The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. This is the Player's label broadcasting line from Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters at the Star. Hi, everybody knew, he scrugs here. It's not the Player's lounge because we do that at two thirty, and it's usually with Danny Mccraneberry Church. They're not here. We're doing a scramble today. So I am pleased to work with the first time Mickey Spacknola, Dallas Cowboys dot Com. HECKM. Harrison
and Isaiah stand back here. So, guys, I just want to have fun for forty five minutes. I'm going to defer to you for a whole lot here. I'll kind of lead this thing, but I want you guys to do what you normally do on your pod cast, which entertained me by the way I watched them. I watched them daily. First off, how's everybody doing, how's everybody doing? All Christmas eve? Wonderful, wonderful doing. Good man, this is this is it right here. We got six more days
to the end of twenty twenty. Christmas is here, and man, it's just a blessing to be with you guys. Now, everything's good this way, no, man, I mean my pockets are a little lighter than they typically are this time of the year, you know, But everything's good, man, I'm good. I thought I was gonna be able to give you an update on practice as practice went along, but they went indoors. So I'm here at the Star in one of the little offices, the meeting rooms, and I'm glad
to be with you guys. Excellent, So, Mickey, I haven't been in the Star forever and a day, So tell me what's the protocol to get in that thing? Man, I haven't been in forever here. Well, it depends on which end you want to enter. If you want to enter where the players and the staff enter, that's on the to buy left, on the other side of the Doctor the new Doctor Pepper building, and you have to
pass a COVID test every day. Now, if you want to enter on our side where the media comes in, you just have to fill out your little form no no, no, no no, hopefully and have your temperature taken and you're allowed in. So we are on this end of the building and we aren't allowed to go on the other end of the building, and they're really not allowed to come to our side either, by the way, all right, these are the changes that we've had for COVID nineteen
and twenty twenty. Hopefully we can get back to the way things used to be. Twenty one Cowboys hosting the Eagles at A and T and T Stadium on Sunday. Here m make one start with you on this. Antoine Woods, Layton Xavier Woods could possibly miss this football game. What will that mean? Mickey? Start with us and everybody go around here and give me your take of these three gentlemen aren't line up on Sunday. Yeah, and the Woods,
the Woods is are not practicing again today. They didn't practice yesterday, so yeah, it looks like they're probably missing the game. Layton Vanderish, I think with a high ankle sprain, he's probably definitely out. He hasn't practiced. Ezekiel Elliott was going to be limited today and I think they're hopeful that he can make it. Same thing with Blake Bell. He's got an illness and he hasn't practiced these last two days, but McCarthy anticipates him being ready to go.
And Michael Gallup was full yesterday expected to be full today, so he should be good to go. So yeah, the two woodses what a Xavier down. Likely they'll use Darian Thompson as one of the safeties along with Donovan Wilson, and as Mike talked today, they'll probably be be training some of one or two of the corners to fill in at the safety position along with Reggie Robinson if indeed he's ready. At least he played more special teams tackles in this in this pass game, ask for Antoine.
That means Justin Hamilton plan more at defensive tackle. And you know, if you noticed what they did last week when they went into their nickel in definite passing situations, they moved Alden Smith inside as a defensive tackle and Tyrone Crawford. So that'll be a shared position without Antoine in there, and you'd sure like to have him in there because, as you know, dying well, what Philadelphia wants to do. They want to run the football like everybody
else wants to do against this Cowboys defense. Thoughts, Yeah, no, I mean in terms of the guys that we potentially might be missing. I know, we typically have the Connor bros. That we're talking about, but the Woods bros. Now, both of those guys, their presence are going to be dearly missed, obviously in the secondary, just that veteran presence back there.
Not even that he's been that exceptional this year, because I don't think anybody has been on that on that side of things, but I think you just had just that veteran presence and having all of our guys last week was huge. So we'll definitely miss him Lvie. I don't think that we'll miss Lvee as much as people think. I know that he's in there. He's a shot caller, he's a captain on that side, and really controls everything
on the defense side of the ball. But we have another intellectual guy in the form of Sean lead At a step in, and I'm a big fan of Joe Thomas and his athleticism and what he brings to this team. With him and Jaylen Smith hopefully being able to if they're making the right and if they are where they're supposed to be, their athleticism will pay huge dividends this
game against this against this offense. And I think probably more than more than anything, we're gonna miss the big boy in the middle, Big Woods, because we know um as making ready alluded to it, these guys are gonna try to run the ball at us, and you need somebody to really clog some things up because they're gonna try to pull their guards, um and pull their centers and things of that nature to try to get off
on the edge. So I think out of every position that we're gonna be missing out of those guys, I think big Woods in the middle is probably gonna be the biggest loss we have. You know, I say, I'm not gonna argue with you on Christmas Eve about them. I'm just not gonna do it. But you know, of the linebackers that I feel like, you know, all the run stuffers, the guys that do better against the run, LV is the one. And like Mix said, you know what the Eagles are gonna do. They're gonna run the ball.
And no one is hedging their bets against the Eagles, not trying to establish the running game the entire game. But with the way that the numbers have been against this Cowboys defense. But you guys have already said it with Antoine Woods in the middle, he'll be missing that rotation. But again, Neville Gallimore has shown you that he has the ability to make plays behind Hamilton with Hamilton and
the other guys. Uh and just look, man, our defense as of late has you know, the turnover differential and all of that has made the difference in these ball games. So if they can continue that, even with the guys that we're gonna have missing, I'm excited about their chances
on Sunday. But you know, in the back half of our defense, if we fill in with guys like you know, obviously having Donovan Wilson Thompson back there, you know, I'm not as worried about the secondary simply because, like you said, Isaiah, it's not as though we've had exceptional play from Xavier Woods all season. So I mean, again there's the communication that I feel like we've gotten better over the last couple of games and hopefully we can continue with that. Man,
you're looking good. I love the Christmas outfit. Man, you got a party afterwards you're going to I mean, you're looking at going on. Man, and that boy sharp and he knew he that boy cast get sharp. I trying to tell you, here's here's a thing, here's a thing I knew I was gonna be on with you and anytime Mickey's around. I gotta be clean for Mickey. I mean, this is why I did it, because I was gonna
be on with Mickey Spagnola. You know, come on now, you guys gotta be I'm surprised y'all didn't put on touched those two. No man, no, no, I'm actually gonna I'm gonna get done with this podcast. And I got it. I got a head out here to go to go pick up this Christmas cake. So I'm about to go fight some crowds. So I'm just yes, I'm just gonna be dressed down, pick up this Christmas cake, and I gotta get some whole milk because I gotta make my
French toast pantatone uh for for most Christmas Breakfast. And then I'll be done and i'll be out. I'll be out him so so I'll be uh be all good there. Um let me let me just dive here into this Eagles and Isaiah I want to start with you on this. Jalen Hurts he's about to make another start, and the young man from Oklahoma and Alabama. In his first few games,
he's been electric. And that game against Arizona, he was three hundred three eight yards in the air for three touchdowns, and he ran on the ball eleven times for sixty three yards and a touchdown, four toll touchdowns. If you were Mike Nolan, how do you slow up Jalen Hurts, who's come in here and electrified this Eagle's offense man. To be honest with you, knew you simplify things and you you just make sure that guys understand what their role is, who they are, what their role is on
his team. Right, tell them to play within themselves and within their position. You ask guys to be as discipline as they can be because there's really no win. Whether you sit back in the zone, he's gonna pick you apart. Right. Everybody talks about his athleticism, but a beheaved as we saw last week, he is. He is picking guys a bar. He is precise with his passes. He's sitting back there. He's confident his office. A line was given him time
and he could die that thing up. He's smart enough to identify what the coverages are in the weak spots in his ownes. So you don't want to just sit back, Okay, Well, what's the opposite of that? People say, well, how about we blitz him, right, Let's put some pressure on him, let's make him uncomfortable. Well, that's probably not what you want to do either, because he's one of the more athletic quarterbacks in this league. Oh, he's probably the strongest
quarterback in this league. I would probably say as well. So that's probably not gonna work out too well for you. So if I can't blitz and I can't sit back in coverage, what do I do? Well? Again, you ask guys to play the coverage that you're that you're that you're calling, and you just tell them to be disciplined and play team ball. And that's the only way that you're gonna that You're gonna get this guy and hope that he that he lays a ball on the ground.
As I know, Heck is gonna gonna talk about how he's susceptible to turnovers in that regard. Yeah, I had allow up. Yeah newly. I just feel like, you know, with the NFL being a league based off of evaluating guys, and I believe with the way he's come in, a lot of defensive coordinators hadn't been able to pick apart his game. See what he likes to do and see
what Peterson likes to set him up. Now the film is out there and you can start to kind of figure out where they're trying to place him with the bootlegs and motions and things like that to make him comfortable. Uh. You know, his skill set from Carson Wentz is pretty much night and day. I feel like just because Carson Wentz, I believe talent wise is the better is the better quarterback. He's just having a horrible year uh this year. But for our defense, it's it's the things that got us
in trouble in the past. Right, guy's not playing assignment sound and admit ad libbing and just doing things on their own. We have to get home that we have to manufacture that pass rush with not not adding extra guys to it. And that's that's gonna fall in the lap of God's like Tank Lawrence uh and getting that backside pressure and Randy Gregory as well Alden Smith. You know, these are the names that we're gonna have to be saying a lot by making Jalen Hurts uncomfortable. He's still
a rookie, right, He's still a rookie. And as much as we want to you know, pump him up because of the match up. There are some things that I feel like, Mike Nolan should you do to make him uncomfortable? And those things obviously going to be with tinkering his coverage. You know, Showman plays own things like that too. Safety maybe one safety high, just to confuse the looks that Jalen Hurst believes that he has pre snapped. You know, guys, I had lost connection there, so I wasn't concentrate on
whatever everything you said. But if they don't stop the run, they aren't going to get a chance to rush the quarterback. So they better be able to figure out how to stop the run. And especially if Philadelphia decides to go two tight ends or two running backs, and then the Cowboys are coming in there with their little nickel defense and some skinny ass safety close to the line of scrimmage instead of another linebacker, And now you're down a
linebacker without Layton vander Esh. You know, you again to play Shaun Lee and Joe Thomas. But again, to me, you're overwhelmed than personnel if they go a run heavy offense and you're sitting there in your nickel defense. So yeah, you guys, talked about getting pressure on Jalen Hurts, and I get that, but if they start running the football. I mean you talked about how the defense played better.
They gave up one hundred and fifty yards rushing to San Francisco, and San Francisco had a big neon sign out there saying We're going to run and they couldn't stop it. So to me, they got to stop Jalen Hurts from running, and they got to stop the rest of that Philadelphia offense from running. And by the way, I would rather see Carson Rentz Wentz out there than Jalen Hurts running around with the football. So make it's still an upset about that Baltimore defense that Mike Rola
ran out there. Hey, I got a question for you, Mick. I know, I know you said the neon I think I saw the neon sign flashing too. I don't know if you saw that as well. Maybe it was just me blinking a lot, but but San Francisco came in here and did what they did. We didn't necessarily stop them a whole bunch, right, they were running the ball like they wanted to. My question is, and my concern, I know you're talking about the skinny the skinny secondary
guy coming down there. But I feel as if we almost have to bring in a secondary guy to guard if they do go two tights with these tight ends, because these tight ends can get off the ball. These tight ends are both dangerous and Jalen It likes to throw to these guys and he's gonna put it on the money, So he's gonna body up some smaller guys and he's gonna run by the linebackers. So both of you, so what what do you do as a defensive coordinator
if you're if you're facing these guys. If I'm the de coordinator, I'm gonna bring my my extra safeties in. I know, we got about thirty of them now right, We're gonna bring one of my extra safeties in. And I'm gonna tell these guys put your hands on these guys at the line of scrimmage and disrupt it. And if they run the ball, you need to get on the outside and shoot and hunker down and have leverage.
And I hope that your boys come home from the inside. Well, the thing I can the thing I worry about also is one of the things he started doing these last couple games is playing a five man line with Dorin's armstrong acting like a strong side linebacker that he's not, by the way. And so now once you miss a gap, you only got one linebacker standing there, and it's it's Katie Barr the door you're gone. To me, that second level of the defense is non existent when you do that,
and I think that causes problems. I worry about him running. I know he threw for three hundred yards last week, but the first week he started, he ran for one hundred yards. And we saw what Lamar Jackson did running the ball. We saw what Kyler Murray did running the ball. They've got to figure out how to stop that before they earned the right to rush the quarterback. So, menike, let me say this. So when we say the defense is playing better, we're saying, look, they didn't give up
three hundred yards. They gave a bunch of fifty yards over the business in last place. We gotta find a civil lining to all of this. Obviously, you know you gotta line up and stop the run for the Eagles. True, but you can't. Maybe you can't take away everything in our Achilles Hill has been the amount of yards that we've been giving up in the running game. So as long as they don't go for three hundred, yeah, we
should be okay. No, as long as they take the ball over, tike the ball away four times, they're okay. If you don't get those takeaways. San Francisco had four hundred and fifty eight yards. I forgot I put the quarterback. It was a backup quarterback and they had four hundred and fifty eight yards. Come on, all right, let's take a break here. Nicky's fired up and I love fired up, Mickey. I love fired up, Mickey. I do want to discuss
some comments that Ezekiel Elliott made to the media. Also Kellen Moore's job status and that possibly he could be moving on to an excellent opportunity if it comes this way, and so the most disappointing thing that three guys have had to check out this year. This is a scrambled edition of the Players Lounge. I'm knew We Scruggs along with Harrison, Isaiah Standback and Mickispagnol on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. Hey, they're Cowboys fans with ty Cleaners at
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living life the Cowboys Way. Copyright twenty twenty Bank of America Corporation. We're back in a tasty treat that's sweeping airwaves and taste buds. It's new Doctor Pepper and cream soda. Let's take a listen and cream sodas he a new combone that's music to my years. Okay, doctor times, music to my ears and mouth. New Doctor Pepper and cream Soda. Delis do to the players loud. Here we are on
a Christmas Eve of the players londs. We got to scramble today, all right, the no buried Church, No Danny mcgraide. They'll be back with me on Monday. We'll be at our two thirty pm Central starting time. But today we got heck my Harrison, Isaiah stand back and Mickey Spagnola doing it with me. Nui scrugs and um let me dive into one ezekiel alliet. This has been the most disappointing year of Zeke's career, and he missed last week this game with a calf injury, says he wants to play.
This is what Ezekiel had to say about people calling for his job because Tony Pollard looked good last last week filling in for him, and he said, quote, at the end of the day, those people aren't signing my checks. Those aren't the cats that are making the final decision. I think there's a reason they're not the ones making
those decisions. I don't think it really matters. Hackman's going to start with you your thoughts on Ezekiel Elliott and what he had to say, because there are people who were disappointed in his performance this year, and you've seen social media, some people saying he's overrated. Some people say it's a bad deal your tech. Yeah, I mean fair
enough from ezekiel standpoint to say that. And this has just been one of those things in twenty twenty that people have been talking about him and losing a burst, losing burst and not being what he used to be
in years past. And he hears the whispers from that, especially like you said, on social media, but he has to keep his blinder zone and not pay attention to things like that, and even the people that are saying that Tony Pollard was that much better of a running back than him on last Sunday, Obviously we're not looking at the carriers and numbers before that forty yard touchdown Birst.
So look, I think for it's about getting his health back, about having those OTA's training camps, and really coming back stronger next year. This has been an off year, and the people and the people that are not given credit to the fact that he has been running behind a beat up offensive line and not been and hasn't been able to be the running back that he had been in the past. I just I think that they are
looking at this and they're being very short sighted. It's not a beat up offensive line, it's a second rate offensive line. What you said, they ain't got nobody that can block, you know, if you can't protect the quarterback, which makes you think you can block through the running game, and you know, you guys said these people who are
these people? Did these people realize that Tony Pollard had ten carries for twenty three yards before his last two carries for forty six yards, he was averaging two point three yards of carry. It wasn't because of his talent. It was because that offensive line can't run block and they have been able to run block all season long. Once they lose three starters, and to me, you guys, and you tell me if you think so or not, think lost four starters because I think Tyler Beidis had
won that starting center job. Ye. Yeah, you guys are on the money for all those people. First of all, let me address Zeke. Zeke, um bro, don't don't listen to these casts. So every understands. Everybody's gonna have an opinion regardless. Everybody has an opinion. You don't have to agree with it or you can roll with it. Either way, they're gonna have an opinion. Okay, So don't have to listen to it. You don't even have to respond to
these people when you talk about these people, Mick. These people are the people out there that are just again they like like like like Zeke said, they're not signing in a check, so I really can't care less what they have to say. Right, Zeke is still Zeke. Let's not get it mixed up. He had he had a couple of bad games where he fumbled. Last time I checked. I think every player and goes through a series of
bad games. It happens, It happens. Okay, nobody's talking about Russell Wilson fell off, right, And Russell Wilson he's had he's had some bad games this year. Right, So you're you're you're allowed to have bad games. Right. The thing that sucks here is your you're a Dallas cowboy. You just got a big contract. Oh and by the way, you know, um now you're playing with your third and
fourth string, you know, office alignment. Oh okay, yeah, that's that's a perfect, perfect concoction for for a great year. It's not realistic. People, And like Mick just just talked about, you know, it doesn't matter if it's Tony Pollard, It doesn't matter if it's Zeke uh em it unless you go get Barry Sanders back there, who who historically played with a bad office a line. He's the only person that's gonna make some of these plays positive. And that's
the reality of the matter. If you can't get past the line of scrimmage, what versus there to see? What's what? What? What versus there to see? What Tony Pollard is is a is a is a third down back right type scat back who's who's who. His job is to get those third down conversions and to be receiving back. That's what he does well. Zeke is a power back whose job is to gree in there, empower that thing up
in there and guess what. Oh, by the way, when those guys decided to blitz, I'm gonna make him pay for it. That's what Zeke is there for. And you paid him based upon the success that he was having with that offensive line, not the success he's having without the offensive line. So give the man a chance. Get off his back. I don't there care who it is
back there. They're gonna struggle with this officsive line, as Mick said, and they're playing with bad pad level and you can't you can't get you can't get underneath nobody, you can't move anybody out the way. This is why I enjoy this scramble right here, getting different perspectives from guys on this. Let me switch to the offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore. Kellen Moore is a legend at Boise State University.
He finished with a fifty and three record as a starting player from two thousand and seven to two thousand and eleven. Brian Harrison left the Broncos went to Auburn University. One of the things he spoke about was he wanted Boise State to get out of the Mountain West because he doesn't feel like they can make making in the College Football Playoff in that league. So he decided, you know what, I'm just gonna leave myself. So he's now in the SEC. The job is open for the first
time since two thousand and one. Kellen Moore, is this the best opportunity and the opportunity that he wants to go be the head coach to go home at Boise State University? Do you think it'll happen? I'll start with you, Mickey spagnol, Well, I think it comes down to what his priorities are. Does he want to be a college coach or does he want to be an NFL coach? And as we've seen lately in the NFL, if you're an awfully good coordinator, no matter how young you are,
you just might land a head coaching job. If you go to Boise State and you still want to be an NFL head coach, then it's a stepping stone job, right, And you got to ask yourself do I want to recruit? Do I want to have to go out there in this day and age and sell myself to some seventeen and eighteen year old kid, or do I want to sit here in one of the top franchises in the National Football League and continue to make my name for myself and I know who my orderback is, by the way,
even keep them healthy. So yeah, I think it comes down to him. I mean, didn't he have this opportunity to be the offensive coordinator there a year or two ago and he decided to stay here? So uh, and you know what happens here when Jerry wants to keep an assistant coach, you know, he'll tell them, so that I think it comes down to what his priorities are, because I think absolutely they want him to come back
and be the head coach. If I'm if I'm calling Moore, There's no way I leave the Cowboys to go be the coach of at Boise State, even with all of his you know, popularity at Boise I just feel like he's been knighted by the organization to be you know, the heir apparent. Maybe when you know McCarthy's era is over, um so to you know, I just don't feel as though that would be a move that he would make. Right now. There's so many things that he has working
for him, especially with getting this offense started. In the numbers that he's been putting up. You know, he's gonna have some success in this league pretty soon. And I think with the Cowboys, as soon as we can get our defense to where it needs to be and obviously not have the substantial injuries that we've had up front, and just you know, oh, by the way, Dak Prescott going down. Look, I think we would be talking about
Kellen Moore. We wouldn't even be talking about Kellen Moore in the Boise stage job if Dak was healthy this year and we had, you know, a full arsenal of guys. Yeah know, you guys hit on it. It's like the it's like Heckma's twelve foot Christmas tree that he has back there in the background. You know, if that if you have a if you have a real shiny ornament at the top, right, it's just sparkling, right, it's just kind of glimmering at you. You know, that's Boise State, right,
and it's up there. It's like I can go up there and I can grab that thing, right, but I risk everything else below it just tumbling, right, is it? Is it really worth going out there and taking that opportunity when there's building blocks to being the head coach potentially the Dallas Cowboys or any other organization. Here, you guys already said it. He's he's groomed, he has been knighted. Um, he is one of Jerry's boys. Now, you're a good right,
You're in the club. You know you're You're like Mickey you you're in the club. Man, you ain't going nowhere. You know both the floor, You're bolted to the floor, man, three quarter inch. So he's you know, he's gone. He's in a perfect position right now. Continue to build, continue to develop. Um, I personally don't think that he would even be ready for that for that position. Here's too much. There's a lot of management that comes with being the
head coach of a whole collegiate program. Um. So no, he'll be here, and you guys, you guys need to understand. I've moved around so much at the Star and here around at the Ranch, and every move I made it was closer to the door. Okay, all right, I'm gonna push up. Go ahead, let me push back on Kellen Moore here. Bear Bryant once said, when Mama calls you go, and Bear Bryant loved it at Texas A and m and took Let's money to go back to Alabama as
it was home. And I think if the people of Boise Stay lean on him and say Kellen, we really want you here, I think he goes because it's home and it's your program. It's about you. Look, and I think Mickey, you can back this up because you've covered this and up when you're here with the Dallas Cowboys. Even if you're the head coach, you know who's really the star. You know who the big You know who the big guy is is Jared. We need to go to Boise Stay. You're the star, you're the head coach.
It's your program. I think Kelly Moore's plays that he calls here, I think these plays would be excellent at the collegiate level. And I'll also follow this up with this because I've said it on the show with Barry and Danny. I think Mike McCarthy misses calling plays that he likes calling plays. And if Kellen Moore's gone. That guy gets that big old play sheet back. I mean, this guy every week has this huge play sheet. I'm like, why do you need that big old play sheet if
you're not calling old plays? This man wants to calls and plays. So I think that Kelly Moore goes this thing, puts Mike McCarthy where he wants to be. And I go back to when Wade Phillips, who is the head coach here, and he have Bryan Stewarts defensive coordinator, and they moved Stewart out and Jerry said, hey, wait, I want you here to call plays because this is what you do best. And I think that Mike McCarthy calling plays with the Dallas Cowboys in twenty twenty one, would
kellamore be in the head coach of Poyson State. Maybe a win win. I don't know about your example there newly with Brian Stewart, because that was Wade's biggest mistake. The reason he gets head coaching jobs is because he's a good defensive coordinator. And why would you hand off what's your best at to somebody else that wasn't very good at it? Right? And I used to have the
same opinion of Jason Garrett. You got the job because you were an offensive coordinator, and then a year or two after you got the job, you handed it off to somebody else, right, and then in the end you didn't see eye to eye with that guy very well. So to me, the reason you get a head coaching job is because you did something well as a core coordinator, and then you give up what you did well and you're going to depend on somebody else. I wouldn't do that.
I'd be afraid of that. And I think Mike McCarthy's very comfortable because it was his idea to bring or to keep Kellen Moore here. And if you remember the first press conference he said, he said that if I hadn't gotten this job, I had my eye on Kellen Moore to bring him along wherever I went as my
offensive coordinator. So he may have that play sheet, and Jason Garrett had the play sheet too, and it's the head coach's prerogative that if he doesn't like the play call, it's like, ah, wait a minute, here, let me change that. Let's think about doing this. So and the other thing I think you need to understand with the offensive coordinator and Isaiah helped me out here, But he doesn't sit there with a roller decks during the game and say, let me call this. They've got this planned out as
a staff going in when we're in this situation. Here's what we want to do. You can pick these three plays in this particular situation. So I think Mike McCarthy is very comfortable with the guy that has been very creative trying to figure out how does he compensate for an offensive line that had can't hold down the line
of scrimmage. And that's why you see all these what Warren Powers used to say when he was the head coach at Missouri, these gingerbread plays, all the little fancy things he's trying to do to get the ball out on the perimeter because they can't run between the tackles. I don't disagree, you know, let's hear it. Let's hear it.
Let's hear the point. No, I believe you break up a good point, nui about Mike McCarthy and his play calling and what we've what we've been historically used to seeing from coach Mike McCarthy, and people don't give any credit anymore to the fact that Mike McCarthy was doing video conferences with his offense and trying to, you know, get these guys acclimated with his system of what he
wanted to do. It only made sense that he stayed with what Kelly Moore had been doing but previous previously, not don't rock the boat or change anything too much. But look, I just feel like this offseason, both of these guys are gonna have to get on the same page, and it's gonna come down to the health of this team and being able to go forward with it, but offensively and just the play calling part of it. I don't believe that Mike McCarthy has given up as much
of it as we think he has. Yeah, and I think all of its pretty much speculation obviously, because we're not in those meetings and we don't understand who's really in control. We know, we know what Mike McCarthy and what his history has shown. But you know, to Mickey's point, he did, you know, he did give give up his responsibilities to Kelly Moore. And my only issue with Kelly Moore has been just that make all the glitz and
glamor that he did up until last week. Last week, those that glitz and glamor was misdirection, it was it was it was just literally to throw off the you know, it's smoking it was just smoking guns. You know, it was just to throw off the other team. But it was still within the confines of your offense. And that's the stuff that works. That's the stuff that our defense has had issues with. In terms of guys running across motions.
You're setting up plays series in advance, games in advance, right, giving them these looks in preparation for it working this one time. For those that don't know, you know, this stuff is mapped out. You know, this stuff is mapped out far in advance. You know the players that they're gonna run you know this this weekend. They set those plays up two or three games ago. So this is stuff that they work on. These play calls, these play
sheets that you guys are talking about. You know, these are three, four or five hundred plays deep sometimes and you know we used to sit through and pick these things apart play by play, series by series. I mean, it's so down to the analytics where it'd be third and five and literally you're walking the huddle and be like, okay, you remember when when we come out on this personnel.
They're thirty seven percent of the time they're blitzing like these are the numbers that are popping up in your head because this is the stuff that you that you literally go over every single day, so they know exactly
what the doing. My only issue with Mike McCarthy this year has been what he's allowed to come across across that microphone, you know, to Mickey's point, Like I said, I've said it on Talking Calboys before when I was with the Patriots and I was, you know, and I was a little you know, clipboard clipboard quarterback when I first got there. You know, I would hear player certain play calls come across from Billy O'Brien and Bill Belichick would just say, no, run it, and that was it.
He's like, okay, all right, we're running it, and that was it, you know. So he has that he has that authority. And think about this, guys, and this is
no coincidence. The side of the ball that they kept continuity with from last year has been more productive than the side of the ball that they tried to come in and reinvent the wheel with, right, So there's something to be said for continuity, and let's not forget what this offense was due and when Dak Prescott was in there and before Ben Denucci and Karrot Gilbert has you wagon throwing the quarterback right, his name is Wagon. Let's take a break here. Let's take our final break on
Talky Cowboys. You've got to come with some predictions here as the Cowboys get ready to host the Eagles. And I want to get the guys take on something that Mike McCarthy says he's going to do on Christmas Day for his football team. We'll do that as the players on scramble continues right here on Dallas Cowboys dot com. Ready eats game Day. You know what that means. First, cubob prep steak Pepper runnion. Steak Pepper Runnion. Next, a
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home pickup and delivery today. To the Players Loud All right, Players Up Scramble edition right here? Oh on Christmas Eve, I'm knew he Scruggs joined by Miki Spagnol Isaiah, stand back at Heckmharrison here getting you're ready for Cowboys Eagles final Cowboys home game with you. It will be at and T Stadium. It's Christmas Eve. The Cowboys are holding practice right now as we speak indoors now Christmas Day. Mike McCarthy has decided that the Cowboys will not practice.
He's giving the players that day for themselves. He says they should be at home with their families. Isaiah, take me back to your time with Bill Belletch. Check how did he work things, And what did he think about Mike McCarthy giving the Cowboys Christmas day off. Yeah, no, I don't. I don't know about days off. Man. I think we I think I think we came in. I think we came in a little later. If if I
remember correctly, I think we came in late bid day. Uh, if I remember correctly, yeah, I think that's what it was. For my time. I don't remember ever having a day off for Christmas. But that's awesome that he feels confident that those guys are prepared to do that. I'm it's a it's a fine line because the fact that the matter is playoffs are still on the custom that's the reality. I know it doesn't probably sound good or even sound realistic, but um, that's the reality. So days off this close
to that run, I don't know. I would. I would probably just have those guys coming in at twelve o'clock so that they can wake up and enjoy the morning with their families. You know what, let me bring some perspective to that day off on Friday. Uh. You know, Mike McCarthy changed the practice routine for the Cowboys, where normally Friday was the last day of practice Saturday was a walkthrough. Well, now he gives them the walkthrough on Friday and they practice on Saturday, so that Friday happens
to be Christmas. Basically the walkthrough, they'll double up on Saturday, which is as Isaiah knows, it's like a meeting on the field. Everybody runs out, Okay, second kickoff team, go out there. It's not really a practice practice. So basically they're getting out of meetings. They'll probably go a little bit longer today. And then he said today in his conference call that they'll have what he calls mock game
is the walkthrough. They'll have that. They'll have two things on Saturday, and it's a home game, so now you don't have to traut revel. But Isaiah's right whether the former coaches here, when when Thanks getting, i mean Christmas got in the way of practice, it was like, okay, everybody come in at two o'clock. I know, that's kind of what Jason Garrett used to do. But then Saturday, basically you came in ten o'clock. By eleven, you had
the day to yourself. You were done. So he just taken the walkthrough, move it to Saturday and give him Friday off, so they're missing a couple of meetings. They'll double up today and double up on Saturday. So I don't know if he's you know, acting like Santa Claus
here's a Christmas President. Oh, And I believe that Mike McCarthy knows the pulse of this team and everything that these guys have been through health wise, and if if Friday was just gonna be a walkthrough, and they've made up for that by doubling down on more things through this week than you know, Look, kudos to those guys being able to get Christmas Day off, Like you said, Isaiah, not a lot of teams will do that. You'll still have to come in later. Doesn't matter if it's all
walk through or what have you. But I just trust that Mike McCarthy knows and has his hand on the pulse of this team and knows what's gonna work best for those guys. Maybe that's something that galvinizes them because they realized that he trusts them with the whole preparation process. You know. The other thing he's done these last last week and this week as he shortened the practice, it's
kind of the last three games. He said He's normally done that when he was at Green Bay, just to get the guys off their legs and let him recuperate a little bit. More so, he's he's taken about twenty minutes off the Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday practice just to shorten things up, to try to keep his guys as fresh as possible going forward, because the last thing you do is leave your game on the field on Friday and then Saturday Sunday you're worn out, all right.
Prediction time here, Cowboys are a two and a half point dog to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys have to win this game. They lose this game, they're not gonna be able to win the East and make the playoffs. So heck, I'm starting with you. I kind of have a feeling I know where you're going, but I'm gonna start with you. Man. It look no, it's not I'm everybody knows me no that There's no way that I would ever pick the Philadelphia those periods. Correct, I'm incapable
of doing that. I just can't. And I just feel like in a must win game situation for these guys and everything that they've been through all year with the media, dogs and them fans everybody else. This is a game that they know that they have to show up for here they T and T Stadium. So I'm taking the Cowboys in seventeen to ten was my prediction. Wow, you got Mike Nolan holding somebody to ten points. Okay, Okay, I do okay, okay, okay, all right, Isaac, what you got? Yeah,
it's not that I'm gonna go with Now. I'm going with the Cowboys on this one. I think that they find a way. I think that they have enough fight. They've been through enough this year, They've overcome enough of adversity that they're gonna realize and acknowledge the fact that, hey, shoot, if we take care of business today in Washington loses, it's a week seventeen showdown, right, So it's a week's show that we actually have a real chance at this.
And I think they realized that. I think that they're going to refuse to allow Philly to come in here and smack them upside to hey like other teams have. So I think the Dallas wins twenty four seventeen, twenty four seventeen, The Voice of Reason, Mickey Spagnola. So I see there's an Everson Walls and the Nate Newton on every team. I never you get podcasts right, never pick against the Cowboys. Right. Well, guess what. I finally am eligible to pick them to win because I think after
they lost to I think it was Baltimore. Maybe I can't remember what the loss was, but I said, I will not pick them to win again until they win too straight. And I was running out of games, right, and now they won two straight, so I picked in blues all these games that they've won here in the last five five games, but they're they're two point underdogs. They were four point underdogs to San Francisco, and I
thought this was funny. All the guys covering the team in San Francisco area picked the Cowboys to win, and all the people here in Dallas picked San Francisco to win, right, and nobody got Only the San Francisco people got it right right. They knew their team. So now that I got the opportunity to pick them to win, because I thought they would win last week, but I couldn't pick them.
I'm going twenty four, twenty three. I just think that they will have just enough offense to be able to beat Philadelphia and just enough defense to squeak by and win this game against a rookie quarterback who now people know a little bit more about what he's all about on the field. You've got two starts to study. Jalen Hurts, all right, I'm going to keep my word what I said yesterday on the playoff lads, which was a twenty
seven twenty one Philadelphia. When this is not Nick Mullins, this is not Brandon Allen and Mickey you already alluded to it. They gave up one hundred and fifty yards to San Francisco, and you knew what they wanted to do. And this is when you saw Mostard go down and then Wilson came in. He went down, and they were still out here running, bringing Tevin Coleman in. I've got I got to see this team stop the run. That's
my biggest concern here. I'm just I just don't trust mister Nolan and then not having Woods, not having um Lake vander esh. I think these are gonna be some issues for the Cowboys, but we shall see. We shall see. It's fifteen minutes afterward. I don't want to push our producer, Chris Beam on Christmas Eve, he's got things to do, so Mickey Isaiah, Hey, thank you so much for coming on here. It was a lot of fun to be
on the players. So I talked to my hotels dot com with you guys, have a blessed and great Marry Christmas, and we do not have any shows tomorrow. Enjoy your Christmas Eve and we'll enjoy Cowboy football on Sunday and we're back to talk about all the Cowboy podcasts on Monday. Take care, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Holidays, everybody. Merry Christmas, d Christmas. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.