Mick Shots: Cowboys Stampede

call a stampede. And yes, this is a victory Monday on a short week at the Star in Frisco. I think we owe this to Bill. I think we owe it to Bill. He came back, came back Friday. I think Actually I wasn't here Friday. Yeah, came back Thursday, left us on Friday Friday. But I did make my pick to click on Friday, calling in on the road, and he almost went ninety nine yards and a half. Tony Pollard, you may we may have to start disqualifying Tony Pollard from our picks to click each week, like

we did Michael Parsons. Did anybody pick him? I beg him. Oh, that's why. That's what I'm saying. So you got all mesmerized by my Tony dorse that memory of the yea nine yards and I was watching it. Yeah, I try. And the point of that pick was Tony Pollard was my pick to click. Okay, I got it. You notice the one week that I get a good pick to click, I bring it up right off the top. Well you should. I didn't notice it too. By the way, Everson is now pulling up the rest of the picks to have it.

I have it, and you better hurry because it's a short week. The Giants will be here before you know it. I had jay Ron, I said, one interception and six tackles at thirty five thirty one, so I was the only one close and reguss to points, So I get that much. Thirty five thirty one, just five points off on the points. Yeah yeah, yeah, uh spacks you haddack three hundred yards and three touchdowns. You'll take a one thirty nine quarterback right yeah? By the way, Yeah, and

you had twenty four only seventh. That was almost his stats in regards to its completion five. Bill had Pollard ninety nine yards. I didn't put the half and your score was Bismo abismo twenty four twenty that's just actually I changed it on Sunday to thirty one twenty seven because that was the score of the Dorset game in nineteen eighty two, the one that you got an interception. Yes, and by the way, Dennis Thurman had to pick six in that game. But the Cowboys lost that game. Did Yeah,

we were we were studs man. Yeah, we were like one of the top collingback due. I was in the history of the NFL. All right, Mickey's perusing his legal pad and he's got page after page of notes that he took in Minneapolis on Sunday. I was just looking at the third and fifteen, at the thirty one, or I guess it was the thirty two because it ended up being a sixty eight or touchdown pass that was

crazy and it was just so well crafted. Well it was a it was a They had a four man rush and there was no pressure and it gave Pollard time to swing out on a wheel route and they got him on fifty eight. Um, Jordan Hicks Hicks right, it was no. He wasn't gonna run with him right, No way. Once he catches it, and then I believe he got another maybe a little bit of a block from Schultz down the field. Didn't need first one. Yeah he didn't write, Yeah, yeah he didn't. He didn't need it,

and Packer Peterson was no match. It's like, see you because we were sitting there when he caught the ball. Wait wait, wait, you're talking about the checkdown. Yeah. I was talking about the long handoff you're talking about. I was talking about the checkdown that was. That was really baffling to me how that could have gone for a touchdown. Well, because there was no one there. They were all downfield over to the side, and the thing like Patrick Peterson

was expecting a slower person. We'll see because people are finally starting to figure it out. The beauty of those two guys because they get used to one speed and all of a sudden, this guy steps on the accelerator and it quick and it's like, oh my, he's so sudden and and it surprises people and it surprised him. Yeah. I when he caught the ball, I turned to Patrick was next to me, and I said, he's gone, And

sure enough, he just outran the whole stadium. I thought the checks at the line were extremely important and so well designed. I liked the long hand off down the field was at fifty eight. Again the linebacker, the same linebacker that probably Yeah, that was the over the shoulder catch was I just called a long handoff. That was

just a beautiful, uh passing catch. They read they read the defense well, I mean it was they anticipated this somehow, and I don't know what the game plan was, but they knew exactly what what Minnesota was in and they knew exactly what to do when it came up. What Dak recognized it, Shuts even recognized it. Hey, this is what we got right here, right, trips on one side, tight on this side. Da Dak basically after the game said, credited to Kellen Moore on the play call when he

did it and the play designed. Yes, that's what they knew what they would be in, ye, and it was perfect. They were in the cover for they overloaded trips on one side, and they brought pilot out just offset in the backfield and there was he and Schultz. Welcome to two man combo out and shots went inside the wheel out outside. It looks so easy, And that basically was ball game, right That ball that made it third three and there was still twelve thirty two to play quarter. Yeah,

it's crazy. I mean when you look at this game, who do you what was the catalyst? Because I know what it was. For me, Well, to me, what unit, I'd say what unit was it? It was to me it was a combination of Number one, they did a decent job stopping the run. They didn't have any big you know, bleed a big note. Number two, the offense

got him a lead. And then number three, the worst thing that could happen to the Vikings was they had to play catch up and meaning they had to throw the ball, meaning the Cowboys could unleash their past Russian and that mostly meant Michael Parsons seven sacks. Yeah, but you could see what the catalyst of this that defense was Michael Parsons and how he started off the game right, he was that set the tone period And I cannot believe, and this is why they're mad at Kirk Cousins all

the time. How do you not know that Michael's back there? Yeah? I mean how did you? I was saying, you have such a lack of awareness, and he just over there like ohh, I'm okay. Back here. No, you're not, bro, And I didn't think he would be silly enough to let him catch up, and so that not even tell you on his part like, wow, bro, you you are not really in tune to this game. But when I look at who what what unit won this game? Clearly, guys,

the offensive line. If the offensive line plays like this, we are not going to lose another game, right if the offensive line does what they do. Let's face it, guys, we got great quarterbacks out there. You know, I love Dak Prescott. I'll give him a lot more credit and I will uh blame, but watching him with that comfort zone that he had in the pocket, you can't lose. And he stepped up a couple of times when there was a lot of muck in there, but they held

their own. They held their own. And you know the other thing he mentioned the offensive line on the on the pass at the end of the half to CD, Yes, they pulled the alignment out of there, like yes, that was definitely planned. No, that was not. He had two guys with him, they were hoping it was from this side the line. The defensive line was here. The other guy looped around ready to shield him, and one of them was the center. That's right. He was all the

way out there. So that was a and to me, I give Kellen Moore that credit because that's something that we were victims of with Aaron Rodgers. And you could see there was well designed and CD lamb. You know, even though he didn't have the numbers that he really wanted to have. It was quality. Yeah, it wasn't quantity, but it was quality. And that was timely time. That was that was That's one of the better past plays.

And I mean from the design to the players themselves that I'm probably seen in a couple of years around here. It was the leading tower of pizza catch. That was crazy, all right. He just framed it for him right there. Since you've gone there, Yes, thirty one seconds left in the half. They take over at their own fourteen yard line. It says a lot about the confidence that they have in this offense. I mean, you're already up twenty to three, right,

You're already up twenty to three. You're starting at your own fourteen yard line with thirty one seconds left in the half, and you decide we can we can get half a field, guys, let's go. Yeah, I'm thinking to myself, man, just there aren't a lot of teams. Most teams would take a knee at that point, already up twenty to three. And because what if remember the Washington game went through my mind, which was at the fifty yard line. It was a Romo pass out to Shard choice and a

fumble and a run for a touchdown. I mean, that would be a catastrophic play like that gets Minnesota in the game at twenty to ten. Let's see what they did is they just chipped away. They didn't try to get the ball waiting. We just saw Brady do this two weeks ago. It was and everyone thought how stupid the other team was. It was a smoke screen to CD for six, threw a little out to Pollard for six and he got out of bounds. And now there's

twenty seconds left. And now twenty seconds left and a little thing to Schultz who barely gets out of bounds, right, and it was like seven yards. So now you're in position at the thirty yard line with thirteen seconds left to make the twenty eight yard pass to CD which way to Jared Cook play And yes, basically that's what they were. Yeah, and you know, and I think, and

I think Romo said that. Romo said it on the on the broadcast the play, right, and and the fact that if they can just get the ball another chunk, they'll be in mars distance. And now we can go to the NFL officiating. Here we go, all right, it's time a mix shot. Even the show, when we went, he catches the ball, they messed around long enough where they had to call time out because the plate clock was down to like five seconds and Maher had never yet set up to kick the field goal. So now

the Cowboys called time out. So I went back and timed it real time from the minute he caught the ball to the minute he started to kick it in Somewhere out there, somebody called time out. One of the officials. Right, it was a minute in fifty one seconds? Did you hear it before you go? Did you hear a whistle? No? I don't understand. And I could see the head referee. He didn't do it. The back judge didn't do it, So it must have been the call comes into one

of the side judges. I don't know because he wasn't in the picture, but he had a minute in fifty one seconds. Nah, Why did it take so long? What were you doing? What was the explanation? And there was never an explanation. It was obvious. It got buzzed on the top on the first replay we saw it was obvious there was a question on whether or not he maintained possession down to the ground or trapped it or whatever. Right now, Nanson Romo didn't say it at the time

that there was a question out. They were marveling at his keeping us both feet in rods and then so but the upstairs they should have they should have immediately, right, You could see it immediately something the first yes, the first replay, and then after they kept showing it, it looked like he got his hand under the right and they got it right. As far as confirming that the play stands, but the execution of it was ridiculous. Well, the timing exactly if you're gonna wait that long when

the guys in the motion of getting ready to kick it. Seriously, that's not say it was say to me, it was all saty to me, So I'm up, So I was gonna say so. The amazing thing is he hit from sixty yards barely, got it in the right upright, right, and it landed so behind the end zone. There's a checkered line right and it's like, maybe I don't know, five yards behind the end line, and it was like,

that's gonna make it. And it did. And then he re kicks it and the second kick was better than the first, right down the middle and it landed like three or four yards further right. That guy is amazing. He's got he's got a mental toughness about him to be able to do that, and he's got some confidence to then. Yeah, I mean it was the second and

third best field goals I saw this weekend. I think he should have he should have got credit for you know what I'm talking about the second and third best field goal I saw this week because he hit two of them. No, who was Yeah, who was the first? His fifty three yards? No, it was a TCU game on and running the running the field and kicking that thing. So I didn't see the play before they ran on Tcuya, why did they run it? They ran it? They ran it to they were on the left hash Mark wanted

to get in the middle. They wanted to get in the middle, and they out of timeouts. I guess they had used their I'm sure they had used their last time out, and so they had about twenty eighteen twenty seconds left when that place started. Ran it basically to the middle of the field, close to the right hash mark, and then it was offense off the field. Special teams on the field executed perfectly, and he got to kick

off with four seconds left with time to spare. Well, coach, and this is where we lose all the Cowboy fans. So let's talk about something different, Producers Supreme. But heard Producers Supreme is a big Baylor fan. That's a big rivalry game. I guarantee you bones fossil down the hallway there was looking on and nodding his head that yep,

that's why we practice that thing. And by the end, and Sonny Dike said after the game that we practice that every Thursday or whatever, and teams around the brother college ball that are well coached or in the NFL, you're practicing that all the time. So we lost it.

We were just getting ready. We took off just when they are starting to drive, I think it was, and it was like, seriously, it's like, Captain Bill, can you just kind of circle around one time before we get in the air, but he that it was like seventeen seconds after that play was over. Well and then they I had a flashback to the Niners game. Yeah say that much? You know, Oh here we go because he hit it with like two or three seconds to go. Yeah,

which has nailed it, just nailed it. Anyway, Let's think about this. If that, if that play, if that field goal would have been canceled, well it was, and if he would have missed the next field goal? How embared everything? Do you think the NFL would be? Yeah, in regards to that, because oh, they wouldn't be. They would, they would, they would defend it, They would defend it. But but man, I don't know it would What what is the protocol

in regards to these these shady uh moments? As far as the referees are concern do they do they have? Do they send they have a list that they look at every week and and you know there are times when they actually issue an apology. Yeah, so how do I mean? I know don't how much time every team sends in a list of questionable things every Monday after again that was questionable, but well I'm not but the referee they uh, they police themselves, right, well they go

over all that stuff. Yeah, yeah, absolutely ridiculous. That could have been. Really, man, I can't even use another word because there's only one fitting word and it's not proper for this. So he which by the way, I don't care a word. You can look it up in there. But supposedly today's birthday? Who Mars? Wow? Really and Troy Higman's by the way, it was Troy's. So Mars now got four sixty yard field goals in the history, only one in history, and that's over the Baltimore Kicker. And

that's twice as many as anybody else's got. That's crazy. Everybody else the record was two. All right. There's much much, much more to get to on this monumental win in Minnesota on Sunday, and we get to it when Mick Shots continues in a moment. The Medal of Honor is our country's highest military award for valor in combat. More than forty million individuals have served in the armed forces since the Civil War. Fewer than four thousand have received

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back to mixed shots. KPE Post Roofing and Waterproofing, proud partner of the Dallas Cowboys. From corporate homes to your home. Have your roof by choice, not by chance, and call now two one four two two five four eight six zero. That's k Post Company dot Com. All right, we're talking

cowboys and Vikings. And right off the top, Everson talked about one of the keys to the game was Michael Parsons said in the tone on the first series of the game, third play of the game with the sack of Cousins, and then what the Cowboys offensive line did throughout this game, how well they are playing. Here's the other thing. When you look at the Vikings offensive line.

We brought this up last week. First half of the season, their starting offensive lineman missed a grand total of three offensive snaps the first eight games of the season, not so much. And then Christian Darris saw their left tackle got knocked out of last week's game against Buffalo, didn't play in this one with a concussion, also started off. Also lost their left guard. Yes, yep, but Dressau gave

up the first set right and then he went out. Okay, So I don't know if it was any worse because Roma was saying, boy, that he never really gives it up that easily, you know, talking about offensive linement. And even though Poston's had been playing well, he's he said, man, that was very unusual. First sat Derrison, but it gets back to how important it is to have healthy offensive linemen. And now you're looking at a Cowboys team on their offensive line getting healthier. They even and a forty to

three win. We're able to slide Tyler Smith inside to left guard, give Peters some reps at left tackle, and you know, Tyrn has continues his rehab and they're building building some depth there on their offensive line and some versatility.

To think Peter is pretty tired today. I think I think that's why they did that, anticipating when Tyron comes back, can we put exactly Tyler inside for McGovern and then McGovern becomes your backup center and you don't have to elevate somebody off the practice squad because now they're out of elevations for what's his name, the coach Shepley. So yeah,

I think that was some forethought. Maybe you get through this game, you got ten days, and maybe first of December, tyrans ready to maybe get back out there, and you see where you go. But yeah, you're exactly right. When you get injuries on the offensive line, nobody, you know, it's like you're in pretty good shape if you have five guys, right, but generally six, but after that you're probably in trouble in this lie on the offensive line. Yeah, it was good to see him set at the tone.

And when we started talking about how we handled the Russian game, I never really for some reason, it didn't come to my mind, but Fowler was someone that we should have talked about last week. You know, that could be someone that could could be part of that three linebacker set, and I don't think we really talked about it. Because we're talking about jay Len coming in and moving

Wilson to the back. But I think Fowlers should get a lot more of time and run situation defense, you know, starting the game first down with those three, uh finding three linebackers that can really help us control that running game as opposed to our nickel formation. Well they didn't. They didn't mess around in this one with bar out and I saw him walking around before the game down on the sideline. It looked like he was ready to go. But then I saw him going out there hugging former

buddies and damn maybe not. They started the moan Clark. He ends up forty three snaps forty three. He played well, Yeah, he played well, and you know they I mean, and vander Vandersch had forty two snaps so by and vander Esch was not there in the end, Gifford got some snaps, yeah, got some snaps. Yeah. But he also got to like the fact that they got in two more special teams stacks and a forced fumble. This guy's looking good, man, He's really making his move and this this is good

for the team. Yeah, not just for him, this is good for the team. This guy's making plays is making the difference in the game because they're you know they Yeah, you see them celebrate when he does something he's like which, by the way, I thought it was funny when I watched the replay of CD's catch so on the sideline Britt Brown, Dave A Bruisie, and doctor Foller. It's a

story called it. They were standard play where the ball came down along with that, I think Diggs was no, Diggs was, yeah, Diggs was there too, right, It was pretty funny speaking of Diggs, all right, how about Diggs onjust Jefferson yesterday? What are you talking about? That's that's a man right there. And if he was, I told my daughter, I said, because she loves him. I said, if he would have caught that one head and I said, you would have said, Dad, he's he's he's better than you.

If he would have caught that, I would have said, he's better than you. Know. What he said afterwards was that he said I needed some stick going back there. You go. Yeah, that was what three catches three yards and this was after last year it was two catches twenty one yards and you know, you gotta give credit. What credit is Duke? He was able to do that a lot because of that defensive line he was. He was panicking in the pocket at all times. He never

did feel comfortable. I mean, even if Jefferson would have been opened, he's too busy. He wasn't looking downfield. He was looking at all that that stuff in front. The tight end got the majority of the catches right. He couldn't find Jefferson whether he was open or open or not open. I least it was purple. I was like, at least saw the stars. That's all he saw with stars. So now that's what you want from your your cornerback.

They I didn't know that that was the only I thought we had used him to follow receivers more than this particular game. Did it last week with Lazard, Okay, and the one we've done it, the the catch Lazard had, he was lined up in the slot, and that's the one Bland fell down off the off the line of scrimmage. Should have done him with Watson instead of Lazard last week. Well, as it turned out, they should have switched right. Should

have looked at our scouting report on it. But I think I think a lot of what they were trying to keep and I don't know why people don't see this, And maybe the Cowboys changed a lot of the times when that receivers in the slot. They don't want Digs in the slot. But you know, maybe he needs to be Yeah, I mean as a as a a young man, it's really tough to play that slot position. Right, you're just you've just been Darren Woodson. I give him credit all the time as a strong safety played that slot

so well. It was impressive. I was forced to do it myself with the Giants, and my experience helped me. But Diggs is younger and covering that slot it's really kind of difficult for someone young like him still talented enough to do it. But this is something I think they need to make a note of. Okay, we've got teams where they've got a catalyst, then we need to put our best man on him. Period. And when it comes to Michael Parsons, I liked the way they played

him yesterday. That was sometimes when he wasn't even in the game, and I'm talking about why the game was still intact. Yeah, he only had thirty eight snaps. Yeah, and so man d Law came through. Ye. You talked about Clark coming through jay Ron came through dance again. I said, I texted, you gotta see now he wants to get two sacks. I remember that was my pick to click to get two sacks last week. So yeah, he ends up Armstrong two sacks. That gives him seven

for the season. That's a career high. Wow, with what seven games to go, two tackles for losses, three quarterback hits and a forced fumble. Yeah, I saw that last night. I was a man's line the right. But see, that's what they need on the other side of Lawrence. They can't be just one sided and everybody says, Okay, we're gonna take care of Lawrence or we're gonna take care of Parsons and we'll deal with the other side. Well, the other side needs to come through. Um so now

four players with five or more sacks. I think Parsons has ten, Armstrong has seven, Lawrence has six, and Fowler has five and Armstrong has what seven? Seven that's a career high for him. Yet six last year. So with seven games, Brandy Gregory, what do you got for me? Right? You know? And they ended up saving money on that, yes, so well, you know those guys were itching to get in last year, you know what I mean, we knew what it was all about. And by the way, did

you see Ridgeway what he did? No, man, what he did to this little running back. But I think there was the Texans were playing thee. He picked the guy up, like the guy's faces and his crotch. He picked him up and just like he just backslammed me, just just slammed it to the ground like like a wrestler, really like a little kid. No, no, because the guy wouldn't go down, all right, yeah, like you don't want to go down. Then he just kind of flipped him over.

Paul Bunyan, Yes, yes, so no. We we had guys last year who are getting more time this year, who are really showing up our defensive line, and they just asked to our depth. Know, I'll tell you, um, that's a luxury to have Michael Parsons. Parsons, Yeah, that and when he looked like he got hurt and he said afterwards he never felt his knee feel that way, but

he walked it off. But then he came back in and I'm guessing they couldn't tie him down, is my guests right, because there was no need for him to come back in the game. Right. Oh, there's Michael Parsons, right. And you see it in the locker room afterwards, dan Quinn was walking through fist bumping the defensive guys and I caught up with him and I said, well, was that a response? He goes Was that a response? Right?

And he just kept walking and walked out. I wish I knew his defense well enough to know what the adjustments were that they made, because clearly there was some adjustments made. No more gashes you had. Cook did a good job, you know. And even when he had five or six yard run he had to struggle for it wasn't those gaping like it was the week before. And there were times when vander esh was able to step into the hole and meet the guys. Say now, that's

what I want to see from him. And I know he's got to be thinking about his neck all the time. It's just normal. And that's why I point out that he kind of goes around blots a little bit, because I would too if I had the insurgery that he had. But if you start looking at what he did yesterday, I saw no retreating. I saw him being aggressive as I've ever seen him in the hole and he burst. They had that bubble where they have the lineback between

the linebacker and the lineman. He burst that bubble every time. They had nine guys that had at least three tackles, and two of those guys, vander Esh and Daman Clark each had three. Curse led with five parsons four Armstrong and Brown and Digs and vander Esh and Clark, Sam Williams and Gallimore all three tackles. And a lot of that was they had to quit running right it was time to throw. They had to and then it have

time to throw. So m by the way, that was Mike McCarthy's one hundred and fiftieth career win, and that first touchdown pass from Dak was his one hundred and fiftieth career touchdown. And now he's got one fifty one. So that for symmetry. So yeah, a little less than thirteen years at Green Bay and now three years here. So one hundred and fifty wins in sixty sixteen seasons. It's nearly ten wins a season. That's not bad. Not bad. He's only had like two maybe losing seasons, well three

maybe one year. I think his last year when he got fired, they had a losing season, and then early on his third year, I think it looked like they had put it together the second year, and then they had a losing season. If I remember then, they were eight and eight his first year in Green Bay after starting off four and eight, they were, Yeah, they were eight and eight his first year, six and ten. In two thousand and eight in Green Bay, he had you know,

seven or thirteen wins season. Then from O nine through twelve eleven wins, ten wins, fifteen wins, eleven wins eight That was the year after they won the Super Bowl. They went fifteen and one, and then eight seven and one in twenty thirteen, and then three more twelve win, ten win, ten win and then twenty seventeen seven and nine, twenty eighteen four to seven and one. So three seasons under five hundred for him in Green Bay and then one year and he is now here in the last

two seasons nineteen and eight here in Dallas. Well throughout the COVID yass there was another stat I forgot it that if they had beaten the Packers, he would have passed somebody Lombardi. Lombardi, Yeah, I just no, no, I think that might have been. I mean, come on, that might have been. Think about Lombardi, Come and think about Lombard. I don't know if it was career wins or I can't remember me now you're gonna make me look that up.