The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
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. Were on with Mbar Garcia, Brian brought Us, Patrick Wolker, and Derek Eagleton.
It is Tuesday, December twenty sixth, twenty twenty three, Season nineteen, episode number ninety five. Welcome to the latest edition All of the Break. It is uh, it is a Tuesday, but it feels like a Wednesday because the Cowboys are getting ready for a Saturday game and we're talking about a game that happened on Sunday, Sunday.
Sunday Sunday.
It's we're all over the map today. We're gonna recap that game. It was an interesting game. Although the Cowboys lost it lost, there were lots of things I think that came out of the game that were noteworthy that we're going to talk about today. And then tomorrow we'll jump right in and we'll start getting you guys ready for Cowboys versus Lions. We'll talk about the Lions offense
tomorrow versus this Cowboys defense. But let's start first with the game versus Miami Dallas loses twenty two to twenty. Tell me storyline a game. Let's go around the table. Storyline the game Patrol, I'll start with.
You for me.
It was basically that this was Philadelphia all over again. It is a winnable game from the Cowboys. If you go in and you tell me that they're going to hold the Miami Dolphins offense to only one touchdown, I'll tell you they win this game. But they did just enough to not win the game. Talk about the fumbled handoff the hunterd lip Key on what was an exceptional opening drive, and of course preceding that, Tony Poller gets turned around he can't get in. That matters as well.
And then fast forward to the offense stalling largely because your offensive line just didn't hold up to what you doga. We get him roses for playing well earlier the season. He had a very very bad dad at the offense. Dak Prescott pressured on almost half of his dropbacks and just couldn't get the offense going because of that, and then penalties. Here we are t type and timing penalties.
That final offensive drive by the Dolphins, you get the face mask when de moont Clark gives them fifteen yards helps Jym start what was an eventual game winning field goal drive. So it was for me, it was the Philadelphia game all over again, and that's what makes it frustrating. This was not a situation where they got beat down like against the forty nine ers, where they got handled by the Bills because of penalties and then that train
went off the rails. They were competitive throughout this contest. Defense bent didn't break, but ultimately the defense broke because the complimentary football was not there.
Yeah, I don't know what to tell you.
I mean this tough loss. For sure.
I think we saw some improvement from the Cowboys playing on the road against the team a very competitive team like the Miami Dolphins. Patrick mentioned the opening drive and that fumble, the recovery that Dolphins get it and all that, and then they come back Cede Lamb he gets into the end zone they touched. So they responded really, really well to that mistake, which was good to see. They were competitive, but it just wasn't enough. I did think
the defense was doing a good enough job. We knew how many of like how many offensive weapons the Miami Dolphins have and how explosive they are, how quick and the defense. I thought they did a nice job all in all, just being there fighting and doing what they could. But the offense just couldn't catch up. And I'm concerned right now. It's like, Okay, yeah they lost, Hey, let's come back, rally up and all that. They're in the
playoffs already, so you at least have that spot. But I'm thinking, how are they going to be able to survive with this O line?
I'm thinking about the old line.
I mean, I'm thinking, Okay, what if Tyron Smith it rangers his back or maybe he's out longer than we think. What are you doing to improve the offensive line? Because that look that we got in this game, I don't think you're gonna get very far with what you've got. And it's very very hard to improve anyone's game, for example, chum, how do you improve that in the last couple of
weeks that are left heading into the playoffs. So I just I like their performance as far as like them improving or showing signs of improvement on the road, But all in all, I am concerned about what the future holds with the current situation as far as the O line health.
When they don't hear the attention to detail, they're not going to win games. That's just not gonna happen. There were several times in this game. And by the way, Adoga isn't as terrible as everybody says. I think the mental mistakes that he made or farm worse than the physical mistakes that he game. I think your quarterback made a couple of mental mistakes too. I think there were
some hot reads that they missed on. I think one time they took a sack because they felt like that they were he had something picked up that wasn't picked up. You went away from creativity that you had early in the game, you know, and you you you went and focused on other areas of the game. When you had an advantage with your receiver, you could have wore them out in this game with your with cede lamp. Again, attention to detail on that, continue on trying to attack mode.
Did a good job playing run defense against these guys. But you know, if you're if you're not, if you're gonna let teams break you down with blitzes and and make force you with mental areas you're not gonna win games. And as simple as that right there, because they had ability to win this football game. And you know, like say, you don't give up huge plays on defense. You got fortunate though on the on the one play that Hill dropped earlier, that could have been a touchdown right out
of the gate coming out of there. But you know what did they do. They moved you with motion to get create matchups. They did it a couple of times during that game. You know, you just got to be ready for that stuff. And it goes back to you know, the penalties or a problem. You know, the things that like I say, you know when you're supposed to blitz, pick up being in the right spot. Quarterback moves the back to one side, blitz comes from the side that
he moves the guy away from. Those are all attention to details you got to have to win football games.
You mentioned Dak Prescott.
He was twenty to thirty two, two hundred and fifty three yards, two touchdowns, no interception on one hundred and seven point nine rating.
But Brian, I agree with you.
I was going back this morning and I was watching a lot of those pass plays, and one of the things that stuck out stuck out to me, which hasn't been something we've noticed a lot from Dak recently. He's been really just hot and he knows very decisive with the ball. Yeah, I don't think he was that in that game Sat Sunday. I think there were a number of different times where they ended up with a sack or he ended up with pressure because he didn't he didn't.
I don't know if he wasn't seeing it or if he.
Was anticipating that a guy was gonna like cut off the route, But there were times it appeared again from our vantage point looking from that top camera.
You know, you're not behind the center, so you don't know, but but.
From our vantage point, it looked like there were guys that were open and all you had do was just let it go. And it just seemed like, for whatever reason, he was a bit more tentative. Did you guys see the same thing and what would you attribute that to?
I think that at times I did see this huge I think that some of that goes to just the offensive line struggles, and I don't think he felt comfortable in most much of that game. On his drop back, so it likely disrupted some of his time in some of his reads and and just his overall window of operation. So I did see that a few times where it's just like, okay, if you get rid of the ball
right now, then that's that's a first down potentially. But he you know, the pressure was coming at several points. Talk about chewmy Dogan. I mentioned this on my hit with one O five to three the fan this morning. When it comes to Chumu, I don't think Chuma got beat up physically. That's not my issue with Chumua. My issue with Chuma is choosing assignment. Like you don't let Bradley Chubb run free to your quarterback trying to help out Tyler Smith. Let Tyler Smith do what Tyler Smith
does and you get Bradley Chubb. So I think the amount of pressure that Dak Prescott felt in that game just completely kept him unsettled and because he never was able to settle in it just was not the usual Dak Prescott.
Yeah, but they missed a shot too. I mean they run, they they remember the remember the play that Turpin scored on where they put him in the slot and they ran vertical and the commanders tried to carry him with a safety down in the middle, went to the same play, ran the same play against the split safeties, and Dak didn't throw the ball. And I don't for the life of me, no, because to me, you put Turpin in that situation to run that play, you clearly have a
mind that they're gonna play. They're gonna play twin, they're gonna play two safeties back there, and we're gonna send Turpin on a vertical that for a forty yard dash and nobody's gonna be able to pick him up. And for some reason, Dak just did not throw it. And the play, I can say it's designed for him to throw the ball, lay it out there and let Turpin run underneath it. There were several there were several times where he pulled the ball down and one time Gallop
is on the outside, He's gonna throw the slam. Gallop gets mugged. I mean, Ramsey is just beating him up. And then so now what happens, you know, he falls down. Now Dak forced to have to kind of try and find play, go forward or throw it someplace else, you know. I mean, there's there were some. There were some blitzes that I think there were a couple, like I mentioned
the hots. You know, one time, like he's got Cooks, He's got a blitzer coming on it into his face and it's like you see, Cooks sees it's gonna be hot, and he's eighty for it. I know, DA pulls it and you're like, God, just hit him. Yeah, you know, it's it's a five yard game. But at least you're not taking an incomplete or a sack or a negative play there. So you wonder, you know, what was going through because there was a period of time for very
early in the game. I felt like he saw what he needed to see, and they did some They did some really good things, and it wasn't until the end of the game that they started kind of getting Lamb back in the game, you know, And I think that's where all of a sudden, you know, it's the third and six. I'll give you an example of that. Finally McCarthy is able to scheme Lamb open and it's trips
to the right. Torbert motions away to the sidelines. And now what they did was they got they got the safe, they got the corner out of the way and then the route comes to the corner, route comes to the sidelines, ball goes right there. There you go. That's the kind of stuff that you know, you saw it early in the game, but then it's the in the like for two quarters you were like, what offense is this running? Or you know, what offense is this playing football right now?
And you know, whether it was the blind, the line, the receivers, quarterback, the head coach, the play caller, there was just a disconnect for a couple of quarters there, and then they kind of figured things out at the end. You know, it's probably a little bit too late that.
There was another play I noticed early on in the game. And this is again where I questioned, you know, was it a situation where the pressure really got to Dak Because some of these things were happening early enough in the game where it was before he was just you know, feeling that extra pressure. But there was one play where literally I kind of stopped it.
I stopped the play.
And you've got Dak standing in the pocket, He's got the ball up and there's gallop on the outside. He's got two steps on the outside deep. If you want to go there, you got another guy. I think it was CD in the slot that's coming across the field. He's open, like he's coming clear of the window. So there are these opportunities and Dak is ready to throw and then he pulls it down for whatever reason and
then ends up in pressure or sack. I don't remember what happened on the at the end of the play, but it wasn't a good turnout and it was.
A situation where he had to play. And that's what I think was to me.
That's what I take from this game is that as though as as much as we want to say the offensive line didn't hold up, Dak I think has to take just as much accountability on that because I think he was just he was just.
A little bit not willing to pull the truckle.
Well, dad comes into the mental game of things. When you go into a game knowing what who is protecting you, it's gonna change the way you're thinking because now that's an added thing that you're trying to take account for. Like,
it's very different. I'm trying to find a scenario. It's like someone that let's say, someone that cuts my hair all the time, I'm gonna go in like is if I'm not even gonna say anything worry about it might be on my phone as opposed to someone that's new cutting my hair, I'm like freaking out and just like looking over my shoulder the whole time. So I think, and I'm not to put I don't. I hate putting all of the blame on somebody.
But.
I think because if you look at everything, that's really the only change that has happened.
You still have the same weapons. On offense.
You have been playing really well the past few weeks, and you've been clicking. You've been accustomed to Mike McCarthy's play calling. But then as soon as some element changes in the online and.
He's played with that before. But I don't know. I'm just trying to find.
The reason as to why, because there's no injuries there on him. He's still the same dick as he's been. There's nothing else that has happened to be big.
They run a double screen. They ran a double screen on the play, and you can see after the play, Dak is pissed and Lamb is pissed. They run a double screen. Dak makes the decision to throw it to the left with three blockers when he's got four blockers.
And he said after the game, yeah, probably should have gone out. Yeah.
See, And that's the thing about it when you have it and you have a game where you're kind of struggling with the protection. Screen's a good play. Screen's a good play, especially when you get upfield. But what happens. Give the Dolphins some credit. Dolphins take they take Chubb and van Inkle and they put him watch and they kind of put them off the ball. So they're like, they're like, anticipate, you're probably gonna run either slant or screen.
So they're they're they're they're playing the defense. Like so maybe it's something you check out of. Maybe you're thinking, like, Okay, I can't get my blocker out there. You know, I can't get a doga out there on Chubb.
You know I can't.
So I've gotten to think of something. But you know, like I say, three blockers one side, four blockers the other, and you have a clear advantage, but you choose the three blocker side. Those are the kinds of things Attention to detailing the game will get you hurt.
I'll tell you this too.
You say nothing had change, and so you're right from the standpoint of the personnel. But I do think part of what I saw, at least my opinion, is he was playing a defensive coordinator that clearly Dak has a lot of respect for. You talked about it after the game.
They asked him about the question about CD and not having CD, and CD said, in the locker room he thought it was He agreed with a reporter that it was kind of strange that in the second and third quarter he was not used as much, and they asked Dak about that, and Deck says, I mean, strange is a fair word, I guess, he said, but you got to remember that we're playing a defensive coordinator that's very, very seasoned, and he has ways of not letting you
continue to do the things that you were getting success with. And so yeah, he said he could fall. He had a way of kind of fogging things up. And it makes me wonder if again, you take a player or two where he shows you something that kind of jarji and does that make you a little more tentative? Now, does that make you now think a little bit more about those throws before you make them? And that could be what we were seeing. And I think there are that could be a part of this. And then the
way they play defense too. They have one of those kind of defenses that they have a lot of guys, a.
Lot of scrimmage.
You don't know in any given play who's coming, if all of them are coming, if none of them are coming, right, And I think that can also cause you to be a little more tentative. So I think the difference was not necessarily in the personnel he didn't have as much. I think it was more about who he was playing and the way they play.
Maybe the fumble with Hunter Lipke that early in the game, that that could have a role in his mental aspect of thing of now he's trying to be a little more hesitant and now trying to risk throwing an interception or something else.
I wouldn't say that on that particular play because they bounced back from that, and like you said, yeah, got the CD lamb the big game, your ceed lamb touchdown, and then you know you take the lead and at that point, your defense because keep in mind, even your defense responded to that, Yeah they gave up the fifty yard fifty yard or on third down to waddle with the you know, backs against the wall for the Dolphins, and you hate that, but they didn't break, they fought.
They kept it to a fifty seven yard field goal by Sanders. So your defense was holding, not the penalty wise, but your defense was doing what they needed to do. And as an offense, all you needed to do was build on that ced Lamb touchdown and then start to
create distance. And then now you put them into the blueprint that you want them into, which you want them to pass the ball, because you've also shown that you were doing well in the run defense right coming off of a horrible game in Buffalo, you did well in containing Moster in a chain and Jeff Wilson. So all the Cowboys offense had to do was continue to find ways to put up points. But when you go, they had that sequence where it was like third consecutive punts. Yeah,
your defense is bending, not breaking. So it's field goal for the Dolphins, field goal for the Dolphins. Field goal for the Dolphins. But the whole time that's happening, you're
looking at your offense not put up points. So it's like, Okay, punt punt Aubrey, punt, punt, punt Aubrey, and you're like, you're not going to win this type of a game against this offense, because sooner or later this offense is going to do what they did with that no huddle, and it was just lethal, the no huddle at the back end of the first half, the hurry up at the back end of the game for that game winning drive. Your defense is tired. You got to help them out
and compliment them. So kudos to the defense. I mean, obviously they did break eventually, but if the complimentary football was there and that offense had put up points, then the Cowboys win this game.
I just didn't feel like that really that they did anything defensively different. You know, to me that the drastic move to try and take LANMD out of this game would have been to walk Ramsey over there. I just kind of felt like there were a couple of different times where they passed him through zones, buzz linebackers in front of him, you know. But to me, it was really about Howard Ramsey and who those guys covering him. You know, you didn't see stuff really on the back
end or or where. Like I said, my answer to that was like, if I'm thinking Lambs killing me, I'm thinking, God, I've got to do something different. I think that I think the blitzing of the linebackers bothered Dac in this game. I do. I think that that that that you know, like you said, being around the line when you know when when are they going to blitz? And on the
flip side of that, Dallas didn't blitz to enough. That's the problem when you look at that, when you look at his metrics when he was facing pressure or blitzes, it's like two of five, you know, and they but the no blitz was and that's to me, Dallas's m is pressure and pressure and to me, I I kind of feel like they missed an opportunity with that because you could have I think there were times where when he faced that pressure you could see he was clearly
not interested in standing there and throwing the football.
And two also had some under pressure and not pressured throws that were just bad. It was just like, oh that was a bad throw. That throw sailed who was he throwing to? Like no man was in the vicinity. He was just bad throws and that was not under pressure. And then to Bryan's point, when you look at the how things flipped. Okay, so we talked about how Dak
Prescott was pressured almost fifty percent of his dropbacks. Two was pressured only twenty five percent of his drawbacks, so three quarters of the time he was back there comfortably operating. You can't have that.
You got to get back there now with those weapons. Yeah, you got to like that. We talked about it got time to run, like that's going to be a problem.
If Dallas was going to win on the defensive side of the ball, it was going to be taking advantage of that offensive line. Yeah, you know, and that there were times they did, and I just don't feel like there was enough enough of getting after Tua.
You know.
And I think that I think Dan and em got a little nervous about the big play ability of these receivers, and I could clearly understand it. Covering Wattle is not easy, you know, and especially if safeties. You know, Wilson a couple of times in the game, you know you're wondering nearing covered two and you're like, bro, you're supposed to help here. You know, what are you looking at? Inside?
There's nothing there for you, you know. So Hooker, those guys they try their best, but you know, when you when you're dealing with speed, and all that. Sometimes you just get mesmerized. I think Dallas got a little bit that in the secondary yesterday.
All right, we're gonna take our first break and come back. We will talk about the rushing offense, Tony Pollard, Hunter Lipke, We'll talk about all that and what the Cowboys were trying to do and maybe how effective it was or was not. We'll talk about that when we come ba Dallas, Cowboys dot Com Radio.
Todd thought it would be secure to jog in the Cheatah Savannah. Todd believed the big cat repellent he bought online was reliable. And now Todd is trying to be faster than this cheetah that can run eighty miles per howa. But the good news is Todd has AT and T five G. It is fast, reliable, and secure, and he learned the best thing to do is stop running and toss the backpack with the beef stew At and T five G. Fast, reliable, secure, It's not complicated.
Five G requires compatible planning device. Five G may not be available in your area. See att dot com slash five G for you for details.
Cowboys fans, after that move, we've just coined the term rowdy replay.
Let's roll back the table.
Okay, there's our mascot, rowdy cheering on the boys. And now he's on his phone on his Bank of America Mobile Banking app, staying on top of his finances with his virtual financial assistant Erica. Bank of America's digital tools are so impressive, Cowboys fans just can't stop banking. Learn more at Bank of America dot com. Slash can't Stop Banking Everica.
It's only available in the English language.
You must download the latest version of the mobile banking app, only available on select mobile devices.
Message dat ragsy apply number FDIC.
Welcome back into Dear Doctor, the show where I amswer life's questions with an ice cold can of doctor pepper. Sheila, let's hear from my next caller, would you, Dear doctor?
My friend supported me during a tough time.
But what's the right gift that says thanks for being the soldier to cry out?
Okay, this one's easy. I say, give her a delicious doctor pepper and says thanks good. Better than one of a kind soda. Yes, any doctor Pepper flavor will do. Now, just a reminder that I don't need to be a real doctor. To know that Doctor Pepper is the one you deserve.
They say champions are remembered, but legends are never forgotten. United Agon Turf offers a winning lineup of John Deere equipment built to tackle any challenge on and off the field. Legendary John Deere Tractors combines residential mowers, commercial mowers, compact construction equipment, hater utility vehicles, and a full line of golf and sports turf equipment. United Agon Turf the official
agonturf equipment supplier of the Dallas Cowboys. Visit United dagonturf dot com to find a location near you.
Back to the break.
How about this? DeMarcus Lawrence is Dallas Cowboy's nominee for the twenty twenty three Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, presented by Nationwide. Help Tank raise funds for Dak Prescott's Faith Fight and Finished Foundation by casting your vote on Doubt on NFL dot com slash Man of the Year or tweet your support using hashtag WPMOY challenge. Voting ends on January eighth. Vote for tankylayed well yesterday.
Too, Yeah he did.
Welcome Back. This is the second segment of the break.
We're live from that WBC Mortgage studios at the Star and this segment is brought to you by blockchain dot com. All right, let's talk about the running game. You've got Tony Pollott yesterday, sorry Sunday, he has twelve carries for thirty eight yards, a three point two average. The team overall had twenty five carries for ninety seven yard or three point nine average. I have a big picture question for you guys. Is this rushing attack good enough for the Cowboys to get to where they want to be.
It can be not playing the way it did on Sunday, obviously, but we talked about prior to Sunday. We talked about how things had started to come together for the rushing attack for the Cowboys.
Now, a large, large.
Part of that was based on the continuity of the offensive line in the health when you had Tyren Smith plays seven consecutive games, that helps. But when you look at what happened on Sunday, you know that we talked. We were talking about it during the break, we were talking about it after, you know, on the flight home, we were talking about it after it happened. Tony Pollard has to get in on that. Uh that that touch
on the one yard line. You can't get turned around like that, especially by defensive back like you just you can't. You got to get that in and then what happens after that? You get the the botched handoff the hunter lift key, which goes to a rushing attack issue as well. And then we know that ric o'dowdle is battling that the ankle injury, but we've also seen him perform admirably despite the ankle injury. So they only have two touches for total yards, Like where was Rico dawdle on the ground?
So if that is what they present on the road and the playoffs, the d answer is absolutely not. If the trajectory that we saw them on even though they got walked by the Buffalo Bills, but you'd liked what you saw from Tony Pollard and those games preceding that as well. If that's the version of the tech and the offensive land that they take on the road, they do have a chance in the playoffs.
Uh yeah, I think they've improved, that's one thing.
But is it depends what kind of offense are you playing, what kind of offense are you getting? Are you getting the offense that plays at AT and T Stadium, because in those scenarios, you barely even need to run the ball, like they have so many explosive plays in the passing game that sometimes the run becomes a little bit secondary, like you don't really think about it because you just don't really need it.
They've just playing so well in the air.
But we know that's not always the case, especially when you're gonna have to play away from home. That kind of disappears at times, and sometimes the one thing that you can rely on or in the past, not this year, but we know how essential and how important the running game can be for your offense. So right now as it is, I think you've had plenty of time this season to kind of get a better running game going,
and it hasn't been the case. And I think that, sadly, it's gonna bite them in the butt at some point. I don't want to say that, but once they start playing away from AT and D Stadium, I think, and we've.
Seen it already.
We've seen games where you wish you could have relied more, like even in Buffalo, you wish they would have rent the ball so much more, And at times it was working and then it just they kind of went away
from it. So right now I think they've been okay, But it's just you're gonna need I love complimentary football, and you're not always gonna be able to throw the ball in the air pass it what happens in a game where they do take out a CD lamp and again, so it's those scenarios where I do find some concern and it back to the O line health. I always bring it back to the health of the line and how that affects not only Dak Prescott but also the
running game. I think that has a lot to do with kind of the issues they've had this year.
I think Mike told you what he thought about the running game when he started the second half. After the Dolphins go three and out and you get the ball backed up and he hands the ball to Pollard one time, they get one yard and then they throw the ball two other times after that, you know, and then you get a blitz and there might be a hot question there and stuff like that, but they had no confidence coming off the goal line. He said he had a poor plan when they were backed up, you know, and
they were doing with that. So yeah, it was encouraging against Buffalo, not so encouraging against the Dolphins. And I think there's a lot of things that happened for those two quarters. I think the play Carlo lost his way. I think the line lost their way. I think the quarterback lost his way. I think the running game, whatever exists it might had lost its way. They just did
not have it. They did not have the When their running game works, it's about rhythm, it's about they kind of get it going and it supplements some of the other things they do it. They do it with jet sweeps, they do it with crack tosses, they do it. You know, we just didn't see that. You know, there's some creativity to the running game, and they can get it, they can get it working. But you know, in this football game,
it was just a non factor at all. And no, absolutely, they cannot win a single playoff game, much less a regular season game if they run the football like this.
Yeah, it's interesting because Brian, I was going to point to the playoff thought, this is where you were going. You said, there's one play that tells you that told you that. But that fourth quarter, first in goal and they decided they're going to back them to throw the ball and here you go sack. And I'm like, when they first got first to goal at the one, I was like, okay, here we go.
You pound the ball in. There's no reason not to write.
Maybe the lipkey, maybe the lip key fumble freaked them out in that maybe, but take Yeah, they tried to run. Yeah, they tried to run. It's funny, could you say that? Because everybody it's like a hard play action, right, and you know, and and a dog is wrong, he doesn't block out and so now you get this, you get the you get the sack. But they're trying to Yeah,
they're getting they're playing cute football. They're gonna try and to run the tight ends across and the other way and just flip it to them in the corner.
And to me, that's where I look at it.
And I was watching this game, the game last night San Francisco and Baltimore, and it what what is very apparent to me? And I think right now those two teams are probably the two best teams in the league. I think you can arguably throw another team in there, but I think they've consistently tried here been really good.
We've been talking about the Rams, man, they're.
Kind of I keep Rams are my hope to go beat Philadelpia and they go to San francisc take Francisco. If Dallas is going to be the fifth seed, I've talked to people. My dream is for the Rams to be the seventh seed and just go wreck shop a couple of times and take people out along the way.
The Rams can absolutely smoke Philadelphia.
Yeah, absolutely can so, so I think I think that that's the I was watching that game I side, I was like, the difference between those two teams and every other team in the league to some degree is the style of football they play is extremely physical. They line up in those situations and say we're better than you. We're going right over you, and we're gonna score right.
And that's the part where I think, when you have to do it the cute way, to me, that says something about what you think about your ability to just line up and be able to physically impose your will on another team.
And I think that's the difference.
And that's where I was like, it made me start to question how good I think this running game really is. I can't think of a game this year where the Cowboys have said we're gonna run, We're gonna rely on our running game. Happened, and by the way, there've been some games where they probably should have done that, but
they haven't. And that's where I wonder, is this running game even capable of being that for them in a game where they're gonna need it, because that's gonna happen if you're on the road in the NFC in the playoffs.
I think the head coach talked about it in the offseason of wanting to try and be like that and then he realized he couldn't, and then he had to adapt.
It.
Is that because of the offensive line, are the running backs or both?
I think there was I think the injuries along the way have been upon now they played seven straight games where they've had continuity and they've been okay. But man, I think this offense is really built to throw the football myself, especially when the offensive line's healthy with Lamb and you know Ferguson, those guys Cooks. They're built to throw the ball. And I think McCarthy realized the better chance of moving the ball and scoring points throwing it than he does run in it.
I think my biggest problem with the rushing attack is kind of exactly what you're alluding to, Derek, in that it's the goal to go packages. So that sequence of Pollard getting turned around and then lip Key fumbling, that's one and a half yurs to go. If you go back and look at the combined statistic of how well or not well the Cowboys have done with Gold to Go, that's been kind of that their biggest achilles heel, because first it was red zone. Oh, they can't score in
the red zone. So then they shrunk in and say, okay, well we can scor in the red zone as long because it's not goal to go. So then when it became gold to gold, they kept running into like a brick wall as far as you hand it off the rico and it's probably it's stopped right there the one you hand it off to Tony, stop right there at the one. And now you're thinking, okay, you're going to Dolphins, and you say third and short on this opening drive
handed the lip Key conversion. Yeah, third and short handed the lip Key conversion. You're like, they got it, they got it.
They figured out exactly nobody had a problem handed the fall go right right nobody did because like, okay, then we all went damn.
And then it becomes a mental thing from the coaches.
They're like, okay, well now when you get gold to go uh, it's well, we're not going to handle the lip key because we're shot right, We're not going back to that. But then Pollard, well, what happened the last time we get hit the ball? He got turned around, so you dropped back to Lamb and then he is out of bounds. But then, thankfully on that particular drive, coach was able to come up with it. But I think it's the goal to goal package that's their biggest
achilles hell. And if you can't punch it in from one to two yards out with your running backs, that's that's a problem.
That's where it really could become a problem.
Also, the defenses who opposing teams are going to be using more of the resources on the passing game and trying to protect and cover the receivers. I don't think right now you've put anything on film that scares anybody as far as they're running attack at all whatsoever. So going into whoever you're facing, they're gonna.
Just focus.
Off.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, but yeah, and I agree with you, Derek. It's clearly a passing offense. That's what it's become now.
But it does, it does it.
It's just very unfortunate because you do not want to become a one dimensional team and just have to always rely on the passing game because there will be, and we've seen it, situations where you're gonna have to run the ball and if you ain't scary anybody, if you're not breaking blocks and finding the holes and kind of scaping it going for it, I mean, uh, that's gonna be definitely a problem.
What is Zeke doing.
He's still employed, so we can't talk about We would just say that he is on a team that's not going to be in the playoffs, but he's asked some opportunities.
Like your team, you got to win this weekend, right, he is keep all.
Right, let's take our final break, let's come back. I want to flip over the defensive side of the ball.
And Jerry said something very interesting this morning on one O five Dowut Through the Fan with Sean and r j Uh. He mentioned a little bit about Micah and maybe why Micah is not getting those holding calls. That was an interesting comment. We'll talk about them. Come back this Dallas Cowboys dot com Radio.
Todd thought it would be secure to jog in the cheatah Savannah. Todd believed the big Cat repellent he bought online was reliable, and now Todd is trying to be faster than this cheetah that can run eighty miles per hour. But the good news is Todd has AT and T five G. It is fast, reliable, and secure, and he learned the best thing to do is stop running and toss her the backpack with the beef stew At and T five G. Fast, reliable, secure, It's not complicated.
Five G requires compatable plan and device five G may not be available in your area. See att dot com Slash five G for you for details.
Don't put off getting your oil change Dallas. Take five Oil Change, a proud partner of the Cowboys, is faster than you think. There's no appointment needed and no waiting room.
Yep, you hurt that correctly.
Take five is so fast you don't even have to get out of your car. You can take advantage of Take five's fast, friendly and simple service at any of their locations across the Dallas area. And remember at Take five You stay in your car because they're faster than you think. Take five the official oil change of the Dallas Cowboys.
It's the official men's skincare brand of the Dallas Cowboys. Jack Black and right Now Cowboys fans can get fifteen percent off their seventy five dollars order plus Because every deal needs a playmaker, your order will include a free five piece skincare set and free shipping. The Jack Black Playmaker is four of Jack's favorites and a full sized intense therapy lipball. Make a play for the Playmaker at Getjack Black dot com slash Cowboys with the code Cowboys VIP.
That's get Jack Black dot com slash.
Cowboys with the code Cowboys VIP.
They say champions are remembered, but legends are never forgotten. United Agon Turf offers a winning lineup of John Deere equipment built to tackle any challenge on and off the field. Legendary John Deere Tractors combines residential mowers, commercial moweres, compact construction equipment, hater utility vehicles, and a full line of golf and sports turf equipment. United Agon Turf the official Agonturf equipment supplier of the Dallas Cowboys. Visit United dagonturf
dot com to find a location near you. Back to the break.
Sean Polite needs your help. He is your twenty twenty three Cowboys Fan of the Year and now he does really really need your help after I mentioned that again, Vote for Sewn to be given the ultimate title of NFL Fan of the Year, presented by Captain Morgan by casting your vote at NFL dot com Slash Fan of the Year.
Welcome back.
Final segment of the Break Life from SWBC Mortgage Studios at the Star. Let's talk a little bit about Michael Parsons.
This morning.
Jerry was on one on five out three of the Fan and he mentioned that he was asked about why maybe Micah is not getting those holding calls. I think it's been now thirty eight I want to say thirty eight quarters since the last time they had a holding call.
I run that I've done this numbers.
How many how many holding calls you think the Cowboys is a unit have drawn this year?
It's got to be single digits.
Yeah, that's gonna say it's nine over ten?
Is it?
Sixteen?
Sixteen?
Sixteen? But they've but but seven. Didn't have a holding call in this game? Right, So make that make that they played fifteen games Thomas smith Hill No, no, no, no, the defense he didn't have one, didn't draw in this game, right, didn't have when this ya. Eight of their fifteen games have gone without a holding call. Half their games, half their games, more than half their games have gone without a holding.
Call, which is amazing for a team to get this much fresh as they do.
That's exactly right, that's exactly right. How can you be one of them, one of the one of the most pressure teams in the National Football League most Yeah, and not draw more holding calls sixteen total for the year. That's amazing to me.
The interesting thing was Jerry said on the on the air this morning, which I'd never really heard someone from from a team or league articulate this, But basically what he said was the rest essentially won't call holding if they don't think the player could have gotten to the quarterback. And and Jerry's argument is that may work for the vast majority of the players in the league. The problem
is Micah is different. Michael Micah is special. Micah has a burst and a speed and speed that can close so quickly that it's hard to make that determination if he's three yards from the quarterback to say well, he couldn't have gotten there if he was in hell, when fact.
Is he's so fast that he probably could have.
Gotten there, and and and they're trying to legislate it based upon how they're legislating everybody else, but it just may not work for Michael.
Yeah, but I don't understand how, and we sound like we're bitching about it, you know, really, but I don't know how you can watch games and like arms around his neck, you know, arm around his waist? How I mean hands inside or hands outside the frame?
I get it.
Hell, they had a damn Zach Martin got his helmet knocked off and was pass blocking in this game and they didn't call it, you know, I mean literally, he's like, whoa bro? I mean, you know, Watkins Wilkins just knocks his helmet off and he's pass blocking, still in the play, and they don't call it. You're like, now, okay, how do you not see that? But the thing I understand, hands inside that's a hard hard call. But hooking a guy, you know, grabbing him around the neck. Rodeo maneuvers and
you don't call it. I don't that part. I don't understand. I don't know how the officials each week when they get their tape and you miss this one, you miss this one. It's like every week they probably see Michael Parsons go damn, he gets held a lot.
You know.
That would be my impression if I was one of these officials, I'd be going, gosh, dang, they missed a lot of these holding calls in this guy, you know, and you're kind of looking for that, you know, but you're right. His closes as fast as he closes because that roughing the passer penalty. As I told you guys in the break, that was super close. I mean, it
was so explosive. When you stop the tape, ball's gone and he is literally his foot is right behind toua as that ball is out of that out of his hand.
That's and usually there's grace for that kind of situation.
Again, as long as you're not driving the guy into the ground or something like that, there's grace that there's a.
Little period when he gets rid of the ball. That's why I was like, I don't know, I don't know, Like I.
Said postgame, they said, he tried, he was trying to punish the quarterback.
I didn't get that.
He pushed him. Yeah, what's what's that? Yeah, he's not gonna this poor guy is not going to get calls. He's just not And it's a it's a I don't know how these officials on a weekly basis review the game tape and don't see that.
Well.
I love what Michael said because what Jerry is saying today to the fan echoed what Michaeh said one two weeks ago, I believe in an interview with the media about the lack of holding calls, and he said, Michael did that the officials are telling him the same thing that Jerry just said, Well, you weren't going to get to the quarterback, and Michael said, this was a quote, he said, you couldn't get to the quarterback.
Don't tell me what I can't do.
I can get to that quarterback, or maybe someone else can't get to the quarterback. But he's like, I can get to the quarterback, so let me do my job and you do your job, whichot which kind of goes to my next thing. It also is these officials are human and I've said this to several colleagues as well. And we love Michael to death, and you know, his podcast is enjoyable and he's always enjoyable with the Q
and a's, But the officials are listening. They're listening when every week he gets on the mic and we understand his frustration and it's justified. It is right, his cause is proper right. But he has to let the others. Stephen Jones on the competition committee, let him fight that battle. Jerry Jones fight the battle. The front offic is, Mike McCarthy,
the coaching staff fight the battle. I think now, because it's so egregious, the lack of holding calls, I'm starting to wonder if it's the human element coming in where these officials are hearing what Michael Parks isn't saying and being like, oh okay.
I don't know if.
So you cannot silence people like oh no, and I'm not trying. I'm saying and I get it. Like sometimes Mike goes on a rant and he'll get on Twitter and say all kinds of things and maybe you'll.
Be like, hey, maybe you don't.
Exactly that He's right.
Let him just because anybody, anybody that was in that position and on the field and having to deal with that on a constant basis and feeling like, damn, I cannot catch a break, Like it's constantly happening the same thing. You're gonna be mad and it's okay to let it and I'm tired, Like what gets me frustrated is this whole thing, Like, quit blaming it on.
The rests deal with it. That's just what it is.
Well, no, it doesn't have to be that, like it's not. You're not gonna get any change if you don't speak up. So speak up and keep talking about it.
And to that, to that RTP call, that rough and the passer call, and I said this in the press box, the reaction that Micah had it wasn't because of that RTP call in and of itself.
Micah is fed up.
And then the optics of the fact that you won't call them for holding me, but you called me for that tiki tag RTP in a game that's close on the road, So all of it's kind of boiling over. And because we've seen Michael react and be upset at ref's but he exploded to the point he had to be pulled back by a teammate to potentially avoid you know, yeah, to avoid potentially accidentally making contact with the ref and then you get fined and ejected and might maybe suspended.
So it's at that point.
And because it's at that point and the whole world is watching now, because these types of reactions are non calls, are on film, something has to be done. So my thing with Mike is I'm not saying, you know, silent, because he his his cause is right. We're sitting here beating the drum for it. Everybody's beating the drum.
At this point.
We've heard you say it, we get it, all of that's on tape. But to do it weekly now, I'm starting to wonder. This is just me starting to wonder. I'm not making accusations, but I am allowed to wonder. I'm starting to wonder if these officials, who are human beings, who are emotional people, are starting to see this and say, oh, well, if you're saying we can't do our job, well then
maybe we don't see this hold. So I'm saying it, you can't convince me one thing doesn't play unto the other thing, is what I'm saying.
Well, that crew, that particular crew their number one call that they've made all year has been offensive holding. That's their number one and the one I mean they missed with Micah, but the one that Cotton had on Clark that ended the game. Basically, that needs to be called. And that's Sean Hockley not following the play, not seeing and that's the side judge not seeing the play as well.
They missed a bad holding call right there that could have backed the Dolphins up and maybe given you a chance. I know, the way their field goal kicker is making field goals, it it was probably a point, but at least you've got to call the game that way. You know, if you see a guy getting tackled and when the ball going right at him and then like a defender not being able to make a tackle because he was getting tackled, that's you got a call right.
There, honestly, and I hear what you're Sam Patrick, and I think in a lot of instances that makes sense. The reason why that would I wouldn't go that far is because I look at the rest and I think, first of all, as a part of their livelihood, they are judged and graded based upon getting the calls right or wrong. I don't think they will risk their grades being lower just to prove a point to a guy.
You know what I'm saying, I personally don't think so, because that affects by the way, that affects your ability to get other games and more preferable games. It affects your ability to be able to playoff, Super Bowl, all that kind of stuff. Are you willing to give that up just to make a point to a guy?
I don't think so.
I think it's one of those things where, honestly, I think it's a judgment call, and I think their judgment is hwed by the fact that they don't think he can get there, when quite frankly, he could get there.
And that's the difference.
And I really believe that when it comes down to it, you know, I agree. I think they're humans, so they're going to make mistakes. But I think a lot of this there's some gray area. It's even with the pass I mean with the roughing the passer call. They are told, they are told to refit in a way to where if there's any doubt that maybe it could have been rough in the passer.
You got one.
They got one. Yeah, that's how it worked. In that game. But I'll tell you what the league last night. They put Bill Vinovitch on that crew in that game last night. Bill Venovitch will let you kill each other in a game.
And I know what.
I applaud Bill. Sign me up, give me every week of Bill Vinovich because he will let the players decide these.
Doubt I love it. I love it. All right, we appreciate you, guys. Jones. We're back tomorrow. We're gonna jump into Lions talk about the Lion's office.
This is going to be an interesting matchup because two things have to kind of come into play. They're at home, but they're playing a really good team. This is going to be an interesting one. We're gonna find out a lot of things about this team this weekend. We'll start breaking that down tomorrow to then for Patrick Walker. Brian brought us in Ambergarcia. I'm Derek Eagleton. This has been The Break live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
Thanks Baby, so you make a good point there.
This has been a production of Dallascowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football clubby