Cowboys Break: Toughest Game Yet?

Break Life from the s WBC Mortgage Studios. At the start, before I give Nick a chance to give us a seventy four, I gotta quickly give a very happy birthday shout out to the lovely Missing Cambray. Happy birthday, Amber. Thank you. Let's make it a good show now. Now, this is your birthday, so let's bring it. Let's bring the heat. You don't turn twenty two every day, okay Smith? Are you feeling old? Yes? Every time I look in the mirror, I feel I see myself. I'm like, man,

I'm a woman. Like I'm a woman now, I'm not a I'm not a college kid. Yeah a minute, but I'm saying like a grown woman no longer in college woman responsibilities right, yeah, yeah, oh my god about it. Yeah, I asked her what the real number was or like a couple of minutes ago, and she's just stared bullets through. Don't do that. We're not having that conversation. Is basically she don't do that at home. Yeah, I'm positive, and

I'm still the youngest one. I'm here by a wide margin. Yeah, as we say it right before we on the show, we take shots around here. Yeah that was just a very slight It's gonna stay that way. That's an easy shot. Yeah, it's gonna stay that way. Um. But happy birthday, Ambering, Happy birthday. It's still us first them. Okay, like we're still younger. We're on the younger side. I need you to stop agreeing so much with Nick. I know you're right, we're right. Get back on track over here. I agree.

If you're aging quickly, I know trust if anybody can catch us, it would be like man aging very quick hair going though man in a few days. Yeah, birthday got here in because we got Mickey coming up. Old Brian brought us he's got one coming up. So yeah, late month. But you know she said, oh boy, Nick, seventy four, give me seventy four. There's only one answer. There's not a Nick answer, there's not a right. It's just Bob Lily. He's he's the original seventy four. There's

the only seventy four. Is there a reason they don't just retire his number? I mean, if they're gonna just like never yet anybody have it, why wouldn't they do? The reason because in the preseason they need to put it. You put it on. Maybe Dorance Armstrong got it. I know a guy like Jalen Jelks wore it, which I thought was gonna be great. He wasn't. There was an old player named Junior Fili Katonga. Yeah, I don't remember.

That's why, because they put him in seventy four. Seventy four stands for in the NFL, not for long, like you're not for long. If you're seventy four in Dallas, then you're probably gonna get you're not gonna be here long and you're definitely not gonna wear it for very Yeah, that's not before the show or do you just remember well Bob Lily, well, yeah, but the other well those names aren't even in the media guide it is. It is one of my favorite running jokes, which they're not

always cut. But every spring you find seventy four and you're like, Okay, he's either switching or he ain't gonna be here. Like, sorry, buddy, I'm not gonna highly of you to give you seventy four. I do think it's interesting, like Bob Lily, mister cowboy, I'm not I'm not talking down on that, but it's funny that they give that out with no problem at all. But they don't even give eight, twelve and twenty two to like, they don't give that. You cannot walk in the door and get that.

You don't wear that even if you're a training body, you don't get those numbers. Yeah, so that is true. Maybe that's because I don't know. There are no rules about this. It's just it's this unwritten it's this unwritten book of rules. But like seventy four goes out to a scrub like every year, but the other ones never do.

We did like this list of like the ten most sacred numbers in cowboys history, and that doesn't mean they're all like that, He's seventy four is number one because like nobody else has ever been in it, you know, and warned, but no one's gonna wear eight or twelve or eight or twelve or twenty two. See. That's also what I don't quite understand, because I look at it like, I actually like what they've done with the number eighty eight to where it is a privilege to be able

to wear the number eighty eight. And I think it's more there's it's more value in doing that than saying, well, you can't touch this number. But they backed into that. I mean that they lucked into that because they weren't doing that for Drew Pearson. They were just Michael Irvin gets it, and Michael irvn was great. And because now you had two at the same position, then you give it. But they gave to some other. They give it to a tight end, They give it to ant Antonio Brand.

Then they gave it to No he wasn't okay, he wasn't great, And then now it was going to be eighty eight Onday on Show eight. Now. But if if somebody had they drafted a guy right after Troy and he was number one pick in the draft or whatever, have you given a number eight? Maybe yeah, you know, but it's just tricky. Though. It's great when they live up to the billing, but so LSU makes a big

deal out of number seven. They give that to the stud and they've given it to a few guys who sucked and it's kind of a bummer and you're like, what was he doing wearing seven? Like that's gross? And they try with fifty four, but it doesn't always work. Jalen didn't work, he didn't want it, and then Bobby Carpenter. They tried though with fifty four, but it just has been a hard one. Yeah, to get anybody to live up to that. All right, let's go ahead and get

some quick get a quick COVID update. Where are we as far as COVID from from a standpoint of procedures as well as from the standpoint of coaches and players who've been out. The only two people who are still in the COVID protocol or Mike McCarthy and Nishan Wright. They're both expected to be back by the end of the week. McCarthy joked that he's going to come to work at twelve o one tonight because that's the first time allowed in the building. Will you Okay? So I'm

just feeling it right now. All right, good for you. I will not So that's it. Everybody else's back. All the assistant coaches came back yesterday or Monday, and they activated all the other COVID players. That's literally the only two people right now. So knock on wood always. But they look like they're on the other side of it right now with regards to injuries they're getting. It looks like Gallimore and Randy Gregory back this week. Are they

about at this point? They completely healthy? Like? Is that a thing? I had this thought this morning while I was getting ready for work, and I think we'll have to see. They haven't practiced yet, but I think when they take the field today they will have, like the whole projected starting twenty two from camp out there for the first time since whenever. And really, who am I

forgetting win in camp early? Because well, I I was gonna say, And even if you want to go to guys that have significant roles, Blake is the only one that's left that would have even had a real role right that is now not with the team practicing, and you know he went to COVID list and now he's back up COVID. I don't even remember. I don't know that happened, but that he got COVID. Yeah, yeah, it happened. He got it. He got it before other people, he

got it before his outbreak kind of started. He's still on there with a hip injury. He's got a hip injury. He Mike was asked today. I know people have been curious about Jarwin. Mike was asked today if he was done for the year, and he said, we don't think that COVID set him back because he can't be here rehabbing for a whole however long. That is so, Um, they're not ruling him out for the year. But yeah,

that's tough. It doesn't I mean, he's been out for a month already and it doesn't sound like it's going to be immediately. Maybe maybe you get him back for the playoffs or something like that. Hey, if that's the worst you got to deal with on this team, this is that is a blessing. This is probably as good as it's gonna get. Yeah, the rest of the year, because more injuries will happen, hopefully not, but maybe more

COVID stuff will happen. Um, But yeah, I mean it's good because twenty one and a half of your like twenty two. Well, this is the toughest game on the schedule that that remains on the schedule. I think, I think this one right here, I can't go there what I don't think so, I mean, I think this typical nick It isn't what Okay, So explain that to me real quick. I just think this is this game is gonna be a tougher game to go win. Arizona at Washington will be a tougher game to win. I mean

I believe that. I mean Arizona, yeah, they're good, but everybody's getting beat by every Arizona is not like unbeat only lost twice. They got the best record in the NFLK but I mean they also got their ass kicked by the Panthers. I mean, like it happens, they get beat, they get beat. Well, yeah, everybody gets beat. I get that. But you won't be a tougher matchup than Washington. Won't win the East if they don't win this game. And I don't know what Arizona will be at and maybe

they'll be fighting for the bye. It could be, but I just think at Washington in this game and the way it's gonna be. I think it's gonna be the toughest game for them to win. I couldn't get a yard last year on Washington. They couldn't. I understand everybody's different, but they've lost both their defensive ends. Cool doesn't slow them down. They've only gotten better. They actually have gotten better.

You're right about that. All I'm saying is I believe that this is the toughest game that they have to play. Martin came out of that game too. I was looking out about last year for pictures. Yea. It was like three players being now for injury during that game. I'm like, oh my god, hopefully it goes down differently this time around. Jack tyrant Lyell and Zack Martin for all but one series didn't play against Washington. I admire Nick's worldview. I'm

not saying you're wrong, it's just it's just different. Honestly. The thing I like about the way Nick does it, No, no, the reason why I'm making fun of you, No, but it doesn't. This isn't like this is up for debate. I mean, right at Washington versus Arizona at home. I like the nuance of how you look at it. That's that's the point I was going to make, and no, I'm not. I'm not. My feelings are not. Yeah. Good,

that is not a that's not a slight. Yeah, that's like if you ask anybody, you would think the immediate ants will be that. But I think you made a good point like this is they are desperate, and in a league where you run into a desperate team, sometimes that can be even more challenging than a team that's playing really well, right, because desperation can bring that out of out of teams. So I think that's a good point.

We'll get back to that. We certainly we'll talk about that Friday when we start talking what we think will happen in the game. I don't think Arizona will have anything locked up by then. Everybody's too close for them to just have it locked up with two games to play, so they'll be playing for something as well. And then you know Kyler Murray coming back to Dallas and the clip that he said they called the Cowboys ass like that will resurface and all that stuff, and that'll be

that'll be fun. That'll be a fun game, and it won't be at noon. I don't think I don't think so they got to announce that soon. If they're gonna be about it, I'm guessing that's gonna be a little later than at least in an afternoon. Do play Washington the week before at night at night, so I don't know if NBCC and then you got the final game of the season at Philadelphia, another game that that might have some implications as well. All right, let's go and

take our first break. When we come back, we got Buckey Brooks of NFL Network. He'll be joining us. He'll talk to us about this Washington team, particularly the Washington offense. Will do that when we come right back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. At ATNC, everyone new and existing customers get our best deals on every smartphone. Why because you deserve it. We're turning your living room into your office and your gym. We're teaching Grandma had a

video call and teaching her again. It's the button on your left Nana, Okay, your other laughs. It's not complicated. Everyone deserves something new, so ATNC is given everyone new and existing customers are best deals with every unlimited plan on every smartphone, even the latest ones. A ten team may temporrelis dated space at the network. Specific strictions and exceptions may apply. Hi, I'm Clint Tillison with man, I'm at Novacheck, and we're both with Unturf, the official tractor

provider of the Dallas Cowboys. So if you need a tractor to bail some hay, a more to cut some grass, or a gator to get some chores done, get a John Deer at unantagin Turf and then let's get to work. Hey Jay, that's my line, well not today. Get to work with a John Deere tractor package that's just right

for you in your budget. Visit unantaginturf dot com. Before there was a draft, you could size up a cowboy by three simple factors the crease in his hat, the bend of his brim, and his unbending attitude a man. Stetson didn't just protect him from what life threw at him, It projected a rugged, unstoppable spirit. Stetson hats are still

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official ticketing provider of AT and T Stadium. It's a two day WrestleMania event. Welcome back, second segment of the Break Life in SWBC Mortgage Studios at the Star. We are joined right now by Bucky Brooks of NFL Network. As we do every week, we'll talk about the opponents of day. We will focus in on the Washington football team offense, Bucky, Let's start with what does this offense do well? Because it looks like on paper that really it's about the defense and the offense is just kind

of taking up space. But tell me what do they do well? What is it if there was a situation where the Cowboys could run into a problem against this offense, what would that look like? I think, first and foremost, this isn't a game about like personnel and talent and the xes and oos. This is a game where the Washington football team has a feeling that they always can

kind of punk the Cowboys. I think if you go back and you remember last year I played out where they had to issue where the quarterback got hit and no one kind of stood up and kind of fall back, I think that permeates kind of how like the Washington football team feels about them and they existed before Ron Rivera. So this has a game that little to do with about the talent on the field and more to do about are the Cowboys mature enough to hit the bully

in the mouth. Because the only way the Washington football team should be able to beat the Cowboys if the Cowboys absolutely play bad, don't execute and do those things. I would say offensively, the Washing football team has one weapon that scares you. That might be Terry mclauren. But the rest of the guys are just I mean, they're okay. Antonio Gibson can get loose a little bit, but he's not what I would call a top ten running back.

The quarterback runs around and make plays, particularly in the clutch, but he's not an elite playmaker at the position. The offensive line is okay, and so this is a team that is winning now because they feel like they can kind of grind it out and they're tougher than the opponent. And Ron River has done a really good job of convincing them of that fact. But from a talent standpoint, it is not a high end team, particularly on offense. Do you think Tyler Hennikey is a top tier quarterback

or potential to be in that group. I mean, I know he's kind of come out of nowhere here, but where do you think his ceiling is? Man, he's a bottom third quarterback. Like, I don't know who would I like him to. I mean, he's a little bit like how Ryan Fitzpatrick is in terms of like he'll flash for a while, But then you wonder when is the magic carper Rode going to run out. Look, I'm not

disparaging like he's good. I mean he's good at what they do for right now, But I wouldn't want to hitch my wagon to him as a long term investment. I think what you want to do is speed up his clock. You want to pressure and see if you can get him to make mistakes. But I mean that's kind of what he is. He runs around and makes plays.

That's that's his game. So the big thing that I look at and they haven't been insane, I guess, But like for an offense we just kind of talked about, with not a lot of special stuff going on, Washington has been able to string together like a crazy amount of just the long sustained scoring drives like they have been keeping people off the field. I'm seeing you know, they famously they put the Bucks away with a nineteen

play scoring drive. You're seeing fifteen play field goal drives, eleven play touchdown drives, like at least two or three times a game. You're talking about ten twelve, fifteen play drives. How are they doing that? Is it simply because Heineke can extend plays and pick up yards with his feet. I mean, what is leading to that sort of ability to stay on the field. I mean, it's a little bit of everything, right, It's a little bit of Telehenneke

making plays. It's a little bit of sometimes getting the benefit of a ill time penalty that extends to drive is Antonio Gibson makes a remark play art Terry mclauren makes a remarkable play in a key moment. I would say it's probably not ideal to have these fifteen sixteen seventeen play drives because it's hard to live like that because when you have that many plays to move the ball down the field, it means that you don't really have explode some playmakers, and so typically you have to

have explosive plays to score. They have been able to sustain some of those dribs, but when you look at the total amount of points that they're scoring get to end the games, it's hard for them to get well over twenty points, and so it's a matter of just kind of understanding and making them kick field goals and hopefully on the office you can score enough points against their defense. Bucky, there's a lot of hype around the return of some of these defensive players right now, and

the defense has been pretty solid without them. But if you had to look at something that could be negative, or something not negative, but something that they might struggle with putting these guys back together out there on the field, what would that be trying to figure out a rotation, trying to figure out how you put the pieces in place. And the biggest piece of the poles is Michael Parsons.

Michael Parsons is so good doing a few different things that if you just keep them an inside linebacker, you take away from his superpower as a pass Russian. So how do you incorporate Randy Gregory, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Michael Parsons in the pass rush while still keeping the Gazooa and everybody else in the mix? And so it will take dan Quinn trying to figure out how to reshuffle the deck to get the best players on the field enough to make the impact while keeping everybody else happy.

And so this would be a test of the chemistry and continuity. Can people sacrifice some of the individual snaps for the betterment of the defense. That would be the biggest issue, because this is a team that I would expect the last five games, we should see the Cowboys play the best football of the season because now everybody is back, and with everybody being back, we're talking about a top five, top seven roster in the league. The excuses go out the door. They should be able to

get on a role heading into the postseason. Bucky Ill was looking at the offensive line for the Washington football team. Eric Flowers is a name that you look at this guy years ago, like I thought he was going to be out of the league within two or three years, just the way he was playing where he's being talked about. Has moved around a few teams, but seems to be

playing pretty solidly for the Washington football team. So looking at that entire offensive line, what do you think, what do you think is their weakest point with Dallas, As Amber was saying, with all those defensive linemen that are going to be coming back, what do you think is the weakest point on that offensive line for Washington that Dallas could be able to exploit? Well? One, pass protection

would be the biggest weakness. They do a really good job of moving people off the ball, and the reason why you're seeing them have these long drives is because they're trying to make a concerted effort to stay on schedule. They're trying to keep Tyler Heineck and the passing game out of these long situations where the defense can tee off.

And so I would say it's about trying to figure out if you can win early downs against the run game to forcement obvious passing situations, and then when you have those obvious passing situations, you have to rush with the plan. I believe you got to keep Taylor Heinekey and pocket and make him throw what they call from the whale. He is not a tall quarterback, so you want to make him throw over the trees, make him throw elevated over those guys so then you see tips

and overthrows lead to interceptions. But don't allow him to run around. So rush to the depth, to the edge of the depth of his drop, but don't go beyond

that to give him an escape patch. Make him throw from the center of the pocket around the big bodies and trees, because that's when you'll see the interceptions happen because the ball will float and flutter as he's having to throw it over bodies as opposed to running around and having clear passing runs a lot of times when you get a new player in here, like they have with Michael Parsons, he can overshadow others. Is Layton vander Esh, in your opinion, being overshadowed or is he just not

playing well or both? I think what happens is Michael parsons star is so bright that it does overshadow Layton vander Esh because lay Vandesh has been solid. I won't say he's been spectacular, but when you're playing beside someone like Marco Parson's like, I mean, just look at how Michael Parsons runs around. I mean he's like a superhero, Like he's big, fast, becausical, he makes all the plays on the perimeter. He can run around and chase people down.

Layden bennett As certainly can make plays and he's solid, but it's difference, and it's the level between being a star player and a role player. Right now, laden As is playing more like a role player as opposed to a star, which is why all the attention is going elsewhere as opposed to him. This feels like a perfect Cowboys question because this is the type of thing that happens to them. We know Terry McLaren's good. We know Antonio Gibson's good. I believe Logan Thomas just got sent

back to IR. You look around the rest of this offense, there's not a whole lot in the way of guys that have done anything this year. Like Curtis Samuel's been hurt, the Ammi Brown, the draft pick, hasn't done a whole lot, cam sends Adam Humphrey's like. They are short on playmakers other than those two names that we know. So like, if a guy that we've never heard of is going to make them look bad on Sunday, who might that be? I think we might have lost Oh no, we lost

buck Um. But actually that's a good question. You just imagining. I'm just imagining Cowboys Twitter, Like Antonio Gandy Golden's going off for a ninety five yards today? What the hell is going on? You know who? Did you know? He's actually a pretty good he I was. I liked him in the draft. I don't know what he's doing in Washington. You know what, what what would be the most Cowboys

thing ever is if Curtis Samuel got off. Because we know Curtis Samuel, We've seen him having games in the NFL where he can do some damage, and he hadn't done anything. Like you said, he hadn't done much this season, but this would be the kind of game where you're like, man, I didn't even realize he was on Washington football team, and all of a sudden he's having this amazing day. Gandy go, there we go, Gandy. Golden has one career catch for three yards so far. Buck, did you catch that?

Because I am curious for your answer. No, So no, give me the That's part of the question I did the kids. Basically, everybody on this offense other than Terry McLaurin and Antonio Gibson is either hurt or bad. And so I'm just wondering if somebody's going to break out and embarrass the Cowboys on Sunday. Is there somebody that I should have in mind that I'm not thinking about who it's hard man? Maybe number one? Was it DeAndre Carter? Kid? Yeah,

number one on DeAndre Carter? Maybe on Accas and can break out? Honestly, man, Like, this is one of the challenging games, and this is why I think it's a huge test for the Cowboys. I hurt Nick talking about he's more worried about this game than the Cardinals, because I do believe that in film session you can look at this team and get sleepy right, like you're trying to figure out, like who's the guy? Like how can

they be this? And those other things. So I think the challenge will be Cowboys mature enough to knock off a team that they should be By all accounts, this is a team in a game that they should win. Are the Cowboys mature enough to run out and beat them? Coming off the heels of the Broncos game and the Raiders game and those things, there's some questions, but can they walk out and take care of business really quickly and early and not led the Washington football team hang around?

Because if they do that, then I think we alway feel better about their chances of making a legitimate run, and so we can talk about them being talented enough it's continued to do it. I think this is a focus game. Can you focus enough to make sure that nobody's don't become somebody in this game? I guess, tying along that question, I would say that most of us right now feel pretty good about the Cowboys and them getting their group back together and everything kind of looking

trending upwards for this week. But I'm curious to hear like how are people from the outside, like other analysts looking into the Cowboys, Like how are they talking about the Cowboys right now? It's a lot of wait and see, right because what happens is when you see them go out and they run off to like a six and one record, but then they drop one to the Broncos. Then on Thanksgiving Day when the world is watching, they

don't look good against the Raiders. Then you're trying to figure out, like, well, which version of the Cowboys it's gonna show up? And I know you have injuries and those other things where you don't have your top receivers, but that impression makes people nonbelievers. And so I think what you want to see is the Cowboys coming wipe somebody. You kind of want to see him hammer somebody where you see the talent and you're like, okay, okay, now

they're back. Because when you think about the reaction that team or people have had over the Patriots, right, the Patriots are winning games, but it's because of the history of Bill Belichick getting the team right that everyone is like, Okay, here comes the Patriots. They're winning, but they're not impressive

in how they're winning. They're just winning. I think for the Cowboys you kind of need that knockout blow so everyone is like, Okay, they're not messing around anymore, like they got to go in there ready to get to get a going heading down the stretch. I think that's what we need to see. All right, Bucky Apprecid, you going joining us. We'll have you back tomorrow. We'll talk about the Washington defense versus the Cowboys offense. We're gonna

take our final break, we'll come back. We'll answer some questions here about this Cowboys defense, particularly how the Cowboys are gonna look bringing back Lawrence Gregory and now adding that to what Parsons is doing. We'll do that when we come right back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. I want to use what the pros use. How about the official men's skincare brand of the Dallas Cowboys, Jack Black.

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our best deals on every smartphone. Why because you deserve it for turning your living room into your office and your gym. We're teaching. Grandma had a video call and teaching her again. It's the button on your left Nanna, Okay, your other laughs. It's not complicated. Everyone deserves something new. So ATNC has given everyone new and existing customers are best deals with every unlimited plan on every smartphone, even the latest ones. At T may temporarily slidate speace A.

The network is basic. Restrictions and exceptions may apply. Hi, I'm Clint Tillison with man, I'm Jay Novachek, and we're both with Turf, the official tractor provider of the Dallas Cowboys. So if you need a tractor to bail some hay, I'm more to cut some grass or a gator to get some chores done, get a John Deer at unanatag in Turf and then let's get to work. Hey, Jay, that's my line, Well not today. Get to work with a John Deeer tractor package that's just right for you

and your budget. Visit unantaginturf dot com. Before there was a draft, you could sized up a cowboy by three simple factors. The crease at his hat, the bend of his brim, and his unbending attitude. A man's stetson didn't just protect him from what life through at him, it projected a rugged, unstoppable spirit. Stetson hats are still American, made with pride. Right here in Texas, there's still the unofficial crowd of all self respecting Cowboys, and Stetson is

proud to be on the field with America's team. Find a retailer nearest Hwitt Stetson dot com, slash Cowboys back to the Break. Dak Prescott is the Cowboys nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, presented by Nationwide, recognizing NFL players for outstanding community service activities off the field and excellent on the field. Helped Dak

earn a twenty five thousand donation. Twenty five thousand dollars donation to his faith Byte finished Foundation by voting on Twitter tweet hashtag wp m o HY challenge, followed by Prescott through January seventeenth, Vote Dak Welcome Back, final segment of the break glaf in s WBC Mortgage Studios at The Star. I think su vote for Dak is he's done some really really good work last year and I think it should be recognized. So make sure you take a chance to take some opportunity to take the time

to go out and give Dak a vote. I think he could win this award, don't I know other thirty one people in the league. I mean, I'm sure, by the way, there are a lot of players out there doing great stuff. Of course they are certainly are. But man, a lot of the things that he's he's doing, and especially because you know, he's a little bit unique in the sense of some of the things that he his biggest stuff that he always is focused on, stuff he's

dealing with himself. Yeah, you know that that's rare. I mean, you know a lot of times it's it's because it's something you know, like abuse or whatever, things that players have dealt with, but when you know within their family, but something he's dealing with and he's taken initiative. I mean, it's it's a it's a big deal, so he could speak to it personally. So I think that does matter, and certainly I will be giving him a vote. Hopefully you guys will go out there and give him a

vote as well. All Right, real quick, we don't have a lot of time left in the show, um, but I did want to talk about this topic. This week. The Cowboys are expected to get Gregory back. They got Lawrence back last week. Parsons has been here all season. This is problem. I mean, well, this will be the first time all year that we get to see what we've really been wanting to see, which is all three of these guys on the field at the same time

being able to get after the opposing offense. If you're an offensive coordinator for the Washington football team, which of those three guys do you think you pay most attention to Parsons? Because you don't, because I think he'll line up all over the place, and he is somebody that you have to recognize. Now, I think you did by week two, you know, I mean, Brady might have been looking at him too, but I think for the most part, you know, since week two, he's really been a guy

you have to figure out. And also that is such a disadvantage to the offense because you because basically, you know, Jason Garrett would always say, we do what we do. We don't worry about the other team. The Cowboys defense. Right now, with Michael Parsons, you have to worry about him.

You can't just do what you do. And so because he's gonna he's gonna be all over the place, and at the end of the day, great as they are, DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory are probably gonna predominantly spend most of their time lined up at left and right end, going against the left and right tackle. Maybe you move them inside. I mean, you can do stuff with him, but they fit into more conventional roles in football. Michael

Parsons does not. I would say that this is a situation where Lawrence probably has not faced this kind of situation, maybe since he's been here and actually played as well as he's played most of his career. Like he's always been the guy if you're gonna chip somebody, he's the one you chip. If you're gonna have an extra blocker back to check on someone, that's who you can feel comfortable saying. Right, That's what I'm saying like this, if they really are going to be focused on Parsons, it

seems like this is setting up very nicely. He's never had DeMarcus has never had this level of help in his entire career. Maybe I hate to even bring it up. Maybe when Greg Hardy was here for like a hot minute, but there haven't been. Man. I mean that he was younger too in his career. Yeah, and he wasn't who he is either. Yeah. I mean DeMarcus Lawrence wasn't the

guy that you game plan around in twenty fifteen. So yeah, No, since he became an all Pro caliber edge rusher, he hasn't had this level of help on the pass rush. I think he might be the third best pass rusher, just straight me versus you. I gotta get by you, like like like in training camp where Lawrence you think? I think Lawrence is the third best pass rusher And

I think he's really really good. What makes him so great and why he is because he's a He's a great defensive end, he can he can stop the run, He's versatile, he could do a lot of things. Great leader, all that good stuff. But I mean, I'm just talking about whipping his man with moves and athleticism. I think Parsons and I think Gregory are a little bit better, but that doesn't mean they're better players. Because there's a defensive end. He means you gotta do a lot of

other things. Yeah, I don't think you have to qualify it this much like it sounds it's carring, but it's not. It's kind of like when you say, when you Paul threatening to know, when you throw Mica into the conversation with Garrett and Watt, like you feel stupid doing it, and then you look at the numbers and you're like, somebody put that, Garrett, Miles, Garrett, they've been thinking, have been innovating me with that since we talked about it. Okay,

it's not like their records that it's not better at all. No, not better. I don't know what yesterday I lined up Mica next to Watt and Garrett. Watt's numbers are better into fewer games, but like not by not to a degree that it's silly to compare them, and and not to a degree where he's so far ahead that with a game or two that's really good for Mica. He's not right back ahead of him. And and another factor

to this too is that TJ. Well. I mean, the Steelers were the defense last year because of what t J. Watt was doing, and now they're doing it again. Maybe not as well, but he's had good numbers. But Mica has single handedly come in and with Dan Quinn and help taking the worst defense in the NFL some standards, and we're one of the worst than the history of the Cowboys and now made it arguably the best things as you know, as y'all said, yes or earlier this week,

the most reliable thing the Cowboys were doing. I love. I want to one more thing. I love that point. I hadn't really thought about it. We haven't seen these three guys play a whole lot together. But like Randy has always been a freak. He would have been a top five pick if football was the only reason you draft a guy. And Micah if he had stayed at Penn State and they had used him as an edge rusher or done more with him, he would have never

fallen to where he did. Like they literally half the reason. And I'm I own this as often as I can, Like half the reason I wasn't thrilled about the ideas because all of that was a projection. We'd never seen him do it. He's incredible at it. If there had been tape of that, he would have been a top five pick. So you've got two of those types of freaks rushing the pass and yeah, and then oh, by the way, like one of the more well rounded defensive ends in the league. That's that's his game. He just

he does everything well. But I don't know that he has that freaky gumby ability that those two guys have. Ye see, I see Lawrence as the Amori Cooper of the defense. I love that. He's the kind of guy that even you know, when he got the contract and then people were bashing on him, Oh, he's not getting enough sacks, he's not getting enough, Well why why is that? But then at the same time, that was creating so

many opportunities for other guys and like Randy Gregory. So you add that into the mix and you guys already talked about it. But he's one of those sneaky players now that can't be amazing quietly not necessarily registering all the sacks that you want them. But then you're gonna have guys like Mica Randy getting after it. So it's freaking excited. That's awesome. That's a great point, and that's

a great comparison. And another thing that those two guys have in common is they're both making just a little bit north of twenty million a year. And so as great as that is, and we're watching it just from that standpoint, the problem is is then that you got when Mary catches four passes for fifty one yards or not even that maybe and somebody else has a great day, but because of it, it's like, Okay, then the end of the day, you're looking is this worth the money?

You know? And so but I think the people that make the decisions know what I hope. So yeah, I think they do. I think they know it's worth the money. But it will be interesting next year to see what all happens here. But let's don't worry about that. Yeah, this is a and I think it's exciting. I think the thing is getting lost in that conversation, particularly, is these TV contracts are coming up really really soon. I think whether the next year or two, where the salary

cap is expected to kind of balloon a bit. So they just gotta make it work right for a little bit, and they're gonna get some opportunity to just you know, a lot of these contracts that people are worried about. Things are gonna change a little bit from the standpoint in the financial makeup of the NFL and the landscape of the NFL. One more point about Tank. We didn't talk about this after the game. There's so many things

to talk about. We're talking about inches away from a different stat line for him, And to this day, I still don't understand that call on the field. I was when I was down on the field and Tank got there and pushed the ball back and they called it an incomplete pass. But I don't understand that because the ball never got out of his hand and it went backwards,

so that should have been a sack force fumble. But I thought the rule is once the once the hand is coming, once the arms coming forward, the hands coming forward, once you're in that motion, it is now officially a pass. And so if it comes out at that point, once the hands coming forward, even if the ball's not out yet, it doesn't matter. If the hands coming forward, the rule is that makes it a pass. If it goes forward. No, I don't think that's a part of it. I've never

read that as part of all IF. But I've always if the hands hitting your hand affects the trajectory of it. I didn't have a problem with that call. I thought it was an incomplete pass. And we talked about it during the during the during the game, and I know you were pretty adamant, like that's they was down. I wasn't down the field. That wasn't me because I was already that was down in the field. We're talking to somebody else there, Yeah, really, yeah, Rob, we're thinking about

something else. There hasn't been a Nick here for twenty five years down the field talking some secret. Actually, I was talking to nobody because I was surprised that they let me on the field because because you usually don't have the right. Yeah, us too, we got down there. We just like, let's just walk up there and see what happened. I yeah, we Brian brought us that the whole time. The whole time, I was like, they're gonna

stop us, They're gonna stop us. Keep walking were they just look they saw official and they say, hey, your official go nice jacket. I love that jacket. I get cool, and I just keep going. That's New Orleans. That is every other city we've been to. They're like, hey, hey, official, nothing back in the top. Not even every other city too. I mean, it's oh, happy Thanksgiving with me down in the tunnel, down with some lady. And I was like, this is how I'm watching overtime. I'm watching overtime with

a two second delay like everyone else. Like I meant to go ask ten people about it, and I'm like, I don't know what happened because I can't even see the field. I'm just glad you didn't do anything to get yourself fired. That's actually a good no. I'm pretty cool, calm and collected when it comes to stuff like that. And with that, we appreciate you guys joining us. We'll be back on tomorrow. We'll talk a little bit more about this Washington defense versus the Cowboys offense. Till then.

For Nick Eatman, Dave Helm and Amber Garcia. I am Derek Heelton. 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.