The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
Cowboys Let's go. Are you ready for a break?
Yes?
Are you ready for a break?
Absolutely?
Ready for a break? Yeah, And so much for that.
It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com. Were with Ambar Garcia, Brian brought us, Patrick Walker and Derek Eagleton.
It is Wednesday, May twenty second, twenty twenty four, Season twenty, episode number eight.
Welcome to the latest edition of.
The Break, presented by LG. We were a live from the SWBC Mortgage studios at the starting today, we're gonna have a lot of different things we're going to talk about. We're into our position series. We are in a segment two of that. Last week we hit quarterback and that was the only position that we hit.
Today we'll hit a few more. We're going to go over to the defensive side of the ball.
Talk a little bit about the secondary safety position, the cornerback position, also the linebacker position, maybe if we can get to it, but we'll see how it goes today and see how far we get on our SWAT analysis of each of those positions.
I want to.
Start first though, OTAs, let's talk about it. Cowboys will be starting, Actually they start at the OTAs yesterday.
It will run through this.
Week and then again next week, and then they'll have their mini camp the week following, and then they'll have a little break as well. We so let's start with the OTAs. Tell me what are you watching?
What are you looking for this week?
As the Cowboys are getting started and have their full team on the field for the first time.
I think, to me, where my experience of dealing with these before is that the rookie mini camp you kind of watch them getting stances and practice, getting into stance and learning where the practice field is and all that stuff.
Now it's a little bit more and Mike McCarthy talked about a little bit about the pace of practice and things like that, and that's where I think that these rookies they're going to throw a lot at these guys initially, and then they're going to see who can sink, and who can swim, and who can sink a little bit, you know, and then they'll think, Okay, this is the way we're going to have to coach this kid. The
veterans at a great advantage here. You know, and the rookies are just trying to like their heads are going to be spinning. And so what you're going to watch for is how many And he mentioned this they had some some pre snap stuff that they had to deal with that they'll clean up. But what you're going to watch is you're going to see where are they going to put these rookies in relation to the other veteran players.
Are they running with the two's, are they running with the threes, or are they running with their own group? You know? And once it might be elevated a little.
Bit, you say their own group of time about rookies, Yeah, the other.
Yeah, like there's like the undrafted guys or the maybe the first year players or stuff like that. Maybe you know the players right now, maybe players you know, eighty three with eighty six or whatever they got on the ross. You know, the see they might be running with guys like that. And then as you see them progress, you might say, okay, now they move them up, they move them and every week you might see a guy move up every week that like, okay, we need to give
this guy more. We're seeing more, or maybe guys will stay where they're at. So what you do is you find that you find that where are the bases where they're gonna start, and then how by the time we get to break that this where they've got these guys place, and that will give you an idea of what they're thinking about doing with these guys this summer when we get the Ox start.
Yeah, I mean it's like mich McCarthy just said, they're going to have eight full installs, and you know OTA's
are going to be more so targeted towards rookies. Like Brian said, veterans are going to come in and they have an upperhand obviously, But the goal for the Cowboys is to get all of the installs and all of the playbook information put in front of these rookies and have them to the point where once OTA's is over and once mini camp is concluded, that they have everything they need to go into training camp and try their best to hit the ground running. So that's the first
part of it. Second part of it is, as Brian said, trying to see who's lining up and with what group, right, So take Cooper bb for example, or take Tyler Guitton for example. Although we believe they have an excellent chance of starting in their respective positions center and left tackle.
Maybe that doesn't happen right out of the gate. Maybe it's brock Hoffman at you know, for the first team with the first team in Dak Prescott at center and Truemaydoga, whereas with the second team with Cooper Rush slash Trey Lance. Now you're looking at Cooper BB and Tyler Guy and looking at those guys, Nathan Thomas, the seventh round pick on the defensive side, justin Rodgers, where is he playing?
Is he definitely nose tackle or are they trying to see if they can get something out of him at three take So it'll be interested in those positions as well, Kayln Carson. They're going to start him, I don't mean as a starter, but they're going to begin him on the outside. But also they want to see if he can do some flex in the nickel as well, So that'll be interesting. So that those are some things I'm really keeping Now.
Yeah, I've said this before, I'll say it again. This is to me one of the most exciting parts of this time because this is when you finally see the root. He's merging with the veterans and you get to see the visual of it, what you actually are working with now, and how does that look, even though not everyone's necessarily gonna be where they're gonna end up being at the end of by the time the season starts, but you
see everyone just merging together. And again, the Cowboys, they're really great at acclimating the players, I think that's the right word, just getting them to where you're not just throwing them in deep waters letting them drown or like swim, You're they're they're gonna be good at just letting them kind of get the system in, get the and they've been in meetings learning the books and the plays and
the scheme and all of that already. But it's just for me right now because you're not gonna get a whole lot of action. That's like training camp.
Whoa great.
But yeah, it's more of the visual of like, Okay, okay, I can work with this, or maybe, ah, crap, this is not looking visually you know, this is the time to kind of start getting the first taste of that.
Yeah. What they'll do though, too, is when this is all over with veterans and stuff, will go home or go to their wherever they stay for a little bit before drinking, and then the rooki yeah, and then the rookie stay and work.
Yeah.
So anything that they might not pick up, and some coaches will stay around maybe and help some guys out if they're here or not. They'll take a break too. But you get him into that weight program, you get him a little bit more strong or a little bit more acclimate to the quickness of the game, the strength of the game. You get him built up. But you can also teach him some stuff too along the way.
So anything that they might struggle with, you could circle back and say, Okay, we need to work with these guys on this particular thing. Like I remember with Michael Parsons, they threw him in the deep end of the pool. We talked about sink or swim, but they threw him in. There was a lot I remember dan Quinn was doing a lot of things with him right off the jump, and Mike had never seemed to bat an eye at that,
you know. So you'll see guys that do that. And that's where I could say from there'll be a base level and then there'll be a final level that you'll see before they get the ox Star.
And I'm also looking for you know, and talk about guys like Marshawn Neeland as well. You know, how quickly can he progress under a guy like Greg Ealli's former you know, Cowboys pro bowler, who's going to focus on the edge rushers While I'm trying to pronounce his.
Last name, Please don't kill me? Is the Z silent? Is it Gonina?
I believe the one we postina? There we go his demeanor. He's going to be focused more so on like the interior guys. So when Masi Smith is cleared, what does Goneina look like with coaching up Misi Smith?
What does Greg Yllis look like coaching up marshaan Eland.
But from an overall standpoint, I'm going to be looking to see what rookies specifically are seeking information versus those that are waiting to be given information. So I'm keeping eye on guys who are going up to coaches and assistant coaches and other players, Like is Marshan Nelan really gluing himself to Marcus Lawrence and staying in his hip pocket or is he just using as an example or is he waiting for a guy like greglas to come up and say, hey, this is where you can improve
or is it a combination of the two. Those guys who tend to stip and stick to the hip pocket of guys like DeMarcus Lawrence or Kaylyn Carson with Deron Bland so Georgean Lewis, those are probably the rookies who want to progress more quickly than the ones that are kind of sitting back waiting to be told what to do.
Yeah.
The one notable absence so far after yesterday and probably will be after the rest of the week Michael Parsons. He did speak to a couple people in the media. I think Michael Gelkin was one of them, James later as well, and what he talked about really was, Yeah, I'm not here this week. I'm still continuing my off season training. He does some off season training and a
lot of boxing work actually part of his regimen. But he does that and he's going to continue to do that this week, and then he'll be here.
Next week as well as the week after.
And my thought was, I don't think anybody questions Michael Parson's ability to be able to play football and prepare himself to play football. I think he plays football extremely well and so for that you have to give him the credit of he knows obviously what his body's like. My question is more on the line of being a leader. And he actually talked in the interview that he did with Michael Gelkin about this team needing his leadership and
him having to step up in that way. And Michael even asked us astuteley the question, how does it how you make those two things go together when you say you need to be a leader, but then you're also not there for everything. But my question for you guys is do you think that in any way this harms his ability to be a leadership by not being here? Again, I don't think anybody's question his ability to play football
and prepare himself to play football. But on the leadership side, do you think that in any way inhibits his ability to be a great leader for this team but not being here for everything?
Yeah, I think it does. We had this discussion on one O five to three the Fan yesterday about this and not everybody could be Dak Prescott. Not everybody could build a football field in their backyard at their home and encourage guys to s show up. He goes, I'm going to be out here working, you know, if you want to come out and work with me. I'll be happy to have you here. It's a different way of leading. I do think it hurts that. I think that people.
You know, when you're out here every day and you're working and it's a voluntary situation, everybody else is out here working as well. And so there's a lot of young guys on this team that haven't played with Michael Parsons, a lot of young defensive players that haven't played with Michael Parsons. You know, So there's You're absolutely right, there's no question about his ability to play football. I said
this yesterday. I don't think I think he talks about wanting to be a leader, but I don't think he wants to be a leader. That's just my opinion about the player. I think that he I think Michaeh Parsons has a lot of other interests. I think he has I think he wants to do things his own way. I think football is such a regimented thing for him from July through January that he realizes that, Okay, that's
my part to be regimented. But when it comes to the other things, I think he wants to go do his own thing, and I mean personally though, to be a leader, you have to show up every single day and put in the work. And he puts in the work, but he puts it in the work his way, not the organizational way or the team way of doing things. So, uh, we could talk about being a leader, but if you're not showing up, I think it's hard for you to be that leader.
I would like him to be here or have been here. Obviously we'll focus on the word voluntary.
So do voluntary right, right, But there's a lot of voluntary going on, So absolutely, I don't think that's that's even going back to what I was saying.
I would prefer that he have been here up to this point for all the reasons you said. And but I had this conversation with some colleagues a couple of weeks ago wherein the question becomes when you're talking about Michael Parsons or anyone in the National Football League leader versus elite player. Not every elite player is designed to be a leader, and not every leader is going to be an elite player. Question is what do you which
one of those does Michael Parsons fall into? And I think he falls into the former where he's an elite player, but he may never be that leader that you want. If that kind of leadership you're looking for is the Dak Prescott kind of leadership, that you're not going to get a Dak Prescott kind of leadership with Michael Parsons. I don't think that that's how he's wired. But he's
an elite player. So in that capacity, his production on the field will help motivate those younger guys and they'll learn from his techniques and he'll they'll be able to pick his brain in practices and so forth and so on. But if you're I think if you're expecting him to be at any point in his career to become that Dak Prescott type guy, I think you're kind of setting yourself up for disappointment. And for me, it's all about expectation. I want him here, I want him to be able
to be that guy. But then at a certain point, maybe he's just not and you're just gonna have to work with what it is.
I think too, I was just gonna say that to me. I think not everyone's meant to be a leader, and that's okay, and it should be okay just because you're great. Just because you're such a great football player doesn't mean that you should be forced to lead and to mentor other people. That should be a choice and we should be okay with that not being the case for someone
like him. It's totally fine. Where it becomes a problem for me and I love Michael Parson the player and everything, But where it just makes me raise an eyebrow is
more the teammate type of thing. Are you being a teammate because this is a teamwork and you should be part of the team and you should be here during this time when OTAs have started, And more so than that, after seeing certain talks that happened throughout the season last year where his teammate likeness or I don't even know the word was in question where and I'm saying, I'm saying, like, are you throwing somebody under the bus during some interviews?
Are you upset because you didn't make great plays during the game but somebody else did? But yeah, you're having a sad face round. So I'm saying, when things like that are talked about throughout the season, are you really wanting to It's up to you whether you want to be part of the team or do you want to keep playing quote unquote solo and be your own person. And for a sport like this, it does matter. It
doesn't matter what happens in the locker room. It does matter for you to start and keep on building these relationships because it does, really, it does translate on the field when you have a really good connection with your
teammates and when you don't. And I think that could and this is just me as speculating this is, but if this is the trend that's going to occur during the season, I think that could potentially lead to some undesirable things as far as like teammate teamwork environment and what happens in the locker room.
Yeah, I think he's put his coaches in a bad position right here. And and if dan Quinn was still here, his defensive coordinator and everything was still the same, I could understand being away. But the fact that you have a new defensive coordinator here and new coaches as well, you know, on the staff, and a big turnover on the defensive staff. You know, I think you being here is important for that, you know, just for your own
good for the coaches. See, it's hard for coaches to deal with players that are superstar players because you have to walk that line. You have to walk that line about like I do I say something here? Do I not say something here? You know, Mike McCarthy, of course is going to talk positively about Michael Parsons. But where but where we need to kind of focus on this is and is that Yeah, he is a great player.
But on the other end, I don't need you talking about being a leader if you're not willing to do everything to lead. That's the disconnect that I have right there. That's the problem. If I was working in the front office, I'm like, Okay, let's not ask this guy to lead. Then let's not ask him to be one of our guys that way.
And this is why I don't have so much of an issue with Ceedee Lamb not being in the building at the moment. First of all, it's two different conversations because one is up for a contract talk right now.
But also something Brian pointed out and I pointed out on Twitter a couple of days ago, there's been so much change on the defensive side of the ball that you would want Michael Parsons to be here, be present, meet these new coaches in person, granted he's been having the meetings and quote unquote he's not behind on anything.
Per Mike McCarthy.
We get all of that, but there's something to be said for you being in the building and on the field with these guys. But from a CD Lamb standpoint, other than adding a quality assist it on the offense, everything's pretty much the same, right, It's the same playbook, it's the same franchise quarterback. You got some changes up front on the offensive line, but there's nothing that Cedee Lamb is risking getting behind on because there's not been
that attrition in the coaching. There's not been that much attrition on the offensive side of the ball. You got it familiar, got back if anything, and Ezekiel Elliot in your backfield. So I think that when you're people are comparing the two things, they're making the two things seem the same, but they're not the same at all. I feel like those are two different conversations. So from the CD Lamb front, it's much easier for him to come in.
Whenever he does come in, hopefully it's stoot fourth Mini camp, but you know training camp as possibility as well. Whenever ceed Lamb does report, it's much of a greater chance that he will hit the ground running versus when Michael Parson shows up next week and now has to start kind of prepping his way to get ready for mini camp and slowly little ramp up because there's been so much change on the defense.
Also, players understand and see when when it is a contract thing, they're like, hey, you do your thing different potentially in a position like that eventually, but then when it's just by your own choice, it's more like, oh, once you finally get there, you're too good to be out here with us working.
And that's I guess that's where I was going to go with this, and I'll say this before we go to break.
Gotta get a break.
But one of the things that I think has to be factored in here is that, to me, leadership starts and ends with respect. If the people that are supposedly following this leader respect him and respects the decisions that he or she are making, then he can be a leader and he will be a leader. If not, then
everything goes away. And so the question, which I don't think any of us can necessarily answer, a lot of those guys in the locker room have to answer it is do they respect him and respect this decision of him not being here?
How do they see it?
Do they see it as guy, as you said, you're too good to be out here with us, so you don't have time to be out here with us, or do they see it as I get it, that's cool, we'll see you next week. And when you show up next week, he's ready to go and he's talking and guys are following.
If that's the.
Case, this means nothing. This week means absolutely nothing. Now if it's different. If next week he shows up and those people are looking at him, that's when I think there's a question. And that's really more for his teammates to answer, more so than even him. Is how do they perceive him? Do they respect it?
Or do they not. We're gonna take our first break.
When we come back.
We'll jump into our position analysis. We're talking about safeties when we get back. Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
Todd thought it would be secure to jog in the Cheatah Savannah. Todd believed the big cat repellent he bought online was reliable, and now Todd is trying to be faster than this cheetah that can run eighty miles per hour. But the good news is Todd has at and T five G. It is fast, reliable, and secure, and he learned the best thing to do is stop running and toss her the backpack with the beef stew At and T five G. Fast, reliable, secure, It's not complicated.
Five G requires compatable plan and device five G may not be available in your area. See att dot com Slash five G for you for details.
Cowboys fans, after that move, we've just coined the term rowdy replay.
Let's roll back the table.
Okay, there's our mascot Rowdy cheering on the boys. And now he's on his phone on his Bank of America Mobile Banking, now.
Staying on top of his finances with his virtual financial assistant Erica.
Bank of America's digital tools are so impressive. Cowboys fans just can't stop banking. Learn more at Bank of America dot com slash Can't Stop Banking every tay.
It is only available in the language.
Must download the latest version of the Noble Banking App, only available on sele like mobile devices.
Message in doat rates may Ali remember FDIC.
Welcome back into Dear doctor the show where I answer life's questions with an ice cold can of Doctor Pepper. Sheila, let's hear from our next caller.
Would you, dear doctor?
My friend supported me during a tough time.
But what's the right gift that says thanks for being the soldier.
To cry on?
Okay, this one's easy, I say, give her a delicious Doctor Pepper. Nothing says thanks good better than one of a kind soda. Yes, any Doctor Pepper flavor will do.
Now.
Just a reminder that I don't need to be a real doctor to know that Doctor Pepper is the one you deserve.
They say champions are remembered, but legends are never forgotten. United Agon Turf offers a winning lineup of John Deere equipment built to tackle any challenge on and off the field. Legendary John Deere Tractors combines residential mowers, commercial mowers, compact construction equipment, cater utility vehicles, and a full line of golf and sports turf equipment. United Agon Turf the official Agon Turf equipment suppliers.
Cowboys.
Visit United Aggonturf dot com to find a location near you.
Back to the break, Dallas Cowboys Game Time powered by Lenovo, the official gaming platform and community of the Dallas Cowboys. Sign up now for complete or to compete in the ea FC twenty four for a chance to win a VIP experience at Dallas Cowboys Training Camp qualifiers. Qualifyings began on May twenty fifth and run through the thirty first Learn more about and register at Dallas Cowboys game time dot com.
Welcome back.
We're in the second segment of the Break live from the s WBC Morri Studios at the Start, presented by LG and we're in.
We in.
This segment is brought to you by blockchain dot Com.
Let's talk about.
Our position series. We're doing what I call a SWAT analysis. Basically, we're talking about strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. If you guys remember from last week, let's talk about the safety position. You've got Mali Cooker, Donovan Wilson, Marquise Bell, Janya Thomas, is Reel mcwamu Amani Johnson.
Julius Wood.
These are names that are on the roster right now as safeties on this team. Let's start first with strengths. If you have to identify one strength of this position group, what would it be Patricklet's start with.
You versatility, and that versatility comes from Malie Hooker being able to be a true center fielder in conjunction with Donovan Wilson being able to be kind of that heat seeking missile for you, right, So he can give you some coverage, but he can also be a guy that
helps you in run defense. He can be a guy that you sent sent at the opposing quarterback and blitz packages and then you know, similarly goes for Janya Tummas, which is why in instances where jay Ron Curse was unable to take the field, Wya Thomas was able to step in and help you cover tight ends and things
like that. Now that Marquise Bell has been moved back to defensive back back to safety, he's going to give you that same kind of flexibility as well as far as cover, but he can also play forward as well. So and if you look at the size of some of these rookies, Woods being one of them, these are him specifically.
That's a massive safety.
So much so that when he was walking through mini camp and I walked up behind him from behind, he looked like a linebacker and they were like, oh no, that's the rookie safety, and I was like, wow, okay, so that guy can do some damage. So for me, it's versatility and they still have some questions to answer. Obviously, you love what won Ye Thomas was able to do in year two, Marquise Bell as well, but it's specifically
one ye at safety. He drew some high praise from Al Harris as well, but with presumably Jeron Curse not returning, I don't believe that he will. This is going to be won Ye Thomas' job going forward, and I want to see him in a starter capacity, but versatility is going to be it for me.
Physicality I think with you you talked about Wilson, Thomas, Bell, you mentioned the young kids with Johnson and Wood. These guys all tackle and they're all physical players. Where they're going to have to figure out is how can they play the back end of this And hopefully Mollie Cooker, you know, will give you a little bit of that with some depth. But when you're talking about this team,
they got some safety. These are willing to play forward and willing to tackle, and I think that's the thing that we have to kind of look at going forward here is that who is going to be the guy that plays the deep part. They've got the guys that can play underneath and handle that. But Mike Zimmer's an interchangeable guy. So those guys that play down are going to also have to be able to cover some So whoever figures that out or likely the guys that are going to be on this field.
Yeah, I agree with everything. I think that after the long drought of safeties, the lack of safeties, capable safeties, I think you still have a group that with all these guys, every single name. These are guys that have shown you different moments that they're capable and that they have something that excites you and that drive you talk about tackling that haves that that have that kind of
aggressiveness to go forward on the play. And yeah, still you know, with Donovan Wilson, I a little sad last year about it, but I still have hopes on him as far as like his play level. He didn't kind of show up to the level I expected him to, but yeah, overall a solid group.
That's the interesting thing about Donovan Wilson throughout there. I think he actually got better as the season went along. To me, I think he started earlier in the season, but I think as the season went along, we started to see more of that Donovan Wilson that we'd seen, that that that they that they wanted, that they ended up paying because I think he showed up a little later.
Talk to me about what do you think the biggest weakness is of that position group.
They need to get better at taking the ball away. We talk a lot about what Trevon Diggs can do and taking the ball away, uh dron Bland, but those are two you know, one rating NFL in exceptions leader, one former NFL interceptions leader, Jordan Lewis can take the ball away also in run defense as well, just as Christian McCaffrey. But when you look at the safeties, you had Donovan Wilson, he actually led the safety group, but with only two interceptions. Malie Hooker had only one interception
last season. Ony Ye Thomas, for all the promise that he brings, he had no interceptions, but he had opportunities. I think on two different occasions the ball hit him in the hands and he just didn't come up with it. So for me, if the Cowboys safeties can figure out how to match serve in that category with the Cowboys cornerbacks.
There will be a lethal group back there.
Who's the interchangeable guy at the other end, I mean, Elie Hooker could probably be the guy that has the best for that. I don't know if particularly if you want to put Wilson in a lot of coverage. I think jan Ye Thomas can cover. Bell to me is a little bit of a shorter guy, so I don't know how well you want to play him in coverage. We'll see with Johnson. When I was watching his tape in Woods tape, the two rookies, they seem to be guys that had some coverability. But who out of this
group besides Hooker can really cover? So that's question I'll have going through this.
Real quick on that. What are your thoughts on Mkwalme's ability.
To Yeah, that's the thing about it.
I've been waiting for him since two thousand and two, to you know, I know he was drafted in the sixth round in two thousand and one. I'm just him, nay Sean Wright. Those are a couple of guys that you know, a third round guy, a sixth round guy. You know, they look the part. But I've been waiting for both these guys to play now it seems like for three years, you know, so, yeah, is that a possibility. Sure, we'll Zimmer get something out of him that way in
the coverage aspect, I hope. But they're gonna have somebody's gonna have to step up, you know. When you're talking about coverage, they're not gonna it's just not the single high, played down in the box defense that we've seen the last several years. These guys have got to be able to play some coverage and somebody has to figure that out.
I can't find the right word, the right adjective that I'm looking for. But and it's not like consistency, because that's not really it. But I would like them to be more independent, if that makes sense, rather than consistent, Like, don't be the supportive supporter. I can't find out more you're talking about getting turnovers and things like that. Just be more of an independent player where you're the solid guy making your own plays rather than being the supportive
cast memory exactly. That's kind of what I'm trying to say. But overall, there's still room for growth in that area where they could really elevate and help elevate the defense.
But you know, it's funny you talk about turnovers. Patrick, Mike Zimmers already really kind of apologized in the way says, listen, our scheme might not be for everybody when it comes to creating turnovers. And if you're a Cowboy fan, you know, we come on here in week five and we start talking about, you know, the secondary having created turnovers. But if they're not giving up big plays and they're tackling and all that, this might be the trade off of
the new scheme. You know, Mike has already said, hey, listen, we might not create a as many turnovers as we've seen here the last several years. So that's something you know, when we talk about turnovers and as a group, that something that might not happen just because of the way they played the scheme.
Yeah.
So the interesting part about that is not getting as many turnovers has an inverse effect. It means the offense has a lot more pressure now to take seventy seventy five eight r drives to get a touchdown, whereas before you were getting short fields. That changes a lot of things, and it puts a lot of pressure on your offense. And we'll see if the offense is capable of being
able to handle that added pressure. Let's talk about opportunities, and if you remember what I was getting at here is what is an unknown right now?
What's a question mark.
For them that you think has the best potential to become an asset.
Le'll start with you, Patrick, question mark has the potential to become the best asset.
You know.
I'm going to go with I'm going to put a draw circle around Marquise Bell here because I think that Marquise's trick in the linebacker corps last year can pay
dividends for him going forward as a defensive back. Whatever any positives that he was able to take away from his time as linebacker, yeh, there was some negatives obviously, you know size and size, But I think there are some positives that he can take away that will help him, from a safety standpoint, be better at helping that group defend the run and helping the defensive backs defend the run.
And if that comes to fruition, then that goes to the overall run support that the Cowboys need or run defense that the Cowboys need desperately in twenty twenty four. So I would look for that as like an intangible I just want to see how Marquis Bell's game has changed twenty twenty two versus twenty twenty four because of what occurred in twenty twenty three.
Donovan Wilson becomes a better cover guy, that would help because he's already got the physicality for the run defense stuff. It's either him or jan Ye Thomas. I think wan Ye Thomas is really more of a complete player. I think he covers well. I think he tackles well. I think he's a physical player. That's going to be a battle for that spot right there. I really do believe that Wanya Thomas is putting on way he's work out. He looks bigger, he looks you know, who can cover.
If Donovan Wilson can cover, then that's the one thing that that will help this help this safety group a bunch. You know, Like we talked about playing better in the second half. The first half the season, he didn't play with any awareness at all. We remember the Arizona game, you know, with some of the stuff that was happening there, guy's running right by him. And think so if they find a way to get him playing more as a complete player, that will really help this group.
Yeah, with Thomas, he's the one guy that I think there's more room for growth as far as there's more ability to do more things because with Hooker Bell mcguambal, I feel like you kind of know what you got there, and that's just kind of what it is to me. Donovan Wilson, I think he still has a little bit of just kind of stepping taking the next step, but it's not too far. But Juania Thomas, he's a guy that he has the speed, he can move very fast
and easily. He has the ability, he's not afraid of tackling. He's still young. He so there's just more things that excite me that I think he can grow and develop into even a more solid player for you that can contribute even more on the defense. So that's a guy that I would say, we've.
Got to get this last break. We'll come back when we finish up. We'll finish up on the safety conversation and talk a little bit about too, what jay Ron Curse's APPSCE may mean for this position, if anything. We'll talk about that when we come BA Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
Todd thought it would be secure to jog in the Cheatah Savannah Todd believed the big Cat repellent he bought online was reliable, and now Todd is trying to be faster than this cheetah that can run eighty miles per hour. But the good news is Todd has at and T five G. It is fast, reliable and secure, and he learned the best thing to do is stop running and toss her the backpack with the beef stew at and T five G. Fast, reliable, secure, It's not complicated.
Five G requires compatible plan and device. Five G may not be available in your areas. He att dot com slash five G for you for details.
Don't put all off getting your oil change. Dallas. Take five Oil Change, a proud partner of the Cowboys, is faster than you think. There's no appointment needed and no waiting room. Yep, you hurt that correctly. Take five is so fast you don't even have to get out of your car. You can take advantage of Take five's fast, friendly and simple service at any of their locations across the Dallas area. And remember at Take five you stay
in your car because they're faster than you think. Take five the official oil change of the Dallas Cowboys.
It's the official men's skincare brand of the Dallas Cowboys, Jack Black and Right Now Cowboys fans can get fifteen percent off their seventy five dollars order plus Because every deal needs a playmaker, your order will include a free five piece skincare set and free shipping. The Jack Black Playmaker is four of Jack's favorites and a full sized intense therapy w lipball. Make a play for the Playmaker at Getjack Black dot com slash Cowboys with the code
Cowboys VIP. That's get Jack Black dot com slash Cowboys with the code Cowboys VIP.
See Champions are remembered, but legends are never forgotten. United Agon Turf offers a winning lineup of John Deere equipment built to tackle any challenge on and off the field. Legendary John Deere Tractors combines residential mowers, commercial mowers, compact construction equipments, cater utility vehicles, and a full line of golf and sports turf equipment. United Agon Turf the official
agonturf equipment supplier of the Dallas Cowboys. Visit United dagonturf dot com to find a location near you.
Back to the break, Enjoy excellent dining, boutique, shopping, and exciting events in the Star District in Frisco feature dozens of North Texas best restaurants and shops, plus a calendar full of family friendly events. There's always something to shop, dine, and do in the Star District. Visit thestardistrict dot com for more info.
Welcome back.
Final segment of the Braak Life in SWBC Mortgus two ye at the Star presented by lg We're talking about the safety position.
We got one more. No, I'm good, we got one more area that we're hitting. We got one more. The threat?
What is the biggest obstacle to this group position group's success?
Say one.
The biggest threat is there that they don't adapt to how Zimmer wants to play. If he has to mask deficiencies with their ability to cover and has to adjust. Now, coaches adjust their schemes all the time, but there's a specific way that Mike likes to play his safeties. And
if they don't get that interchangeable way. Is there one guy or there are several guys that can't that they're all just down players and none of them can cover, then that's the that's the thing I think that I would worry about.
To answer your question.
I think their biggest threat lies in a different position group. I think it's with the the interior of the defensive line. If the Cowboys cannot figure out out the interior of the defensive line, that means they're going to have troubles stopping the run. They're going to have troubles pushing the pocket, the interior of the pocket on pass plays. And if they're having trouble pushing the interior of the pocket, then that allows quarterbacks to sit there comfortably and coverage windows
begin to expand. And yet keep in mind Trevon Diggs, he'll be back, but how much grace is he going to need to get back to form things like that? So that means the safeties and the secondary overall are going to have to be that much more up to task to make sure that they're doing something. Number one, that they're stopping plays, pass breakups, tackling sound tackling. But also going back to what I said, they need to
improve upon takeaways. They would then the cruks would be on them, the onners would be on them to do more in the takeaway aspect. So the better, the defensive line plays, the less work they'll have on them from a play to play basis. But if that defensive line doesn't get worked out, then they're going to have their hands cut off for them on the play to play basis.
I would agree with just them being able to adapt to this new whole system, similar to Brian mentioned with Mike Zimmer, and I have full trust on Mike Zimmer and what he's trying to do with the defense, But remind me, it was Mike Nolan, right, So with Mike Nolan, we saw it because it can happen where players just can't get a good grip of what is happening with you.
Coach, we see that again, Coach again, You're hearing that a lot in practice. Coach, need to see that again exactly.
I think, again, I don't think that will be the case, but it could happen. So it's just the transition of the difference in scheme and how quickly are they all able to adapt to this new coach correct.
If I'm wrong.
My understanding of Mike Zimmer's system is it's not as complex as say, of Mike Nolan's.
Yeah, I don't think.
I think that's one of the big things that should make it a fairly easy transition.
Now what he's asking, that's a whole different thing of whether.
The guys are capable of maybe doing those things fit and as far as technique is concerned. But I don't think it's going to be a mental thing for them.
Well, Mary, I will.
Say this about Mike, this is my experience with him. If you're not a smart guy and you bust, he's not gonna play it. He's not and so he's going to try and disguise things. He's going to try and make looks, make muddy looks for quarterbacks and offensive coordinators to deal with. But if you if you're a guy that constantly is having problems picking up what he's trying to do, he will he will play with a lesser player, then he will play with the star that that can't
pick it up. He's just not into you're in the busts. He's just gonna he's gonna limit that thing. That thing that happened in Green Bay with they had all those guys in that playoff game running wide open that I guarantee you that is not going to happen here. He's not going to allow that to be the thing that kills this defense of guys making mistakes when it comes to mental mistakes.
And what should happen.
As far as helping players who are unfamiliar with Mike Zimmer acclimate fairly quickly. Talk about the addition of Eric Kendricks. We spoke with Kendricks a couple of times. He's already said he's doing all he can, even before OTA's before veterans and rookies got together to kind of help bring everyone up to speed on what Mike Zimmer's playbooks going
to look like. Talk about Greg Ellis, former pro bowler, but he played under Mike Zimmer, so he not only knows the temperament of Mike Zimmer can deliver that information to everyone involved, but he also understands what Zimmer is
looking for, how he wants to structure a defense. So between guys like Ellis and Kendricks, at least you have those in house guys that know and it can pull you DeMont Clark to the side, that Marveon rovshiulm to the side, can pull Marshawn Neeland to the side, or even DeMarcus Launce Michael Parsons's to say, hey, this is how Quinn was doing it, but let me tell you how Mike likes to do it, and that should help them kind of hit the ground running a little bit
better before training camp gets around.
One big question mark for me this year is what are the Cowboys going to do at safety without Jyron Curse and not so much missing Jayaron Curse the player, because I don't know if you'll have that kind of impact, but certainly from the standpoint of how they played defense for the last couple of years, they really have used three safeties as though they were starters, and now they don't have that. My assumption is that nobody's gonna necessarily
step into that role. I don't know if that's how Mike will run his defense, But what do you guys think will be the biggest difference in not having jay Ron curs as to be a part of this group.
And I don't want to be the mean guy, but his play was starting to go downhill, It really was, and you know it's effect, and maybe it was because of the fact that he had to play so many snaps hell him bell well, all those guys last year, I mean, they had to fill in. They didn't have linebackers, you know, and I'm saying that in a way of respect for the way that cursed, but at the end, he couldn't run well enough, the tackling was falling off and all that. So you know, they move on.
He moves on.
He gave you a couple of great years, he really did. He was a leader in a lot of ways. He was a guy that stood up in front of the media and told you what was going right arong. You respect a guy like that. But his play started to diminish, and you know, once you watch the tape on that,
you're like, okay, we got to move on. So I you know, we all wish him the best, but you know, like I said, I think it's one of those moves that they made in a way of knowing that his play was declining to a point that we can't play with a guy like that and have the type of defense that we want.
I mean, jern in his first couple of seasons, I mean, we saw him reach promet form under Dan Quinn. Last season, I think the injuries started to kind of take take this to take their toll. Everybody started to wear down a little bit, and then guess what, you found out when that started to happen, you start to find out that one, yeah, Thomas is a hell of a ball player, and then that means you had to start looking at
those two things happening concurrently. Whereas jay Ron he can still play football in the NFL, but maybe he's on the on the back end of his career. Whereas one Yea Thomas twenty twenty four and beyond, maybe he needs
to get that nod. And I think the Cowboys went into the offseason this offseason with that exact thought process, which is why they opted to not make an offer for jay Ron Curs, because they're looking at wan Yea Thomas and marquispell moving back to safety and saying, hey, we've got Malie Cooker lockdown on a new deal that we gave him last July. We got Donavan Wilson lockdown
on a new deal we gave him last July. We got these two young, promising, very very promising safeties, and maybe we still want to find out what if we have anything in Mukuamu before his rookie contract is up. So Jayron Curs, I do believe he can still play football in the NFL, but I just don't think he was a fit any longer for what the Cowboys have going forward.
Yeah, he was definitely declining. And I think something that you'll miss though, is that I liked about him won his fire, he's fired on the field and also being a veteran, like that experience that he has. But like you guys said, I think it was and this is just me assuming and my perception of things, nothing that I've heard actually, but visually and looking at what's going on, you can kind of tell that he was starting not
really happy being here. Like you could see those on the side conversations one on one with even Dan Quinn off to the side after game or not after right after games, but like training camp, we saw that and questions was maybe contract talks. Maybe he wasn't. He was a little bit upset that he was not getting offered
a contract after Trevon Diggs getting his. But also I noticed games where the Cowboys would win and you see everybody coming off pretty happy, and then he'd be walking one of the last ones walking and just kind of like moping a little bit. Again, this is just me assuming based on his body language, but you could tell that he was it wasn't gonna be something that was gonna him staying here. He just he didn't seem as happy as he was like a year prior.
I will say, and you bring up an excellent point, Handbar, I am curious to see who steps up and takes that vocal role in that in that safeties group. That because Malie Hooker, he can be vocal, but that's not necessarily his demeanor as far as matching what jay Ron did. Donovan is more of the quiet killer. Wan Ye has more of that energy, but he's still a young guy. Is he going to feel confident enough to be able to try to lead the room and lead the huddle?
Because there were times that jay Ron Curse would be the one leading the huddle before games to get everybody fired up. So if nothing else, you're definitely going to miss that aspect of it. So I'm curious to see if you know, him not being here creates a vacuum for someone else to step in and be that vocal leader.
If I'm accurate, I think he's still available. Point which I thought I actually thought he'd end up in Washington with so many other guys when Dan Quinn. Yeah, and that also that does say something to know that he's not there, because I think dan Quinn rated as many guys who could come in and do the things that he wanted them to be able to do there in Washington. So we'll see what happens with him. All right, We appreciate you guys joining us. We'll be back on next week.
We may have a difference the day next week. We'll give you guys some information. Tuesday might be the day that we end up doing it next week, but we'll let you guys know till then. For Patrick Walker, Brian brought us Ambergarci. I'm Derek Yielton. 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 Football Club.