Mick Shots: Mini Topics

a rumor tobout that. Yeah, here it is. It's May twelfth, and we are now officially less than four months away from the first Sunday of the National Football League season. Tonight we find out officially who the Dallas Cowboys will be playing, not only in that season opener, but also the entire seventeen game regular season. I assume the three preseason games as well. Maybe not preseason Oh maybe not okay, sorry,

season games. I'm pulling guys, especially undrafted free agent Usually those come out a little bit later when they kind of arrange training camp and everything. But yeah, now we can tonight seven o'clock, we can plan the rest of our lives for this year, or you can go on Twitter right now and see what the schedule leaks that are out there and and try to determine whether this

is true or not. Well, the NFL's kind of loosely sending out stuff to keep everybody interested as kind of a ramp up to so we do know when Mike McCarthy is headed head back to bayin Bay. November thirteenth, three we five PM had lambeau Field and I wrote, it's gonna be a crap show, I wrote today, I wrote today. You think when he last he said I shall return. Yeah, I mean, couldn't you imagine the memes that are gonna be out there for him coming back

looking like he's Mike McCarthy. Way, yeah, Napoleon coming back to town. George Washington crossing over. Where is the lake out there? What is what is the lake Lambo? Lake Lambo? Is that now? It's lake area like Michigan. Oh man, he'd be like Green Bay borders one of the great lakes. I don't know if it's right. It's Lake Lambo's close. There you go, all right, I mean there's a bay there because it's Green Bay. There, you go there, you go.

I've had my feet in that bay before, believe it or not, because I did a parade up there or something. A parade. Yes, we were in a parade, me and a bunch of other old veterans. This was twenty years ago, so I was still in old former veteran and a former player, and we went to some parade and we were I don't know where this town was, but the water was so clear. I don't know what what town

it was around Green Bay. And we had a little parade and we were in the sports bus signing all the graphs, and when we had a break, they had a little doc there. I put my feet in the water and it looked like I was in Jamaica. It was that clear. It was not in Lake Michigan. I don't know where it was. Someone told me where it

was before. I forgot that twenty years after that. So now it's it's got some really nice if you go up there to the it's a beautiful it's beautiful up in there and the Michigan area to have a spot there where people can sunbathe and actually swim in the water. One of my best friends I grew up with his parents had a cottage north of Green Bay. It was one.

It was on a river, and it was just gorgeous. Yes, except the time I wasn't dreaming, except the time we went up there to go skiing in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. And uh we woke up that morning and it was forty below not wind chill, forty below right, and we were like, no, we can't do this. So we were going to leave and head back south and find a different place. We couldn't get the car started because the oil was too thick. Come on, that's too much. Okay,

that's too much. So that's thanks. That's Green Bay. And then went off southwest. Right, Bill, that's exactly right. Okay, all right, Well let's go and enough story time in Green Bay. We can save that for a week ten of the season. I was going to ask him if he ever played a memorable game in Green Bay. I played walking, but it was not. Nothing memorable was eighty four?

We were horrible. They were horrible. Okay, But you played in Milwaukee, Uh, No, eighty nine, Maybe it was ninety And definitely in ninety nine, Cowboys played in Milwaukee at County Stadium, where the side teams were on the same sideline, yeah, eighty nine, because you would remember Milwaukee because the benches were all on the same side. It was like the

old Minnesota Stadium, right Baseball Park. So all right, So you know, one of the interesting things when you look at the schedule leaks, which some of these I think are probably right on um. For instance, the it's reported out there that Cincinnati might be coming here on Thanksgiving and that Tampa might be in the month of November. In Green Bay. It's already out there. It's in November. The d I was thinking, you know, it seems like

every year the month of November. And it's not just because the Cowboys have the Thursday game in November, where you're have a packed in schedule where you're going to play three games in however many days and that sort of thing, but it's it always seems like the schedule is a little tougher in that stretch of the season. It is. And you know why that is because they compress the games. No, it is not because I'm not talking about because of the calendar. I'm talking about the opposition.

The reason is November is a ratings month for the TV and TV ratings month for the TV networks, and when you see the networks, they're picking, Okay, I want that game for sure, and they're gonna put that game for sure in November when the it's a key TV ratings month. And so the Cowboys being America's team, they get they're one of the top picks obviously for the

TV networks. And so you're going to have more often than not, the Cowboys having a tougher opposition, a tougher schedule opposition wise in November then other months, so the season are like last year when it was Kansas City on Sunday, Vegas on Thanksgiving, New Orleans the following usually you got pills the Philadelphia game or early in November also when and so so anyway, when I see these schedule leaks and I'm seeing, okay, it looks like Green, well,

for sure, we know we know that the Green. And then if if Tampa Bay in Cincinnati or in the month of November, well that's the reason why, because TV networks want those matchups in that month. Yeah, somebody say, how how does this stuff get out? I said, the US Supreme Court can't keep us secret. Do you think the NFL can? Goodness, but this kind of You know, it doesn't explain it because we can see it happening.

Cowboys always start off fast, I mean in the not so good years, and we end up kind of starting a bit towards the end of the season. That's not just because the competition is good, but it's the scheduling as well. So you have to put all that together and we have to be ready for that as a team. We have to practice in that manner. We have to plan in that manner. Our game plan has to be called in that manner. I think that's why we're holding

back on our best plays, you know, waiting. You know, we're gonna wait till we have to play these important games, wait till the playoffs. We're gonna save all these goods. Get the other steps. Yeah, we didn't do that. I mean, well it never came out. So this year when it comes to and we already knew this, right because we know who opponent's plan, right, the Cowboys and Washington are

tied for the weakest strength of schedule this year. Weakest the teams their plan have a four sixty two winning percentage. And tell me who the third weakest. In the fourth weeks started the Giants and the Eagles. Now, why do you think this is? Because they play each other and their records were so bad and I saw that as you go out though, Well no, no, that's my point. So it's offset by they have to play five games against seven of the other division winners, right, so it

doesn't got to play both teams from the Super Bowl. Um, you got to play the Super Bowl champions and so yeah, and I figured out eight games against teams that were had winning records, eight games too, you know Philadelphia barely right, nine and eight. And then they play three of the top five teams that had winning records in I mean, the best records in the league. But the other problem is they also have to play four of the five worst teams in the league. Because of the schedule. They

got to play Detroit three, thirteen and one. They played two games against the Giants four and thirteen. They play Houston four and thirteen and Jacksonville three. We play Houston, Jacksonville and Detroit. Yes, we got the NFC North and the AFC South, right, and so by the rotation, just because they've got to play the corresponding teams that finished first in the divisions, that they're not playing Green Bay in the Rams. It didn't equal. It didn't be Tampa

Bay in the RAM. I mean Tampa Bay. Yeah, it's like, oh so it's it's not as easy as it looks. And then the crossover. The seventeenth game is against Cincinnati, right, so and they were only ten and seven. Yeah, all right. And just as a matter of review, just as we lead up, this is our pregame show for the sketch place the opponents that we know in the home and away the away outside of the NFC East teams, the away games for the Cowboys are at Tennessee, at Jacksonville,

at the Rams, at Minnesota, and at Green Bay. So those are your five road games. Think about that. At Tennessee, at Jacksonville, at the Rams, at the Vikings, at the Packers. What do you hope to go? I mean there's only one that you say, well, okay, Jacksonville, right, and that sounds like it might be the opener. Um, Jacksonville is the open and you want to get off to a good start in Jacksonville. I'm not saying it is. I'm just saying, hey, man, let's take a road trip for

that one. Just the three of us man. We go there and we just take our shirts off and you want to drive, you want to drive, kind of be up there and see will be no one up there in the top tier of the stands. We opened at Tampa last year, whynot at Jacksonville this year? Go back to Florida. UM home games, Okay, So, but playing at Tennessee, at the Rams, at the Packers, and at Minnesota. We'll see, which is never easy for the Cowboys. So you hope

three and two out of that. Yeah, you'd pay for that. Okay. Home games, Okay, home games Tampa Bay, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, Cincinnati, Indianapolis. You probably would have liked that reversed, right, Go to those Go to those teams because you know, although I don't know about home field advantage anymore, I'm running through them again. You got Indianapolis in Houston, you got Cincinnati, you got Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Chicago. I think the Colts game is gonna be a tough game taking place.

The Colts game is gonna be a tough game. Yeah. A lot of people think the Colts now with Matt Ryan at quarterback there, that the Colts are a sleeper team this year. Well with their running game. They make a lot of noise when they were talking about their running game. So we'll see, we'll see. So what is what's when you? Okay, what are you looking for when the schedule comes out? I first look for what's happening

on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? And we kind of know Christmas Day games, we don't have to worry about that. But Christmas Eve, you want a home game against Philadelphia? That would be fine, Okay, care of who it is. Okay, you want to you want a noon game, Um, that would be even better. I think you're gonna get a three twenty five, probably that for your own comfort. Yes, yeah, he asked me what I was looking Look, I'm thinking you're thinking for the Cowboys interest of this team. They

paid the check is shot? That was gonna say, I mean, and then I look at what's that on your check? Then I look at I look at what's at Thanksgiving, and what's immediately before and immediately and then here in recent years, immediately after has been another Thursday Thursday night game, and that probably will happen again because they have probably

want them on Amazon Prime. You would think, now, ok yeah, because it's you actually would want that because otherwise, if you if they're going to be on Amazon Prime at another juncture during the season, it's going to screw up another week because it makes a short week. Yeah, that means you got too short unless you had that scheduled after the bye. But the problem is you don't get a break after your short week. You got to play

again before or you get the buy. And then I look for if there's any uh, like three consecutive road games and where because if you got to go coast to coast a couple and that's happened before. So those are the things that you normally first looked. Well, I'm starting to look at things differently because now I don't know if you've heard the promos, but you know the Star Tours. Well that's right, that's right. Good about that? Well we did it. We did it on Christmas Day

last year. See, I look at Christmas Day kind of ends at noon. Basically Christmas Eve is different to me anyway from a traditional stand I remember when they played away games on Christmas Day, both times in in Phoenix in Arizona, and it's like I am not waking up a hotel room Christmas morning, right, so I flew on my own, uh Christmas Day because they were night night games in Arizona, and with the time difference, you could leave at three, you get there at three, and I

took the red eye back. I only missed one meal. Let me tell you how big high school football is here in Texas. For those of you who don't live in Texas, this is how big high school football is here during the pandemic year twenty twenty. Normally, the high school football season ends the weekend before Christmas. It's a sixth if you go all the way to's ridiculous way, which ulous it's a you know, they can't figure out how and these these poor college kids you can't have.

You can't have playoffs, you can't play that many games. But in Texas high school, if you win the state, if you play in a state championship game, you're playing a sixteen game schedule and that doesn't count the two scrimmages. You head back at August, try to go to school. But during the pandemic, okay, the schedule got all pushed back and so the actually the state championship games were played in January, so it came down to Christmas weekend

in Christmas. I guess fell on a Friday that year, two years ago, And they actually played high school football playoff games at eight o'clock on Christmas Eve night here at over in All, and everyone was in their houses watching the game, or they were at they were at the stadium, right. Yeah, that's how big high school football is here. So so any complaints mickey about Cowboys playing at three twenty five on Christmas Eve, you don't want

to hear about it. Yeah, And by the way, there's a difference, you know, you Caucajun people, you know, y'all, y'all have done at noon. We drag ours out Christmas Day. I go home like two in the morning to twenty six. That's how we do it. That's the way you ought to do it. Yeah, what it should be done. Well, I can't wait to see it. By the way, So this is one other the big days of the year for you. One other, one other, Yes, it is one other. Note.

Teams with the hardest schedules like that had the hardest schedule from twenty sixteen. On twenty sixteen, the forty nine ers and the Falcons tied for the worst record the year before forty nine Ers. No, I'm sorry, Yeah, they had the hardest schedules the year before, forty nine Ers. The next year in twenty sixteen, went two and fourteen. Falcons ended up losing the Super Bowl. In twenty seventeen, the Broncos went five and eleven. In twenty eighteen, the

Packers went sixty nine and one. In twenty nineteen, the Raiders went seven and nine, the Patriots in twenty twenty went seven and nine, and then in twenty twenty one, the Steelers lost the wild card game to Candas. So those the teams that had the best record, the hardest, hardest schedules get coming into that season, right, They were gaps, which doesn't relate it all to the Cowboys this year. So tell us tell us the one with the easiest,

because the Cowboys supposedly have the easiest schedule. So check this out. Twenty sixteen Packers ten and six lost the NFC. Up you go. Twenty seventeen Colts went four and twelve, so they must have been really bad. Twenty eighteen, the Texans went eleven and five and lost the wild card. Kay works twenty nineteen and Washington went three and thirteen and missed the playoffs, and they weren't and they weren't that good in twenty eighteen, by the way, so uh

where am I at? Twenty twenty the Ravens win eleven and five, and and in twenty twenty one the Eagles went nine to eight. So the majority of the teams that had the easiest schedule ended up, especially in even number of years like this year, playoff games and even number Yeah, I didn't think about there. But the problem with that for the Cowboys is Washington also has the

easiest schedule, so that could apply to Washington. Maybe they'll tie, right, all right, that's a little preview of the NFL schedule. We got something else to preview when we come back here on mix shots, because how many preview there are rookies in the house as of today here at the Star in Frisco. When we come back, brace yourself for an existential question. Has your butt been having enough fun lately? Have you been treating it well? Has it been going places?

If not, then it's about time you start using seat Geek. Seat Geek is the best way to get your butt tickets to live events. Just ask the thousand of other butts who have rated it the number one ticketing app. So what are you waiting for? Download the app now or visit SeatGeek dot com to get tickets to sports, concerts and live events and make your butt happy. Seepeek get your seat in a seat. Want to use what the pros use? How about the official men's skincare brand

of the Dallas Cowboys, Jack Black. Right now you can get the Jack Black Starter, a curated collection of Cowboys locker room favorites, for just ten bucks with free shipping. The starter includes four Jack Black skincare favorites plus a full sized and tense therapy lip bomb. Go to get Jack Black dot com slash Cowboys and use the code word team JB. That's get Jack Black dot com slash

Cowboys the Jack Black Starter ten bucks free shipping. The Cowboys Way, where sixteen Hall of Famers and five championships shows us what success looks like. Where Turkey is always the second best part of Thanksgiving Day, Where we are all defined by one single thing, the star, where we as fans know it's our job to keep the tradition going. Bank of America is proud to be the official bank of the Dallas Cowboys and to support the quest of

living life The Cowboys Way, copyright twenty twenty. Bank of America Corporation. At ATNC, everyone new and existing customers get our best deals on every smartphone. Why because you deserve it for turning your living room into your office and your gym. We're teaching Grandma had a video call and teaching her again. It's the button on your left bana, Okay,

your other laughs. It's not complicated. Everyone deserves something new, so ATNC is given everyone new and existing customers are best deals with every unlimited plan on every smartphone, even the latest ones. At T may temporarily slidated speach at the network. Spacing restrictions and exceptions may apply. Back to Mick shots Ka Pros Roofing and Waterproofing, proud partner of the Dallas Cowboys. From corporate homes to your home. Have

your roof checked by choice, not by chance. Call now two one four two two five four eight six O K Post Company dot com k post k Post All right, very good? Did I not get post out? Very well? It was. You came out of the blocks a little shaky there, but yeah, you made up for it there. Little sprinted to the finish kicked in gear little potentially those last twenty yards. All right, us, I guess what's going through the minds of the rookies that are headed

to the Star in Frisco today, Everson? As a rookie, You're you're arriving on campus for the first time at an NFL training site. What's going through your mind as a rookie? I was. I was pissed, first of all, because you weren't drafting. Yes, I'm very upset. Driving up there, I was very upset. Of course, I came from my mom's house, so I just had to drive up the street in my little Mustage seventy two. By the way,

you didn't have to ride You didn't ride your bike. No, that would have center back holding up center block holding up the back of my front seat. So as I'm driving up there, I'm thinking to myself, I got to see what these guys look like. I just want to see my fellow dbs and see what they look like. Man, I was so upset. I was so upset. So the first drill and this was good back Forrest Lane. Yes, yeah,

we weren't even in the Valley ranch yet. No, nor how many had drive round the street those two miles, how many many? How many undrafted rookies were at that new think if you had to ask, we had twenty five rookie dbs, So I would imagine twenty five just a DBS. Yes, yes, so I'd imagine you had twenty undrafted. Vince Skillings was drafting the third round. Uh, I can't even I think it may have been twenty three of

us were undrafted. I mean but at that time they didn't have any any cornerbacks, you know how that was well, no, you weren't really hit bill, No, but but they had drafted something they didn't really pan up. The first draft choice was a third round and that was Vince Skillings from Ohio State, the first corner cornerback. Yeah, but he was the first draft pick for the Cowboys. They didn't

have a first and second round pick. No, I thought Howard Richards was I'm sorry, I'm thinking the first defense yeah yeah, yeah, and Vince Skillings was the first one. He was sixth round? Was he six or sixth round? Yea? So wait wait, that was the first defensive back. Vince Skillings dB Ohio State, sixth round So yeah, Vin Fellows and Ken Miller. Ron Fellows was seventh round A and B and Ken Miller. So Vince Skillings did not make the team. Fellows obviously did make the team. Ken Miller

did not make the team. He was out of Eastern Michigan and that was it as far as dbs he had. So he had three dbs drafted in that draft. Did they tell us they listed Fellows as a dB, Yes, they did, because he was a wide receiver at Missouri. No, he came in straight up dB. He did not do run one pass pattern running backwards. He got there. So yeah, three draft picks dbs and it could be there. They

were all corners, yes, okay. And then there were so there were twenty two others undrafted, Yes, that including Michael Downs there you go, who also was a could have rode his bike so practice the cotton, yeah, but no, not not to the North Side Park. Okay. So if you if you included all the other positions they brought in, like fifty undrafted free agents, it was a hundred and twenty five rookies in camp a training camp or camp in the spring right after rookie we had a hundred

and twenty five rookies. I don't know what made it to camp once upon a time. You know, they used to have the rookies out two thousand Oaks around July fourth. We came early, yeah, two weeks early. Basically beat up on each other before the veteran Yeah. So when we came to the rookie camp though, that was still it was at val Forest Lane first. You know, Tony Hill was the only veteran that showed up, and he was

just trying to get loose, you know. I just wanted to kind of get loose, you know, because he had the weight problem. He always had a problem with his waight in the off season. So when I see Tony Hill there, I get fired up. Man, my hair start stand up, like man, let me you know, I'm still I'm alway pissed off. I gotta come up here and deal with this free agency crap. I just got eleven in the section. So now I got up here and

showed some more stuff. So I jump up here on Tony Hill, and boy, that's when we first got to know each other. He shook me down real good. He shook me down real good because I lined up on him. He's like, nah, man, I just want to get some some work. I'm like, nah, man, you, Tony Hill, you're the best. I want to be the best. He's like rookie. He didn't even know of course, Like I want to be the best. He's like, no, man, you need to back up. Like nah, man, I was on him right,

but he shook me down. I was broke my ankle. So a most twenty five dbs. Okay, that we're in that rookie camp, who would you say had the a personality in the room. No, No, it was not me. No, I wasn't there yet. I wasn't there. Yea, all my anger was inside Okay, Yeah, as I got older, I let it outa My anger was getting down off in here. That's why. Well, I mean, but got into it. Yeah, you're getting into it with Tony Hill. Yeah, I'm thinking when when you one guy in that room who knew

he was gonna make this team, Vince Killings. Really yeah, okay, he was wrong. I was wrong. So yeah, so you didn't know you were gonna make the team. You were just bound in determining your well, I was bound and determined about who we knew was gonna make the team right away. First drill Michael Downs. I mean when he lined up it's like this guy's from Rice University. I mean his arms were like this long. He was lining up wide receivers. When you get a guy jamming, you

were arms this long. The receivers were like they were whipped before the ball was snapped. And he was the guy you could tell the guy every time. All right. So there was a wide receiver taken in the second round of that draft, Doug Donald. Doug Donald, dude. So when you lined up against Doug Donald, I wanted to tear him up. No a matter of fact, we went at it all off season. Uh. It was actually illustrated.

Uh and one article about me and Doug and the struggles that we had, and they they they had an article just a little depiction about how our one matchup went on that particular day and it was very content, hot and contested. It was just a curve out. But I mean he and I were going at it like like that was the only bone in the yard. We were a couple of pit bulls or something. TI we know that when it called dougla Doug my dude. Man, that was my dude. So how many was it twelve

rounds that year? Twelve rounds? Okay, they had seventeen was back rookies. So did when they signed you, like did Gil? I don't know who signed you. I think it was Jeff. I think came out okay because a lot of times Gil would go tell the guy, yeah, you're you're our top guy at that position, top the guild on the phone, and they would tell you you were to get top guy at the position then that they'd bring in twenty more at the same Now, now that's what they told

my strong safety of Grambling. His name was Robert Salter, and Robert Salter got here and he saw all those rookies. He shut it down. No, he shut it down. He did not participate in any drill. So that's how disheartened it was. You know, you can tell somebody something, they believe you, they trust you, right, So this guy's trusting Gil bred that he told him the truth. And I don't know why we call them honeybad. I don't know why honeyball I thought that. But once he came too camp,

he never participated in one drill. You you're like, you do your drill, you go to the back of the line and you're like, hey, man, go ahead. He's like, nah, man, you go ahead. He told everybody to go ahead. He never participated in one drill. Drew. Drew told me when they signed him, uh, that they were he was the top wide receiver they were signing. Then he got here and there were twenty twenty five more wide receivers. The only time I talked with Gil, I got fifteen hundred

dollars signing balls. I tried to get on the phone to give him up into two thousand. That was it. Then he's like, nah, did you got what you got? That was it. That was my only conversation that I had with Gil over the phone at glamblet So. In that nineteen eighty one draft, there were fourteen draft picks and only six of the draft picks made the team. Six out of the point. It was his fault. Yeah, Michael down Man, Michael, Mike mess it up, scraddling and

how man interceptions. You have your rookie year from where they were in the postseason, post season through the postseason sixty it was thirteen. I always want to count the preseason. Two preseason games are extremely important for rookies. Yeah, day I mean and undrafted. I mean, when these guys are done with their little deal. They come out for one series, and man, it was intense the fourth quarter. No one's watching but the guys that need it. It's extremely intense.

I can't get beat. I gotta do everything right, you know, because Gene Stalin is waiting over there with the dog OneD hatchet way to cut and so thirteen picks regular season and postseason for the undrafted rookie in nineteen eighty one. So he obviously convinced this organization that that cornerback position was no longer a need, right, No, nineteen eighty two first round draft pick Rod Hill cornerback. Why were they so thirsty for see? They thought I made it look easy, Stags,

so we just get it look easy. It must be easy. Ever, so Wallas could do it. He just came from Gramley. Where is that gambling? I don't even know where that is. They took another quarterback in the fourth round, somebody named Brian Carpenter out of Michigan. That he didn't the next year, he didn't even know. He didn't make the team either. So you just think about they for some reason. I don't think Gill believed in what he was doing. You didn't believe himself. You keep you keep trying to make

up for the two free ages that you signed. We're up are setting the dog on League on five. Mike's got seven picks in nineteen eighty one, ain't got I don't know how many tackles over one hundred plus. Look who they played in the preseason. Yeah, green Bay was first, was it really? Yeah? Home game, We're gonna check him. We're gonna check him. So home game, Yeah, home game, yep, green Bay. That's why Mike, Mike blotted the punk, I got the touchdown. This stuff, man, I don't forget this stuff.

This is very calculating. I mean we first road game first, all game had to be in LA. It was yeah, that's right. Yeah, and then Pittsburgh and Houston, Pittsburgh and Houston. There you go, and that's a trip down memory games. All right? Present day rookies. Uh, you know we just saw something there from the NFL network. They're talking about this, Uh, the New York Giants draft Cavon Thibodeau and Evan Neil draft picks. Go ahead, all right, and what do you say, Mickey?

I said, I don't trust guys. It's from Oregon, especially defensive guys. All right, So unless their name mel, unless their name mel. Okay, all right, So so you're not convinced Cavon Thibodeau is gonna make it. Well, I don't know. I've never seen him play, or if I have, I didn't know it was him talk a lot. All right, but you're you're not sold on Oregon players, right? All right? Go ahead? No, okay, I can't, I can't. I justin Herbert.

Herbert was pretty darn good, are you? And and you had a question about quarterbacks dot or cornerback, quarter quarterback, signal callers. There was somebody else, yeah, Marcus Mariota. Yeah, every Okay, there's the other quarterback there. All right, let's see other Oregon players. What uh penasul first round pick last year the Lions. Okay, they like him. Uh, where's some other DeForest Buckner? There's one for you. Okay. He was good, still is too. He's pretty good. Yeah, he's

pretty good. He's one of the reasons that the Cults are a sleeper team this year. Okay, all right, Uh, you got a list of the guys. I got the whole list. I got every every NFL player from Oregon. What about the ones that Cowboys drafted. I see that's what he That's it all comes back, isn't that where Mitchell was from? Yes, that's right, cornerback. You know what, he's still playing Terrence Mitchell. And but Cowboys traded him away Kansas City. Then he wound up in Cleveland and

he's put together a nice little career. Terrence Mitchell. He was a guy though that I thought maybe Everson was like him. Yeah, because he shows up rookie and he had he training camp. He had a cockiness about him as he when he training camp, training camp, and the defensive back coach was trying to explain something to him and what to do with technique, and the guy who was like a was he like six seventh round, I

don't remember. He was like yeah, it was late and he listened and I'm standing right there on the sideline and he goes, well, coach, this is the way I like to do it. And I'm going okay, bad answer. And he turned out to be real good eventually, but not with the Cowboys seventh round pick in twenty fourteen.

And yeah, he was a he's practice squadter his first year in twenty fourteen, and he was on the Ruck and then he went to the Bears, came back to the Cowboys in twenty fifteen, and then he ended and then he Houston and then Kansas City, Cleveland, Houston. Now now he's with New England, New England. Was there a line here we are eight years later and he's still still playing Yeah, yeah, well I mean jes because he's still playing linebacker. Was there a linebacker the Cowboys drafted

from Oregon? Linebacker? Oh? Back in the eighties, right for the Cowboys for more? Well, it should be on your list. Well, no, these loads are current players. Oh oh yeah? Who was it from? You can look it up. It was Mike Walter. Mike Walter. Yeah, second round pick in nineteen eighty three. There was another one, or maybe maybe there was exactly built he was. He was a good looking kid, defensive end. Maybe I'm trying to for somebody they were real high

on and never panned out. M we'll think about that and come back to it. All right, we're up against a break. What do you want to see in mini campum? Is there? Yeah? Is there a particular player that you're yes, is there a particular player that you're interested in getting your eyes on? Either a draft choice. There's nine of them, right, there's twenty undrafted free agents. I got one for Everson.

There's seven guys that were with them last year that didn't get a year of service, so they get to participate in a handful of guys here on tryouts, So about forty guys, so we can talk about that when we come You want to do that coming back? I thought you wanted to do it right now. Okay, all right, we'll do it. That's a tease. That's called a tease. And Everson, I got one for you to check out when we come back here on mix shots before there was a draft, you get sized up a cowboy by

three simple factors. The crease in his hat, the bend of his brim, and his unbending attitude a man. Stetson didn't just protect him from what life throw at him. It projected a rugged, unstoppable spirit. Stetson hats are still American, made with pride. Right here in Texas. There's still the unofficial crowd of all self respecting cowboys, and Stetson is proud to be on the field with America's team. Find a retailer nearest you at Stetson dot com. Slash Cowboys. Hi,

I'm Clint Tillison. Wen, I'm Jay Novdcheck and we're both with Unturf, the official tractor provider of the Dallas Cowboys. So if you need a tractor to bail some hay, a'm more to cut some grass, or a gator to get some chores done, get a John Deer at Unitedagin Turf and then let's get to work. Hey Jay, that's my line, well not today. Get to work with a John Deere tractor package that's just right for you in

your budget. Visit unantaginturf dot com. There's nothing as unique as our eyes, which is why SLOR pioneers wigs to make lenses as unique as you. Varilux for super sharp vision, Essential Blue for protection, and Crisol for freedom from glare, three cutting ex solutions in a single unique lens. So whatever your needs, insist on Selor visit your local sl OR experts and find a perfect lens for you. See more, Do more, Salore New Doctor Pepper zero sugar. You deserve it.

I do deserve that. You deserve decadent flavor without sugar and a day at the beach without sand, getting everywhere, and a relaxing bath that your children don't interrupt. I deserve all that. It's at least a visual metaphor for doctor Pepper zero sugar. Everything you want, nothing you don't. A visual metaphor on the radio. I do deserve that, Doctor Pepper zero sugar. The zero you deserve is finally here. Back back to Mick shots. Whether you're watching from home

or cheering in the stands. With lenses, you'll see every exciting play book. An appointment at your local SLR Exports and find the perfect SLR lens for you. See more, do more. All right, cowboys, rookies are reporting today. They're actually going to be on the practice field on Friday and Saturday. We'll actually have an opportunity to take a

look for the first time. Now they may not be doing a whole lot on that practice field, but we'll actually be able to Used to the last couple of years, they scaled it down because this is an orientation program, right, because they realized that these guys, especially the guys that were like draft choices, they were all doing getting ready

for the draft, right, getting ready for the combine. And they came out here and none of them were in really good shape because they were just practicing their forty times and how high they could jump and how high they could leap and or how far they could leave. If you want to get in shape of basketball, I'm sorry football. You play basketball. You played basketball, right, gets you if you just think about you, you a football player doing football workouts and you put them in a

basketball game, he won't make it. I mean they used to come out here. They would come out here with their helmets on, and and you know when, I mean, they were like you right. They showed up and it's like, well I got to show them what I can do and that, you know, the contact, and they were getting more muscle aches and pains. And I remember Patrick Crayton's rookie year mini camp and he shows up. Parcels is here and the first day I was like, well, this

guy's pretty good. The second day he's not moving very well. Well he velop I believe it was plantar fasciitis. I remember that right. And and the next day he's out there trying to and it's like I remember telling him, I, so what are you doing? I said, I heard you had this and he goes, yeah, he goes, but you think I'm gonna let Bill Parcels think I can't do this, and he pushed through it, and then it was you know, he had to basically suck it up and rehab so

he'd be ready for training camp. But he knew coming from what was it, Northeastern Oklahoma, some double you can't be hurt when you come from Northeast double double, directional central M on the end of the yeah, Northeastern Oklahoma State A and M. Yeah, and he made it school of Technology. Yeah, okay, So I've got one for you, all right. It's a sleeper. Okay, that's what I want to hear. I want to hear a sleep. So and it's only on a tryout basis. Oh, I don't like

that part of it. The guy's name is Simon Mathieson. Simon Mathison. He's a kicker. Oh yeah, that sounds like a kicker's name. Now wait yeah, and talking about I thought you were going to talk now wait talking about directional. They don't have a kicker. So there'll be three of them here, right, Simon Mathieson, how do you go ahead and look it up? Looking at I E S E N I. Oh wait Mathieson M A T H I E s O N s E N S E N. Okay, I got it right here, you can read it. Okay,

I'm looking him up. He's from Northwestern State. He's from Northwest Missouri State, A and M Technology. Now wait, he his last year there, I was twenty sixteen. Whoa, and he has not been in an NFL camp since, but he went to He's from Denmark, Denmark, that's right. And then he came it's probably Simone Simone, not Simon uh any any right, he actually hooked up with uh um oh shoot Beggen No, no, wow, Martin Anderson. Oh, there you go. Because he's from He's a David kicker, right,

Martin was big at him. But he didn't get drafted, he didn't get invited to a camp. But he started working for a company called track Man, and they are the company director of operations and sales for track Man, And that's the company that came up with the tracking the golf shots. You know how you see on TV and they know, you know, you see the laser thing

or whatever. Well, they developed a football program for kickers to judge their leg strength, leg speed, the lift on the ball, and how far the ball would have gone. On a field goal right, and NBC brought it into their Sunday night football broadcast and for the first time they used it at the Super Bowl this year. And he was the guy that would go to the stadiums and set up the tracking devices and to make sure it was working. He would kick and people saw him

kick and they're going, well, why aren't you kicking? You're an awfully good kicker. So the Cowboys, I guess, heard about it and Baltimore was going to bring it into their system and you to judge kickers, and he's going to get a tryout. Wow about that. The only kickers can be that old and still come back twenty eight or something. Well, that's the old. No, it's actually pretty young. So it's an interesting story. I don't know if the guy can still kick. But he was pretty good at

Northwest Missouri State. He kicked. He kicked for there. In his four years there, they won three Division two championships. Okay, and do you have anything to do with that? I don't know if he had any winning kicks. He showed up. He showed up as a walk on wide receiver in

the middle of his freshman year. You know, he was a soccer player at soccer player in Denmark, and they saw him messing around kicking, and halfway through the season they were going into a game and I think the kicker got hurt and the coach went up to him and said you're up, and handed up his freshman year, making ten of ten. I've heard stranger stories, so stranger success stories hopefully. So it'll be interesting to see him kick.

Okay'll be looking forward to that those preseason games that we'll find out about that if he makes, going to be featured. If he makes, let's go out of the sideline now and Mickey Spagnola, we'll tell the story of some old mouthless and it'll be the bell and it'll be the best story you get to you, by the way, all right, if they would ever come to me on the sideline. Yeah, that's right. Um, that's another story. Are

you working the sidelines for you? No? I used to be like, wow, they're really kind of digging them all right. Ever since I got a cornerback for you that would be the draft pick out of Fresno State, Duran Bland. Okay, you need to check out Duran Duran Bland. That's cool. I like some of the video of him. Yeah you can. You can either come to the practice or you just pull him up. Yeah. Yeah, I have to say. Uh, this young man Marquis Bell mm hmm oh, okay, is

he good? Oh well, we haven't seen him yet, but I've heard about him. I know the Cowboys like him. Well, he was a draftable guy. My college roommate, that's his that's his nephew. Really yeah, and that they told me to look out for him. You send me his phone up, the running back Marquise Bell, safety safety. Okay, yeah, so I hadn't called him. I gotta call this guy and let him know he's got some some I checked him out.

I don't have my big green notebook. Why is he not in your big Oh no, I don't have I didn't bring my note book draft. I liked him, Um, you know, he had a little demonte Casey in him. He played uh Florida and Hill I think, Okay, I really yeah, they just gay. I just heard this, Okay, I just got this information. So I'm gonna be calling them in and invited them over and making sure. Yeah, Famu and utter watch out. Nate might have beat you too. That's right. That's Marquis spell. And it's spelled m A

r k q u E s E Marquise spell. And I know that Cowboys brought it never could spell well. So Mike's my roommates spelled it way wrong. You got a whole another way. I'm glad how you spelled again, m A r k q U E s not spell ahead. Yeah. What was your roommate's name, Mike Hanes, Oh not? I say, wait a minute, I got to say that all the time. Mike Hayes his name, that's his son, it's his nephew, nephew, nephew. Uh,

he's got a great shot. I mean, when you you think about it, Cowboys have not replaced Demante Casey and either as a with a draft or in free agency, and he started fourteen games last year. So I mean there's an opportunity for a safety, an undrafted guy in the in the Cowboys of a history not just Michael Downs, but more recent history of safeties making the roster because they don't want to spend a lot of money on safety, so they're always looking for somebody well, and in general

in the NFL, safeties don't quarters. You'll have thirty five corners drafted a year, but you'll have twelve safeties. And that's funny because the safety to me is much more important, you know, when you think of the importance of it. Was like we talked about the Michael downs Woodson. Just being able to survey the field in the proper manner, you saved so many touchdowns and create you create opportunities for other players to make plays. So to me, that

safety position is they're very underrated. I don't understand why they look at it that way. That's good. That's why Tyler Matthew was signing free agencies all over the place. He's always gonna have team, got signed by the same you see'll see what happens after the draft when guys look up and they go, I don't have a job. Yeah, we got a few of them right here, you know, and it's like, Okay, Sandry still has no job. I'll sign a one year still does not have a job.

Now you got Bradberry out there, yeah yeah. And then Cowboys gave him a little extra money signing bonus Marquise Bell too, so he was a priority free agent. Signing another safety, undrafted guy one Yea Thomas out of Georgia Tech is another guy that they signed after the Actually sometimes that money is their guarantee for the practice squad. He's got and they gave him that moment and he's

got reportedly two hundred guaranteed two hundred thousand guarantee. They got money just for wait, say that again, practice Like if you don't make the team, yeah, but you're guaranteed to make the practice squad, okay, and then whatever because they get paid now, Like how much a week it's going up? It used to be like seven thousand a week or something like that, and I think it's gone up to and like thirteen. Oh my god, dude, this is so that's so unfair. Multiply seventeen times? Man, can

we do that? Like go back and sue for more money is the other way to do that? Um, but it's uh back to um back pay. That's yeah, well some back pay go ahead. The obviously the wide receiver third round wide receivers are going to be to see him. I mean, and because of the position he plays, we can act South Alabama. Yep, he's and he's got to play. They always have some talent coming ont of South Alabama. He's got to play immediately right, I would think. So

he needs to be ready. I mean he needs to be able to beat out Um Noah Brown because Michael ga Gall gonna be us not playing the first month month of the season, and and who knows how well he plays when he gets back. Okay, how much he can play. And obviously the first round draft picked Tyler Smith. He's got to play immediately, right, Okay? Starting guard? Oh? Yes, what st what guards? Starting guard? First round? Yeah? Wow, we picked the guard. No, you picked we picked the guard.

You picked the pick the guard and exactly what I told you. He's wait, he's not a guard, is not a guard, has got a G on his shirt for guard. Come on, man, he's a guard. Come on man, he's never played you know, first of all, I need to get a lot more credit. Hush, he's a tackle. They're hoping he can transition right now, Yes he is. No do what what did you just say he was? I said, he did? You going to start it guard? What did you say, started guard? Believe Bill, Mike? You said starting

what guard? Okay? Man, the head the head coach said he was a left See that's why he didn't want me on want doesn't want the coach said he he was a left offensive lineman. Yeah, he's a left sider, left off place the left side. He's big enough, he plays both positions. They don't even they can line up someone else somewhere else because he's so big, he's so good. He's gonna takes one question. Yes, where is he going to play? First? Probably tackle? That's because tire is not

going to be out there. I told you if okay, if they took an offensive lineman in the first it has to be a tackle that can play guard. Rookie rookie camp. Where is he lining up tomorrow? Rookie camp? Because is obviously not out there. Where is Tyler Smith gonna line up? Who knows how many tackles and how many guards do they have? Yeah, if if you're going

to talk about rookie camp, he would line up at tackle. Okay, Yeah, he would line up a tackle because you don't have any other I mean you tackle, look as a tackle, you don't have enough guys to play well those who, well, Josh Ball would qualify. He'll be Josh Ball. He'll be at this camp. He'll be a tackle. And so he'll be a tackle. And let me what side, what side. Is he playing right? Well, he's been playing right. But then well let's well let's go. Then, well let's go.

He's a tackle. He's a tackle. So there's two tackles that you got there. You ain't got any guards. Got you got Isaac Allercombe, the international player. He's a Guarday you got he was listening? You mean the hispanic dude from Massa. Yeah he's still here. Yeah, yeah, but he's a free He got a tackle from A and M commerce are non Simon. Now, he was listed as a tackle when they signed him. I don't know if he is a tackle. But it's not like they're gonna play

football out I know. But this gives us a clue where they're gonna be up. Are they going to train him as a tackle. I'm not gonna see a why receiver that's snapping the ball just because it's rookie camp. Come on, man, I still I still carry my victory flag. I'm sorry. I bet I was right. I was the kicker yea Commerce all right, I was right, man, that's oh my god, after all these experts, I was right.

I was correct. Okay, how about the second round draft pick, the edge rusher from Ole Miss. Let me see it says G T Yeah, but G first, G first, that's right, and it's not because it was an out alphabetical who else second round draft pick will Miss? Is it Sam? Sam? Sam? The man? We heard that he wants to be called D D D E defensive end. Really d Williams. Yeah, I saw that. I'll tell you what, what are you gonna? I was in he wants to be a D D is That was just saying, no, that's what he is.

He thought he was. I thought he was a linebacker. No, no, he was. He played and at Old Miss they played a three man front. He was basically a five technique defensive end. There he'll be in coming. So I was in Jackson, my guys that watched Old Miss all the time, and one of my friends was, I think he's a donor at Old Miss. Uh, they love They thought he was really good, uh and struggled against the run. Yeah, but uh, Old Mass single season sack records better than

Randy Gregory. He's he's similar. I don't know if he's better. Go watch his film His First Step and and and I've noticed that Charles Haley been hanging around here a little bit lately. So he's gonna have some great mentor out there right for defensive end, pass rushing and Charles it'll be. It'll be. Neither did the rest of us, but they were, they were really high on this guy. So Um he went the junior college route. Um. He

had a similar upbringing that Dez Bryant had. Um. I mean that was part of his bio in the draft up process. Removed from his mother and living with grandmother's aunts, legal guardian in high school. Um went to Northeast Mississippi Junior College I think it is, and then went to Old miss and made something out of himself. Good stuff, all right, anybody else you want to know about, Uh,

there's all sorts of people. You're probably not going to see Daman Clark do too much, right since he had the vertebrae fusion surgery that they discovered at the combine, So he's probably still five months away. Tight End, the fourth round pick. The tight end needs to contribute to Jake Ferguson out of Wisconsin. He needs to be the

second guy. You've got skills. Um, when you're talking Wisconsin, Wisconsin, you probably should block, right, Yeah, don't think that's what they need that second tight ends because they want to use two tight ends and they don't have two tight ends that can go out there and block, so we used to have one. All of a sudden, he chanted to a wide receiver. Yeah. So there are real opportunities for the first four picks in the draft, right, okay, And there's a real opportunity for uh fifth round pick

John Ridgeway. Yes, Big John, Big John Ridgeway out of Arkansas. Figure if you're big John, what's his position? He's a nose tackle six five three twenty one, three years with good instruction at Illinois State, by the way, and then finished open and then in Arkansas. Wow, that's a path not uncommon these days. He went, He went, he was in Normal, Illinois. Normal, all right, Normal, that's the name of the city, Illinois, Illinois State. Not normal. Wow. All right.

So that about wraps this thing up. Are the MAV's gonna win tonight? Yeah? Yeah, yes, okay, they're gonna figure out win tonight. You sounded very shaky. Yeah. I was gonna say they're gonna figure out. They're not playing pick up at the gym, like just dribble, dribble and moving man, keep the ball. What do you think got in their heads? You got Luca magic, you know? Yeah, well there was no magic. Yeah, it was like then the other guy. It's very enticing. It was like one possession shots and

down to like three seconds left on the show. Yeah, and I was like, okay, now I got to hold something up. Hopefully they go home. And the same thing happened with the Stars on it. Yeah, what happened? What happened to the Stars last night? Because I left this TV station there was telling nothing going into the third

I got home and they lost three to one. Don't don't be afraid to score two goals, okay, because they're leading one to nothing for two and a half and they assumed a defensive posture and you've got to be perfect, right, and they weren't perfect. They scored. This is the playoffs. Yeah, and then they scored again and then the last one open open nets goal. So they got to win on Friday.

So both teams got to win Thursday and Friday. Bringing it back to the Cowboys, this is the first time in fourteen years that the Cowboys, Mavericks, and Stars are playing playoff games in the same calendar year in the same season years yea, since two thousand and eight, the

two thousand and seven season for the Cowboys. Okay, now look up when the Rangers were part of it, and there it has never happened where he's it's never happened where the Rangers, Cowboys, Stars, and Mavericks have played playoff games in the same calendar year ninety six. Nope, but one of them didn't. Mavericks were horrible. Then, oh they were? Yeah, that's Raggiata Bottom. Oh yeah, yeah, Quinn Buckner. I was

trying to think. I was just trying to think when the Rangers were in the plays, throwing some names under the bus, and then they went to they went, they went to the World Series in twent ten and eleven, right, and the Cowboys certainly weren't in any playoffs for ten years here, No. Ten was six and ten, Yeah, yeah, wishing for Nate. Yeah, Nate would have been good. When they went eight Nate in Jason Garrett's first year, that

was like, oh okay, yeah, we got jumped up. Well he just gone five and five and three the year before. All Right, are you out of mix shots? I think so? Okay, I could find some though, if you want to continue that's all right. I gotta get out to a golf course. Yeah, I gotta say goodbye to what go Maverick, Stars, Rangers, Cowboys. You gotta say goodbye to take you Satan, go about a golfer. I'm going out to the Byron Nelson right now. Speech. He's teeing off at one oh sixty, first shot. He

and Spieth are playing together. Wow at one oh six this afternoon, and the seven fifty six. He did win his last start. Yeah, Scheffler's on a more of a role. He's won four tournaments this year. Well, in the last major, No, he did not Cheffer Yeah, no, Chef won the next week. He won the next tournament after. It's actually a pretty good field out here at the Byron Nelson because locals well, and because the PGA Championship is next week at Southern Hills and Tulsa, and so so you've got more guys

that are tuning up for that. K mmy stopped here going going with that too, I don't think so. Oh yeah, because I'm going to be covering the Mavericks and the Stars in the playoffs week right right, Because the Mavericks are not only winning tonight They're gonna win Game seven in Phoenix, right, Mickey, where they haven't won since twenty nineteen. I don't know if they were taking it last night

the other night, they would have been something. But yeah, well, you know what though, if I would hate to be a team playing the Mavericks in a one game playoff because you never know when that Luca breeze will start. Well, and it's just with Luca. With Luca on that other side, I am Phoenix needs to take care of business. In the first half of this last game. I'm telling my son, we're gonna win four in a row. I mean, we're gonna win four in the row. I just knew it.

I could just see it. And then the third quarter started. All right, that's enough Mavis talk for this week. Here on mix Shots and Oh I can't wait till next week is Mickey will have some shots to fire after he sees these rookies the next couple of absolutely at a rookie mini camp. And salute to all our area sports teams from Everson Walls as we close Overick Stars, Rangers and Cowboys and Chief and Speed and Speed. This

has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com. And the Dallas Cowboys Football Club