Hangin' With The 'Boys: Darren McFadden

There's no waiting today because we have a special. Yeah, I'm gonna get you. Where were you You've come to give me a twelve thirty that was in the locker room. I was in a lunch room on twenty seven. Josh just slid right back in. This is not the way the show works, Josh, for no longer the whole I know you feel like you are. So. We got an email this morning from Shannon say it says. It says we're having Darren McFadden's micup closer. Push McFadden's micup closer

to hear you can hear you, Douglas. We got an email this morning. It says we're having Darren McFadden on the show. We really liked having players during training camp, and and uh, let's be careful not to offend them. Let well, we'll ask a couple of football questions, but we want to keep these relationships up so we do. So just be careful with them. And here you come in here throwing arrows at our first guest, Darren McFadden. That's a different kind of trust. And and by the way,

I know who you were aiming that at. And in Gmail, I'm gonna ask players, so I want to start out with a with a fire hot question for Darren. Okay, how are you doing today? It's pretty good man sitting around email lunch and say he's coming to give me a twelve thirty twelve twenty seventy hit. I figured I should make way over here. He is usually late. I didn't want to invade your lunch space. That's like your

personal area. At least one of us is responsible around here, Darren, Right, yes, sir, hang on, Nate needs some volume over I think Nate's Mike is quite worked up. Football players, they're they're built to work on schedules, yes, and what is the Tom Coughlin thing. If you're not five minutes earlier, you're late. That's my model. Also, yeah, I try to get here on time. Well next time I'll know. Sorry, Darren, all right, Nate try it out now? No, no, not quite. We

got static, but that's it. That's the Joe amazonal way. You know, we believe in that too. Man. We started our means in awere from special team, especially our special teams mean now that one can start ten minutes earlier, but always our individual and meeting with the head coach was always five minutes earlier. We all we started like that. So I'm wishing McFadden on this one hill parting. I got the roll with the player, but I was waiting for him in the locker room. I was where I

was supposed to be. Okay, we're over. We're over. We don't have nearly as much sway around here as the head coach, or we don't special teams coach or you know, let's go with the football questions. I'm gonna give you all the football questions. I'm gonna ask the easy ones. Okay, go, So it's gonna be fun, big game on Saturday. You

were rolling. You had the crown vet gassed up. What, um, people, anytime you only get to play two series, people are gonna like look at one thing more than any other thing. So you had like three carries of double digit yards right in a row. Offense is rolling. You did fumble. What happened on the fumble? You know? For me, Um, that's something I take a lot of pride and holding onto the ball and protecting the ball. Just Um, I

wasn't securing it like I said, have being man. He gat it at loose on me and I took the hit and you know it popped out with you know, I was ready to turn to a defender out of that, but luckily, um, he already on the ground and to your defense, I was right, I was down there. It was a good hit. Was he didn't just bump you know, he got you. So it was Hey, I see how

that could come lose better? Now the next month you Oh yeah, I say, man, like I said, I'd take a lot of pride and partaking the vail and um, that's that's something you definitely won't see that very often at all. What do it feel like? Um? You know you didn't of course there was the weird thing with the pup list or whatever last year. And so now you're you're looking at for the foreseeable future. You're you're the bell cow here, You're gonna be the lead back.

What did it feel like to be behind that offensive line in a game situation and seeing seeing all those holes developing, knowing what you've got ahead of you, No, just being out there behind those guys, man, Um. I know they take a lot of pride in what they do up front, and that's something I love about them. They work hard on a lot of people. Just see them out there in game on game day, but them around them every day and I see that. The way that they work in the way room, the way that

they work on the field. You know, I love it in them. Anytime you get a chance to run behind those guys, just a great opportunit. Now, Nate, you've been watching a lot of films. Yes, what did you see? What did you see Saturday? I saw a very explosive guy, man. I just told him when he walked in the room, I'm like, wow, man, here looking like a young Arkansas razorback. I mean physically, man, you look you look smooth, You

look good. I mean you was running. I mean I saw you literally running behind your pads, and normally you kind of got you smoothed up right there. But this game here, it's like you got behind your pads a little bit better. No, I've been feeling great, I'll see. You know, I missed a lot of those games last year dealing with the elbow injury. So I'm you know, my boddy didn't take much of a punishment last year,

and I went to the off season healthy. I stayed healthy all all season, and you know, I'm just ready to coming here and just pick up the slack whisks leaving right now. People always say about running backs that, you know, the age of twenty eight is kind of a real line of demarcation their careers. They don't they don't they don't seem to get better because they've taken

so much punishment. But having basically a whole year off last year, I mean, can you just tell us more about just how fresh your legs feel compared to you know, having played full seasons before and having you know, it had really I don't know how many carries you got last year. It couldn't have been more than thirty or forty oh yeah at all with them. You know a lot of people say the fresh legs and stuff, but you know, you're going through training camp, so you're gonna

deal with a leg fatiguing things. But you know, the old I get in my career, man, the more learning to take care of my body. And it's something that a lot of old players say now, like, uh, I wish I would have knew my rookie second year or what I know now about taking care of my body and just eating healthy and but you know, those things really come into play, especially at the older age. And you know, for me, Um, I don't feel like I've lost the step at all. I feel like I'm able

to go out there and still carry a load. So you had some some nice striped bass for lunch? You are, you are eating healthy little zucchini. What else do you do to take care of your body now? You know, like I say, eating healthy man, cold tub, high tub. You know that's something I've always done, the cold tub, and you know, just try to stay on top of it. But I mean it every day of not two or three times a day now, and I feel like there's something that helped my leg recover the most and you know,

just trying to get the right rest. I don't go out and hang out all night or anything like that anymore. And you know, just you're a run if you're a young running back, you can do that. Yeah, I feel like my younger days I felt like I could. But like I said, if I knew now, I knew that then where I know now, I definitely wouldn't have been doing it. Then. How old are you now, Darren, I'm twenty nine. I'll beat thirty on twenty seventh. All right,

So tell everybody. We kind of know your story. Tell everybody where you grew up, where you went to high school, getting recruited out of high school, why you picked Arkansas and then getting in the league, and how'd you wind up here? Born and raised the Little Rock, Arkansas. I went to Oak Grove High School, which is in north of the Rock, just right across the water from where I grew up. Then, uh, you know, I came out.

I was a top recrew coming out, but for me, it was hands down, I'm going to University of Arkansas. So I didn't even take a visit anywhere else or didn't attain any other officers anything I knew. I want to go. I committed a junior in high school so that where I could play my senior year and I had to worry about to recruit. And came out twenty two thousand and eight first round draft pick and played in Oakland for seven years, and you know, I've been

here since twenty fifteen. Yeah, what's the biggest difference between Oakland and Dallas? You know, besides the one hundred and ten degree heat in the summer, you know, Um, it's just a different environment, man. You know, and Oakland we were kind of on a down slid back then, and you know, they definitely came around now. But it's just a different environment. To win an atmosphere here and know, it's something that you love about it, so it makes it a joy to come to work every day. Yeah, Kurt,

you're gonna ask a question. It's hard to jump in there, man. Let's go reading some of your history. I mean, you grew up in a tough, tough neighborhood. It sounds like you had family members of friends, ran gangs, that sort of thing. How did you manage to stay away from all that get out of that situation? You know, I always tell people, for me, growing up. I didn't know exactly what I what I wanted to do, but I knew what I didn't want to do from growing up

around a gang, violence and drugs and things. I knew though something that you know, I didn't want to go and take that same path. And you know, look for me, I was blessed with the talent to play football, you know, and I took the opportunity around with it. Said something. Still keep in touch going back, you know, you can keep in touch with you have to keep in touch from afar. So it's one of those things, man. You know, I still have good friends that I talked to that

I grew up in my neighborhood and stuff. You know, I would never not talk to him anything. They have been some of my best buddies growing up since we were five and six years old. So I was going to talk to him and still be you know, with just a different points in life right now. How often

do you go back? I try to get back as much as I can off season and come with My kids actually still live in Arkansas, they don't live here in Texas with me, so anytime I can get back there now, my family lived there, so yeah, it's always enjoyed to be able to get back and visit them. So how do you spend your nights then, I mean, since you don't do you know that nightlife and you eating better? When what how do you do a nightlife? Then? What your what is your nightlife? For me? Man, I'm

pretty boring? Man. They always said. I can remember hearing people when I was growing up and stuff, and early in my years in the NFL, they would say being bored is actually a good thing. And yes, you know, I definitely understand that now because you know, going to hanging out, Yeah, it's fun and do it at the time you're doing it, but you know, with the strain and the stress it put on your body, it's not so much fun. Video games, reading books, just make something up, man.

People want to be like, ah, yeah music, I'm I'm pretty much a big chilled guy. Man. I watched a lot of Animal Planning Discovery Channel and you watch Shark Week out of Training Camp, Yeah, I did. I watched a lot of Shark week doing training Camp. And you know, for me, I guess I feel like I've been ran the street so much as far as hanging out and partying as at a younger age that to me, it doesn't bother me to sit at home and not do

anything all day. I'm with you on that, bro. You watch any other shows you in the Game of Thrones or Walking Dead or any of that. I hadn't got into the Game of Thrones. Everybody tells me about it, man, But I gotta get on. So I'm so far behind right now as far as a matter too weeks just to try and catch up. Take you, like two months, I hadn't caught up with it, but um, I've definitely heard a lot about it. That'll be a good two months.

So today going into practice, man, But you've been a veteran. Do you do you look forward to, like, you know, trying to get as many reps as you can, or you just you just wait for your time to be called? Or how do you feel about that situation? Because like what man Josh said, it could it could. We don't know at this point. It could be where you're gonna be the bell cow. So are you trying to get as many reps as you can? You pressing coaching a little bit? Are you just being patient for me? I'm

just being patient right now, you know. But I always take the same approach every day. Um, whether I'm gonna be the second guy at the first guy, I'm taking the same approaching. I'm gonna be working like the first guy regardless. And you know it's always good for a running back just to get stuff to get in there and get your movement going to things. But you know,

it's one of those deals. For me. I've been around the league a long time, so I know how to go about my business, and you know, the rest that I do count, I make them count as a veteran player. Do you hate this time of year? I think one of the most things I hate about training account for me is just having to be away from being away from home so long. My mom used to being able

to go home on all days and things. When I was in Oakland, we were an hour away from where I lived and so I could drive home on all the day. But you know, this past training account was the first year old. If my wife didn't come out, so I was going a full three weeks and didn't get to see each other and things, so that one was kind of hard. Did you eat any rice peeloft

when we were out there? I definitely did every damn day they have rice pelf and then they try to trick you and then they say it seasoned rice and just make it a different color. It's funny. Before you came in, we were talking about there with the grilled chicken, the barbecue chicken, the pistol chicken. It was all the same, just a different name every way. But the best way. So you can have chicken fried, it's they have it

every other way. Never. I think we had chicken strips maybe one night, and that was as close to fried chicken as we got. Maybe once. Had snack a couple of times, y'all did we didn't. They don't give us the good stuff. Should have came around then I did. Bro The food truck night was awesome though, Oh yeah, definitely great. Um, you know, like I said, it's something I love about here. Um, they make it fun for you know. And I was in Oakland. We were training camp,

training camp food. But you know, to be able to go have movie nights with the team, hang out with the guys, and you know, bringing them food trucks from time to time, that's something I feel like a lot of the players really enjoy. Yeah, speaking of the guys, we're gonna have Rod Smith on While I was waiting on you, I got bored and I started talking to Rod. I was like, hey, you want to come on the show tomorrow. He's like, yeah, I'll do it. What's something?

What's something we can ask him that nobody knows, or something that's funny that we can. You ask them why they call them tax man? Tax man? Yeah? Okay? Is they gonna get us in trouble now? Is that gonna be one of those questions? Like I told Josh not to ask us, to make you ask. We have a thing in a running back room where we have a fine stytem just within our own room, whether if you like, if you miss, if you make a mental error, or

you fumble the ball. And so I'm actually three fifty in the hole right now and I had a mental era Saturday night with So we have a fine system set up that we all go about and Rod is always the one that calls it out. So he keeps he keeps the books. He don't keep the books, but he definitely lets know. What's it like to see young guy like him who's kind of played some different roles? Is he a fullback? Is he a running back? He's changing his weight here and there, came into the league

without much fanfare. Is just being like Jalen Smith's brother and and now, I mean it looks like he's gonna stick around here and have some a chance to get some touches in the regular season. You know, Like I say, I'm around these guys every day just working and stuff, man, and I see what he can do. You know, a lot of people don't don't be at the practice in and the individual workouts and things that we have, but you know, I see the things that he can do

in them. He's definitely a great runner, Like he's going to be a good running this league also. And I'm very happy for him that he's been having a great camp man, and I look forward to seeing him this season. It's tough to find that balanced because you want to help each other, but you're also competing against each other for carries, you know, for us as running backs, man,

it's always going to be a competition. And U you know, um, but when I came in as a rookie, I had older guys ahead of me, and being a high draft pick, you know, I didn't know what they speed coming in, but they took me under their wings. And you know, they showed me the ropes and you know, I'm the same way. Man, I pick up these young guys taking one of my wings, try to show them the rope was. At the end of the day, you know, it's not just about having one guy back there can have a boy, y'alls,

you have to have other guys. It's ready also. So you've talked to us a lot today about how as you've progressed in the league. You're a veteran, you learn these things like it's better to be boring, stuff like that. We got to ask you about Zeke. Zeke's not lived the boring life since he got to Dallas. What's the process for him going to be of figuring that out and and how to how to just be available to the team. You know, Um, it's just one of those things.

I feel like it comes with maturity. Man. He's a young guy. He walking to a great situation and um, you know, um that was just a great city and it's a lot to go on and a lot of stuff to get into. And so I just feel like for him, you know, it's just just gonna take the time phone the mature you know. Um, a lot of people they look at the headlines and things he get caught up in where you know, he's a great guy, he's a great teammate. You know, all the guys love

being around him. He's a fun guy. Of having a locker room, who's one guy pick one defensive guy and one offensive guy that you've been surprised by a camp like, who's somebody You're like, okay, wow, you know my offensive guy had to go with a Cooper rush Man. He's been doing a great job and a lot of things that he's doing out there. And my defensive guy, I'm gonna go with Jalen Man because you know, he didn't

get to get out there on the field. He hasn't played much ball in the last year and a half for two years, and you know, just to see the way that he's worked off camping, worked off season last year, Man, he's been doing a heck of a job. Talk about that a little bit because we see it because we're

out here with you guys, right. Talk a little bit about how what a guy, the kind of guy is in that locker room, what he is out on the field, and seeing him work as hard as he did to get back to where he's at, Like, how did that affect you? Guys? Know? Um, I worked out with him every day last year pretty much because we were both what we were missing time, you know, that's when I was dealing with my elbow. But just to see the progression that he made from week one up until the

time the season was over. Man, I feel like if he was where I would say about week nine or ten, if he was at the point in week one, he would have played last year, you know, just to see him go from being going into his cuts and kind of being softened to him before he break out of and then just to see how it turned all the way around for me, just he just cut and pop out of him. Man, it was just great to see.

So what'd you do this off season? It was a pretty chill I was season for him actually, man, Like I said, I'm pretty chill. Went on vacations with my wife and kids. We went to a white I think one of the fun things that we did while we were there we went shark diving them. It was pretty old. What kind of sharks they were in a cage? Huh? I did that when I went it was it was it was pretty and see like I'm a big shark guy, and I was like, man, this is gonna be so cool.

But when it got time to jump in the cage, like I hyperventilated a little bit. I was like, I don't know if I can do this. Man. It was cool though, it's funny. It was It was cool because I have a six year old and he's just fearless. Man. So we were under the water with the snore looking out and I can see his leg just dangling outside. That's awesome. Well, man, I know you gotta go. You gotta get back in that locker room with those other media guys so they can they can have what you

got one man. Yeah, So I heard a guy call you last a little Rock. Do you go by the Little Rock or that's you can just call the name Little Rock? How we get into little Rock? Brock? Usually when people have a little Rock or something, I feel like it's someone that's from the hometown. They okay, from Little Rock or have some kind of association with Little Rock. Okay, you just let the cat out of the bag. Now, next game, a little Rocky? What nickname do you get? What? Run?

DMC d MAC. You go by pretty much everything? Now, man, run dmc d mac um. A lot of people growing up, they always calling me d Dog. So that's one nickname that I always stuck with me, d Dog. I'm gonna call you d Dog. All right, man. We appreciate you coming on the show. Hopefully we can get you on some more during the season once we get going to get you out of locker room. Definitely, what's one one more thing? When I was in there a while ago,

they're like four dudes just sacked out. It looked like naptime in kindergarten. They had their heads on, like their their bags Like, is that a new thing? No, we're still on a training account schedule, so in training account. When this time in training account, we were to go back to the rooms and take ah so right now since we're not at a fistal hotel, so then we had to you know, freedom West. When people walk by Shannon's desk, they ask the same question. Got head down? Yeah, yep,

So all right man, We'll go take a break. Thanks de Doll for hanging out with us. Appreciate man, I appreciate it. We the entertainment loving people demand the best unlimited wireless plan ever from ATNT. What else do you want to you unicorner. Maybe only a T and T offers you unlimited data with HBO included and never pay over. Just get at NT unlimited plus our best wireless deal and unlimited data plus say twenty five dollars per month

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it did for you to get that drove intros. Well, since that involved you being the middleman, Yeah, it could be a while. Shut up, Well, boys, what'd you think about that old d dog in the house. It's gonna be interesting. How is this running back situation going to play out? I hope Zeke learns a few things from Well, yeah, that's handling his business off the field. Yeah, that was interesting to hear him say he just needs to mature a little bit, which I think we all do. I

mean now, I do now, and I'm forty four. I think he may have been exaggerating some of the things he got into as a younger guy. I mean, maybe maybe you go out and and and do stuff with the local nightlife more than when you're twenty two or twenty one than you do when you're twenty nine. But he was never any There was never any kind of headline about him in Oakland. I don't remember any. And maybe that speaks to just sort of the spotlight that's

on Cowboys players compared to Raiders players. But um, it keeps popping up for Zeke and and you you would like to think that, um, he can learn something from Darren mcfraden, mcfre add, Alfred Morris and any of the other veterans in the room. Yeah, how do you think on the field this is gonna play play out? And we'll get to this a little bit later. We'll recap the game a little bit and see who are you know?

Who are guys were for the game. But one guy that I've been really impressed with the whole preseason in camp has been Rod Smith since day one. That's one of the reason why I want to grab him, get him on the shows because he looked really good in the game. Nate, what are you seeing on the field from him on tape? And then how do you expect Do you expect him to move into the number two spot ahead of Alfred Mars or do you expect Alfred to be your number two? How do you think this

is gonna play out? That's hard to say because Jason Garretton like dependable guys who handled the ball, so it'll be hard. But man, he is from the Hall of Fame game all the way to now. He's ran with the third and whatever guys, and he's found holes in tough situation, He's made plays. We know he can do a little a fullback. Uh, he catched the ball. We'll see. I mean he got lost at Ohio State, you know,

doing a transition period. And I don't see how the coach didn't know he was a talent, because he is a talent. So we'll see this this this third game. I like this third game because and I only tells you who the starters are, who we mostly know who they the guys, but it also tells us who's the backups? Who are they really looking at it. At the backups we can talk and speculate, but the backups, I mean, it's gonna be interesting to see what sort of opportunities

Rod Smith gets with the first team. Uh this coming this coming Saturday. Is he gonna get as as much of a chance as Alfred Morris? Because to me, that's that's you know, at least at the point when Zeke is eligible, that's a decision they'll have to make. Are we keeping Rod Smith or Alfred Morris. It looks like Rod Smith has has a lot more burst at this point than special teams to more special teams. And Nate, you and I talked about this yesterday practice. Is Rod's

been doing all this behind the second third team offensive line. Right, you put him out there with the first team. That's gonna be really interesting to see what he can do. You know, it's amazing because and I tell people this, you know, I had a few guys that man, did you see mcfatt And I said, and I said, man, I love mcfatten, so I love alf from Mars. I said,

but see what the difference is. Zeke is in a lot of those things are touchdowns, so you know, so, and I think Rod Smith has that ability to get to the house. I think Zeke is our first guy of course getting to the house, because touchdowns is what how you win games. Then I think mcfatt, But I think Rod is right behind him for us being able to take that thing to break one. Yeah, and so I mean, and he's been running behind not so good off his line. Got good off his line, so his

movement and he's a short yardage guy. Now I notice he can he can get the first. Now, the year two years ago was we wasn't standing on the field long enough, We wasn't getting as short yardage downs, and we didn't haven't about to get to get the home run. It was a lot tougher than because you didn't have a quarterback. They have a quarterback. Now the defenses are

you're you're you're seeing it. They're gonna have to respect because that can just like pick pick apart a defense all the way up and down the field and so um that's that's gonna open up things for the running game as long as Zeke is out. But you know, the the Colts are probably not as good of a test as as they'll get on Saturday against Oakland, and especially in the regular season, it's not going to be as easy as it was against Indianapolis. But I think

they're gonna be. They're gonna be just fine with with Darren McFadden behind that offensive line there, it's gonna it's gonna work. I just Josh, I believe I would like to see four or five games in because I've seen what first play schedules through the teams. It's not nothing nice when you go from where you were and you explode on the scene. Now you're a hunted guy and you playing against other other guys that can give you

what you can give them. You know, we're gonna play teams that can control the football or can get forty five fifty points. So I just I'm await and see because when you have Ezekiel Elliott automatically no first and tens second to five, I got a possible at eight nine man front. I don't know that now, right, do you think that Roger Smith, like you've been saying, he's been running behind third string lineman, but he's also been

facing third string defenses. Has he earned a chance now that we do need to see him with YEA with a second string team behind them. Just see first team team. I was talking to Will Yeah, you know because when you know, I talked to him once a week and I try to pick his brain. But that's the first thing come up, Kurt is Well, we we always aware

of who they playing against. But if a guy steps up above what he's playing against, then that allows him, like Cooper Rush yesterday, to run a little bit behind the second team because he's stepped up a bud to Frey, that's all you're trying to do is show people I'm a little bit of board to Fray speaking, that's a great segue into this is Cooper Rush for the first

time took snaps behind the second team. I think Coach said in his press conference again today They're gonna see what he's doing, seeing what opportunity, what comes out of this opportunity. Is it time to throw in the towel on Kellen Moore or in going a different direction, or is this just kind of a let's just this guy shown a little bit. Let's give him a little bit more opportunity and work with the second team as opposed to the third team. Yeah, I don't think they're ready

to throw it in with more. I mean, they still coaches over there still value his experience and all that. But Cooper has earned enough to least, like Nate said, he's gone above the fray of the third four teamers. He needs a little shot at the second teamers. And it's gonna be interesting because he's kind of playing his way into you know, he may not get moved to the practice squad. If he gets cut, he might be gone. And so he's put himself in an interesting position with

this team, and they're gonna have a tough decision. Possibly. Yeah, I'll take you back ten years. There was a quarterback who had a pretty good preseason in training camp, who they thought no, no, no, who shut up and let me get there. Who they thought they could maybe stow on the practice squad sneak him through and nobody picked him up. And that guy was Matt Moore. And he's still in the league ten years later, and he started for full seasons and he's like the picturesque back up today.

So at this point, I don't think that they could sneak him through, but it'll be interesting to see what he can do with this opportunity. Kellen Moore, you know, disastrous as some some things have been. The fumble was ugly. Uh, and he's had he's had plenty of issues, but he does kind of They do kind of move the ball. I mean he can throw it a little bit. They

don't take big chunks. But it's don't know, Yeah, I mean you're talking about a four hundred and fifty yard game and I know this is two seasons ago against Washington, but uh, he's he's done a little something. We have a special guest that just showed up on set. He's gonna have to share the mind though that's not working. I don't think your headset's working. Can you guys hear me? We can, Yes. Scooter McGruder just joined the show. How are you doing, Scooter? Living with Joy. Yeah, what are

you doing here in town? Uh? You guys will see coming up soon. Sounds that sounds really shady. I can't disclose eyes of yet, but we're making power moves over here. So Scooter is the guy. If you if you kept up with our social media last year, did the how Cowboys fans watched the game that we put out on Facebook and Twitter and pretty pretty spot on how we as fans watched the game. And one of the questions that I get a lot is are you really a Cowboys fan? I am really a Cowboys fan, die Hard

day one. I was there from the beginning nineteen sixty nine, so that would put you at about how old. Not that I mean my dad was a fan. You kind of grew up liking the team your dad likes. So that's how I got into that. Very cool. And I kind of saw one of your videos somewhere else that I think you did for Whistle Sports and actually did some research and found out that you were a Cowboys fan because you were freaking out when you went to

and toward the stadium. And I reached out to you and I was like, well, since you're really a fan, because you do these for sec and in Florida, right, went you went to uf I did go Gators, Yeah, and I reached out to you and that's kind of when we started doing these things together. And um, we did about six of them last year, the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Yeah, and we're gonna do some more

this year. And you got some other stuff you're working on with Cowboys and and other other things that you'll find out about really soon. So yeah, that's what that's what he's doing up here. So, oh, guys, I appreciate you guys having me on. I just wanted to say hi to Cowboys Nation and we're winning the Super Bowl this year. All right, like you heard it there for Scooter.

Scooter McGruder, Are you going to be in town for a few days, right, Okay, so we may have you back on later this week for a little bit longer. All right. Appreciate it man, good seeing to you. What were we talking about. We're talking about Kellen Moore, Kellen Moore and Cooper Rush. I decided Kellen Moore sucks. Well he's well he scooters like that. Huh Yeah, I changed

my mind. It was interesting that out of all the people Nate didn't have a whole lot of time for Scooter Gritter, Nah, because rather about you know, I'm kind of I don't know him, so I let my man hand. I was wondering, like, mom, sa, if you ain't got nothing nice to say, what is this blind spot that I have that I don't know who this guy is when they're walking up like whoa look, no idea, but but nah, you know there's another one of them. We

got to know. We got to know our coaches and uh and in the head coach and the offensive coordinator at this time. Now, Jason can be swayed if if Rush does his thing, he can be swayed. But he's got to prove Atlantahan that, uh, he can do the job. That's what he got. He got to prove that Atlantahan because Atlantahan likes where Keller Moore is, you know, so that's his that's his kind of guy, right, So he likes where he is. So you know, I I look, man, and he's a little bit of blood of phrase. So

he gets he gets he gets a bump up this week. Now, I've been out of the loop compared to you guys out of training camp. And then I was out of the country. Whatever happened to Josh McCallen. He's still here. He's just what's he doing. He's a practice him pretty well. He's been hurt too, and he's hurt. You know what, I said something ugly the other day, and I want to apologizee you know about this kid I mean to be in the NFL. You know, I said I called him a loser and that was totally wrong, and so

I want to apologize. He's not a loser. This kid has been in the league, he's played. I think he's a winner just about where he's at in his life. But for his the win loss record, And that's what I was kind of getting at. He's him and kell Him Moore are the same guys, and I'd rather keep Kelling Moore, let him go about his way, and keep the other kid, Cooper Rush, because you want to continue to improve your team. I think out the while, when

you just keep retreads, you get stagnant. Yeah, get stagnan. That best guy up and coming don't get a chance to grow. Backup. Quarterback is the hell of a job, isn't it. Like these guys that get sort of pinhold his backups earlier in their career and they're like, wow, he can he can hold the clipboard and if he's got to finish out a game, you know, he knows

how to hand it off. It did have any kind of impact on the other Like Chicago Bears went out and got the guy from the Bucks and they drafted somebody and all of a sudden, this guy gonna get eighteen million dollars. But if he loses to games and wrote the rookie comes in, does does the backup this battle for backup quarterback does it have any kind of

impact whatever with the rest of the players. No, No, Uh, you have noticed a guy who's doing well, you know, but unless you do and how to do and have the situation that Dak can't last year, it doesn't matter. Dad had a perfect situation. Well, Cooper Rush is making his presence known. But I don't know what day we played the Giants, we'd never hit from him again, any I mean. I remember at one point in Tony Romo's career early on, there were so many comparisons of him

to Brett Farve. And then they were playing Arizona in two thousand and eight and he broke his finger and I was shocked because I was, like, I thought he was like Brett Farve. I thought he would never come out, that he never missed a game, and then he's out three games, and just those three games alone where they had to roll out Brad Johnson, it basically kept him

out of the playoffs. And so you never know, any little thing could happen to where you don't have one of your most important players, you're most actually your very most important player, and it sort of unravels your season. Yeah, I think it's interesting. I think it actually tells something that McFadden, out of all the guys he could have picked on the offense, that's the guy that came to mind. And because everybody else what's going with LC? True? Yeah,

everybody else? You talked to l you know, I was watching a couple of shows, you know, on TV, and W Scooter was completely out. It's got to be nice to be a backup quarterback for either the Patriots or the Dallas Cowboys because you for for a month you the most talked about things, your brands getting out, superstar status. I mean Cooper Rush, I mean, you know, like everybody's time and Cooper Rush, you can come up with some

names off of that right there. You know, Son, I don't I don't like talking about backups in that case. I talked about a backup guard or a backup defensive line because they can get in the game and really affected. But the experiences I've had since I've not played football backup did I have dealt with It's been a nightmare, especially here to Dallas Cowboys. He's you know, it's never been that in positive. The Colts didn't look very good on Saturday with Scott Tolzine in the game, didn't The

offense was not as crisp. He's been around a little bit. So well, you know what, since you hate talking about backups so much, let's take a break and then let's talk about more backups when we come back to work this big land. You need equipment with values rooted as deep in Texas soil as you are, like John Deer compact tractors with a six year power train warranty, hiding big features that help you work less so you have

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just superior skin. Game back hanging with the boys. There. You are unprepared again, Shut up, Josh, We'll lock you out. You have no keys to this place. You can't get in here unless we let you in. Well, I barely got in the parking lot today. Oh, I can imagine it looks like tomorrow might be more trouble because I'm not going to have the excuse of it's their first day back. True, I don't have a credential. Kurt, tell

us a little bit about your Star magazine. Oh, yes, you can still get it available out here at training camp. You'll get you ready for the season at scattering reports on most of the players. It's um fifty three roster cuts are coming soon. We'll give you our projections for that. It's got a nice big feature on Jalen Smith, who, as mcfat said, there's one of his surprise guys this year. Yeah. Well, we all do a great job with the magazine. I look forward to it every Wednesday than poor Gil out

there at his mailbox every Wednesday. Did you get it here at training cam can get it at shop Cowboys dot com. Awesome. Well, one of us, we'll get into this a little bit later, but one of us had a very eventful end of the week or weekend this past week, and it wasn't me. But we'll get into who that is later. They're teasing that for you. Stick around. It's kind of a big deal. Let's talk about backups and talk about backups. Awesome teas that you had there.

Thanks Josh, so, I just wanted to get your fee all of your guys feedback on who kind of stood out to you during the game. One or two guys. I think probably one of the most interesting position battles, Nate, we talked about this yesterday, is going to be at wide receiver. You know, Bryce is looking really good. You know, he's actually holding onto the ball this year, um, showing some speed. Of course, Dez looks good and you know

the catch that Dez made. The one thing that stood out to me is it looks like him and Dez have a chemistry they were working on last year. He threw the he under threw the ball through that back shoulder fade and that's the first time, you know, and it wasn't a short pass. It was what twenty thirty yards down the field. That to me was impressive, but thirty two. But I think to me, the most interesting thing is going to be between Andy Jones and NOELH.

Brown because they both look good in camp now. Andy Jones is dealing with an injury. Noel Brown's a big guy. UM. I think Nick said it on their on their show earlier today, when when you're up in the press box and you're looking down, he's he looks like Dez, the way he's built, the way kind of he runs and everything. So I think seeing those two guys and see if they try to stash you know, one under both of

them on the practice squad. You know, I don't know if they'll make it to the practice squad, but I think that's probably my my thing to watch most of this week going into into the game with Oakland. What about you guys? I think Andy Jones is ready man, but injury so he letting Norah Brown get even with him and probably leaving him if Nora wouldn't have had

the big bobble, you know that. I mean that puts him ahead because when you did them with young guys, especially low round picks, free agents, when you're dealing with them, you're really looking at performance. What can you do? How you run your routes? Can't are you mentally ready for this game? Can you? No blown assignment? So you you know, it ain't like your first or second or third where

you get the opportunity to make all the mistakes. When you're a little round, they're looking at your production and they got a projection of where they think you should bi or could be. But when you coming exceed that the way Noah has and it took Andy a year and they need to come home, That's just that's just what I think. Josh, Yeah, I mean, you're down to the last receiver spot, so you've you've got to go

with somebody that can help you this year. If you have a couple of injuries and they have already got one with Ryan Switzer, I mean they you know, assume he's gonna be back and ready to go by the first game of season. But what's his role then if he hasn't had really a training camper a preseason. Um. For me, the ones that I've been I've been paying close attention to is offensive line. Um, what's Chaz Green doing when he gets in the game, what's uh, what's

what's Byron Bell doing? The other tackle that started last year when Tyron was was hurt. I'm blanked on his Cleary, Emmitt Cleary. I mean, do you think you think do you think that's not gonna work out? It's gonna have to be Chads Green to be you know, tackle. I would not be very popular with some of the guys that I talked to, But uh, Emmitt Cleary, guys I'm

naming Byron Bell, Emmy clearly Kadeem Edwards. These guys here are truly to me spot players, the best six guys, and that's I'm including Jonathan Cooper into the best six guys. I feel better with Looney and then that Cooper and Green be the other guys because I just don't feel

comfortable with other guys. Now, Birdbank number sixty one, he's been playing with the second and third, a third and fourth unit, so he I don't know really how good he is, but he's what I'm looking at offensive line, especially a guy that's been in the league, a guy that's trying to come intoday. I look at your fight. What do you do when you get hid in the

mouth for somebody to knock you on your behind? Do you come back two or three players in the row and not only show that your technique sound, but show some roughness back, some meeting ess back. And I'm not seeing this with a few of these guys. You know, is there any doubts? Now? With Collins, it seems like

everybody's happier with what he where he is now. And you know, Hellman said yesterday, sit the offense down, and I'm like, do what you want, but don't sit down to the left guard and don't sit down the right tipe because hate him Kalil mac baby. So now he needs to see this speed. You know, this is not gonna make a break Collins, but he needs to see if Khalil Mack is healthy and they gonna play him my three series. Let him see what a raw dog looked like. He's special and uh, he needs to see that.

You're going back to you, Tuck. You want to see a guy with fight. What if you've got a guy like apparently the Skipper guys kind of mean dude that's giving right on to the Yeah, but he doesn't have the technique that the other guys do. So in that case, he's trying to catch up. From what I understand from coaches and what I've been hearing is he mentally there. He mentally knows what to do. But when you six teen and you kind of you know, he needs some ropes.

He needs some ex ropes. He needed skills, rope he need you know what I'm saying. He got a lot of work it would be almost impossible to play that position. At six foot ten, guys can just get too low trying to stop a six two, three hundred pound guy. You've got guys coming around the edge on you, and that they like turned the corner and stay low. You remember how low DeMarcus would get when he's rushing the pass. But you can't answer that he can deal with that

at a tackle. But I saw him yesterday at a guard and the football hit him in the back of the head out of the quarterback's hand like they did one on one pass rushing guard and the guy was so low on him to you know, he's just he couldn't. Yeah, he couldn't do that because even when he went to punch down, he's he missed, you know. So I'm like, tackle is his position. But they try to play these guys everywhere. Uh they call it position flex, but position

flex is no good for some people. Everybody ain't that guy. So he can feel the punt. He can feel the punt. He showed that at training camp. They had a drill where they they got to h yeah, they got to uh walk off and I think they got an extra hour of curfew if he could feel a punt from the jugs. Actually, I think Chris Chris Jones kicked it in about a forty yard punt and he was able to field it, So maybe that's a maybe that's a fallback position for it. Let's talk Nate. You were out

there with me yesterday. We had a pretty special event that that doesn't happen very often around the organization yesterday where we had I think nineteen of twenty one Ring of Honor members that were either here or represented by a family member for the unveiling of the Ring of Honor Walk, presented by doctor Pepper. I hope I did that right. Yeah, but it's uh, it's out in the

Plaus and it's really a cool deal. If any of you come tour the Star or come out here at any point, there's they they placed these twenty one monuments kind of through the streets of the Plaus out in front of um Ford Center. Um. Emmett was here, you know, Michael was here, Troy was here, Um Bob Lily was here, you know, said Bob Lily, all the guys, Charles Hayley and it was yes stallback and it was really a

cool deal. And they have a mural that's kind of on both sides of one of the streets that that kind of depicts all the Ring of Honor members and kind of a portrait type deal. Um, and then they were all they all came in and kind of some of them hung out and went to practice and everything. Um. What did you think about that, Nate? Was that you know, you know a lot of those How many did you play with, like you blocked for door set? Yeah. Yeah,

they're just great, just great individual people. Man love him to death. Community guys like like mister Jones said, they not only just good football players, they community guys. They always doing great things, are great people. You see them Periodrohy on TV. You know Quiet's cat Roger Stoppa got to be one of the richest men in the world. I tell you what, man, he is in great shape. He's seventy five years old, and I mean he's in great shape, Like he looks like he could almost go

out there. And I got a Ring of Honor question for you. You think Jimmy should be in venture? I hope he is, man, I hope he is. Because they say it's two ways you can get into either supposed to ring on or the Hall of Fame. Let's have an immediate impact on the league for a short period of time, I mean a gigantic impact. All you can do it through a long period of time being consistent on the high level. Terrell Davis got in five year career, two super bowls, Jimmy had a five year career, two

super bowls. He built y'all's team. Whatever credit got to missus, Jones gotta find it. But then his uh, one of his decisions is to put him in that Ring of Honor, and then they really will have some heavy discussions then, because not only will you have players fight for him, you will have mister Jones fight for him. You have a whole organization behind you. So that'll put some our local media guys behind him. Is there anybody else that's not in the Ring of Honor that you think should

be in? No, it's an exclusive deal, and I think the Jones have done a great job. And who they choose to put in there and what and what and what their meaning is. I don't know their criteria or how you get in there or what you need to do besides being a great player, but I think there was the first guys miss Lily was the first guy ever to be put into a Ring of Honor, and the Cowboys the first one to ever have a Ring

of honor. So I'd like to see Harvey Martin. Yeah, I'd like to see a number sixty one up there. I'd like to see a whole bunch of guys. But you know what I tell people like this here, you don't worry about it. You just you let the process go through. And I know I would like to see Tyron Smith in there. I would like to see Zack Martin in there. And the people said, well, why is that. I mean, hopefully they've won some Super Bowls. See, I'm

a big Cowboy fan, and people don't people like you. Know, jay Novich asked me yesterday, what's your ring of honor? I said, to be ten years old, watch the Cowboys win in seventy one out of seventy two Super Bowl, then go to college in seventy nine eighty and my best friend Tony Hayes as a Cowboy fan. We sit back on his bed in Taalas for Florida. I said, one day, man, we're gonna play for them. Then for me to be playing for the Cowboys career overweight and

I'm still dealing with the Dallas Cowboys. I'm in the Ring of Honor. Bro America's you too, missus, John. That is awesome. Yeah, that's so cool. So, speaking of cool, as we were breaking camp last week, one of the four of us got engaged on vacation. Kurt got engaged no long ago? Was it you? Nate? Did you get engaged this? Nah? Man? Nah? Nah nah. But I've been married twice, so engagement being goal and I didn't get engaged, So that only leaves one person in this room. I mean, Daddy,

I have trouble. But now Jeff Sullivan's not here today, Josh, did you well, you didn't do Douglas. He's not in this room. He wants to be in this room, but he's not in this room. Douglas. I don't know how badly I really want to be in that room. I am married, so it couldn't have been me. Yeah. As a matter of fact, I did get engaged colation. I had a boy, Josh. I want to apologize to all of our female listener Rachel, sorry, all of them, all

one of them. Sorry. Sorry, off the market, You're not You're no Tony Romo so she's not interested in you, you know, speaking of I haven't heard from Rachel in a while since we changed the format. I wonder if she bailed on the show when you're from her now, So tell us a little bit about your vacation. We got a couple of minutes here vacation and the big event.

How did all this go down? Where'd you go? And had a vacation to the Central American nation of Costa Rica, one of the most beautiful and happy places on earth, and did some fishing and seafood eating and imperial drinking. And finally the last day we had like a jungle rainforest tour thing that takes you down and see some waterfalls. And so when we got to the biggest waterfall, I um did that thing you do and got down on one knee and proposed marriage to a young lady. Oh man,

here's a big Cowboys fan, big Jason Witten fan. Really, so now when I watched the Cowboys, I have to root for them because she's there, or else I'll get or else I'll get in trouble level. So is this a fairly This is a fairly new relationship, right, Not that new, It's been over a year. Yeah, he's been talking about this relationship for quite thought it was I thought it was like right out a year. So that's things move pretty quick over there with you, Josh, he

knew what he wanted. I guess. Yes, you know, when you meet the one you know? Huh uh yeah, yeah, it shouldn't didn't take that long, right, So I saw a picture on social media and your hair was sopping wet. Had you fallen in the pool before you propose? Is that the water? Did you kneel in the water? Well? There? That was that picture was taken later, the one where were the one where the hair looks pristine? Uh? Like mine? Yeah? Like less like yours or like mine. Got a lot

going on there. I got a new hair do and a new beard. It's a new season, knew me. Yeah, you look good. Are you getting engaged? Uh? That nineteen year old that you're dating? Never and I haven't been dating anyone for a year, Josh, about the same time it took you to get married. Well, it'll be a long engagement, so we'll give her, We'll give time to change our mind. Yeah, she's she's the one that decided to be longer. Okay, So before you went to Costa Rica.

Were you up to date on your vaccinations and whatnot? No, No, I didn't. I didn't. I didn't get any shots from malaria or anything else. But I'm here to report that I've been feeling kind of sick the last thrade that we're all going got that zekea virus. No, I'm worried that it's ding gay fever. Oh that's so you have not had it diagnosed by a professional, you know your The CDC website says not not to the contagious. No,

not if it's ding gay. If it's something else, then you might be in t Do you have it like in your body the rest of your life? If it's dan gay, I don't know. Do you pass it on to your kids? I don't know. The CDC, though, says, uh, only if I start to throw up, should I see a doctor? Really, I'll let you know. All right. Well, congratulations John went to the event. I mean, wow, it's

a good thing I'm not neutered. Yeah, congratulated. She listened to the show she has been known to She when we first started dating, she thought that was really cool and then she quit caring. Yeah, that world news. Oh, that's gonna tell you how to relationship go cools already already tired to hear the talk. What's your first name? Wow? What Douglas? What's your fiance's first name? Lauren? Congratulations, Lauren, congratulations, Lauren,

You're stuck with him the rest of your life. Only have him an hour a day of the two years with Seldon. Well, thank you guys for tuning in. This has been awesome our first day back. We'll be back tomorrow at twelve thirty with Roy Smith. Thursday, I believe is up in the air, and as is Friday. I believe. Let you get Dak. I don't have that kind of pool man. He's he's just Friday. They're not available on Thursday. We we we you say, we don't know, depending on

what yeah, they think. The media schedule in the locker rooms to be determined, so to figure out if we can getting guys on and what time we're gonna go. So, well, how about Zeco. We'll be back tomorrow at twelve thirty. Thanks for tuning in. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.