The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. Cowboys, This is Mick Shot, streaming live on Dallascowboys dot Com and the official Dallas Cowboys at and now your hosts, Mickey Spagnola, Everson Walls, Nate Newton, and Bill Jones.
On this foggy, hazy, cool morning from Oxnard, California, we bring you our last mix shots of training camp here in Oxnard, California. Nathaniel Newton, Mickey Spagnola, we are braving the sixty four degree temperatures here and as you guys are watching, we had to go to long sleeves today. Nate on this kind of I don't know, it's I don't know if it's drizzling or what.
Do you think? It is?
Just the beautif and nice and cool.
That's hazy drizzling. It is beautiful to me. May Well ready to.
Go, beautiful to be here with Nate, myself and the Cowboys will have their last padded practice of training camp later this morning, Thursday. They'll do a walk through. They've got a short walkthrough scheduled for Friday before wheels up going to Seattle for their second preseason game that will start Central Time at nine pm in Seattle, So you know what that.
Means, get home very very late.
I saw the itinerary and the projection was we would show up at DFW charter site at six oh five am.
Wow, Enjoy you said, so.
If anybody wants to come and greet us as we from training cap, feel free to do so. But we've certainly got a lot to talk about here. On mix Shots and Nate, we got a chance to listen to Zach Martin talk about his holdout and getting the extension that he was not extension, the adjustment to his two years last two years on his contract with the Cowboys.
And we also see where Ezekiel Elliott signed a deal a one year deal with the Patriots and the Cowboys will have to face him on October first, since he went to the New England Patriots. Did you ever want to play for Bill Belichick?
No?
No, I know he's a great coach, but nah.
But I want to get back to Zach man give us some of the information that he gave you doing this right.
And I thought that the key thing was that, you know, he said he this had been on his mind, that he wanted to get this adjustment to his contract, felt like he deserves it. So basically what the Cowboys did. He was looking for an extra six million dollars in each of his last two years on the contract. He ended up agreeing to four million more for each of the year, so they stuffed eight point five million into the final two years of his contract. He gets four
this year, four and a half next year. But here was the key thing. And as a player, Nate, you, I'm sure will herald this that this is what you want. When he walked off and he was getting ready to go into the workout room, there said so the last two years are guaranteed. Now, how important was it was that? And he goes that was the most important thing to me, that they guaranteed the last He was out of guarantees on his contract, on his base salaries, and he got
them guaranteed. And when he got those guaranteed, that he felt like the compromise of less money that he was looking for was fine because that's what he wanted. Because he told me, I don't want to have I didn't want to have to go through this again next year, meaning have to play on the final year of your contract and not have it guaranteed. So to me two players, guarantees are really important in this day and age of the NFL.
Especially when you're in the back end of your contract and your career. In your career, like Zeke is on the back end of his contract, and that's why he's in the position he's in. Dad was on the back end of his contract, So that's why he was in the position. And that's what you're gonna start seeing players do now. They're gonna say, you know what, They're gonna go to management and say, okay, you owe me, say fifteen million dollars over and then the next year you
owe me sixteen but none of it is guaranteed. They may say, well, let's go for twelve both years and both of us guaranteed. I'd rather get some money guaranteed and may lose maybe eight to ten million dollars, but I have a guaranteed contract that guarantees me to this team and another year of performance.
And if you look at at Zach, he turns thirty three this year, Yes, sir, turns thirty four next year, and then that's the end of his contract. And so what happens the next year when during the season he would turn thirty five. Yes, right, and who knows does he want to keep playing? Is he able to playing at the level he's playing? Right? And a lot of guys, you know, if if they're not able to sustain the level of ability, they'll they'll retire a.
Couple of years ago.
Yeah, yeah, with Travis Frederick. So anyway, Uh, it got settled. I thought the funniest thing I heard from his teammates when he when he returned. We were interviewing Terrence Steele, and they asked Steele how happy it was to have Zach back, and he said, I hugged him forever when he entered the room.
And that is why you you.
I try to explain that people the value of a guy like that, and and and people are never understanding.
Uh. And I know who else hugged him? Be oddish? Yeah, Uh, when you have when you have a.
Guy that can solidify your offensive line in every area, mentally in the classroom, technique, wise, in the classroom, teaching guys, showing guys, then come out on the field and mentally and physically do this.
This is what I was talking about. Look at this, look at that.
This is how you step, this is how you do this, This is how you move a guy.
This is how you set up a guy. And I saw.
Ball just in his back pocket every way when talking to him, talking to him, talking to him, because Ball was a tackle last year. Now he's a guard. Different techniques, just subtle, different techniques. And I'm just watching these people just talking to him, talking to him.
He just fell right back into the leadership role.
And it just made me feel good because I'm sitting here saying, how many shows can we sit here and ignore this this hole because it's gonna become a physical things. What's the season starting? So I'm so glad he's back. We don't know whether he'll get hurt, but he's even if he does, he'll be tremendous in that in that room and helps give.
A guy's confidence.
Still, you don't know what it meant for Still what four years ago when he first got here and he was working with with the butcher or the President that's you know, the team called him the butcher.
I call him the President.
Uh.
When when when a guy that's all pro, parental, y'all pro, walk up and say, hey, I like working with you.
Hey man, let's watch film together. We'll we'll work together. And did he tell the media that and to coach that I like working with this guy? Come on now, no.
Matter what the world is saying, while this kid going through his ups and downs in his earlier part of his career, this guy know he's got somebody's that's loving on him. That's a tremendous thing, NICKI.
And think about it. Uh, without him there, this was a very inexperienced offensive line, right, nobody is with more than three years of experience except for Tyron Smith right. And now uh you get Zach back in there. So the offensive line as they move forward is set Tyron Smith left tackle, Tyler Smith left guard, Tyler Battish center, Zach Martin right guard, and Terrence Steele, who looks like
he has recovered from his ACL surgery right tackle. And so now the thing on the offensive line is gotta finds some Richards.
Ball you met a uh t J Bassnifman and Fourniac right and and what losco those are your five guys that are fighting right.
Like you know what for these backup roles they are now now the competition intense because you don't get to you get all the preseason, but now your reps get limited because now the coaches have to start giving true rookies and first year guys more reps as time go on. So now it get condensed because the butcher is back. Now you gotta whereas you was getting twelve reps, maybe getting six. So they the narrow or the margin of wrongness that you can do wrong gets narrow.
So Zach Martin jumped into drills yesterday. It was individual drills. They're gonna let him ramp up, yes, and so he'll do the same thing today, think about it. And then it's a walk through Thursday, an early walkthrough Friday. You don't do anything on Saturday during the game. So he'll get back into padded practices fully on Monday when we get back to the Star and he so the first team offensive line will be set, and now they'll have what two and a half weeks or so to get
ready for the season opener. And I think as much as I'm sure Zach was working while he was missing, that'll be enough time to get him oh the coordination of the offensive line right, So yeah, he was obviously happy to be back. And I thought this was interesting.
So someone asked him about did the fines that he was incurring that he has to pay for missing training camp practices while under contract, and he said, well, you know, the way I looked at it is making more, making more money to offset what I'm losing.
Yeah, he lost but Brady eight hut, but he gained four meal this year, so he just got three three point.
Two, that's all.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, I uh, sometimes you gotta make money, you lose money.
To make money. Yes, yes, yes.
I thought that was a pretty good perspective on the whole thing. And you know, and he said, the other key thing to getting this done is remember the Cowboys went back last weekend for play that game, and he got an opportunity to talk to owner Jerry Jones face to face. Uh and and felt like that really, you know, moved things in the right direction for him and for the team because they needed him right and they're not gonna play without him, and he was not gonna miss
a paycheck. Uh So it's all good that, you know, ends.
Well, yeah, you know, we we and I'm not one of them guys, y'all know me. I'm not one of them guys that played it every year. Super I don't know play that game. That's a dangerous game, that's false hope. But I feel I feel this year that this team is special and I feel that they have a chance to win the second round and have them and get into the NFC Championship game. I don't know how that will play out, but I feel like, if health prevails, these guys should be without a doubt, and this in
the NFC Championship game. And uh, and we need it's like six or seven players I think we need in order for that to happen.
So let's.
You mentioned the five backups that they're using on the second team. You can't probably keep all five. You're not going to keep ten offensive line usually eight to nine. Somebody forces the issue of those guys, which which one of them?
Have you seen that you think? Okay? These guys are I like him? Yeah, I like him.
He played he he he pulled a Tyler Smith left guard, left guard, left guard, oh, left tackle in a preseason game exactly, and and and I like that, you know. And and he went out there and he gave up a sack. If you know football, I ain't gotta explain it. See if you don't, too bad for you on this one. I just like him.
Uh. Then I like t J. Fast.
I like him. He's a young guy. But you gotta give Matt a chance at that center. I don't think he could be your guard. Yeah, unless it's just a short stint guard center and you got the Hoffman kid Rock Hoffman.
You gotta you gotta give him a look.
Uh.
And I think they're gonna it's Tuma a dogga. I think they're gonna keep him. I would like to really see.
And he's gotta get he's got to get healthy. He's out. He's been out all last week. Uh, he's got he he suffered a hyper extended knee which caused a bone bruise. I will to him, and that's what he's trying to get recovered from. They are hoping that he can get back next week. So it's a guy that has some experience. We got to see if that experience means more than how he's performed so far. Yeah, because he's somewhat struggled. So they've they've got to find at least three backups.
Well Lascow and uh, Josh Ball, those are you Those are your dogs in this fight. Those are your dogs that are in this fight just by my opinion. You know, you can you can say that uh instrument is in this deal, a center or.
Earl Bostic is in this deal.
But these next two preseason games, look at who they start, right, it's gonna be big and who they start.
And and everybody will say, well, these preseason games they're they're not important. Well they are to figure out who these backup offensive linemen are. Because you you've got what you got. No one's coming to fall out of the sky, right.
And can you You gotta be careful when you give up draft capital and money. You gotta be careful, especially doing It's one thing to be four or five games into the season, yeah, but not not now on you just wait during the you know, you know, a couple of weeks after the preseason is over.
And you mentioned and maybe they were listening to you with Farniac, they haven't that guard. Well it practiced these last couple of days they had them back at the center.
Meg.
The thing film hurts you and film helps you. Should I put first the positive Film helps you and film hurts you. And once a guy sees something and it's devastating, they're gonna use it. Against you, and they these people have always known, the coaches that he has short arms, right, But he's been the last few years, been able to get the perfect punches or get the perfect grab, and it hadn't but it was exposed badly.
And I know what's gonna happen to him now. Every guy that goes in.
They gonna bull rushing bull rushing bull, and that's not gonna be a good thing for him. But at center, it's closer, you get closer it for some reason, defensive linemight love to get right up on that center and short arms don't play a big part in that.
And we're gonna take a break here in a second. But that backup guard spot, to me is important because if anything happens at the tackle position long term, Tyler Smith goes to tackle, I think you gotta find a guard then.
And that's why I'm saying that guard. That's why I mentioned more guards than I did than I did tackles, because you're gonna have to find another ball player.
That's what I'm thinking of.
Maybe two weeks in or three weeks in the season start, maybe somebody will fall fall into us.
You know, right, all right, that's Nate Newton, I'll Mickey Spagnola, and we'll continue from Oxnard, California with mix shots on Dallascowboys dot Com.
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To mixed shots.
Kpost Roofing and Waterproofing, the official roofer of the Dallas Cowboys, and we continue with a craggy voice, little I call it. I think I need some water. And you know what, they emptied the machines already.
But you but you're not a chameleon like me.
All right.
See if I get thirsty, I can change and I can suck water.
So you gotta be a Marvel comic guy.
Maybe maybe I can take this fog just like all right, I need a little bit. As we continue on mix Shots presented by Miller Lite, the only beer of the Cowboys. It is only beer Miller time. Maybe in about five or six seven hours, right, if if you twist my.
Arm, Okay, I gave up drinking, but I used to get down.
I bet you could. I bet you could. So we talked about Zach Barton being back. The other big news since we did last did mix Shots, Michaeh Parsons ends up signing a one year deal with the New England Patriots. And I say, Michaeh Parsons was Ezekiel Elliott.
That was one million dollars.
That was my next That was my next, my next item that we were going to talk about. Because Parsons suffered a strained calf, fusible in practice and uh he missed it was late, yes, so he missed the last kind of dozen snaps or so walked off with his calf wrapped up.
What was his facial expression?
He was not happy about it, right, and he didn't want to talk about it. Somebody said, you know, how did it happen? And it was like, it's evidently he got kicked, and he said, it's just playing football. So how bad is it? He goes, I got to go get it checked out, and that's he kind of just walked off. So we'll see. Uh, if you know, I'm thinking he ain't practicing today, right, And you know.
What, I hate to be mean, but finally we won't have the first eight plays of every every beginning.
Practice mess thank you. They got his ruin more drills and team because they can't block them. And it's not a reflection on I think the Cowboys offensive lineman. He does that to everybody, you.
Know what, so you know it's so disciplined and I used to hate this about Lawrence Taylor. Two, he could run him perfectly around the horn. That is what we want to do every snap. We just know that we can run you around the horn.
Take away you inside rush and just run you around the horn.
Then I can throw my hips around and keep my hand on your hip and just run with you.
Right.
But if you get to the point where it's two steps, he had explosiveness to get away away from you.
And that's what's scary. I watched seventy seven.
Tyron just perfectly punched him, knocked him out.
He came back into Tyrone, Tyron wrote him, and.
He was getting ready to put his hands on the hip to run him. Well, he took off and luckily Dak could step up in the pocket. You know what I'm saying, right, And I was like.
This is not fair, right, this is not fair.
Because he messes up the practice. Right now, whatever play you called, you can't run because he's in the backfield all the time. So we'll see where that goes today. So what I was trying to get to was Ezekiel Elliott signing with the Patriots a one year deal. And you know what, he got a little bit more than when I was saying I wouldn't mind having him back if he was willing to come back for a base
salary of two to three million and then incentives. So he ends up getting a three million dollar base salary, a million dollar signing bonus, and another two million dollars in potential incentives to earn. So it's a one year up to six million dollar deal to go play for the Patriots. He will be the backup to how do you say it, Ramond Ramandre Stevenson? Is there is there starting running back? So and then the the thing is and Mike McCarthy said, you know, he was certainly happy
for Zeke to get the opportunity. And I think it was maybe one two million dollars more than maybe the Cowboys wanted to expend on. And it's against the salary cap and what people need to understand. And the same thing with Zach Martin. It's not Jerry Jones's money, it's the Cowboys money against the cap that you have to be careful about. And then it was pointed out that the Cowboys have to play in New England October first,
and they asked McCarthy about that. McCarthy goes, I'm not looking forward to having to play against Zeke.
Yeah, you know what you know, and.
You know, Zeke was always one of my favorite guys. I remember when we was in doing the show together, me and you and I think Phillips I was doing the show and we were talking about that draft class at the time, and you was sold on Zeke, and I was like, you know this guy, you know, what's the great cornerback that now we played for the Rams and played for Jacksonville at you know before. Well anyway, he's out of Florida State, and I was all about him.
Ramsey.
I was all about Ramsey. I was all about Ramsey.
And a caller called in and said, Nate, you always talking about how you love great running backs and Zeke had just finished running over Oregon for like eight thousand yards.
And he said, I don't understand you, Nate. I mean we need a running back and this guy's right here. From that day on, me and You was like, hey, get this guy. You know what I'm saying. It's always been a zek fan, but.
Time runs out and the money doesn't equal. And the money just did not equal. I always thought in today's NFL three mil, that's big right now, expecially for a guy his age, even because they're giving that to young guys.
So I just thought that if we.
Could get through preseason and neither one of these guys Malik Davis or Donal showed up, that was gonna be the deal. But now you two guys have to show up because there's no Zeke. Because I don't want to go get a guy off the street that don't know our offense or the lingo is different.
Then you gotta adjust a couple of weeks. I don't want that. I want guys that know it.
And they lost their veteran safety net at least for the first two weeks of the season. If indeed he was gonna make the team, Ronald Jones with the injury that he suffered and then not the end, Well he's got an injury now, but he also gets suspended for the first two games. So those two guys that Nate just mentioned are fighting for that backup spot. And then Deuce Vaughan said, hey, you may not be able to see me out there, but I'm here yea. So they're
gonna have to go through that. I was in favor of bringing him back for what I said, basically, maybe three million dollars, and he got a little mud and the other thing I wanted to spell. And I was doing a fan thing yesterday and a bunch of people who saw the picture of Zeke and he cut his hair, trimmed his beard, and they go, oh, see Belichick, have him cleaned up. That was done during the summer. Remember when I told you, well, you weren't on with us.
I ran into him at the Star he was going up to the Cowboys Club and he was all it was a different Zeke. He had cut his hair, trimmed his beard, so it wasn't that. Belichick said, okay, if you clean up, well, well sign you. It was already done. He had changed his appearance before that, so let's not get carried away.
See Meg, I'm glad.
Yeah, you care enough to explain that to people, because you know, one thing I've learned is once somebody has a perception true or not right, you know.
And I just laughed, and oh.
Belichick, I'm like, the last time that happened, I don't even think they do it anymore. Was the Yankees used to have that type of control because they would give you so much money. Right, shave your beard and you got an extra five no facial hair, Yeah, no facial hair.
We'll pay you twenty million dollars more. I'm cutting my hair too, But come on, fellas come on, fans, let's be a little smarter.
So McCarthy got somewhat of a laugh, But I don't think he was joking when he said, I'm not looking forward to having.
To face Zeke. The thing is Zeke has punch, right, he has punch.
And so and now I'll have a little incentive for extra punch.
Yeah.
So, did you ever have to play one of your old teammates anybody lead? And back then, guys didn't leave.
No, you didn't leave, man, and then by the time if you left, you was kind of done.
Yeah.
So I no, not anyone that I can remember, Not anyone that I can remember.
So yesterday at practice, I was going to just throw this out. Uh. George Tegue has been here for the last couple of days. He does some stuff with his CBS eleven. And Anthony Miller was here yes one year. I think it was the ninety seven season.
Yeah, Fast as Greased lightning By played together.
Yeah at Tennessee. Yeah.
Ken Norton, Oh that's right, they beat us. Well, he beat you in ninety four.
Yeah, wow, can't. I don't like you.
That's a good but yeah, so I had to face him. I don't know if there was anybody else, but yeah, that that was one that you would have had to face. Okay, we got a lot more to talk and little time to do it. We'll take this break right now on Mickshots and be back and we're gonna talk Brandon Aubrey the Kicker next on Mickshots.
Do we have to?
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Make sure you come and cheer on these Cowboys. I think we have a great team this year, and.
Those are next Tuesday through Thursday. Yes, sir, so we'll be back at the start picking up in steaks Man.
What I'm full, youngs, because you either act like you colare you trying to deny the fans that love that you should be radiating.
It's an open body.
I'm trying to present like a really important What I'm saying here I saw is one of the former scouts. I saw him do a presentation for somebody that was
going in. It was a county Hall of Fame, and the whole time he talked it was like this, I was going, I gotta try that one time to see if people think, well, this is more important because I got my arms crossed and I'm just so locked into Well, that's right exactly, as we continue here on mix shots, our last mix shots of training camp here in Oxnard, California, and I certainly will miss this. Weather a little chilly
this morning, but that's okay with us, all right. Brandon Aubrey, the Cowboys kicker yesterday, Yes, we do keep track to what he's doing. And yesterday in practice he went eleven of twelve on field goals between twenty six yards and forty two yards, and they were all into that wind, cursed the wind right and kicking toward that goalpost in the ruin of many a kicker, and he was pretty impressive.
The only one he missed was from thirty nine. He was widely and usually when you're kicking at that goal post, they go wide left, So you got to be careful. You got to strike the ball like with authority. It doesn't matter if it's thirty nine. You got to kick it like it's fifty right, got to kick it solid. So he had another good day after a good week last week. He missed the one extra point in the game. In the preseason game, kind of rushed himself. They were
trying to pick up the speed of the operation. Thought it was a little too slow. So, you know what, he doesn't need to rush himself, especially on an extra point. And as it was pointed out to me, one of the good things about his kicks is they get up almost immediately. It's not like he's driving it forward. It gets up and he's got the leg. Now we got to see if he's consistent. And I just saw where Denver had a kicking competition going on between Elliott Frye
and Brett Maherr, and they released fry injured yesterday. So Mars the only kicker right now in Denver and we'll see how that works out for him after having a great regular season with the Cowboys until they got to the playoffs when he missed those four consecutive extra points. So I don't know if anything stood out to you in practice yesterday when they went pads for you know, the next to last time here in ox Nardy.
Yes something stood out to me.
They was doing red zone seven on seven down here, and they were specifically doing five and in where the receivers were either running fade routes, quick slants, whatever, and I.
Had never seen this before.
Coach Al Harris stopped practice after like three reps.
Uh huh he stopped.
He said, hey, hey, hold on, hold on, And I could not hear what he was saying, but he was. He was animated about it.
He was got on the cornerbacks, but I didn't know what he was saying at the time.
Something looking. And then they started back and he got on the refs. Hey man, make a call, do something we needed.
And I'm like wow.
So yesterday I saw him coming in for dinner. I said, coach, what had you so roud? He said, well, Nate, we wasn't we wasn't competing as an offense. Our receivers wasn't competing to their normal you know, uh level.
And they four or five times they just like didn't catch a ball and didn't didn't act like they were interested.
So hey, I need to have competition, he said.
So I went off, you know, and uh it picked up after that too, right, you guys started taking the person, the refs started getting you know, I was like, whoa.
I said, Well everything changed, he said, he said Nate. We gotta compete.
We gotta compete, right, you know I And that's just good to hear man because he was going off out there.
Man, Well they must have picked up the pace because oh when they got to the end of practice, right, do you see the catcher Jayleen Tobart made.
Hey, But they were going off. The receivers was going off, and I saw that Jaylen tober ketch. It was all over there.
And if you haven't seen it, go see it. Yes, it was a catch in the back of the end zone. It looked like it was an overthrow. He got up higher than I thought he can get up. And the neat thing about it was that every part of his body was out the back of the end zone and second for his two feet Yeah, and he stuck those two feet down.
Uh.
And it was one hell of a catch.
See.
I tell people that it's right here, and it no matter whether Dak Cooper or the other kid is throwing him the ball.
Now he is making plays. And that is what I call confidence. It ain't gotta be that. It don't matter who it is, and it don't matter who the DV is.
He is competing and that's all you can ask for a player is to compete to the level that uh, that God has given you.
And he's playing with more confidence. Oh right, yeah, and you saw it in the in the preseason game. He had a couple of catches, but what impressed me was the touchdown catch where he was in the slot but he had to wait for a teammate to run a route to pull the safety and he was patient timing right and he cut underneath and there was no one covering him because he was patient. And he described it
for me the other day and uh, he was. He was like, yeah, he goes, you know, you got you got to run your routes and the timing of them have to be perfect, and they it was on that one. So that showed me a lot that he's improving his route running which turns in to catches.
Right.
So you know, if there was any doubt right now who the fourth receiver is, I think it's Jayalen Tober.
You know, I don't know you would think out the eighty five years and me being around you guys and being around football, I would know at each position how many people they would keep right every year? I mean, how many receivers they keep? You eight, No, natey keep four or five? Well, how many dbs they keep? It ten they'll keep, but what three on.
The roster right right?
I'm like, okay, well, my numbers are all messed up because if you let me tell you, they gonna keep eighty guys.
So if it's if it's the sixteenth today, by the way, Brad Sham's birthday, Yes, sir, he's Uh and Isaiah both the same day.
Wow birthday fellas.
Maybe I don't know how old Isaiah is, but Brad Shamber will celebrate his seventy fourth birthday and going strong doing the Cowboys radio play by play. So the cuts are in thirteen days August twenty ninth. You got to be down to fifty three players, so.
You you already got the receivers and so name you receive as I already got.
I think I got four and they usually keep five and in some cases six, right, And it's going to be interesting to see how they evaluate uh Cavante Turpin as a special teams guy or is now is he an offensive wide receiver?
Run on specially your receiver? Now? Yeah? Yeah, So I mean those tell you four guys, CD.
Lamb, well five Cook Michael Gallach, Michael Gallup, Tobert, Tobert and Turpin. And then Jalen Brooks is pushing, yes, and you got to see if he's he's forcing you to keep maybe six if you can, but if you keep six wide receivers, you probably can't keep as many times.
My quarterback to be sharp for this week, right because I looked at the film and my man, I'm like, whoa, he was kind of off target early.
My man, Cooper Rush, I thought you meant in the game career. Yeah, well, you know what, that was the first game he's played since last year, because otherwise you don't keep three quarterbacks, right.
Well, no, you got to keep three quarterbacks. You don't want what you could put.
One getting in the playoffs and you know, yeah right, and the first two get hurt and then the third one gets hurt and he can't throw the football.
Wow.
But that's what everybody forgets about. How how the Eagles got to the Super Bowl? They played a team without any quarterbacks?
Thank you, thank you? What he bad? The bad men?
So so anyway, the wide receiver position, I mean, and Jalen Brooks is pushing. Now, he didn't really show up in the game but I don't think he got a good opportunity with the quarterbacks thrown to him. But he's been flashing out here. Uh the seventh round pick out of out of South Carolina. But Tobert's been impressive.
He he went because when I saw it was just glancing through.
That's a nice catch way back and saw two or three times just looking at the way his feet was, I mean, and and when he jumped up, you could just say that he was breaming.
Boy.
He was like yeah, yeah, right then well then and then yeah, I think one of the guys uh got it, got the catch on their phone, right, and what was William? William had it and uh they called him over and to look at it, right, and then he called everybody else over to look at his catch to show him that my feet were in bounds.
Man.
It's just it's just good that, uh, that these guys are competing and and and and it's sad to say you won't see this type of continuity in a game because it's preseason and not playing all of these guys the first team quarterback, running back, you know, lineman, so you may.
Not see this type of precision that we get to witness out here in practice.
So are you okay with them maybe not playing?
Yes, car over half. See if they were the only team doing this, you know they would be behind.
But what eighty percent of the teams do.
This are worse, right, you know? I mean at least we do play a few starters here and there. Some of these teams like, no, we are not touching the field. We're gonna practice hard these two days, these two practices out of the week, and that is it, and we're gonna just walk through the rest.
And that's what eight.
And if you think about it, if you count Zach Martin on Saturday twenty six, guys, yeah, that's half your roster.
That's all these starters except de Ron Bland because.
I got him starting this year. Yeah he should starting to last. And then Damon Clark was out there.
That's a man. Huh, that's a man. That's a man. I'm telling you him at thirty three thirty five.
They can say what they want, you know, like we did a show and they're like, well, you know they they wasn't perfect.
Well, you know what, I don't know what perfect is. What I don't know what perfect is.
But we'll see if they play them again because you know, he missed all training camp and then came on and was very productive playing next to vander Esh. You know, somebody asked me who's gonna start at linebacker next to vander Esh? I said, what do you mean?
Damon Clark in thirty three? And I love Cox. I love Jabriel Cox, But.
I'm telling you over Shane.
Mick. You told me about him. Everybody, you need to watch this kid and Nate.
But I've been watching the old line, the tight ends and the wide receivers, and I'm being honest, and then.
I'm watching the game, I'm like, who is this thirty five? Yeah? Yeah, this is the dude.
And you know, and on top of that, he understands the value of being a special teams player. Yes, because if you're kind of a specialty defensive player, you get a roll right probably on the nickel, but you got to be able to play special teams.
If you're a backup and they're gonna start, bro, it's Layton thirty three, thirty five, that's one start, and.
Then you got the the yeah, Parsons however you want to use them.
Parsons is a y'all. This man that tried to tell y'all, I am a defensive end. I'm gonna take your man's word. He's the defensive end. You got Tabrill, thirty five, thirty three late. That's the four linebackers. How many do they keep?
Probably five?
Okay, I don't know who the fifth guy is. Ok you can tell me the fifth guy is. But those four guys I would like to see lining up for the Cowboys in the opener.
Yeah, and I would imagine Cox is in the.
Discussion and lighton that's my four. He was the fifth guy. I don't know who. It could be Harper, Okay, if you say so.
And see what happens at that Mark East Bell Well, I tell you who. They were taking a long along what yeah? Right? And that's what I was getting ready to say. They've been using those strong safeties kind of back. They've been trying to give Malik Jefferson an opportunity. Now he's been out with a injury.
Here here, what does his injury mean?
He's got a I want to say it's a hamstring, I think. And then the only other guy here is your fam You guy is a land He's a lamb.
He's a he's a lamb for this Praxice land Land, he'll lamb for the squad.
Was a lamb.
Yeah, he will land on the practice squad. I talked to coach about him, and uh, he said, Nate, he has a lot to learn at linebacker. You know, we don't have space at defensive end. He sounds willing to wait on this kid if he's willing to work hard.
And Dylan and that and at FAM you he was a defensive man, Yes, sir, but he's not very big.
N and so he say he will take everything that scouts would give. But he said, but a lot of times he liked to ask scouts. You just told me what he can't do. Yeah, tell me what he can do right and what other things he possibly And that's dan Quinn's philosophy. I'll find out what you can't do, but show me what you can do.
Yeah.
And you mentioned Marquise Bell teammates at Florida A and m uh and he led the team and tackles with ten in that first preseason, and.
He didn't like how he played. He said, Nate, I got much I got. I got a lot more to learn, he said, like the tight end got on him. He said, all I had to think was this is the blocking tight end. He's predominantly They never use him in routes. I would have I would have jammed him up even harder, but I thought maybe he would go out on.
A route, so I wasn't as aggressive.
He said, now I got to start playing those little keys that right help you be a better player.
So he's learning well.
On that note, we will close out mix shots here for the final time in Oxnard, California. We will return with our normal lineup Monday from the Star. Myself, Everson Walls, and Bill Jones will but we thank Nate for sitting.
In here of it.
Man came out of the bullpen for mix shots. Back to the old days when we did the shows.
Yes and uh.
We thank Chris Beam for taking care of us here during training camp and keeping our dry. Yes right, especially with this fog here, this beautiful weave.
And I don't care they can call it what they won't. It's beautiful. You got it. They will be crying when we get back to Dallas.
Okay for Nate Newton now, Mickey Spagnola. We thank Chris Beam and that's it for mix shots here on a Wednesday, August sixteenth, go za.
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