every every week with the coordinators and he talks. He should be part of it too, play caller, yes, but also the structure of the offense just doesn't doesn't seem like it's working right now.
And it seems like it's inability to adjust the defensive schemes. I feel like I notice that a lot, But I don't think it's just McCarthy. I think there's also position coaches and O see. I think there's a lot of responsibility that they need to evaluate across the board.
The whole staff has to wear right and it falls on Mike McCarthy because he is a play caller. And there are some decisions like I completely disagreed with going away from the run in the first half, like we talked about yesterday, after that the board had touchdown, they ran the ball one time for no game. You can't do that if you're wanting to win a football game. I understand you're in a two score hole, but it's two score you still got two and a half quarters of football left to play.
You got to try.
And I understand mixing things up that you need to establish the run because otherwise teams are just gonna drop seven eight defensive backs back into coverage and that's what's gonna happen. The turnovers five turnovers. First of all, you're not gonna win a game turn the ball over five times. But it's extremely hard to move the ball down Fiel and you've got to throw against eight guys. So yeah, I would say play calling is a big part of it. But there's more issues than that too.
What do you think they're well, I mean, I think it's obviously at the end of the day, the head coach has to be accountable, the offensive play caller has to be accountable, the defensive caller play caller has to be accountable.
Like that's just a part of it.
Like that's you can't be in a position of leadership and then not be accountable for whatever happens. That doesn't work because ultimately you have some say in it, regardless how much say, you have some say in whatever's being done. So yeah, I think they certainly have to I'm not saying anything. I don't think they would say. I think they all would agree they have to be accountable to
this as well, and they to figure out answers. And I think that's why Mike said I'll be here all this break because he's got to figure it out.
Like that's a part of the job that comes with the dinner.
If you're going to be the head coach, you're going to be the offensive guy, and offensive unitism isn't playing well. You got to figure it out. And so I think it's certainly false to him. I think it's a little grayer though, and this is my next question. I think it's a little more of a gray area when we start talking about the defense, primarily because I think last year the problem that we saw coming into the offseason last year was Dallas is having a hard time consistently
stopping the run against really really physical teams. Teams have physical running games, they have a hard time doing it. We're seeing the same thing this year. I don't know how much I can attribute that to Yes, he has to take some accountability. I don't know how much I give Mike Zimmer versus the personnel, because it starts with I think, as we talked about a little earlier, are they being able to hold up at the point of attack?
Are they not getting pushed back?
Are they protect linebackers so the linebackers can flow to the ball and pursue. If you're not getting that from your players, I'm not sure what a coordinator can necessarily do to change that. Do you how much of the blame do you put on Mike Zimmer for the challenges of the defense.
I think it's split between personnel and coaching, and I say that because when you look at last week against the Lions and what's Mike Zimmers talked about this week, Cowboys are really struggling to tackle. They can't bring guys down, and you know you'll be You can't have one guy tackling every play, right. You need to get guys to the ball. You need to get more caps to the ball. Detroit had over one hundred yards rushing after contact alone.
Last week.
You can't do that. You have to bring guys to the ground. Doesn't matter what kind of running game you're playing, how physical the opposing team is playing. If you can't tackle, the guys are going to run all over you and throw all over you. So I think that's problem number one with this defense because that's the run game, that's the pass game. They had over one hundred yards after the catch too against Detroit, or Detroit did against the Cowboys,
excuse me. So it really starts with tackling, I think for me, amongst other things like stopping the run. But if you can't get guys down, they're just gonna keep running, They're gonna keep scoring.
This is the NFL.
Yeah, I hate to throw out all the excuses, but with the defense with the injuries like that, it's not even an excuse anymore.
It's just reality.
And you know, in that game against the Lions, I mean, I think I said it to you, Derek. I would argue their two best pass rushers and their two best run stoppers are both out of the game, and their their best playmaker in the secondary and Deron Blant. Your two best pass rushers I thought were Micah and Tank, and your best run stoppers are Tank and Eric Hendricks. You lose that stuff in one game. It is It is tough, I mean, and that that that's the snowballs everything.
So I have a hard time just putting it all on Zimmer when Zimmers got here to do this job. And I mean, you just can't lose your top four defensive ends and that's what how and the top four ends are all out, and I mean, it just wipes your your your depth chart and you're playing with guys that wouldn't even be in the league. There's a there was a picture I saw this on Twitter. Y'all might have seen this or that showed the front seven. None of these players were on this team like in the
playoff game or you know last year. None of the seven out there, and then the secondary only hooker was the only one that was there from last year. Just look at overshown and look at the you know, look at Tyrus Wheat and I mean like it goes on and on with Lynvald Joseph. A lot of these guys weren't even here at camp.
So it's it's what do you expect?
I mean, Zimmer's it's a tough job and it's his job to figure it out.
But man, it's a tough situation asked for him, definitely.
Yeah, and the continuity, like you said at both y'all's points, the miss tackles, getting off the blocks, I mean all those different things. I think the personnel and the coaches and what the new defensive coordinator. I think it's everyone's trying to get in a rhythm. So if you've got new players and you got a new defense, I mean, everything has to kind of settle in. I mean, obviously we're in October, but still I think that's part of the injuries.
Very depth.
Yeah, yeah, right, we're gonna take our final break. We will come back. Interesting question I have for you guys, who do you think the Cowboys have missed more. If you could get one of these guys back, Michael Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence to Ron Bland or Eric Kendricks. Who's been missed more and who they need us. We'll talk about that when we come back. Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
If you can't be at the stadium, there's no better way to watch your Cowboys than on an lg O.
Led Evo TV.
That's because everything you see is more lifelike, every play.
Every hit.
I mean, you might just will be on the sidelines, that's how clear it is. It's all thanks to LG's legendary technology, perfect black, over eight point three million self lit pixels.
No one comes close.
LGO led Evo is the best TV in the game for a reason. See for yourself at LG dot com slash o Leedevo.
They say champions are remembered, but legends are never forgotten. United Aginturf is a winning lineup of John Deere equipment built to tackle any challenge on and off the field. Legendary John Deere Tractors combines residential mowers, commercial mowers, compact construction equipment, cater utility vehicles, and a full line of golf and sports turf equipment. United Agon Turf the official
agonturf equipment supplier of the Dallas Cowboys. Visit Unitedagonturf dot com to find a location near you.
If you shout how about them Cowboys? You have that undeniable passion that's the heart of Cowboys Nation. And if you like to drink Doctor Pepper, you love the unique
blend of its twenty three flavors. Together, you're one of a kind fandom paired with the one of a kind taste of a delicious ice cold Doctor Pepper is the game day lineup that can't be beat better yet, Gather your Cowboys and Doctor Pepper fan friends to watch the next game and crack open a delicious ice cold Doctor Pepper for everyone.
The wins will be even tasteier. It's a pepper thing, and we're going to overtime.
Erica, how much have I spent on Concessions?
For questions about their money, Dallas Cowboys fans can turn to Erica, the virtual financial Assistant in the Bank of America mobile banking app. Learn more at Bankofamerica dot com. Slash Erica by your side. Bank of America Official Bank of the Dallas Cowboys. Erica respondses me very digital tool featured required downloading the mobile banking app and may only be available on select mobile devices. Erica is a mobile feature only available in the English language. Your chap may
be recorded and monitored for quality assurance. Message in data rates. Additional terms may apply. Bank of America and a member FDIC.
Todd thought it would be secure to jog in the Cheatah Savannah. Todd believed the big Cat repellent he bought online was reliable, and now Todd is trying to be faster than this cheetah that can run eighty miles per hour. But the good news is Todd has AT and T five G. It is fast, reliable, and secure, and he learned the best thing to do is stop running and toss her the backpack with the beef stew At and T five G Fast reliable, Secure.
Five G requires compatible plan and device five G may not be available in your areas. See add dot com Slash five G for you for details.
Back to the break.
Okay AT and T eight anti connecting changes everything.
Welcome back, final segment of the Break. This is our final segment for the week Life from the s WBC mortgage studios at the Star Man. I'm looking forward to a little downtown well time to just sit back and relax, watch some football.
Get Texas speak in.
Georgia and.
Is it.
I'm a little scared.
I'm not gonna lie scared at all.
Patrick a bet or anything.
We don't bet here in the NFL friendly.
There's no betting allowed in the NFL.
So we'll do them for money, right, for money. Danny mccra and I have.
Oh, you're talking about something, just like something you have to do.
I don't know.
We could probably come up with something fun.
Talk about it.
We could come up with some fun.
Yeah, I'm down with that. I feel pretty confident about what we got going on.
So we'll see how all.
Right, let's let's finish the show off, right. Here's my question for you guys, who's been missed more? Michael Parsons to Marcus Lawrence, Deron Bland, Eric Kendricks.
I'll start Micah Parsons. Let me think about it, Michael Parsons, you need more time. No, I think he I think he just say he wrecks the game when he when he's when he's on his game. Now, it's not always perfect. With him in as far as you know when they're running the ball. But I think I think for the most part he is a just a dynamic, catalytic player that they they've missed.
So I go with Michael Parsons there.
I'm gonna be the odd man out because Mike is the easy answer, and.
I mean it's it's the correct right.
All four of those players you mentioned are correct answers, But I think Eric Kendricks is the guy that you miss the most because he's your tackling machine, right Like, he just sits in the middle of that defense and he just eats guys up, makes all the tackles you need. And I think that is one of, if not the
most glaring issue with this Cowboys defense. If you get your leading tackler back, if you get the guy who's gonna fly around and get guys to the ground, things are gonna slowly but surely get easier.
Right. So I'm going with Eric Kendricks.
Yeah, I had Eric Kendricks as well, obviously all of them, but Kendricks Green Dot. He you know, he really knows Zim's defense, so he really is great leadership as well. So I think he was really missed and the tackling of course. Micah, Yes, but I've talked about just this Lions game. I know it's a huge difference.
Kendricks out well, and they're both should be coming back.
I don't know if Michael be back for this forty nine er game, but like, like, if you seriously though, if you're if you're like, hey, it just came out that he's out for the season.
You know who? Right?
The question was if that was the question, he's out for the season, it was like, Kendricks or Micah, you really?
I mean, of course, Mike, here's what I know, Here's what I know last year.
I'd rather take my chances with Mike and being here and figure out middle linebacker.
It's not gonna be good. It's not gonna be good.
Yeah, But I just I look at last year and I'm like, the hell they were in when it came to linebackers last year, we saw what that looked like. I don't think you want to go back to that. Quite frankly, I would even say, if you could give me Kendricks and DeMarcus, I'd be okay with that. If I didn't get Michael back. Now again, Mike is one of the best players in the National Football League On the defensive side of the ball.
He makes plays. I love that. I'm also thinking, like.
How can I keep from getting embarrassed like a lot of this was like in this game against Detroit. Can I get a defense out there that can just hold it? I don't even be special. I don't need him to be the eighty five Bears. I need him to be able to play solid defense. And I think if you give me Kendricks, you give me DeMarcus, I think that's
more going to give me a solid defense. Michael will have the ability to make those splash plays, but I don't know if the defense will be as solid if I just have him and I don't have a linebacker, say to be able to replace Eric Kndrick.
If you've lost Kendricks, you probably lose them both because as much as he would hate it, they might have to move Micah to linebacker.
Yeah, I don't hate it.
But that's what makes Michael special is that you can put him up there on the on the line where.
You should be playing.
I think in any scheme in the NFL, he should be playing three four outside linebackers.
Okay, three four.
Second.
Yeah, ok, yeah, right, right, be all right, he wouldn't be the worst. But yes, but he's not than Clark.
I mean, but he's not gonna be He's not.
I don't think he will give you the same level of dynamic plays he makes from the defensive ambasition.
No, but I'll say this that forty nine Ers middle linebacker seems to make a lot of plays he does. Fred Warner, you know everything. I think he's one of the best players in the NFL.
I agree.
I mean he is an outstanding player Hall of Famer.
I think, yeah, he stays on track. Tommy, you mentioned some before we came on. You said, even before Micah was out in tank, how was the defense doing. You made a great point with that, Yeah, struggling.
Yeah, and I get it.
You like, you know, it's early in the season. You're learning a new system with Mike Zimmer. That's why Eric Kendrick, I think you made a good point biding Jill is saying that he's been in zimmer system when he was
in Minnesota, and that's going to translate to right. But that also doesn't take away from the fact that you don't want one of the best players in the league, one of the best playmakers for your defense and one of the more veteran guys on your defensive line pack, right, Like, it doesn't change that fact at all.
That New Orleans game, they had everybody except for Deron Blay.
Yeah, maybe there's an argument to be made that not having.
Deron Bland makes a difference for this defense, makes a big difference for this team, absolutely, you know.
Yeah, I also think that the safety position has not been as good as it has been in the past, and that could be a trickle down effect for all of the past rush and all that. It's a lot easier to play safety when it's just one to throw, you know. But but we've seen them that for that Saints game you're talking about. I remember, this is the deep ball right down the middle domin Wilson and and and Malik Hooker and all that. I don't think this has been a good year for for Hooker. I don't
think he's he's played that that great this season. And you know, I know there's Marquis Bell and Janie Thomas there as the backup. I don't know if they'll make a change there, but the safety position has struggled, and I think it is a product of of you know, not having not having.
The pass rush like it's like it's been.
Yes, I mean they could also be a part of not having Bland too. The safeties have a little different responsibilities. When you've got a rookie over there, you got to kind of take care of it, and there are things you got to be aware of there. So I think
there's a lot of factors. And to be quite honest with you, I would be very interested in seeing what Mike Zimmer can do if he had a full contingent of players, if he didn't have, like he's working without some of some of the most important players at some of the most important positions, and and it just it just makes me wonder, like how much better could this defense be if he had all of them out there and we got to see that.
You're probably just getting Bland back this week. I mean, I wouldn't. I don't know, Mike, I'm you don't think I We'll see. He's tough to read. Body language is really hard with him.
Gas where he gets up from whatever happened and you're like is he okay? And then he's like fine, or they come out to get him. He's hurt, he goes up his siland we're like, oh wow, it's going to happen, and then two plays later back in there and making a sack.
Ever know, I was surprised when he was even out, like cool, he'll be back. He's not going to miss up a chance to get sacks.
Help, he's back for the fortys.
I think you'd want to be too.
They need him, Yes.
They want to.
Yes, I'm with you. And he was on the chords last week at practice, so.
He was a good thing.
But I don't think he looked great on the chords. But then again, it's hard to figure out. You know, he's got that one speed and that's when he's rushing in the past.
Just so people know when you say on the cords, he's working with the trainer Britt Brown, right, we're doing cord work.
Typically, yes, go ahead.
Typically that that's a sign of it's the return is sooner than later. So I'm not sure what happened. Then again, you know, sometimes he's guys do have a little bit of setback. We saw it with dron Bland. You know, it looked like he was trending to come back and then it just didn't work. So hopefully there's no setbacks and this is a good week for the Buy to get get these guys back.
All right, let's wrap up this conversation with this final big picture question. What do you need to see most from this team coming out of the bye.
Wins?
That's a loaded question. What gets them to the wins? What characteristic?
What?
What thing do they need to improve on the most in order coming.
Out of the buy for them to have getting healthy as the season goes.
They had to take away the ball. They they're not getting the.
Foot well, Zimmer told us when he came in that was probably going to be less in this defense. But you also wouldn't be giving up big plays.
Okay, well all right, and they're they're doing that. They're giving up big, big plays, big plays. So they need the ball. You know, the ball matters. As Jason Garrett you still always say, so take care.
You did say that they've got to play better at the line of scribbage both sides. Offensive lines got to play better, Defensive lines got to play better, because that is what sets up everything else. Talked about it yesterday, every level of football. If you can't win in the trenches, you're not going to win a lot of football games.
That's the case.
There's true touchdowns. I'm tired of field goals and Aubrey being m v P so getting in the end zone, red zone problems all that.
What's the biggest challenge with the red zone offense.
I think it's what Tommy just said about pushing people back. I think, you know, you say it all the time. When it's the balls on the seven, eight nine yard line, you just don't feel like they can run the ball in and it has to and then that's where it gets tough.
Yeah. Yeah, and you're throwing interceptions.
You know.
All yeah, I mean like like it's it's got to be you know, it's you just like to have a little bit more balance. But running the ball there and and also you know Jake Ferguson, that's where a tight end usually kind of in the play, and he hasn't done that, uh, to the to the level that I thought he would maybe take that that leap he did get hurt.
Uh.
He's had a couple of good games, I think, though, to take it to the next level, he's got to be dominant there in the red zone.
I'd love to see him more in the Niners game. For Yeah, I think I'll make a big difference. Yeah, I really you mentioned that yesterday too.
Yeah, I really think the run game is the piece that that has been missing that makes the red zone so much harder. Is if you got guys that don't aren't respecting the running game, Uh, then it makes a lot easier for them all that guy in the zone and make it very very tough this warterback to find an open spot.
Yeah.
And I'll say this, this has nothing to do with the with the Lions and this I know a lot of what the Lions were doing was I feel like it was jabs at the Cowboys with the tackle eligible. But that's what they do. That's the type of football that that they they play. Why not do that for the Cowboys?
Why not?
Why not have awesome richards earlier in the game reporting eligible, have a little bit more, you have some defensive linement.
Whatever.
It takes, big strong guys up front. They know you're running. But that's okay. I'm okay with that. I just think they need a little bit bigger bodies in there.
Yeah, no doubt about it.
All right, We appreciate you guys. Has been a fun, fun mixed week.
We make sure real quick, everybody, you're you're over at gross stock boys stock, Nick, you're at storyline.
Sorry, I wasn't doing that. I was just like, what's the storyline. I wasn't doing the hooks.
Oh my god, get a storyline. Care about that? You can't do that.
I got three longhorns. That's not what it was. Nothing to do with the longhard. No, it's not.
All right, get yourself in order, okay.
And Tommy's gonna be floating around. He's gonna we're gonna put him on some different stuff. You might ever come over to the break a little bit. I keep fighting with Nick. I'm trying to pull him over there, and Nick's like he's got things to do.
So maybe I'll win at some point and I can get you over the break a little bit more frequently. All Right, We appreciate you, guys, Jones.
We'll be back next week in our normal shows, normal times to then for Nick Eating, Tommy Yarsh and Bonnie Jill Laughlin. Thank you guys for joining us in the breakun on Dallas Cowboys dot comray.
This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club