Cowboys Break: Second-Guessing?

We are alive in this WBC Mortgage studios at the Star. Nick and I are joined by Dave helm and Amber Garcia. They are at their homes and we're gonna talk some Cowboys football with you guys for an hour. We're coming off the first game of the season and Cowboys lose to the Los Angeles Rams twenty to seventeen. Nick's gonna give us an idea at some point during the show of what the scene was like there. He was at that new beautiful stadium so far right now, you want

to do that quick? All right? Yep, that's very much what it sounded like like that, you know. Actually, the funny thing is I said on the show last week I think it was last week. I said that I'd been watching some college games and I that I didn't really notice the crowd not being there. Yesterday, it was very apparent to me that there was no crowd there. I don't know why, but for some reason, even the energy just feeled like it felt like it was very

very different. Dave Ember, did you guys notice the same thing? Yeah, all I hear is day's papers. Oh I'm sorry, Sorry, I'm looking through my stats. Am I bad? You have to look for stats to talk about the environment. That was good? Okay, what you got. I'm just getting my talking points ready, Derek. Okay, all right, tell you what show?

I know this. Okay, let's go jump right in. Hey, I'll just say this though about that, like, like, yeah, I saw some games earlier in the day and the Thursday night game and all that, But I mean this, if you have like a little bit of add which I maybe I have sometimes when you're not always paying attention and all of a sudden, but I was telling Dave this, when the crowd will tell you look up,

and that doesn't happen. You know, you just hear whistles and you hear the other side I mean, that's one thing they were saying they could hear the calls from the other sideline, so they got to crank up that that noise a little bit. It was kind of interesting because I thought that the NFL gave all the team's license to have crowd noise. My assumption is they decided we're good without crowd noise, and it may make sense for some teams that offensively, they're like, you know, we

don't really want a lot of crowd noise. We like to be able to just run efficiently, and we think we run best when we don't have to deal with crowd noise, even home crowd noise. Right, Yeah, I mean, but I think it was a bad product just just from listening to it. I don't know what it sounded like on TV, but I mean it was. It was pretty It was pretty excited. I thought, yep, all right, let's jump in. I did want to start the show by first going around and asking everyone what did you

think was the biggest story coming out of that game. Obviously, there were a lot of things that happened in that game even before the game began. There were things that we that we found out just as the game was about to kick off. But I want to know from you guys, what do you think was the biggest story coming out of the game. Let's start first with you Amber. I think that the biggest story for me was that

none of my questions were answered. I feel like I walked out of this game with more questions than I already had, so there. I think that overall, if you look at each spot, maybe there's not a huge area of concern that sounds terrible. There are a huge concern but I just think I just think that honestly, waking up today, I don't think the game was as bad as I thought initially. I don't feel terrible. My biggest

concern is, Okay, what happens now with the injuries. Those are big questions for me, especially at the linebacker position, and then some of the things that were happening in the defensive lining. You and I, Derek could argue all day about it, but I did not walked out of

that game pleased at all. Dave, I guess my big takeaway, and I mean, it's week one, no preseason like all that stuff is fair to say, but if you're asking me for one big takeaway, it's that after nine months of all that talk about hope and change, I saw a team that looked pretty damn similar to what we watched all last year. Like across the board, shoot special teams weren't terrible, but even special teams had a missfield goal, missed opportunity for points, costly drops by receivers, bad pass

protection at times. I thought the play calling looked pretty vanilla for the most part, and then obviously the defense pretty much all of the familiar hallmarks. Pass rush that didn't do a whole lot for the most part, linebacker player that didn't look up the snuff like. It looked a lot like last year, which is a bummer after all of the excitement and unknowns. Nick, I just thought, you know, this offense just couldn't do anything, you know, consistently.

I thought they were gonna have a little bit more firepower and and make more plays, and you know, they didn't. They were kind of they were stifled too many times and couldn't you know, extend the drives and get those extra yards on third down just to keep it going, and kept shooting themselves in the foot. I thought the offense was disappointing. Yeah, you look at this game overall, and I kind of agree with with a little bit of all of what you guys have said about that.

It actually reminded speaking of what Dave was saying, it actually reminded me of the playoff game when the Cowboys went to play the Rams in LA a few years ago, and you know, you look at how they used the mister direction, you look at how they use screens. They basically negated the pass rush at the cow that we were so excited to see the Cowboys put on display.

It really looked to me as though, you know, I think there's a lot being made during this during training camp of you know, being secretive and keeping stuff behind closed doors because you know, you didn't want stuff out there. But the Cowboys look to be way more surprised by an offense with the Rams. And by the way, this is an offense that they've had on display for the last couple of years. But the Cowboys look way more shell shocked defensively than I think the Rams. Did you

guys agree with that? Yeah, I mean I do agree. I woke up this morning and literally the first thing I thought when my eyes opened, I'm like, the first thought that came to my mind was like McCarthy, seriously, all this secretive, all this hiding for what what you do with that? Nothing? But this is another year of the cowboys. Here we go. Oh, Age, No, your tolerance for this is just so low, and I appreciate it. I really do think that I was most shocked by that,

and that to me. I actually the one of the things I was looking forward to was as much as McCarthy talked about how you know, he spent this year away and he's really been studying the NFL and studying teams, I expected that, if nothing else, they would come in with this really unique game plan and unique way that they were going to attack the RAMS. And like you said, David, it felt to me, again they could have had a really different game plan, but it felt like it was

much of the same stuff that they'd been doing. And maybe part of that is that your offensive coordinator at least still the same guy. It's still the same guy calling the play at the end of the day. Yeah, let's it does kind of strike a blow for Oh, I'm sorry, it just it strikes a blow for the philosophy that, you know, the fun wild offense we saw the first three weeks of the Year. Last year was all Kellen Moore and then Jason Garrett just just stomped

all the creativity out of him. Because Jason Garrett's not here, and that looked like, you know, weeks four to seventeen like that. I mean, and they had their moments, and when you're that talented, you're gonna have your moments. Zeke Elliott looked amazing last night. That's probably the biggest bright spot of the entire game. But I just thought they were boring and contrast that with some of the stuff

the Rams were doing. Yeah, it was a bummer. Let's talk a little bit about the injuries that I think is again Amber alluded to it, but I think that's a big story coming out of that game. You lose Layton vander Esh, you lose Blake Jarwin, you lose Cam Irving. I guess first, Nick, you were on the trip. Have you heard anything more about what those injuries are and how long each of those players will be out? Yeah.

I'm not sure I'm supposed to say this, but on the tenor on the seating chart going out, there was three spots kind of in front of us that said injured player, injured player, injured player, and like nobody was sitting in that. It just like three spots. Well, Blake Jarwin was sitting in that on the way back, and I think Irving was as well, and so I think, yeah, I mean, it sounds like Blake Jarwin has a torn acl That's what I mean, that's what the fear is.

That's what that's what it sounds like, and that it's and I don't think the MRI has come in just yet to confirm that, but that's kind of what the speculation is there. Um and and then just quickly, I mean Layton vander esh it looks like broken collar bone. They can do a couple of different things there. Either gonna be like four to six or six to eight maybe, but he's gonna be out a little bit. And then Irving, I'm not really sure on that one. On Cam Irving

just yet? Is it there are more than that? That's the three? That No, that's the three. And actually, to be honest with you, I was I am actually pleasantly. I don't want to say surprised, but I'm actually happy with what we heard about LV because my first thought was, Oh,

we're back to the neck injury. Oh yeah, and and so when it ended up that it was a broken collar bone, to me, that was that was somewhat of a relief because I just if it was the neck again, that's when I start worrying about, like what does this mean for his long term uh, not only just playing career, but what does this mean for his life? Right? I mean, it's just I'm glad that it's something like that. That is a very like it is a bone. It is broken, right,

you have to do what you gotta do to heal it. Right, Yeah, I mean you're right, it's not the same, but it's kind of like it's like Sean Lee, did he ever had the same injury? Just had one every year? You know? So it's like, I hope you're not getting down that road with him, But it's happening a linebacker. I mean,

just start thinking about that, you know. And also to Dave and Amber on this one, But the sad part is is that they were thinn at tight end already and then he gets and then he gets her thinnet linebacker, thinnet right tackle. So it didn't help that these were happening the positions already in question. Dave, Yeah, I mean, you're absolutely right, is you know those were the problem spots.

I think, you know, I don't think anybody expected Terrence Steele to be the starter, which you know didn't didn't sink the game. But again, like you're you're drastically thin there, you lose I guess we thought cam Irving would be the starter, but you lose your primary backup instead. And then yeah, I mean linebacker, you still got a minimum of two weeks until Sean Lee is available. That looks scary based on what we saw, man, I mean, I don't want to overreact to one week, but that was

disheartening to say the least. Jalen Smith's performance. I thought Joe Thomas seemed like he was fine, but I mean the Rams ran for one hundred and fifty yards. And then I don't know what you do about tight end because Dalton Schultz kind of I mean, he got an opportunity to step up. I mean, Blake went down in the second quarter, so you have two and a half quarters to step up, and the early returns on that are not great. Two pretty big drops and a pass

interference pum Sean mccun. Sean mckun wasn't active for this game, so we didn't get to see him, so and and Blake Bell played eight snaps um, which I didn't expect him to have a huge role, But that's a pretty low number for me. So, I mean, I don't I don't know what you do about tight end. If if Blake Jarwin is on a is gone for the season, Cole Hiccottini's on the practice squad, I don't know if

that is good enough to inspire confidence. Um. That's that's That's one of the most disheartening things to come out of this is that we got to watch one catch from Blake Jarwin this year. Yeah, I hate it for for Blake, but I think what's happening at linebacker is a much bigger issue for this team because as I

watched those linebackers play last night, they weren't diagnosing plays well. When, especially when you got a team that does a lot of misdirection and screens, you want your linebackers being able to diagnose when they see those offensive linemen pulling. You want them to be able to diagnose that quickly and then be able to run to get there to support.

And they were slow and recognizing it. They were often in an out of position and then they couldn't get off blocks and they didn't have the speed to get to the ball, and especially that first drive, if you go back and watch that, it was a horrible drive for the linebackers. And I just I look at that all around, and I'm really concerned. Now you've got two guys right now that looks like we'll be injured for a while with Sean Lee and Layton vander esh Jalen

Smith didn't play great. At this point, I'm like, maybe get those young linebackers and put them in there and let them play. Maybe they can run, maybe they can have better instincts. I don't know, but I just think right now the Cowboys are struggling at the linebacker position. Let's put tack our first break when we come back. I want to get into the segment we're gonna call

moments that mattered. We'll do it every Monday. I'm gonna lay out some of the moments that I thought were important in the game, and we'll talk about them and see what you guys think that when we come right back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. We're back in the tasty treat that's sweeping airwaves and taste buds. It's new Doctor Peppery Creeps soda. Let's take a listen, Doctor bad and cream soda? Is he a Newcombonet's Music to My ears? Okay? Doctor Batime, poll in a glass Music

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You are why we fly back to the Break. Welcome back. We're in the second segment of The Break from the s WBC Mortgage studios. At the start, David Amber joining us from their homes. We're talking about the Cowboys lost. They loose to the Los Angeles Rams to start the season twenty seventeen. Let's get into this segment. We call Moments, set and Matter. I have four moments in the game that I thought were big moments for this team and kind of dictated what happened ultimately in the Cowboys loss.

Let's start first. With three fifty eight left in the third quarter. It was third and seven at the Rams thirty. Goff backs up to pass. He throws the ball. He's throwing it to Jefferson's intercepted by Cheeto. The pressure on that play was created by Alden Smith, who forced that bad throw which created the opportunity for Cheeto to be able to get the interception. Obviously, on that play, as everybody saw in the replay, it was clearly a penalty.

Should have been a personal file against Alden Smith. But I really set this up to talk about it from the standpoint of Alden Smith and how he played. Nick, tell me, what were your thoughts on Aldon Smith? Yet? Six? I mean sorry tackles, one sack, two quarterback hits. Well, I thought he was a different snaker throughout the game. There was a play that if the Cowboys had had one,

would have been one of those five. Don't forget about he made a nice tackle behind the line of scrimmage that led to a field goal that was missed by the Rams. Early in the game. I thought he kind of turned the game around when it wasn't looking good early. I thought he just had really good pressure. It was nice to see one of those pass rushers to get pressure. Like I said, Nan, I guess talking about pressure, Dave, why why do you think the Cowboys weren't able to

generate much pressure? We saw all throughout training camp that the one thing that this defense seemed like they could do really well was get after the passer. They didn't seem to do that very much last night. Honestly, you know, I mean, I know you're asking me about the defense, but it makes me think about the Cowboys offense. I think, not to let anybody off the hook, but I think a big part of it is the Rams did not give the Cowboys a ton of opportunities to do that

you mentioned at the beginning. I mean, how many how many middle screens, receiver screens did we see? You know, I saw it last night. The Rams social team made a super cut of Robert Woods's six catches for one hundred and five yards. Six catches for one hundred and five yards. Four of them happened within ten yards of the line of scrimmage, and three of them were behind

the line of scrimmage. Jared Goff was getting the ball out fast as hell and Obviously, the Rams were concerned about negating that pass rush, which the reason I bring up the Cowboys offenses, why don't they do that? You got a rookie right tackle, and like I said, I thought Terren Steele held up pretty well for his first NFL game. But you didn't see that type of play calling or decision making from the Cowboys recognizing that, hey, there's a game wrecking defensive tackle over there and your

line is a little compromised. I would have loved to have seen some more of that built into the offense where you're not asking Dak to drop back that way. So, like I said, the pass rush needs to be better, but a lot of that was by design, I think

on the Rams part. Yeah, it's interesting, Dave, because a good amber I was gonna say, I mean, it's very concerning to me the fact that the best defensive player was a guy that hasn't been playing for like what it was in five years, So that is very concerning. I was. I mean, I was expecting good things from

Aldon Smith. He had a great camp, but at the same time you talked about all this other talent that's there in the line, and they weren't able to play up to the expectations once again, and many many issues there. And when you talk about the Rams, I think we saw it last week when we were analyzing the Rams. I don't think this is the best team that they're going to be facing here in the first weeks of

the season. So again, when you compared the Rams and what they got their talent wise, I don't think the Cowboys should have played the way that they did. Let's go ahead and move on to that next moment. It was twelve to twenty six left in the fourth quarter. This time it's third and six at the Ram fourteen. You had a run by Zeke for three yards, and and it's fourth and three. Cowboys decide instead of kicking the field goal that they're going to throw the pass.

They throw a pass to Ceedee Lamb on a crossing route. He has tackled short of the first down marker turnover on downs. My first question for you guys is the big question I think most fans are talking about today. Do we think it was a good decision for the Cowboys to forego the field goal up to attempt in favor of trying to get the first down. Let's start with you Nick. Yes, I think it was a good decision, and it's a question you have to ask yourself before

the result. I mean sometimes that that happens like that playing and simple for me, Dallas wasn't the better team last night. I thought the Rams were better. I think everyone could see that. I think the coach could see that. And you get to a point in the game where you're like, Okay, we could try to we could tie this up and all that, but we need to go take the lead. We need to put the pressure on them.

I don't know if we can stop them. I think they thought they had a good call there and let the guy go make a play and you know he ran it too short and and you know, maybe it was his fault or someone else's. But I like the aggressiveness. I think that that's the type of coach McCarthy's going to be in the sixteen game season. I think fans are gonna like that aggressiveness more than the is showed in that particular moment. I don't have a problem with

the call Camber. I like the call. I don't like the play that they decided to go with on fourth and third. I think I would have chosen to probably run the ball, especially when Zeke was the one that has been carrying the offense pretty much throughout the game. And I get it that Ceedee Lamb, We've seen the amazing talent that he has, but when it comes to a fourth down call me personally, I would try to rely on a veteran guy and not a rookie. And I think that there's a little blame on both sides.

Maybe it was a good call and just Ceedee Lamb didn't make the right turn and get in the right position that he needed to do. But all in all, good call, bad played decision, I think, Dave. I'm I'm so happy that me and Nick are on the same side of a philosophy question because I feel like that's where we typically butt heads. But I liked it. I mean, yeah, I mean the play didn't work. I thought, Dalton, you know, they ran a mesh concept with two receivers go in

opposite ways. I thought, Dalton Schultz probably could have run his route deeper to draw defenders away. Ceedee Lamb, obviously, maybe run your route to the sticks next time. Also, I mean, Jordan Fuller made a hell of a play for that matter, Like as we always say, like the other guys get paid too. Jordan Fuller awesome play on his part. That happens sometimes. But I thought, you know,

the Cowboys were outplayed. It's one thing if you really trust your defense and you want to play that game and kick a fuel goal and you think you can stop him, that's fine. I don't think anybody felt confident about that. I love the idea of going to get the touchdown, taking the lead, and dictating the last eight nine minutes of the game. We talk about how the pass rush couldn't generate pressure because of the way the

Rams were playing. That's a way to fix that is to take a you know, a four point lead that takes the Rams out of the field goal game and and sort of helps them play into your hands a little bit. I loved it, and for that matter, something we always hated about the way Jason Garrett did things. In Jason Garrett's era, they would have run the play on third down, see what they got, and decided what to do from there. They probably would have burned a

time out discussing it. Jason Garrett would have looked really angry. But and I don't know this. We can talk to Kellen Moore about it later today. From my vantage point, it looked like Kellen Moore saw a favorable look in the box and said, all right, let's see what Zeke can do on this third and six, and we're gonna go. We're gonna go on fourth down no matter what happens unless they lose yards. And and we're thinking two plays ahead.

That's something that they never did under Garrett. Absolutely were, they were thinking a play ahead, which they never did before. It didn't work. But I love the aggressiveness of it. You know, people that are mad about it, basically you're just saying you only want to go for it if you're in no man's land. It's not Jason Garrett did not true at all. No, I want to hear it. I want to hear your part. Well, no, here's the deal.

Here's the deal I think. And first of all, I'm not one of those people that was on Jason Garrett about those kinds of decisions. I tend to be more conservative when it comes to games like that. A very very close game. You got teams in my opinion, that were pretty evenly matched. I know, as we were looking at it, we're thinking of cowboys the defense playing horrible offense can't get it done. But this was a close game.

These teams were evenly matched, and in a game like that, to me, you give your chance, your team every chance to win, and you give your team every chance to stay in the game. And I look at just the previous series before that Cowboys stalled on the RAM fifteen. I think it was where they had the same thing, had two incompletions and end up having to kick a

field goal. And my thought is what gave him confidence in that moment after just on the previous drive you had two get in completions to finish it off to where you had to kick the field goal. What made you think on this drive, all of a sudden, you're now going to get that first down and keep your drive alive. I hadn't seen a lot of consistency from this offense throughout the day. I didn't have very much confidence. My thought is you do what you're gonna do on

third down. I love the play call. By the way, on fourth down, I think the idea was right. I think you were trying to get that rub to where to where you could get this guy free. And by the way, if he gets free. Oh my god, he's probably may get to the end zone, who knows. But so I love the play call. I think they should have done that on third down. And then if you get the first down, great, If you don't, you take the points. You live to fight another day and you

still are in this game, right. I think at twenty to seventeen, as we saw it, like it just there wasn't enough there. I didn't think you were gonna necessarily just drive right back down and get right back into position if you didn't get it, I think you needed those three points. Yeah, but I just think to just to make just to say when you said, who's you know, why did he think that? Why did he think that was going to happen? You know when the previous you know,

possession on offense. But you could also make the case, well, you know, what makes them think that they're gonna get the ball back of the game tied and their kicker is gonna make a lung field goal? You know? I mean, like, not only did he did he miss the kick, it seemed like he was kind of getting close to those uprights and some of the other ones as well. So I don't know how confident they were The one thing I will say though, and I think we've all noticed

this during training camp. Sirline has been pretty money during training camp. The one area he hasn't been is fifty plus. So that fifty three miss, I don't put that on him. It is what it is. You miss fifty three yards, it's fine, Like that is not a huge deal. So I think you're you're playing. You're playing to get yourself into at least a forty six, forty seven or less, is the way I look at it. I'm not unless I absolutely have to. I'm not necessarily lying on him

to kick fifty plus yard field goals. But again, I just feel like at that point they had a better opportunity take your three points, tie up the game, and let's see where it goes from that second down. How about that? I mean, he fired that ball in his shouts and he dropped it. I mean it was a tough catch, but it was There's so many moments in that game where Schultz's name came up and it wasn't positive.

I mean, it's just it's kind of amazing that that that's kind of where they were, but the fact that they felt like he was the best option to come in after you know, Jarwin goes down. Does make me wonder a bit like what's happening with Blake Bell they, I mean, they went out and signed him as a free agent. My expectation was he was the second tight end on this team, but it does not look like that from what we've seen. It's going to answer that

first day. Blake Bell is not that guy. I mean, he's never He's really never been receiving tight end in his entire career. Granted, I know Dalton Schultz has done much of anything. Hey either, I know that, but I mean that that's Blake Bell. I don't think was brought here to be a viable part of the passing game, not on a regular basis At this point, do you

think they have to? And I honestly, unless they are sold that Cole Hiccottini can do it, then I don't know that they that they might have to go look somewhere else. You know, people are tweeting me about Delaney Walker or trading for David Joku. I don't know. I mean, he's on the practice squad. He seemed to have a decent camp. But if that's not the answer, then I don't think the answers on the team right now, honestly, and that's you know, obviously we're already getting sarcastic tweets

about what we saw at training camp. I stand by what I said. Dalton Schultz had a really solid training camp. But the thing you got to remember is every year at training camp, somebody looks good in practice and wilts when the lights come on in the preseason. The differences, we didn't have a preseason, so not all of them, I mean, not all of these guys were going to be ready when the lights came on, and it's one week.

But like I said, I mean Dalton Schultz, he had a built in opportunity to make his case when Blake went down and it didn't happen for him, and I don't think they can get away with letting that be for too many more games. Let's go ahead and take our chefs. I was. I was just gonna say, I'm no scout and I barely know any football, but based on everything that I've seen from Schultz, I have not seen a single thing that makes me want to keep

him on the team. And I know that he had a second good half of training camp, but at the same time, not enough for him to earn that second spot right behind Blake Jarwin. He just he has not done enough to be a guy that you can be relying on, and he clearly showed that. And I know, maybe it's not fair to say because again, like Dy've mentioned that haven't had preseason games and sometimes it takes

guys a few games to kind of get going. But at the same time, there is no way that the Cowboys can keep going to this second week just relying on this guy. All Right, We're gonna take our final break when we come back. We have a couple more moments from that game than we gotta talk about when we come right back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio since eighteen sixty five. Stetson Hats are American maid with pride right here in Texas, and Stetson is proud

to be on the field with America's team. Want to show your Texas and team pride too, You can by purchasing your own stetson. You can look just like how the flag guys do on field at every home game. Stetson hats the official crown of all self respecting Cowboys and your favorite football team. Get yours today at Shop Dallas Cowboys dot com or at Stetson dot com. I'm

Jay Novachek, former tight end for the Dallas Cowboys. Back in the day, I was the guy who always got the tough yards, and that's why I run with John Deer today. In fact, I have a John Dear three zero twenty five E tractor that can handle any yardwork I need to do, even the tough yards way out back. So if you have one acre or a thousand, John Deer has the equipment that's just right for you. Visit a John Deer dealer today and run with us. We

are the official tractor provider of your Dallas Cowboys. I want to use what the pros use. How about the official men's skincare brand of the Dallas Cowboys, Jack Black. Right now you can get the Jack Black Starter, a curated collection of Cowboys locker room favorites, for just ten bucks with free shipping. The starter includes four Jack Clack skincare favorites, plus a full sized and tense therapy lip bomb. Go to get Jack Black dot com slash Cowboys and

use the code word team JB. That's get Jack Black dot com slash Cowboys, the Jack Black Starter ten bucks free shipping. We're backing the Tasty treat that's sweeping airwaves and taste buds. It's new Doctor Pepper and cream Soda. Let's take a listen, Doctor Baba cream sodas he a Newcombonut's music to My Ears? Okay, Doctor bad Time pass Music to My Ears and mouse new Doctor Pepper and Cream Soda. What delas just do? Back back to the break, Welcome back. It is the final segment of the show.

It's a Monday, for sure. It's definitely a Monday, and it's definitely a Monday after a late game, and it feels a little bit like it's a loss. So I think it's it's kind of feeling like football season is here because the energy is a little a little bit weird today. But we're gonna power through that and by tomorrow we're gonna be back and ready to get you

guys ready for the next game, Cowboys versus Falcons. But we do have a couple more moments from this game that I think we need to go through because I think they were important to the game. It was five fourteen left in the fourth quarter h third and fifteen at the Dallas seventeen Cowboys tried to throw our Dak tried to throw a pass to a Mari. It would have been a seven yard game. He kind of grasped it for a moment and then Jalen Ramsey put a big hit on him and he let go of the ball.

My question for you guys is do you have fault with a Mari over that or is that just one of those plays where Jayleen just made it. I mean, jay Ramsey just made a great play. Kellen Moore, I have a problem with Kellen Moore on that play. Okay, Jalen Ramsey's covering Michael Gallop. Why are they right there? Spread the field a little bit. He comes off of Michael Gallup, he's running, He's there's too close. If it Gallup needs to clear or get out of the way.

Get Jalen Ramsey out of the way because he comes off of that and makes that hit on him. Yeah, catch the ball, Mary Cooper, that's what twenty million dollars a year is supposed to be. But at the same time, get the All Pro one hundred million dollars cornerback out of the picture. And I thought that was a kind of a bad play design by them, Camber, I think

it's a combination of both. Honestly, Amari Cooper, that wasn't the only play where he just didn't seem to be doing what he's supposed to do as a receiver in with his hands. He there were several locations where you just felt like he didn't want to catch the ball or something. Again, I might be the road game theme maybe come back again this year. We'll see, but he just needs to play better as far as that. Dak Prescott, Honestly,

I thought he had a pretty nice game. I know that a lot of people are criticizing him in this game, but I thought he did a nice job based on what he had and what could do. I think that play was more on Amari Cooper. Yeah, for reference dec Head, he was twenty five or thirty nine, two hundred and sixty six yards a touchdown, no interceptions, and then had a thirty yards rushing All in all, a pretty pretty good day for Dak Prescott. Dave, did you find fault

with Cooper on not catching that ball? Yeah? I remember being shocked last night when I said I found fault with it, and you were kind of like I don't know. Jalen Ramsey's pretty good. I'm like, I'm no, twenty million dollars. It hits you in both hands. You gotta you have to make that play. And I know it's hard, that's I mean, it's the NFL. It's always gonna be hard. You have And look, I mean, everybody knows I'm the

Dak apologist. That's fine. But that drop, the bizarre sequence where Amari was running across and the ball hit him on the thigh and he like looked surprised that the ball was there, very weird. And then we already brought up Schultz. But I mean two or two or three players that could have extended drives and helped that third down number that Dak just didn't didn't get as much help as he could have. That's for sure. You brought

up that third down number. Dak was one of seven on third downs, not a great number, um and then obviously on the final drive of the game, he couldn't get his team down there to to score to win. Are you guys at all concerned that maybe this is what we were seeing last year? The Cowboys behind Dak just good enough to be in the game, not good enough to get the win. Yeah, it's concerning the clutch. The clutchness, that's a word, is not there um like

it should be, and we just haven't seen it. We haven't seen them beat teams that are good teams, and we haven't seen him come back at all in the second half. So that's that's a that's or you know, it's it's a concerning trend. It's early. I mean, this is early in the season. They're a close game, a couple of plays here and there, but like Dave and Amber both said, it was like like we've seen last year, and that's that's what we're supposed to see. A bunch

of big changes. We really didn't the final moment that I did want to talk about, Dave gs, I'm on that Wait can I can? I I'd have to rebut there because yeah, I mean, I'm and hey, they didn't get it done. They lost. I get it, and and there's a lot of blame to go around. Dack certainly wasn't perfect, but I saw clutch moments. I saw a hell of a gutsy, freaking run on a third and eleven to put the ball near the marker. I saw him hit Michael gallop and stride for forty seven yards

on a throw that would have changed the game. We're getting there, we can argue about I know we're gonna get I mean, the throw was the throw was freaking money. Yeah, it was time. I consider that clutch I and I, like I said, you know, if if if, ifs and butts and all that fun stuff didn't win the game. But I thought Dak Prescott played a hell of a game and didn't get as much help as he could have.

I mean, I saw the same things as last year in the sense that the offense was nowhere near as innovative as I think it could be with the amount of talent that they have, and the guys around Dak didn't help him as much as they could have. Amari Cooper two plays that could have been made to extend drives, Dalton Schultz miscues in the red zone killing touchdown chances. But I have a hard time putting most of it on Dak Prescott. That's for sure. You alluded to it.

And I want to get to this final moment that I thought was pretty much the game. If you want to wrap up the game, it was the game. It was the moment that probably would have turned this game. Thirty one seconds left in the game. It was third and ten from the Dallas thirty four. Doesn't look great, obviously, that's pretty bleak. But Cowboys or Dak Prescott throws the ball deep to Michael Gallop forty seven yards would have

been the completion down to the Dallas nineteen. Here goes fly offensive pass interference against Michael Galloped A big question. Do you agree with the call? Let's start with you Amber. I know a lot of people are disagreeing heavily, but I honestly I'm okay with it. I think that when the guy, from my understanding, when the receiver fully extend that arm, that causes for the ref to bring attention

to it, and usually it gets called that way. I think that it should not have depended on that specific play. I hate when games get to the point, and I know that's part of football. It all can come down to one single play. But at the same time, the Cowboys should not have been in that position to begin with. And many people want to start nominating this guy for an Oscar and all that, but hey, that's another part

of the game, you say. I know it's not soccer, but Hey, if you gotta do what you gotta do to play it up and fake more if you want and cause a scene to get what you need you're trying to get as far as the game. But all in all, I just think the play the call. I don't disagree fully, but at the same time, I just don't think you should have depended all in that single play.

Dave you agree with the call by the strict by the strict letter of the law, it was probably the right call because, in my personal opinion, the game moves so fast. NFL referees have touchstones that they look for. You can the dead thing in Green Bay is a perfect example. By the strict letter of the law, the ball moves when he hits the ground, he doesn't have control going to the ground. They call it an incompletion. By the strict letter of the law. It's probably right,

but it's Bogan. So the NFL sees the arm fully extended, and that's what they look for. They say, oh, his elbow is all the way extended. That's a push off. That's a flag. But really, with thirty seconds to play, all pro corn back against eleven yard receiver, like nobody wants to see Lebron win the game at the free throw line. We want to see plays, we want to see fun stuff and the balls on the nineteen Cowboys

have a time out. By no means is it a guarantee that they're gonna win or even tie the game from that distance. Like, there's still plenty to play for. So it's not like the penalty completely swings the game. You just gotta let football players play football in that instance. But by the strict letter of the law, I don't have a problem with it. I just think learned to know the situation referee. After the after that play, I got a bunch of text messages and I got I

got all three of them. I got dog, horse, and chicken. Huh yeah, all of them. And I was not huh uh oh no, no, yeah, bull not dog, Sorry, okay, wow yeah bullick in horse Okay. And I you know, and I think, you know, since it was gallup, I think it was closer to horse. I think, I mean, I know, a terrible joke there, But I do think it was a very bad call. At the time I thought it was. I thought it was a bad call.

I thought Jalen sold it well. But let me ask you this next week, that same situation and Julio Jones and Anthony Brown are running down the sideline, do you think that call is thrown that way? I just think it was a reputation, Like Michael Gallup cannot do this to Jalen Ramsey. I honestly, but I personally don't believe in football rests get into that. I think that's a basketball thing. I do think you gets you get calls based upon your reputation in the NBA. I don't think

that happens in football as much. That's my personal opinion. I honestly think next, and here's where I thought you were going with that, is if next week that exact same situation plays out and Julio is there with Anthony Brown and his arm is fully extended, how many of the people that are saying that call should not have been made last night are gonna say, yeah, good job, ref his arm was extended. I think we all agree or should agree that, according as Dave says, according to

the letter of law, it was appenally. Now, whether you want to call it in that situation, I can see that that may be one of those things where it's so it's so, it's so light of an infraction that you don't let the game hinge on that. And to me, the game hinged on that, And so maybe you don't make yourself a part of the game in that way if you're the referee making that call. But it's hard for me to say that it was a bad call. That was the right call. It just the question is

whether he should have made it or not. In my opinion, I've seen worse, which he shouldn't have. Yeah, I just I've seen I've seen worse, and I just think it's a situation where, you know, defenders do a lot, you know, a lot worse to get the call, But on offense, it's like any kind of push or anything like that. I think they're calling that a lot more now, you know. Then it's kind of like the block charge in basketball.

You know, it just seems like it's a lot easier now to get a charge than a block call because everyone's kind of looking for it now. So I don't know, I don't know this rule I asked you this before, or is PI not challengeable anymore? I know it would have to be a booth review, But did they get rid of that? I didn't see it at all yesterday. There's been a thousand rule changes. I don't know if that was one of them. Yeah. I didn't see any calls in the football I watched yesterday of an offensive,

a challenge or whatever. But it would have been nice to look at it because then you would have seen Jalen Ramsey kind of it would have been Booth review anyway, right, booth review. But at least you see that he's acting. But I don't think in that instance. Again, I don't think they changed the call because although we think he was acting, the fact is he extended his arm and the player went back. Now it was acting, we all get it, but that's still gonna be. I don't think

that's what you're gonna overturn now. I think I can make a decision whether you want to make the call. I don't think you overturn it based on that. When did Michael Gallery gets picked up on review? Yeah? Yeah, I agree, But I just didn't realize gallup and hit the weight rooms like that. Geez all right, guys man, we appreciate you joining us today. It's been a it's been a rough first first week. We're gonna get together tomorrow. We'll be back on the air at eleven thirty, and

we're gonna start moving forward. We're gonna get some big picture looks at this team. We're gonna re redo our our segment that we did last Friday of I know, I think and I have no idea. We're gonna talk a little bit about those things. We'll bring some of the ones we had from last week up and see if there's any clarity in some of those, but also we'll give you some new ones, some fresh ones give you a bigger perspective look at this team as we

get ready for Cowboys versus Falcon. So then for Nick Even, Dave Hellman, Amber Garcia, I am Derek Eagleton. This has been The Break live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.