Cowboys Break: Two Different Games

The Break, live from the SWBC Mortgage Studios. At the start and to day, we get to talk about the thrilling Cowboys victory over the Philadelphia Eagles twenty nine twenty three in overtime, a game that, as Dave told us last week, puts the Cowboys right in position to be what ninety eight percent to make the playoffs. Combined with

a Redskins loss yesterday, it's like ninety ninety nine. I'm saying, it looks like they're gonna win the division after starting these season three and five, to now be at eight and five. You said, well, it's December tenth. The Cowboys lost to the Titans on November the fifth, which means we did a show on November the sixth, so thirty four, thirty five days ago, and I'm sure at that point Ambrose like they're dead in the way. Oh, we definitely

didn't say that. It was just Amber like obviously got the Bryce. I knew it all on. I knew that this the optimist on this show. Of course, I knew the single most amazing turnaround in team history would happen. Absolutely, that's what Garrett does. What he finds a way to turn it around. Yet you right there where he needs to be. Garrett had never had never been in the position he was in back then, and he definitely never done what he's doing right now. No, Yeah, absolutely different story.

I'm talking about the result itself of getting you right to the playoffs every other year, man, every even year. Nick, tell me, give me a big picture coming out of yesterday's game. There was so much that happened in a game like that, a lot of shifts. Cot was at so many opportunities, they were dominant defense. What was your big picture thing that you left that game with, Dak.

You know, typically I get an opportunity to write a column, and that's that's all that I kept thinking of, was just Dak Prescott and the fact that he was playing poorly. I mean that this team had a chance to kind of put the Eagles away. They were out playing them, They're moving the ball, but they just weren't getting it done. He was missing some throats. He kind of got the

Eagles back in the game. And but I kind of said, and I even said that to you, that you know, this is just Dak to go down the field and drive him to win the game. I didn't think he was going to do it three times. I didn't think he had to do it three times. But as Jason Garrett said, I think Garrett lost character a little bit in the press conference and said that guy we got playing quarterback, he's a tough son of a bitch, And that's not typically what Garrett would do in a press conference.

There's the only way to say it. And that's that's my thought. He's not Troy when he's not Tony Romo, He's Dak. It's what you got and it's pretty good. Sometimes what's your I mean, it's just again, it's it's just amazing to see what this team has been capable of in the past five weeks since the changes that they made in the old line. Amari Cooper, all that combined yesterday, I mean we were talking Year and I and it was like, you know what, maybe they don't

get this way. You know, you start getting nervous and it's like, crap, maybe this is kind of it. But no, they figure out to make it happen. And wow, Amary Cooper, I'm just amazed by the things that he can do and how well he's playing along with Dak Prescott and how that has completely changed the offense and how they're able to move Now. One of the things is the red zone. I'm still pretty upset at that. We will

get but we'll get to it. But just overall, Amari Cooper combined with Dak, combined with Seek and Dave, you started the show shaking your head. No, I don't know if it was because you're just in disbelief at where we are and still hell yeah, I mean disbelief. I mean yeah. No. My main takeaway is all the fun things we can do with have yourself a Marie little Christmas like that's coming out now. That's my main takeaway.

That's all I care about. No, I'm kidding, um uh, that game just encapsulates, uh, the absurdity and the greatness of football. Really, it's like, I mean, it was, it was an awful game. Like, let's call it what it was. It was crap for three quarters, okay, yeah, hell yeah six six nothing lead, Like you're zipping up and down the field, you're not scoring points. Dak, Dak was awful. Dak was playing the worst game of his life up

until the fourth quarter. Really, um, the you know, it was ugly, Like literally, I was thinking about all the people who aren't NFC East fans who were had to be subjected to America's Game of the week and and it turned into must see, riveting, amazing, tell I mean, I think everybody. And that was the anticipation of all of that is that you knew at some point this thing was going to exploit. But that's that's what makes it so great, is like football really is the ultimate

team game. Like it really is like you know, a switch flips and all of a sudden, Dak is nails and Amari Cooper looks like he's worth three first round picks. And then quietly, the defense does not look like the unit that carried them to this point. You know, they I mean, the Eagles were moving the ball at will on them by the end of the game. And you know, as they carried the slack in the first three quarters, Dak picks up the slack for them the rest of

the way. It just, uh, just absolutely crazy and fantastic. And I agree with Nick like it's uh, there's so much about Dak Prescott that you can't quantify on a stat sheet. And I think you saw that, Yes, you gave the ball three times, gave it to the Eagles three times, and still able to make a comeback. It was going to be the worst game of his career until the fourth quarter. Like, there's just no doubt about it.

That's we taught you know the twenty nine twenty three, Which that's another thing that it's eerie how similar that game was to the twenty sixteen one. I've been talking about it on Twitter NonStop. But we criticized Dak for playing poorly in that game, and he only turned it over once. He turned over three times yesterday, almost four would have been a fourth. You're absolutely right, And for him to pull that thing out of the fire and for his teammates to have the confidence that he would

like I don't know. I you know, there's like an argument about whether clutch is a real thing in sports, kind of like momentum, Like I don't have a definitive answer to that, but Dak has it, and that's I mean, that's been a component of his story since he got here, but he just kind of emphasized that last night. Yeah,

you look at his numbers yesterday. He was forty two to fifty four, seventy eight percent completion percentage, four and fifty five yards, three touchdowns, two interception, one hundred and four point nine passer rating. But the most remarkable part of that, and this was floating around the internet last night I'm sorry at Twitter last night, was if you look at just what he did in the fourth quarter and overtime, that's where the remarkable nature of his play

yesterday came. It was seventeen of twenty, eighty five percent completion rate, two hundred and forty three yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, one hundred and fifty six point one quarterback rating. That's in the fourth quarter and in overtime, the time of the game when you really need your quarterback to do big things, and he showed up in a huge way.

And no short I mean, no, no lack of giving credit here to Amari Cooper because a lot of what happened for him was because of Amari Cooper making great plays with the ball once he had in his hands. Yeah, I mean there's something to be said for that. Like, I mean, obviously a couple of that is just Amari

Cooper being a freak. But the throws still had to be there, the drives still had to be engineered, and what that's another you know, I'm just reciting things off of Twitter right now, but it's crappy defense right there by forty one, I don't even know he wasn't even

I mean, this is the guy again. Their secondaries really beat up, and it was kind of shocking to me that in that situation where Amari Cooper is out there, it's in the crunch time of the game, that they would get this guy lined up, that the Eagles would call a defense where he's in man coverage on the outside without safety help. That was pretty That was just, pretty much, in my opinion, a bad defensive call by

the Eagles, and the Cowboys made him pay. Stat guy I love to follow on Twitter by the name of Scott Kadzmar. He's a Pro Football Writers Association member and Football Outsiders writer. Dak is thirteen and nine in game winning drive opportunities since coming into the league. He's got an eighty three point one quarterback rating in those situations, which is the highest in the NFL since two thousand

and six. Impressive, dude. I mean he's nails and that it's fascinating because you can go back and forth all day, like he was really bad leading up to that fourth quarter. He has his flaws. He's not all that accurate compared to other NFL quarter backs. He's left plenty of throws out there, including yesterday he missed Michael Gallup again on

what could have been a huge play. When the game's on the line, the dude delivers, and maybe even more importantly than that, like everybody in this organization trusts that he will too. Like he's like I said, he's got that it factor. There's no denying it. You wrote an article last night, as you mentioned about him. Are you at all concerned though I know you talked about this is what Dak isn't, but are you at all concerned

about what you saw in the first three quarters? As you move forward knowing that you know, yeah, he might get it together, but if you're playing a better team, maybe you don't have a chance to get it together to be able to win a game like without at I mean, you have to be concerned. I mean, if the Saints would have kind of figured things out like the Eagles did on that defense, they probably would have won the game. Because Dak never really did figure it

out in that game. So you know, every game is a little bit different. You're gonna lose like that, and I even wrote that you're gonna lose with him playing that way, and and you have to kind of take that chance. But like Dave said, when he gets to that point in the game, the defense allows him to be that kind of quarterback right now. The defense will help him. But yeah, I mean the fans that are upset with him and they think he has bad throws and all that, and he misses some open guys. He does.

He's not a accurate quarterback all the time, but he's got those those measurables that you just can't quantify sometimes and he knows how to get it done. I think the thing that helps him as well is when you look at him, Mark Cooper. I think the best part of his game. Oh, I shouldn't say the best part. One of the great things about his game is his ability to move the chains. He look at yesterday or four times on third down they went to him, three

or those four got converted. He is a chain moving wide receiver and I'm sorry, no, I'm sorry no. And I think that that's a real value not only for him, but it also helps Dak Prescott when you have a receiver who has such precise routes and gives you a great opportunity on third down to get an open receiver that he can get the ball in his hands. And by the way, there's time he'll turn that short route that wrote this is just the first down that's touchdown.

That gives you the complete wide receiver. And that's what we're seeing from him. That's what I was about to say. When you look at them, I think he's got four big plays here for touchdowns the last a couple of games. Three games he had obviously the seventy five and the ninety and then the forty yard and then this one was what was that one was the only one where he kind of just ran by deep. The other three are like short to to you know, mid range, and then he does rest. I mean it was kind of

a deep throw. The seventy five was deep, but then he did the other half himself, because you can't understate that. With how bad this team is in the red zone too. He scored out four of his six touchdowns from outside the red zone. I think your tweet was really important that you said in the middle of the game. Now, they did get good play from the tight end, but when they get down in that red zone, I think that's what they're missing. Get in the red zone way behind.

They're missing a tight end that is capable of to say, all right, if you want to play this way, this tight end will block and we'll move it. Or you want to play it this way, this tight end will get The Cowboys don't have that. I wasn't impressed last night though. He targeted a tight end eleven times, and out of the eleven times, everybody caught the ball. Blake jarwin Rico was backwards, but that's okay, Hey he's still yeah, he's still caught it. It was one player. Everybody. Everybody

was eleven eleven. Yeah, Jar was seven h seven for fifty six yards. Shelves was three or three for thirty seven and then Rico was one of one for ned was by far their best game. He caught it. Yeah, uh, And I mean I thought Jarwin made one of the underrated players of the whole night with you know, the spinning adjustment to the ball that Dack threw behind him. U was, that's another pass by Dakwards Like it's easy and you threw it too hard kind him. But he

still made. He made. He was bad until the fourth quarter. There's no way. I mean, the Jarwin ball um, the set the pick to Gallop, the pick that he threw that set up the Eagles touchdown was just this. You can't miss like that Carolina, This is Carolina. You know he was playing poorly, but but the difference is is you know, Carolina had scored just enough that you know he couldn't bring him back in time. But I mean, yeah,

playing that way is gonna get you beat. But you know one thing I will say on those when you're getting those goal to go type situations. Yesterday was a good example of it. When the Cowboys were first and goal at the five, they did exactly that Philadelphia Eagles did exactly what Lenahan says that they're seeing, which is they put eight men in the box and the Cowboys spread them out. They had three wide, they still put eight men in the box, and they manned up on

all three of those guys. And when you see that, the natural inclination is basically this team is daring you to throw the ball. And I'm starting to get to a point where I'm like, Okay, I get it. So if you want to say that we just it doesn't make sense to run in that situation, He's probably right, it doesn't make sense. So here's the thing. You got one or two options. If you can figure out how to run against an eight man box, or you better

be better passing the ball. And if you got man coverage on all three of those guys on the outside and you can't managed to get touchdowns at a better percentage in there doing right now, that's the problem. You need to figure out how to pass better in those situations. I tell you, did you see the Bears last night when they get down in there. Do you see that package where they had four defensive players on the field and then they threw it to alignment. I mean, I've

been saying it all year. You need to get some beef in there. You need to get an Antoine Woods or maybe a Fleming or a Connor Williams or whatever. You need to get bigger guys. Ola Walli's not that type of fullback. They need that kind of stuff. If you want to go eight man, we'll take our guys. And it doesn't work with your tight ends because your tight ends are light and ass they're not big. They're not big tight ends. They don't push people off the ball.

So you need big, fat guys that can push people off the ball. And they figured out in the rest of the part of field when they spread it out. Now teams are basically backing off. You're not seeing that safety down in the box nearly as much when the Cowboys spread it out when they're in you know, twenty to twenty. But when they get down the red zone, they figure out that's the way to do it. So maybe going wide at that point is not the best thing,

like you said, maybe it is scrunching in there. Get your best, your biggest guys on the field, and then you got all these different areas where you feel like you can find your running back and find a hole and be able to maybe Tavon can help her if he comes. That's a really good point. It helps a lot. It's hindsight's twenty twenty. It's it's always going to be. It will be the age old debate, you know, and you know, we'll say, why aren't you running the ball?

And they'll say the look is terrible for running the ball. And at this point, we've seen him try to outsmart everybody weekend and week out and it hasn't ever worked. It's at no point this season hasn't really worked on it. How many times have they scored the up until this point of the season when they're in the red zone. Do you know I wish you wouldn't put me on

the spot like this was on a Monday morning. Their last the red zone, their best touchdown percentage, Yeah, in gold to ghost situations or in red zone, yeah, it would have to be red zone. Yeah. I haven't seen that gold to ghost situation. But that's where that's why they really struggles. Say anything. To finish off my point, it's just like just try, Why not just try? Man? I mean, I know your offensive line is hurt. It's not the offensive line you thought you'd have at the

start of the season. They're still pretty good from what I hear every single week. The runner matters, and so give him a chance because it can't be any worse than not connecting on any of these passes. So I would at least try it. I feel like if they tried it more on first down. You know, we said it in one of the plays. On first down, they threw it to Beasley, which he's never going to be opened on that one. He's not going to go up and get it, So I don't I didn't like that

call at all. And then on second down they got two yards and then third down the hand. But on first down, if you can get one to two yards and then you're just kind of slowly inching it to the point where you might be a four down territory if you can get down inside that one on fourth down if not scoring before that. So I just feel like they need to do a much better job. And I agree with Dave. You know, let zee he's the guy that got you down there for the most part.

Let's let's figure it out. Let's see if they can stop him. Play was that where I can't remember where Zeke ran in and he had like six guys on him and he's still got like three yards. You'll remember it was one specific player last night, yes, yes, well yeah, My point is, yeah, he can push. He can push. He can get one at least one, but even three yards even if he has like five guys on top of him he has. It's crazy the strength he can push it in and move the chains up and get

you a touchdown. Yeah. Yeah. I think at the end of the day, the Cowboys just gonna have to figure out something, whatever it is. And to be honest with you, I don't care whether they run the ball or pass the ball. Whatever they're gonna do, they better be getting better at it because right now they can't sustain getting in the red zone with the regularity that they are because they're maintaining the ball at forty five minutes of time of possession yesterday. That's amazing plays right stuff, and

not have the points to show for it. They can't sustain that when they're playing up against good teams, especially when they get into the playoffs. And so I really I love everything they did yesterday. I love the game plan. They just got to figure out the red zone. If they figure that out. They are gonna be extremely deadly when it comes time to play in the playoffs. All we're gonna take our first break. When we come back, we'll talk a little bit about this defense. Cowboys defense

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out and put it to the test. The Cowboys did when they named John Deer their official tractor experience one for yourself. Visit my John dear Dealer dot com. Slash football Back to the break Welcome back. It's the second second of the break line from the s WBC Mortgage studios at the Star talking to Cowboys win over Philadelphia Eagles twenty nine, twenty three in overtime. They did not choke. They managed to get the win there and it was a sweet win for not true, huh, not true? I

think I think they did. And that's exactly what the Cowboys did. Nope, Nope they did. Nope. When nope, joke means you lose. You can't choke and win. That choke means you lose. It's sure, go ahead, okay. That choke means you lose, right well, choke means you lose. The Marcus Lawrence said, he gets overtime, you get the ball. He choked their ass out, and you don't. You don't give them a chance to do anything. So the Eagles were down, they got the ball, they choked out the game.

Oh you're trying to fly, see what you I'm just saying they did. He said, the guy what's his name, what's his name? Commu Gruiser here. I heard it for fourteen different ways yesterday, So I'm a little confused. That guy played his ass off. Though he gave him credit for that. He did come out firing better. But he said, we know the Cowboys, they'll choke. And you know, there was a point in the game wherever they was like

they gonna check this game. But oh, you know when they scored there before overtime to go to overtime, you know they were saying, see, we got him, We got him right where we wanted. Cowboy, I mean, unbelievable. And I know we're gonna talk a little bit about that drive, but I don't know really who that guy on the sideline was with the headset and the red hair, I don't really know who he was. Yesterday was a different guy, and press press conference was different. Let's talk about that.

There was an aggressive side of Garrett that were not used to sing, liked it, and they're on the fourth down in overtime when he decides we're gonna go for it. They were fourth and one. They were at the Philadelphia nineteen, mind you, on third and one, they tried to run it and got nothing. So for him to go right back at it and say we're going again, We're gonna run the ball and again, not try to trick it up. No,

we're gonna We're gonna go right back. We're gonna run the ball, we're gonna get this first down, we're gonna keep this drive moving, we're gonna go for the win. Right And to me, that was that was not what we typically ascribe to Jason Garrett. If anything, he plays the percentages, and the percentage is say, in that situation, kick your field goal, let your good defense, you're really good defense, make a stop and win the ball game.

We have best think kudos to Jason Garrett for understanding, you know, the ebbs and flows of a game, which is something that he talked about in the press conferences. Defense has been outstanding all season long. They're a big part of the reason why the team's eight and five. They were not outstanding down the home stretch of that game. They let the Eagles do whatever they wanted the last two or three possessions they're I mean, who the hell knows.

Maybe maybe you make a play, but it doesn't didn't seem smart to try to kick a field goal and put them back out there and give a quarterback who who could have won NFL MVP last year a chance to walk off and beat you on your home field. I thought it was great. Uh, you know, we talked

about it. He talked about it too. Somebody in the press conference brought up the Houston game and how that factored, and uh, you know, he made the very what do you say, it was a little he was a little testy, he was he was a different He was a different

guy last night. I don't have the quote in front of me, but it was basically, you know, you know those analytics guys who make every decision in a vacuum, you know, they have to understand the flow and feel of a game, and you know, we we forced Houston to punt seven times in the second half of that game. Sometimes you have to trust the guys that are actually

there and have actually played the game. Yeah, I think he said, you know, the coaches who are part of the game make the decisions, and the men on the field execute the plays or something kind of not so subtly in innuating like you math nerds can go back to your classroom, which, for the record, I don't agree with him. Analytics are very important in my opinion, but it so maybe he's not saying they're not important, but

he's saying that they're not everything. They're not. That's the point that everything and they are important in the course of a game. And he even said, he goes, I'm not trying to compare games, but I believe we stopped the Texans nine times in a row and we weren't blocking him very well that day, and we just had gotten stopped and it just was different. It felt like we needed to punt the ball and put it on

our defense. In this game, he said, we had the ball for forty five minutes, we were driving on him, we were wearing him down, and we felt like we had a better chance to get it. So, you know, I think you do look at analytic especially in the middle of a game, you know, and you don't have to have the stats in front of you just kind of can watch the game and go, yeah, this is you know, do we have a play that that can work to get it and in both cases, you know,

it was fourth and two. Really, in the Houston game, this wasn't this was a long one. This wasn't inches. This was fourth and a little bit more than one. And I don't think Zeke got it at first. I mean, I don't think the blocking gave it to him. I think he was kind of hit and he had to make a move. It would put the ball out, very reminiscent of a similar situation against the Packers last year. He didn't, he did not have it, and he stuck his hand over and got the line of game. Great

play by him. The runner does matter, clearly, that's the type of play that we're talking about, though, that type of play of like down at the goal line, give him a shot, Yeah, I take my show. Yes, if you want to go back to that, Yes, Like he you drafted him fourth overall, have faith that even when the defense is gearing up to stop him, he can still get it done. Like it's troubling that they have

no faith in him to do that in the red zone. Regardless, it was in my opinion, the only decision and therefore the right decision, and it obviously worked. I wouldn't I wouldn't have killed him if it hadn't worked, because I think you gotta get You know, you ran ninety eight plays, your offense had played well between the twenties. You don't want to put that on your defense. With the way Carson went was kind of grooving at the end of

that game, I thought it was great. You know, if they have been done doing that this whole time, giving it to seek, then you can trick the defenses even more into whenever you decide to throw a pass, and maybe you become more successful at actually getting someone the ball. I don't know. I keep thinking about freaking red zone. I'm just upset. I was so upset. I was so upset last night and I started game well no no, no, no, no, no no no. During during the game, after the game,

I was just shaking. I was feeling sick for real, Like that game made me feel some type of way and it was not good. But at the end, yes, it was good. My point is, and I'm seeing questions here on Twitter, people asking about the kicker. I don't know if you're gonna get into that there, yes, uh, well okay, I'll let you get there then go ahead. Actually right, no, starting to talk about concerns about the kicker,

are you still concerned? And me personally, and I take this topic very serious because I'm a kicker person, and what is a kicker person? Never mind, I'm pro kicker. I don't I don't like blaming the kicker when you have bigger concerns. You got it, that being said, going back to the red zones and actually scoring six points and all that. But after you see brand Mohurt miss a field goal? Why from what yard? Was a forty seven?

And then he makes a sixty two yarder? Does this still give you concerns or are you still okay with just keep moving with him? Both? I mean both, I'm I'm okay going with him, and I'm still have concerns. I mean the sixty two yards there's only a very small percentage of times where that's even an acceptable kick to even attempt. It has to be at the end of the half or a game like that. And you know, forty seven yards, I mean you look at the kick. I mean, was you know I put that play? I

put that on Tyrand Smith. I thought Tyrmand Smith actually cost him three points. I haven't said that very often in his career. But it already did there. He had a couple of bad penalties and blocks, and that's the difference in that kick, I think. I mean, it just missed it by a little bit. If you look around the league, look at the Eagles guy, it happens. There's just not many steadies this point, you're not really considering changing the kicker. At the risk of sounding like Mickey

who who's unemployer? Who's unemployed? That's a definitive upgrade. That's the hard part at that, Like, if you're making that change, then it's just knee jerk. I'm mad because I want to be mad, bs like, and that's I think. Brett Maher is like the perfect encapsulate. He's the perfect kicker for this team, honestly because he can be maddeningly inconsistent and then he can do something absolutely nuts and wonderful like hit a sixty two yard kick. He's both. This

team is both. They're capable of being three and five, they're capable of being on the cusp of winning the division at eight and five. Like, it's it's just I think perfect kicker. For a very wacky season, Bailey had seven or eight game winning field goals. In his career seven and you know, seven plus years. It sounds about right. MAHA's got two. I mean it's got two this year.

He's made the two opportunities that he's had and and of course he's you know, he set the record obviously for that's the ninth longest field goal, you know, in the history of the league. So that and that gives you something that other guys don't have. You don't there's some kickers that you don't have the ability to even

do that. I absolutely do not have the peace of mind like peak Dan Bailey, like the peak of his career, if it was inside fifty five, I had this inner piece where I was like, this is going through I have. I do not have that when Maher lines up for anything. Yeah, but I'm comfortable with it. I mean, like I said, what's better and he's played well enough that it's fine, Like it's it is what it is. Yeah, I don't

know that you're going to get better. And when they you look, certainly you look at Dan Bailey, who you had on your team, he ain't being He's not better right right now. So you did with the best you could with what you had, and you kind of keep rolling with it. And the thing I do like about him is he will allow you to make up for that forty seven yard miss with a sixty two yard make So if you can do that too, Yeah, if he could do that for me, then I feel pretty

good about where I am. I don't feel great, as Dave was saying, like if if you're in a game, there used to be a time with Bailey Bailey after the touchdown if I had to go to resta room, I had to go get some water, I'd run right after that, like you know you were going to get the extra point. I don't anymore. I don't feel comfortable about anything. But once again, he gives you something as far as the range that he has, he gives you

something that maybe you didn't have. And Bailey is not doing well at all in Minnesota, and that's, you know, important, because I guarantee if somebody was out there better, Zimmer would go get him, because I mean he's talked about it on the air. He doesn't trust this kicker right now. I don't think they can find a better or should he. I mean, Dan's having a horrible year by his standards. Yeah, so you know, and that happens. I mean, viny Arry is just a different guy because the best of all

time they fall down. I mean they vander Jack. We've seen it here in Dallas. I mean he was the best at one point. He just and that. Yes, I agree, completely agree, But I can we just talk about how insane just overall, Like I'm just thinking about it, like as one of the longest kicks in NFL histories, like a footnote in that stupid game. Yeah, I mean, he couldn't even make our top ten. We're gonna roll out

later today, ten best players on the team. I mean, I think setting Cowboy record with the two yard or Cowboys ran ninety three total plays. They almost hit the six hundred yard mark. They had one hundred yards and penalties. They turned the ball over three times. There were four turnovers. Uh, let's what I want to One guy is doing it. Yeah, I mean this this guy, Yeah, he just doesn't. I just don't think he understands. I will say this though, one of those players that one of those plays, Stan

the sack. I am a little bit torn on that one just because, um, from what from the way I heard, I went back and watched the game and they had the former ref talking about the player Pereira, and he mentioned he was like, well, the intent of the call is really that you don't want guys having momentum type hits. You don't want guys taking shots at guy's legs. What you are trying to encourage is wrapping up and tackling, which is exactly what he did. So even though he

went at the leg, he actually grabbed the leg. He didn't hit the leg. He grabbed the leg and twisted to bring him down, which is what they're encouraging players to do. So Pereira's like, I don't know if I would have called that. I think this is exactly what you're encouraging them to do. I know the letter of the law here says that you don't want them hitting low.

But he didn't really hit him low. So that's why I don't know that I would call, so I would give him the benefit of the doubt on that one. The other come on, man, come on, you just gotta know. And Sday's NFL. You gotta know if the balls out, it doesn't do you any good to hit this hit a quarterback. It just doesn't Nothing good is gonna come out of it. And you know, he did get a sack earlier in the game, but you know, and and he provided some good pressure, so I mean it's good

having him out there. Um, but hard. That is hard though, when he comes to hitting the quarterback and you're playing that position. I mean, that's why you're aiming to do. But at the same time, when you're just having all that rush in you and just in momentum, it's hard to manage where you're hitting them how hard when I mean it's tough, it is the job, but it's just it's a lot harder than it looks, no doubt, that's it.

That's all you. And they're moving too and as soon if he ducks down when you're trying to hit him mirror and your helmetship, then they don't care. To me, it's the same thing you got baseball, when you got a ball this big that's being thrown at almost one hundred miles an hour, that's in a particular zone, and you gotta try to hit it like it's hard. That's why it's hard to be a professional. But that's the job. That's the way it's been described to them, that's the

way they've been coached at this point. So that's what they gotta do. They gotta do that or they're gonna risk getting their team appenalty that could cost him a game. Ye, Jake Elliott his twenty six yard field goal with twelve to play in the fourth to make it nine to nine. So the first forty eight minutes of this game produced eighteen points and the last twenty minutes of it produced thirty four. Right, that's amazing. I said this last night too. It's just I mean, I always think I've seen the

craziest game and I'm always wrong. But you know, the funny thing is, Dave, you mentioned at the beginning that this was the worst game to watch. I actually love these kind of games just because I keep anticipating what's

gonna happen, especially when they're good teams. I feel like, Okay, something's going to happen here at some point, And certainly most of the time, it feels like there comes a point when it opens up and then it starts rolling, and then when it starts going, both team to start going. You know, you've seen this so many times in the NFL. A couple thoughts first, like the four of us and probably anybody that's listening to this different breed, like we're

a different level of football fan than the average. Maybe that's just sorry, it's snabi, but it's true. And then also, you know, we cover this team, Our livelihoods are connected to this team, and if you're listening you care intimately about the team. It makes it more entertaining if you are Joe Schmo from Baltimore and the Ravens just got done losing in the Chiefs and this is the only game on that was a miserable and then you wake

up like, oh wow, the game really got good. Yeah, and then it got good and you're right, And I mean that's the way the NFL's designed. Most of these games get good at some point. Yeah. But the first seventy five percent of this game sucked. It just did. But I think the last twenty five percent more than made up for me up for it, because this became a very very good game. Let's tuck a little bit real quickly about this offensive line though. UM. Last night,

although the Cowboys get to win, Zack Martin goes down. UM, And ironically, I don't know if it was the best game for Zach That sack fumble was given up by Zach Martin, which again is not something you used to seeing him him do well. Michael Bennett got around him um and then ends up with the with the sack fumble. But but what have you guys heard? I guess at this point regarding Zack's injury and the prognosis could be the line is that they don't think he has done

any further structural damage to his knee. He's been dealing with an MCL sprain. I wonder about that because if you go all the way back to August, he hyper extended his knee and that loss to the Bengal or the law I don't even remember who won preseason game hyper extended it. I don't know if that is related at all to this, but he had that and that was when it first happened. Well that's I honestly, I

can't say for sure that they're connected. But my point is that he has been dealing with a knee injury of some sort since August, sprained his MCL and the loss to Washington at Washington, and has had some type of aggravation to the problem pretty much every week since. But so the fact if there's no further structural damage and I'm sure they're running evaluations on that, and Garrett

will have some type of update today. But it's just basically, he aggravated it and it's going to keep bothering him. Probably when he was after it in twenty fourteen, I'm sure I don't know this, but he had an aunt or a cousin that said, oh, when are you gonna when he canna come play in Indianapolis. He's like, God, we won't be there until twenty eighteen. Yeah, we'll see what happens then if I'm still playing or whatever twenty eighteen,

and that's it. And here we are, twenty eighteen. This is the chance he's gonna come back to play his hometown and he's and he's banged up. He may not play, and he's they won't play in Indianapolis again for eight years, so this could be the only time that he plays there. I don't know if the I mean that won't matter to Jimmuer, Britt Brown and those guys. That won't matter to that because that they got to make sure he's healthy. That's important. There's no and I remember, you know, he

was the top he was a top twenty pick. He did not go to the green room. He was at his family's house in Indianapolis. That's where he decided to spend the first night of the draft, so clearly that's important to him. Also, you got a chance to clench the division and make the playoffs in your hometown for you know, it's a pretty special opportunity. Yeah, Zach again,

we'll see, we'll see what happens. Obviously, player's health is more important than anything, but he is definitely in that category of guy, much like Tyron Smith, where I will believe he's not going to play when the inactives come out and he's on the list because he's a tough mofo. How to Connor Williams performed though in his absence, I

didn't see any issues really. They started scoring, so once they got Zack out of there and Connor started opening it up, I didn't see any really issues with him. I mean I honestly and not to sound as an excuse, but we saw fifteen to sixteen minutes of football and from the field at the end zone, so we didn't expect to see that much football down there. Some some key plays sack fumble there. I don't really know who

was at fault there. Somebody asked me that who gave up the sack there at the end of the game. I was like everybody, I thought it sound like it was a party of that effort. I don't know. I don't think anyone played great. I mean, I thought Looney probably played one of his worst games. Tyren certainly had some some miscues. As far as penalty. We're concerned that you're not used to seeing him get to a filo held up. Okay, I mean I think I don't know it's I mean, yeah, I haven't watched it back. I

haven't read brought us his thing. But line man Connor what I mean, Zach got hurt with a decent amount of time to play, and at the very least because we were still in the press box when app right right after the Zeke penalty when Zeke lowered his head. So Connor was in there for probably four possessions, if I had to guess, and then I think they scored on three of them. So I guard controversy gotten on here.

Ehiball tests says he probably played pretty well. All right, we're gonna take our final break, come back, get some questions from you guys. Give us a call. Eight eight, eight eight five five two two nine seven. We still do have to talk about this defense and their performance yesterday. We'll do that when you come right back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot com Radio. Well, a player could look good on paper, it's when he's out on the field that you really find out what he's made of it.

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with pride right here in Texas. They are still official crown of all self prospecting Cowboys, and Stetson is proud to be on the field with America's team. Find Steps and Hats in the pro Shop or at Stetson dot Com. Today Back to the Break, Welcome back. This is the final segment of The Break live from the s WBC Mortgage Studios. At start talking about the cowboys big win over the Eagles, Nick tell us about Tommy John. You know we don't have time to jack around today. Put

Tommy John on your ass. I mean, just do it. Just Mmy John dot com forward slash cowiz it no matter if you're a guy or girl. If you're buying for a guy or girl, go get some Tommy John and put it on your ace can't. Why would somebody need Tommy John. He's not gonna Why would they need it, He's not gonna have a drop rady. Why would they need Tommy John because he's gotten as Amber? Amber got it. I didn't. I like it. All right, we're gonna jump

right back in. Let's start, let's finish up this conversation on the game. On the Dallas defense, once again, a stellar performance for them. Their fourth quarter a little bit shaky, but all things considered, they play a phenomenal game. In my opinion, I do think they're in the fourth quarter particular, and later part of the fourth quarter where they gave

up the two touchdowns. I think some of that was probably because they were playing a little looser, probably trying not to give up the big play, although they did end up giving up one that got called back. Horrible call, by the way, But all that be considered, what do you guys think from the standpoint of how the defense played yesterday's horrible call, the goddard play. I didn't even that was another one that happens down there. I didn't

scored anyway, Yeah they did. I'm just saying, but it was a horrible call and I wonder how it would have affected the game because now instead of them having to get several more plays in order to get to the end zone, that was a quick strike. Do the Cowboys go down and score? Do they score quickly and forced give the eagle sign to come back and score? Like, there's a lot that could have changed that game if

that play would have held. Yeah, and this would have been in one of the five plays if they hadn't scored to play before that deep ball to Jeffrey laid out there, he pushed off on Cheeto to get the separation. Cheeto got up and was telling the ref was pushed off one of the safeties, Xavier Woods. I think the very next play was that touchdown, and so that the refs were looking, it wasn't the same reffa. It was the ref that was downfield that made the call. Yes.

So sometimes when you complain for the those calls, it's not about getting that one changed, it's the next one, because they ain't gonna change it, never gonna change the call, but they're gonna be looking at it. And they looked

at it there. So it's you know, I always I great on a curve and it's It's funny how you know, the season can kind of change your perception because like in a vacuum, twenty three points two hundred and twenty two passing yards, two point four yards per carry, Like, they played great, they played a really nice game, but those you know, crunch time is what weighs in your mind, and you're like, that's probably the biggest game Buyron gave up all year on the one to Jeffrey right there

at the pylon, right in front of us. I mean, like I said, like when when the chips were down, the Eagles had basically no problem at all. So I'm kind of weighing like, well, objectively, they played a pretty good game, but it also they did not play up

to the standard that they have spoil. No and no, you're absolutely right to think To think that I would be nitpicking about a defensive performance by the Dallas Cowboys is insane because you know, you think about the game zach Ertz had last time Byron Jones helped the limit him to five catches for thirty eight yards. He was a non factor. Um, so they clearly played pretty well, but the standard has been set so high that now

you're finding things to nitpick. My main impression is that I'm pissed because if they'd scored one fewer, if if they had held him to sixteen, they'd be the number one scoring defense in football right now. Because the Ravens gave up an uncharacteristically high number yesterday, and they're just they're right behind them because they gave up twenty three. Yeah, I think, but Ambert, I think you hit the nail

on here. You say it, we're spoiled, because really, if you go back a game before that to the Saints game, Remember we're on the sideline and I was talking about how you know, an elite defense has to finish, and what did they do? They finished that game, and in this instance you probably I know, I was expecting, like they're gonna do the same thing to them they did to the Saints, like they're about to finish this game and finish it strong by getting them off the field.

And then twice they allowed the Eagles to drive down and get touchdowns. But in the grand scheme of things, I think when you're playing division teams, you have to sometimes figure out a way to win, and in this instance, the offense was gonna have to be the ones to figure out a way to win, and that's what they did. That's the nature of a good team is everything's not going to work out as in the ideal way that

you would expect it to every week. And that's well, that was my That's what I said at the top of the show, is like, that's football is so great, and I think it was. It was the Washington loss. The defense played a pretty damn good game. You know, the Redskins scored a defensive touchdown, so they really only gave up thirteen points. And Tyrone Crawford was like, well, we just we gotta play better. We gotta get more.

You know, we got If it's going to be one of those days where we have to pick up the slack, then that's what we gotta do and that's on us. And you saw him do that against the Saints and then this week they didn't have it at the end, but the offense picked them up. And I mean it takes both sides over the course of what I guess that game was a game was seventy minutes, but I mean, and they did so many things throughout the game to

kind of keep them in there. They're going to keep the Eagles down like the defense got them to the finish line and the offense pull them over it. And I one of the things that concerns me sometimes or that I think about. And I know it's part of the game, and they get paid a ton of money to play it, and they have trainers and professionals. I know how to cure them throughout the week and get

them back to being healthy. But thinking of the way that the defense plays and how much energy and effort and work they like put out on the field, I'm like, Okay, can they keep this going like week to week, Sunday to Sunday. I mean, it takes a lot of work and effort, and you have to think about that and get your offense to help you out because you can't always always always rely on your defense. Yeah, but you know the thing about that is their offense is helping

them out. Think about the number of plays yesterday that the offense had where they were on the field, even when they ended in just three points or they ended in a turnover. You look at a time of possession of forty five plus minutes, and that means it only you know, the Eagles had what twenty two I want to say minutes or so. I mean, you look at the time of possession. The defense is getting helped out.

That's why they can expend as much energy as because the amount of time that they're spending on the field this season is remarkably skewed toward their offense, and so when they come on, they're very well rested, they're refreshed, they're ready to go. And because they're playing so well, they tend to get a lot of three and ouns. Yesterday they had four three and ounces. So when they get three and ounces, they go right back to the sideline, put the offense back on the field for another four

or five six minute drive. You are so I think it. I think it works right now. It really does. You aren't wrong. You're not wrong. But my ever, yes, I'm just saying good point. You know what would help them a lot more than all of that is points. Great, Yeah, that's nice first half possession, it's punt, field goal, interset in the end zone, missed field goal, field goal. So and and you're not going to score every time. I get that, but it could have been at least thirteen

to nothing at half, no doubt. A and and hey, the other you know, I get. One of the things that aggravates me the most is people are like, they could have put this team away, they should be up twenty. Like it's the NFL. You don't get putting them away. You might get to put somebody away, like three times per season, there's a lot. They beat the Jags forty

to seven. That was you, that was your easy win. Like, you don't get anymore in the NFL unless you're truly special, which this team is not truly special, not the way they play. The way they play doesn't lend itself to putting teams away. They sparren't that many teams that get to do that period the Cans. I mean, the Saints had an epic run where they beat like four teams in a row fifty to ten. Great, good for them,

it just doesn't happen that off. Twenty seven points is the difference of in the five wins twenty seven points. They're all one possession games. I mean, and I would and and all year all the wins are one possession games up for Jacksonville. But it's still okay to be frustrated that they left at least ten points on the

field and they've done it, they do it consistently. Why Amber, Because they don't do their job the right way in the red zone, and it's it's gonna be problematic for them in the postseason if they don't figure something out there, or if they figure it out, then it gives them a really they have a really great shot of doing something in the playoffs. That's why whole point, that's why this is so beautiful, because I'm like, this is why it's terrible, and you're like, but this is why it

could be good, Like you're the optimist. That's why I don't understand though, I mean, we're in week fourteen. You would think that would be something that you would have figuring out by now. They didn't figure out how to win until week nine. So there's but there's two ways to look at this too, though. Though your defense is playing to the point where you when you get down there, you need to get some points. Now that throw, you know,

he missed it by just a few inches there. When you get down inside inside the tent, I think they're a little bit more conservative and when they do that, I mean they're trying to get the field goal. They have a defense that you can lean on this defense shut down the Saints, So I mean, yeah, you can say it's gonna hurt them in the playoffs. In it might, and you gotta get touchdowns, but the defense is good enough to kind of lean on right there. So sometimes

getting a field goal is important. I mean, I thought, when they went down there and they got up you know, nine, nothing, I thought, you know, yeah, you should have. You wanted them to score, but being up two scores was important there. Ye oh yeah, no, that was I said that on Twitter last night. I'm the King of I want to go for it all the time. I want to be super aggressive, but you gotta take a two possession lead when you're presented with an opportunity to do it. Right. Oh,

that's like a call from John and Maryland. John, what up? Good afternoon everyone, Thank you for taking my call. Well it's afternoon in Maryland. Anyway, I'm gonna touch up these points that I completely agree. Number one, the officiating is horrific, not just for the game last night, but throughout the NFL, even with the rams or game, even the Kansas City Rams um Kansas City a Ravens game. But what is going on with aficiating? Number one? Why is it so

horrific this year? And number two, I know we have we have UM there's limits, there's limits on how much we can play players. But a guy like Bak Prescott, why don't we bring in the best quarterback guru, quarterback whisperer so we can help this guy. His fight is immense, but his talent, the way he almost blew that game last night for us, it kind of takes away from all the good things he did. Thank you very much

for taking my call. All right, thanks the call. Nothing takes away from the good things he did, because almost blowing a game is okay if you didn't. I mean, I got just the brutal truth of the NFL. It's true, though. I get at your point that you're when you live dangerously, you know, what's the whole thing? You know, you play with fire, You're gonna get burned. And I get it. And he's he's that way, you know, And they kind of did it in the playoffs and in UM twenty sixteen.

You know, But I think that I don't know about the officiating. I think the officiating is what it is. I mean, it's bad at times, it's good. It's that's I'm bad. I don't even know what what was the I'm glad it. I mean it sucked the gods that first, that first play of the game. As a back hall,

we all saw it. That was a bad crap. The decision to pull out the you know, I'm the guy that sat here and said the running back lowering his head rule is going to be irrelevant by the end of the preseason, And it was until December when literally they were like, let's pull let's dust the cobwebs out on that. In the middle though game that's going to decide the NFC's That play was the textbook version. I

hadn't seen that happen all season. I mean it was it was basically what they said they were trying to stop, which is running back running in the open field. He lines up a guy and then lowers his head and running batter batters, and like, that's exactly what the rule is. So I don't think that the rule was called. Now you can argue whether the NFL should have the rule, that's a whole different thing. But it was not a bad call. I guarantee you. It wasn't the first time

that's happened this season. In the two hundred and whatever games that we've played in the NFL. It was not the first time it's happened, but it was the first time it's been flagged. I you know, I don't have a direct line article, I don't have a direct line to Goodell but in the back. But he but he lowered his head though. That's I get that. But y'all right now are arguing the rule, and that's fine, you

can argue the rule. I'm going no, But like I said, for for us, I think there's forty nine games left in the schedule, which means we've played two hundred and ten, give or take. And that's the first time they've called it horse. Is that the first time called across the league? That's what I heard last night. Really, yes, they have not been called. I mean it has to happen, so they have not been snap got the first thing. Wow, First, there's a lot of first step which I'm gonna I'm

gonna context. I'm gonna I'm gonna contradict myself now because as animated as I just got about that, Like, I don't, I don't get like who the officiating quote unquote sucks every week because it's twenty two gigantic, super freakish men trying to kill each other one hundred and fifty times a game, Like there's a penalty on every play. No ref can be perfect, and you can't robotically call this thing.

So to sit here and piss and moan about it after the fact is I just I don't have the energy to get upside about what a clear recovery is when a guy comes up with the ball like that. But it's not only that, but you saw you saw the ball as it came first. I came out and it was there was a guy on top of the ball, like literally he didn't have it in his clutches, but he was on top of the ball. And there was another guy from the same team, both Eagles, that was

under him. And so if that's happening and then they come away with the ball the same guy that was under him, there is a natural inclination he had the ball. You might not see it, but it's there. It exists, right, It didn't magically get there. So to me, it's just I just think that was a bad call. I agree that that's a bad I don't even say it, wouldn't say a bad rule. I don't know that I agree that that rule really makes as much of a difference

as it as it should. But the fact of the matter is he did what they told him not to do. You take the penalty, you move on. There were some bad calls though in that game that I think could have affected the game at the end of the day. I mean they all do. Yeah, that's sometimes it bites you in the ass when they flag LP Lattiser for doing the same snap that he's always done. And sometimes it benefits you because somebody in New York doesn't know

what the hell they're looking at on him. Replay like something something terrible happens pretty much in every game, and I mean, honestly, that's just football, like you know, college football. It's definitely high school football because they don't even have the benefit or replay. So I don't know, I don't have the energy. You can call holding on every play, but one of those tying plays, you know, I don't know.

I said, he costs from three points whatever, But one of those plays, is is it holding or is it just kicking the guy's ass? I mean, like like he has his hands right here and then he puts them down on the ground. I mean, I don't know if it's one thing, if you're holding so he doesn't tackle the guy, but if you put a defensive end on his ass, like I don't think you're really holding the guy.

I think you're putting him. I think that's And again going back to my point, you're talking about this half this stuff happens in a half second, a blink of an eye because they're so fast, and the ref saw tyr and put his hand on the outside of the shoulder pad where the logo is. And they're just trained like that. If you see that hand placement, it's flags. Even if it's not, they're gonna call it. And that's how they're trained, like they're they're told when you get

your hands outside you can get a holding call. Like that's how they trained. And to the other point, I don't know, Like with three weeks left in the seat, like I again, I don't have the energy to debate the coaching stuff right now either because like they're not they're not gonna come in and fire Kelly Moore today and they're not gonna do it next week either. And so that's a conversation for January or February and the way this offense has played, like the whole scope of it.

There's plenty of conversation to be had about the future direction of the offense going forward, but why, I mean, why, why waste your breath on it right now? So in the season you keep rolling with whatever you especially when you're winning five games exactly, And we just kind of reset this. They've got three games to go. They win one of the three games, they win the division. If if they don't win any of those three, either the Eagles or Redskins, who play each other, the winner of

that has to has to win them all. So nobody can slip up on over there, the Eagles or Redskins and the Cowboys to lose them all. That's the only way that they don't win the division. Very very unlikely, It's very it's possible, but it's a slim slim chain. This weekend, both of them could lose. I mean that you got the Eagles playing the Rams, who are coming off a loss, by the way, their second of the season.

And then you've got the Redskins going to play the Jaguars, and the way they played against the Giants, they could lose all three. Yea, like they are just they are not the same team with with Mark Sanchez under Mark saying even their defense that was a really good defense, I thought through a good part of the season. They've just fallen off here in the last couple of weeks and are playing really horrible. And then they find a

way past the Jags. They got to play a Tennessee team that's right in the thick of the AFC playoff race. So and then they and the Eagles have to play the Texans at home. So I mean, it's not likely that they're gonna win. And the Cowboys got they still got the easiest schedule of the you know, at the Colts, which is gonna be a Tampa at home. Tampa played the Saints tough, and then they got the Giants. You never know what they're gonna be playing at the end

of the year. But beating beating the Colts would would be the easiest way to just take care of this. But yeah, if it's very very slim that this doesn't work itself out in favor of the Cowboys, and if the Bears would have lost to the Rams, which they did not, um, the Cowboys I think would have had the lead on them on the third as the third see. But you know, I don't know if that matters. I don't see both Dallas and the Bears winning at the Rams and the Saints where that three versus four is

gonna really matter. I'd be surprised if what I do love right now. I love that we're getting to see this this duality of the NFL. You're getting to see these really good offensive teams against these really good defensive teams. And so far this year they're two of three, the best two defenses have won two of them. And then yesterday the Ravens played the Chiefs and they barely lost.

So I'm loving what I'm seeing right now, and certainly for Cowboys fans, you gotta love what you're seeing right now. I don't think about it though, in terms of and I mean, yeah, you're probably not gonna host an NFC title game as even as a three seed, but you're

right what you're about to say, it'll slot your wildcard game. Yeah, And I do think there's a big difference between the first and the second because Seattle looks like they're playing well, and then after that it's kind of me it's everyone's game, So there's a difference between that, and we will see that tonight Monday Night football. You got Seattle in Minnesota

right now, they are the fifth and six seeds. We'll see which one of them can win that game, and you'll get to see probably one of those teams, maybe the team that Cowboys play there to open the playoffs. We'll do it. We'll talk about more of that tomorrow. Until then, for Nick Even, Dave helm and Amber Garcia. I'm Derek Higelson. 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