Cowboys Break: Who’s Got Leverage?

s WBC Mortgage Studios. At the start, we are presented by Geico and we've got a show full of a lot of different topics. We're gonna hit a lot of different things today, everything from Jerod Jerry had to say in his press converse to what Mike McCarthy had to say in press conference, a couple players at press conferences. Um. And in the final segment, we're gonna get you guys ready for some playoff football. The Cowboys won't be involved, but we're gonna pick some of the games that will

be happening this weekend. A lot of football happening this week. You will be six playoff games between Saturday and Sunday in the NFL. We're excited about it, and I'm sure you guys will be as well. Let's jump in and first, what are you gigging about, Nick, Because don't speak for me that I'm excited. You're not excited about the NFL playoffs? Yeah, I mean, okay, it'll be if it's on, it's on, but excited about it. Okay, my bad. I didn't mean

all excited about the NFL playoffs. Yes, like videolutely two days of back to back to back football games, good teams, Sign me the hell out. I'm in. Yeah, Okay, I thought you were a bigger sports fan than that. Like I thought, yea, if sports is all you're excited about it, and so for playoff NFL football, I thought you'd be

really excited about it. But I get a watch. I'll watch mainly because we're you're gonna force us to make picks here and then if we don't you don't have the right picks, then we'll be talking about it next week. So I'll watched, but I'm not gonna be like, oh my god, Seahawks and Rams. Okay, yeah, I'll be excited. I'm I've been excited since I saw it last Well, he he's he's an Arkansas fan, so he doesn't know much about that playoff world. Jesus never been in the playoffs. True, well,

we haven't either at Texas. I haven't been saying much about Jesus. I hadn't even been in the ball game. You know, had a ball game scheduled until Oh, here we go with that. Nick's not happy about that ball game. Cancel. No, not, but you know you don't want you want to take a few minutes to sound off about that. Are you good? You're good? That's all right, all right, let's jump in. I can feel that, I can feel the attention here. I'm sorry. I hated that before they out of the game.

Oh no, I know, I know that whole program, the whole thing, like cool Town program, Color Scott everything. Yeah, Lord, here we go. Let's ta a little Cowboys football. Um. I want to start first with with just kind of the big overviews. There were a couple of different guys, uh that had things to say about the season. Let's start with the biggest of the guys, Jerry Jones. Um. He said yesterday that obviously they fell far short of expectations,

and he really missed. He said, I really missed it relative to how important it would be to stay with the same philosophy. That's that one's on me. I'll take that one. Basically, what he was saying was their decision to to do something different on defense philosophically, Um, he puts on himself. My question for you is how much blame do you put on Jerry versus McCarthy and Nolan with regards to them making the decision to change the

defense philosophically going into this season. Let's start first with you. Nick. Now, I don't think, you know, that should be on Jerry. I mean, I really I don't because and I don't think Jerry should put it on himself. You know, is it his job to figure out what the philosophy of the defense is. I mean, I don't think it. I don't think And by the way, there's plenty of other stuff he can take credit for him. Yeah, that went wrong, I mean, you know, but but that defense needed a change.

I mean, I thought that was the whole point of making changes here, Mary Nelly. And it wasn't like it was great. It was it was okay, but it needed a change. And so it just it just this was a perfect storm. What's the opposite of a perfect storm? I mean, because that's what this was. It just didn't work out. It's just it was. It was not a good year for Mike Nolan to come in here and say we're gonna have this complex defense because the guys

weren't ready to handle it and and couldn't handle it. Really, So I don't put it on Jared. I've just put it on the fact that the coach and the players mix with the combination of COVID was just bad. It's just a science experiment that just blew up. Amber No. I mean, I know that there are a lot of fans that are currently like upset for different reasons at Jerry Jones right now, but I wouldn't blame that on him that specifically. I mean, you hire someone and you

pay someone to do that job. That is not his job. That's the coach's job, and that's what they are being paid to do and figure out, and they should know what is right for the team and what to do. Especially in a crazy year like twenty twenty. We saw everything that was happening with COVID, how that affected football and the time being in person and all that, So

why try to go in and try to change the philosophy. Instead, take that year and just try to limit the changes that you need to do, because that just creates more work in an environment that isn't necessarily fit for that kind of change at the moment. So I definitely don't put that on Jerry at all, Dave, Yeah, you know, And I mean the buck stops with Jerry Jones, and so every time the Cowboys come up short, he definitely

deserves his share of the criticism. And to his credit, I don't know, I don't know that anybody handles criticism better than Jerry Jones. So, like, I'm not worried about it. But isn't this the classic case of Jerry Jones can't win? Like if Jerry Jones had forced Mike McCarthy and Mike Nolan to implement the defense that he wants, then it's crazy Jerry always tinker in with the team, can't get

out of the way. But you know, now people are saying like, oh, he should have known better, he shouldn't have made him change, Like he doesn't get to win in this scenario because if he had forced them to do something different, then he would be the medalsome owner, and since he didn't, he's the absentee owner. Like, you can't have it both ways. So he hired football people to make football decisions and he got out of the way. That's what people want him to do. So no, I

don't put that on him. So let me ask you this. So since he as he's talking about this, and him talking so much, this isn't the first time I've heard him talk about the fact that he really feels like the problem this year was trying to do too much on defense, trying to change too much too fast under

these circumstances. Do you think that that is leading him in his mind to opt to go the route of keeping Mike Nolan because he thinks that maybe some of these decisions were a little bit or at least the performance was a little bit out of his control based upon the circumstances of COVID and not being able to really implement the things they want to implement. Let's start

with you Amber. To me, the way I see it is that if we as viewers see it from afar, you as a coach that is up close and very close to the team and everything, and watch this film over and over again. You should notice things. So that's my problem. It's like when we get to see it and then they don't really see it, or maybe they do see it, but they don't really talk about it to the media. Oh, that's that's my problem. I don't think that. I just don't have the patience for it,

and I keep talking about it. I'm like, I'm trying to be a patient person. And I know that Jerry he's a very patient guy. He's a he likes giving people the benefit of the doubt. And great on him because in some cases that really has worked out. But in some other cases, this is just the scenario where me personally, I wouldn't give it another year just because it just took way too long. There's no reason why we had to wait until the end of December to

start seeing some improvement. Basic basic improvement as far as like will empower, like the fight to want to play football on the field and play decent football. So to me, I just I don't know. I just don't have the patience for it, and they need to make that change, and I don't know if Jerry will will make that

change or not. Dave, I think I can probably speak for all of us when I say, like nobody likes to like you don't want to put your hand in somebody else's pockets, and like nobody likes talking about whether or not somebody should lose their job. Having said that, I even though I just sort of defended Jerry and the you know, the decision to change the scheme, Like to Amber's point, I just think there's a certain standard that you have to hold an NFL team to regardless

of the circumstances. And there's two teams in the playoffs right now with first year coaching staffs and all the changes that go on, you know, go into that. Cleveland and Washington both managed to put together playoff seasons despite all of that. And you know, compared to the offense, at least the Dallas defense, like they didn't face nearly as much hardship. Yeah, there was injury in the secondary. You didn't have Laton for a decent chunk of the season.

He lost Gerald McCoy. That's stuff that happens in any NFL season. And you know, to allow the most points in franchise history, and you know, the Cowboys are a proud franchise, but they've had some bad seasons, like some really bad seasons. It doesn't sit well with me. And just the depth of the ineptitude is not some thing that I think any NFL team should ever have to experience.

So you know, they picked it up at times over the second half of the season, but I don't think that's enough for me to have faith that it's worth

given it another go. And to your point, Dave, I actually heard Jerry also mentioned on that conference call or on that that press conference um that that he also felt like this um that they weren't, that there were no He pointed out that there were teams that also had first year head coach coaches that were in the playoffs, So he's well aware of that, and that's something that that at least in that context, he was willing to throw out there publicly that there were other teams to

handle this much better than the Cowboys did under the same circumstances. Nick, what are your thoughts there? I'll ask you, Derek, what day is it? Tuesday? Wednesday? Yeah, Wednesday? Well month is it January? See? Those are that's the way you answer a question that you know of the answer. But Mike Nolan, the question was asked twice to Jerry Jones. He had long answers, didn't even mention Mike Nolan by name, went around and round and round and round and around,

I think if he was coming. But he got asked twice like wait a second, you didn't answer the first time, what about Mike Nolan? Well, you know, and I'm upset we're not in the playoffs and now that so that's a great point. Like that's the thing about Jerry and you and you guys have covered him for a long time. It's it's often not what he says. It's often what he chooses not to say, right, yeah, because he's the king of that emphatic like yes, oh when he wants

like an emphatic point, he certainly does. Yeah. So you know all he often says, I'm not trying to be trite. Sometimes he is. Sometimes he is. And he didn't start that one without not trying to be tried, right, I don't know. I mean, again, I'm not Dave said it best, you know, I mean, we're not trying to, you know, say, oh this guy should be fine, right, but you shouldn't

make a change. And I think it's I think it's there's a change needed, and I think it's just if Jerry really was gonna not make a change, I think he probably would have said it. I've been emphatic about saying that. I think so. But I also think that there's probably some more digesting that he asked to do

with regards to looking at everything. And as Jerry does oftentimes get opinions from a lot of different people because he tends to do that, and he'll talk to a lot of different people, and I think that's when he'll have an opinion on what he really wants. Well, everybody thinks that Jerry's the guy that comes in and just

tells the coach what to do. I mean, and maybe I'm sure it's happened before, and I'm sure it happens with other teams, and here we are in this first season and the last thing he wants to do is tell Mike McCarthy what to do on this. But sometimes you have to step in and I don't know, we'll see, we'll see what happens. I mean, maybe he's not let go, maybe he's reassigned, but either way, I think you have to have some changes on this. The way the scheme is.

On the question of Nolan DeMarcus Lawrence on his press conference, he was asked about Mike Nolan. His quote was, when you're playing with young guys, you have to take into consideration that some things that are easy for me, speaking of himself, won't be for the next person. He respects Nolan as the man because he looked as a man. I'm sorry, because he looked himself in the mirror and

he adjusted that. Being said, does this in your mind signal that players, at least some players think Nolan got better and should have been and that should be considered when determining his future. Day We'll start with you. I mean, that's a nice thing for him to say that he looked in the mirror, but I like, I don't hear that and just think of it as a ringing endorsement. And you know, DeMarcus Lawrence is he's got a pretty strict philosophy. Going back to my point, you know, he

he does not enjoy talking about other people's jobs. You try to get him to talk about like Zeke or Dack's contract and so like, I don't know if DeMarcus Lawrence is going to come right out and you know, put that out there, but just trying to read between the lines. That doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement that he's like this is my guy. I mean, and that's

kind of that's kind of where I fall too. That's that's the point I was trying to make, is like, yes, the defense got better after like Halloween, like after that Washington game, they cleaned it up a little bit, the first Washington game they cleaned it up. But was it good enough, Like was it just this transformation that you're like, yes, we are headed in the right direction or did it go from historically awful to still pretty bad? You know, and is that enough to merit sticking with this? And

I don't think it is? Okay, I think I think the schedule got easier. I don't think the team got necessarily better. I do think the secondary got a little better as they got their guys back, But you know, they didn't really beat anybody, you know good they they got, you know, they got those guys to turn the ball over, you know, Mullins and and you know what's the Brandon Allen from since I mean, you know, just quarterbacks that

you don't consider to be that good. Kyler Murray didn't turn the ball over on them, and you know, I don't even think Matt Ryan did, even though they won that game. And you know that they played well against Pittsburgh, but when Pittsburgh needed to score, they went and scored and won the game. So I just think that they got the schedule guy easier. I don't know if they got that better, that much better, just kind of the way the schedule win. Now, Amber, No, That's what I

was gonna say as well. It's like, are we supposed to get excited about a defense that can beat or play well against the losing team like that? That's not exciting. I want to see them be competitive against better teams, against teams that are not losing teams. So basically, what I'm trying to say like, absolutely not. I'm not going to be fooled by what we saw in the second half of the season towards the end of the season. I'm not gonna be blinded by those all those takeaways

that they were able to get. But at the same time, I will say this, and I mentioned it earlier, I did see some improvement as far as the will to play. You know, at the beginning of the season, we saw these guys with no drive, no desire, like there was like the passion missing out there. But then towards the second half, we started seeing that, And I don't know if that was maybe the effect of being criticized so

much and you know, all over social media. I mean, these guys want to say they don't pay attention to the outside noise, but that's very hard to keep away. So I'm sure that did have an effect in the locker room and between these guys. So I don't know how much credit to give Mike Nolan as far as that, but just overall, I don't think that it was enough. All Right, we're gonna take our first break. When we

come back, We're don't talk about Dak Prescott. There were some very interesting things that Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy had to say about it, including Jerry saying who he thinks now has the leverage in these negotiations. We'll talk about that when we come back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. There's nothing as unique as our eyes, which is why SLOR Pioneers weighs to make lenses as

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I don't think let's get them back in before. If I get him or Day back in, that would be good. I don't need other people walking around right now. All right, we appreciate you, guys. Jonas from Back Lickings WBC Morgan Studios at the Star, we are presented by Geico, and now we want to flip the conversation to Dak Prescott because Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy but both had very interesting things to say about Dak. Let's start first with Jerry.

He said on the topic of leverage in this negotiation, his quote was, I don't know how you could have anymore speaking of Dak's leverage in this negotiation, my question for you guys is how significant is it that Jerry says this publicly and what kind and how much leverage do you think the Cowboys still have. Let's start first, Nick, I, I don't know. I think he's negotiating right there. I think that when he's talking to the media, I think

he's that's a way of negotiating. I don't know. I find it hard to believe that if Jerry really really thought that that he would say that, So, you know, I mean, and I don't know if I really agree with it. I don't know if there's leveridge there for either side and really not really. I mean, if Dak would have played throughout the season the way he was playing and all that, then yeah, but I mean, and then he gets hurt. So I don't know. I don't

know if there's leverage really either either way. And the fact that he said it makes me think that it's probably still somewhere in the middle. I don't know, amber I don't really have I don't know what to make out of it. I don't know if that really makes me feel any different than I already did in the past.

But it makes me wonder. I mean, and you guys know more about contract and all that, and I know that we still don't know how the whole cap thing is going to be affected this year, with the whole COVID thing and all the like money that the NFL lost this previous year. But would that if how much money they offer Dak or like, does that number change or does it stay the same. And that's the big problem is that's you mean, Dak is gonna want what

he wants regardless of the salary cap. You know, Stephen Jones loves to say that's not the player's problem to figure out how to make it work, But that's what's gonna make it tricky. Well, that's the that's the biggest question. Then,

I mean, where does that land? Because you keep talking or they keep talking about Okay, you have to keep in mind, yes, Dak Prescott is our main priority, but at the same time, you have to keep in mind that we need to have guys around him that can make it work as well, and for that you need to pay that talent as well. So it just makes me wonder. I mean, does that drive the conversation somewhere else, or they give him the franchise tag or I don't know,

I just see it. Maybe this might be another year where maybe he does at a franchise tag based on like, you don't really know what's going to happen with the whole NFL income and cap salary. And again, that is not a conversation I can discuss much about because I don't know. But it's just there's a lot of unknown when it comes to finances around the NFL right now, So I don't know what's going to happen there, Dave.

I can think of one way Dak Prescott could have more leverage, and if it was, it's if he wasn't using crutches to get around right now. I mean, that's just kind of the unfortunate reality of the situation. But I do think he's got a lot of leverage. And I also think that Amber makes a good point. But like, again, that's not Dak Prescott's problem, and we know that, yes, the salary cap is going to be impacted right now,

but it's going to go up. The NFL is going to negotiate new TV deals for lots and lots and lots of money. And if I was Dak and his representation, I'd be like, yeah, that's that's tough. You're gonna have a cap crunch this year, But it won't be there for that long because it's gonna skyrocket when they signed those new deals next year or in the next you know what, next twelve eighteen months whenever that is. So

I don't know. I don't know if Dak has the maximum leverage, but I think he's got a lot of it. And me personally, I don't disagree with y'all that maybe this is a negotiating tactic. But to me, I think Jerry Jones recognizes that if he wants Dak Prescott to be his quarterback, he's gonna have to pay a premium for it, and there's just not really a way around that. And I thought it was interesting that maybe he doesn't mean every word of what he said, but to me,

it says he recognizes that. And maybe I'm just being optimistic, but I hope it means it leads to them getting a deal done sooner rather than later. Yeah, I do kind of agree with that because and I a little disagree with you a bit nick on that because I think the leverage really is on Dak's side. Now, I don't I know Jerry and Steven, and I've been in negotiate with players. I've been in negotiating with them on

business things. They're very shrewd negotiators, so they don't say anything that doesn't have that they're not going to use at some point. So this is all a part of their negotiations, like it all goes into it. But I will say this, I think time is on Dak's side. The longer this thing goes on, the more leveraged Dak has. And the reason why is because after this next season,

like the Cowboys, we all agree. I think we all agree that there is a likely chance that the Cowboys are gonna franchise tag him even before they get a deal done going into this offseason. If they're going to franchise him, then basically Dad could sit there and say, okay,

so they're one of two options. You can either give me a long term deal of what I want, or I play on the franchise tag this year, which means I'm gonna make what thirty I think it's thirty eight thirty nine something like that this year, and then next year it's gonna be cost prohibitive for you to franchise me again, so I become a free agent and I can go in as long as there are other teams out there that are willing to pay him what he's asking for in a contract demand. He owns the leverage.

He just plays this year at that thirty eight thirty nine, whatever that number is, it's the franchise tag this year, and then he's free right so to me. The more time goes on, the more leverage, leverage he has if the Cowboys don't want to risk losing him because he can determine what he does after this next year. I

don't agree with that. Why because because what if he goes I mean, he went eight and eight the year before, he went one, two and three this year if he doesn't do if if he has another year where he's got his team in the playoffs, then and what if he gets hurt against he before he has never gotten hurt. Now he got hurt and he didn't play that well or his team didn't play that well beforehand. So the more time goes on, I think the price tag actually

goes down. And I'll actually say something you guys will all disagree with. I think it is Dak's problem. You say it's not Dax's problem to figure it out. I think partially it is his problem. He's the leader of the team in the quarterback, so he can sit there and you can beat Deshaun Watson and get forty million a year, but who's around. So I think in this weird year in yes, the cat might go up work

with the team. They'll work with you. You want to be the quarterback of the team, you know, you got more money in your pocket because you are the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboy. With that as a fact, nobody can argue that. But work with the team here and let them and let them figure out this thing as they get by this unique year. I think it is his problem. Let's go back to that winning argument. I have two words for you, Kirk Cousins. You don't have to be a winning quarterback to make a ton of

money in the NFL. All you have to do is be a quarterback that has promised to be a quarterback that teams look at and say, is he better than what we got number one and number two? Is he good enough where if we if we can do certain things that we can, he can take us championship. And I don't think there's any doubt that Dak Prescott is that kind of quarterback, regardless of whether they go eight

and eighth this year or not. I've never been in a fight, but if I got hit in the face twice, I think the third time I'd have my hands up. So at some point the league's gonna have their hands up and they say these guys are not worth it. And the Cowboys are trying to do that right now. Yeah. The difference is the difference is you're talking from a standpoint of a frame chise, it's had a quarterback for

a while. Yeah, go back, go back and be that franchise that you were back in two thousand and two, two thousand and three where you were sitting there without a quarterback and every Sunday it was like, I don't know how we're gonna win because our quarterbacks not better than their quarterback. You do that for ten years, like some of these franchises have, and and you're a lot like that. You're that starving man that takes that salting

cracker and thinks it's a ritz. Like you take, you will take whatever you can get because you have been dealing with really really bad quarterback play, and you know you can't win with really really bad quarterback play. I would also like to throw in there. I feel like there's a lot of hand ringing about. You know, you pay Dak, you can't surround him with any talent. How the talent's all already here, Like I mean, you know, the tackles got hurt this year, that's bad luck. But

there are great players that are under contract. The running back is under contract. Two of the three receivers are under contract for the foreseeable, foreseeable future. You've got an all pro defensive end. Yeah, like the defense needs a lot of work. That's what you have draft picks for. And oh, by the way, when they were paying Dak four hundred thousand dollars a year, they weren't bringing in all this crazy talent. They were just resigning their own guys.

Like you had the cheap quarterback play and you didn't do anything with that cap space while you could. So where where is all this concern about not adding talent? Like the cornerstone pieces that you need to be successful are here, and you use the draft to fill in the rest. But Dave, are you are you talking? Are you kind of talking out of both sides of your

mouth a little bit there? Because if you're saying they already got the talent here, then that means they did take advantage of those years to bring all that talent in. They couldn't have built all the talent you're saying they have right now if they didn't take advantage of those years to get the talent, right. No, they will. They use their cap space, Well, they use some of their cap space to retain the guys that they had. But this is not a team if they have talent out.

This is not a team that's been caps apped in the last five years though, Like they have had money that they could have spent to make the team better in other ways and they didn't do it. And and that's I mean, that's an organizational philosophy. That's they don't want to they don't want to be big spenders in free agency, and that's okay, but to act like, you know, like people are like, oh my god, if we didn't pay dec we'd be able to get all these guys,

Like they're not going to do that. They haven't in almost a decade. But you said they weren't cap strapped. That's because their quarterback was making less than I mean, I'm making about a million. Well, I mean, now he's gonna now he's gonna make I mean, but there are they made. He made thirty one million this year, and and they weren't, you know, they were they weren't a deep football team. They didn't have a lot of depth, and they got a lot of injuries and stuff like that.

But I don't know, thirty one million. Now he's maybe he's gonna make forty. That's a nine million dollars difference. Do you know anyone that makes nine million? I know a few people on the other side of the building, not really know anybody on this show make the other side of the ball. Uh, nobody. See you're saying, you're saying you can solve one problem by getting rid of another. About nine million, I couldn't think. You know, well, you

know following you. You know, we're gonna get to that in a second, because I actually do have a quote from someone on the other side of the ball, and he's gonna tell you what he thinks about that idea of whether you should keep him around or not. We're gonna take our final break, we'll come back, We'll hear from mister Jayalen Smith, and we'll do when we come right back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. We're backing the tasty treat that's sweeping airwaves and taste buds.

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slash five G for you for details. Back to the Break if you're looking for something to change up your gener routine, and it'll help if you live in the Frisco area because you can support Frisco businesses by choosing one of thirty restaurants at the Star District. For information on delivery, takeout, curbside pickup, and dining options, visit the Star District dot com. All right, welcome back to the final segment of the Break. We're gonna go full thirty

minutes here with no commercial breaks. We got some things we still got to finish talking about. From the what that was nothing? I was cheering? Oh, from the press conferences. And then at the end of the show, we're gonna talk a little bit about Jason Garrett, who sounds like he might get an opportunity to be a head coach sooner rather than later. We're also gonna pick some of the NFL games that Nick's not excited about this weekend, but David and I are extremely excited about. We can't

wait to see what all's gonna happen this weekend. And I'm just like, whatever, I don't care. Um, so let's let's get back into this whole thing on Dak Prescott stopping. Mike McCarty says his press confidence, he was very confident that Prescott's contract. I was me clapping. He mentioned Garrett, and I was clapping. Yeah, I can't see me. We're so far off the rails, guys, I get it now. We have thirty minutes to get Sorry, sorry, all yeah, we got it. We got way more time than normal.

We got all the time in the world. All right, that's sure. Okay. So so Mike McCarty says he's very confident that Dak Prescott's contract will get settled. The question is simple for you, guys. Are you that confident? Amber,

We'll start with you. I'm not super confident. I mean, based on the things that we just talked about, but I had a question that I wanted to ask you guys, if everything had happened the same exact way as far as injuries on the team, except that Dak Prescott had stayed healthy and still be the quarterback this past season, how different do you think the record would have been for the Cowboys. I think they would have won the division,

almost won. That's two wins. Yeah, and that's my point, right, Okay, so Philadelphia on the road, Okay, I mean the would have gotten one of the games against Washington at least, I think maybe both Just just look at the play where quarterback fail the play failed them Philadelphia on the road and Pittsburgh in New York to finish the season. Yeah, that wasn't a good day for any wasn't I think he started playing like Dak at the end of like running and doing those kind of things. But he Yeah,

that wasn't a good nay struggling. Yeah, three or four more wins? So I can think of four games. Yeah, yeah, So I guess my question leads to Okay, and don't get me wrong, like I absolutely love Dak Prescott and I think he's trending upwards despite the injury. I think that he's a really good quarterback or getting there. But do they really need to pay someone like Dak or can they if they get all these other guys help you fix their defensive issues, can they just get by

or make it? You know, not really miss much with that. And I know Dave is gonna is hating this question already, but it's the truth. I mean, you gotta look at it that way as well. Go look at the playoffs, look at the quarterbacks that are in the playoffs, and then look at the quarterbacks that are in the playoffs by next weekend, and then you answer that question, can you get by with just a average to less than

average quarterback? I don't think you can. If you're if you're if your goals are to be a playoff contender or Super Bowl contender, you just look at the playoffs. You go back to look at the last years of playoffs, and you tell me how many times you see a team with that kind of quarterback deep in the playoffs

unless you've got a transcendent defense. And we definitely don't have a transcendent defense unless you're looking at it from the other side, We're far from that, right that goes Actually, that kind of ties into the point that I was trying to make in the previous segment, and it's it's very fair. I mean, the Cowboys have spent money to keep their own players here. But again, to win the Super Bowl, you either need a transcendent quarterback or you

need a roster that has no deficiencies whatsoever. And like you know, a great coach. San Francisco last year is a perfect example. Jimmy G's not this amazing, We're great everywhere else. How did they build that team? They did a little bit of everything. They had top five draft picks, They spent big money in free agency to bring in guys like Kwan Alexander and Richard Sherman. And have the Cowboys ever been that team? Do they want to be

that team? So? And for that matter, people love to hey Jerry Jones for being this bad general manager who doesn't evaluate talent the right way. And so, what do you think is more realistic that Dak grows into being a quarterback that can carry you there or that the Cowboys hit on every single note that you have to hit to have a great team without a great quarterback. I'll take my chances with the great quarterback, and I legitimately think the sixth best in the league right now.

And two or three of the guys above him are closer to the end of their career. So I'm taking my chances with Dak Prescott every time. I agree with your premise. Dave, I don't know if I agree with

how it played out with San Francisco, though. I think that San Francisco did what they did last year primarily on the strength of their front seven, and even more primarily on the strength of their front four, And to me, that was all about the bad, the idea that they were bad for so long that they were able to stockpile some really, really great first round talent that was along that front that gave teams fits last year, and

you're seeing the difference this year. They lost a ton of those guys this year, either an injury order free agency, and you see that team is completely different this year

than they were last year. And so that that goes back to my original point though that I was getting to when Ambery asked the question, you have to have a defense that's just so much better, and then even that defense, as good as it was last year, still wasn't good enough to put it on Mahomes, who was a better quarterback, a transcendent quarterback, in the Super Bowl.

So you're gonna have to have either a transcendent defense, I'm talking a really really great defense, or you're gonna have to have a quarterback that can outscore the opponent. And I don't think there's an in between. I really don't. You look at the history of the of the Super Bowl. There's not really an in between. No, No, the in between is team that sits there at eight and eight, seven and nine. Here you go. That's what this team is.

Because I'll creep up to maybe a thirteen and three season every once a while, but they don't get to the super Bowl. I don't want to go down this road. But the problem is it's just that I just don't. I don't think this team is close to having that bass defense at all. And they just they're just bad. Really, they don't have then don't have another part yet, or they the second part and they don't have the first part. They're either bad or they're asked, but they're not the same.

They're not together. I don't know, didn't mean to go there, but I feel a column coming. No, no, no, I feel a bleep out on the on demand version. No, I just feel like they're not. They're not a badass defense. And I don't know if that Dak is that elite quarterback that's gonna just carry this team. I don't think he's good enough for that. And I don't it's a shot against Dak. I don't think he's good enough to

lug this this bad team around. But do you know, but do you think that that's also because he hasn't gotten to that point yet, Because I believe that if you look at how his trajectory has been. Again I say this all the time and now starting to sound almost like a c A cliche. Yeah, but it is very Russell Wilson life. But he is. So are you looking at are you looking at his stats? Are you looking at his wins? I'm looking at his play, I'm looking at how he plays. I'm looking at this year,

the games he played this year. That offense was on a their trajectory was on a level where they were heading toward like one of the best offenses in the league. And that's in the league with those other quarterbacks that we're talking about. The difference was they couldn't hold on to the freaking ball and that was not on deck. That was on a bunch of other guys who couldn't hold onto the ball. Here's a stat that helps Dak. Um he you know, I think when he started five games, Yeah,

Dalton started nine games. Dalton played three playoff teams, Um, and so did and so did Dak. You know that they lost to those games. But I mean, and I actually can't think of the third playoff Oh, I can't think of the third playoff team that Dalton played. But were you thinking about Dealers Baltimore, Baltimore, Washington and Baltimore. That's what it was to Washington Baltimore and Dad played the Browns, the Rams and the Seahawks and a lot

more competitive games over there. Anyways, that just kind of it goes to show that the yeah they were one and four, sorry my bad, two and three, but they played much better teams and they were in the games a little bit. But those games they lost, was it Dak's fault. I don't think Dak was the primary blame as to why they lost those games. I think the defense felled them and I think they turned the ball over too much, and that was not on Dak, in

my opinion, goes back to that interfseason playoff game. Against the Packers. You know, he brought him back, but he also there's a reason why they were in hand twenty four points. You know, there's reason why Cleveland was up. It's not just everybody else, not just the defense. There's a reason why it was not the turnover. So well, some of it's on Dak. I mean you have to put some of it on Dak. You have to, like they were. They didn't just lose every game for all

everybody else like that. Dak could play a little bit better in those games and his stats were great, But I'm just saying it wasn't just Dak. Yeah, I get that. I'm saying though, if you look at Dak and how he played this year, I think in those games that he lost where he started. I don't think the primary reason they lost was him. I think he's way down the pecking list. If you want to talk about it.

If this went right, that game changes, If this went right, that game changes, I think Dak's way down that list. I think you can get to a lot of other players before you can get to Dak on that one. So my point is, I just think his trajectory is pointing up, and I think if you keep rolling with him within another year or two, I do think this offense can be completely and totally. Dak will be the best thing that you do. They were on the road

to that this year. I think Dak by next year, the year after that, I think Dak will be the very best thing this offense does, maybe the best thing this team does. That's not always Also, what's uh, what's the what's what's the alternative? What's the alternative? What are you doing if you don't want Dack? You want to

start over and build that defense? And Nick has been talking about, now you take one of those guys that are that are going to be available from you know, Hey, I'm still still was left wanting to see Garret Gilbert. Oh my god, it was my mind. I'm gonna lose it, we jep. I mean, if you want to draft the guy, that's if you want to If you want to draft the guy, that's fine, that's totally fine. I Mean the track record over the last like six years is not

great for every Pat Mahomes and Josh Allen. There's a lot of a lot of Blake Bortles, Jared Goff, Carson wentz Uh, you know a lot of that. So in a sure thing, by any stretch of the imagination, are you saying you don't think that Dak is capable of taking a team to the super Bowl, Because if you've got a quarterback in the building that you think is capable of taking a team to the super Bowl, you

definitely aren't going back to the well. If you got a guy that you think is ascending in the direction where he will be able to be able to take a team to the super Bowl, again, you're not going back to the well. You're sticking with what you got. Are you saying you don't think that that's the case with Dak Prescott M I mean not really not the talent that that there is. I don't think he's No, I don't. I haven't seen it yet. I mean, and of course he because I haven't made to the super Bowl.

I get it, and they've been they've been close. But I'm just saying the talent around him. I think he does need the talent, And the problem is is that you're going to pay him forty billion a year. It's hard to get those guys around him. So it's okay, though, I mean, like there's there's only there's twenty seven, twenty eight teams that aren't good enough to go to the super Bowl. You know, you just said he would be the best thing they do. Romo was the best thing

the Cowboys did. It wasn't good enough. Stafford is the best thing the Lions have had for years. It wasn't good enough. Some teams, it's just not good enough. But that's okay. That doesn't mean you can't catch lightning in the bottle, get to the playoffs, get hot, get rolling, get in there. The best team doesn't always go to the super Bowl. So I mean, I think I think that's think they can compete. I mean, let me just

say this. I think he's good enough to get this team to compete past the first round of the playoffs. You get to that point, anything that's well, then that's that's one question, right, that's my question, because honestly, I think if you feel like he is that caliber quarterback, you don't go back to the way. You don't you don't go back to the well hoping that by the way,

unless you're getting the top pick in the draft. It and that's even somewhat of a of a of a gamble, of course, but everybody else like you are really taking a fifty fifty proposition on this thing. Why would you go back to the well when you find you already got a guy who can get you at least at that point. I'm not going back to the well to answer her question, I'm not going back to the well. I'm gonna sign Dack and we're gonna try to make

this thing work. It's gonna be tough. It's gonna be tough. But that's that's it's tough for all those teams. See what happens when you know, I mean, it's it's a tough league. Yeah, that's why go back and look at what my homes did. My homes gave it. You know, he got a it's a friendly deal, even though it's fifty million years friendly, it's a friendly deal. He worked with them a little bit. He worked with them. That's

the difference. DA's already looking at the next contract, you know, And I think that's where some of the some of the issues have been. So let me complicate this a little bit more, um and ask you guys from the standpoint of Mike McCartney said that Dak's ankle rehab is

right on course. My question for you, guys, is how much are you concerned about Dak's return from this brutal injury after seeing the decline of Carson Wentz, who before his injury, Carson Wentz was, in my opinion, on his way to being one of the very best quarterbacks in the league. He has not played to that level since that injury, and I don't know if the injury is the reason why, but he certainly hasn't gotten back to

that level. Does that give you any reason to be concerned with Dak coming off this type of horrific injury. Let's start with you, Dave. I'm very, very concerned, and you know, I feel guilty saying that because obviously, you know, I'm I'm the Dak Homer fan club president, and that's fine. But people people lie about injuries. They have every reason too.

You know, you don't you don't want to admit that type of stuff, And you know they spent the whole summer saying, lyle with reason, that type of stuff happens all the time. So I cannot take it at face value that everything's hunky dory. I need I need proof, and like I'm probably not gonna get it. But the Cowboys need to do everything in their power to make

sure that they feel confident about it. You know, he's what, he's almost three months removed from surgery, so you know, I would imagine you can start checking in on that, seeing how it's responding, seeing if there's any damage that

you missed or that isn't healing properly. But that's between now and like March, I really hope that they can get a handle on how they feel about it, regardless of whether they talk about it publicly, because you know, going back to Nick's point, and so I guess none of us want to go back to the well, but I think they need to have if they feel good about it, they need to have Dak signed long term before the draft because you never know next time you're going to be in the top ten, and there's a

lot of good quarterbacks in this draft class, so they need to know. They got to know how they feel about it, and if they feel good, they need to get him signed. And if they feel bad, then they can start talking about alternative options. But that's priority number one, is making sure that they're confident about his foot. Nick, Yeah, what was the question, are you concerned? How sir, are you about about the injury and looking at what happened. That's a great point with what Dave just made about

the draft. I mean, and that's why maybe Deck doesn't have the leverage that you would think. You know, but but it just all depends. Leverage is all how you how you view it. And also like if he's okay saying you know what if I don't play here, I play in Jacksonville. And three, if he's okay, that's like if if his whole thing is am I gonna get paid by somebody? Then he has a ton of leverage. You're right, absolutely right about that. And that's a tricky

that's another conversation too, you know what I mean. But but second contracts are huge for all NFL players to get it. Um, you know, fans don't want to see that. They want a little bit more loyalty there. That's just the way it is. That's reality that uh for that. But I think they're gonna make it work. Um. Carson Wentz is a different thing. I think right now it's

it's between the ears with him. I don't know that I don't know, But the question would be did the injury contribute to what's happening between the well the city also doesn't help him. I mean, that's a tough city to play and I think it's just a lot of things involved there. They view him as the savior. He certainly isn't. They had a lot of issues. I think he's I think he's got good football in front of him.

Though he's a good player. I know he's not playing well and I'm not going to compare him to Dak because he doesn't play as well as Dak and all that, but like I in the fourth quarter when he's when they're driving, like, I don't like him with the ball, honestly, I've just seen it too many times to feel like So I think he'll I think he'll go to another team, get a fresh start, and I think he'll be a

good player. I actually interested to see if if the rumors are true that that Indianapolis would want him where he's back with Frank Reich, who was his offensive coordinator when that year when he was in Philadelphia, and they're they're like, you know, they got Philip Rivers right now, who's older. It'd be a nice little transition to just put Wins right in there. Let me tell you the difference between Indianapolis and Philly if you need, Oh, there's

a lot when we go to the buses. Yeah. I remember our first year in nineteen ninety nine we played Indianapolis. We're there and we got about six or seven people out in the parking lot giving us that brutal thumbs down like boom, Yeah. Philly. A couple of weeks later, eggs, birds, moons. They threw birds at us. They oh that kind of bird. Yeah, come on, different Philadelphia Indianapolis A little bit different. Sorry, yeah, it is a little bit different, all right, Amber, What

do you think? Well, As someone that absolutely freaks out about any little injury, for some reason, I don't feel ass concerned about his recovery. I think that he's going to recover well and be able to play well. But my question, or my worry would be his running game. Is he gonna be able to run? And that's one of the things that adds value to his game is his ability to use his legs. And I don't mean to sound like a broken record because I mentioned the red zone a lot, and that is still a big

area of concern for me and the Cowboys. Inability or inability to find some kind of success in the red zone, And that's my biggest question. I mean, Dad has been able to be a weapon, a big weapon in the red zone, and some of the times that they've been able to get in there in the end zone has been because of Dak's ability to use his legs and run in there. So that would be the area that concerns me, and that would be in the back of

my head. Can he still run? Can the Cowboys still utilize that side of the game, because I think that one of his biggest values is in his legs and his ability to run, So that would be the area of concern. But as far as recovery overall and him still being in the pocket and being able to throw the ball, well, I don't think that's going to be an issue. Yeah, I think that's a great point, Amber,

And I actually I actually think of it more. Will the Cowboys try to limit him from running more than him trying to stop himself or not being able to run. We heard Jerry talk several times after the injury about just how much danger you put a quarter back in when you when you use him in that way. I really do wonder if they're gonna try to take a step back with how much they decide to use him. And I think that is such a critical part of his game. If you take it away from his game,

I don't think he's the same quarterbacks. I think they're gonna have to keep it in while trying to be smart with him and maybe teaching him how to slide a little bit more and know when the ride's over, but rather than taking some of the hits that he takes. Yeah, there's no doubt though the team is better when he runs the ball down and and I think she's right. I mean, I think the red zone that's the biggest difference.

I mean, Dalton did okay at times. I mean he was he was what you thought he would be come in there. If he had the offensive tackles, I think they would have been better, Zack Martin, he would have been a little bit better. But I think during the red zone issues, I mean, that's where Dack's value is really enhanced. So um, I hope he's still that guy that still will will run and not even think about it. And I think he will be. I think he'll be thinking,

all right, let's let's go. We already we already know he's good. Sorry. I mean he's got a quarterback, he's got a quarterback coach that he spends the off season with. Just hire a base running coach while you're at it, Russell Wilson runs all the freaking time, and he never gets hurt because he never gets hit, because he slides like a baseball player, because he played baseball. So you can learn that stuff. Just go spend you know, once you're able to move around, go spend the off season

with the base running coach. You're gonna say something else. He slides like a baseball player. I thought it was. I know, that's what I say. I'm not criticized, you know, I think you should. If I'm like the Jason Committee, that that's the first thing that's going out. It's the slide out. All right, Let's let's go up to the NFL. Let's talk about Jason Garrett. Reports are that Jason Garrett that the Chargers have requested an interview with Jason Garrett

for their Hit Open Hit head coaching job. My question for you guys is, after all the years you guys spent covering Jason Garrett, do you think Jason will be a successful head coach Head coach somewhere else. Stop it, Nick, We'll start reolutely. Absolutely. I just wanted to use his term been good. You know, he's he's Jason Garrett is a good is a good football coach, and he has been for a long time. And I think that he

will do a good job there. I think he'll have a quarterback if that's if that's the route for them, Yeah, I think I think that would be good. Um, you know, is he going to excite the fan base? No, But do they have fans? Yes, they have fans. I mean not a lie, not a ton not. I mean, they got some fans, all right. They don't own their city. They pissed off another city. I'm just saying that they don't own the state. There's not a ton to charge

your fans in whatever, but there's some doesn't matter. He's an efficient, prepared coach. They'll do a good job with a young quarterback. He's done well with Romo when he was offensive coordinating Romo's early years. He did well with Dak I think you could say he did well with Daniel Jones, but I mean there's injuries and stuff there in different issues. I think he'll do well with the quarterback. If he's there, I think it'd be a good move, all right, Amber, you know what, I think that he

will be able to find some kind of different success. Obviously, you got to have a good players and all that, but just as a head coach overall, I think that him becoming an offensive an offensive coordinator over there in New York kind of helped him take a step back and kind of self review and evaluate himself. Honestly, I was very impressed with what he did in that first encounter with the Cowboys this year, the first game we

played against them. It impressed me because he did some things that were unusual that we didn't see the cow and I know his role was different, but at the same time, there were things that were creative. There were plays that were not something that you would predict from Jason Garrett. So I feel that he has been able to get out of his comfort zone a little bit and just kind of be more with up to date, up the time, like what's happening currently now in the NFL.

So I think that that helped him take a step forward. And if he does get a head coach job, I believe that he would do better than what he's done here in the past, all right, Dave, I do think I mean Jason Garrett is He's not awful obviously. I mean he was here for a decade, they made the playoffs regularly, and they were always relevant, Like they only had one legitimately awful season during the time that he

was here. But I just I think the Chargers could do better in terms of making an inspired hire, especially because if I was going to hire Jason Garrett, I would probably I would do it if I was a team that needed a total culture revamp, like doesn't know how to win, doesn't know how to be successful, doesn't know how to be professional, like you know, the Browns before they got Baker, when they were like one in thirty five, I would hire Jason Garrett to turn a

franchise like that around. I don't think the Chargers need that, like they were twelve and four or two years ago. They've got really good veteran players on that team. Joey Bosa. I don't know what Melvin Ingram's contract status is, but he's a hell of a player. Derwin James Keenan Allen, and then I mean Justin Herbert is probably gonna win. Rookie of the Year. He's a badass. I and I just I don't know. Jason Garrett would bum me out if I was a Chargers fan because he's just gonna

come in and like he's an old school guy. You're probably not gonna get the bells and whistles that you want for a hot shot, young quarterback. I'm trying to hire a young, energetic guy who can be the Sean Payton to my Drew Brees for the next fifteen years. Like that's ideally who I would try to hire. So I think, I mean sure, Kellen Moore is a great example of what I'm talking about. It it's not gonna be him, But so you know, Jason Garrett will maybe get another shot in the NFL, and I think he

could do well with it. But that would bump me out if I was a Chargers fan, to be honest, Yeah, maxic out with you on that, Dave. I actually was thinking like a franchise like Detroit right now, I think would be the kind If I were Detroit, I would be looking at somebody like Jason Garrett, somebody I wanted to bring in. I got a team that doesn't really

know who they are right now. What they're doing. You know, their quarterback probably is going to be gone, a quarterback that's been there forever, So you kind of have to rebuild things. And I think that's where Jason would be at his best, in a situation where you kind of take rubbles and you kind of just start creating this

base and this building block. Now, he may not ever get you to the Promised Land, but he can at least establish something for you that then you're ready to go get another coach that maybe can't get you there. And by the way, there's still a possibility that he actually may end up being a kind of coach that could get you to the Promised Land. He just couldn't do it here. I think he's a good enough coach where if the pieces all the line, I do think

he could possibly do it. But I agree with you, Dave. I think it's a different kind of situation where I think he flourishes best. All right, real quick, before the end of the show, I got a round table, and we're gonna pick all the games that are gonna happen this weekend. There are six of them. Nick's not excited, Amber's not excited, But me and Dave we are over the moon excited, So let's go. We're gonna pick Also, okay, my bad, you're neutral. Nick's on the other side and

me and Dave are sitting over here just excited. So we're gonna pick off that watch more games than her this weekend. I'm I'm betting so. But that's also why I thought. That's also why I was saying, you were excited, but you're not excited. So hey, there's a lot of things that are on my TV I don't get excited about, but they're on the TV. So that's what it's what happens. That's also you got like a wife. I'm just saying, you just will watch it and it'll be it'll be good.

Let's go. Let's let's all right, here we go. We're gonna go around. We don't have to give scores as we do with the Cowboy game. We're just gonna pick winners. Indianapolis versus Buffalo. Let's start with Nick, Buffalo, Buffalo, Amber Buffalo. All right, Dave, I'll be supremely disappointed in Buffalo if they don't make the AFC title game. So I think they kicked the Colts butts honestly, yep, I agree with all you guys, Buffalo wins. That's gonna be a fun one.

That's gonna be a fun one to watch. It will because Indianapolis is, in my my opinion, one of the most underrated teams that are in the playoffs. So I think it's gonna be interesting. It'll be a physical football, it absolutely. Goldson sales that there's two teams that really hit, no doubt about it, no doubt about it. All right, Los Angeles Rams versus Seattle Seahawks. Nick don't know the

status of the quarterback. It sounds like he's not playing this weekend from what I heard last David, you heard about that, then I'm gonna I'm gonna go Rust then, because not off the top of my head, I'm sorry, you'll be a tough game. I was thinking, maybe go with that upset. I'll go with Russ. I mean rusted, I say at home, but whatever, I mean, I've been there. It's very it's not really home. But yeah, but I'll go with Russ. Okay, Amber Seahawks can't pick against Russell

unless they're playing against the Cowboys. So I'm gonna go to Seattle, Dabe, you know what, Like I joke about a lot how Nick kates Matt Stafford, And that's how I feel about Jared Goff. Like I don't care that he's been to a Super Bowl. I don't like whatever. I don't think he's that good and he might not even play, so I can't. Yeah, I'm not picking against Seattle.

You know the interesting thing here, I actually had a lot of thought about this game because I think this is the kind of game with the coach that they have. I actually think he could probably take a backup quarterback. Because again, I don't think I agree with you, Dave. I'm not a big golf fan, like I think golf is. Okay, I don't think he's great. I think this year they've done a lot of what they've done defensively, and that

defense is still going to be in tact. So it I really went back and forth on this, but at the end of the day, I still have to go back and say, he's still got to go and beat Russell Wilson, and I don't think they'd beat Russell Wilson. So I think Seattle gets to win here, all right, Tampa Bay versus Washington, Nick Washington, no doubt, Okay, are you being serious, that's serious. I think I think the teams that give him Tom Brady the problems are the ones that really get up in his face and give

him a great point. And I just think that. I just think Washington will will win the game. I mean, I'm sorry, Tampa. I know they've won a Super Bowl that in the past, and Tom Brady, I just think why. I just feel like the teams that sneak in like this seven and nine, eight and eighteen that shouldn't be there, there shouldn't be they win. I've seen it happen a

couple of times. I think I'm gonna go Washington, all right, Amber, you know, it's hard to pick a playoff game against Brady, But at the same time, I just have a feeling in that at Washington my actually sneak in there just because it's gonna make Cowboys fans even more miserable than what they are really are. So just for the sake of that, I think it could end up playing out that way with Washington winning, just so we can feel

even worse about the twenty twenty season. All right, Amber, Okay, Dave, Hey, I need to shave I guess not well, Okay, Age first of all, like I mean, they're different matchups, Like Dallas doesn't have the pass rush to mess with Brady. I mean, I think Brady would give Carved the Cowboys up. But I agree with y'all. I feel silly that all three of us think that. But Brady turns into a pumpkin when he's got pressure in his face. That front is disgusting. It's gonna be like near freezing on Saturday

night in Landover. I think Washington's gonna win too. That's the crazy thing is I came into the show thinking I was gonna go Tampa Bay, and then Nick made that point. I was like, that's an excellent point. It's so true, like that is who Brady is. And by the way, that's how this year, that same thing is played out early in the season when they had their struggles. This year, it's been when Brady was getting pressured before you,

before you make this pick. Dave has made it clear all year he's like the whole the whole tables, So the whole tables should not you're I mean against Tom Brady. It all no sense. Nick, w on all of us here and get and take this. Okay, all right, all right, yeah, you talk, the Bucks are gonna I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go with the Bucks. You guys went with Washington, I'll go with the Bucks, all right. Baltimore, Tennessee. Nick,

Who oh God, Baltimore. I guess okay, Superman, I mean it goes, I mean goes to the locker room, number two, comes back, wins the game. I mean he's he's the man Lamar for Lamar Amber. Um. Actually I actually wrote down the Ravens as well. Um. I don't know, honestly, there's no reasoning behind it. I just see them. I don't know their little logo and they're little beak and thing. Just like for some reason, he just calls my attention and intimidates me a little bit more than the other team.

So I'm gonna go with the Ravens for absolutely no reason before Dave steals mygo before he steals my point. The reason why is us I think that they have a strong enough defense that will limit big boy in Tennessee. I mean, he can go off, but I think Baltimore's team can be a defense that can kind of control him. Dave, I think this is the matchup of the weekend Honestly, I think it's gonna be a hell of a lot of fun. The Ravens have rushed for eleven hundred yards

in the last month of the season. You know, they went for three hundred against the Cowboys. They've been running over everybody. Tennessee is quietly not very good against the run. I think people think that they are because they're physical and Mike Rabel, but they're kind of leaky against the run. So give me the Ravens offense against Derrick Henry trying to do it all himself. All right, I think we all agree on that. I'm also on the train of Baltimore.

I think they get to win this weekend Chicago versus New Orleans, New Orleans Amber just easy, yep, all right, Dave, Okay, this is I don't have the guts to pick Chicago because it's in the Superdome, it's indoors, but you know, the spread is ten. Everybody just assumes the Saints are gonna roll. This game went to overtime in the regular season. Drew Brees is not the Drew Brees of years past. Like he doesn't throw the ball as well as he used to. This offense has had stretches where it's very

stop and start. I think this is going to be a dog fight. I'm gonna pick the Saints to win, but I feel like people are writing off Chicago, Like Chicago's played pretty well over the last month, and They've got a nasty defense that's gonna get in Brees's face. I bet I bet the Saints win by like six or less. Yeah, I will say this. I think New Orleans has a nastier defense, and I think they'll be I mean, like Chicago's offense is much worse than New Orleans.

I think that's the difference. I think this is a defensive game. I don't think it's a high scoring game, but I do think New Orleans wins this game. Bears are one of the two teams in the NFL history to have a six game losing streak and still make the playoffs at some point in the year. I mean, that's that's turned in and around. I mean that's like six games. You're thinking Draft show, Yeah, you know, but damn it's amazing. All right? Final game Cleveland versus Pittsburgh.

Where do we go? Nick? I go to Pittsburgh. Cleveland I think is a mess right now? I mean, the coach isn't going to be not be able to coach this weekend, or I think he's play caller isn't. Yeah, and Cleveland, if you go back and look early in the season, I know things have been different than but Cleveland with Roland Pittsburgh stomped him. Even last week. They weren't even playing a lot of their guys and it was a pretty close game. I like Pittsburgh on this one,

all right. I really really really want to pick the Browns, but it's just hard given their current situation and you know, them not being able to really practice this week in person and all that. So uh man, I I wanted the Steelers to lose, but I think that this game it's gonna be a win for the Steelers, all right, Dave, I kind of think the Steelers are frauds, But I also kind of think the Browns are frauds. And not only are they frauds, but like they're not used to

the spotlight, Like, hey, good for them. I mean they want eleven games obviously, like they've come so far. They deserve a lot of credit for that, but they're not used to playing in games like this, Nick, I mean they barely beat Pittsburgh last week with Mason Rudolphin at quarterback. They've gotten stomped by a lot of the better teams they've played. They lost to the Jets a couple of weeks ago. Oh, and they're not going to have their

head coach. So I mean, I'm not a big believer in Pittsburgh, but I just I don't believe in the Browns at all. Yeah. I couldn't have said it even any better day. I think the exact same thing. All right, so we all picked Pittsburgh as well. We'll see all this plays out. There'll be a lot of really good games this weekend. Was there any game where we differed Tampa Bay, Washington? I picked Washington and everybody else picked

Tampa Bay. I picked Tampa BA, everybody picked Washington. Yes, all the other games were we were all all four. All right. That ain't a good sign, No, it's not. It's not a good for the teams that we picked against. Yes, that's not a good sign. But we'll talk about that. We'll talk, we can see where we landed, and we'll get you ready for the games the following week. All right, we appreciate you guys. John super back next week till then for Nick Even, Dave Hamble, Hellman, Ambergarcia. I am

Derek Eagleton. This has been the Break live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.