Hangin' with the Boys: In Sync Mojo

Cowboys and Frisco Texas. And if this is my last time, I'm going out with a bang. Jesse, you are now rocking with the best. This is hanging with the Boys, and I'm with the gang Gang for the last time

today because we're going back to our regular podcast. But Kurt Daniels, Danny Serek and Jesse Holly here end up building And guys, if you had an opportunity yesterday to tune in to the press conference press conference yesterday, there were three little initials that were blurted by our fearless leader, Michael Romeo India. Who will be taken on Monday when the team gets back into town. I don't know if he's he's obviously I think he's going to Arizona. We

don't know that, but guys, I need to know. And I'll start with you, Kurt, What did that give you warm and fuzzies? When Dak Prescott said that he was getting another MRI on that shoulder, Well, when I first heard of, the immediate reaction is, oh, you know, what's going on. But the more I read about it and kind of heard about it, it it sounds like it's just they're just checking to see how things are going and they want to see if it has improved. It's just

an update. He's throwing some in practice. It doesn't look like hard, but he's throwing some, which is a good sign. So I think what I'm telling myself, I'm trying to stay positive. I don't want to get the toms out here. I'm thinking that this is just part of the progress and to see where he's at right now, so hopefully it's going the way it's should look. The team wouldn't have him do those smaller, lighter throws he was throwing to Amari Cooper who's coming off his injury now, so

they wouldn't have him do even those throws. If they were truly concerned that he had moved backwards in terms of his progress or was feeling worse. So that makes me feel a little more at ease of maybe this is just more let's make sure before we have him going full speed in practice, before we make a decision if he's going to play in that third preseason game, let's get the MRI again, make sure he's good to go, and that the rest and the cautionary protocols they've been

taking have done their job firing the hole. I feel you're you know, my only concern was why wait till Monday? They're not an MRI machine in the last week, So that's why I start looking kind of what was why Monday? Well, why really want to get him back here where our maybe our facilities are different something I don't know. I don't know, like Mrs MRI is correct, I mean, I don't.

I mean, last time I check, Jim Morrow will be here, Jim Murrow will be there, Brick will be there, Greg will be Like I don't, I don't know the difference between getting it done right in and there and having a do they want a few extra days to maybe like maybe they had a goal of like, you know, fourteen days whatever till we check the next MRI. I do you think it's something like that? That's the question that we all. I mean, this is this is the

question that we're asked. And my thing is always, I don't go get MRI's cat scans, CT scans or whatever scan you want to go get unless there's something wrong. Now I'm not pushing the button and I'm not saying that something is wrong, and they can be doing a checkup. But that just goes to show that again we were misled because we were told it was fatigue, and then we hear that there's experts being consulted, other sports team physicians are being consulted, and went from a few days

to wear like almost two weeks. He did a light throwing and we'll get more into the hard knocks thing of things. But when you heard him in hard knocks and when it was kind of like, well, where did it kind of come from? Right, and it was it was like the follow through, And so what he didn't practice was a bunch of light throws. There was nothing that had any zip behind it. It wasn't like he

was throwing hard passes. So maybe you get to a point where I'm able to kind of loft some up and but what happens when you got to throw some zip behind it? Now, if they've done that off camera, we haven't heard any reports about it, But that's that's just my biggest thing is when you start adding MRIs and multiple MRIs to situations, it's it's it's cause for concern. I don't I don't care who spends it on how

they spin it. There is cause for concern in the shoulder. Yeah, I'm a little surprised that they're I mean, I'll be surprised if he plays in the third preseason game and I, um, they were talking about they want to get him out there, and I don't know, like before they said, oh this is just a fatigue injury and oh yeah, he'll play in the third preseason gain. I kind of wish they'd just be quite, you know, not not get our hopes up, keep it, you know, be honest about it in some way.

You talk about the drama, you know, that's what we major in is the drama is making sure that everyone is on the edge to their seats and all of Cowboy Nation, all of the sports community, football, NFL everybody's on the edge of the seat trying to figure out what's going on with Dak's shoulder. But at this point we can and I played around with it about the anxiety of what it feels like to know going into a season that you may not have your number one quarterback.

But we're getting into that point where he hasn't thrown with the ones in what thirteen days? We're at the thirteenth day of this. So if we continue this trend of him not throwing, the team is back here on Saturday practice this Monday, another preseason game approaching. He may not play in that game? Are we not? Are we sure that Dak is going to be ready for at

the beginning of the season. It doesn't concern me about the fact that he's had thirteen fourteen days without throwing to his ones, because, first of all, the ones, you know, we're talking to Mary Cooper and Michael Gallup, Seedee lamb, even if you want to go down you know, Noah brown Sadric Wilson, the tight ends. These are the ones he's had all last year, with the exception of really sed years before that. And also given it wasn't a

official way of doing things by any means. But in the offseason, Dak had all of these guys out to his house every day practicing and throwing out on the field. So doesn't concern me as much that he's gone maybe two weeks without throwing to his ones, because these are people he has that chemistry with already. But let me ask you this, Danny with the injury from last year, knowing that he has the ankle, knowing that he won't he wouldn't have if he doesn't play in the preseason game,

does that worry you? I mean, even with the familiarity, is there arrust component to this that we're not looking at Because he's a quarterback you would like for your quarterback. The reason why you give him those reps in preseason it's to get him in rhythm. Do you worry about that? I don't necessarily think I worry as much from the

ankle standpoint. I think I think he's ready. I think it doesn't really seem like a lot of the reason they were I mean, of course you want to be cautious getting back into things, but it doesn't seem like they had any concern going into the season. We're like, oh, I don't know he's really going to be ready on that ankle. That doesn't seem to have been a concern by any means. I'm just wondering, like, when is he

going to get hit? It's that mental aspect that he's talked about of you need to get hit once realize you can get up or maybe do a run right like, because that's how he hurt his ankle. I think once you get those mentally and you realize I can still do this, then you're fine. I don't I don't necessarily worry about rust of like coming off the injury per

se physically. The part that's concerning to me is if you said, you know what, he's not going to play any preseason games, Okay, cool, Then that tells me that he's going to get all of the practice reps right, all of the ones practice rep and he can kind of keep that rhythm and that kind of the mojo

and everything. But now when you're taking away preseason games and you haven't practiced throwing the ball in a live setting as far as practice wise in two weeks, and I'm sure they're not going to start Monday and just throw him back into the fire. Well, he's firing, you know, forty fifty passes and the practice again, so now you limit that practice as well, So you're not getting games and you're limited to what you can do at practice

while he while he's there. Mentally, there is a rust component when it comes to this, especially for a quarterback who isn't the most accurate passer that we have to begin to begin with it, Like he doesn't come with well, one of his qualities isn't when you talk about Dak Prescott is oh my god, he's super accurate with the football. Right, Like there you have to go down the list of

things before you get to the accuracy part. When describing Dak Prescott the quarterback, Well, when you're taking away these reps and you you you're you're not playing in preseason games and you're not practicing weekend and week out, and

then the season comes, well, those count. Those count. And we all know that when you go back and you watch a sixty five seventy play game from an offensive standpoint, and we've heard coach speaks said all the time, there are three or four or five players within that game that was kind of the determining factor of that game could have been a third down ball, could have been thrown behind, could have been a little bit too high, could have been a step you know, a step late,

you know, tick late on releasing the ball. Whatever those things may be. Those are rush factors for any quarterback. And that goes from your Peyton Manning's to your Tom Brady's to your Aaron Rodgers. Those type of things you need to work through, and a lot of those guys use, if not the preseason games, every single rep in practice

to get those things worked on. And so now when you're taking those away and you're tripping those away from him, and again I don't want to sound redundant to an already not specifically accurate passer, that to me is it's a cost. It's a cost for concern from me. That's it's not just his ability too. I agree he's got the mental part of it's going to be the tougher part. But like we talked about before, it's the cadence of the whole offense and you know, getting rhythm with the

line and all that kind of stuff. And we had talked about before that this defense may not be in full sync until five or six games into the season, which means your offense better be in sync game one if you're going to pull out some wins and this is that going to be a problem. Yeah, sorry, quick question,

just general question. Now, going off of that, I want to hear what you two think of, like in terms of the rust and Dak right and getting those reps, Like how much of that rust is not just on him but also working with this offensive line he didn't have last year, Like, it's how much of getting through that rust if you want the offense to be so great early on, like it's cohesive. Yeah, I would think that,

like you had talked about it. I think like even if Dak weren't hurt, right, we would still be expecting rust because of the offensive line coming off injuries. No, Right, but you get you get a chance to work that in practice, right, You see what I'm saying. So when you take him off the practice field for a significant amount of time, he's not able to do those things. So the relationship with the receiver, it's the whole. It's everybody.

It's it's everybody. It's it even gets down to Danny and Kurt and heck, but it gets down to even Kellen Moore. Because offensive and defensive play callumn is rhythm. It's like a shooter when they get in that pocket

and that it's just flowing. And then that's how guys get into the game, right And so for Kellen, I need to be in my quarterback to start seeing some things in practice are saying, oh, I like this play, you know, check check, check, And I need to get into a rhythm and then a sync with my quarterback. And even though they have the relationship, I need us to get out there and work. I needed to get out there and for Doc to go, hey, listen on

this one right here. I love to play. Hey, let's make this eighteen yards, you know, let's make this eighteen yards or hey, look, I know you had Zeke do this. Hey let's try this route. Because that's the back and forth conversation that goes on between veteran quarterback and offensive coordinator that they can have these discussions and then you can go back into the meeting room and sit down

and go all right, we love these plays. Is there anything that you want to switch, tinker with chance, whatever it may be. But you don't have that when Dak is sitting over on the sideline and you're not having him in the practice because he needs to be in the driver's seat. I need to. I can stand over there and see it happen. But when I'm standing looking down the battle of the gun, now I can kind of see in the feel how I want things to

work around me. Now, that's the one I love. The analogy about the shooters in the NBA and basketball guys like Kobe Bryant, they arrived to the stadium five hours before the game to get in rhythm. Dak in contrast to that, has been held out of OTAs. He's been held out of team going into camp right when the pads are put on. He can't participate in live actions. So to simulate that, I mean, I know the man has a football field at his house, so I know

he's been throwing. But like you said, when you start saying names like Tom Brady, when you start talking about the upper echelo, the guys that have done it at a high level in this league for a long time and how they participated in preseason, we can't take him out of that because he hadn't reached that level yet. And so when you think, for me, it was last year versus the Cleveland Browns, when you saw Dak actually unveil his arm strength on a throw in the red

zone to Amari Cooper in between two defenders. Now, that showed to me that he's been working working on that he did it. Here's the play right here, and his ability as a progression as a quarterback. He looks at his first read, which is something that he staring down receivers in his first couple of years may have been the problem. But that right there. Can I just tell you from a football guy from the receiver position, that didn't happen on Cleveland Brown Day. That happened in training camp.

Go back, go back and watch the great Troy Atman and Michael Irvin. Right this this it's a post ride. It's one, two, three, four or five boom right his steps when Dad's back when when when when Amari Cooper goes in motion and Dad's sees the defense shifts, he knows exactly where the ball is going. He knows watch him as soon as he hits that back foot one two, three, the ball is gone and that window goes quick. He

knows where he's going with the football. Amari knows where he's going with the football, and that type of energy that type of of of of knowing, of precision of everything that's from practice. Now, that very pass, if you're rusty and it's short, that's gone to the house picked off, you might be Amari might be going down to Bayless, Scott and White for an MRI on his it might be picked off. Right, there's some beat that throw right there is a throw that you can't make with rust.

But that shows you when you're in that rhythm, when you know what's going on, when you have that rush knocked off, when that when you're in sync, right, that's when that type of plays happened, when that window and close it, I mean, because it happens quick. And I always think about Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman when you look at that bang eight post that that was one of the players where Mike had to know esp they had to Troy when that backfoot hit that ball was

coming out on a rope. Mike knew it, Troy knew it, and he knew how many steps he had before that safety got there. He knew how to catch the ball, he knew everything. But that comes from the stuff that you do in practice. And when you hold him out and he's not getting it Forget the preseason games, right, fine? No preseason games. Yeah, you always hear about this great quick like Roger Star. He he didn't know, he didn't see Drew there, He just knew Drew would be there. Right,

you need that practice, not a game about practice. Let's be optimist tech. Let's say the MRI Monday. Okay, he's great, good to go Tuesday. He is full go from here on out. Not playing in the last two preseason games. But if he gets those last few weeks of practice, do you feel that's enough to shake off the rust and make up for these two weeks through and a

half weeks he'll miss. Heck no, because we opened the season on Thursday night in Tampa, and Tampa has an ax to grind with the NFL and you know it, really we are. We're coming into town like the pig with the apple in his mouth, you know, because it's the world champions. They want to set the NFL on notice. They won the Super Bowl, not because of Tom Brady, but because of that defense. If you did not know, you will find out on Thursday. And I don't want to see Dak in his first live action in that

I would like to get some reps before that. He's not ready for this third preseason game. Would you put him out there with the starters for some work in the fourth one, which is traditionally give up game or whatever. If you tell me that he is all go, there's no restrictions for him at practice. I'm actually okay for him not playing any of the preseason games. I can't believe. I'm a preseason guy. I think preseason is necessary. But you just made the whole thesis based off of what

you you just say. My thesis was, if you're not going to play in preseason games, I need you to be able to go and do everything in practice. Take all the reps you have to take, every single rep like that has to happen if you're If you're not going to play in preseason, there can't be any restrictions on you at practice. With Danny was saying getting the hit, that getting the real pressure, and you know they're coming

after they're not holding up. My thing is is most quarterbacks don't take a live hit until the game anyway, right tom One of a lot of time you hit I'm brady in practice if you want to, oh no, you hit you know none of those guys go to preseasons and get hit. None of those guys do. So the hitting part, to me, I am so confident in that's mental ability. And simply because he's been through a lot.

And the quote that he made it gives me chills when I when I hear him say it, when he says that adversity opened the door for opportunity, that that is so profound to me because when you are faced with that type of situation, whether it's be moms, the depression, or brother and all that kind of suff and you're able to bounce back from that. Oh, if you hit me on the football field, it's not really gonna rattle me. Like I've overcome a lot. I've overcome my mom losing

my mom. I've overcome you know, the stuff that happened to me in the draft before the draft. I've overcome uh being the number or four guy when I first got to Dallas behind Jamil Showers and worked my way up. I've I've overcome the contract stuff hanging over my head for three or four seasons trying to get paid. I've overcome a pandemic, depression, my brother taking his life. I've overcome a lot of stuff mentally, that's that's mental toughness.

So to go out there and have to take a hit to me just and I could be wrong, but that's a little that the man has already showed you. He ain't mentally fragile. He ain't no sucking when it comes to the mental toughness. So having to get hit for me with him, I'm thinking, that's that's small that's small change. The thing that's not small change is just the physical mechanics of you going out there and doing

what you're supposed to do at the position. If you're supposed to be throwing the football, and this will be a past happy offense. I don't care what Bike McCarthy talks about. I want to make a balance. I want to make this no no, no, no no. You got weapons glory. You're gonna let that thing fly. That ball is gonna be passed around a lot to a lot of different cats. Well, I need the guy. I need my time cruise, I need my top Gun. I need him. I need him to be on his game because if

he ain't, then we got a problem. Well you got a guy with a big old contract and then you talk about top Gun they're gonna be a lot of people gunning for him, and not only gunning for him on the field, but gunning for him in the media, because, as we all know, the world is not at a shortage for haters for the Cowboys. And speaking of haters, we're gonna take a break right now, but we're gonna come back and we're gonna talk a little bit about the hate that coach Mike has been getting me from

his day. Oh Hardn'll be right back with you on hanging with the boys. Honey, big news scary are you? Okay? Oh? I'm not Gary anymore. I'm Jackie Flash. What see? I want the latest smartphone, but the best deals are only for new customers. So to get a new customer deal, I changed my name to Jackiet Flashed. Okay, but the best smartphone deals at AT and T are for everyone, new and existing customers. That's huge. Then guess who's getting

the deal? Is it Jackie Flash? Jackie Flash? It's not complicated at AT and T our best smartphone deals are for everyone. Restrictions apply. Is it att dot com for details? Hey Cowboys fans, ready to spice up your next watch party? Bring yokiero guacamole and be the game day hero. Yokierro means I want and we know you want. Great, fresh tasting, ready to serve guacomole for your home gating and tailgating events, made with real avocados and the perfect lend of spices.

It will be the star of any party. You can find us at your local Albertson's or Tom Thumb in the Delhi section. If you can't find it, talk to your store manager and tell them Yo Kierro, Yo kiero Guacomole. The Cowboys Way, where sixteen Hall of Famers and five championships shows us what success looks like. Where turkey is always the second best part of Thanksgiving Day, where we are all defined by one single thing, the star, where we as fans know it's our job to keep the

tradition going. Bank of America is proud to be the official bank of the Dallas Cowboys and to support the quest of living life. The Cowboys Way Copyright twenty twenty Bank of America Corporation. How great would it be to travel to watch the Cowboys win on another team's turf? Pretty great, but honestly just watching the game from anywhere. But your house would be fun, even a hotel bar with some guy named Phil from Saint Louis who thinks

Oakland still as a team. So whether you're traveling to the game or watching from your favorite vacation spot, booka plays to stay on Hotels dot com. Prone partner of the Dallas Cowboys. Back to Hanging with the Boys. Dallas Cowboys Training camp returns to the Star in Frisco, starting with Cowboys Nights ended by American Airlines on August sixteenth. Watch Cowboys practicing enjoy free activities at the Star beginning

at four pm. Fans have the chance to catch three additional practices on August twenty, twenty seventh, and twenty eighth at mission and parking are free. Visit this Star in Frisco dot com for details. Back here and Hanging with

the Boys with Kurt, Danny and Jesse h. Yeah. Well, so we were talking about haters, and I want to address some haters because after Tuesday's airing of Hard Knocks, there's been some mixed reviews on Coach Mike here and a lot of people saying that he's hot, authentic, it seems like it's forced, he's out of touch with his guys and Jesse, I really wanted to tap into your NFL acumen to ask you, because you know, and you've been coached by some world class coaches. What gives with that?

Do all coaches have a mantra or a stickling something that they want to stick on the team. But what did you think about coach Mike Mike's performance? Uh? In hard knowledge? Yeah, I watched it. I had no problem with it. Um, you have two people on you have this this Mike McCarthy fence right, and you have people on both sides like the MCCA Republican right. People like you want to be on their side, and either you

like coach McCarthy or you hate him. And we all know from here on this show, I am a fan of what's freaky Mike. I called him freaky Mike. That's what I called him. I called him. I called him freaky Mike. And we we live in this day and time of social media, and everybody wants you to be

this thing for the social for the TV whatever. Some dudes are just not built for that and it doesn't help, does not help when and I'm not this is not a shot at Jerry Jones, but it doesn't help when your owner is such a great dude in the media, because what happens is Jerry Jones sets the tone of what the cowboy persona should be in the media, and then you have the brand what it is in the media, and then if your coach doesn't match what your owner

and the brand is calling for, then your fake. You're not authentic. You really can't. We can't feel you. We can't some dudes. And when you look at Mike McCarthy, he's not a new he ain't Kyle shanahan, right, He's not Sean McVay. He's not the new hip you know. I promise you. He's not texting emojis TikTok, he's not doing the acronyms. He's not that guy. He's a football dude for PA right. Oh, if you left it up to him, all he wants to do. Forget the cameras.

I just want to coach, that's all I know how to do. The like the zoom stuff last year. I remember talking to the rookies last year and he jumped on the call with me before the rookies. I talked to the rookies. He hates that zoom stuff. He hates it. Now you gotta adapt because it's the new way of things. But like he hates that, like he hated coaching from a zoom because that's not that's not where he comes from. And so to me, he it was it was all good to me, man, And I don't care what you

sound like or whatever. Can it relate on the football field, That's what That's what we should be judging him on, not what he looks like, not what he sounds like in front of the camera. The xes and those the ws, the ls, that's what his grade should be on. Danny, did he seem relatable to you? I think he seemed

like himself. I guess it's hard for me to be like, oh, like he's relatable, Like I am not in that setting whatsoever, and like to be honest, like because we haven't really had a lot of time as media members to interact with him in person, like I don't feel like I know him like well enough to I guess decide that. But I didn't have a problem with his quote unquote performance.

I thought he was himself and going off Jesse's point, like in the opening pressor in Oxnard, like someone asked him what his initial reaction was when Jerry Jones told him that Hard Knocks was going to be out of camp and he's like, well, I almost drove my car off the road, and like, like, I agree, I don't think this is where he feels most comfortable or most natural. So I'm sure that there's still a wall, you know,

having his guard up with all these cameras. And I'm sure the more episodes we see, like we'll see him kind of loosen up. But that's also not his concern. He's not trying to be the star or be goofy or have a personality or have you know, a gift or something go viral from it. Like, he's just trying

to focus on football. And again, it doesn't matter if you thought the mojo stuff was cheesy or what you think, like if it works for the player who cares like Bill Belichick is not the most relatable dude, Like who relates to Bill Belichick? Honestly? Like super Bowl? Who who like when he gets in front of the camera, who relates to b Belicheck? And the thing that I think a lot of people fans and and there is an adjustment that has to be made when you become the

coach of this football team. It is unlike any other football team that you I don't care if it's the Patriots, I don't care if it's the Bucks, I don't care who it is. The level of media attention that this particular team gets, it's greater than any other football team in the National Football League. And it takes a level of adjustment when you spent ten twelve years in Green Bay where we ain't really checking for green Bay like that on the four letter network. That ain't that? Ain't

it in an a block? Right? The media is not crowding around lambou Field and interview right their owners in green Bay, the community of owners didn't have radio shows in Prescott. There is an adjustment when you have to become the head coach of this football team. But I think a lot of people again we are we're on touch of high pedestal. Everyone gets a chance to take a shot because tell me, who do you re like to Sean Payton? Do you like de Sean? Do you

really to Bill Belichick? Andy Reid, like we don't we don't hear about this about with anyone else. Yeah, there he was in a no win situation. Somebody's gonna, you know, somebody out there not gonna think, you know, I'm gonna think he's an idiot or not relating to the players or whatever. But I think he's fine with the I mean, like he said, he's a coach. He doesn't want to get up there in grandst the cameras and all that, and Danny, I really subscribed to your theory. Who cares

what everybody else thinks? Because if the if the team is out there and then the red zone and Gostea hauling out Mojo, then it works. He's gotten this message through to his team. When I talk about relatable, I'm thinking about other hard before from Sean McVay and all the other guys that have been on it. They didn't get the blaring criticism that you see Mike McCarthy have. And you're right, you're gonna be polarized because of that.

It's gonna it's gonna happen regardless. But I think just from seeing Mike McCarthy and just I watched something and I woke up the next day and everyone had something negative to say about something that I thought was a good thing. I actually got an opportunity to see his temperament and you're right when you're you have the tem temperament that Mike does. But also with the just a persona of Jerry Jones, how do you how do you

match that? Andy? When you had a live camera microphones in on that, it looks like maybe there's there, well, there isn't a power struggle. But when he's asking Jerry questions about our Steven questions about how many reps do I give Zeke, the perception starts to fly that do you control this? Are you the head coach or what are you? And so so many negative things have come down through that. I mean, do you see that as

something that may be a negative on him? Again, when you're the head coach of this football team, you are a lot of times in a no win situation. Everybody has an opinion with everybody now has Twitter and Instagram and TikTok to voice their opinion and they can go on Twitch and all these different things. And so for me, it doesn't because at the end of the day, I can promise you this, I don't care who the head coach is unless that head coach is the gem as well.

When it comes down to this fifteen million running back, when it comes down to the forty million dollars quarterback, When it comes down to any the ninety million dollar defensive end, anything that has a significant cost, you consult the people above you. When it comes down to Jesse Holley, you do whatever the hell you want to me. I'm cheap. Nobody consults about nobody about Jesse. Jesse. Somebody consult about you. I got cut. Coaches didn't even know. I was called

to say thank you. They say, what happened? I just got cut. It's like, wait, what, I didn't even know? They didn't consult that. When when you deal with Zeke, when you deal with Dak, when you deal with Tank, when you deal with anybody who has a significant role, i e. The checks are a little bit fatter, you consult. Again, you just most teams, most teams. The Rooneys aren't down on the sideline of practice. Earth says, not down on the You don't know who the owners and GM's are.

It just so happens for this football team. You know exactly who the owner is. He is very visible, he's hands on, and so these type of interactions happened. And it doesn't help that the cameras are there. You know, the owners gonna be there when you Old Jerry is going to be there when the cameras are there. He ain't missing a moment to sell the brand. It doesn't happen anywhere else but in Dallas for the Cowboys. So when he says, hey, I think about Donna Na you

damn right, because ze sixteen million dollars a year. Let's see you better, you better ask that question that Hey, hey, hey, hey Jerry, listen, da shouldn't it You're damn right. I just gave him a bazillion dollars. You're gonna check. You're going to check with the dude. What did you think about? Um? Loot of the eye rolls? And criticism came with the mojo moment thing and the Austin Austin powers thing. But

as a player, what did you think? I mean to me, I think that creates although it's off the wall, maybe it creates competition, It creates something different kind of laughs, Like I get like, who cares if it? If it works, and you know that's his way to, you know, let them know, Hey, this this is what we're working on a practice. This is your mojo moment, Like if that's if that's the thing that works for him and for this team. Then like, who am I to judge? Why

do I care? Like every coach has a bit, nobody can judge that if we were, if we were to see the behind the scenes, I feel like of what some of these coaches like, how creative and like while the videos they create to make a point are like people would not be so concerned with an Austin Powers club. But the thing is is that a lot of people who are saying these things never been in a training camp.

And I'm not throwing the other play football. You didn't think, but you don't understand how draining on any level day out. I'm away from my family, I'm stuck in these hotels practices ten hours a day. So coaches try to find any little thing that can just take the juices up another level, even if it's for a moment in time. You've heard We've heard Nate say, We've heard Michael Lurvin saying, coach Jimmy Dalha tell Michael Irvin start a fight today.

The energy's down, like start some ish today. Now, that might not be the mojo that you're looking for the Austin Powers, but because the dog days of training camp gets on you. You have to find those things that, even if it's for a moment, you can hope changes the momentum of a practice. And whether that's Michael Ever going out there starting to fight with Darren what's in forty yards down the field and get guys riled up and now you're like, or that's des Brian saying you

can't guard me, you can't guard me. It's those things in practice that take it to the next level. We're like talking to me, let's go, and now everybody's height. That's when you get a pretty damn good practice. So when you have these mojo things, all coaches have them. They trying to find ways to up the energy and practice because you can tell when you're sit in that meeting room and you look at that dude, like do you look at your players faces and they're like, but

I ain't been home in twenty days. You know, I told you them camp, I's getting real ladies in the house. I won't go there, but I'm just you have to find ways to get the morale of your players up. Competition does that. There's no other greater thing that gets the blood flow to real dogs to ain't talking about the leash puppies. I'm talking about real dogs. Then when you get a chance to go out there and and

and Mono, we Mono compete. Well, speaking of real dogs, I think we got a real dog on the phone. We got a real lack cat. We got a real dog on the phone. And it never gets old to speak to the great Nate new three times Super Bowl champ, Nate, what's going on, man? I'm doing all right, Jesse. I love you too. What's up, my favorite lap cat? I

love your back brother. Well, y'all have some great discussions, man, some great discussions man on on this situation man, of competition and guys being ready to play, and how the you know how the media is attacking coach. You know how he's trying to run his team. Man, It's just amazing how national media gets out there. But I'm in and Nate, you've been coached by some of the well the great Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson, and your experience with him, Dude, this is pretty much in line

with most great coaches. They have monstrous things that they live by, culture that they're trying to instill to their team. Yeah, Jimmy Jimmy was a master. We had some games where he wouldn't even say nothing. He was just like, hey, let's go. He have games where he would say a lot depending on how practices went that week, how things have been for when he was putting things in place, he didn't say much of nothing. He just told what

was expected. He allowed his coaches to set the temple in the pace, and if things it wasn't going the way he thought they should go, he a lot of times he would call him meeting. He will stop practicing, talk to his coaches and tell him the tempo is not right, or what are y'all doing? Are y'all not prepared? Because my players are gonna take y'all lead. But each coach is told different. Seaference was totally different than what Jimmy was. I was a player run team. I was

talking to Bucky Brooks. The Bills were totally different than everybody because they were a player round team. And so a lot of times you do have to depend on the competition that's there, like Jesse said, but a lot of times it's about the temple that your coach said and the things that he's trying to put in place to get guys going. And coach McCarthy was on a lot of strain last year coming into a new organization where things are ran different hands on the owner that

he had to deal with and matriculate through. So but now he's got things in place if he want to mo joe moment and these guys respond to it, which they have in practice when that comes on, they have responded to it defensively, offensively, you know, and so let this give Let's give this man opportunity man And a lot of times that's why I don't listen to the national media on a lot of things that we can see and have insight on ourselves as local as local personalities.

Hey Ny, when you started, Landry was here and he was always seen as such a reserved coach, at least on the sidelines. Did he have this kind of motivation and the same type of things going on in practice? Coach coach Landry was so well established by the time I got the occurred to he just gave it a look. He had different looks. He didn't say much if he if you know, he didn't say much. I mean his coaches coached. He had different looks. He knew everything was

going on. You talking about hands on man, this he ran out. He was the offensive coordinator, He was a divasive coordinator, and he was halfway at the special team's coordinator. Not nothing moved without his say soul and his authority and his bird's eye view. I mean, he was hands on and so. But he didn't give a lot of speeches. He believed that if you prepare the right way in practice during the week, and you have the right guys

as well the great coaches have. It's the right guys at the right places making the right plays, then you the mojo moments gonna come and they're gonna be handled with authority. And coach Andrew was the ultimate leader man. He wasn't gonna say much, but he always knew what was going on, and he had his hands on every situation, even things where guys had rucords that was coming out. Hey, this guy got a chance to He wouldn't say nothing

the whole week. But if he see where you needed a pass or something like that, he wouldn't say nothing. He'll try to get you that pass. If he saw where he was a yard away from something, he wouldn't say nothing. He was always aware and so he had his hands on everything. Nate, you talked about how you've seen these mojo moments elevate the players on offense and defense. But I'm curious how you've seen them affect the coaching staff themselves and how they've been elevated by this this

bit as well. These guys never stopped moving in practice. These guys always got situation. It's always a different situation than a new situation that's coming up in this and and these guys are so focused on making sure these situations and these things are handling in the correct way to Uh, you don't have to worry about much. Uh. They just hype, man. They like most coaches are, whereas your coach maybe just standing there or sitting there or

not doing anything. Uh, these coaches are moving. Coach Adams are wide receiver coach, Coach Fillman with his guys off his line, coach coach George Edwards, his guys with the linebackers. They're doing their things, man, And they're living in these moments, and they're they're holding out formations, they are holding out what to look for, trying to get these players to start communicating and talking to one another and being excited about this team that's called football that we get paid

for to do a child's game. We got the great three times Super Bowl champion Nate Newton, and God knows where he's at, but we always appreciate it. I'm in front of a I'm in from a L Chicos or suff or L Chicos, or my friends are eating while my truck is getting fixed. But we always think, you mojo my truck, Jess. But it's okay. We always appreciate

the maximum effort that Nate is gonna give us. He's gonna give us his insight, whether he had the car dealership El Chicos, el diablows what I was in Mexico just two days ago. I was in Mexico two days ago. Were he there from more than traffic? Man? Were there from from three o'clock? Yeah, I got at four o'clock. I pulled up in line and I got through at eight thirty. But it was beautiful. The people was out there, the Hispanic UH nation was out there UH selling their things.

And you know, I gave out a few extra dollars. I thought about Jesse on the porch, So I gave to the people stuff, you know, because I felt so bad for jests like I'm gonna give some money to the folks. Man, Now, whatever you want to fit you want to make you feel, keep the money and give it to me if you want to make me feel real good to me. But Nate Man on a serious On a serious note, I lost. We got Dak in a in an interview the other day, talked about the

MRI that he'll be receiving on Monday. Just tell me where you're at with Dak, his lack of practice, and better question is, what does Dak need to do to make you feel confident and comfortable that he's ready to go Thursday night to open up the season? Practice? Practice. I don't need your playing in games. I need for you to practice. And and don't don't lead us Cowboy Nation because y'all know I'm one hundred percent through and

through cowboy fan. Don't continue to weekend and week out if there's something wrong, share with the Cowboy Nation so we can know that we got to get somebody that can really compete against Gilbert. Share it with us, don't don't let the season run up on us and all of a sudden, well he's still on the pitch count now it ain't no more pitch counts. We need for things to be open and ready and to go when the season open. Practice, practice, practice, I don't care number

what that kid said when he played for basketball. I'm talking about football practice, essential, essential. I'm serious, y'all know I'm not lying. But what we're talking talking about, we're talking about practice with no limitations. Right Like he needs all those first team reps. He has to be able

to throw in all those periods. He can't be like you said, on a pitch count, he can't be you know, missing the throne periods or mission you know, different things, but you know, practice with unabated go out there and go full go every single day. Thank you, I thank you. And quicker he does that, the better off our receivers are gonna be, the better off our team gonna be. And if not, if something is wrong, we we will know and now we will know how to address that,

and they know how to address it. But we as reporters and we as fans don't know what's going on. Because as long as you go saying, oh it's this is that now we're getting another MRI, it's like okay, once again the Cowboys have not told us the truth once again the Cowboys and left me jest in the nation on the porch the Great Nate from Ports Unknown. Nate, thank you so much for coming joining the show and always bringing a lighter move to everything we got going

on here. Man. We will see you back in the studio next week, Man, Monday Man, and you know I should do a show with you guys, uh live and and taching the color baby before this overwhere. So we're gonna have let the Monday Show. Y'all need to come work with the best you've seen the rest that man. All right, Nate Man gona be good. Always a pleasure to have Nate on it. What we're gonna do, We're gonna take our last break and we'll be back for a final segment where these guys get to where GM hat.

We'll be right back on hanging with the boys. Hey, Cowboys fans, ready to spice up your next watch party, Bring Yokiero guacamole and be the game day hero. Yokierro means I want and we know you want, great fresh tasting, ready to serve guacomole for your home gating and tailgating events, made with real avocados and the perfect blend of spices. It will be the star of any party. You can find us at your local Albertson's or tom Thumb in

the Delhi section. If you can't find it, talk to your store manager and tell them yokierro, yokiero, guacomole, Honey, big news? Gary? Are you okay? Oh? I'm not Gary anymore. I'm Jackie Flash. What see? I want the latest smartphone, but the best deals are only for new customers. So to get a new customer deal, I change my name to Jackie Flash. Okay, But the best smartphone deals at AT and TA for everyone, new and existing customers. That's huge.

Then guess who's getting the deal? Is it? Jackie Flash? Jackie Flash? It's not complicated at AT and t our best smartphone deals are for everyone. Restrictions apply. Visit att dot com for details. It's game day, you know what that means. First, cup ob prep steak pepper runnion, steak pepper runnion. Next, a counter clockwise lamp around the rule. Now the lucky grease stained jersey goes on, and lastly

the dance, you know the one. This is a game day ritual no matter where you are, whether you're traveling to the game or watching from your favorite vacation spot. Booka plays to stay on Hotels dot com and keep the tradition alive and well. Hotels dot com proud partner of the Dallas Cowboys. Hi, I'm Clint Tillison with United aggin Turf. When there's work to be done, a real workhorse can make all the difference, Like the Range Boss package.

Our fifty seventy five e John Deere seventy five horsepower tractor features a bell, spear and loader and starts at three sixty nine per month, and the price you see is the price you'll pay. No surprises. It works like a horse, so you don't have to visit United agginturf dot Com. Offer in February first, twenty twenty one. Restrictions

applying see dealer for details. Now let's get to work back hanging with the boards, get breakdowns of each position, battles to watch, scouting reports for every player, and more with the official twenty twenty one Dallas Cowboys Star Magazine Training Camp Preview. Get your digital copy today for only four dollars and ninety five cents at Dallas Cowboys dot Com slash Star and this is our final segment, my final segment on hanging with the boys. So I'm gonna

make the most up. Maybe I'm gonna make the most you No, no, I'm like you, man, when you know they don't consult at all. And here with my Here with the Gang, Kurt Daniels and what the heck vote Danny's erect and political career. Yeah, it was, it was.

What wasn't short lived, it was for a while. Just saying in the break we're talking about for everyone listening, I've been having middle school flashbacks, which you can imagine how terrible that is for the last couple of weeks, because hearing what the heck over and over again reminded me that in middle school, my older sister and I both use the same slogan when running for student counsel, and the slogan was what the heck votes I rack.

But it worked because we both made it. But it's just like, I keep hearing what the heck and it's like, oh my gosh, look, Danny, if there's a heck involved, it's good. Don't even worry about it's it's a good thing, Danny.

But guys, I said my teas before the break that we were gonna put it on our general manager hats all right, and I'm gonna hold you guys's feet to the fire because there's not gonna be any middle of the road stuff here right now, because Stephen Jones and Will McClay have a really tough job at it's pretty much getting this roster filed down. You got a lot of players. There might be a few players that may not go through waivers that people are waiting to cherry

pick off of your roster. So I ask, and ask, Kurt Daniels is looking through the roster with no one did their homework. Here in the room, I'm looking at blank faces aside from Jesse. So I'll Jesse, I'll start with you. Okay, don't tell me I didn't do my homework. We love Spicy with the boy. We can get excuse him whatever, we can get Flasco, what the little red

We want the boys? That is so Kurt, But your general manager had on And the reason I started thinking about this is because the last episode I said something about core players, and you questioned me about the players that I thought were in the core group. So I said wait a minute, this this question is is uh, this is a big question. I'm sure Kurt Daniels has a few names. Are a name that he liked to put on that list, Daniels, Let's go Spice. I don't know if I'm ready to cut him because I haven't

seen him enough play enough or whatever. But one guy I wonder if he's now on the bubble where going into camp he thought he was pretty safe. Would it be Cedric Wilson. Brown's having a good camp and they're saying, uh, the other league turner League Turner saying he's having a good camp. Um, Cedric also makes more than these guys. There's no cap it if he gets cut. I mean, Jesse, a guy just what you get wan? He did well? Sorry, I didn't mean that. You in spicy. Is no apologize

when you locked in the spicy. But I you know, is this a guy that should be looking over his shoulder? Now? Maybe you have a little concern he's going to be on this team? Sedric? All right, I don't like that these are going and riding by the way, come on there, they're going to be forever. I'll admit I did not to my homework, so I'm looking. Okay, yes you will, Jess. So from WHOA you called me? My mom calls me Jess, Jesse, I know, I know, it's fine, said, I felt like

you were my parents. Like, um, that just I'm like, what the heck? Voters are right, you just do a mom son moment um. The biggest thing for me is when you start looking at numbers. Okay, and there's always and I said this before receiver, offensive linemen dbs. The place that we have to start looking for numbers is safety. Yeah, we have to start looking at I would not be shocked. This is if they keep seven receivers, would not be shocked. I would not be shocked one bit if they kept

seven receivers, would not be shocked. If they only kept two tight ends, hopefully passing. You brought in sprinkles in the off season as a free agent signee. McKinnon might go, hum, well, I'm saying, maybe we can try to stash them on the practice squad. You know, get him. This is, but look at the safety position because it's going to heck, it's hard to let good defensive backs go. And you're talking about a football team who historically has not given

much value to the safety position. We all, oh my god, Oh my god. Yes, so all of a sudden, they're not gonna start like, you know, have this kind of one eight turn. And now I'm saying that they're holding all these safeties because that dB position is so critical. And when you start looking at matchups, when you start looking who you have to play throughout the year, what does your division look like? What is your path through

the Super Bowl. I'm gonna I'm gonna have to hope and pray that I get a guy like Malie Hooker to come along and actually play to that high draft pick billing that he before, you know, pre injury, and then I have to start finding other pieces to kind of go with him. Maybe it's a because he maybe it's someone else, but I just can't see me letting dbs. Just say what you want about Anthony Brown, He's a serviceable dB seventeen game season. Say what you want about

Jordan Lewis service a bow d like boss Man. Fact might not start this year, you know what I'm saying, Like it's a second round draft pick. Boss Man might not start this year. That says a lot about what you have going on. And you know, you're gonna have digs on one side and then now is it Anthony Brown the other side? Is it? Is it? Is it? Boss Man? Is it whoever? Who's gonna play in the slot? Again? Those type you need the numbers in the room, injury purposes,

personnel reasons you need. So I see other positions maybe taking a hit, tight end only carrying two. Um, you're gonna have to eventually do something with this offensive line of depth. They're not we don't have good depth there. Oh okay, what nobody says? We ain't got good depth there? So offensively I can I can see them trying to keep seven Simmy, for Hoku might be on his way out. They might not be able to keep him. So there's a lot of things. It might not work. It's a

good problem to have. It's a problem, nonetheless, But for me, look at that safety position tight end position as a position that may see shorter numbers, smaller numbers than you normally would to keep other numbers at a surplus. So Jesse, you should go to law school and have ESQ at the end of your name, because you still haven't answered a question. What's your question? Who's the guy that we're who's the player. You give me a name, I'm like you just come on, you want one name. I want names.

If you want to just one name or names or give me something. I'm seeing guys like Simmy May you may see cut. I'm seeing guys like you know, Sprinkle, Uh, you may see uh, let go um, Arian Thompson, maybe Darren Thompson. You may see guys like that, let go um. Yeah. So just to give you a couple of names, you might you may see guys like that. Be let go for because you might say Cedric Wilson, but he's a veteran guy who plays special teams, does other stuff like that.

And again, Simmy has done nothing in training camp that has impressed us besides being big. That's it. Hadn't made no plays. We don't really hear about him on special teams. And when you're going into this year, Bones Foster is gonna say, if I have to choose a guy, I'm gonna take the guy who I got a little bit more experienced with than than the rookie. Maybe we can pass them through. So I'm saying those names, Danny, just

because we haven't talked about this position group yet. I'm I'm looking at the linebackers, and just because he was drafted with the different coaching staff, he's been her we haven't seen a lot of him. I don't know that Luke Gifford has a long future here. Luke I liked him, he just hasn't had the experience. He hasn't right like if they liked jibro Cox Moore, I just I don't. He might, he might get the act and my lawyer bag,

you're there, Um, Football's fluid. Things change, injuries happen. Don't hold us to this. Come on, don't come tweet me later on. I said, well, you shop on August whatever, So I know you're writing down, yes, but football is very fluid and it changes often day to day, by the way, So I'm just saying, when you write these names down, don't hold me to that. Come on, I know I gave you the names. Oh, I'm just going

to go out. I gonna joke into something else, my lawyer back defendant, No, no, no, I I guys have me. I was all ears right, there were from me stole and the one name that I came up with, and I think there's so much being asked of him is tied and Secki that swing tackle position it thirty six years old, hadn't had the greatest camp from what I'm hearing um, And we know how badly we need a swing tackle and I think we've all talked about it. That person may not be on our roster right now.

We're get scouring the earth and cherry picking off of other rosters as well for that swing tackle position. So Tied and Secki would be the person that I'm practiced yesterday, didn't he So again things snowballing in that direction. I'm just saying, there's a players that we may want to watch, but guys getting to the game that's gonna be tomorrow. Uh. Dallas Cowboys taking on the Arizona Cardinals. Obviously for us in the second preseason game, we didn't want to make

a lot of the first preseason game. Jesse was like, hey man, let's not have a lot of expectation there. But now going to the second preseason game, Jesse players to watch matchups, things to expect. The guy who wanted more reps. And then in the Hall of Fame game, Michael Parsons, we want to see more of him. I want to see I want to see uh that knowledge. There was something that was said on hard knocks and it might have just went patched people's head, but it

caught my ear and it rang loud to me. Michael Parsons come to the sideline and he's like, man, I just want to make plays, right, And he's like, I'm all over the place, and Laton Vandera says, yeah, you want to make every play. That's not a great thing because what happens is that that eagerness get you out of position. And it was kind of like Lata was like, listening, homie, we want you to make plays, but when you start, when you sometimes you got to go on the block

and let me make the play. Yeah, and you've done your job. Don't let the rookie eager and emotions because you needn't play football in eighteen months had you jumping gaps, because what's gonna end up happening is the eye this God will be like, oh, look at this little, happy feeling young lion back with all the speed we got young lyon and you gonna think it's going this way and next thing you know you when you turn around,

that guard going to be coming back around him. Why and the bogging before the yards down the field that it rang so loud to me because Layton said it was like I remember that. I remember when I was that young, wanted to run around, and I was just like, man, I hope people caught that nugget. Because while we're saying he has speed, he had this and this and this. Understand that this league watches everything and if they see you start doing some stuff, they're like, oh, like like

tempo will go back and listen. Then oh god, no, I'm just saying, you know Tom Brady's watching that. You know he's watching that, and it doesn't take much. It takes one step out of your lane. It takes one moment of hesitate and you're blocked and the ball's gone and it's a crease like that is the fine night. And so when I heard, I was like, oh, I said, look at Hayton given, what's you call it? Sage? Sage advice?

That right, I hope people caught that. So when you watch a guy like Michael Parsons, who's just the young lion, he's symbol, He's just like I want to I want to go to the dark place that my dad told me not to go to. Because I'm ready, r don't get yourself. We got a lion king reference on the show, get Yourself out of position. Yeah, so I want to see more of that. I want to see more of the evolution there. And then of course low hanging fruit.

What does these quarterbacks gold? You're back to stealing things from people? Yea, there is so so Danny's just trying to expound on that. So're you just going to say quarterbacks, Like, let's see a little bit more of what we have in Gilbert. Now that we've got one preseason game down, maybe we'll have a little um more consistency and some better you know how up with the offensive line there, So let's see are the Cowboys looking for a third

quarterback or are they looking for a number two? Let let's let's let's gauge more of Garrett Gilbert this game and really see where the Cowboys are in that stance. Yeah, there's a couple different ones. One the offensive line and two the cornerbacks. I'd like to see you know those written the Sean Wright. Can he build off what he did last game? It's you know, I'd love it if Connor, Murray and Hopkins were playing they doubt they will. No, you know, it'd be nice to get a little test there,

but you know, can can those guys keep building? And then obviously the as you just mentioned with Naseki, the swing tackle position is very much up in the air, so kind of kind of see what any progress has made there. Let's go brandonite, Terrence Steele, show us what you guys, right, Yeah, well out of Connor on a song, how do you say about his name? Give me he wants his cake? That was hilarious, by the way, I

want to taste the cake. So we're gonna get We're gonna we're gonna get a large sample of Colt McCoy instead of probably Kyler Murray. But the player that I'm watching on defense is going to be Watkins. I think that we I think a lot of people are overlooking his maybe his potential impact on this team. Collins Watkins from Clemson, from the university from excuse me, from Houston, Texans. I think he's a player that's making some impact and you see him every time with the ones going. So

I want to see what Watkins does. But again, it goes back to what you were saying about the offensive line. Leo Collins is another guy that I want to watch. I want to see him with more reps. I think that his injury last year was a lot more devastating than people lead on to at the right tackle spot. And I believe that, you know, getting him more work from being out all season, I think is imperative for this team and to build his confidence in having that

laboring surgery on his hip. But guys, it's going to be our show. I want to make sure that I say this first, and I gotta say this that this is been absolutely phenomenal and awesome to be hosting with you guys. On Hanging with the Boys. I turned talked to Kyle, you know, seeing scoot him off to the man, let me don't even start that on our show. We got enough. Look, hey, Kyle, Yeoman's is the golden calf, all right, So don't even don't even get me sorry

with that. But you guys, it's been awesome, man. And you know, after this show, I know all the podcasts are gonna go back and we're gonna be, you know, bucking heads again, all right, with all the competition that we have. But guys, this has been absolutely amazing. It was fun it's getting work with you because I don't get to work with y'all like all that often normally during like the regular season. No, I enjoyed it. You

were great man, man. I think I appreciate the way that you and we'll talk about this before the show your energy and and and you talk about relatability. Right. There are tons of people who might want to say, oh, I would have loved to Ben and Jesse holly seat the boone was played. There are hunt of people who want to be in your seat. But it's the only one road road. I always have to be mindful. We have the lady in what to say, how to say certain things. I told you I can't go to the

principal's office to October. But now you've been phenomenal. Danny, thank you for sitting in. You smell much better than Isaiah stand back, and we appreciate that. Here and hanging with the boys, that's dude. You guys are too much for Jesse, for Danny and for Kurt Daniels Cowboys Nation. I hope your team wins. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.