Cowboys Break: Realistic Win Total?

The Break. We're live from the s WBC Mortgage studios at the Star. We're presented by Geico, and we decided to make this a fun show for the fans. We are going to take nothing a fan questions the whole show. I've already got a whole list of questions that people sent me on Twitter. If you want to join in the conversation or if you have a question, you can call us also eight eight eight eight five five two two nine seven. Again that's eight eight eight eight five

five two two nine seven. We have not gotten to a phone call, probably since the pandemic started, because Nick usually's talking too much for us to get the fan questions. But we will get to some today and we're gonna try to get as many fan questions as we can possibly get in a one hour show. How's everybody feels so good? So it just wonderful. A lot of you guys are feeling well. All you guys, I mean, we're not doing Okay, we're not doing We know you're going

through it, and we love you, We got you. It's gonna be over soon. It's gonna be great. Yes, you're gonna love it. Let's jump right in. We got lots of questions, got a lot of questions. I've already pulled from Twitter again, you can call us eight to eight five five, two two nine seven. Let's start first with a quick question from Victor Perez on Twitter. His question is what do you think our biggest train is going into training camp? And what's our biggest weakness. Let's start

with the biggest strength first. What do you think is the biggest strength of this team going get to drink camp? Why are you laughing, David, I'm because, like you know, and no offense to Victor get it's a it's a it's just it's just what we've talked about for a long time. It's like the central storyline of this team, I think is Okay, let me, can I put something in real quick before you say it? Yeah, because I think I know where you're going. You cannot say just

blanket offense and defense. Okay, bad gotta get a little deeper, Gottle deeper because if you're right, that's gonna bet the answered then that would be really easy. But you can't say this offense. You can't say defense. What's the biggest strength of this team. The biggest strength of this team is that they have one of the five or six best quarterbacks in the league who has a tremendous amount of upside and the potential to be one of the two or three best in the league at some point

in the future. And and he's got a lot of weapons to work with. Like, anything the Cowboys accomplish will be because of Dak Prescott, and if they fall short, it's gonna fall on him. And their biggest weakness is obviously I mean, yeah, defense is too obvious. But the back seven, specifically of the there's basically nothing at safety. The cornerback depth chart looks better than it did before the draft, but is completely unproven. I mean, the guy

that you feel best about. Treyvon Diggs had an up and down rocky rookie season, and that's probably who you feel the best about. There's just not a lot in the way of proven playmakers in the secondary camber. Biggest strength, I would say the wide receiver group. I mean, they're pretty solid. We saw what they did last year, regardless of Dak being out for so long. Imagine with Dad being back in the makes and him being healthy, I think the wide receiver group can do a really good job.

But also part of me almost wants to say Kellen Moore as well as this strength. I wouldn't say, because regardless of what happened last here and how things went down, I still believe that Kellen Moore has the talent to keep putting together things and making a click and making the offense work once he has all his healthy guys back into the mix. So I think it is a good positive thing that Kellen Moore is still here and

that still hasn't been touched. So I do have trust that he can be a strength for the offense as well. Um I mean I think the offense, you know, is the strength, and so which position specifically, I mean, they're all connected. I think the receivers. I agree with the receivers are the best unit. But I think that they they're aided by by having Zeke and having the running game and having Dak throwing to them, so it does

all kind of work together. I mean, I will say that, you know, the best position group that from I think is the wide receivers. I mean, if Cedric Wilson is your fourth guy and he's been around and made some plays, you know, then I think that the three on top of him, I think that that's the strength. I think. The weakness I mean I don't want to. I mean it's well, the weakness is you're unknown, and you know, is it coaching. I mean I don't know. I mean

it could be. I mean because because last year it wasn't very good and so I mean, okay, dan Quinn, dan Quinn, that's great. But I mean we'll see, I mean, we'll see if if that's better. I think it will be.

I really think it will be. But like the whole thing with the pandemic and the coaching and all the virtual and all the stuff, and then on the field, and I just think that they're not getting as much as as you would want there, you know, and I do blame the pandemic for some of it, but all teams are dealing with it now now they're not at all dealing with it the same. I mean, I think the news staffs are dealing with it a little bit more, but they that I don't know. I don't want to

call it a weakness, but I think it is. That's an issue that needs to be addressed. If it's not, if it's a position or I'll take corner corner, all right, Yeah, I'll say this. I really I've I've held true to this all last season as well. Even more so than that, I think the greatest advantage for this team this year is that they're getting those two tackles back. I think if you take away one of those tackles last year, they're probably still okay. Taking away both your two tackles,

I don't care who you put back. Derek quarterback. As we saw, even though those games that Dak played, the offense was playing well, but a lot of that they had to do coming from behind because they weren't clicking from the beginning of every game. I think the tackles were the biggest problems. So getting those guys back. I think that's your biggest strength and weakness. I think the biggest weakness is the unknown with regards to injuries. Think

about this. I just made a quick list. Got Dak, Tyrn Lyle at Tristan Hill, you got l Ve, you got Kaze, you got Neil. These are all guys that ended last year injured. These are all guys that are coming back that you hope or at least No, Derek, No, I'm gonna say no. You can't make a strength and a weakness the same you just you just said no, no, No. The strengths are the tackles. Win they're healthy. Okay, Okay, let's just put it like that. Whin they're healthy, but

the weakness still is like you got them. You're betting on a lot of guys coming back from entries last year, not the tackles because their strength. No, I know when they're healthy. I know when they're healthy. And I think we all agree Tyren Smith when he's healthy, he's one of the best, but five tackles in the league, ten tackles in the league. But you wonder if he's gonna be healthy because neck and back issues don't necessarily always

go away. So yes, when he's at his best, when he's playing, when he's healthy, he's gonna be really, really good. What we don't know is was this surgery what he needed to get him back to the point where he can play a full season. We don't know that. And they're betting on it. They're betting a lot on it.

They are laughing. We're here. No. Well, and you know, because we had a long conversation before this show about what we wanted to talk about, and you know, we were talking about the Athletic Podcast and they did like the non quarterback draft, like the best non quarterbacks in the NFL. And I get what you're saying, but even like, even if all those guys are healthy, how good are they not? The tackles, Well, I was gonna ta da

the tackles. We all know those, all about those three they are like Lyle and Tyron are among the ten or twelve best at their position if they're healthy. Dak Is probably is top ten at the bare minimum. But like all the guys you listed on defense, like, how good are those guys? Like, even if you get seventeen games out of all those guys, do we know that they're good? No? We don't absolutely, but what we do know is what we do know is they're the best

the Cowboys are gonna have. Sure, you're not gonna get better than what you got with Tristan Hill. You're not gonna get a better defensive tackle. You're pulling out of off the way we wire at this point, right, Yeah, you're probably not. The LV probably is gonna play if he's healthy. What you're hoping is that he can get

back to playing like he played before the injury. Maybe, and then maybe you got a player here, Like there are a lot of There are a lot of bets here, but the first has to start with can you get them healthy? Can you get them to play a full seventeen games? Yeah, you're they need they need to be on the field, And then there's a completely separate matter of how good they are. When I mean there, I mean you kind of like put a question like if if if lv's healthy, like is he good? That's kind

of what it sounded like. I mean, he wasn't all pro as a rookie. I mean, I think he's I think he's a good, really good player, But there were times when he played last year when he was healthy that he didn't play great, right, so would we really know what he is? It was that last year? Are you talking about last year and last year? I think last year. I think we're gonna find out that last year, especially on defense, is just gonna kind of get thrown

out the windows. The coordinator, because of the coordinator, because of the coordinator, plus the lack of prep time. And I think that some coaches did it better. Obviously there are teams that did it better with this and this one wasn't one of them. So they need to get on the field. They need it, and they need a better coordinator, plus the you know feel they need preseason games, they need all that. I actually agree with you. I think the defense will be better, much better than it

was last year. If I think like it'll be, they'll be documentaries on this defense forever, like this the worst defense ever thrown out saying that's gonna be deep blue in twenty twenty two. Who would watch that? I mean, no offense? People do like the train wreck. Look, people like the train My experience like people won as little to do with remembering last season as possible, So like if it happens again and then we try to make a movie about it from someone that tried to write

a book about the two fifteen season. By the time the book came out, the Cowboys were five and one. Dakin Ze twenty sixteen, Like, I don't care about that season. It's like, yeah, yeah, it wasn't on the bestseller list. Very true. Let's go to the next question. Got a question from Adam Why. His question is how realistic is it to actually think lv or Smith will be traded before the season? Obviously, linebacker is a position has a lot of players there. What's possibility and by the way,

let's not even limit it to those two. What's possibility that that one of these linebackers, whoever they might be, ends up traded before the season. Okay, I love the phrasing before the season. Yeah, because that means that you went through training camp in the preseason and you have a much better idea of what you're working with. I do not understand the desire to have this happen this week with either one of them, because neither one of them's worth a lot. Layton has. He's missed forty percent

of the last two years. He's missed thirteen games over the last two seasons. It's a lot one year left on his deal, what are you getting for him day three pick? Probably you're definitely only getting a Day three pick for Jalen Smith with that contract and the cost that you would incur, I just can't imagine you're getting a lot of return on your investment. And so in my mind, give me the depth. We just talked about how much their depth was challenged last year. Give me

the depth. But if Jabril Cox is just the ultimate badass and you feel great about it, or Micah Parsons is even better than we think he can be, and all of a sudden, that doesn't look very necessary in September, that's a different conversation, and we see teams do stuff like that all the time, like the Cowboys. The Cowboys typically trade to acquire players at roster cuts. But if you just have a glut and you feel good about

the young guys, that's a little more realistic. I still wouldn't bet on it happening, but I think it's got

a chance of happening in September than right now. I think I'm looking at the list and it's just like one of those things that right now it looks like pretty packed and all it takes is a guy going out and then all of a sudden you start looking at it and it looks pretty thin, and you know, I'm never opposed to something like that, like a trade like that, but I don't think I feel that comfortable doing that at this point. And it's just so hard to judge, even with a training camp and the preseason.

Like they've mentioned, it's so hard to judge how good a player is going to be unless you get into the real season and start playing real games. So as we know, and we do these shows at training camp and we start talking about guys and we're like, oh, yeah, so it all looks good, and then the season starts and you're like, oh my god, what happened. So it can be very deceiving what we see during that time.

But I would assume or think that these coaches have a lot better judgment of displayer than any of those any of us do outside of that room. So I wouldn't be opposed to it if they think that's the right idea. I don't think it's going to happen, though, And at the end of the day, I think I would just be okay with keeping everyone in this year, Like I've said before, I don't mind sitting someone on the bench just for a little bit. But that's a

different story. I think we moved to another question. I mean, I think they've answered it fine. I mean, it's if it happens, it happens. But I mean I like the depth, right I like the depth right now. I mean because what you're gonna get in it right now, you would probably get in a compic. I think you have a better you have a better chance of getting Pro Bowl and all Pro players that you've had to try to get back to that level with a coach like Dan Quinn.

I think people people get so paranoid about getting burned in the future that they try to like sever those ties in the present. Michael Gallup's the same thing, Like people are so terrified of losing him to another team in the future that they'd rather get rid of him before they need to. And it's it's it's how he goes in dating sometimes too, Like people are so afraid of get and broken up with that they just just sabotage. Yeah, that's a good point, so they don't have to get

to that point. It's a hole. Get you before you get me. I mean and everything really so, and I mean it's a great like you know, let's say let's say Layton's just decent and he signed somewhere else next year, and you get like a fourth round pick for him in twenty three. I mean, you gotta wait a little bit longer for it, but you get the same thing

you would get right now. But he's still capable of helping you right now in the president And I just think that's more about But also, fans don't want to see Anthony Hitchins in any more Super Bowls, you know, And even though that was a guy that nobody was really that worried about him, leave it. That's you know, I am the president of the Anthony Hitchins fan Club. But that is a that is a situation that the

Cowboys handled perfectly. They didn't do anything wrong. Fourth round pick, far exceeded his expectations, got paid way more than I would have felt comfortable paying him here, went to a better team. Like Anthony Hitchins isn't the reason the Chiefs have been in the hits. It sucks to see a guy that you drafted winning super Bowls with somebody else. But like it's like, you know, nobody in Kansas City's like it all changed when we got hit, Like that's

just come on and stop. No offense to Anthony, but let's be he What sucks is like you gotta look at the whole component as a whole. Like there are so many players that we've seen being here with the Cowboys, and everyone criticizes, like the fans, they don't like it of blah blah oh free agency, it's gonna cost too much,

they can leave. Then they go to another team and then you see them being having some kind of success and being successful, and then it's like, I don't want to criticize the Cowboys because I'm all Cowboys, but it just sucks sometimes where when you see someone that wasn't even really that good here, but then they go somewhere else and then they start thriving over there, It's like, man, what are we not doing right on this end? The one thing I would be careful with that is I

think we may fall pray sometimes too. With the Cowboys, we watched them every single play of every single practice of every single game the whole night, and so we see all the warts and then they go somewhere else and we only catch them on highlights. I think Jeff Heath is a good example of that. We saw some highlights from the last year people like Jeffy like, but Jeff He's probably did the same thing there as he did.

He made plays here. It was all the stuff. It was all the stuff that was happening when he wasn't making plays. That was the reason he wasn't here anymore. And like you said, he's no longer will Oakland, I mean, well Las Vegas. Yeah, And when you watch these guys, you're what you know, Hitchens or Damian Wilson or whatever.

You're watching them in the playoffs when the Cowboys aren't there and you're like, you know, you think it's not that they're the ones taking them over the top, but but you know, I mean there are some cases for that, especially then when you go back to the current linebacker spot and you're like, maybe they should have just kept him instead of signing. I don't have a problem with the way they played, Like Anthony Hitchins got paid a lot. Now,

there are cases that you can criticize for. I mean, if you want, if you want to open the Byron Jones Pandora's box like that, that's a premium position where you have to pay for production. And you know, I don't think Byron got is just due because he didn't get interceptions, but he certainly seems to be part of Miami's defense becoming a strength of that team. And yeah, it helps that he's got Zavian Howard across front. Like I get it. There there's you know, there's a lot

of moving parts. But like that is a situation where I'm like, well, yeah, maybe the Cowboys should have ponied up and paid Byron instead of an off ball linebacker and a running back, Like how much better as Diggs if he's got on the other side. You can start playing that game and then you start really wandering, like how much better are you off? The better off all year if you had him? Probably you don't think they do.

I mean, they still were going to be down on linebackers right final draft Diggs though, if they have Byron Jones, I don't think. I don't know. I mean maybe who knows, But they don't go in They guarantee they don't go

into this draft, like we gotta get a corner. We got to get a corner probably that's rated higher than the linebacker we have because we got to get him and then and then we'll just take this corner in the second round that you know, he's got some he's got some issues, but he's got talent, so let's go for it. You know, did he have really it seemed like he had really long arms. Just looking at him, I'm thinking about is he had dan Quein kind of guy Joseph no um um, Byron Oh, Byron Oh? Yeah,

I see like he had long arms. Yeah, right, it seems like he would be a dan Quinn kind of guy.

I want to say, Byron, I don't hate that, I know this, but I think because he had thirty one inch arms, I think, yeah, long off the top of your head and well stuff, I'm flat and on top of that, I just my lasting mental image of Byron Jones for the rest of my life is just gonna be the way that he used to reach over the dB and just kind of poke the ball away, And you can't do that without really Yeah, And so that's why I was I was thinking about it from that standpoint,

like he might have been a guy that had dan Quinn been here a couple of years earlier, maybe they don't get rid of me. Maybe he's like, this is the kind of guy we want. Chris Richard was a Seattle disciple as well, and he was the one that was like, this guy needs to be playing cornerback. So I think that makes sense. All Right, We're gonna take our first break. When we come back. We got so many more questions. We're gonna get through some of these questions.

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the Star presented to buy Geico. We're answering fan questions today. We got a lot to roll through here. We're going to keep it rolling. We got a question here from Nicholas Ganzel. He says, how much of an upgrade is a healthy Kauze over our past free safeties. It's a great question and it's one of the more intriguing storylines about the defense because like on paper, the answer is should be a lot better healthy healthy, if he's healthy. I mean, I don't remember the last time the Cowboys

employed a safety who had a seven interception season. I mean that's a lot. Haha, Clinton Dicks, No way, you weren't alive. Yeah, seriously, I mean nineteen eighty Wow. Really seven interceptions from a safety, which also seven that's a lot too. Seven inters. That's an outlier, Like, I mean, there aren't a lot of guys that get that many in a season. But the point but like he's got the coverage ability in the ball skills that we haven't seen here a lot. The problem is, like Amber, how

many you know? How many times are we gonna fall into this trap? You know? And like I met Demante because he last week and he's a super nice guy. I'm definitely pulling for him, But like I've been down this road before. They do what gives you pause? I mean, obviously you talked about what the positive is, what gives you pausitive? I don't need anything else it's an achilles injury. It's like we medicine has made so much progress, but that is still a tricky thing. You know, Barry Church

even talked about it. If Like I thought that was super interesting the way that Barry talked about you know, he did the same thing early in his Cowboys career and his first year back, he's like it just feels weird, like learning to trust it again and like relying on it the way that you need to, it's difficult. And then the other thing, you know, look at what Look at what they gave Kazee, Like follow the money always

and it's a tiny deal. Like I think, like it's like one hundred thousand dollars and guarantees that is nothing. And whenever, like if the guarantees are that small, it just gives me pause. I'm like, okay, Like they they're not super confident that this is going to work out, or they would have given it more money. And if it does work out, we'll be here in a year or wondering what they're going to do in free agency

because they let him go. I mean, he did I bet on myself type of deal and so you know, it's not like this is a fix. You know, it might be good. Albus could always resign him if they could. Yeah, yeah, they could definitely resign him. But you know, but um, you know, an upgrade over what they had. Yeah, I mean he's a big upgrade if he's healthy because Xavier Xavier Woods he didn't make any plays. Yeah, he just didn't.

I mean he he was out there and he ran around and he you know, and he did some things. Okay I don't remember them, but I mean he did enough to start. I'm not, you know, nice guy and all that, but I mean he never made a play. He I mean, over the course of the time he was here, I can think of a few, like most most of them were like hard hits really or what like he had a you know, I think he demolished somebody in that Saints game in twenty eighteen. It was

a big, like tone setting play. But like I agree with you, for the most part, I can think of more dropped interceptions than anything. He had three or four of those. So so this is a big upgrade if he's healthy, He's a big upgrade. The if the if does so much work in that sentence. Yeah, that's the freaking frustrating part that when it comes to safety, there's

always a question mark. There multiple question marks, and even when you get a guy like this that you've heard of his history and what he's been able incapable of doing in the past, there's still question marks around it and you still don't know what you're actually gonna get. And to be honest, and this is gonna be done because most people know about Darren Woodson, most Cowboys fans. Me. I knew the name, I knew he played for the Cowboys.

I didn't know much about him or anything. So my appreciation and like the idea of what I wanted to safety has changed very much after learning more about Darren Woodson, and they're you know, Nick and Rob Phillips. They're working on a Deep Blue documentary on him, which is I think it's gonna be really good and this is coming out soon. But that has gotten me to learn more about what the safety position can be for the Cowboys

and what it's not. So if I was upset about the safety before learning so much about Darren Woodson, I am more upset about it and now based on the things that I've seen, and if I was, and it's not very necessarily to compare it to compare players, but you can kind of fair well, I guess so, but it's just it's not even close. It's not even close

to that level. And it's just frustrating when you see years after year that the Cowboys haven't necessarily put the amount of attention on that kind of need, even though this year they talked about it over and over like, yeah, we know we need a safety and then and they're always saying at least this year that they've been trying but it just hasn't quite worked out and all that.

But at the same time, it's like, just get someone that's healthy, that has some history that you can have some kind of trust or man, it's just really frustrating. The funny thing is like, okay, and I know, you know, the staff has changed and there's we're seeing different trends. Right like they drafted Quentin Bohana. You know, they haven't valued one technique of for a long time, but it seems like maybe that's changing. But what's funny to me is most of the time I've worked here, they haven't

valued one technique defensive tackle. But it kind of makes sense because they've found production there without like they've kind of sort of been right, not really, but like Terrell McLean, they got good use out of him, Antoine Woods think. I mean for a gun drafted guy that they plucked off the scrap heat, they got great value out of that. They treat safety the same way and it bites him in the ass every year, and they don't change their mind. Whether you know, way back when I first got here,

it was Will Allen. He made it like five weeks into the season, haha, Klinton Dix didn't make it out of training camp. Like, they don't spend and they don't get production out of it, but they don't change their mind about it. Like does that make sense? Yeah? And I think that they that that you also have to remember here is like the difference between those two positions.

The one technique has over the years gotten less important, right, it is a two down play if that in the NFL at this point where you're talking about safety, where in a passing league has gotten more important. So you would think they'd be giving more resources to trying to find the right free safety even if they weren't putting those resources in a one technique. But it doesn't seem like those for whatever reason. It's not working, and whatever

they're doing, it's not working. It hasn't. It's frustrating and borderline terrifying. If Demante Kaze is healthy and is playing like a beast, then they're going to look really smart. If he's not, they signed j Ron Curse, who has nine career starts, actually wrote about him today. I mean, he's got a big opportunity here, but the point is he hasn't done it consistently in the NFL. Israel mcquamu's a sixth round pick and Donovan Wilson is showing a

lot of promise. I'm sure there are people that are mad that were just now mentioning him, but like third year players showed a lot of promise, we would all agree. Like coverage has not been what has made him flash strong? Yeah, like that's where he's a box safety as far as I have seen to this point in his career. Maybe he can continue to develop, but we don't know that and so that's not it's not a lot to go on, man, it's really not. Give me a quick update on Mukuamu.

Because we had a question from east Side Sammy. He was asking the same He was like what's up with him? He said he heard some good things from Barry Church talking about him from the opening ota from the Rookie Muni camp. Haven't heard really much about him since then. Well, I mean, I know Bucky Brooks, who studies, you know, all the entire draft, he has him as one of his favorite picks from the Cowboys as well. You know,

he's a corner. He played corner opposite jac Horn at South Carolina, and so you know, he told Jerry Jones He's gonna be the best corner in the draft. And then they called him like an hour later and said, we're actually moving you to safety, and he was like, I'm going to be the best safety in the draft.

You know. I mean, like that's just his confidence. But he's got length, he's tall, and you know, if he's got skills to play corner, you know, everyone always thinks if you're a little bit lower to play corner, you just play safety. That's not necessarily like you got to be able to be tough, you gotta be able to tackle, you gotta have awareness and instincts. So I think he can do all that. But but when just out here and look at him, he yeah, he looks the part

because he's he's got range, he can cover. We'll see how tough he is when the paths come on and you start having to get up there and make the plays. I'll throw this in there too, because people have asked about it. Reggie Robinson was playing corner at the Open Ota last week. You know, it seems like he's been moved back and forth like six times at this point, but he was playing corner. And I haven't seen or heard anything that suggests Jordan Lewis is dabbling in safety.

I know a lot of people have mentioned that. I see no evidence that that's the right's best slot, right, yeah? Or is Anthy Brown better than you think that's lot? I would probably take Jordan. I think Jordan's a better slot. So, but yeah, a lot like people love doing that, like when the depth chart gets crowded, they're like, oh, maybe this guy can play corner or safety. I haven't. I haven't seen it. I don't think that's happening. All right,

let's pull the next question. This one is from Joe t. He says, what's the confidence level that our defensive line can keep blockers off our linebackers? This year? Not a high pause. It's not a high confidence level. I mean that's by the pause a lot, right, Yeah, I mean that that was a big issue last year. And then you know what, what what has really changed? Boa? Yeah, but I knew that was going to get and and

and yeah that's that's great. But we'll see. I mean I want to know, like, what is the reason for the first five and a half rounds of him getting passed? You know, like he looks the part and all that, but is he is he gonna play seven plays and tap his helmet? Like, I don't know, what is the what is the thing with him? I don't know? Um, why do you think they would have let Antoine Woods go if they didn't think Bohannah is gonna be playing as at least that kind of role For that one

point seven million dollars difference? That really yeah this year it is Yeah, if for this year, that is a huge difference. They are they're counting dollars also, don't I mean didn't have a replacement though one I get one point seven Is it like two days after the draft? Yeah? I mean like that just to me, it just kind of saying they think, now again, he may not be able to It's signaled to me they think they got options, and you talk about urban Urban being an option as well.

To me, it just said they think they got options. Well and don't don't. I mean, I get it. Bohannah fills a specific role. They drafted two tackles and a third guy that can play tackle in Gholston set. Yeah, it's just a numbers game. I think they're like, yeah, we got three, three guys that probably add up to cost what Antoine costs exactly. And they're just like, yeah, well, like this is a place we think we can save.

You just gotta hope guys are better. You hope that you know that Neville Galimore comes in the second year and he's he's better, you know, trust than Hill was actually coming on pretty good last year. And if he if he makes this recovery from his injury, you got Galimore, you got you got Tristan Hill, you got Osah Diggi Zua. Yeah, Bohannah Golson slides in there. Urban slides in there. I mean Urban is in there. You know. It's funny. We

hope that they're better. It's funny because you guys talked about this in the first segment and like defense is so wildly unpredictable, like you see it every year, it shifts, it's not sustainable. Turnover differentials a big part of it, and it like you see teams move around a lot, and unless you're like a Seattle type defense that just has Hall of Fame talent everywhere, there's a lot of fluctuations.

So like, there's plenty of optimism that this can be a much better unit, But how in June can I say that I'm confident about them doing anything? Really? I mean, like I like the Brent Urban signing a lot, but we're still we're talking about that. This is the way the Cowboys have done this for a few years now, and it really hasn't paid a ton of dividends. So Watkins is he Carlos Why? Yeah, I mean he's yeah,

he's he's played defensive tackle in his career. That's kind of what they're doing with him right now, like playing always forget about him because you see the size of the deal and you're like, Okay, like they can cut this guy in August if they want to, and that goes for all of these guys. So easy to be optimistic, but hard to feel confident. That's that's how I feel. Question from Christopher Trout. He says, what is the likelihood of any more free agent editions before or during training camp?

And he throws out Malik Hooker safety. I think from the Colts, yea um as a as a possibility in the event that, let's say, for example, because they don't think he's quite ready or they think they need a little more help at safety. What do you think about Hooker or any other free agents out there? Doesn't he Hooker comes with the injury. I mean it's and that's not all. I mean, he had injury concerns coming out

of college. That's why he didn't get dressed. I think he's at an MCL and an ACL on one knee and then meniscus on the other knee and then the achilles. So and he also he came in the same week that because he did, they were they brought him both in and looked at him, and I think they felt better about because he's prospects. So I don't think I wou you should never say never, especially if it's a

guy that they've brought. They liked him enough to bring him in, But I think something would have to change for them to want to do that. You know, I think the answer to that if it would be a quarterback. Yeah, I think that's the best option for But didn we all say last week. I just want to say, I think last week we all agreed that we were good with where they are right now quarterback, right, we are good.

I'm answering the question part. They keeps talking about it and I didn't wanting to add depth at the position, and they haven't found the right guy that they are looking, but they brought in what two guys? Yeah? Yeah, I'm laugh because h never mind, that was funny. I forgot. I forgot where we are and what day it is and all that. Now I'm good day the break. I do.

I do have confidence in Garret Gilbert, but you know, I think when watching him sometimes you think that he's you know, you think, oh man, he's good, he's ready to go. If that's what he was it, if that was the floor against you know, Pittsburgh, you'll be fine. But you know, he's he's a journeyman. And I'm sure you can get better. You can get guys that are better.

But I I think I'm okay with him. I don't know if you're gonna find like better than him out on the street, going to find more experience, you may not find better. Keep in mind, you know, we're fixated on June one for all of our own things, but that's every team in the league. Like you can, you know, salary cap the rules allowed teams to do stuff that

they couldn't have done before. So like you know, you know, everybody's talking about Julio Jones and Aaron Rodgers, but like, well, well we'll see some teams are going to tinker with their rosters now. Like I've you know, Chicago has got to do something with Nick Foles, whether I'm right, I mean, they have Dalton and they just drafted fields and Foles is on a huge contract, like something feels like it's

that that to me might be an upgrade. If you're talking about bringing him in as your backup, I think that absolutely, even knowing, even knowing that he didn't play well in Chicago, I would feel better about that. But are you going to trade for that contract? Probably not. He would probably need to be cut first. But and I'm not trying to start rumors. I haven't heard anything about that, But guys like that, we're gonna see teams shed that salary and kind of tinker with their rosters.

So maybe maybe in late June or July would that be How ironic would that be if Nick Foles comes here to be the backup to to Dak Prescott. And I know he's on another team right now, but but wasn't it Nick Foles when Tony Romo got hurt that They're like, we gotta get a veteran in here. We gotta get somebody everybody, and then it feels like we're good.

We're good here, We're good, we're good here. Yeah, we'll see what we got with that and all that, and that is I didn't even think about that, but that would be ironic in the Philadelphia. But you know, let's not forget he's super Bowl, yeah, like in the middle and then he signed in Philadelphia after Dallas was like we're good and yeah, wow. I hadn't thought about that

for everybody. But and again, like I have, I bet I bet the people upstairs would laugh at us if we brought up Foles, because they laugh at us when we suggest everything. But um, there's just there's gonna be players available later this summer that aren't available right now. They laughed when you said we needed a better receiver in twenty eighteen, better than this. They didn't laugh halfway

through the season. That's what I'm saying. They laugh and they're like, we're good's that's everybody was agreeing on it. It's it's a bad idea until they decided it's a good idea. That's what I always say, Like, we're stupid until they have the idea and then they're like, oh, that's a good idea. Glad we thought of it. Like okay, cool, all right, real quick, we're gonna go aha and take our final bank. We're gonna come back. We got a few more questions we want to get to. We'll try

to get to those. You can also call us eight to eight five, five two two nine seven. We'll be right back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. Hi, I'm Clid Tillison with you. Not a aggin turf before you can park yourself in front of the game, park yourself in a John Dear and power through your chores. Our land Run package is a ten twenty five are twenty five horsepower tractor with a loader, rotary cutter, and a box blade for two twenty nine a month, and

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At the start, we're presented by Geico, and it's very clear it is time for a vacation from you guys, because uh, we're getting just to that point where it's just wheels off in this room. So, but this is going to be the next to last show. Next week will be the last show we will have all the way until training camp. So and Amber, I don't know, your next show will probably be sometime and I don't know, maybe September, October, November, someone who knows, who knows, but

call in? Oh good, we don't have anyone calling in right now, so I might call it the hook. Yeah. No, I think people are just like we candle care. Yeah, they'll catch it later and that catches it live. I'm gonna happen one day. Y'all will believe me that most people don't listen to podcast live. We know this day. I see the numbers. Why you're all the time? No, I know, it's just's yeah, our numbers come on to man, it's good. It's fine. And by the way, if you're

listening on demand, shout out to you. Appreciate you than checking us out on demand all account. They did absolutely all right, So we get back to these questions that we got from fans. We got one from hip hop hip Hypotency. I don't know, it's a name made up on Twitter. And here was this question, how much will it help hurt this young team to have the extra time on field leading up to and by playing in the Hall of Fame game versus now playing seventeen games schedule.

So I was I was feeling really positive about what you were saying, because I was like, of course it's going to help to have OTAs and like all this install I mean that stuff does matter. I still I don't let the Cowboys off the hook for how bad they were last year because a lot of good teams didn't have OTAs and still had good seasons and some that had new coaches. Yeah Cleveland comes to mind, yea, yeah, anyway, But then the second part of that, I don't feel

good about it at all. Like I was, we were talking about this yesterday, you think you think it hurts them. I hate to be the of bad news. I mean, this is common knowledge among NFL fans, But like teams that play in the Hall of Fame game don't have a great postseason history, like and I don't think it's a coincidence, Like you're reporting to camp basically two like two and a half, three weeks earlier than everybody else. This year's only a week. Well, that's better. It's an

extra preseason game. Even with the shortened preseason, it's less preseason time. And I know the starters aren't doing all that, But the point is that is a slog from July. What we're probably leaving for California on like the eighteenth, and like the third week of July eighteenth until January ninth, and then if you're good enough to be in the playoffs, that's another I mean that is a lot. Super Bowl is second week in in February. That's that is a long term. That is a slog, and I just like

I get it. You want time on task, but it's a lot to expect people's bodies to hold up over that much more importantly, to stay mentally engaged. That's the hard part when you go through a long NFL season is to keep yourself mentally engaged the whole time and not allow yourself to be distracted by all things that

can distract a player during a season. The only thing that I think this year is a little bit different, and I agree, I mean if you do something for that long, for the Hall of Fame game and no one's having any success, I think there may be something to that. But I do think there's a lot of players, guys that are on the roster that still haven't played a lot of football because there was no preseason last year. So that's the only thing about getting another game that

I think, you know, I'd like to see that. I think of a guy like Rico Daddle made the team last year. We'll see if he makes it again this year, but he hasn't had that time to even run the ball a lot and be the guy, and he's gonna he will this year. In preseason he'll be the guy, probably starting some games. But because I don't think pauler it will play a lot either. But I just think there are players. There's even the Tarrant Steels of the world. His first game was against the Rams and and those

guys on Sunday Night football. I mean, I'd like to see him play a little bit more against competition, you know, from a confidence standpoint and all that. So that's that's that is a that is a really good point. And yeah, they leaned on a lot of young guys who didn't get a lot of reps before the season started last year, and which I say this every year, but this year probably even more so, Like get those starters out of the preseason games, like they would play for me by

starters would play two games. There's two preseason games this year, the second and the third. That's how about And I'm only talk part of those games. How about two preseason series, Like I mean, hey, I think you gotta do some I think you gotta get them some work. But it's only two games. I'm even really dressing them with the intent that are going to play at all that first game and that last game, I would not have them

out there at all. I don't care. I don't know if the NFL is would would come in, you know, with a uniform policy, but I'm putting Dak out in a red jersey just to see what happens, just like he's gonna wear red guys. I don't care, you know, find me right. That would probably only put a bull's

eye on them even more. But you know, but you know the other thing I would do if I were if I were Mike McCarthy this year, I would you got that two weeks now, between your final preseason game and the opening game that first week, not the week of the game, but that first week. I would probably give these guys day, maybe two days off, get them out of here, let them relax, let them mentally unwind from training camp, and then come back refreshed and ready

to go. I think that would be a good thing because, like again, for me, it's more of the totality of staying engaged that whole time. You gotta find those moments where you can give players an opportunity to mentally dissigate. I feel like, sorry, I was just gonna say, I feel like when you look at the roster, to me personally, there are so many new names, so so many names that you're like, Okay, who is this guys? It looks so different than years before. You're getting to know these

players now. And a lot of these games, I mean, guys that would play in that game. Our guys are gonna be in the back, you know, in the bottom part of the depth chart anyways, And to me, you

take that let them go for us. It's gonna be boring to watch, probably, but it's a crucial game and I think it's definitely needed for these guys, and you talk about keeping up or like staying engage and lasting through a whole season or whatever, you gotta remember that most of these guys, hopefully you won't need them during their real games, so they're not their bodies are not having to go through that kind of battle that you go through during a game day, so they're staying kind

of fresh. They're just having to practice during the week and then if you come to use them. I mean, I don't know if that logic to me makes sense. Yeah, but I think that's the thing in the preseason, even if they're not playing much in the games, they still out practices throughout the week, so again they're still having

to be mentally engaged throughout the week. I think it's it's good idea to find moments in a long season where you can tell your team literally get away for a second, take a day, don't don't be around football for a day, and just enjoy still happen. But I'm gonna tell you this America's team is all great. Cowboy fans love it. But the Cowboys, I'm sorry they got

screwed by the NFL this year with the schedule. This this is I don't think this is a good advantage for them at all if you're going to put them in the Hall of Fame game, you know, which means they have to start practice to all that. Most teams with this extra week that you're talking about, you know, I mean, they're not going to some you know, space camp here. I mean they they they're done on They

have a Sunday game. When have you ever seen that they have a Sunday game on August twenty ninth to accommodate the NFL tbou and and and to play the Jacksonville and all this on the twenty ninth, a noon Sunday preseason game. And then they they get they get ten days off but before their game against Thursday night against the Bucks. Everybody else is probably gonna play a Saturday game on preseason and they'll play earliest Thursday, right Friday, Saturday.

Most teams are going to get fifteen days between the last game this one and the Cowboys get tent that. Yeah, that's a good point. I didn't think about that. That is not I mean, that's that's that's not a fair situation. It really isn't, Especially when you saw the email come through or something that says, the Bucks, the Cowboys, and the Steelers will all get to start training camp a

week early. I don't understand this, but the Steelers and Cowboys because they play in the Hall of Fame, the Bucks because they play on Thursday to open the season. Also the Cowboys do as well. It's like, which is why, maybe this is petty. Doesn't make sense to me. That doesn't make sense. Maybe this is petty on my part, but like, yeah, the Cowboys are in the Hall of Fame game because they're a draw. I mean, I know they have guys going into the Hall of Fame, but

they're a draw. And they'll be on national TV to in the preseason because they're a draw. And I just hope that nobody important plays in either game, Like just

get them all out of there. Sorry NFL, sorry that you're not getting what you want out of this, but I don't give a damn Like anybody that matters to the success of my season is gonna do next to nothing in those I hope Sunflower is a sponsor because every time you show back, he's gonna be I mean, I'm nut, I'm dead serious, Like I wouldn't give I wouldn't give anybody important more than three or four series max across this entire preseason. See the Cowboys starting lineup.

Can't wait, Garrett Gilbert football line back? Everybody and it's yeah, n McEwan, yeah, I hope it happens. I want to see that. I actually want to see that. That would be awesome. At least that might get well. Never mind, because Jason Garry is not here anymore. Who knows how McCarthy. I was gonna say, our training camp, like you know, beach, they got watermelon king over here, throwing watermelons around, smashing

I mean McCarthy. I know Covid was part of it, but he was pretty good about, you know, giving them separating life from football. I'm sure he'll come up with something. I heard a story the other day about Jimmy Johnson, and I'll say this because Jimmy Johnson. Everybody loves Jimmy. I mean, that was when the Cowboys were winning. That was the toughest all that Jimmy Johnson every single season.

I don't know about the Cowboys when he was at Miami, when he was at college, he took his team one day to the beach or to the pool, and just when they felt like they really needed it, you know, so I think coaches have a sense of doing that. But I don't know if the beach for the Cowboys was was the thing you know all the time. It got to the point where you know, you were like, you're trying to surprise them, but it's like there's nine

buses out there that are running. You know, we're going somewhere. Yeah, the lifts aren't even up in the air, you know, those cars to always think he was going to catch those guys off guard, and it it was like, bro, you remember how hard it is to move a ninety man roster anywhere, Like people are gonna know you remember the day I think we were all here, I think a fifteen. Maybe you remember the day when when they were gonna leave one day early, Yes, And it was the biggest

like you're gonna get fired if you tell anyone. Everybody was like the worst kept secret because the time they said, guys, we're actually gonna go to the airport and we're gonna leave, it told the whole team and the team was like, oh yeah, everybody was like everybody by that point, everybody, you can't tell anyone. As we're packing our suitcases playing sight. Yeah, Brad Sham I think didn't know. I think it was

Brad Sham. Brad was like, yeah, Brad was a little bad. Yeah, the game, it was a little bad, but he got over all right. I do want to try to get to two more questions here before we end the show. The first of those questions is the position battle you're most intrigued to watch this training camp, And then I want you to predict how you think it's going to play out. Oh man, that's a good one. I mean, how could it be anywhere but the defensive side of

the ball. I mean, take your pick, like, give me one, Okay, take everybody, Okay, all right, um, all right, I mean it's really all of them. But I guess I'll just stick true to my brand and I mean safety, I guess just because Jeron Curse, what's his role in that whole thing. I feel good that Donovan Wilson will have one of the starting spots, but I don't think it's a guarantee. And you know, throw Mukuamu, don't forget about Darien Thompson. Yeah, there's just I don't know what that's

gonna look like. Predict outcome Donovan Wilson and Demante Kizie. I mean, if he's healthy enough to be doing what he's doing right now, then that boats well. Amber. I don't know. Well, I've been intrigued this whole whole off season about the linebacker position, and we talked about it, and I don't know how much of an actual position battle because I think that you got your guys who are pretty set and you know, okay, these are the

guy who are expected to be. But it does bring me a lot of curiosity as to what would happen a couple of weeks into the season and how those guys are actually playing and if whether or not, Okay, do you take out now Late and vendorsh and Jalen Smith and put in some of these guys and US starters and change that up. I mean, I think that at the end of the day, all of them are

going to get to play one way or another. But it does I am very curious of just how that whole group is going to turn out level wise, not necessarily position battle, but just how that whole group is gonna end up being. But I wouldn't make a I wouldn't put it past anyone. I don't even know if I'm using that saying right or properly, but I wouldn't think that they will stick to Layton and Jaileen just because of who they are in their position, or their contract,

Jaileen's contract, or any of that. I think that maybe this year they've recapacitated in their head after what happened at the tackle position or whatever last year in the offensive line. I think maybe the pride goes to the side and they will make wiser choices if they see it fit and need it and it's someone that has

earned that spot to go in. Rather than that is, they're not bound to either one of those guys beyond this year, and so they can be a little more flexible right in how they evaluate and who they decide they're gonna let play in other years where they may have been like, hey, we still got another couple of years, Well we gotta keep them. From the standpoint of money, like that may help them make that decision to keep him in there, but they're not tied to anybody at

this point the linebacker position other than Parsons. I think everybody else who knows what happens with him quit Mine's the center position. I think that, you know, I don't know how that's going to work out, But you know, when you think about who the front runner is, the front runner is a fifth round pick entering his second year. He's only played a few games in Tyler Biadish and you know, I think that he's not that he can't be that far ahead of Matt farniok or even Connor McGovern.

And I still think there's a guy on the street that we all know that they could they could bring back as well, so in Joe Looney or any other veteran for that for that matter. So I'm my prediction is your starting center is not on the roster. Okay, safety was a bad answer. I'm not going to do the whole thing, but like, defensive tackle is probably the position that you would have the hardest time in projecting

right now. Yeah, Like Tristan Hill's not even practicing OsO Diggi Zoo was drafted higher than Neville Gallimore was, which just so they clearly like him a lot. What's Brent Urban gonna do? I mean future Hall of Famer Quentin Bojanas here, so yeah, I mean, who the hell knows what's going to happen there? Yeah, all right, you know, I'll throw out I thought for sure one of you

guys are gonna take this, especially since Dave took two. Sorry, but the fact that nobody mentioned cornerback, which to me is the most intriguing because if you look at whoever you think is the best of that group, and you look at not necessarily the worst. But let's go five six on the depth chart, what's the difference between those players? As far as what we know right now, I don't

know if there's a really big delta between them. I don't know how whom I thought it was just one, two, three, four. And then like listen to this. You got Anthony Brown, obviously, you got Trayvon Diggs, you got Jordan Lewis. Then you get into the draft picks where you got Kelvin Joseph and you've got Nashan right, you've got Rashad Robinson from last year. If they're gonna keep him, I mean, if you're keephim at cornerback, sorry, Reggie Robinson. If they're gonna

keep him at cornerback. Um, A lot of people still forget I kind of forget about him. But does Marie's Kennedy play into this, Like Maybe he does. Maybe he doesn't. They got him last year he opted out. Maybe he's a guy that shows up at camp and he's a veteran. Maybe shows up at camp and he's better than these

other veterans. Right. All I'm saying is there are enough guys that are kind of just in that middle area, Like I don't know that any of them stand out to me is, Oh, this guy's so much better than everybody else. The only guy that's a sure given. I mean, like Diggs is gonna make the team, and Joseph and all that, But I mean you meant you didn't even mention one cornerback that's gonna make the team. CJ. Goodwin.

Oh well, I don't think of him as cornerback. He is the best special team in the league opinion as a corner because I think if ye Kennedy could be better than goodwinnes but teams he could. That's how That's why they got him. I think Goodwin is a Goodwin is an ace. Yeah, this guy's this guy's really good. I think of Kennedy in the same vein as Goodwin. To be honest, I mean, can you keep two of those? Maybe one of them gotta be able to play in a pinch at corner. And actually Goodwin did last year.

If you think about it, he actually had a role in one of those games. Yeah he was the he was the he. I mean he was basically. But the Hurts. Was it the spy? Yeah, yeah he was. I was gonna say he spied somebody. I hope it wasn't Lamar because it didn't work. No that it was. Yeah, it was Hurt. It was Jalen Hurts. All right, real quick, this is how we're gonna end the show. I want you guys to tell me what is a realistic win total for this team in twenty twenty one eight? I

didn't even go up because we got seventeen games. I got a losing record game. What's real realistic win total? Um um? Only at me? I'm just I mean, I mean what it's realistic? I mean with this, I don't know. I would say I think ten is realistic. I really do. I think. I think I think the guys that they lost. Can you be four games better than what you had

last year? Four games better? It's tough to do. But the guys that you lost, and how much you lean on those three players the quarterback and your two tackles. I think you can be four games better they have On paper, they have one the second easiest schedule in the NFL, which is kind of wild, Like when you look at it, it just doesn't that doesn't seem like it should be true. But I mean, they ran the numbers and it is so yeah, I look at the schedule.

I'm like, that's a tough schedule. But yeah, good ah man, they're so sorry. I don't mean to take long, but I mean, yeah, I could possibly see ten, just like I could see eight. That's a safe answer. That's definitely a safe, safe answer. But just Nick made a good point about the guys that they're getting back, and based on what happened last year and kind of how they played. With having those guys back in, you should be better. You should be able to win more games than you

did last year. Uh. So, I have full trust that Ezekiel Elliott will be a better player this year and he will help the offense um and make more balance on both in the running game and then the passing game with Dak Prescog being back in. So I would say, yeah, I'm gonna copy your answer and go with something like ten, you know, and ten and seven. It just doesn't seem it.

It's not as great obviously. It's like it's gonna take us a while to adjust to that, and by the time they do, then now it'll be there's no way you can't keep it odd, dumb. Nobody does this. No, nobody has odd numbers in your schedule. It'll be eighteen and two within the next few years. I'm two preseason games. Yeah, Um, is it cheating to just say I expect him to win the division and like the wind total doesn't matter? Cheating? Okay, well, all right, but thanks for that that bonus answer. I

expect them to win the division. Uh, it's a bad division, that's part of it. Like, you know, I don't think they are an elite NFL team, but I think they're a good NFL team, And I think that the NFC East is the worst division in football. So, you know, if Dak's worth the money and all of these guys coming back from injuries are as good as we think they are, they should be good enough to do you think it will continue to be the worst division in football?

Because I look across like it wasn't just a conboy Giant. The Giants lost their best player as well. Like it, I think all of these teams have a case to improve. And I you know, again, defense is hard to predict, and that's the strength of Washington. So I think you got better on offense too. They did. Um, but I just I just I what am I trying to say? Yes, Um, I do think it'll get better. I still think it

is among it's among the two or three worst. I mean, the AFC South looks like a wreck for sure, you know, um, but I think the NFC East is in that conversation. So, you know what, seven wins won the division last year. So and it's weird with the extra game, but I would guess seven or eight wins is good enough. And I think they're probably a little bit better than that if everybody's healthy. So nine and nine and eight at minimum,

and then I could see them realistically maybe ten or eleven. Yeah, honestly, I don't think. I don't think eight. I don't even think nine's gonna win this division this year. I think this is gonna better than that. I think this division like it went through some like whenever Washington wins the division, you know, there's some problems going on to division, like

it just doesn't happen enough in the modern NFL. Did those problems get fixed, Like it's perfically good enough to make the Giants like, yes, is he not one of the best three running backs in the NFL. He's a running back, Okay, I get that, But their offense runs through him, and so everything else that they do comes off of them being able to do special things with him. So if they don't have him, I think it makes a difference with them. I just I just don't believe

in Daniel Jones. I guess that's yeah. I don't either, But but I still think sa Quan can be sa Quan, And if he's sa Quon, I think that's gonna give him a few more wins. I think Washington got better offensively. I think their defense is among one of the best in the league. So again, I just think that overall, I think the division is going to be better than it was last year. I think last year was an anomaly. By the way, that's an anomaly across the league. You

don't see divisions like that that are that bad. As bad as the MC East was last year. They don't say that bad for a long time. Like it's just like you said, it's cyclical, and it also has to do with the teams you're playing, and that what's happening with those teams too, Like it's in twenty fifteen, it was the same thing. It was really bad. Who wants to win that. I think Washington won it, like to

your point, you know, everybody was down. But then in the twenty sixteen you know, the Cowboys and the Giants, where I think were the two two best teams, you know, then they both make the playoffs. I mean, so, you know, I think it just has a way of kind of I don't think. I don't think they'll be great though. I still think it's not gonna be among the best divisions in the league. But I do think it's gonna be around the middle, and I think that's it's gonna

be better than it was last year. I just think so I think the team, I think the team that wins the division will be better, you know what. I like, I don't Yeah, I don't winner, not necessarily the whole division, right, I don't think we're gonna see a team with a losing record win this division again. But I still, you know, like you know, let's just hypothetically say the Cowboys win it at ten and seven, which is a much better record than the team last year. But like, I don't

think that means top to bottom. I just don't, like, I think, you know, Philly's gonna have to go through some stuff. I think, like they just Philly's gonna be the only team in my PA and it's not gonna be better. I think the Cowboys will be better. I think Washington will be better, and I think New York will be better just because they're getting players back. They're gonna they have to be better than they were last

year because they're getting key players back, they get Galladay Holiday. Yeah, I mean their offense could be you know, and I want to say they gotta They picked up an offensive lineman. Is that like a big time offensive or somebody was coming back from injury. Put me on the spot, I can't remember right off, but their offensive lineman was they cut off as Hitler was better? But either way, I do think they Yeah, I do think that they they're going to be better. I think the Giants will be better.

How many games better, I'm not sure, but I think they'll be better. I think Washington will be better, and I think the Cowboys will be better. I don't know, but I just I still again, I still think, go go down the list and like, tell me a division that is definitively worse and maybe the only one that Well, that's also when we're working based on what we know,

and I know that's going to change. But on paper right now, maybe the AFC South like that's but but the AFC South has the Titans, who have you know, back to back playoff trips, Like there's a lot to like about that team. Yeah, so I don't know, but I do think I expect the Cowboys to win the division and get to the playoffs. I mean, I don't know what's going to happen, but that's what I expect.

I know we're up against it in a time. But if you just went down, if you just went down the schedule, which is not a good thing to do because it's so early and it never plays out that way. But even if you're even if you're just right on the fifty fifty optimistic, but you know, I'm a Homer fan or anything like that, it's hard not to say eleven twelve wins, Yeah, that's great schedule. Really, I mean, you're like special, they should win. Yeah, they should win,

but we know that sometimes they don't. Sometimes they'll sneak some of those losses into wins. So you know, we're just saying that nine out of ten because of what we've seen, but the schedule will kind of look if you look at it, you could easily go to twelve. You could go to twelve and five. I don't like to say the number for that very reason, just like you,

impossible to predict. But they were in they had a chance to win the division on the last day of the season with everything awful that happened and every and it was a lot of awful things. And if we are right about even half of the stuff that they're getting, I'm like, I'm sorry if dad, and I'm king Dak lover. If dad's that good, they should win the division if he's healthy, because the division's not that strong. By the way, give me one of those tackles and Dak, I think

they're they're a playoff contender. There are you know that they can be a really, really good team, and that I think it's a completely realistic expectation. I don't think it's realistic they could win the Super Bowl. I don't think that's realistic. Yeah, I think it's realistic that they should be in the tournament if all these players are worth it, if you get there, who knows what happens, right, Yeah, to me, what realistic is is that you can definitely

argue both ways. I mean, you can easily see both ways playing out. Every year, I feel like, regardless of what happened the previous season, you come back with higher expectations or newer expectations, and again you come back with excitement. But as we've seen in the past, sometimes it doesn't matter who the opponent is whatsoever. Does not matter who

you are playing. The Cowboys sometimes end up just biding themselves in the butt and making their own mistakes, and then you end up losing a game that could have easily be won by the Cowboys, but they didn't because why they're doing dumb stuff. And that's the thing that you you know what you can wear, they can be with the players that they have, You know that, man,

this could be a really good team. But then you see certain things how they play out, and it just it doesn't matter who who's in the schedule, and it ends up being not turning out as good as it should be. So I think that it could go either way. I just don't know. I know I say it all the time, but I just love watching you just adapt to the misery that is being being a fan of something. That's how it's not fun. It's fun five percent of

the time. Well that that's those those one those anomaly years when your team gets all the way to a championship, like that's when it actually you can sit back and just be like, man, it's good to be a fan today. But that doesn't happen very often, and you haven't wait sometimes you have to wait sometimes, and it happens in any fan, by the way, no matter what team you're a fan of, you're probably gonna go through those periods where it's gonna seem like forever since you've been a champion,

and so it's a part of it. It's just a part of fandom. All right. We appreated you guys, Jonnus. We'll be back next week. It'll be our final show before we end before training camp. Until then for Nick Eatman, Dave helm and Amber Garcia. I am Derek Eagleton. This has been the Break Live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.