Cowboys Break: Scary Birds

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Are you ready for a break?

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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 Ambar Garcia, Brian brought us, Nick Harris and Derek Eagleton.

It is Thursday October thirty first, twenty twenty four, Season twenty, episode number fifty nine. Welcome to the latest edition of The Break Life nest BC Mortgage Studios, presented by LG LG as the world's number one O lead TV brand for eleven years in accounting. See why at LG dot com Forward Slash O lead EVO Happy Halloween.

There's a lot of a lot of give you know what going on here right now?

Is that your audio?

It is it's audio on your computer.

I think that's what it is. That's your computers on. It's the audio. That's what Nick just waiting like, we're good.

I thought you were saying like, hey, your computer's on. They can see your screen.

No, no, I heard it.

It's like highlights from the uh, the Holy Cross, Rutgers game was going on here.

I think it was the Oregon Boise State out. Okay, yeah, that's what I was watching last night.

Welcome to the show. Appreciate you guys joining us. We've got a few things we're going to hit today. We're going to talk about the Atlanta defense versus the Cowboys offense, some very interesting things. There are some opportunities for the Cowboys there. We'll talk about all that here in the next couple of segments. We'll also get some calls and some text messages from I'm sorry, some X messages from you guys.

You can hit us up.

You can send us an email, or you can send us a message or question on X, or you can call us at eight eight eight eight five five two two nine seven. We'll try to get to a few of those calls as well. Let's start first with injury updates.

I'll always start first with giving Chris a shout out look at this set that he made. No get sorry, give Chris a shoutout look at all the work he did. This said looks amazing. Fully decorated with Halloween ten out of ten Chris from the decorating Halloween.

Looking for the Thanksgiving we'll hope.

Yeah, let's put the Thanksgiving that'll be for Thanksgiving. Good job, good job, Chris really looks really nice, and I'm sure fans are appreciating out there because they can see it for every show.

Are you changing the colors for the shows or it's gonna stay just like.

We're gonna say orange? Who you know, halloweens.

Yeah, it works, all right, let's jump in. Let's talk about injuries walking Browns, Broncos, Yeah, Bears, Trayvon Diggs.

Uh, he ends up on the injury report yesterday. What are we hearing about that? Because obviously that's a position that, as we mentioned yesterday, Cowboys seemed to be especially hit hard there.

Yeah, he said he's feeling good. It's a calf injury that he he suffered in the game against the forty nine ers. He said he has a little just a little bit of tightness here early in the week, but he's not worried about his availability going deeper into the week. But we'll see today.

Good Doron Bland did not practice. But one note at the cornerback position, Kayln Carson was a full participant.

We're here and there.

Yeah, he was a full participant last week.

Too.

Wasn't he stop you gotta kill everything? Yeah, I'm just trying to.

Be real running back, a good running back on because.

I don't want to get it.

I got excited.

I don't want to I don't want to get the tweets on Sunday, being like he's a full participant all week, why is he enacted today as well. I'm just letting you guys know.

Right now, trying to get a running back on fair.

I think, uh, I think with Kaylen moving into the week, I think there's a good chance he played, especially with a Monti or Warrior lightning on ir but Doron Blande officially activated to the active roster yesterday, that does not necessarily mean he will play Sunday. He needs to practice this week, so Mike McCarthy did say he hopes to get him on the field today in a limited capacity. We'll have a little bit more for McCarthy later, as I think his press conference starts in about four minutes.

If you guys had to handicap it based on what things you've heard and seen, what do you think is his chances of playing this week?

He started yesterday with the working group. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

The thing was when you ask him about injuries. You know, you start to ask questions about injuries, which one.

They got a lot of?

I mean, he can't even which one.

A you're talking about. But it's going to be today. We'll see if Bland does in fact practice and we'll see if in fact, though that Michael Parsons practices and it I would say if neither one of those guys practiced today, I would say it's pretty good shot that's not going to play this week.

Yeah, I think there's a little bit more optimism on Bland, but still.

A bit more but not. Yeah, it's kind of it's it's it's really touch and go with there right now.

So yeah, man, it's tough because I think at the cornerback position you got so many guys out, so it's a volume thing. With the pass rush, it really is just Mike that you need Micaeh back. You need to be able to get some pass rush, and obviously they missed Tank, don't get me wrong, but it's like, if you feel like if you can get Micah back, at least you could just at least have one guy that is a real true pass rusher and then you can kind of work with that a little bit.

You guys get that sense as well.

Yeah, I think so, especially in a game like this where they need pass rush. Yeah, getting Michael back would be huge. That's just in general across the season. I mean, look at these last three games that they haven't had him. They need him back for sure.

It kind of gives you a little bit of idea for all the talk about trading him, what your team would look like without him in fact, you know, kind of give you a little bit of an idea there.

But I you know, I just this.

I know we talked about a little bit yesterday, but I would seriously consider playing Overshown as an edge player. I would you get a quarterback to play stationary football stands in the middle of the pocket. You know, if you beat one of these tackles, just Overshown has the link, has the ability kind of knows where the quarterback is going to be. I would consider maybe playing I'm not saying, you know, every down, but kind of a poor man's

So, you know, Dallas, if they can, if they could find a.

Way to create some pressure, you know, maybe maybe it is a guy like overshown as that kind of that edge rusher at certain down and distances.

How many more weeks do you guys feel.

There are the crucial weeks for like how do I put it, like kind of to determine see how the season is going to end for the Cowboys, because I know a lot of people are a lot of fans are saying.

Like, okay, this is it, like you're ready for the draft show that kind of thing.

Yeah, But realistically, obviously there's half of the season on their way, Like you still have half of the season.

It's a difficult stretch.

You got to get this thing to the to my opinion, this is the rough part of it right now for me, when you're dealing with we all felt like the Commanders were going to be better.

But they're six and two better right now. And you you got Houston who's playing much better.

Uh.

You know, Philadelphia looks like they found something last week offensively. Uh you know, they're getting their running game going. You know, these are these are all you could look up and be on a bad one. We've lost four or five games in a row with the opponents that you've had. You lose today or you lose this weekend. It's I think it's only gonna get tougher.

You pretty much know where you're at by Thanksgivings.

Often, and in my opinion, I think to that point, I think after that Thanksgiving Day is gone, it's done. If they're not at five hundred, I think it's it's hard to imagine there's a scenario under which they could get back in.

Because here's the thing.

As tough as this next stretch is, the latter part of the season, December feels like there are some teams that are beatable there right they're good teams, but beatable Cincinnati.

Cincinnati team that's good but they've.

Been they've had theirs having their struggles. Yeah, I think you got more of a chance to run off a string of games in December than maybe you do over these next five. But I do think you got to basically hold tight and then hope that you get your at five hundred by the time you finish Thanksgiving, and hopefully you got Micah back, hopefully you don't sustain any other major injuries.

Maybe you start talking about Tank and when he can be back.

Yeah, you know, I think if you get to that point and you're even that's when maybe you can make it. And you also need some of those things like you're gonna play Washington, You're gonna play obviously in New York again, You're gonna play Philly twice.

Yeah, I think those are the games if you can.

If you can make those some of the games you win and you're at five hundred by Thanksgiving, I think you got a shot to get yourself back into the mix for a playoff spot, maybe not to win the division, but to get yourself back into a playoff spot.

So from now in Thanksgiving, how many losses could you technically afford?

I'm saying you go three and two over these next five games, that's what you need. In my opinion, that'll get you to six and six. Am I doing my math?

Right?

Yeah?

That's that's correct. Yeah yeah, with five games to go. Yeah, yeah, it's doable.

I mean, but to me, you don't have any room for air.

If that happens you're at six and six, that means you got a real all five wins, like you gotta go through December and you gotta be winning every week, and that gives you a chance to maybe get into the playoffs.

I think.

And I don't want to talk about another sport, but I do cover, you know, with one O five to three the fan we cover the Range Texas Rangers baseball, and they suffered a lot of injuries, and every week it was We've talked to the general manager, Chris Young. He's like, well, we're getting guys back. We're gonna get guys back. We're gonna get and then.

It was too late.

It was already by the time you'd gotten everybody back, it was too late. You were already out. And that's your hope, that man, we're gonna get these guys back. We're gonna get these guys back. That's kind of your rallying cry. But and then but yeah, you gotta tread water to get there. And then if you but if you don't, you lose, you know, say you lose three or four straight games, then getting those guys back is not gonna.

Matter, just not.

I think. I think the two guys you could look at that might not quote unquote be back by the time things are kind of decided. One of them tanking Marshawn Neeland.

Yeah, so what what is the timeline on tank? Because I thought it was like early December? Is it later than that?

And you're I'm thinking right around Thanksgiving? Maybe after Thanksgiving? So yeah, probably right, So he would that last stretch maybe, yeah, it would be. But let's say that they get to that stretch and they're five and eight forever.

Yes, yeah, But that's my point, like right now, you have to tread water.

You have to maintain the status quot as far as you can win, you can lose, but you gotta kind of stay right there around five hundred to give yourself even a shot to reel off some in December when you're at hopefully full strength.

You can't fall two games below five hundred at any point I don't think that's why this game is crucial. A game against Houston would be crucial. I mean, there's you can't fall two games behind because then you're asking your offense or you're asking a defense that doesn't have a lot of guys healthy to go win three straight in December. That's that's tough thing to do.

I mean, you look at some of these teams you're gonna face. Houston now is without its top two wide receivers after losing Digs.

So you got some teams that are having some issues like you do. So you just got to take advantage of it.

It's so funny, absolutely, but that's what you exactly to say.

But you got to. You gotta take advantage of.

Every every time you look at a team you're about to play, it's like, man, they're really bad doing this, and then you look at it as a matchup for you maybe and then you're like, oh, damn, we're worse, you know. I mean that's the problem is there's some things that the Orlando Falcons do defensively that that that most teams that would play them, that are hummel along on offense would punish them. Yeah, you know with your situation. You don't know if you can punish them for the

Yeah, we're gonna real quick.

I also want to mention two other vets that popped up on the injury report yesterday. Lynnville Joseph with a back injury injury did not practice. Zach Martin with a shoulder injury did not practice. Are we hearing anything about that? Well, there's more about the fact that you're just giving them a little rest or they significant injuries.

I've just kind of always with Zack Martin always feel like that it's the rest day stuff. You know, they're just they're finding ways to you know, but that's not good offensive lineman with shoulder problems. It's never you know, lack of power. And we've seen some snaps, some reps where Zach is you know, he hasn't had the best of power that you know, we've seen.

From him in the past.

Felt very similar with Lindvall Joseph yesterday too. He was going through stretching and everything. During the media portion of practice, he just didn't have his helmet on, So I think it was more so arrests situation.

And that does but it does concern me.

As Brian was saying, offensive line with shoulder, yeah, defensive tackle with back. That certainly doesn't make me feel good because on any given play, you can have six hundred pounds leaning on you. So I certainly won't feel good for his back. But we'll see how that progresses throughout the week. Let's take our first break, we'll come back. Let's jump into this Atlanta defense and talk about some of the areas where maybe the Cowboys can take advantage.

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Welcome Back.

Second segment of the Break, live from the SWBC Mortgage Studio.

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I know that's why I do it, because it's actually an ode to Shannon. This segment brought to you by blockchain dot com. Ding. All right, we're all off the rails here, all right, so let's let's talk about this Atlanta defense. The first thing that pops out about them as you start looking is they are dead last in sacks in the NFL. They don't have six on the season, their highest total for an individual.

I'm all tangled over here. I don't know if you're like.

Everyone.

I was trying to be nonchalant about it, but it's not really working, you know.

He has the four box up. So everybody's just looking dead at you. Great, yeah, sorry. So they have their their highest total for any individual players one and a half sacks. Like they don't have a lot of they don't get a lot of production out of their their past rush. My question for you is if there is a player, one player that has a certain level of skill, that this would be the week they could get going

Bet it's gonna be Matthew Jerdon doesn't it it would beat you don.

I also kind of look at Grady Jared Jared, Yeah, Judn just doesn't feel comfortable there. Yeah, it doesn't feel like he's the he's yeah, he's lost a step.

Yeah, Matthew. They traded for him from New England. Yeah, And and Dallas has faced him before. If you remember, there was he was two years ago, maybe last year. New End came here last year last year Dallas.

Yeah, that's right. And so Dallas did a nice job of handling.

I think he got hurt in that game, matter of fact, for the season. Yeah, so that would be the one guy. The thing with Matthew Greudondo if you watch him, and I went back and watched because I was curious, like, what's going on with this? Why is he why is there the struggle you talk about how comfortable or lack of He's getting double team more than any time.

He has in his career.

Because I went back and looked, I'm like, what's the deal? They Atlanta, as you mentioned, doesn't have great pass rushers. He's their best option. So teams have said, okay, let's take their best option out of the game. And so he's faced more double teams this year. Like I think the metrics said it was like ten percent, which is the most hit he's faced since two.

Thousand and eighteen. So how about that delivery?

Right?

There was votes Fossil came in and dropped Alpson to bring it in.

But I don't even know what it was.

I think that was Chris.

Aren't okay?

Everything on here is okay?

Everything in here? I assume everything is approved. I think, no, it's all approved.

It's okay. Here we go, Mars company. We love the Mars Company.

Everything go ahead, right, I enjoy your report?

So the what I enjoyed your report?

Okay?

Uh Turner Mike now.

But the yeah, so what's happening is more double teams his direction because they don't have somebody opposite. This might be the first time that that uh Tyler guid gets to play against a guy that he's equal to or or maybe a little bit better. This is it's so we take into a week nine, but maybe we got a guy here that will be good for him to be able to handle.

And you know, that's actually one of the questions I have for you guys, like looking at this and how poor they are when it comes to the pass rush. Really what I think and I've made it no, I mean, it's been very clear that I feel like the biggest problem the Cowboys offense has is their offensive line and

Yeah, this is an opportunity. I'm covering my mouth because I don't have a water to watch down this chocolate that I just say I think this is an opportunity for Dak to be able to really get this passing game going. And I've said it before, but I'm standing on it this week. I think this is going to be a shootout because I think this passing offense is

Yeah, he needs to attack d Alford in this game. The Alfred is their nickel.

And if you watch the Kansas City game, ten targets, ten receptions and Kansas City's got you know, Kansas got Rice and this before he got hurt. But you know they they have guys that can run, and they have guys that can play well on the slot and the Alford all year long, teams have gone after him a little bit. Now we'll say this about when you when you look at Terrell, Terrell and Lamb have played against each other twice and you're thinking, oh, man, he carried him all.

No, he there was.

I think there was only like five times where because usually Tarot in the old regime, the old coaching staff of the Smith regime, they kept him on the left side, and the Cowboys took Lamb and took him.

Put him away from Terrell and with the other way.

So CD has had some success against the Falcons in two games, but the but it hasn't gone against Terrell. He was always playing left side. But well now they're poking in. But see now that yeah, that's he's always getting in your way. But the thing about with Terrell now is he plays both sides, so you're gonna see him well, yeah, he plays left and right. I mean almost fifty to fifty on how he plays.

Yeah, I guess the question I'm asking is do they indiscriminately move him around in their scheme or is it more about I'm gonna take this guy and wherever he goes, I'm going with him.

They move him around, they move him around the scheme.

Now, maybe the way to get away with this, Like I said, maybe think about playing him more than the slot, because every time I watched these games, Alford was playing in the slot.

So Terrell doesn't move into the He didn't move in the slot.

He wasn't moving the slot. The games I watched they went with Alford.

There now could be a situation, you know, team's like, hey, our best chance, we're not going to get pass rush. Our best chance is to just travel Teroll with and see what happens. Yeah, this team plays a ton of zone coverage. Okay, but they also play a lot of off coverage. Did you see any of the Yeah, okay, take a guess who your best off coverage receiver is.

I would have to assume CD No, Jalenbert, Tolbert. Yeah.

I was actually gonna mention Tulbert.

It's got seventeen receptions, which leads the team in off coverage. So if they're gonna play zone, which they play eighty percent of the time, you can watch a play and you're like going zone, zone, zone, and then you look at the metrics side of things, eighty percent. They used to be very man heavy, like almost fifty to fifty man heavy last year under the old regime. Now they play far more zone. They got no pass rush and they're playing zone.

This is dangerous. This is a very dangerous situation for them to have to deal with.

But that's what they believe in. That's how they play it. They're not going to sit there and try and blitche you in all those things. They're going to try and see if they can hold up and not give up big plays.

From my notes here, it felt like the only time that they ran man on a consistent basis was in second and third and long situations.

There you go, there you go. So yeah, that's to me.

To me, the guy I go after, like I say, try and make sure you secure Judawn the edge and then make sure then you try and get as many guys on all For number twenty, the Nickel, he's the guy that seems to have when they run routes on him the most separation, you know, even when they care and he has to carry guys you see breaking routes.

He's kind of in your trail position right there.

Who is the best person Let's assume for a second they're going to travel trail and they're going to travel him everywhere. Let's say that they're going to run him into the slot as well. Who is the next best person that Dallas could run out and put in the slot in situations and still get the production if you're trying to get them matched up with with that their nickel corner, you.

Feel confidence Hulbert in the slot because I don't.

I don't I would put I put Turpin in there and just go because I think that Alford has had some problems with Kansas City.

He had the problems with speed inside and quickness inside.

You know, I was watching that game. I'm like, gosh, dang, he's given up. Every time they throw at him, he's given up. And I went back and looked at the numbers ten for ten. You're like, going, Okay, here we go. That's what we got to do here. So yeah, I'm kind of I'm kind of in that mode right now where I would definitely I would think about putting I think about putting turpin inside on that in that situation.

Alford on the season has allowed thirty five receptions on forty five targets for two hundred and eighty four yards.

So three touchdowns I believe too. I think I looked at that. Yeah, no picks, three touchdowns.

Not necessarily a lot of yards per attempt, but kind of granted, given the nature of his position, he shouldn't be given up the play, but he still gives a healthy amount of yards up per game.

Run defense, what do they look like? Is that an opportunity for the Cowboys or where is there's the opportunity?

Yeah, and how confident do you feel in this offensive line being able to pull consistently to bring polers around, run counters, things of that nature depend It depends on

I think there are two guys on the offensive line that I feel good about pulling, Tyler Smith and and Bebie. Those are the two I feel comfortable pulling. I think Zach Martin getting him out of space. I just it looks like there was a play last week where he was kind of run out. He was just he couldn't get to the sounder guy coming up. It just it's just like it's it looks like he's laboring out there to try to get in position to make a block, and I just think that's not not going to help you.

Something that I just looked up in just because of the question you brought up or the point you brought up, Nick, Because Dallas had their best success with Elliott running against that light box, which is six or less, Falcons are going to play light box six or fewer defenders fifty three percent of the snaps.

That's eighth most in the league right now.

So if they're going to be committed, if they're going to say, Okay, we're going to play six defenders and try and handle everything else on the back end, Dallas has had some success running against that.

I mean, yeah, it was.

It's fleeting at times, it really really is. But at least that's the one thing last week when you look at San Francisco that the runs that like of the of the of the positive runs four yards or more that of I think the ten carries, half of them for Zeke were four yards or more. Yep, they were against slight box.

So maybe maybe that might be an avenue for you there.

We're gonna take our final break when we come back.

I want to dive a little deeper into that conversation because I went back and watched the runs in that game last week, and I want to want to ask you guys a little bit about number one, how you assess Dalvin Cook's play, but number two, talk a little bit about what Zeke was able to do last week, because I don't know if that's getting enough attention that he can get a lot of opportunities, but the opportunities he got. I want to get your opinions on how

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Back to the break.

A D and T connecting changes.

Everything was like the little.

Kid who has some sugar and she's over here dancing and all happy and sugars is going.

To well, well, she doesn't have the excuse to leave early for food.

Now she does not.

She's been through about Funny Things going till fifty eight in the show Funny Thing.

While Brian was doing his breakdown, I was just I was thinking should I eat the candy or just wait to have my lunch? Like, I was just thinking about food. And then also I was thinking, which I wanted to ask, what do you know the average for the time of possession that the Falcons offense tend to have.

I will say they've only won the time of possession battle twice and they're won and one in those games. So factor that for what you will.

Yeah, okay, all right, let's talk about the running game for the Cowboys. I want to go a little, a little farther into that conversation. This These spiderwebs are killing you guys.

All right.

First of all, give me an assessment on Dalvin Cook from last week. He only had six carries, But of those six carries, what did you see from him? Was there something you like? Was there something that was like, Eh, I don't know, just what was your assessment of his play last.

It kind of reminded me of the opportunities that Douce Fawn has had this year, where it's just like, Okay, he didn't really have a lot of protection, so you know, it is what it is. I loved the ten twelve yard reception he had to his first touch over the middle. That was that was something I was like, okay, yeah, hey bringing that and you know we can we can get active with him. But as far as the run game, I don't think there was really any positives to take away.

Yeah, I think the running game, you know, we start to talk about, you know, try and point your finger at something. Is it the backs is that they're really struggling blocking piece body. Yeah, yeah, they're they're they're struggling blocking people and they're you know, they finally when they have gotten guys up on second level, it's been fine.

When they don't, it's I don't I don't know how you can have a running play and not block Fred Warner. I just don't. I don't know.

I mean, I'm I'm thinking if okay, we're gonna call a running play and we're gonna gonna block Fred Fred Warner on this play, What do you.

Think the game's gonna be.

I'm gonna say it's probably gonna be a zero or negative play. And you know that's what happens to you. You and they don't run all that much, and then when they don't block the best run defender, now you're questioning, like, well, why run it all if you're.

Not going to block the best guy?

You know.

So I don't think it's.

Probably something they didn't go into the game thinking they weren't gonna block him. Something happens, they don't get up, you know, so it's hard to evaluate where they're at. I like what Nick's talking about with some poll stuff though. You know, I'm liking that because I think that, like you get Smith out there and poll in space, I think that that's not a bad thing out there. You know, you get some angle blocks, you get some guys coming down. We talk about Member Arizona and we did the pen

That pen and poll stuff. Get the ball to the edge.

You know, Dallas is not a great edge rushing team. Everything kind of comes downhill and then cuts. So maybe they don't have unless they unless you put somebody in the backfield like Turpin and go Pin and poll, or put somebody in the back of CD. Somebody it's got a little bit more explosive, this is a little bit more quickness, you know, then I would think that that would be something that I would be a little bit more interested in.

Yeah, I'm being very negative right now, and not even the candy and not even the candies helping my mind, because everything is just like, Okay, I like what you're saying about this matchup, and like it favors the Cowboys offense a lot more and somebody. But at the same time, I think, okay, what if it's the other way around to where maybe this is the time that they make their defense look good.

You know.

Yeah, there's always, yeah, there's goodwill games.

Yeah, they probably look at this game and they're like, our pass rush might be able to get That's exactly.

There's there's a flip side to everything, absolutely, So.

It's hard to get away from that because even the and we've talked about it, everybody knows already on here, like the games that they've won. Even then, the Cowboys offense has been struggling all throughout the season. Even in wins, they just don't make a few serious and that are really really good.

And then it just disappears.

And then so you I feel like you see maybe two series in a game where they're really good and like, Okay, that's what you gotta do, and then it just goes away. So it's just one of those things that it's hard to even see the matchup being favorable for the Cowboys this weekend.

I think more often than not, this is something that I just feel like might not happen for the Cowboys. Pulling guards. If we're talking about that pulling guys gap scheme runs. They only ran two against the forty nine ers, and if you're pulling guys nine times out of ten,

They to be honest with you, they might not have confidence in the point of attack. Tight end blocks, Yeah, that was actually real.

I was watching the runs in this last game and one of the big things that kept popping up. Now, part of it was they were putting tight ends in situations where they were having to block Bosa one on one. They ain't gonna win that. I'm just gonna say, you know, you're not gonna win that. But but I do think that was a and you talk about it all the

The receivers have problems blocking because of the I think because of the width of the offense.

That's something they can't get there. Yeah, there's something.

I'm watching these teams that run the ball well, and a lot of them do it out of condensed looks. They do it where they play they're twenty yards across and they're not twenty seven yards across and trying to get you know, trying to get a receiver to make a cutoff block. A lot of teams just play condensed. They're like, we're going to run the ball, we're gonna make sure a guy's get in position, or we're going

You know.

That's that's the things you got to think about it.

And that's just so people understand when you're talking about condensed, condensed, and then think one of the big things when you when you're out wide, you think about it. You gotta Let's say a cornerback is out he split five yards from the from the tackle or from the tight end, and and in that situation, he's got a guy across from him.

If that guy goes screaming down to what the run are going to stop, you can't get to it.

You can't.

Now, if you're compressed, which means you're condensed, you're closer to that tackle or that that end than what you're able to do is now you just get in a way. You have to be a great blocker. You just can get in the way, kind of shield a little bit. It gives the running back and opportunity to get around you and be able to make the run. So that's what you're talking about there, And yeah, how you how you make it easier for your wide receivers.

The best condensed teams in the league are San Francisco, the Rams, the Dolphins. You know, they all share that where they they everythinks it's great to spread everybody out until you have to block. Yep, and then when you have to when and then if your guys aren't you know hinz Ward come flying down there and blow people up kind of receivers, then you're going to have a lot of miss blocks.

Yep, absolutely all right, So right now, based on what you saw this last week, and maybe you didn't see enough to change it, but how would you utilize your running backs going into this next game? If you had to say, I'm going to give this guy this number of carries, this guy this number carries, this guy this number of carries, how would you how would you split that up?

Oh?

Man? I if I want to see what Dalvin has in a healthy opportunity, I mean trade deadline is next Tuesday. If they are actually if they are thinking in the back of their mind to make a move, then they need to see what Dalvin has to offer it for a full opportunity, not necessarily six carries for twelve yards. So I mean give him five to ten more touches. I was split it up evenly three ways. Rico zeke Dalvin five to ten touches each. That's that's how I would do it.

Do you play one?

You play them every series, just alternate series, and then whoever has the hot hand in the second half, that's your guy. I'm with that, you know, like if it's Zeke and like, that's a good series for Zeke and every well, bitch because they'll say, why'd you take him out? He had the hot hand. You better figure out maybe you could come back to it, you know, I would. I would definitely give each one of them a series and then whichever looks the best out of the three series to start the game.

That's my guy the rest of the way.

And Hunter of course, Hey, by the way, Hunter, I still as much as I love his game, they still gotta do He's got to do better in the blocking game.

That's another guy that had. He had a couple of plays there it was like, come on, man, you.

Can only do so much.

Okay.

But but again that that goes back to you can't really blame any one person. If you say, I take this person and I'll change him out, the running game isn't going to get better.

It is a holistic thing.

You need a better You need better blocking from almost everybody up there, because everybody has their moments when it's just like that wasn't that wasn't what you need in order to make the successful.

I would need to go back and look at the numbers on it, but just off of vibes and feelings, it feels like they haven't lined up Hunter in fullback situations to go downhill dack.

Under not a lot they did a lot for They put him on the wings a lot.

Yeah, yeah, they did that a lot for Paula last year. And Hunter he got in there and he got dirty.

Got better.

He was a half man blocker, and but that second half of the season he was taking people on full and they're.

Not doing it this year, not doing it, which again that that gets up being the question why you know so anyway.

Lacks in the running game.

Man. I like where you guys are saying, but it's hard to think that they would actually do something like that, Like it's hard to envision like letting some one guy go first, do all of them, then take it out put somebody else in.

So it's I don't know, i'd.

Actually you can actually do what they do with the what the Lions do? Lions switch their guys out, like every play, Yeah, they'll run a guy and then they'll run another guy. I mean, just roll them just what you get.

I don't know. I don't.

It's just I see the pros and cons on both scenarios. I think they both bring different things. I think he could mess up the rhythm, but then at the same time, it's like, do you even have rhythm? So it goes into that.

It's all con. Yeah, it's all Conn right now, there's no pro.

But you know what, I just wonder how I'm curious to see because he did show these few plays last week where he shows some aggressiveness in his game that we have been used to seeing years ago, right, and then we haven't seen it yet. And then all of a sudden in that game, maybe it was the whole Darvin Cook coming up, and then maybe he's like, let me mark my territory here, and then he showed that aggression in there, which is what you want to see and what you love about him or what you're to

Really well, I'll tell you this. One of the things I loved about scored Off too.

Yeah, one of the things I saw from Zeke last week that I loved was it was really the yards after contact, right, because there were a number of runs square a couple yeah where he got hit, you know, two or three yards past the line of scrimmage, and

He just didn't get enough opportunity.

It might be the fact that number twenty actually dressed for that game that got Zeke a little motive.

Maybe maybe this came from Mike McCarthy and yesterday's press conference, he was asked about Dalvin Cook, and I think he kind of an interesting answer about the entire running back situation. He said, I thought he did a nice job. Didn't get a lot of opportunities, but it's a challenge to get multiple guys reps. Running back by committee is definitely not the preference, but we feel it's the best way to utilize these guys. We didn't have enough trips to the plate just as a whole.

Yep, did he say anything we didn't know?

I mean, I mean, I think it's interesting Mike McCarthy saying running back by committee is definitely not the preference.

Well, the bi committee in any position ever worked for the Cowboys.

Made him trade a first round pick for a while.

Exactly exactly, Well.

Running back by committee has worked in the past, long time ago.

I'll take Detroit committee of running the ball.

Yeah, I'd say, if you got the right running back.

I remember the Giants when they had Tiki Barber and what was the big guy's name, Brandon j Like that was a nice tandem. I mean, you can make running back back commedi work if you got the right running We're gonna face it this weekend, Cowboys.

Exactly exactly.

I mean. The thing about it is, though, to me, if you're going to play all three of the guys, use them alternatum every play, Just see what you got, find somebody and then and then maybe it doesn't become committee anymore. Maybe all of a sudden, Mike Mark's a play on his play sheets like, oh, that was a pretty good one. Okay, go back to that one when Zeke's in there, Go back to this one when Cook's in there, Go back with this one with Daddle. You know,

Do the same thing of switching them out on third downs?

Are okay?

This is this is where maybe the one time that I needed And maybe this is because Dalvin Cook hasn't played a lot of plays for you. I wish he would have just been aware to pick up that that pick up Bosa when Steele got beat inside. If he just turns and picks up Bosa, maybe Dak can get the ball down the field. You know, if Zeke's in there, maybe it's a little bit more awareness of don't worry about checking inside as much. I need all the help

I don't worry. I'm worried about geitting over here, you know. And you needed a hero block. You needed one of those aware hero blocks where.

He all of a sudden he's looking inside, but oh no, he peels back and he takes Bosa.

Now Dak launches it down the field.

It's a touchdown, and you go back and then Chris Collinsworth goes watch the block here by Dalvin Cook, you know, and that got the ball.

Ask you, yeah, that's that's what you needed. But maybe a lot of time on not time on task, affected you that way.

And we know.

But one thing we will say is we've seen Deep Zeke make those kind of hero block hero blocks, right, So I do think maybe the answer is Zeke or I've actually been pretty happy with Lipkey on third down too. I don't think he's been a liability for them, So I think I would probably go with one of those two guys and continue that on third down for the most part. All right, appreciate you, guys, Jones. So we're back tomorrow. We'll wrap this thing up. Get you guys

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