Hangin' with the Boys: Vander Esch Interview

of this award winning show, Hanging with the Boys. Shannon Gross, Jessey, Nate Newton, Kurt Daniels, and do we have a treat for you guys. Guys In the second segment, we will have an Emmy nominated interview with Layton vander ash By our own Kurt Daniels and none of us have seen this interview, so we don't know what we're getting into, So make sure you stay tuned because we will be watching it for the first time as well. Oh, how are we feeling today? It's Friday? How you guys feeling? Man?

Tell you what for? We two days out from a Cowboys victory. Lord has been long, it has been hall but It's gonna be earned, baby. Two days out from a cow Boys victory. Hop God is dope for what Jesse says, So we gotta hope God is dope and we need a lot victory. Yes, sir, Cowboys gotta this one. Man's just they don't win this one. Just throw it in the towel you cover. You're getting to be a Debbie Dowter Broight one. You know what, I wouldn't be

surprised if they lose this week. It's a trap game, Shannon, got to be stopping trap. Stop it. Yeah, trap Shannon. You actually have to be good to make it a trap game. Like you. The team has to be good like your Your team a good team in order to be a trap game. This is Amriti. Cooper is good. That's it. Yeah, he is. You know, Citee Lamb is good. They ain't playing defense all right, let me ask you. Let's let's get into it. Kurt sent us a group text yesterday and it all kinds. I think we're all

still trying to process it. Nate called me and we had a long discussion about it. Kurt, what did you send us yesterday? And I want to get everyone's thoughts because I first off, tell tell us what what you

sent us, and then we'll get into it. Well, I was a tweet John Machada from The Athletic put out that that coach Mark McCarthy had addressed the team's effort and that I think Jaylon Smith had responded that, you know a couple of guys did Jalen Smith and Zekie La both responded that yes, the coach did talk to them about effort. It's not something he should be having to do. YadA YadA, YadA, that sort of thing. I think the question all raised eyebrows with us was just

now happening? Is it just now questioning effort? It was a little bit of surprise. Maybe that's that's my question to you guys. Surely, surely this isn't the first time. This is just the first time that it's being brought

up in the media, right, Nate, Jesse, Nathaniel. Okay, first of all, when you read that story, when you first read that story, Kurt, and you just repeated it to us, did Zeke and Jay Let's say YadA YadA YadA, because that's because no, So let me finish, because that's what I got from that was all coach did was YadA YadA YadA. He sounded like did Charlie Brown teaching? Yeah, yah yah yeah. Well we've been seeing this for thirty weeks.

We've been seeing this for thirteen weeks, our lack of effort on defense, and for this to be now finally brought out, come on, you know that's you know what, Jesse. I'm gonna let you speak YadA YadA YadA. That's all I have to say, the Russell Show YadA YadA YadA. Maybe I shouldn't have worded it like that, but that's how I sound. That's how sound thirteen weeks later. That don't bother you, Jesse, That don't bother you. Oh, this is trying to get Jesse, trying not to get in trouble.

YadA YadA. Jesse made it all he got, he got, he got four weeks left of the season. He almost made it through an entire season, like he trying, not just thought. I don't want to be reassigned. I don't want to be reassigned. Your last option is with Mickey. You know what I'm saying. I said, you might will go ahead, and you might will go ahead and take my badge and all other good stuff. Remember that after the Browns game, uh mccarthury was quoted as were saying,

we don't have an effort issue. But now see, don't do that. Don't feed Jesse, don't feed Jess. I can see how he started to fight on his nails and how he started to think, Jesse, we need a response. This is a show where we need your voice. You're the voice of reason, I know, but see, these are

the moments where my voice has historically gotten me in trouble. Okay, these are the points in times where I say things and you know, once they come, once they get into the atmosphere we live in the social media and with those things don't disappear, right, Um, and so this this team, this team, UM, take your tent, go ahead on what's your This is self preservation, guys, that's the one that I'm gonna use. They both both and for me and for me, i'd much rather respond to the group text

and didn't respond. But here's the thing, and Nate, you and I we've we've elaborated on this many times before. We should never have to talk about effort when it comes to professional football players. Never like that should be the last thing any coach should, any coach, any player should ever have to talk about When I say the very last, I do mean like wherever the sentence ends and there's a period or exclamation point, then you should

talk about effort. You get paid to play a child's game now while it's dangerous and it requires a ton of sacrifice and a ton of determination. And I'm not gonna say effort, but effort. You don't have to say. You don't have to be a first round talent. You don't have to be world class speed, you don't have to be lifting the you don't have to lift the weight room. Uh. There's certain things that you don't need

any of those extras to have effort. Like you know what I'm saying, Like, oh, Tyreek Hill, he runs a four to three. Wow, you know everyone's not blessed to run the four three. Uh. You know Larry Allen can can lift two houses. Woof, man, everyone's everyone you know not to lift two houses. Man. This quarterback has an arm that can make every throw. Wof you know he could throw the ball seventy yards. Man. That's that's that's

great boy. This running back has such great vision. Man, it's only about three in our lifetime that we ever seen it be able to run like that, those type of things. When you talk about effort, it's it's I feel like I feel like Adam and Irison. We're talking about practice, not a game. We're talking about We're talking about effort. In week thirteen of a professional NFL team, we're talking about effort. Effort. I give you a fat check every single week, and I we have to sit

here and talk about you giving effort. Not that you can't run fast, or you can't catch, or you can't tackle. We're talking about effort. And this is what I mean when I say you gotta clean house. You have to clean house because this is an infective place with what what what, and if it's not addressed, and if it's if you don't, if you're not going to we we become the medicine for other teams. If you're not going to prescribe something for your own locker room and cleaning

out those cancerous things, then you'll keep talking about this. Nate, you said, we talked about this for thirty months. That ain't the hyphperbole, that it ain't an exaggeration. We've talked about this last year, right, so we would keep having these effort execution hero ball. When you keep hearing these saying things over and over and over, it's it's it's it's infectious in the wrong way. It's becoming it's spreading.

And the more guys, especially the guys who are to supposed to be the leaders of your team, who are displaying these cancerous characteristics, the more of those guys you have in your locker room in a leader position, the more deadly the cancerous thing spread, and the more it gets into other guys, and the more it becomes more and more of a bad thing for your football team. And so you have to be able to eliminate those things and bring in new life and bring a new

energy and don't have to ever question effort. If I'm questioning effort, and week thirteen of the season, the ship has sunk. This thing is dead and over. There is no coming back from this. If we're talking about effort from professional football players and we thirteen in the National Football League, that's that's that's my PG take on effort. It's just something that you know, obviously the coach has waited too long to maybe address it is. This is

something that the player leadership. You're saying should have addressed it way beforehand. Is it is a case where guys pull somebody aside and say, hey, you're just not giving effort? Or are they standing up in the locker room and calling guys out yelling your leaders are the ones who are the ones having effort problems? Ye? Yes, yeah, are the ones who have the effort problems. And that's the

that's the thing is what when? When when when I heard Michael learn talking about this this morning and they talked about you know, well, you know, well Mike, you were just you, you were this this this figure in the locker room where people listened to. But yeah, because Mike went out there and was putting out, Mike was the leader. Not you didn't have And they correct me if I'm wrong. You just didn't have no Joe blow

standing up in front of the locker room saying stuff. Example, Noah, because we had strong enough alpha males in our locker room. If you were the wrong guy to stand up, they had a loud guy. We had two loud guys in our locker room. And if you were the wrong guy to stand up and say something, one number one. His name was Kevin golden and his name was Nate Newton. And if you were the wrong guy who got up and said something, one of us would look at each

other and say, you're gonna handle this. We would say, man, get showed somewhere and sit down. But now, if Michael Irving got up, or Troy Aitman got up, Charles Haley got up, we fell solid because they we knew that they cared about winning, and they did things in the proper and right manner professionally to win games. That's it in one but a few guys, not a locker room. Now during the game, we would have different guys, you know,

give input, but you didn't. You didn't hold court in our locker room unless you were a guy of authority, because you were talking to a bunch of rude, obnoxious, alpha dominant males, right, And that's the thing. Didn't you have anybody like that in your generation of players? Jesse kind of health, health sway over the locker room. Yeah. When I was with the Cowboys, you had guys like Brady James, You had guys like Keith Brooking, you had guys like DeMarcus where and uh, you know, you had

you had players like that. You had you had, you had Colombo, you had Leonard. I mean, you had guys who when they spoke, you listened. You know what I'm saying. You had guys like Jason Witten. When you spoke, they listened because you knew where they were coming from. You knew that when when when you know, Jason Witten didn't mess a practice, Jason Witten did wasn't trying to wed a lot of a practice. So Jason Witten. You never had an effort issue with Jason Witten, So when he

said certain things, you listened, right, DeMarcus were the same way. Uh, you guys you know, guys like Brady James the same way. These guys you know where their heart and their intentions are at and they show it on the football field. But these other guys, there was never an effort issue. There was never an effort issue with Keith Brookings when I was there, there was never there was never an effort issue, uh with with with you know, with guys

like de Marcus Square. I was there. So when those guys, man, when those guys spoke up, you listened. You heard what they said. The problem with this team is you got the leaders of this team are the ones who have the effort issues. You have the leaders of the team, the one who can't line up right. You have the leaders of this team who who rather go and do things everything else. And this is one of the things that I struggle with and I do, and and Nate and I relate to this. We were we were bottom

of the barrel guys. There wasn't there wasn't much room for error for us. Okay, we weren't high drive picks. We weren't guys who you know, initially had big contracts that they gave second and third and fourth and fifth chances too. Now, Nate eventually worked his way up to that point where he became that kind of a player, and and much love and respect to him for that, I for one, never got to that point. So everything that I did, I had to do with a maximum effort.

I had to study with the maximum effort. I had to show up with maximum effort. I had to practice with the maximum effort. And so when I hear these things coming from players, especially the whole alignment assignment thing, there's no way, there's no there's no way. When I had questions, When I had questions, I was going to see somebody because I had zero room forever, so I want to make sure. Hold on, I don't understand this.

Let me walk down the hallway. Let me get on the phone to call Jody Camillis, because we got a big game coming up and I only get one chance at a punt, and if I don't get it right and they get it blocked, that might be my tail or you know what, I'm in the rotation this week. Let me walk down the hall and go see coach Sherman or go see Coach Robinson, because I want to

make sure this lineup is right. And let me ask questions to coach, you know, coach Garrett as the OC slash coach on practice feel about how this should be done, because if I get an opportunity to do it, I want to make sure it's done right because my opportunities may come fuel far between. This is why I don't give sympathy to guys who were saying, well, I don't know what to do. How the hell do you not know what to do? When you what are you doing? Like?

What are you like? Get off the game? Okay, get off all the other outside stuff that you have going on. You got an offseason for that. If you don't understand something, you should be on the horn. You should be in the office. You should be in the face six feet apart of your linebacker, coach, dB coach, defensive line coach, defensive coordinator. Because I need answers. I need answers because if I'm unsure and I don't know, if my film study doesn't reveal the answer to me, then I need

to go to the source. I need to go to the one who's implementing. And that's the part I find so hard to to to to to understand from these guys when they're saying about confusion and effort and stuff like that, Yeah, what are you doing all day? Because there is good Jesse, I gotta come. We gotta go to break. We'll come back, all right, we come back. We gotta get to this latent interview. It's made it run along, so we had to cut you a good stuff, Jesse.

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secure and nationwide. Switch to AT and T five G. It's not complicated. Five G requires compatible plan may not be in your area. See att dot com slash five G for you for details. Welcome back to Hanging with the Boys. This is Kurt and I am waiting it here thanks to Wingstop along with the Great Light and vander Ish lighton. How are you doing today? I'm doing great, guys.

How are you? We're doing good? We're doing good. Normally we have the whole crew here, Nate, Shannon, Jesse, but we're actually doing this interview on a Saturday, which, with the strange Tuesday night game is actually a Thursday, isn't it? As far as the team schedules at right. Yep, we just got done with our battered practice, so yeah that's a Thursday. Wow. So I know, you know, players are creatures,

have had it. You know, you have specific times where you need to be here there even off the field, you guys, certain guys may have massages on some days or position dinners or whatever. What is this scrag crazy scheduling doing for you? Has it been difficult? Yeah, it's been. I mean it's been a little bit of a struggle, but um, I think we've managed it pretty well. Um. Obviously it's I mean, you don't like a schedule change, but um, I mean it is what it is, and

we gotta we gotta be able to adjust. And I think that's what the game of football is and how this whole season has been. It's been a lot of adjusting, so and adjusting on the fly. Um. So I mean we've been doing our best with that, and yeah, it comes with its struggles, but um, I think we've managed that pretty well this week, um, and we're just making our correct adjustments for each day. You've been kind of on a mini bye week here because of the of

the scheduling. Has it been good in terms of getting some rest, or does a team like this, with the new staff and younger players and no offseason, do you kind of wish you had that practice time. I mean, the rest is nice, but honestly, I would have just preferred to keep on romal schedule. I know we couldn't do that, but I mean we had a few days off. He let us get away to our families, and so we just kind of we dealt with that, and then

we've been practicing. We've got an extra practicing this week for it, so I think we're ahead, and I mean we're rolling. So we're just getting our stuff in and making the corrections and going out the next day too. I guess the tough part then, though, could come on the back end when you have to play Tuesday then Sunday. Is that something you guys are already kind of looking

ahead too. Yeah. I mean we just had a short week too, so that was that was another reason why I said I wish we could have just stuck to a normal schedule, but um, I know we're just subject subject to what the league does, um, And so now we're right back to another short week right after this, So uh yeah, it's it's a grinder November and December.

So now it's the leaking further into December. So I mean, we just gotta we had to make do with what we have and go out there and make the best of it and keep grinding because we know how to do that. Are you now, you know they always talk about the rookie wall. You're you're two years in now, are you kind of used to the grind? Are you used to the schedule? Now? Oh? Yeah? The first year

was the yeah. Three. Um, the first year was extremely long, just because I mean, you go right into combine training right after your season, and then you go into your draft stuff, and you go right No tas and training camp and and then right into your first season. That first NFL season is so much longer compared to a college and so when you get into no Rember, you're already you're at the end of it, but it seems like you have so much more to go. And so

I mean that that was that was quite the year. Um. But now at this point, I think you kind of settle in, um and you kind of just take things one week at a time. The weeks go by so much faster in the NFL. Than they do college for me that I can remember. And so I mean you just take a week by week, just take things slow because they fly by and and you gotta be focused, you gotta be ready for that week that you're in. So uh and before you know what I mean, you're

in week thirteen, fourteen fifteen. Yeah, and I would think they'd be flying by even more this year because you new coaching staff Mike Nolman, trying to put in some new things, and you had no offseason, you had no preseason. I mean, how much of it difficult has that been? And are you now do you feel like you're kind of reaching that point where yeah, maybe we're getting where we want to be. Yeah. Yeah, not having off season

was a little bit difficult. Um, and there that was just another adjustment on the fly, like we had to um make him do with what we could and so um, that was it was a struggle not being able to practice that stuff right off the bat. But I think we're getting really good handle on now and we're starting to gain identity and just in play style and how we play. So um that's good for us. And I know we're we're making strides and we're doing some good things.

There's still a lot to clean up as always. I mean, you never made it so Um, we just can keep continuing to battle and sticking together. That's the biggest thing, um. And we're headed in the right direction. It seems like one of the toughest positions on the field is to me, has got to be linebacker. Because you're not in full coverage all the time, you're not rushing the quarterback all the time. You gotta gotta do a little bit of both or you gonna you know, charge the running back

and drop back and coverage that sort of thing. Has it been well, do you like that kind of a challenge? Is it difficult? Or do you sometimes just let me go get the ball here and that's it. Yeah? I love the challenge honestly. UM, I want to be put in a difficult situation because I know that makes me better. Um. If if everything was easier, if or if the majority of the game was easy, um, you would probably start to slough off and and and you wouldn't start gaining

ground or improving at all. Um. And with the time I missed the last season and even the beginning of this season, it was it's been tough but um, I mean you learn to embrace that challenge I have and um and enjoy it. It's all part. It's all part of the process. You got to trust God's plan for for what he has going for you, and I think, um,

that's just what I've been trying to do. And so just just being a leader, um, taking on that challenge, embracing it and showing the guys like, hey, I'm here for all you guys, and and and I'm gonna I'm gonna do my best for you guys, and I'm gonna go all out on game day. Much of that challenge is the physical part of it, just the you know, having the talent to be where you need to be in that sort of thing. And how much of it is the mental part of it, where the communication, the leadership,

that aspect of it. Yeah, I mean you train all offseason. I mean you train a lot of off season physically to get to get your body ready for the season. So a lot of that work is already done and then once again the season you're kind of just maintaining obviously because it's harder game strength at that point. But the mental part really kicks in and you got to you gotta really focus on that aspect of the game.

Once you get into the season, and that part really takes off, and you got to keep up with that because it's it's not like you're playing the same team every week. You have new challenges, and I mean there there are some copycat teams and they do some copycat schemes and and everybody's gonna do some of the similar stuff, but they all have their own little twist to it.

So if you the quicker, you can point those things out, and the quicker you can get on top of that and make sure we could practice easier and you can really just start focusing on your keys on the practice field to keep going. I think most people probably know your story. It's pretty incredible starting out at eight man

football such a small town. But you you've kind of said that that eight man football may have helped you prepare because it you know, it was a wide open game, you know, finding the ball care and playing offense too. I mean, it didn't really help you as far as getting where you are now. I mean some people might say I'm crazy for saying that, but they're ones that

didn't play amen football. So I mean the ones that know no. Um, and I'm gonna go to bat for for all those kids that are playing amen football and I grew up doing that. Um. I mean they need to follow their dreams because they can do it. Just because you play a man football, I don't mean anything. Um. I mean it makes you an all around athlete. You can do multiple things. Um heck. I mean if you got injuries on your team, you move to the next position and you help your team out. That's just what

it is. So I think that makes you valuable as an athlete. It helps you grow as an athlete and you start to understand the pieces of the game, regardless of whether you're missing three people on offense and three people on defense. Yeah. Yeah, and you were the star quarterback. Do you ever miss uh miss the offensive side of the ball getting the dwat around will bit? Oh yeah. I mean I kind of got that out of my system pretty quick once I started playing in college. Um.

But I mean I love quarterback, I always will. Um. But I mean there's another thing about a linebacker. You're the quarterback of the defense. So um, it's it's its own challenge in itself, and you gotta take pride in that. Well. It sounds like that with with your three sisters were big into basketball and you were a stud basketball player when a couple of state championships? Was was basketball actually

kind of king in your household growing up? Um, if you probably would have talked to majority people, if you asked ten people that knew me, they nine ten probably would have chose me to pick play basketball in college and then football. Um, but I always wanted to play football boys State, and I got the opportunity to walk on there because I didn't have any d one offers. So um, that was just it was automatic for me, and I knew I could make the most out of

that if I went and did that. But basketball was definitely, um a big part of my family's life. All my sisters played, and and that was some of my favorite moments growing up as a kid and being their little brother, watching them playing high school and then go on to college and play, and just watching them win state championships and and just doing what they loved. And so they they they had an absolute blast doing that, and I had had an absolute blast watching them, um, and so

just following in their shoes. UM, I learned so much from them, and I love every single one of them. And so I just can't thank them enough for for kind of just teaching me the way butt heads a little bit with on the way when we were younger. But and growing up with three other sisters ain't easy by any means. Oh yeah, but were you the annoying little brother agged along to uh to the gym and all that sort of thing? Oh gosh, I would like to not think so, but uh, I mean you have

to ask them. I think they I think they enjoyed having me if if we were going to the gym and some basketball they were. They always taught me stuff and and I think they enjoyed having me around in that aspect. But I'm sure I got a little annoying at times, um as any younger sibling probably would. But um, I mean we were we were all pretty close growing up. Yeah. Now they were again three older sisters. They were a bit older than you. I think you're six years younger

than your youngest sister. I guess were you uh were you? Were you uh, you know, doated on? Were you spoiled? Or were you that they're kind of guinea pig to pick on and dress up and do all those such little things. A little brothers get handed. Uh. I was spoiled. I'm not gonna lie. Um, Yeah, I was spoiled. And I think I think they would probably all say that too. Um. But I mean at the time, I didn't want to admit it, but now I looked back and I'm like, yeah,

I probably was spoiled quite a bit. But they spoiled me too. Um. Yeah, I mean it was it was all just funny games. And like I said, I mean sometimes we got into it and yeah, they would throw that in my face, that oh you're spoiled and you just get whatever you want. But that's just what siblings do. Sure. Sure, So you never really gave a thought too. I mean, I imagine you had some some offers to some smaller schools.

You you never gave serious thought to going as a quarterback or going as a basketball player to a smaller school. I did, I did. Um. I had way more offers to play basketball than I did football. Um. And then

all my football offers were all an Ai a smaller schools. Um. But I grew up watching Boisi State and going to a lot of their games with my friends and and with my high school coach, and he coached me all the way through elementary, junior high, in high school and in football, UM and I played with his two younger boys.

One was a year older than me and one was a year younger, and so we became really close, and UM I went to a lot of the boys state games with them and got really familiar with boys and just being two and a half hours north, it was

that's where I wanted to play. So when I got the opportunity to go there and walk on, it was like not There was not even a doubt in my mind that that, um, I couldn't go in there and then a scholarship, and I just knew that if I followed my roots and the way um the way I handled myself and and just went in there and and competed every single day and worked my hardest, that things

would work out. And I knew that would give me the best shot to go on and live my dream playing in the National Football League, And so I just did everything I could make that happen. Yeah. I was reading something, Charlie Shepard, that was your high school coach, right, I was reading some about him. Sounds like you know what you think of eight man coach in the in the middle of Idaho, But you know what kind of scene was Avid. It sounds like he really was a

big impact on you in your life there absolutely. I mean we still talk about football to this day, and he coached there for they won two state championships after I left her off the bat, or maybe it was three, um, But I mean he's a great football coach, and he understands football. And growing up with his two boys that were like my best friends growing up, and I still stay in contact with both of them very very much.

That was evident that he knew what he was doing and he could get everybody and he could use and put things in the right pieces or pieces in the right places when it came to game day or depending a year, because I mean you would you would think that you would lose some of your best players, and with a man football, you don't have a lot to pick from. Um. But I mean he kept that thing

going right away and and never really stepped off. And and he coached I don't even know he coached, he coached forever, um, But I mean he's he's awesome, and I know that he definitely had a big impact on on my career. Like I said, I couldn't play football till I was in sixth grade and junior high So the first chance I got it was I was all over it. And then it was just year by year and just going up from there. Yeah, he said an interview, I saw that he never really had any doubt that

you could play at the next level. But I gotta wonder, you know, you you walk on to a big D one school, big program, and you were probably it sounds like a little undersized at the time. Did you kind of wonder like, Wow, what have I got myself into? Um? At first? Yeah, I mean Ilo, my linebacker coach at Boise State, and the decordinator. I mean, he kind of

found me. He showed up at high school one day and I got called to the office, and I was thinking, I was like, I don't think I did anything wrong, Like why am I getting called to the office. So I stepped out in the hall and I saw a guy down at the end of the hallway by the office, dressed in blue with his boy gear on, and I was thinking myself. I was like, there's no way this

can be happening right now. And the first things he said to me, he was like he introduced himself and was like, we don't know very much about you, but people are talking about you in the valley and saying that we need to come get you. So he gave me brochure to their camp and invited me there so they could get me on the field and see me

run around a little bit. And then I had to make a highlight film and send him some film from high school from high school ball, and then they offered me a walk on after my senior year a football and I took that right away. But he saw something to me, and as much as I wanted to play quarterback, he was like, no, you're gonna you're gonna play. You're gonna come and play linebacker. The way you've run around the field and and just how you cover ground, your

athleticism is gonna make you a great linebacker. And so I trusted him. I had no reason not to trust him. I mean, he he gave me, He came and found me, so I knew that he I trusted that he knew what he was doing, and he coached me extremely hard, and he kind of became like a father figure to me as well while I was in college. And again, I mean he's a decordinator Oregan now. But um, the dude's like a second father to me, and I love that guy to death. He's taught me so much, still

teaches me so much. Um. And he just he told me, he was like, you come in and bust your butt every day and you're gonna earn something. So and after nine months, I don't even think I had played. I didn't even play the Snappa football yet. Um. And they put me on scholarship before my freshman year, and then it was just gaining ground. I was definitely undersized. I was about a buck ninety five two hundred, uh, same

high as I am now. Um, hardly ever lifted an ounce away in my life, and that first year I put on thirty pounds. My body just absorbed everything. Theother thing, just bought into the weight program that they had and just eating and eating everything that I could eat. And it was it was just it was just absorbing everything. Sound like I enjoyed it though, the whole process, one hundred percent. It was. There are so many things that I can look back on and that I'm just blown

away by and how things turned out. But then again, I just I knew that I was going to work my absolute hardest to make the things happen, and I had the right people around me to help me, and I got to give so much credit to them. Um, but it was just it's it's been such an enjoyable time. Um. And now like I'm playing for the Dallas Cowboys, America's team, and I didn't want to go anywhere else and this is right where I want to be. And I absolutely

love this team. I love this place, I love this city, and I just I just love being here and I love being able to play pro football here. See, just like all of you, we at Szeki can't wait until we're back in the stands at full strength, cheering on the Cowboys and singing along to our favorite songs again. We're using this time to make discovering, buying, and selling

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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. Bolka plays to stay on hotels dot com and keep the tradition alive and well. Hotels dot com, proud partner of the Dallas Cowboys. Grab some auterbox gear and get ready for hang with the boys. From rugged venture coolers to tough as nails elevation tumblers, we've got what you need to keep your game day drinks frosty and your

football feast eyes cold. And with cases, screen protectors and power accessories, you can defend your phone and stay connected to every play gear up at auterbox dot com and amp up the fun of every Cowboys game that's autterbox dot com. Dear, it's nineteen oh eight. Don't you think we should get electricity and stop using candles to see it night? It's just electricity lights up the room fast. It's more reliable than candles blowing out and people seem

to love it nationwide. Well, candles, dare did you just run into the wall? May I have a new candle? Please? Historically, switching to new technology is a no brainer. Today, Hey, it's AT and T five G, fast, reliable, secure and nationwide. Switch to a T and T five G. It's not complicated. Five get requires compatible plan. May not be in your area. See at dot com slash five G for you for details. Back hanging with the Bulls, we are back, at least

most of us. Our beloved leader Shannon has had some technical difficulties, so it was just myself, Nate and Jesse sporting the tie dye. Now yeah, yeah, change clothes on the right quick, you know. Friday fund here. Thank you again to Leyton vander esh And for taking up a lot of his valuable time. I apologize for going so long. Chris gotten so sick of it. He just cut us off and went to break so I appreciate it. So we're only left with a few minutes here fellas to

give our in depth breakdown of the Cincinnati Bengals. So I guess what do you guys? Back to Sunday? What do you what do you expect? Him to say, what do you think of the Cowboys can do against the Bingals. I'll be quick, Jess. The Bengals did not have a running game, but they're playing the Dallas Cowboys, so they will all of a sudden develop a running game. So Bernard number twenty five, GEO tar Hill, Jill Vanny, Jill

Vanni Bernard. He is a nice running back when handing the ball out of the backfield, but he is an excellent receiver coming out of the backfield. So for us have some success this week, we have to slow him down. Out of the guys outside, I'll let Jesse were about, but this guy here is a game changing if you can get him that ball in open space. So we

have to tackle well. And somehow somewhere I said it the other day that I said again, we have to control the middle of the field, whether this versus the pass. We have the deconse, have to control the medal. We gotta do what we gotta do. What the middle of the round thirty seven thirty seven thirty almost twenty seven, literally almost child, look at the middle of our run chart. Man slashing us man in the middle of our field. It's between the numbers. Man look at the runs this year.

I'm being honest. If you don't control the middle of the se we're not gonna even be competitive. No, I'm not late. I'm not laughing at you. I'm not doing that. I that you think in week fourteen that all of a sudden you ain't right, man, you ain't right. The coach just gave a hell of the speech about being the effort. It's gonna come or not right, the effort will shine. Y y'all are not you're not believing? Tie our shirt now we all laugh. They said, there do

you think? They said? They said, we got a cover of running back to space. They said to them on the field, what makes you believe that in week fourteen that I believe Staff Baltimore had more thirty yard runs in that game than Zake has in the last three years. C don't join you, Jesse, don't Jesse. Come on? They said, oh man, you really got me a tea. But all of us to be competitive. I ain't said win the game, but all of us to be competitive. I'm gonna be quiet.

Go ahead on what amos? Come on? No, because they they you you've come to the point where you're saying I'm not talking about winning the game. I just want us to be competitive, Like you're talking about the team. We've lost all hope about winning football game. We're to the point now. This is I'm not fake laughing, this is real laughing. I'm crying because we're talking about the NFL team here, and we're we're wishing and hoping for things in week thirteen that should have been established in

the preseason. This should have been established in the first couple of weeks. And so we still can't cover backs out of the back field. What do we face a back who's really good out of the back field as a receiver. We can't control the middle of the field. I guarantee you, Nate, I guarantee you a Ribby that they're gonna run the ball up the middle of the field. And then, uh, we're talking about the guys and the outside Te Higgins and Tyler Boyd. Good luck, good luck,

good luck. This is the best true duel. This is good last true duo we've pad faced all year. I'm talking about yardage and touchdowns. Yeah, I mean they have performed weekend and week out great. I don't know I would say the best. I talk production wise, yardage, touchdown production wise, they have been the best. I think, well, go back and look at the other I mean other guys. I've gotten better Minnesota reason went on, but they have they But I'm talking about that at this point? Is

this department? Department? Did I make it? Did I make it? Back for the end of the show, Yeah, you made was just you know what I did. I didn't want to listen to that terrible ass interview Kurt did so I just said, hey, good but good interview kid. Y'all judging, Hey, I had I put out good effort. Man, I was on my I was going Bolston the wall. There you're judging and watching. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. All about practice. We're talking about effort. Oh, let's make our picks, fellas,

Let's let's make all right. I'm ready, man, I am ready. I'm excited. I got since Cincinnati twenty four Cowboys seventeen. I think Cowboys are winning this one. I'll take it twenty one seventeen. Nick Newton, I ga roll as Charles Blockley will say, I gall roll t. We win this thing by seven points. I gallroll right, yes, sir, don't you laugh at me. Jesse I'm laughing with you. My brother never asked you. I was with you, chanting you there, you're picking. Yeah, I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go Cowboys.

Cowboys twenty eight Cincinnati twenty one. And here's my reasoning in the words of Nate Newton, because if the Cowboys don't win, it don't matter. It don't matter, The rest of the season don't matter. So I'm gonna pick them just so it matters. And you know what, I think the offense. I think the offense is doing a pretty darn good job. I think Andy Dalton is gonna have a really good game. It's all gonna come down to the defense. Can they stop them? Are they gonna show up?

I think they're gonna show up first enough to squeak out a game against a bad Cincinnati. I think it's a battle of the bads, and I think Cincinnati's more bad than the Cowboys are bad. So I'm gonna go Cowboys twenty seven, twenty one. We're gonna travel all the way to Ohio to be bad, Loyd. This will be the game where we've come back next year and say, where did the Cowboys turning around against Cincinnati? And then the Lord. Hey, I like I like the I like

the wardrobe changes. Fellas, that's nice. I like it. I like it. That's good. All right, let's let's let's break, let's go home, let's get out of here, all right, fellas, good jes, you can say what you want this. Yeah, we churn the faith of the Dallas Cowboys. Yes, thanks for baks right here. Have fun on your next show. We will see y'all Monday. Victory Monday in the Count's see you next Monday. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.