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Yeah, and so much for that. It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com with Ambar Garcia, Brian brought us, Patrick Walker, and Derek Eagleton.
It is Wednesday, December twentieth, twenty twenty three, Season nineteen, episode number ninety two. Welcome to the latest edition of The Break. We are live from the SWBC Mortgage Studios. At the start a day, we start getting ready for Cowboys versus Dolphins that's happening this Sunday at.
Three twenty five.
I think it's a kick in Miami, and so we'll get into this Miami offense and how it matches up versus this Dallas defense, and well we can expect a little different outcome as far as how the defense plays this week versus last week.
Got a good shot.
I want to start first, though Patrick's not with us today and usually gives assist, but Brian, I'm sure you have this information as well. I want to start with some injuries and just kind of where we're like set the table for where we are with the injuries. I want to start first with Zach Martin because he left the game noticeable absence for the Cowboys obviously, but what are we hearing about his injury and what kind of time he may or may not miss.
Well, the thing that you always worry about, because last week we talked about what Hookers situation, and they felt good about Hooker all the way up until game time, and then it was well that the ankle didn't respond fully like we thought it would. So all the things you're hearing about Zach Martin are positive. We've also, you know, on one O five three the Fan, we have the Zach Martin Show every Thursday at five, and you know,
you try and ask him questions. He's usually fourth, right, oh yeah, I'm playing in all that, and then we get to the game and then Christy Scales tells us, oh, he's inactive today, So everything is positive from that standpoint.
We'll see the practice designations and all that. These are these things with you know, with Jerry Jones was on with us at one O five three of the Fan talking about the you know what you deal with the stiffness and the blood and the you know, the bruise and all those things that you have to but all the indications were that he is getting better every day. Now let's see if that translates into Zach Martin playing
against the Miami Dolphins. I feel by by Friday, you should have a pretty good understanding of really where he's at.
What do we know about at this point. Obviously Mollie Cooker was one, as you.
Mentioned, and they thought they thought that was that one. What are we hearing now, yeah, that's that one seems to be going in the right direction as well. Uh, you know they last Thursday I was told I'm like, I asked, well, hey, what what's your concerned level of hooker? And I got these should be good to go, and then all of a sudden.
Every last minute.
That's that's the thing that bothers me. And I asked, was there a setback? And they said no, there wasn't a setback. So evidently it didn't respond how they thought it would respond, and so I felt like, you know that they missed him in that game the other day.
Nothing against jan Yer Thomas, but there were some coverage things that they had not that they had to try and you know that the Buffalo through the ball a bunch, but there was some things that they had to do with him not being on the field too to kind of combat that. So, uh that that's a but all indications that he will be available this week.
All right, Hankins, what's the it was? That?
That one was I heard a couple of games.
So I don't know the anticipation I anticipated him playing this week?
Now, man, how much?
How much did they thought the last time I heard it was his return would have been closer to like the playoffs?
Well they they initially what I was here, and now I asked the question, are we looking at a couple of games here? And that was before the Buffalo game. So my anticipation was, or my expectations where he was going to miss Buffalo in Miami and then we'll see what happens with Detroit.
Yeah, I don't think it was any guarantem high ankle spring sometimes can take six weeks.
For a guy that size too, that's a problem.
Yeah, So, I mean, you know that was I think it's even optimistic when you start talking about playoffs too, like it's just you just never know how that's gonna work out. How much did they really miss it? Like, let's start with Hooker. How much did they miss Hooker this week?
Well, it did, you know, it's with wan Ye. There's there's Buffalo didn't throw the ball. But there are things you have to play around when you don't have your starting safety in uh. And so that just that going into the game of Okay, how are we going to deal with their passing attack? And it didn't really matter, you know, but just having him back there, having that veteran player back there, you know, with some of the routes that they did run. Uh, you know it, it
kind of was. It was a little bit of a you know, when you have a starter out of the game, now you're playing wan Ya in there. Okay, now maybe you have a plan for Wanya and some other things, and so you can't do that because he's having to start the game. So when you take starters out, people don't realize the backups that go in have other roles that they have to play in the scheme. And I think that hurt them a little bit in that game.
Let's talk about justin Houston. He's a linebacker that got released by Carolina. I know, I mit saw on Twitter that you you watched a little film.
I did. I watched him yesterday.
Could he fit any role for the Cowboys?
You know, he plays as a three four outside linebacks. It's a little different than he's very much like a when we start to talk about three four, it's a stand up position. He'll occasionally put his hand down. Uh he is when you when you There were times he hasn't played since the the Houston game, which is in week nine. So I was watching tape from week one through week nine and getting ideas he doesn't have the juice he once had. He doesn't take on blocks like
he once did. When he was in Kansas City. He you know, they were running the ball at him and then you know they were able to push him aside ball going up inside on him. So as a pass rusher, you know, that was kind of his calling card. And I didn't see that that normal that you know, when you start to talk about a guy like, Okay, what's his calling card? That's his ability to rush the passer.
There were times where he was getting single blocked quite a bit in these games, and I just don't see Dallas going that round.
All right, let's we're gonna take a quick early break and then we're going to come back. We'll dive into the Miami offense and how they match up with this Cowboys defense. We'll be back Dallas, Cowboys dot Com Radio.
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Welcome back. It is the second segment of the break. We are live from SWBC Mortgage Studios. At the start of the day, we're talking Cowboys versus Dolphins. Let's dive right into this matchup, talking specifically about the Miami offense before that though presented by.
Blockchain dot Com. All right, here we go.
Let's talk about Tyreek Hill because I think for me, looking at this team, he's.
When everything starts. Well, you want to know where this game is really gonna hinge? Where is that it's on the offensive line.
Okay, go there first, all right, tell me about the offensive line.
He did, Yeah, no, no, And I want to say this because it's this is where you can win this football okay. And it's going to affect how Hill and Moster and other of these guys get opportunities in this game. Tua throwing the ball. This group is really banged up along the front. And you watch them play and it was so clear watching them play the Jets, even though they win the game thirty to nothing and all that, you know, the skill on the outside great for the
Dolphins quarterback playing at a very high level. They are masking a lot of problems they're having with this offensive line right now. And I just feel like, I just feel like that with all the moving parts that they have, Dallas has got to take advantage of this. You've got to take advantage in the running game, and then you also have to take it, excuse me, take advantage of it when they throw the football, because that's where the
Dolphins could lose this football game, in my opinion. And yet you could talk about Hill and Waddle and you know, and smite the tight end too. You could talk about all these guys, but if they can't handle you up front, that is going to be a problem for them. And I feel like Dallas has the advantage here, I really really do. And I watched the Dolphins play. They've got a couple of Liam Eichenberg is the is taken over for Connor Williams blot his knee. So now they've got
a center who's kind of banged up toe. They weren't practicing him last week. You watch him play, he struggles with any kind of movement. He struggles to kind of get to the second level. He struggles to take guys one on one. He struggles with guys that blitz on him. So they're using backup guys for here. Kendall Lamb is playing for for Jackson at tackle. Robert Jones has been out, so Robert Jones has been in for Hunt. They Robert
Hunt has been out, they've lost him. They've got all these problems right now they're dealing with and what they're often what they're what Mike McDaniel is having to do is he is trying to looks like we've seen with Dan Quinn when he's doing to try and stop the or stop running game. Mike McDaniel is trying. Now. It's the and when you hear me say this, everybody freaks out. It's the penn and pull stuff. Because they can't block.
They can't block anybody one on one. They can't physically come off the ball and get in and push you like. So they have to down block that. They have to pull guys, they have to trap guys. They have to. You're going to see some of the weirdest formations to run the football that you've ever seen in an NFL game. You know, you can see multiple a full back, a tieight end, a back, a quarterback all in the backfield together. You're going to see two backs, a tight end move.
You're going to see they have to do things in order to run the ball. Now they've got quality backs, but they have to do it because their offensive line can't hold up right now with the way it is. They just can't come off and blow somebody off the ball, and it struggles and they struggle a little bit with protection too. Tennessee got after them. The Tennessee had five sacks in the game. A couple of the sacks were
because a to will fumble the ball. The thing with two is he's not going to run away from you. He's not going to scramble away from you. So if you get pressure on him, you know you close on him, he's likely going to go down. So that's the thing for Dallas. But you clearly watch the film against the Jets, it's the quickest they've got the ball out all year long. And I have a feeling that it's gonna be the
same game plan this week against the Cowboys. I think they're gonna be scared, like, we can't get in a mode here where we let the Cowboys rush. Okay, now it turns into a running game. Can the Dolphins block you with this current configuration of their offensive line, that's going to be their their issues in this game. Well, that's gonna be the problem.
We've seen matchups where teams have had some success with quick passing games, right, is that something that Dallas? What can Dallas do to offset that? No one coming in this game? That's probably what they're gonna want to.
Just got it know to me, I am not you know I'm gonna I am going to I'm gonna take I'm gonna take the quick death here is what I'm I'm not gonna take slow death. I'm not gonna back up and let these you know, these receivers can run, Don't get me wrong. I'm gonna play these guys at press coverage though, I'm gonna make them try and win off the line, which you know you probably could put. But Tua wants to get rid of I mean, he wants to Maybe it's not gonna go with the quick game.
It goes to smite the tight it goes to one of these backs. You know, maybe you keep it away, because that's what the Jets were able to do. Yeah, they hit on a deep ball down the field. It was off of play action. They got the protection, the ball went way down the field. But overall though, I mean, the Jets were getting pressure on him, you know. And so I think with the quick game, it might mean, Okay,
they're going to throw the ball. Maybe it goes more to the backs, like say, more to the tight ends. Maybe they try and get the receivers going and some of the inside breaking routes and things like that. They're a huge run after catch team. That's their game, like fifty four to fifty five percent of their offense or run after catch is what that is. But what you have to do, though, is I think you have to disrupt their routes at the line. Don't give them the
free access. If you're going to die, die a quick death, don't die a slow death. You know, by playing off and just letting them hit balls all day on you real quick.
Going back to the O line and the issues that you mentioned. For how long like how long has it been of them dealing with.
The They've dealt with it last several weeks, the last three games, They've had some problems with this line. It's now to the point where it's like critical for them. I think this is I just feel like the Dallas has an advantage against this offensive line with the with their personnel against this offensive line, Can Dallas take advantage of that? That's going to be the biggest that's going to be the key in this football game. We could talk about Hill and Waddle and all and all these
other guys. But but if if Miami is able with this offensive line, with banged up as it is, blocks the Cowboys front, Dallas deserves to lose this football game. Dallas's off defensive line is better than what this what this Miami, this current Miami offensive line is configured right now.
When you look at this offense from the standpoint of their skill positions. We talked about it a little bit.
TI to catch off on that one.
No no, no, man, that's actually great.
Great.
It actually leads into where I'm going with this Tyreek kill. I could see a situation where Dallas may go in this game and say, Okay, cool, let's press. What I worry about is even if they don't press. What we've seen from this these cornerbacks sometimes is they can get duped and the double move can get them right and if they get time, you're not gonna If he's even with you, he's gonna leave you. Like he's got that kind of speed. How do you offset the speed of Tyreek Hill?
Whatever football God, you pray to stop praying now, well, pray pray to this that you know he's banged up. I mean that at ankle is a significant injury for him. That's a high ankle sprain that he's having to deal with right now, and that's something that you know. I mean, i'd say he's limited this guy, Okay, I'm not. It's not government secrets or anything. This is one of the most dynamic weapons in the National Football League. We all have seen this guy puts fear in the hearts of
defensive backs by the way he plays. You're terrified. You know. They get what they call three by one, they get trips, they get one. You know, they put him in that bunch. They don't let you double them. He moves around, he catches balls underneath, he goes down the field. You know he's going to go all over the field to catch the football. So you have to be ready for that. If you're going to travel with him, you have to be ready for that. He is going to line up
all the place. You try and double him, you know you're trying. And this is where you need, like guys like Hooker and others to maybe to be able to bracket guys like this. You know. But I'm not giving these guys free access. I'm just not. I'm not. I'm going to try and disrupt him at the line of scrimmage. I'm gonna try and bang them around. And if Tua wants to get the ball out, then throw it into
some and throw it into some uh contested coverage. I'm not giving two any because two is already accurate enough throwing the football he is, he's underneath at the line of scrimmage. He's almost perfect. When it's down the field though, that's when it's a little bit of a problem for him, you know, down the field, like he's I was looking at so some of the metrics on him, interceptions left hash six, you know, down the field, there's some problems
down there. He's not as accurate with some of his throws. So I'm trying to make this as much of a contested game, because if they're gonna throw quick, you might as well be in the receiver's face and make them, make them have to fight for the ball.
As good as their offense has been, there have been some games this year what teams have limited them. They remind me a little bit of the Cowboys. It's kind of feast or family, like they can really blow you up. They put up seventy on Denver, but they also had two games where they they were under two hundred yards passing, both at Philadelphia and at Kansas City.
What did those teams do so Philadelphia? Philadelphia did a great job of when the ball was out. They tackled great in that game. Philadelphia, I mean, they didn't allow any type of run after catch, it was throw guy and play. And it seemed like that every time that Philadelphia excuse me, that Miami ran motion and then we're trying to they have a design motion and then throw the ball. There was somebody in a Kelly Green Jersey
standway right there, just waiting there. I mean, they were disciplined. I mean, we've seen Philadelphia just completely fall apart in the secondary. They were outstanding in this game when it came to their coverage and then playing assignments and when receivers came into their area. But then again, the Philadelphia pass rush affected Miami. You know, Toua goes back, he's feeling these feelings, Phielings trying to get rid of the ball.
But then you got the secondary, you got coverage down there. That's the teams have been able to play with some discipline. You can't I get it. You're scared of these receivers. They are. They're scary men when the way they play for defensive back. Yeah, but I'll tell you what though, this offensive line they're having to mask things to get offense because they're not good enough.
Right now, when you mentioned that they do a lot of pinn and polls and that kind of stuff. How much does the speed of their running backs. We talk a lot about the speed of Hill, but man, they got some runners in the backfield with mostered and with hn. How much does that present a problem, especially in a situation which because of the pinn and pool kind of things like those, all you need is a quick hit and if you got a quick back, you can actually like that.
That's the thing about it. And Jets did a pretty good job of this though. When the ball was going to the inside, the Jets were the Dolphins weren't doing anything. Everything was let's try and if it's a you know, they get what they call pistol formation where they stand directly behind behind and he turns and hands the ball and then they try and get to the outside. Or they'll go they'll send misdirection, they'll send the line one way, back will counterstep, and then they come back the other
and just toss on the outside. They'll crack on the outside. That's where That's where I mean to me, this is where you have to win. You have to win on the edge. You cannot let Smite the tight end pin you inside. You can't let Cedric Wilson pin you inside. You got to know they're gonna want to run the ball. You see a tight split and it's Cedric Wilson number eleven. You're thinking, he's about to crack my ass, you know.
So I got to be ready for this. I gotta be able and see that's what hied to Micael Parsons the other day. He got cracked. He tried to spin out of it, but it's too late, balls already. So you have to play with some awareness in this game. You know, you can't, you know. And Tank's really good at this too. He understands like, Okay, that guy right there is going to it's going to block down. I mean, they're gonna pull this guy. I can read his stance
right now. Dallas has got to play with some anticipation in this game, especially the way the Dolphins run the football.
When you look at a guy like Cook, obviously I don't I don't personally think he has more skill than these backs. Yeah, that you're playing this weekend, what would give you reason to believe that Dallas can actually match up with this running game better than what they did against Cook?
Yeah?
I just I just I go back to the offensive line. You have got to win and you Dallas got penetration in a lot and several of the snaps against Buffalo the ball just bounced on him. You know, you have got to play with some discipline in this game. If you were if you were a backside defender and you're chasing the ball down inside and it bounces around the corner, and all of a sudden, it's a ten yard game
because you didn't play assignment. That's that's on the defense because you're winning on the front side, but on the backside you're not doing your job. So I I would say that that dan Quinn. This week of practice a lot of that. Hey, let's not let the thing with the Dolphins. Buffalo will bounce the ball. The Dolphins are a attack, attack and then or throw or get the ball to the outside. So you're naturally going to see
it's not a lot of bouncing going on. It's a lot of are a we're determined that we're gonna go outside and they have to do that because their line can't hold up in the running game if they have to play toe to toe with somebody.
I want to take you back to that offensive line. Where is the biggest point of failure for that offensive line that maybe Dallas can.
Expec Yeah, they they gotta, they've got to work on the center. Though they've absolutely talked about Eikenberg the center. He's a backup. And the thing we all know Connor Williams. Connor Williams was a really good athlete. So Connor Williams has got a little bit of that, uh of the of the Jason Kelsey uh kind of that that kind of you know, play with him, the ability to pull and do well. He's out, he's gone. So now they're they're there in a situation where they don't have a
second level blocker. He's imber, he can't get up on any can't sustained. And I also think Lamb, the right tackle, Kendall Lamb, those were two areas right there where I kind of saw a guy, you know, center can't get in there, and the right tackle given ground, you know, tank needs to like needs to drive because two is gonna stand there, Two is gonna try and you know he's gonna try and left hand make that throw and you know that's that's affecting him from that backside there.
So if your right tackles poured, that's that's where Micah and and and and Lawrence and these guys. They need to work that, but they also need to work the middle because if you can, if you get to it to get that where he just stands there, you can get him on the ground. He is not gonna run away from you like the quarterbacks that you've played the last couple of weeks.
All Right, we're gonna take our final break, We're gonna come back. What does some player evaluations. I'm gonna throw some names to you, guys, some particular defensive players for the Cowboys, and I want to get your thoughts not only on how they played last week, but how they're performing and what you think their role may be going into this next game that.
We come back.
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Award, Welcome Back. It is the final segment of the break. We are laughing SWBC Mortgage Studios.
At the Star.
We're gonna do a little player evaluation. I got some names I'm gonna throw at you, and I want you guys to tell me what you think of their play. Maybe last weekend we could talk a little bit about it from that game, but also just in general, where are they and what you expect from them? I guess into this game and in the coming games down the show stretch, I'll start with Mozzie Smith.
You know this one is a because I am a fan of Mozzie Smith, and I'm a fan of Mozzie Smith because I don't see a bad football player. And I know people that you know, the fan base, I get it. You know you're expecting more from Mozzie Smith. You see what Carter's doing in Philadelphia. He's a first round pick. There's a lot you know where the Cowboys are struggling with run defense, and all of a sudden, Mozzie Smith is supposed to be a run defender and
he's not helping the situation. I wish I had the opportunity to sit down and I tweeted this last night. I wish I had the opportunity to sit down with fans and watch the all twenty two of Mozzie Smith play, just so you get a little bit better of appreciation. Is Mozzie Smith perfect? No, he's absolutely not. It's been well documented. We talk about it, whether it's on this platform or on one, O, five to three of the fan on those shows. When Mozzie Smith, it's laid off
the ball. He's a terrible football player. He's laid off the ball. That's a problem. And that happens not all the time, but there were times in the Buffalo game that he was Actually when you watched him play and the way he was able to get rid of guys and and get and force the ball to balance and stuff, it was because of Mozzie Smith. Mozzie Smith played better in that game than OsO Diggi Zua played better. I mean, you played better than Carl Davis, who was in there,
a veteran player. You know, there were guys at defensive tackle that didn't play very well. Mazzie Smith. Did he play great?
No?
Absolutely not. And I'm not sitting here defending and it sounds like I'm defending Mozzie Smith. But I think if people sat down and watched him play, snap after snap after snap after snap, you would have a different appreciation for him, or you would say, Okay, I see some of those things why they drafted him. And I'm not defending him, and I'm not defending the scouting staff or
picking him. But there are times when this guy does exactly what he's supposed to do and I don't think people see that all the time, and they and it's low hanging fruit to me, and I trust me. I've dealt with all of you on Twitter. I've dealt with you. You know you can come after me at Brian brought his I know you will because you always do, you know. But I challenge you to get that all twenty two and sit down. You don't have to be a former
scout to figure this out. Go watch him play. There are things about him that you see that he's better than the guy playing next to him in those games. So that's that's my two cents about Mazie Smith. Is he is he is? He is? He is he a perfect player right now? Absolutely not, But he is not the bust that everybody thinks he is.
I think it is fair like we do get frustrated at times because we have set our own expectations of him and sometimes and that is quote unquote to be expected. When you draft a first round pick, you expect them to be the guy right away, step on that feel and not have any issues being pactful, and the reality is not everyone can do that. We see how big of a change there is between year one and year two with these guys, their bod is how much they learn,
how much they changed throughout. And to be fair, he wasn't drafted to be the main guy just yet. They hide they had signed Jonathan Hankins back on the team, and Mazzi, I think he's shown he started to show some improvement. Like Brian said, he's not perfect, and I don't think he's gonna be for what's left of the season, but I do believe that he's gonna be so much better next year. He's gonna he's gonna grow from this and be a better player and become hopefully the type
of player that the Cowboys drafted him to be. But right now, I get it, fans get mad, but it's it's early. It's early to say or call him a bust because you can't just call someone a bust on year one.
Yeah, well that's but that's the that's the world we live in. Yes, and hey, I get it, fans, I totally I understand where you're coming from. You're frustrated, your your team got gashed bad, and you're thinking, well, why do you draft a guy he's supposed to be a run to. I could deal with him not getting sacks. But but look where the ball was run. The ball wasn't if you if you if you look at the metrics, the ball I said it to you left outside ten
carries eighty two yards. That's that's not at Mizzy Smith. You know, maybe a little bit of that with Mozzie Smith and those guys are the tackles. But Mozzie Smith was not the problem in that game the other day you had it was there was a he was part of Was he the main problem?
No?
Was he part of the problem. Sure, if you want to put it on, if you want to put it on the defense for how they played, yeah, absolutely.
Let me ask you this question because I've heard a couple of people mention this, and I think it's at least a fair thought, right, is do you put blame on the defensive tackles and Mozzie being a part of that. More from a standpoint that you know, when you have these safeties playing down in the box, they cannot handle
a three hundred pounds of that guy's onto them. Are the tackles not doing enough to keep those linebackers free so they can flow to the ball and maybe that would stop some of those outside runs.
I think the fact is that you talk about keeping free free is about your ability to go run and you know, and and so what happens is you get linebackers or these safeties that are playing linebacker, maybe they need to flow a little faster when you're not. When you're a sad about recognition. Yes you're down there playing
safety or a safety and you're playing linebacker. There's different site lines that you have White guys like Sean Lee, Leighton vandersh those guys, you know why they anticipated play. They saw what The guy that can anticipate plays and sometimes it's too aggressive is Donovan Wilson. You put Donovan Wilson down there, sometimes he's overly aggressive running to the football. So sometimes you know, if you hesitate, If you hesitate
even a split second. Playing linebacker, they're gonna find a way to block you no matter who gets how you're holding up. Guys, it's not all combination blocks getting to the second level. That's not you know. You know when you play as a when you play as a one technique, you know you're sitting there holding blocks. But you play as the three, you're trying to kind of get up to fit. You're not holding blocks because they could the guard can the guard can take you, and then you
know the backside center can get up. I mean, it's there's a lot of different things. It's not all about just holding up blocks inside. It's about anticipation and seeing where the ball's going and getting to the ball. And they've had problems with that with these with these safeties playing his linebackers, it's tough for them, asking a lot for them to do in that situation.
Talking about Damone Clark.
He's he has not done as well as I thought he was gonna do. I thought that I think last year da Moone Clark. For him to come off the injury that he did and play the way that he did and come back with Layton vandersh he was clearly a better player when he you know, when he when he had with without Layton vander esh Uh. It's I think it's been a struggle for him. I think he doesn't see the I don't think he always reads the play correctly. I don't think he reached the scheme in
front of him correctly. I don't think he anticipates fast enough. He could be a guy that wins and he gets in space, he can make a tackle, he can be physical. But the problem is though he appears to play lost more than he does having the awareness of what he
needs to do in the scheme. That's an issue. You can talk about holding up blocks all day, like I was talking about, but if you don't have the anticipation to read the play, to get downhill, to make the tackle, to knife through, to be that type of a football player, you're not going to win at that level.
Yeah, he's such a talented player, but again expectations, our expectations were different in thinking that he could become a lead role. Not everyone can be at the wrong blend. Not everyone can step into a higher role where you're asking more of them and be successful at it. Sometimes there are just leading roles and you're just part of the cast supporting everybody else. And I think the only thing that I'm going back to in justifying or giving them some grace is because of all the injuries that
the defense has suffered. You talk about all the different things that you're having to ask all these other guys and having to make up for what's already missing on the field, and that's tough to do. So that's the only thing. But absolutely don't we did have even going back to last year, him coming back so quickly from the injury, him playing the way that he was playing, I think it would be fair to say that right now we would be or I was expecting to see him shine better a lot more right now.
I thought year in two, I thought year two they was going to take that jump, and it hasn't. He's actually he's actually probably in my mind, gone down a couple of notches from where he was playing.
Is any of that about health? Is there is there any.
I don't know? I mean to me, when you watch him play, he looks like a healthy player out there. I just think I think there's some things that with instinct awareness understanding. Sometimes at linebacker you have to be a good guesser. Sometimes you have to take a gamble that Okay, I'm gonna shoot this gap and it's gonna work. And I haven't seen any of that from him.
And so and I do remember, like I think all of us were very excited about I was very wished to guy, but also watching him play a college you're like, this guy is a playmaker. He can make that's exactly right, and you just haven't seen that happen yet. And uh, and I'm hopeful that that that's just a matter of he's got to get acclimated to the game. And it even goes back to the point you were making about
being able to anticipate. It's hard to expect that Bell would have that linebacker anticipation and that I that a linebacker has to have when he's never played linebacker.
He's having to learn he can run. He could run. And the one thing that Bell will do is he if he sees it, he will go. And I think with Clark Clark, there's that little bit of hesitation. You can't have that hesitation and play linebacker in this league.
I was gonna say even with Layton, it took him about maybe two years because I know he had a great first year starting out and then in the in between when shan Lee came back and all that, and he kind of lost that and you watched his name his game, and not to compare him to Sean Lee, but Shanlee was great at it with just guessing and anticipating and going for it before you know, just knowing where to go or guess where the play was going.
And you saw that a lot in Layton, so him lacking that kind of skill or trade, but then eventually he found it and he got better at it even when he was playing still, you saw him be such a such a better player within the maturity of it. It's more of just the knowledge and being out there, the amount of snaps that you're out there, the amount of time that you're out there. It comes with the years of experience and being a veteran.
All right, I got three more names for you an album and take them all in one category. Carl Davis also DIGGI Zua Neville Gallimore. I know you mentioned the title and then the defensive tackles. What were your thoughts on how they played in that game and where they can be better going into this next Yeah, the.
Problem was I thought this was OS's worst game by far there was he was not. He He didn't where he usually is winning is off the off the line, and they were They handled him very well. The blocking schemes, the combination blocks, the single blocks, they handled him in this game. He got up field a couple of times, went past to play, you know, and he wasn't able
to redirect back to get a play. Carl David started off really poor in the game, matter of fact, very for one of the first plays he's in he went to the ground. He got better the last say three or four plays that he played in the game that he had to go in there and play. There was a little bit better movement, a little bit better you talk about taking on blocks. He was able to grab a couple of guys and kind of free some guys
up running to the ball. Gallimore had to tackle along the sidelines that I remember where he got to the outside and actually chased the play, But didn't play a whole heck of a lot. I just think overall, the defensive tackle groups as a whole was nowhere where it needed to be. They to win inside this week with the configuration that the Dolphins have, if they don't they're going to probably lose this football game, but they're capable of playing well against this inside three for the Dolphins.
Yeah. I mean, if you were to give if you're going based off this game against Buffalo, there's nothing positive you can say because it was an absolute domination against them. So there's absolutely nothing that I can recall that was good. But Neville and Osa, they've shown that they can be really good, that they are talented player. Osa. I absolutely love the way he plays, and to me, I don't see that being kind of the standard of the level of play. So I don't know. I think that they're
talented player. This was a bad game, and I hope they can bounce back. Carl, I'll be honest, I haven't seen a whole lot of him, and the couple of plays that I did see where I was specifically just watching him, it didn't impress. Just looked like someone that just kind of kind of knew to being out there on the field right there with everybody else. So let's give it some time and see what they've been working on this week and see how they can.
He doesn't have the movement that Hankins has. Yeah, it's more of a stationary type of a player. You missed that with Hankins and his ability to play down the line, Davis doesn't give you.
That real quick Before we end the show, Janie Thomas, what do we see from him? He did have a more pronounced role this week, seem him.
I'll tell you what I was watching with him though. To me, there was a couple of times with the ball he's coming downhill forced the ball out of bounds. I thought he was going to be more of a physical player in this game. I think he was worried about everybody was kind of worried about Buffalo and the potential of throwing the football, But then it turned into just a running game. I thought he needed to be
more involved going downhill and making plays. And you know that that was just a kind of a little bit of a hit and miss thing for him. It wasn't that game where I thought he could have shown up and been a big presence. It just didn't work out for him that way.
The one thing I like on him and I think, and again I wouldn't be able to list everybody like the fastest player in.
The whole list quick.
He is a fast guy and I think he can bring some of that speed that maybe sometimes you're lacking on the secondary. So that's one aspect of his game that I do like, and I think he can find and take advantage of that part. But yeah, like you said, Brian, there's still a lot of stuff that he hasn't been out there that much, so you still you're seeing that happen, and it's unfair to kind of mega criticize him when he hasn't given that been given that whole amount of chance. Just yet.
All right, we appreciate you, guys. Jonas, We'll be back tomorrow. We'll wrap this thing up. I'm sorry, tomorrow. No, we'll get into the Dolphins defense defense versus the Cowboys offense.
I'm thinking it's Friday already.
I appreciate you, guys. Joan to back tomorrow for Brian brodis Nanmbergarcia. I'm Derek Eagleson. This has been The Break live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
This has been a production of Dallascowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Foot four Club.