Cowboys Break: Why Now With Jaylon?

episode number thirty five. Welcome to the latest edition of The Break Life from the s WBC Mortgage Studios at the Star. And I have to admit last night I was thinking, Man, I really don't know how we're gonna lead the show today. No, we're gonna talk to Bucky and talk a little bit about the the New York Giants their offense. But I really didn't know what we're gonna talk about. And then literally literally about thirty minutes later, the news breaks and I'm like, we got our first segment.

Here we go first, right, it might actually take a lot more than that. But God, but and again I'm not I am not at all rejoicing in another man sorrow. I never am happy when a player gets released but I do understand the business of football and business football said that this was something that probably needed to happen. Timing was interesting, but Jalen Smith released by the Dallas Cowboys last night. Mike McCarthy said in his press conference a few minutes ago that this was a big picture

roster move. He said. He said they felt like this was the best time to do it, and it wasn't an easy decision for them, is what he said. They still owe him. I think what is it, seven million dollars for this season a little over that. So the question for you guys is, and I think these are two different questions, so answer them as such, why and why now? So let's start first with you Nick. Why I think that. I think it is a big picture move. And I've said this before. I said it's on the radio.

This is a situation of I'm gonna get you before you get me. That's what I believe. That's why I think it's a why now, playing that he's on the hook for seven million dollars this year, that nothing can change with that next year if he's hurt in any way, and I'm talking about hurt for March fifteenth or whenever the new league. Gear is hurt, can't pass the physical because he had a surgery or something. That's nine million dollars.

His agent would be the dumbest agent in the world if they didn't figure out a way to do that. So that's a way that would be. They could get him, they could get the Cowboys. I think this is a way of I'll get you before you get me. We don't feel like you're a good enough player to do this for next year. We've already made our bed this year. You're not playing a whole lot, so you're playing okay, let's just move on and give you another opportunity. I think I think those two things go hand in hand.

That's what I stressed to people when we talk about this is like nobody woke up yesterday and there's like a Jalen Sich and they flipped it. You know, nobody woke up and decided like this is the day that

this has happened. These are conversations that have been happening probably since February, and then again in March, and then again in April, and then again after you draft Michael Parsons, and then again after you draft Jabril Cox, and then again, like every day during training camp and during the preseason. And this isn't to make us sound smart. We were caught completely off guard, just like the rest of the world. But have we not heard whispers of this being a

possibility since mid August? Yeah? I mean, if you don't want to believe me, that's fine, but it's just the facts. We can't go public with everything we hear in this job. This is something they've been considering. Jalen has got us spent over barrel. We're stuck with this contract through this year. The minute the league years started, we knew that we weren't really planning on drafting Micah Parsons. We weren't really planning on Jabril Cox falling to us at one fifteen.

We thought he'd be long gone by the time day three started. Both of those things happened. So now we got all these guys, Well, let's go to training camp and give the new defensive coordinator a chance to figure this whole thing out and see who can play and who can't play, and who picks up the scheme. How good is Parsons? Really turns out he's awesome, and I

think that, I mean, that's a big part of it. Obviously, you hope the number twelve overall pick is good enough, but you're not going to make those decisions until you see it. So Parsons checks every box. You get into the season, you even see you're life and I completely believe Mike McCarthy. Jalen Smith has seemed to have a great attitude about this whole thing. Honestly, I don't have a bad thing to say about him as a person. All of my criticism has mainly just been he hasn't

lived up to his contract, not even close. So then you get into the season you say, all right, well let's platoon this thing and see how it works. You've played a month, you got four games of tape. The issues are there for anybody that wants to see him. You got a really promising rookie. They've also had a chance for Jabril Cox to practice and kind of show them. They're like, okay, like we feel good about him as

a secondary option. We're not gonna throw him into the starting lineup, but between Neil Vander Esh Parsons and then throwing Cox as well, we feel pretty good about this. And then to nixt point, they say, if anything happens to this guy. We're on the hook for next year's salary too. We're gonna have to pay him nine million dollars and so I've been talking for ten minutes at this point. But it's all all of this has to

be considered. Like I said, you didn't wake up one day and we're like, we finally admit that this guy's not good, he can't play. We're cutting him today. That's not how it works. It is six months of analysis and conversation from ten different places. McCarthy had a role in this, Quinn had a role in this, The front office had a role in this, and the players as well, because the young guys had to prove that they were

capable of handling that role. And they got together Tuesday and they were like, yeah, this seems like as good a time as any. He would also think it was getting to a point where he was going to be inactive, and really, yeah, I do. I mean, I think in week one he was almost inactive. But it's almost like the politics of we want to do this and we know this is going to be a distraction, because it's not a distraction when Louke Gifford's inactive. You know, I mean,

that's just it is. Jayleen's inactive, then that's a story and we people talk about that. So I definitely our headline. Yeah, so I think it's more of a hey, let's just do it, Just do it now, everything they've said, get it out of the way. I think I think that Donovan Wilson, of all people, I think he kind of helps that too. He comes back at safety or he's getting close to coming back. Jayron Curse is such a dynamic player. Him and Kean O'Neill can help with the

Nickels stuff. I mean, there's just there's just ways of like maybe Jalen doesn't need to be on the field, and then factoring it all in, it's you know, there's a lot to it. And I believe Mike McCarthy when he says this was a difficult decision. I don't I don't think he should have said that he has played excellent football because you don't cut excellent players. You don't cut excellent players when you don't have to. Yeah, I mean you've already paid for it, and you only cut

excellent players because of the salary cap. But even at that point, they're not excellent anything. It's already spent money though, so that those cap casualties are never players. They're not excellent players. So he's never that and a guy that's at the top of his game. But I mean, the thing about Jayleen two, I think we need to we need to talk about this. We had a mail bag question about his legacy and all that. I mean, we're

gonna I guess we'll get to them here. But I just like everybody on the here on this show, and some more than others. Some aren't here, but but everybody gives Jalen his you know, he just is an eye roll all the time. But is he a bad guy? Like the thing is is, yeah, we could have gotten cute swipe laugh taha. It's not funny. That guy has never been a jerk to anyone in the media. And he could have been. He I mean he's been he could have been real surly can he hasn't. He's got

a good attitude. People don't like it. People don't. They think he's delusional. They think he's unaware of the situation or just doesn't care, or he's fake or whatever. But you know, I think at the end of the day, I I I never really I never disliked him at all, and I just think, you know, people, he's maybe misunderstood, but you know, it's it's it's a kind of a it's up in the air on did he have a successful story or not because he's been cut because he

had a successful Yeah, I think so. He's professional football. And basically, I don't know how many of us or anybody that was watch his football thought at the moment that he had that injury in that bowl game. I think most people felt like, at best, he will get into the NFL and not do anything. And he had one year one year I was he was okay, that's fine, had two good seasons. I was gonna say that one

year to me was a standout year. That was a year when I look at him and I'm like, he was every bit as good as any other middle linebacker that you want to look at around the league. In my opinion, maybe not better, but he was just as good as those guys in that one year. For me, it's I mean, Nick, I'm still on this point. Straight

from Nick, he opened my eyes to this. I don't remember when he said it, but the thing that people hate about Jalen is the obliviousness that naivete that everything's gonna be all right, even though you can see me just trailing Odell Beckham by fifteen yards. Everything's great. It's the same attitude that got him there in the first place.

It's so true because, like I remember in twenty sixteen standing there talking to the guy, and I'm like, my dude, your foot is in a brace to keep it upright, like you can't walk without the assistance of a medical device. How can you possibly be this upbeat and confident that you're gonna be okay? And he was and it worked.

And I wrote this in the mailbag, like it's just it just completely encapsulates the nature of the NFL that he came from this low point of his life and got to a crazy high, got a sixty five million dollar contract out of it, and just a little over two years later he's not good enough to be on

the roster. How much do you guys think that this affects the locker room, because there's been some talk about that from the standpoint that he at least has a perception from the outside looking in that he is a leader of this defense. Is that what you perceive? I don't think that most of the guys in the locker room like him. I haven't heard players necessarily have bad things to say about him. How do you think this affects the locker room in this type of situation where,

by the way, they're playing really well right now. I don't think it affects it at all. If it does, it affects it in a positive way. I really in what way? I think the fact that they the media looks and sees this guy can't play anymore, can't run. The players see it, they know it, you know. And I think you know when a guy's standing up in the room and you know, it's hard to be a leader when you're not a great player. It's really hard. Yeah.

But the flip side to that is, and we probably have all seen this type of situation, there's sometimes people who they mean so much to everybody in the room. It's not really about their production as much as it

is their presence. Their presence just brings something to the room, even though you know they're not at their best, and you know why because you know what he's been through, Like, there's still something about their presence that has a way of motivating people, has a way of kind of you know, you don't know. Is he that kind of dude that when someone's having an off day, he's the one who goes to sit down at Lockman says, man, you got

to you good, Like those kinds of things matter. Right day before he weigh in on this, I'm just gonna say, if this, if this football team at three and one can't figure out a way to get up for the New York Giants because a guy that because their fifth linebackers, and shame on them. I don't think it affects them at all. Get ready to play. Hey, it doesn't matter where you're playing, home Way Parking Lot, the moon right because Jason Garrett's coming in. So you know what, it

was such a good Jason Garrett. I said, God, everything about that. I hate the way he's left an imprint on me because last night I was like, look, this comes with the dinner. I say that all the time. I think. I think Jalen Smith is very well liked. I don't think that he is followed, you know. I mean that's a good to sit here right now and tell you, like Dak is the heartbeat of this team that they go where he and they got on the defense TBD. I mean was it was it? Jay? And

I don't think so? And that's there was there was a clip. Is Trayvon Digs's middle name start with the B? I mean, is that TBD? There we go, give it three more weeks and it might be number eleven. Seriously, it might already. It might already be. Which actually there's precedent for this. I brought this up last night, and I firmly believe it. To Nick's point, this team's kicking ass right now. You know what solves everything winning games.

It wasn't he wasn't cut. But remember where this team was in August of twenty sixteen when the only reason that they had ever been good in the last decade got hurt and it was doom and gloom. And then Dak gets them off to a four and one five and one start, and people like Dez Bryant, who Tony Romo made his career, is like, I don't know, man,

I'm Jason Witt, Yeah, same thing. Yeah, I don't think we can be pulling this four guy out of the lineup if you're winning for I mean, sorry, if it's disrespectful, nobody gives it, damn and they're winning and they're good, and it's no disrespect to Jalen. It's not because of him, and so I'm not worried about it, to be honest with you. Yeah, and you know, you ask another question why I was talking to you in your office before. Here's here's the reason why I was looking at the stats. Okay,

he has nineteen tackles this year. That's fourth on the team. That's a little surprising to me to think it was that high. It's more than Michael Parsons, it's more than a few players. But on the way the stats were laid out, there's tackles and then there's everything else. There's a sack, there's the interception, force, fumbles for fumble recoveries, pass deflections, hurries, tackles for lass, all these things. He had zero. He had nothing on there. The top fourteen

players on the list have something. They have an interception, they have fumble, they have hurries, they have tackling, they have they have something. Jalen has absolutely nothing on that. And so yes, he's playing and tackling, but he's not making plays. He's out there doing stuff and doing his job, but not to the point of anything else that you bring to the table, and I thought that was kind of an important to look at it and go, yeah, he's playing okay, but he doesn't give you anything else.

The other fourteen guys gives you something. I'm not trying to make jokes, but we talked about it last year. It's like, I don't think it's a coincidence that he's usually diving on the pile at the end of these plays. And that's you know, there are people out there on social media they're like, he's led the team in tackles X amount of years and like, no, I don't care if ninety percent of those are eight, ten, twelve yards down the field. It's not a meaningful stat's leading, I

tell you this. And and there's a guy that just about to get cut intow England right that everybody's talking about. Okay, why do they want the Why do the Cowboys want him to replace? Who? Who do they want to replace? Anthony Brown? Okay, who you know leads the team? Makes you say it? Why do Cowboys fans want them to replace? Fans want to get I want you say why the Cowboys? I don't want to know Thewboys fans they wants to find Gilmore so they can replace Anthony Brown, who leads

the team in tackles. No one cares the one wants that's out for good reason that he leads the team and tackles. So you know that's that's that's wild. Cornerback leads, I know tackle that's actually yeah, that's not a craty good thing. Yeah, it's not a great buff because this guy over here, you know, I don't want to mess with him, and when we do, it goes the other way. So you know, Anthony Brown gets this year and Anthony

Brown's playing okay, he is. Honestly, Anthony Brown to me is having probably is good to us start to a season as I've seen from him. Now he's gonna get and and he's gonna get even more attention. Now. The more attention that Diggs gets, the more attention that he's gonna get in future weeks because defense is gonna say, we're gonna go at him. But I think he's played

fairly well for who for what he's done his career. Yeah, and what's the one play Anthony Brown that we remember, Well, there's been too that he did miss the tackle against the Chargers, but the other play that everyone kind of remembered Anthony Antonio Brown. Yeah, I mean that was that was one that, you know, after talking a few people, you're like, what Casey was the one that kind of I love the irony. I don't disagree with anything you've

just said. And I think Anthony Brown's been pretty good too. Um, he's public enemy number one. Jalen Smith is a target just moved. The target shifted about eight yards to the right. And it's I'm sorry, Anthony, it just is what it is. Here's where you are in your career, bro. Yeah, Anthony Brown's a sixth round pick who got to a second deal. And now, by the way, there's three guys left from twenty sixteen now top five Cowboy draft class ever? Right,

that's fair? Right? Oh yeah, yeah definitely, so top five draft class ever? Who's left? The number four overall pick, the franchise quarterback that you tripped over, and Anthony Brown. So I promise you Anthon's andy is. He's fine. Anthony Brown's doesn't give a damn what you think. And by the way, his career will not be over. If after this year the Cowboys move on, his career will not be over. He'll play somewhere else. He'll have another few

years of good production. So for him as a sixth round pick, he's already overachieved what you would expect achieved week one of his rookie year because he was in the starting lineup when he when he was talking trash to Steve Smith from the Ravens. That's when I was like, Wow, this guy got a little something. It's kind a chip on his shot. He's playing white like white. Literally, Yeah,

that rookie year. You don't remember that. Now. I'm just saying Steve Smith's been out four minutes, so it just kind of context Sante Samuel's kids started against this team of two weeks ago. Very true. What I mean, what's thanks? I mean he's gonna I mean, man, he's gonna play in the NFL play but he'll play for a little bit more. But he got media. I mean in his future business I think business, business, sure, business, for sure. He knows what he's doing on that front. He's got

a whole program where he's working with young entrepreneurs. He gets that part like he's not a dumb guy. Remember he went to Notre Dame. Dumb people don't go to Notre Dame. I don't think so. I mean, I think he's got a bright future in whatever he wants to get into. Um, I don't know about the media thing for him, just because I don't know if he's as likable in that kind of way from the standpoint of

like fans really like when he talks. I don't know that he's saying things that people are just like, oh my god, I love listening to Scott talk. He's not like Randy like you listen to Randy talking like man, I love listening to Scott talk. He always has insightful things to say. I think Jalen's more of kind of the canned thing. So I don't know if that works from a media standpoint. You would have to drop the

stick to do that for a living. Because he was here for six years and I never felt like I was getting something authentic from him the whole time, which again it goes back to the whole thing of like that helped him recover from his injury clear eye view, But I don't I think it wears then after a while. But I do think he'll be successful in whatever else he decides. I mean that's and I know it annoyed people because he wasn't playing up to his contract. But yeah,

he's impressive with him. He's got small businesses in like Florida and Indianna, and he's helped people entrepreneurs invest and it's he's very he gives to the community and all that. Like again, don't have a bad thing to say about the guy as a person, just it's unfortunate what happened with this contract. All right, we're gonna take our first break. When we come back, We're gonna be joined by Bucky

Brooks of NFL Network. We'll talk shift the conversation a little bit, talk about the New York Giants offense versus the Cowboys defense. We may even ask him a little about Jalen smithldeal will come right back. Is the Dallas Cowboys dot com Radio. Before there was a draft, you could size up a cowboy by three simple factors. The crease in his hat, the bend of his brim, and his unbending attitude a man. Stetson didn't just protect him from what life through at him. It projected a rugged,

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for details? Back to the break. Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Making the Team is back for another exciting season. Don't miss new episodes every Friday at nine eighth Central only on CMT. Welcome Back. It is the second segment of The Right Life from the SWBC Mortgage studios at the Star. We're joined right now by Bucky Brooks of NFL Network and Bucky, I want to start today with the news of the day. Give me your thoughts when you first start the news

that Jalen Smith is no longer with the Cowboys. I know you had mentioned I think it was last week or week before, and you thought he actually was playing better this year. What were your thoughts when you first heard the Cowboys made to move, just maybe surprised by the time, and I thought if this move was going to be made, it would have made doing training camp. So all you have to do is followed the t leaves. Teams typically give you bird dropping and then let you

know what they're thinking. When the Cowboys draft two linebackers relatively high in the draft and telling me that they have an issue at linebacker that they wanted to resolve when they signed another veteran in Keanunel, who was a safety,

that they're moving the linebacker. It tells you that they don't believe in the linebackers that they currently had, And so when I looked at the situation coming out of training camp, I expect him to be one of the guys that might have been let go at the end of camp because normally, when you have a surplus, you make the move in then you're not necessarily tied into some of the money dependent upon how the deal was worked out, particularly when money guarantees for rookie for veterans.

After the first week, when new that he made the team and you're now you're on the hook for the seven point two million dollars, I'm kind of thinking, well, maybe he's going to be around, because, look, the Cowboys thing had been working. The defense had been playing well. Even though he wasn't starting, he was coming in and he was doing a good job in the role that

he was assigned to do. Look, I'm not saying that he was playing at a Pro Bowl level, but he certainly wasn't awful when he was on the field, and because the team was winning. Typically you try not to mess with the culture of the locker room when things are going well, that's it. The league has now evolved into where you're seeing more of these teams play with two linebackers extensively, and then that other guy is a safety, hybrid,

a nickel, somebody else. Because you have to be fast, athletic, and you have to be able to do things in coverage. Jalen Smith certainly can't do that. But in listening to your guy's points in terms of where he may wind up, I would expect him to see him in the league, and I think what you have to do is look at the coaches that followed that he coached, that coached him before, they tend to still see those older players glowingly.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Jamei Smith make his way to the Raiders, just because when you think about the Raiders and their defensive roles, he could potentially be a fit there because Rob Mary Nelly could maybe bless him and endorse him. That might be a place because the Raiders have a tradition of trying to take retreads in miscasts and giving them an opportunity to find regain their career, rebuild their career. Yeah, for all the jokes we make about the Giants, that a lot of cowboys

have wound up in Vegas since Rod got there. For sure, when he when he first said that, Bucky, I thought my first thought was Eberflus. Was Eberflus even here? When I think he was? It was yeah for a little while. Yeah, So and he's still yeah, that's not on the schedule, that's not as good. Yeah, everything that he screams Raiders with him. So if that that happens, that would make a lot of sense. And let me ask you this, Bucky, you talked about those safeties that now kind of have

that role in the nickel. What player do you think plays the most now with him no longer on the roster. He was fourth on the team and tackles Jalen Smith. So which player you think kind of takes a little bit more of the bulk of his snaps? Well, I mean, I think the two players the Nashal Gonna, my Keyan O'Neil, the Jibril Cox. I think you got to get those guys into the mix and get him into rotation. I

think Kneil. I think I think Keian O'Neil gets the first by the apple, just because of the familiarity with the system, the trust that dan Quinn already has in him, and his ability justin watching how he played, in training him, his ability to potentially come down over the tight end, his ability to be in the box and be comfortable. I think he is the one that probably is first up. But if Jabril Cox gets a chance to get on the field and shows the team that he's ready to play,

I think he certainly would get more playing time. He was drafted for a reason. He was drafted to occupy this role. They've wanted to get younger. And I think the bigger surprise is Lady vander Esch playing well and DQ fallen in love with what es could bring to the table. Could make it a situation with a linebacker who has lve Michael Parson is on one side, Jabril

Cox on the other. So you have the veteran with two young, dynamic athletes playing and now you just kind of get after it because the goal of the defense to be faster and more athletic. So buck my goal. Last night, I was planning on having like a quiet night. I was going to have the baseball game on in the background and watch the Giant Saints game on my laptop. And that just got completely nuked at like seven and

probably six forty five. So I haven't seen it, Um, I have, I've I've been convinced for a long time that Daniel Jones is not a good quarterback and then he goes into the Superdome and drops four hundred yards on the Saints. So what happened? And it is it the sign of him turning a corner? Well, I mean, what are we talking about here? Is he good now? No? I mean he's beginning to turn to the corner. He's beginning to make plays. And second game that we've seen

this year one was the watching football team. He played pretty well in that game, even though they came up short parsonally because they jumped off sides on the field goal. It's him. And then he played really well against the Saints. And I hate to be the very bad news for the Cowboys. Ay, this dude is pretty athletic. He's pretty good, and they're doing some things that fit his wheelhouse. They're using his talents. He can throw the ball and push

it outside. But he is a very athletic and borderline dynamic athlete who can make things happen when he's running the ball. So you will see quarterback draws, you will see the occasional read option stuff to keep the defense honest, and he'll take off and run. And so as he's beginning to get more comfortable working under Jason Gett, we're beginning to see some of the things that led the Giants take him when he was playing. Good dude, he

is not a Slaus. Now he's I'm not quite ready to say hey he's elite, but he's playing pretty well and he could be problematic if you don't give him the proper respect and attention that he's coming into this game. They played that game at New Orleans without Sterling Shepherd or Darius slay H and they had their best, obviously the best offensive performance. I'm sorry Darres Slayton, so sorry. Who filled those roles and what challenges do they present

that are different from the starters? Well, I mean, I think the one thing with like Sterling Shepherd is a nice like number two, number three option. I think his best stuff is when he gets in the slot and he's able to work. He's one of the cleanest route runners that you'll find, so he can twist and turn and get your dbs all in a tizzy with his route run ability. Kenny gollade is the guy that they brought over to be the number one receiver. He is

supposed to anchor the passing game. I don't know if it's the right role for his skill set, but he's playing their role. So when you didn't have Shephard, what happened is Kadarius Tony, their first round pick, got more opportunities to play in more balls win in his direction. Kenny Galladey got more balls hit in his direction, and then say, Kuon Barkley emerged, and we know if you have three dynamic playmakers on an offense, you can make

that thing work. And so now they have some confidence because they moved the ball down the fields the most explosive that we've seen. So if you're Jason Garrett and you're the Giants, you now try and figure out, Okay, how can we build upon the effort that we put

together against a really solid New Orleans Saints defense. I think they come with a lot of confidence and I think they try and find a way to pick up where they left off against the Saint All right, but when the Giants have the ball taking on the Cowboys defense, who is the best player from Penn State on the field right then? Is it going to be the best

player on the field from Penn State. Yeah, Look, Michael Parsons is playing great, but sae Quon Barkley is a difference maker and he is showing no ill effects right now from the knee. And so what we saw in the last game, we saw the big playability right now, he is not this guy that I'm gonna say you, but his production kind of goes like this guy goes. So when back in the day when I was playing Barry Sands was the thing where you see negative run

to yard game, five year game, fifty yard game. That's how sae quon Barkley's production. And so you have to give him enough touches to live through some of the bad moments so you can be explosive. See the explosive pop when they give him the ball twenty to twenty five times. At some point he is going to pop because he's just too good, too dynamic, too versa as a runner and a receiver. To make things happen. It's

really important that all odds are on twenty six. He is the guy that you have to throw a blanket on make those other guys win the game. You can't let him get loose because when he gives certainly can win. That's like that old heavyweight fighter that he may may not have what he used to but he can still have that one punch and that one punch can knock you out. Well, no, he's not like that. I'm not

saying that he's watched up. I think up. But yeah, yeah, you gotta watch him because he can explode it anytime, and he may go through a lull in a game where you see ten carries where he doesn't really scratch but only eleventh. It's a thirty five yard game, and then you look at the end of the game. He might have a hundred yard day, but it's one of those where it's not a steady drip, it is flood, then a famine like it's it's it's really different in

terms of watching his production. But that going all the way back to Penn State, that's how he was productive. He's not like the steady Eddy grinded that Ezekiel Ellie was at Ohio State and how Ezekiel Elliott has been with the Cowboys. He is boom or bus when it comes to his production. So the Giants caught a lot of grief last year because they took Andrew Thomas first in that amazing tackle class and he was the worst

of the group last year. But I feel like I'm seeing things, reading things that his level of play is improving or am I wrong about that? How's he holding up over there left tackle? No, I mean he's doing better. I mean he's doing better. And there was a lot of surprise about Andrew Thomas going first, But you know, like what we're learning is hey, what we thought about

players prior to the draft. We got to give them the benefit of doubt when they get to the new teams and they get to the environment, because then it becomes about how did they fit within the scheme. Part of the reason why he was drafted and selective was

due to Joe Judge's relationship with Kirby Smart. He really went in on the opinion of his buddy, his former colleague, Kirby Smart, and so they thought that he would be the one who was most ready to play because of the experience that he had, the long arms, the pedigree, per se, and so he struggled. But a lot of guys like the second year is really when you see the jump from how they played their first yet and the second year we have seen a bit of a jump.

It hasn't been all star caliber, but it's certainly been solid for them and whether Giants needed they need a solid play after getting so much shoddy play from the officeive line for years. All right, Bucky, appreciate the time. We'll have you back tomorrow. We'll talk a little bit about the New York Giant defense versus the Cowboys offense. We're gonna take our final break. I got some questions

for these guys. We'll talk a little bit more about this defense and how it's going to be affected with Jalen Smith no longer on the team, will do that when we come right back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. Hi, I'm Clink Tillison with United aggin Turf. Before you can park yourself in front of the game, park yourself in a John Dear and power through your chores.

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dot com. Slash Cowboys Back to the Break. Cowboys Nation can join the fight against cancer with twenty twenty one Crucial Catch Gear. Every dollar of NFL royalties from this collection will be note donated to the American Cancer Society. Is at your local Dallas Cowboys Pro shop or log onto the shop dot Dallas Cowboys dot com. Welcome Backfinal segment of the Braakelof in the s WBC Mortgage Studios at the Star again the News of the Day Jalen Smith,

released by the Dallas Cowboys. I had a question for you guys. It's changed a little bit. I was going to ask you guys in this final segment about Michael Parsons, and we saw, you know, he's he's kind of moved around in different games, playing defensive end, playing linebacker. Last week, it seemed like to me, just without looking at numbers, seemed like he played a lot more linebacker than defensive end last week. How much do you do you think what first of all, what do you think they're going

to do with him this week? And how much do you think, if at all, Jayala no longer being on the team affects that. I think it can only be a positive thing. And I wrote about this. I wrote a story kind of just thinking forward, what might what it might look like. And I'll just pull out my old cliche from a couple of years ago. Three to play two. That's what you got now, at least in your in your nickel. And I just I think of

Layton vander Esh as my well. I think of Layton Vanderesh and Michael Parsons platooning the mic job with Kean O'Neill as your primary will maybe Jabril Cox is part of that eventually, and just and the number of snaps Latent plays just depends on what else dan quin Quinn wants him to do. Um. I think he'll play more linebacker as the season goes. But again, you say, we're thinking we want you I for eighteen snaps down and end,

and then we can get you forty eight lineback. I don't know however the math works out whatever, but so you can swap those two guys in and out. You know, it's like when you when you do another part of this whole thing that I actually was talking to our producer Chris Beam last night, who brought this up, and it's kind of like when you get some loans, you know, at some point you gotta pay it back. Well, you know, they had five or six guys they oh, we could

put put these guys on IR. Just put them on IR and then when they come back, they'll they'll come back later on in the season. And well, here we are, and some of these guys are starting to come back, and you gotta take somebody's roster spot. And you know, and you think about the the younger guys that are being inactive, the mcquomus of the world, where they don't want to cut those guys, I mean, they want to hang onto them. So something's got to happen. They got

to pay the piper here. And that's where the Jalen Smiths and I'm not saying there's gonna be more of those, but there's gotta be more guys getting cut. There will be more guys getting released. And so that's where a lot of this kind of goes into play. Let's let's not forget that part of it too, is they had some roster decisions to make. You can't just say, hey, getting real close on Michael Gallop coming back, which he's not.

He's actually a few weeks away. But you know, the Kelvin Joseph's really close, and Neville Gallimore was a lot of guys. Yeah, yeah, there could be a bloodletting when the bye week's over. Honestly, there are two games away, so I mean, you know, we'll see what happens in these two games. But then on the other side of the bye week, there's probably at least three or four guys that could be Like I think Gallup's probably aiming to come back after the bye I don't know about Gallimore.

Joseph is another one. She still haven't heard from, Sean mccun Josh Ball as well. I mean, okay, so here's the interesting part. If you guys think you can give me some names of some guys that you're looking at my firing people here on the air, and no, no no, no, and and by the way, let's let's put caveats on this, like there's no there's no obviously no guarantee here, but

they do have to make some moves. Who are some of the guys that you look at and you're like, because of all the things factored in the money, the contract, how they're playing, the other depth that they have in the position, who are some of those guys Tian Secky you know, I mean Lyle Collins comes back from from didn't even mention Lyle. Yeah, but he should come back in a couple two more games. Um, you know, then you feel like Steel will be the you know, swing

tackle for sure, Josh Balls coming back. I just don't see the point five for Taney. I mean I was gonna say Brandon Knight for similar reasons. Maybe Yeah. Um, I mean you know, you look at some of these receivers you've got. You have you know, Fijoko and you have Malique Turner now, so you don't need to keep

those of them when gallops back. So I mean now they needed some more linebackers, though, I do think they need to add line I mean I think at one point Francis Bernard's another I R guy or he might be pup. Yeah. I mean they only had six linebackers with Jalen Smith like when they entered the season, and and that that's not even on I mean that's the whole team practice squad and everything. That's who they have to practice every week is six and now they only

have five. And you know they had five when Keane O'Neill was out, So they need a little bit of depth there. But they don't have anybody on the practice squad, I think, so what about the secondary? Is there anybody that needs to hanging in there that they Maurice Kennedy, that's possible, That's which I don't mind talking about it, but that's there's a lot of moving parts and there's just no real way to know. So we're just kind of throwing out names of guys who don't have a

clearly defined role. That's basically what we do. Is actually what we what we're trying to get to is like what a that? Who is that list of guys that could be on a list that the Cowboys would have, But these are the guys that you may have to part ways with. Bradley and I I mean, it's a player that's you know, he comes back from COVID, but I mean, you know, I don't know what his role is exactly. And and Kamara's kind of in there too.

I mean Kamara for Suremars the guy definitely and that's that's one that you would you would think that they would hope, hopefully they would think, you know, if we got to cut him, maybe we can get him back to our practice squad if nobody's gonna claim him, right yeah, But I mean it's it can get interesting and defensive tackle. If Galimore comes back, Watkins comes back, Tristan Hill, Yeah,

I mean, they gotta figure something out there. And we said that from the whole offseason, like there's just too many guys. Something will shake out, and it kind of did. But now if it gets back into the mix, well the other thing too. And not to sit on the fence too much, but it's the most violent sport. There's two more games. The odds, i mean, the odds that they make it through two games with nothing happening are slim. So some of these decisions will be made easy for

him because something will happen. And I'm not trying to cop out, but that's just the reality of the sport, right true. Yeah, all right, we appreciate you guys join us. We'll be back tomorrow. We'll get it to a little more talk on the New York Giant defense. This time gets to Cowboy his offense to then for Nick Even, Dave helm and I'm Derek Eagleton. This has been the

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