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Cowboys Let's go.
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 on with Mbar Garcia, Brian brought Us, Nick Harris, and Derek Eagleton.
It is Tuesday, October first, twenty twenty four, Season twenty, episode number thirty nine. Welcome to the latest edition of The Break. We are live from s WBC Mortgage Studios at the Star, presented by LGLG is the world's number one o leed TV brand for eleven years in countingcy wide, LG dot Com, Fort Slash, o, led Evo.
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome.
Let's talk some how Boys football today. It's one more day before we get back into a game. It seems like forever because we talked about the last game last Friday, and so yesterday and today we're just kind of like meandering.
A little bit, but we got some things to talk about.
We will have a little segment of going inside the brain of Brian brought us.
He has some questions today and as every week.
I'm very very very afraid you're gonna love it, very afraid as usual.
But we'll get to that. It's gonna be a quick segment segment. Wow, the producer.
Chiming in on you there know me too well?
By the way, can you look up for me for a second?
Are gone? Yeah? Yeah?
I was about to say, wow, is this another bet payoffs?
Yeah?
I lost.
I picked the I had the Cleveland Browns on one three. The fan we have we have a survivor pool and when.
You uh, when you I'm just looking at the camera the screen there, it does like better on the screen.
Yeah, so yeah, survivor pool. I am actually and this is hard to believe. Four weeks in NFL season, I'm zero to four. I've had to do a bet payoff every single week. I think the next one I have to dress up like missed out fire please please okay?
I up?
God?
Please no, please do it on our show too? Can you please just wear there?
This is one of the things because this weekend, we're this Friday, we're on remote and it's usually a Friday bet payoff. And the reason why I didn't do it last week was because I didn't want to embarrass the cowboys. I didn't want to show up, you know, like, Okay, what are you doing, you know, like, why are you showing up like you look like Missus Doubtfire and then do the show and then people wondering because you know,
this is a big time program. I didn't want to like be slapstick guy, but here the boss of the whole thing is telling me to be slash.
I will explain to all of our audience what's happening, so it won't be like that.
I guess I will. Oh, yeah, I would. I'm down for that.
And by the way, I'm sure the fans would be down to see you dressed as Missus doubt Fire. And by the way, if you haven't, go google Missus. It's a movie from back in the nineteen ninety.
Yeah, yeah, so go check that out.
And Robin Williams, Robin Williams, you could see exactly.
What Brian is doing.
Yeah, and uh, you know, it'll be fun for our show too. I would definitely have some fun.
I was calling into a g bag on Friday, not knowing that they were doing this quadruple bet payoff, and I hop on, you know, just waiting on the call and they're introducing me. But before they introduced me, they had to do Eric. She follows Bet Payoff, which his was peeing down his leg.
He peeding his pants in the studio. He stood up.
Wow, we were talking to listen. I'm like, what's going on here?
He actually went to the men's room on himself while on purpose? On purpose? Yeah, he said, y'all off the rails. I thought we were off.
The rail whole the whole interview, Like he's talking to Nick and he's using the men's room on himself.
Like he what his pants and everything?
Yeah?
Everything, yeah, everything, khaki pants too. You could see then.
I don't need the vision.
Like we we pigs feet.
We like, yeah, I heard you, guys, pigs feet.
I ate the Nitro gummy one time, which is nine hundred times stronger than a jalapeno.
Yeah, the Nitro game.
You need to get you checked. I know, right, we need to get was going to say about sounds like that.
How about I pick a damn game, you know, I'm oh and four.
Like every week interviews, the ratings through the roof.
We're having a good We're having a good time over there. They're going down.
It's tough though.
It gets the point.
We have a list of things you can do, and they're all terrible things. And uh but yeah, I'm like running out of things to like, I feel like I'm running out of the list of things to do.
I mean, it's it's it's incredible, bad thing.
Say what I'm gonna do? Brian, here's you got? You got this doubt? Why don't why don't you? Why don't you real quickly tell people where they can listen to you guys on yeah five.
Yeah, we're on from two to seven, seven, every two seven and every day the g Bag Nation and I have a segment called Krusty's Corner which is at three forty which and you can listen to Nick on Fridays and it comes on with us on Fridays and does great work. But yeah, we're two to seven every day. I do Crusty's Corner. It generally cowboy related scouting reports or like today if the Cowboys sign a guy, maybe they sign a guy, will maybe they sign.
A guy, maybe they.
Sign a guy.
At three forty day you get a scounting report. I talked about some guys you could sign yesterday. Yeah, so stay tuned to Dallascowboys dot Com and to one four Star Telegram and win O five to three the fam.
Yeah, there's plenty of options out there.
Yeah, plenty of options. We're all team, We're all teammates.
We are we absolutely all right. Let's talk about I had a couple of questions for you, guys.
We're gonna hit real quick before we get to our first break and then go inside the mind of Brian brought us. Let's first start with the first quarter recap questions that I had for you.
What would you like to see from.
Each coordinator over the second quarter of the season to improve their units.
Let's start first with Mike McCarthy.
Okay, to say McCarthy or Shottenheimer here now we're.
Talking, well, let's say MacCarthy. He's calling the players.
Let's say maccarth And by the way, you can do it as a group, just say the offensive coordinators or the guys that are responsible for the coordinating of the offense.
The offensive decision makers.
Yeah, I think on the offensive side of the ball, I just want to see more creativity. I think when you have a running game that is non useful, when you have a passing game that is a little stagnant times, especially in second halves of games. I think all you need to do is just up the creativity, whether that be in the run game, you know, opening up some different type of running lanes for guys like Rico Doubt or Douce Fawn or even Ezekiel Elliott. In the past game,
you utilize some more pre snap motion. They have been bottom in the one of the bottom teams in the league and utilizing pre snap motion through these first four weeks.
I just want to see a little bit more creativity.
It's been you go, you line up, you get in a very traditional formation, and you run the traditional route, and it's been very predictable. And I think that's why we look at second halves of games. Teams are able to adjust a lot easier to the offensive side of the ball, and that's why we haven't necessarily seen a ton of production from the offensive side of the ball and second halves other than that fourth quarter against Baltimore.
So I think you look around on the offense side of the ball, just creativity.
Brian has said it perfectly.
He's like, I think we need to get some guys in the in the scouting department to go look at McVeigh shanahan and pull plays from.
Them every week.
It would be fantastic. I think it just pull some creativity, find some creativity. Eye browless, Brian.
I'll just see Brian smile right now, Brian, Bryan.
Face there, I go.
I give you that Uncle Fester family.
It's so terrifying. I can't lie.
Oh my god.
No.
I absolutely agree with the creativity part of it, but also preparation, prepare better, you know, during the week, And that's something that's come up already like this, what are you doing during the week to prepare for the game ahead of you? We've seen this offense and of course you had a different person in the last season with different players now playing for you, but you've seen how certain players can be effective. You know you have talent
on the team. Now bring it all together. Why does it take so many games for your offense to get going? Why can't And I say this like it's very easy, but going back to how the season ended, not counting Green Bay, but prior to that second half of the year last year, last season, your offense was being very productive. It was running and it was fast, and everybody was connecting and Dak was playing a very very good game.
So I'm just I'm just wondering, like, why is it so hard to kind of jump back on track to where you were, where you kind of left off.
Could it be that your best offensive player wasn't a training camp.
I mean absolutely, that's an option there. He was absent, and you notice how that actually did affect the connection with Dak Prescott and I think last game. I think he started showing some progress there this last game, and hopefully this is the turning point where things start. We call this the forty nine ers game where it was the turning point last year for Ceedee, Lamb and Dak. Hopefully it happened last week. But I would say, just
prepare better, whatever that means. There's no reason why anybody should question the way you practice during the week.
We can talk about the defense here too, can't we.
Well, we're gonna get to them. We're gonna start with the offense and want.
To see I get confused every once in a while, have to be put on the right path. The thing that I want to see is that we the creativity part. I think you guys nailed it totally. I want to see an offense that doesn't feel like it's struggling to get yards, you know. I mean, maybe it's the execution, maybe it's the play calling, maybe it's the actual plays itself.
But why would I watch everybody else? It feels like their offense just flows, you know, and maybe that maybe the Lions are a bad example last night, you know, maybe that's a bad I mean, Ben Johnson when he gets that thing on the rails, it is really pretty to watch, you know, you watch him, You watch the guy in San Francisco, you watch the guy in Miami's having some problems right now because his quarterback's out, you know.
But I just what I'd love to see them find a way to do is make this offense easy again. There was times when Dak you know, and sometimes it happens when you play the Commanders back in the day, or the Giants back in the day, or you play teams that don't have the personnel to kind of match.
You, the offense just looks beautiful.
I mean, it's just Dak gets They're moving the balls going across the field. Though there's a tight end delay, there's a you know, there's there's things about it that just flows, and it doesn't seem like that.
It's a grind.
I feel like right now I'm watching an offense that's grinding, you know, and I mean grinding in a bad way. That they don't second down first downs, you know, first down first downs, you know, big plays, explosive plays. I just feel like it's kind of a it's like getting in third and two all day. You know, it just isn't It isn't flowing like it needs And I wish he could find that flow. I wish he could find it where it's easy again, for the quarterback, for the receiver, the tight.
End, the line, everybody involved. Just a little bit of a just an.
Easier way of manipulating offense because the way the rules are, they'll let you manipulate offense. But you got to take advantage of that. With the picks and things like that. You can kind of set yourself up with.
Let's flip over to the defensive side.
What would you like to see from a Zimmer and the defense going into second half? What would you like to coordinate or to maybe do differently.
I just want to see consistency, whatever that looks like
from a coordinator perspective, consistency with the front specifically. I mean, we talked yesterday about Mazzie Smith and him having an awesome game on Thursday night, but it's it's about stacking those games for their actual actually be confidence going forward in the defensive front without having Micah Parsons DeMarcus Lawrence for these next few weeks, consistency is going to be more important now than ever with guys like Marshawn Neil
and Chauncey Golston, Tyrs Sweet and anyone else that they might sign.
As time goes on.
But even in the secondary, I mean we can look at the secondary too, there's been some inconsistencies there. Is it a product of having a rookie fifth round pick on one of your corners, absolutely, But on that same token, you're getting Deron Blandbeck, you would think in the next
couple of weeks, probably before the bye week. So once you get him back, okay, well then there's no excuse to not stack consistency there in the secondary moving forward, but specifically at the safety position, I feel like that's been at times some of the most inconsistent group, one of the more inconsistent groups, just because you know, they allow a big pass player. They allow a running running back to be able to break off with a huge
game because they take a bad angle. So again, I think the defensive side of the ball had a great game on Thursday night. It's just about stacking those games. Consistency is so important moving forward.
I hate this question because I don't have an answer because right now, after how you left that game, and again, I know these are the two key players right now with as far as injuries, DeMarcus Lawrence and Mike parts Band coming back throwing him being out. Yeah, but even then, I'm curious to see how the practice report looks like this week because there were plenty of other guys that also came out at a certain time, and we know that they can go back and finish a game, but
then during the week something pops up. So I'm curious to see how long that list is going to be. And I feel like the defense right now is just in survival mode. It's like, okay, do we even have enough guys to be out there? So I don't know what my advice or opinion is as far as what to do with Mike Zimmer other than try to keep this defense together and everyone really focused on doing their job.
If there was something to point out, and something that was talked about prior to last game was everyone focusing on their own role. But can you actually do that when you have so many younger players in there that potentially do need help from the veteran guy next to them. So it's just it's a tough moment for this defense right now, and I don't know what the answer is currently.
Yeah, I would like to see them and this is going to sound crazy because right now they're not a very good group. I want to see people start to throw the ball on you again, because you're built to rush the passer. Here now we're down guys. So it seems like forever the strength of this team is its ability to rush the passer. And then all of a sudden there's no pass rush. Why is there no pass rush? Because you're getting the ball run on you? You know,
I mean much better last week. You saw what happened though, when you can force somebody to throw the ball. The Giants had to throw. Yeah, the Giants made some plays on you, but it wasn't this constant just running the ball down your throat type of a situation. So Mike's gonna need some magic.
He really really is.
He's banged up bad. And it's not an excuse. It's just it's the NFL and you you got to figure out how you know, I mean, these guys that are rookies aren't really rookies anymore.
This is week five of the NFL season.
You know, you know, overshown and those guys who have played kneeling, you know that haven't played, they played five games. You know, you're not really a rookie anymore. You gotta go play, Carson, you gotta go play. You know, we don't have time.
I mean, like say, watching Detroit last night.
I'm terrified watching them play, you know, because they've got these receivers, they got a running game.
They're coming in here in a couple of weeks.
Yeah, you're gonna play Pittsburgh, who traditionally is a very physical team the way they play, and you're gonna probably get beat up in that game. And so these next two weeks going to be a huge challenge for Mike Zimmer in this in this staff. But they need every one of those guys that we call rookie players to play white veterans and not not be any liabilities, uh to hopefully getting them off the field.
I'll tell you what I want to see from from the defensive coordinator particularly is I want to see him get a little more creative and how they're going to generate a pass rush.
I think they have to at this point.
I don't think they can line up and say, hey, we're going to bring our four and that's how we're going to run it. I think he's going to have to come use safeties.
You'll have to use.
Tach cornerbacks, slot have to use the linebackers. Uh, They'll have to do everything they can creatively.
Not but they got him to pass.
Yeah, But that's the thing.
The hope is that what we saw last week from the standpoint of the running game stopping the running game can continue. And if they can continue that, if you can get Mozzi to keep playing like he has like he did last week, I think that's a big start right right, And if you can then use and I think Neiland will be fine as a as a run defender. I think Golston can be fine as a run defender.
So if they can continue what they started last week in the run or stopping the run, then it becomes a situation of how do you create pressure and if they're creative and how they're bringing pressure.
I think that may help them at.
Least give you a few weeks to get by without the likes of of of Michael Parsons.
We know it's going to be long before DeMarcus Who is.
This team's best pass rusher right now? Is it Chauncey golsten.
Well?
Is it to Marvin Overshown.
I was about to say it's probably one of the linebackers. It might be Osa, it could be might be your best pass rusher.
He started the year really hot last year in the LAS rush department. I think he racked up three sacks in the first five games and then he just went away.
So I did a lot of pressures.
He needs Mazie to keep playing well next to him though, I mean that would that would help a lot.
But yeah, they don't.
You're I think to Derek's point is you're gonna have to bring more than four. You know, you're gonna have to find ways to create opportunities without without looking at Pittsburgh, but just TV copy stuff. I'll get on them this evening. Know with the offense, make fields throw the football.
You know, I'll take my chances.
Don't let him beat me running the ball, you know, don't let me. Don't let me have to deal with that. Make him drop back and have to read field and throw ball.
He's the most dangerous runner they got to Yeah.
That's that's what I'm saying. I mean there, But they're down offensive lineman. They had another guy loss for the season.
They're gonna have some backup dudes in their playing.
We saw what happened in week one when you play backup dudes against the Cowboys. But now we're playing backup dudes. So it's it's it's pretty it's it's pretty wild. How this week five, we're already doing this kind of stuff.
All right, let's take our first rake. We'll come back. We'll go inside the mind of Brian brought us. We'll be Backdallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
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Back to the.
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Welcome back.
Second segment of the Break, live from the SWBC Mortgage studios. At the start of the segment, brought to you at blockchain dot com. All right, let's go inside the eyebrowless mind of Brian brought us.
What you got for is Brian, I do.
I've got some questions for you guys. Hope it makes you think a little bit. And by the way, I don't give these.
Guys these questions if you're wondering out there.
So this is kind of off the top of their heads, which I appreciate a lot.
You know what else, I'll just mention real quick. You mentioned one O five dot three the fan. I've noticed sometimes you use us as guinea pisces because you'll take our.
Question, this question.
Those over there, and I'm hearing those guys, I'm like, they didn't have our answers.
No, That's what I love about it. I guess you get all kinds of answer. You get all different platforms too.
If everybody listens to you on all these platforms, you're on the good for them. Yeah, but it kind of if you depend on what platform you're on. Nick Carris, I'll start with you on this one. If you could ask Jerry Jones or Mike McCarthy one question and get an in depth, honest answer, what would it be.
The question I asked last week?
No, let me, you're gonna get an If you asked this question, you're going to get an in depth, honest answer about it.
In depth, honest to answer. Is there really confidence in the running back situation right now? Is there actually confidence in the running back situation? And that that factors in Dalvin Cook, that factors in everybody that's on the team right now, that factors in draft strategy from from last April where how has the running game gotten to this point and how is there still confidence moving forward? I
would love to hear an honest answer on that. I don't feel I don't feel like that will That'll be one though.
You don't feel like you don't feel like because they do talk about it.
Oh, surely they talk about it, but there's no way they actually feel that there's that much confidence.
But the in depth, honestly answer, I'm looking at you guys for no Derek, what you got on that one?
If you can ask Jerry Jones or Mike McCarthy one question and get an in depth, honest answer, would that question.
It would be along the lines of what Nick asked, but it would be why why weren't they able to go after one of those running backs in free agency in the offseason. I heard somebody say this the other day, and I haven't checked these numbers, so forgive me if they aren't completely accurate. But the amount of money that right now Trey Lance counts on the salary cap against the salary cap is very close to the amount of
money Dereck Henry is counting against the salary cap in Baltimore. Sure, And so then the question becomes like how much.
I mean, were they sure they were gonna do the deal with no, no, no.
And again. And that's the point, and there's a lot of this.
That's why I would want to have a real in depth conversation, like walk me through where you guys were at that time, because I know right now it's easy in retrospect to say that you didn't know what the deal was going to end up being with DAK, you didn't know what the deal was going to end up being with CD so, but I would love to just sit and be able to talk from that standpoint of Okay, talk me through where you were on the cap at that point and why you didn't think you could come
up with the right amount of money to go out and get in. And I'm not talking about Derek Henry specifically, I'm just saying in general, the running backs that were out there this last offseason, there were a number of them, and even some that were relatively cheap. Why couldn't you
find that money to be able to do that? And were you really sold that what you already had, whether that be with Rico or whether that be with bringing in Zeke or with douce Von, Like what did they change that opinion for you because you looked at them and you said, I really have a good feeling about one of them, so there's no need to go out and spend in free agency. I'd really love to know a little more about how that came about.
Trey Lance's cap number five point three million for twenty twenty four, Dereck Henry five point one million. But the factor is next year's cap number for Dereck.
Henry's nearly eleven. So that's that's probably.
What could that have been?
Something too with if you look at what the dead money you owe Zeke plus the current money, if you add those two together eight Yeah. Does that that that hurts you? I mean, is that one of the reasons why they couldn't do it? Because they deterred They said, Okay, we got Zeke dead money plus the money we're gonna give him for being on the roster.
Well, we heard Jerry say, I think it was during training camp he said with Zeke, well, some of that money's already spent. Yeah, And I think that's what he was talking about, was like they got dead money on him, so it's almost like, you know, we're already paying for him, so you might as well have him back that you're already paying for it, right, But I think I remembered him saying that during training camp that he says something to that effect.
But hey, g you got something for me on that one. One question you could ask the boss man and the coach.
Well, I do like the running back question that Nick proposed, But something else that I would want to know is like, why did it actually take so long to get a deal done with CD? Because you already knew you wanted him here, You could already expect I mean by that time, earlier on than training camp, you had an idea of what that number was going to look like. So what
was the point? And you've seen it happen with other ends during the time we were talking about people holding out that history has shown that they do end up paying the player, So why wait when you knew how much the crucial aspect of this season, everything that's on the line, you're saying all in and all of this and city not happening. I mean, now you're seeing the
effects of it. But yeah, that one was one that I guess I still have questions in my head, like why why did it actually take that long.
Yeah.
I think mine is is you always say that personnel is a three sixty five twenty four to seven job. It kind of seems like personnel around here is a January to the end of April job. You know, when you look when you start to talk about now, hey, they they're working on something to help their team. I
mean that, well, we can't get into right now. But I just wonder, I mean, is it really with that or are you just so draft dependent that you just say, you know what, we can't we can't do anything, you know.
And I'd love for them.
To somebody to say, like to Jerry, to say, we believe in the draft, we want to work the draft. We don't want to we've been burned in free agency before. We don't want to play in free agency. If somebody would come out and tell me that, then I would have a better feel for you know, I like to me, personnel, when you say it's three sixty five twenty four seven, I believe you. That's pro personnel, that's college, that's everything involved.
You know, at times I don't feel that's really the case here.
You know, I'll throw this little caveat copy caveat at you I don't know if it stops at April, it just takes a hiatus in at the end of it, oh yeapl and.
Then it doesn't.
It doesn't happen during free agency, but then it starts back up in August, because in August they'll go out and get those bargain change that.
Yeah, It's just I wonder if it really you know, because you're really really good at this draft and stuff, and at times you could be really good at this pro personnel stuff, you know, but it just seems like to me, it's not.
Always March is not their time, not marches at their time.
All right, Derek, I got a question for you here. All right, what's the biggest thing holding this team.
Back as of right now? It would have to be the defense. And what I mean by that is I still have to see more to believe that the run defense is fixed. And now you've just exacerbated that problem because you've lost your two best pass defenders and and and a really good run defender in in in tank. So those two things I think right now, the biggest problem they have right now is their defense. Their offense
just needs to get clicking. I think their offense is very, very capable, and if they're gonna win games during this period, they're gonna have to outscore a lot of teams. So I have faith in the offense that they'll get it right. The defense, though, I'm very, very, very worried.
About, Hey, g biggest thing holding this team back, I mean injuries at the moment. But other than that, and other than the defense, I mean, I have to go with the running game. And we've already were tired of talking about it, but it's like we're heading we're in what week five now, and you've had plenty of time. Yes, you've had plenty of time, I feel like to try different things with the running game and even see what you have in Dalvin Cook, and you haven't tried that yet.
So it just sometimes you see them making certain choices or decisions that just doesn't make a lot of sense to the outsider. And I get it. It's different perspective from in there where you're seeing every single practice full on and being with these guys. But as a viewer, as an spectator, did I say that a spectator? You scratch your hand, You're like, what are we doing here? Why don't you you know? So it's just we shouldn't be at this point in Week five trying to figure
out how this offense can score more points. Last week they did okay, they scored two touchdowns, but at the same time, it was against the Giants that you expected them to or me to be a lot better and it wasn't there. So I think it's just gonna be. It's gonna get tougher with the next upcoming teams.
Nick biggest thing holding this team back.
I think it's the same thing from as I probably would have said in Week eighteen last year. And no one likes this label being put on them, So it's probably gonna ruffle a couple of feathers because I've tried touching this topic with certain players.
They didn't like it.
But this is not a physical football team. It's not a physical football team on either side of the ball. And when you look at it on paper, they can't run the ball, they can't stop the run, there's discipline issues. This is not a physical football team. And I think if they can up the physicality and they can have a reputation like a Pittsburgh you know, like when you say, yeah, they're gonna go play Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh's gonna beat you up because they're no to do that. No one's saying that
about the Cowboys. They haven't said about the Cowboys in a long time. I think that is the biggest thing holding this team back, because when you look at teams that are still playing late in January or in February, the Chiefs are going to beat you up. Forty nine Ers are going to beat you up. The Lions, the Bengals, the Ravens, whatever it is. Those teams are physical, and those teams are typically the ones that are playing deep into the playoffs. I think that's the biggest thing holding
this team back. And it would take a lot, i think, and it would be a multi year problem solution to be able to fix that problem going forward.
And you know, it's interesting you look at a team like Detroit and that head coach Dan Campbell, and when he got there, one of the things he talked about, it's kind of obviously became a meme, but he's.
Like, we're biting me.
Yeah, we're gonna be physical, we're gonna be mean, we're gonna be tough. That wasn't what they were when he got there. But i'd be darned if right now they are exactly that. Right now that they are a physical football team, they get after you and and so to your point, I do wonder if you know certain coaches have just the way of creating that physical whatever that is.
Yeah, right, And I don't.
Know what it is, but I know when he got there it wasn't that. And what I know now is it is so somehow that coach, whether it was the types of players that they brought in, personal change, whether it was the mindset that he instilled in them, whether it was how they practice, whether it was how they trained like there could be a lot of different factors. I don't know because I'm not there. I just know the end product is they weren't a physical football team.
He said they would be a physical football team. They are now a physical football team.
I think it's probably all of those factors wrapped up. But I think more so than anything, it's personnel changes. Because there's some guys that you have in any locker room. I'm not talking about this one specifically, but in any locker room that are just bad apples towards certain things. And I think when you look at the physicality department, there's players on this team that are just not physical and they never will be, and that's that's their play style.
And you know, you look up mid twenties, early thirties, that's your play style.
And I don't think it can necessarily.
Be hammered into a person or hammered into a entire unit. I think it's it starts with drafting guys who come from programs that have that type of reputation.
But to that point, though, I would say, like if we went down man for man, I would I could point out some guys that their makeup to me at least seems to be the physical.
Means absolutely, and Tyler Smith overshown I mean old drafted.
We talked about Bbie when he was drafted.
We talked about Guiding when they were drafted, Like these were guys that came out of college with that that reputation of being a little bit surly, right, And so I wonder like, if you go man for man, it seems like they got enough of those mean, physical type players. So why is that not translating as you call it, to that being.
The unit in my eyes?
And I feel like whenever you do look at it side by side, Okay, these are all those surly players like you mentioned, our physical guys, and these are the guys who are probably not helping that department. I think this list is impacking you a lot more at the
end of the day. But I do think whenever you look at draft strategy over the last few years, there has been an intention to bring in guys like that, but I don't think that started until twenty twenty two, and I think it's going to take a couple of years to be able to get everybody in the building.
I think it happened for Detroit a little bit quicker because they actually go out in free agency and spend some money there and getting guys like David Montgomery in the building or building that offensive line with guys like Frank ragb right now.
And they've been bad for so long, they get a lot of top picks too, right, yea, they get a lot of top first round picks. Over time, you can build something with that.
Yeah, you know, they got a tough, tough coaching staff.
Yeah, you look.
At you look at you know.
I mean Ben Johnson is a kind of a quiet guy, but he goes for the throat when you watch him call plays. He's got a little bit of that, you know, like I bet you Dan Campbell kick clicks over on that head sentence says, hey, you start running the ball. Now, you can run it. Now, let's go, let's run. Let's run a few plays here and and then Aaron Glenn is a defensive coordinator.
Aaron Glenn is a corner. He was a tough guy.
So, I mean, I think a lot of it has to do with how your coaching staff. I listened to Jerry Jones and this morning talk about the Ravens, you know, with Harrball in that group. I mean, he's like, this is one of the better teams I've seen, you know, us play. You know, he had a lot of respect for the Ravens. We all kind of think of of of John Harball is that, you know, the Ravens are always tough.
They've got tough players and stuff.
So I like, yeah, well, see Detroit that lost all those close games, and then all of a sudden they went on a roll a couple of years ago where they started winning close games. And then they went to green Bay with nothing to play for, you know, but pride and and and green Bay. All Greenby had to do was win and they were in the playoffs.
Troy beat him straight up.
You know, I think that that kind of stuff, when you go and do things like that, it makes your team really believe in what you're doing. You know, So I like what you did there. Okay, Ambar. Other than Dak Prescott, this offensive player.
Needs to be huge this next two weeks.
Other than Dak Prescott, this offensive player needs to be huge these next two weeks.
I think that's with the Steelers and Lions games.
Oh, I got one for you.
Oh interesting. I think the obvious answer for me here would be a guy like CD Lamb if they're find their connection because we Weaving saw it last year when they were connecting, they were on a roll, and that even opened up other players to worry. Makes you question, Okay, get that guy, the ball gets so and so the ball. So I think that when CD Lamb is at his peak, it just creates an opened creates more opportunity for everybody on the field because now they got to worry about him,
and you can take advantage of that. But there are plenty of other guys on the offense that you could add to that list where you need them to step up. But at the same time, Mike McCarthy and the way he's scheming things. That's where I see the bigger problem. It's a combination of McCarthy creating these plays but also the players executing it. Because you've seen so many guys that are talented. I mean Cavanta Turpin, another guy we
talked about all throughout the training camp. Training camp, Oh, he's going to be a good, big weapon for this offense, and then all of a sudden he's kind of disappeared, and you don't really see much of that either. So I think it's more now I just went down a spiral, but I think at least get Ceedee Lamb back to his peak.
Cur Brandy Cooks.
I think if if they can get Brandon Cooks involved over these next two weeks, it's going to allow a lot more one on one situations for Ceedee Lamb coming off of the bye week. I think that's really important going into a game like the forty nine Ers. I'm afraid that defenses are not scared of anybody on the offensive side of the ball other than Ceedee Lamb.
And I think if that continues.
To stack as weeks go by, and they don't put respect on Brandon Cooks or Cavante Turpin or even a Jake Ferguson. Then that's only going to make life more difficult for Ceedee Lamb. I would say Rico Daubtle, but I think we've established that there's not really a running game. If he did have a huge two weeks, they would
obviously be ginormous for this offense. But I think for looking realistically Brandon Cooks, I think if he has a huge two weeks, he gets one hundred yard game, two or three touchdowns over these next couple of weeks, then it can start to open up this passing game a little bit more and really kind of gets you taken that next step in the passing game since your running game won't do it for you.
Derek Eagleton, I am shocked that we went through two answers and nobody said Tyler Geiden.
It was second. It was my look at thoughts too.
They got coming up.
Whatton, arguably the.
Best defensive player on both those teams, will probably be matched up against Tyler Guiden.
Can I say why I didn't say that's worrisome? To reason why?
I didn't know because he didn't have a huge game against Cleveland, but he was serviceable. Yeah, I feel like if he could just be serviceable these next two weeks, but you get a huge game from Brandon Cooks, then I feel like that would make a bigger impact.
That's that's the only.
Reason I understand that.
I guess what I'm thinking more about is your offense.
If you have to keep giving him help your offense.
Which they have it they did in this last game, right, but they did in that first game, right, if they have to do that because they're looking at this game and they're like, man, those two guys. That severely limits what your offense can do because now you got to give him help. You got to keep guys back to be able to help him out. And even at that, you're probably not gonna win all the time, which we
just gonna change your offense. And I think, like I said before, this offense is going to have to be on like it's gonna have to be hyper good in order to sustain the challenges that the defense is having right now. And so I need Tyler guy more than anybody else. I need him to handle up this week and next week because that's going to give the offense the best chance if CD just gets off because Tyler's doing his job. I don't know if I necessarily and
worry too much about Brandon Cook. Quite frankly, I think I would be even more like I'm looking at a guy like Jayleen Tolbert, and I'm like, Jalen Tobert, give me more of what you've been getting, because from what I've seen the training camp throughout the beginning of the season. Give him more opportunities. I'm down with that, and I think he's going to make the most of them. Cavante Turpin, give him more opportunities. I'm down with that. I think
he's gonna make the most of it. I'm less concerned about Cooks at this point. I'm more concerned about my left tackle because if I can't block it, I can't get the ball.
The way I see it in my head is like we've seen it at times where Dak he could get rid of the ball very very quickly last year. I'm talking about where even if someone was coming, the pressure was coming, he's already the ball is gone. He already threw that path. So that comes with having the certainty or the confidence in your passing game with the receiver
and who you're getting too. So I think if the relationship with CD and the connection there improves, you can get rid of the ball quickly, which.
Then gives Though, if you're gonna if you're gonna be at a game where your defense is giving up points, you're gonna have to have something like you were talking about earlier, Brian, where you were saying it feels like this offense has to work for every yard at some point. If you're gonna win some of these games that are gonna be high scoring games, you have to have some big plays. And big plays typically take time for the receiver to get downfield and get open, which means you gotta block
it right. And that's where I'm a little bit concerned. It just doesn't match.
Up completely killing you right now.
I don't think he's killing you. I think he's fine. I think he's okay. The problem is you're about to face the better defensive.
Ends in the NFL.
Yeah, it's like you're trying to diffuse a bomb over there. You know, you got the bomb unit and they're like, is it the red wire or the blue wire? You know, and then you just gotta close.
To me.
I think you can just said steal or guide. You can just sit there either tackle, because these next two weeks is going to be a hang on your rear, guys, here we go kind of a day because especially if they don't help, if they don't help guiding in this in these games, and but it takes away from other things you're trying to do, you know.
And the thing eight and Hutchinson is a really scares me because not only is he talented, he is one hundred times one hundred.
Mile an hour movie guy, like he keeps coming coming, ever comes off the field.
Yeah, he is a he. The game keeps going.
Max Crosby the same. I mean they play and they play and they never stop.
Yeah, yes, never stop with their rush anyway. All right, thank you guys, appreciate you.
Thank you, Brian. And that took two segments. That was great. That took two segments. It was great.
And we're actually going to be ending the show here we got.
So he's going to meet you.
I was curious how we were about to do this show.
Uh, and we will catch up with a T and T right for sponsoring changes everything.
There you go, and we'll be back on tomorrow. So then for Nick Harris Brian brought us Amberg See. I'm Derek Eagles and 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.