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This is Girls Talk, Boys Talk, presented by Jigsaw Dating, preferred dating partner of the Dallas Cowboys, and broadcasting live from Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters at the Star. Now your hosts Christie Scales, Aisha Morrison, Nicole Hutcheson and Jess Navares.
The SAP Cowboys Nation. Happy Thursday. Welcome to Girls Talk, Boys Talk, presented by Jigsaw, the preferred dating partner of the Dallas Cowboys. Right here in the SWBC studio, I'm Nicauaderson, Isis Morrison, Jess Navares and Christie Scales, Ladies, I miss y'all.
How y'all doing?
I guess it has been a little it's been like a week.
It's been more than a week, technically a day. It's been a week and a day in a long time.
Too bad, nothing's happened, huh.
I know, right, you know, we what to talk about, and I so glad christ you can laugh about it.
I think that I'm always amused when people say, what do you guys do in the off season?
It's like there is no true off season.
In the NFL, and not with the team, most certainly not with this team, and certainly not with the week of the owners meetings, you.
Know, with the rules changes.
And then of course at the owners meetings you've got the Joneses and the head coaches for the Cowboys, you know that, you know, make their statements and then everyone takes off with that.
So there's a lot going on.
Yeah, quite a few new rule changes ahead of the twenty twenty four season. Let's start with the kickoff rule change, though first they've moved it to where now, of course kickers will still kick off the from the thirty five
yard line. The other ten players from the kicking team would line up at the opposing forty, and then the way that the receiving team will be lined up is at least nine will line up on in a five yard area between the thirty and the thirty five yard line, and the kicker cannot cross the fifty, and the rest of the kicking team along with those and set up in that zone can't move until the ball hits the ground fielded or lands in the end zones.
A lot of different movie parts, but the.
Same as the XFL does, I think they took the data as far as that just making sure there's not that many full speed collisions to kind of prevent injuries.
What do y'all think about that?
And how do y'all think this kind of helps the Cowboys.
I'm excited about it because it brings back one of the truly exciting plays in the NFL. And so I just remember every time you'd have, for example, a Devin Hester to drop back, you know, Patterson now just signed.
Yeah, I mean, that's it.
It's going to be dynamic, I think, And I think it's also going to change strategy as well. You know, you're not just I think it's going to change the way people watch games. You're gonna have to get back from your bathroom break or your concession break, or your trip to the fridge after a score to get back because you're going to want to see the kickoff because it's not going to be an automatic touch back as
it's basically been for a couple of years. And we know Brandon Aubrey set a record last year with ninety nine touchbacks, you know, and I also we can yeah, but the same wanna and so no, I'm excited about it. I just wondered if you guys think it's a positive change.
Oh yeah, I mean, look here, here's the thing about the rule change is it gives opportunity for the special teams guys to really show their importance in this game. Because I think when you're just getting touched back after touch back after touchback, you truly don't appreciate how much special teams is doing for the game and how much it does impact the game. So I think giving those guys a Cavante Turpin, if he doesn't take more of
a role on offense, we don't know. Yeah, just assuming it's still him, more of an opportunity to really take the ball further. And Christy, I think it was you that told me that what was the.
Percentage twenty one percent?
Yeah, that were actually not touchbacks last season, right right, Yeah, that's that needed a change.
And then the other thing was in the Super Bowl there were what thirteen kickoffs and then we're returned, And so a lot of observers thought, Okay, that's the signal for the change. If anything is going to change with the kickoff, it's going to be this because you had this high score, you know, Super Bowl, and kickoffs were litter kickoff returns were a non factor.
I also think shout out to Bones Fossil for we were heading this change, because that should show you how much of a gem he really is on this coaching staff. He's so smart, he's innovative, he's always thinking ahead, and I just think he doesn't get enough love and appreciation from the outside for everything that he not only contributes for the Cowboys, but really across the NFL as well.
And this thing going with the XFL, this is something that this is not something that just came up within the off season. I remember us having a long time talk about it at training camp out in Oxnard. And what happens is during training camp there'll be two, maybe three times where the coordinators are made available to the media and they'll put them on the podium.
It'll be there on the tennis court.
So it's it's a similar setting to what Mike McCarthy, the Cowboys head coach, does with his daily press conferences.
But had been talking with Coach Fossil about.
This and it was like the day before his scheduled press conference, and so we see each other the next day is getting ready to go. He's like, hey, you know, I think I really want to talk about this, you know, stuff with how the XFL does. It's like, okay, I'll ask you about it so that you can kind of be on record about it.
So this isn't something that is just on a whim.
It's something that has been studied and put a lot of a thought into it.
Aisha, what were you thinking.
I'm excited, like just like you, I think just mentioned it.
Special teams is an element of the game that doesn't get.
Enough attention, I feel like and also too.
I mean, if you look at a lot of the playoffs games this past year, special teams was the difference even in the Super Bowl.
So special teams be a difference maker.
Start and field position plays a huge role in time and possession, and I think a team like the Cowboys who started at their own twenty or negative to that sometimes a lot this year may be able to benefit from getting some better starting field position and being able to flip the field and things like that.
So that's exciting.
Furthermore, when you mentioned that Bones was a part of this coming into play, don't think he wasn't a part of it.
For a reason.
I'm very curious to see what he has up his sleeve. You know, he's a sneaky dog in some of the ways that he's able to implement some trick plays and things he can take advantage of. So I am also curious to see what he does with it the rule changes and how he kind of sifts through those and is able to navigate those to get some positive yardists for the Cowboys and be able to have this offense starting off at a better point in the field.
Yeah, and it's really going to change I think how you build the team as well. I think it's going to affect a couple of the bottom of the roster kind of the fifty one through fifty three composition, because you're not just going to have one person back to field the ball.
You're going to have two.
Like for example, this past year, it would have been Cavante, Turpin and probably Recodoubtle, each one taking a half. You know, they're setting up at the goal line or the five yard line to return it a Deuce Bond, except that Deuce was inactive most games last year. But if he, you know, is going to have a role in this. Again, I'm kind of taking last year and projecting, but I'm
just saying it can affect things like that. The other thing is Nicole, how you mentioned the kickers back at the thirty yard line, and of course you're ten teammates that would be covering. They would be running thirty yards downfield to get to the spot where everyone is going to be starting. Now that this okay, so the kicker has to stay back there. But those ten guys, they're already on the other side of the field and they're five yards away from the guys who are going to
block them. So you could go with some bigger coverage guys. You don't have to have these guys who are fast and can kind of get around guys.
What would you do personnel wise because of you know, the close quarters that they have to work with.
Now, well, someone like Sam Williams, Now we know that he could he can do it because he's fast, and I mean, you have him at gunner on punts for goodness sake, But that kind of body type would be more useful. I think Sam athletically is a freak the way that he can run down and do that. Most guys of that size can't run like that. But it's really more of a scrimmage play and that was part
of the deal. This is more of a scrimmage play in terms of you're five yards away from your opponent, kind of like a linebacker from an offensive lineman, and so I think it can change. You're still going to have your tied in your linebackers, but do you have you know, are you are you going to have like a Jalen Tolbert who plays gunner, but would he be a guy that you would use in coverage when there's
only five yards apart. I think that the implications for this are far more than making it an exciting play and now we'll have seven, eight, nine, maybe ten returns in a game. I think the implication reaches further in terms of how you compose your roster.
One of the cons that I wrote down was it would take away from onside kick opportunities when you're in those close games.
But they figured for that.
So if you want an on side kick, now you have to declare it and you do it from back at your own thirty Okay, So there aren't going to be surprise on side kicks anymore, and so I think that's a positive because the dangerous plays certainly kickoff returns or you know, cause the long the way it previously was where you're running downfield, but when you're doing an on side kick, there's some guys jobs where it is to take out the person in front of them so that it can open it up for the guy coming
in behind to take the ball, and so those are very they can be dangerous plays.
And so.
You know, you're still going to have the same kind of format for it and alignment and everything stays the same with that, except that it can't be a surprise anymore and teams.
Can be more prepared for it.
The other thing is it won't succeed as much because it won't be a surprise and everyone will have their hands teams out there.
Yeah, and it seems like the league is doing everything that they need to do to take precautions as far as injuries.
They also took.
Away the hip drop tackle will be a penalty.
Now some thoughts on good, good, good, bout dang time, that's my thought on it. Yeah, I mean, how many times did we have to see this happen and nearly either injure a player. And I'm not even talking just the Cowboys. I'm talking throughout the course of even last season when you look back and think about it nearly injure somebody or actually injure somebody. How many times did that have to happen until it was declared that hey,
that's dangerous and that shouldn't be happening. And I understand the momentum part of this game where sometimes it just happens, but no, look, I'm all about player safety. I think it's about time it needed to happen. It was dangerous, and when you're talking about getting pulled from behind where you can't see the momentum shift, I mean you're talking knees, ankles, hip injuries that just are unnecessary and preventable. So I'm glad that that's finally a rule.
Yeah.
I feel like a lot of players don't like it, of course, and I understand them feeling like, you know, dang, this is another rule especially too. I think another rule change that's important is the rough and the passer and stuff being able to be reviewed, because I do think the defensive players are starting to be.
Like, I don't know how we played defense.
You can't hit nobody, you can't tackle on anyone, or anything like that. I definitely have talked to multiple players about it. Gotten some mixed bags. A mixed bag as far as the information. But me, when I look at the tackle you mentioned that you know a lot of it's from behind. Yeah, because guys don't want to get beat and when your body goes into like fight or flight panic, they're just trying to get them down to
the ground. And it's interesting because I'm very petite and in the military when we did combatives, literally how they tackle is something I was taught because I'm so small, and basically you're just throwing your weight. I mean, you're just grabbing them and pulling them down. And what you're guaranteeing is that that person's unstable on the other side, and that's why you're seeing the brakes. That's why you're seeing things like that go on. So I again, like
I am for player safety, I understand the player. Defensive players are kind of over it at the same time. So it's it's gonna be interesting how it's handled. But I will say the influx of that tackle, like and I'm trying to figure out if this is something that's been happening and it wasn't injuring people, so we weren't as hyper focused on it, or we've just seen this last couple of years up ticking.
Mark Andrews for the Baltimore Ring. I think it's a big example from this past season, and of course Tony Pollard it's a technique.
Thing as well, like don't get it twisted, I think. I mean, we've only been in the locker room for two years at this point, but some of this stuff is just get them down to the ground, like I mean, unfortunately, and I'm just I'm really curious to see if this is if this is gonna help. The situation does put pressure on players, it does make them have to be a little bit more technically signed with things. But I'm kind of sick of seeing leg breaks and stuff too.
Oh yeah, I ain't even gonna hold you. And I don't know if we've seen this type of like and it's it's the way because even so people have not gotten injured, like Patrick Mahomes got tackled with a hip drop tackle in the Super Bowl and last year and he had to he played through that ankle being sprung sprung, but like he he could have injured himself as well.
He could have been out of that game.
Then the rule would have changed last year.
Right, and that's and I think that it probably knowing them have probably played a role. Like but I'm just saying, yeah, I mean this is I think about even when Aaron Rodgers got hit in the in the collarbone and it was that's when the rough.
In the passer things.
They they they're going to protect these offensive players and Tom Brady al and things like that. So yeah, for sure, I just I'm I'm very up and down about it because I get it from a logical standpoint.
I hear the players.
Though, but then I'm like, I, no one will see nobody's ankle being backwards.
Again, y'all.
I'm that's the kind of play though, that could be a difference maker. Now with them knowing it's officially a role, you're going to get penalized for it. It's going to be interesting to see the discipline, especially in the teams that you know are more notorious for doing it.
The Lions.
Oh uh, look, am I wrong? Am I wrong? So all I'm saying is, look, let's keep an eye on the penalties and how that's going to impact players or teams that don't want to be disciplined in making sure that they're not doing that and I'm interested to see the scapegoats that they try to find to still kind of tackle from behind without making it look like it's a hip drop.
Toll, would you say?
Discipline and penalties part of it, The bigger part of it for the players, and why it's going to change moving forward, is because of fines.
So it's just like you can be fined for.
These dangerous plays like the helmet to helmet for the roughing the passer, and that's what gets the player's attentions. The only thing they like worse than a player's attention is the only thing they hate worse than being penalized is getting that note, that FedEx letter and their locker and the money's automatically taken away. You can appeal it, but basically later on down the line, it's going to be deducted from your paycheck. That's why it's going to change, and.
The players will adapt.
They adapted with the horse caller, which is the Roy Williams rule. The longtime cowboy fans know that's unofficially.
The Roy Williams rule. We do you see horse callers sometimes?
Still?
Sure, unfortunately, but not like you did before. Do you still see helmet to helmet shots unfortunately, yes, but nothing like you saw before. It became not only a penalty but a finable one. And so that's why this hip drop rule is really going to have effect. Is not only is it going to be fifteen yards with a yellow flag, it's a potential and probable fine.
Yeah, So what does this do for these position coaches?
Because I should talk about it just being more discipline, technical, technically sound. So what more does that do for these position coaches that have to teach?
You know this, Well, I'm curious about it because a lot of the time, like Jess was mentioning, it's from behind, so guys don't want to get beat.
Nobody want to be highlight real baby. But I also.
Think it's I'm curious to find out how they're going to tackle, because if they tackle properly, you're pushing someone forward, mostly positive, and that's why a lot of them are tackling in the way that they're tackling, because they're pulling them back basically.
So I obviously we don't know yet.
Hopefully, you know, maybe when we get a player on we can ask, hey, what how is this going to change? What techniques are they gonna teach these guys because you can't.
Tackle like you're taught to tackle.
You can't form tackle because if you form tackle, baby, you're gonna push people forward. So it's like, I wonder, I don't I don't know how it's gonna work. Maybe it's trying to push them to the outside. Maybe it's coming from the side, but then you would have to be able to be as fast.
As they If you push them forward, they're gonna get several more young, but they gonna get fifteen.
Yeah, right, it's going to be fifteen if it's a penalty.
Do you feel like it might be tripping?
They might start tripping?
Yeh yeah.
What about guys for for example, like a d'mon who was smaller than a lot of the guys he had to take on.
What do you do about that as well?
That's no shade to the moon.
That was not shade. It's not meant to be. But what you do you know, I mean, yeah, I don't, like, we don't know yet. Yeah, I don't know what it's gonna look like yet.
Probably tripping, like like you were mentioning, kind of going for the fee area and kind of making them stumble. But even then I mean, if you're if you're doing what you're paid to do, you're gonna get past that too. As far as a wide receiver goes, you're gonna get out of that and learn how to regain your footing. But it does, so it's gonna be interesting to see. So I hope it doesn't go from hips to knees.
That's my biggest thing is I don't want to start seeing tackles hit the knees because that's pretty much just I.
Think that's I think that's might be the only choice because again, like they can't go up here because the horse collars, they can't pull them from behind in that way. They can't tackle them like we were talking about. They can't like wrap them up and then pull them back or swivel or swing.
Does it almost change the defensive formations that they're gonna have to work with to ensure that more people I guess are in front of the receiver as opposed to kind of tackling from behind.
Now that's dangerous, that's too much room for them.
I mean, I'm just saying, no, you're right, but that we can't.
You can't reinvent the wheel, baby, like football can't become. And that's where I I that's where I get where the players are, especially the defensive players are like, holy crap, bro, Like we literally were just trying to figure out we're learning how we're now learning how to tackle qbs. Now we don't know what's the sure way to tackle QB and now you're telling me I can't. And then you also got to think, so, you guys are running backs in this league.
This baby, they've running through arm tackling. They don't care about none of that. So it's it's it is. It's a disadvantage to the defense.
It is it's just fantasies the defense, and I understand their frustration. I don't know. I don't know it's gonna be. It's gonna be in football.
It's also one more thing for the officiating crew that they have to.
Look at to so and will it be.
I don't know what.
I don't know if it would be automatically reviewable.
It hasn't been addressed yet as.
To whether that would be uh possibly review from up top or or not. So I hope that's a question have to to follow up on find out it's gonna slow.
Down the game.
Sotimes I say out over, just take a little bit.
I hope not.
Is there another rule that was changed, Chrissy that kind of stood out to you?
Oh, I just think having a third challenge for a coach if you if you get in the past, each team a coach has two challenges. If the first two are successful, then you get a third. Now only one of them has to one of the first two has to be successful, and you're allowed a third. So I think that that could could definitely gain to play.
We could have used that.
I don't know what game it was that the Cowboys played towards the end of the year, and he was like, I felt like if Mike McCarthy would have challenged, you would have won.
It was a spot they had. I don't know what game it was, but they had a bad spot.
Towards the end.
I don't know it was.
It was a it was a later game in the in the season, and it was they got a bad spot and we were in the spots was bad all day and then but one of the spots was a pivotal point in the game and it was like.
Dang you, I don't know which game it was, but anyway, it's.
Another one just real quickly, because I know we got to go to break. But now you know how sometimes you're watching and you see the play clock clicking down right, and it's like, did they get the snap off? And now that is actually reviewable, so that could play, yes, that they could play a factor in a in a game at some point this season. The back judge, there
are seven officials on the field. The back judge is the one that's like literally thirty yards downfield behind the defense, behind the safeties, and so he's surveying the whole field in front of him. All twenty two players and six other officials are in front of him, and so he's looking at the play clock and so when he sees it go down to zero, he glances back to see if the ball has been snapped. And sometimes there's literally as much time in between, you know, the clock going
down in the ball being snapped. Now, can it can be reviewed in case the back judge didn't quite get it right?
Real quick? Sorry, I was curious about Mike's challenge record since he's been in Dallas. His total challenge record throughout his coaching career, he's fifty one out of one oh three. Since he's been in Dallas, he has challenged seven, eight, nine, ten, ten challenges and he's won one, two, three, four.
Oh, so forty percent. In four seasons. He's only challenged ten times.
Yep. Yeah, and there's been times where.
Yep, and it looks like ouch more because now you've got me. Yeah.
Anyway, I mean it's interesting his like, the most challenges he had was in twenty twenty one, where he had five and he only got two out of the five that year. But last year he only had one challenge and he was one for one, so technically one hundred percent. We love that.
Alright, we're gonna take our first break of next we're talking running bags. Could we see your reunion here?
I don't know.
All right, we'll take our first back.
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Yeah that sounds fun. Actually, that's really cool.
Ye oh my god, I love it perfect. Is that a person?
Yeah? Today?
Do you think not?
That it was Chris I say, dang, Chris, I love it.
And Chris, Chris, you have you're going to give us one, Chris, one of yours and not a recorded one. We want to hear it.
No, that was Isaiah's stand back by the way, if you.
Play for you one more time, so listen.
Yeah, yeahs Isaiah, Yeah, he did it on Talking Cowboys.
I love it.
Also, thank you, Chris.
The expiration the change in reviewing the end is game clock and not play clock, So that has nothing to do with the back judge watching the play so end of games.
So thank you Chris for that correction on that. Thank you, thank you, thank you all right.
Reports from Michael Gelkin from Dallas Morning News actually earlier, I think that was Tuesday. He said that there could be a reunion between Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys. He asked in the owner's meeting this week. Of course, Jerry and Steven they did not confirm or deny that report. What are y'all's thoughts? Do y'all think that there could be? Would you all like to see a reunion?
I know Jess is over there.
I wouldn't be shocked. That's where I'm at with it. Is look, just do something, Just do something. We can't just look. The Cowboys can't continue to just sit here and lose players and not fill the holes and the gaps that are needed and expect to get better that way and solely rely on the draft, Because that's a lot of pressure to put on your draft class that. I'm sorry last year's draft class didn't live up to
expectations to be plug and play players. It makes me a little worried that that could be the case with some of the players in this draft class. I'm not saying all, but that's a lot of pressure to put on a first year player that's learning what it is to be in the NFL. You have to give these first year players grace no matter what your stance is.
They can be plug and play players, but they need grace in the NFL to learn a new language, to understand a new system, to understand what it is to be an NFL player and an NFL player for the Dallas Cowboys two different things here. So to bring a guy like Zeke back, if they decide to do so, you're getting a guaranteed guy that knows what it is to be here. You're already paying cap.
Space for him. You're already paying him.
Technically, you might as well use that money so you don't have to pay anymore. It makes sense. I know there was questions about his productivity and what he's able to do. Still, look, it's Ezekiel Elliott. He's not the Zeke we once knew. We knew that, but when he was here, guess who was number one scoring in the red zone. Ezekiel Elliott in the Dallas Cowboys. So you can't tell me all that juice is taken out of him. He was with the Patriots last year wasn't his best year.
Wasn't the Patriots last year wasn't Belichick's best year at either. But the point is is, if you can get a plug and play player that knows how to come in, knows your system, knows your coach, the locker room loves him, do it because you need to do something to get better. And I think when you have an Ezekiel Elliott in the locker room, you're a better team because of it. And you guys know how I feel about Zeke in the locker room. Great guy, great leader, He can teach
the younger guys. I mean, he's willing to do what he needs to do and what more can you want? I'm off my sofa.
It's two things for me. There is some concern about what the running back room looks like right now.
Believe you have duce Vaughan Hunter Lipke, who I thought showed some good flashes last year and kind of showed maybe if he improves as that full back position that he can do some things also too. You always obviously brought back Regodad, but the buck stops there, and so to that point, es, I mean, experience and things of that nature do play a role in there.
So technically it makes sense.
But I also need the Cowboys to stop being that person that we know from high school that can't let go of the X.
I I'm just I'm just ready like to figure out what's next.
Most teams are going younger, Most teams are kind of trending in a different direction as far as what the running back position even looks like. Because even if you look at this draft, there's only like three guys that I consider thumpers. And when Zeke came out, that's what people were looking for. They were looking for a ground and pound and a lot of these guys now are a little.
Bit more shifty. You can do some things in.
Receiving game, you still need to be able to help out in pass pro things like that. But I'm on the fence about it because, like, to your point, yeah, this running back room is a little scarce right now as far as experience goes and things like that.
But I'm also like, don't.
Go in the opposite direction because most teams are not going in the opposite direction. They're trying to get younger, faster, and more elusive from a passing game perspective as well. So that's how I feel.
About it, And it's not it's not an either or thing. You know, if Zeke comes back, like you say, it's obviously not to be the featured guy. And so I think that his coming back depends on who which running back they draft.
I think there's no question that they're going to draft.
They're going to show an interest in quite a few running backs to the combine.
Access and stuff like that, and so z would be a great complimentary back. You know, if if you don't get one of the thumpers, if you don't get in guy who can run inside and be a short yardage he's.
Cheap maybe bring them and because again, you don't have any Like Deuce was an active a lot, which was annoying, but he was an active a lot. We've talked about the run game and just schematically what it was either too. I mean you also got to think about it for a guy like Zeke to come man, unless he's just doing goal line things. We don't know what this offensive line is going to be like also too.
Going into next season, so that.
Also plays a role to me. And what type of running back you're looking for. Do you want a guy that can see it and just go because maybe that hole is not super big with.
Or it's not open up quick quick enough with this offensive line.
It's there's a lot of factors that play into it, but I will concede that it would make sense given.
That they have not touched free agency.
Really, I don't really know how many running backs and free agency are left.
Because Cordel Patterson was.
Someone I was like, y'all, please, he gonna cost like five dollars, just bring him in here, see and help with your return game, be a veteran whatever the case may be.
But I mean, yeah, he's he's he probably the best option right now. I think.
Possibility.
I think at this point though, in order for them not to be the high school what what did you? How did you hype X? They missed that boat. It's too late in free agency now to not be that anymore because you had options available and you didn't have the I mean, it's to get like a splash running back.
Then, Josh Jacob, if you wanted to be all in.
And not be the high school ex girlfriend, like the big names are gone already.
Yeah, you heard him.
You could have had the Giants X, so you could have had the Raiders X.
We started on it.
Yeah, from from a from a money standpoint, just so you know last year Zeke. Of course the Cowboys were paying him dead cap space last year too. But when he signed as a free agent with the Patriots last year, he signed a one year, three million dollar deal. Okay, and as for you mentioned, we're you're paying him again this year. So he counts a six point four million against the Cowboys app so he's and then right behind him at six million is Tyron Smith.
You might as well just put that money to use. Well, I mean, look, well you would, you'd have to.
Pay him on top of that.
But at least you're paying him to play for you and not another team, like it's your stuff to pay him on top of that. But I'm just saying, and if you're talking about offensive line that it might be struggling because we don't know what it looks like. You know, Zeke can block. You know he can block, and.
You don't know if your rookie running back can Yeah, if he's playing a lot, Yeah, because Tony Tony stepped up a lot.
Yeah. And as much as people don't want to give him credit MG MG was blocking his tail off this last season, he's not here anymore. So again, you have holes that you need to fill in terms of blocking. It stems from the offensive line, but there's more parts to it. You know, Zeke can do that too, so it I don't love the idea of like going back to your past. I agree with you, but at this point, like the situation you're in, you kind of have to either do that. You can go with the Dell and
Cook who also has experience, but you need something. You can't just sit here and wait for for something to happen. It has to something has to happen. They have to go out and do something.
I have a question.
As of as of today, ric o'doddell is running back one as of today, if the season were to start today, do y'all have faith that Rico could be that feature back?
Honestly?
I mean no, they're they're they're gonna draft a running I mean I know that, But I.
Want to know if we have confidence in Rico o'doddle that he could be a future back.
I as a person and skill set, I like him, but he has an injury history, so you have to I'm looking at it holistically, and so you it's just like almost like a Leyton Vanderesh should be great if he decided to come back, but even if he wanted to, you couldn't count on him to get through the season. So I'm sorry to if that sounds harsh, but you think you have to look at the look at the whole deal and and and as much as I love Rico when I do, but he has some injury history.
I think he wants it, and I think he's He's worked extremely hard to be where he is. He there's a lot of players that would have given up after year of year and year of injury taking him out of the game and there's a reason the Cowboys have kept him around this long. When he is healthy, yes, I absolutely believe he could be the featured back. Last year, he was dealing with the nagging ankle injury, which isn't
a reoccurring injury. The reoccurring injury that has been happening in the past was his hip, so that wasn't bothering him last season. I talked to him a lot about his health and kind of what he was doing in order to stay healthy, and it was they just like we talked about Tyrone Smith, how they kind of changed his, uh, his practice schedule and and his rehabbing and his and all of that same thing. For Rico, they had to kind of adjust what he was doing in order to
stay healthy. And for the most part, I mean that nagging hip injury didn't come back last season, so it was the ankle injury that you could see got dug into Oh goodness what I don't remember what week it was, but you could see it happen and that was kind of what was happening. He was still playing on it though, So again I think when he's healthy, yes, but also you haven't seen enough of him. You saw something you saw more of him last season than you've seen, but
that wasn't enough to really know. So training camp is gonna be real fun no matter what happens. And he's somebody that I really I want to see how he does now going forward.
This is his opportunity now or never. That's that's pretty much all I got about that.
And you know, we should also mentioned Malik Davis because he would step up into kind of the Rico role if Rico were were first. And then the other thing is, I think we're going to see more and more of Hunter Lipkey. We we saw we saw the way that McCarthy used the kune and the fullbacks you know, always
in Green Bay. You know, it seemed like he was a guy that you could always count on to make a play kune, and so you know, you could see that for Lipkey moving forward, and he could he could be your short yardage guy too, but he's more of a traditional fullback.
Then well I mean, honestly, well I would actually push back on that, like Hunter is a running.
Well running back or the other thing is we didn't see him a lot. I think we're gonna see.
Him more this year. A part of a passing game.
Absolutely, he can do some things in a passing game. He can do some things in short yardage situations. I thought that his blocking and the angles he took and his vision improved.
As the year went on. Yeah, I agree.
I think Hunter Lipkey is gonna definitely take a tick up this year in his usage and also too, if you look at some of the better teams, having a fullback is a valuable thing when you talk about how light some of these linebackers defensive line and those guys are starting to get. If you have a guy that can get to the second level, then that can open up some big plays. And I thought that he was a good addition to the team last year, just kind
of getting his feet wet. Definitely expect for him to have a tick up this year, and it might tell us if they don't, like honestly, if they don't go take a Zeke, if they don't go grab anyone else, it might tell you that, yeah, they're reserving that role for him and they're just gonna go draft another guy.
I feel like they kind of were doing that until the fumble, I believe in Week sixteen, which after you look back at it, it wasn't just on him.
It was also the handoff for communication issues there.
And so I think at that point they kind of took a step back and they scaled back, but they were giving him more and more leeway up until that point. They were using him at the goal line a lot more so. To your point, I really think that's something that now, with his first year under his belt, he was an undrafted free agent who had really no expectations coming in here. He absolutely deserves his second year to get more opportunity and see what.
He can do with it.
On that note, we're gonna take our second break.
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Yeah. Then the camps this summer tech price here here at the Star in Frisco. Everything's indoors and let's see, there are two day camps, three day camps, so you know, and they're throughout the summer, so it's whatever best fits your schedule. And most of the people that attend the camps actually come from out of state, so and even from out of the country. We have folks coming from
Canada and Mexico. We've had people come from Japan, and so that's one of the things I enjoy about him seeing the final afternoon is finding out all the people that travel and make their vacation plans around the camps.
So yeah, I have a couple of friends who bring their kids and they say that it's actually very beneficial for them to get some of that one on one time with some of these coaches and some like stuff like that. And then they also make the parents also make friends and make connections when they're here as well.
So yeah, it's a good time.
I don't have kids a long time before that happens, so amen.
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Yeah, I don't neither.
My husband says we're gonna we'll get a dog. If I can remember to feed it, then we'll consider having child.
You can you can take I have. I have plenty of two dogs and a cat, so you can take one of them with you and have them for the day or whatever if you ever feel.
Like you need that.
Thank you.
I'm kidding.
I actually do have a dog, Abby Bear, named after Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, the little stuffed my Abbey Bear. Yeah, it's a stuffed animal and it's kind of the m v P that you get so the d c C each week a different person.
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So those of you that have seen or have one of those d c C Abby Teddy Bears that you get from the pro Shop, it's for the Above and Beyond award the Abby Bear.
I got a dog.
She's a monster.
Your dog's a monster, Jazz, Yes, yes, a monster.
I don't believe that she's six months years old. She's a monster.
High energy, puppy, puppy energy.
And what's her name?
All right?
Real quick, ladies, we knew they're coming into a free agency obviously that you know, the Cowboys would have had the choice between Jordan Lewis and Stefan Gilmore picking one of those guys to stay here with Dallas. Of course they resigned Jordan, but now still no word on Stefan Gilmour and whether or not he'll be returning. But I know Stephen Jones did somewhat address that room a little bit. He didn't say.
Whether or not they will be bringing him back or not.
What is y'all's thoughts on whether or not what you'll be missing from what Gilly Gilly brought to.
That room leadership and veteran experience. He was. He was the reason that your secondary stood a chance after Trayvon Diggs went out so early in the season. U And that's no shade to anybody in that room. Jlu admitted how long it took for him to reacclimate after his foot injury and just kind of no pun intended seriously get his footing back in because it's hard to do when, especially with a foot injury, your muscle memory comes back in. It was hard for him, and he talked a lot
about that. But somebody likes Steffan Gilmour can come in be a plug and play player and an impact maker. So you have your plug and play players that are going to come in, You're going to play, but you have an impact maker and a difference maker. To have both of those in one player is special and Stefan Gilmore is that player. So I think that's what he brought more than anything. But yeah, Stevens comments didn't make
me optimistic. So we'll see what happens. But I'm not very optimistic that you'll see him wearing a star again.
Yeah, I mean from a depth standpoint. I mean we've talked about it even on the Draft show. Is that you know, corner might be something that they need to look at because you know, I think you.
Still Havenron Bland.
Obviously, Trayvon Diggs is locked up, but behind that, most of those guys are like one two years away from not being on this team anymore. And then when you look at even the guy like Eric Scott that they drafted late last year. Unfortunately he was a guy that Dan Quinn drafted. And when you have a new coach come in a lot of the time, they have different
visions they want to have their guys. So it also puts some of these young guys that are down the roster at the position in a place to where they're going to have to show what they're made of and see if they appeal to the new coach and.
What he's able to do.
Now, I will say, with Trayvon Diggs coming back from an ACL, I don't have the expectation that he's going to just automatically, very quickly be that Trayvon that we expect. I know, he did get injured early in the season, so he may be a little bit more ahead. But I just the Stefan Gilmour thing was also insurance in a way that I think is a luxury in the NFL to have him, someone like him, to his caliber as insurance, so toughest nails to play with the rotator cuff injury through a playoff game.
Yep.
A little crazy honestly too. I mean, but it's sad to see him go because I mean just some of the conversations I got to have with him. He's such a teacher and he'll teach you without even realizing it just in conversation. So to your point, Jess, I think
that this locker room's going to miss him. I think this young locker room, a lot of those young guys in the secondary are going to miss him because Trayvon even mentioned that he's been mentoring him since he came into the league, so they're connected at the hip anyway.
So yeah, it is what it is. You're gonna have to figure it out at this point.
So it's also so disappointing knowing you didn't get to see a lot of Trey and Gilly on the field together because it was just so exciting the thought of seeing both of them in the backfield, just man two ballhawks. But yeah, youth has to step up at some point, take what he taught them and go from there.
He was ten point nine to eight million Gilmour against the cap last year and they just they they can't afford that the way that they're managing the cap now and the way they're trying to apply their resources and set up the cap not just for this year but
future years. So it's unfortunate and all the but but you miss him on the field too, and not just all the pro stuff, because there were a couple of games at the end of last year where they they had their top the Cowboys had their top cornerback travel basically go man to man with the top receiver for the other team instead of just playing all that bad game Metcalf and so when they traveled the player towards the end of last year, it was not Drawn Bland.
It was Gilmore.
I mean, just the way he stepped up in that that Seahawks game, see that fire and him.
That was again, just to remind everyone, Metcalf kind of trash talked Gilly early in that game, and Gilly like, yeah.
Called him old, called him old, and then who's old? Nelly shut him down.
Gilly, And you're getting a guy like like all of y'all said, but you're getting a guy whose durability is off this roof. I know he got injured before the playoff game and still play through it, But I mean for a guy.
His age, what is he like thirty?
I think it's thirty three.
Yeah, I mean you're getting a durable guy.
And the tackling girl. Because that's one thing about Gilly.
When they first signed him, I looked back at his film the year before and yeah.
I'm impressed with the coverage, but I'm also just impressed if he's not a huge guy. We've seen him in person.
He's not a huge guy, but his willingness to tackle it also sex the example for those young guys that hey man, you can be great in coverage if you want to, but if you're not gonna tackle nobody coming off this edge, then what are we talking about here? He really shut He's such a total cornerback and you just don't get to see that in this league that often.
So I gonna miss him, but we understand what's going on.
He takes care of his body too. To your point, because I remember during training camp, Trey was talking about how he was eating like I think a bag of candy or something, and Gilly was like, what are you eating that for? And Trey was like okay, Like he kind of was showing the guys how to take care of their body. So we'll see.
Definitely a guy will hopefully hopefully comes back, but if not, we understand.
Like Aisha said, that's a rap.
For today's episode of Girls Talk.
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