The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
Cowboys.
This is Mick Shots streaming live on Dallascowboys dot Com and the official Dallas Cowboys have and now your hosts Mickey Spagnola, Everson Wolves, Nate Newton, and Bill Jones.
And now we begin our final leg of training camp here in Oxnard, California. And what better way to start it on this cloudy Monday than Mick Shots, Mick Shotton, Nate Newton, Misgnola And I'm sure glad to see Nate Newton here because tell people what you did over these last three or four days.
Well, I went back to I went back to Texas. I drove back and kissed my beautiful bride and turned around and came back here.
So you left on Wednesday, after mixed shot after mix shots, Yes, and you drove all the way back to that Dallas, straight through, straight through twenty hours. You didn't stop, No, just to maybe rest, No, not even just.
Get gassed, put your head down, yes, just get gassed.
And then on Sunday or Saturday.
Saturday, you drove all the way back, watching on and off the game. And so I could have something to say about the players. But I did stop Saturday night and got some sleep for a couple of hours.
Hi.
I made to hanging with the boys back in Dallas too. You did five? Yeah?
Oh, man, you are a long haul driver.
No, I just uh, my wife. She I told her to send me some pictures, right, yeah, send me some pictures of you. Of you. Oh, I'm tired. I'm just send a picture of your face. And she did. Man, she had these ugly rings under eyes. I'm like, wow, babes, I just say, you know what, my wife ain't sleeping. Let me go home, and then Thursday night should get good rest, Friday night should get good rest. Then I shoot out.
But the rest of us. By the way, we flew back to Dallas on Friday.
I bet that was a long trip.
And then Saturday watch the game that started four pm. Cowboys lose to Jacksonville twenty eight to twenty three. And that's inconsequential. And we left at and T Stadium right.
After what time round? What time was that?
It was about nine maybe Central Arizona. We were supposed to get back here, so we had to go through security at DFW Okay for the charter site. We land at Lax. We had to drive the hour or so at night from Lax to here in Oxnard, and the projected arrival time for us was midnight here here, And when the buses pulled in to the residents here in Oxnard, my watch said twelve zero zero.
Wow. Sweet, how about that?
That's sweet. So at least we were able to stick to somebody's schedule, that's right.
And the Cowboys players had Sunday off. I think a bunch of them took it off, yes, And I think a bunch of them didn't even come back here since they were already in La at that time. And here we are, so we got mix shots on Monday Wednesday. This week, the Cowboys have a walkthrough practice today that is open to the public. The last two padded practices will be Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday's a walkthrough and is
not going to be open to the general public. And we leave on Friday for Jackson for Seattle for the preseason game there and then head.
Home, heading home, being back to Dallas.
Back to that's right, yes, home home. Yes, this has been home for a month.
So we got to see a preseason game finally, full football since they kind of played football here in practice practice. So your just overall take on you know what took place Saturday in the preseason.
Game, and I'll give you my offensive and defensive take is that okay? Yes, Defensively, I have not seen that type of speed. What I saw, especially in the first preseason game. What I saw from the linebackers and from Marquise Bell was just flat out guys running, hustling, making plays. It's been a long time since you've seen a young guy. And number thirty three and number thirty five, these guys were running overshown and number thirty three is Clark.
Clark.
These guys can flat out run, and just the speed of it, that's what that would impress me. Defensively, offensively, I saw some good things. I saw some nice things, and I saw I'm kind of just sitting in the middle on our offense hoping that this next preseason game would show me a little bit more. I saw hope. But I also said, also, I had too many anxious moments. When I have anxious moments, then I mean I need
to look at it a second time. And I haven't had a chance to look at the film a second time. Because I gotta go find look at it right.
So, and and we should point out that the Cowboys sat twenty five players, yes, twenty six if you count the president who wasn't playing, So the majority of their starters, Uh, there was really only seven guys. Yeah, seven guys that were playing in more than their fourth NFL game. Two of them were the deep snapper and the holder. And then you had to play some quarterbacks, so Cooper Rush.
So that's three of those seven.
So they really didn't play many veterans guys at all. And so it showed. I think it showed mostly on offense. So you got to take that stuff kind of with a grain assault when you try to evaluate. Now, Jacksonville played their starters for two series and then they were out. The Cowboys did not play, you know, starters throughout the game. Obviously sat a bunch of guys. So look, don't worry
about the result, right, that's inconsequential. You worry about individual performances and how different guys play or didn't play well enough. And if you look at it, I think the one thing that McCarthy might have been has to focus on is ball security. Can't turn the ball over, right, especially you're trying to make this team, and if you look at it, turnovers contributed fifteen points in this game. Eight when Turpin fumbled the punt set up Jacksonville at the
Cowboys forty two, so they had a short field. And then Donnal, after a really nice catch and run down inside the five yard line, fumbles the ball at the one yard line. That's seven points there. You're going to score a touchdown. Chances are if you hold on to the football. So they lose by five, but they, you know, squandered fifteen points along in my books along the way.
So you know, the other thing I think we have to look at, Nate is this is the first time a lot of these guys played football like a whole game. Because they're playing a lot of guys that were on the practice squad last year that hadn't played an NFL game. I mean, take Will Greer, when's the last time he played a full game? Yeah, last trading camp, right last preseason. So well I looked at the offensive line and Josh
Ball starts at right guard. Yes, he played all of forty one snaps last year, so he did most of the season watching.
Well, let's go was on injured reserve.
Act was placed on injured reserve October twenty sixth. Brock Hoffman, who started at center on the practice squad the hall year. The guy that played the most football last year of the starting five on the offensive line was Awesome Richards, because he was in college, starting at North Carolina. So when you look at that first group that played the whole first half the offensive line, that's the first time a lot of these guys played football.
Yeah. And the thing that and I'll go back to the points. The reason we're bringing up the points because we don't worry about the score, and we really don't, you know, no one should. But when you have turnovers, that's why we brought up the score because you had because in the regular season, you don't need turnovers, especially inside your own their red zone, so it's easy for them to score. So that's why we bring out the points.
But I'm with you, a lot of these guys got they first opportunity to really get uh, get some real ball in and I was so happy when they started their starters because what that is, what that does is gives the guys a truer look.
Of what they might be facing.
Yeah. So now you can get you get a better athlete that's more confident in the scheme that they runs, so they're running it a little bit faster. When you're going against rookies and everybody's trying to fill out those first few series, you may not get a fast player. But we got their first team defense in their first team offense, and we got faster players. So that made you That made you raise your level of playoff if
you can. So that that was good. And they held their own I mean they did not get blowed up, and some players had some blow up situations, but as a team, they did not fall apart, and that was good to see.
Yeah, and we need to, you know, go further and say, okay, now what do you do yes week? Right, because chances are those young guys in the offensive line that are basically battling for backup spots, Yes, sir, Yeah, Now they've got a game under their belt and we'll see what happens when they go to Seattle. You know, if you evaluated the offensive line the first group that played, there were some good things and then there was some not so good whoa what are you doing there?
Like guys got lost.
There was a couple of plays where I saw Richards it was like what are you doing?
Uh?
And it's like he was confused. And so I think a lot.
Of it wasn't just inability. It was not recognizing what you have to do. And that's got to be difficult when you haven't played at this level in so long.
The thing that I always get guys is you has hesitation shows the lack of confidence. And when you have lack of confidence, and if some of the wording, the verbiage is close, that runs together. You did on display, this protection means this. On this play, this protection means this, and it all starts to run together with the possibility of three different defenses that you're gonna face. So if you kind of have concentrating on the play, you may not see the scheme when it changed, so you don't
make the right move. I saw one time the right guard went right and everybody else was going left, and then he made this. He made his adjustment, but the tackle he was by hisself, so they wind up on one guy in the linebacker ran free. So you see all that confusion, and now the coach is saying, Okay, my tackle did right. My guard didn't do so good on this play right here, we can we can adjust that. But now the running back saying, wow, but I got kipt for no gain or a minimal minimal gain, So
it can be. But we didn't have a three or four of those plays on the offensive line where guys was just totally confused and it hurt the whole team like you had other times when it was confused and it didn't hurt the team a lot of times. You know, I go right and you go left. But the play we was fortunate to play was outside the other way, so me going the wrong way didn't hurt us right,
So we saw a little bit of that. But I talked to coach Mike Celari and he just lived because he we changed just simple things like we changed practice by us not going today full pass and Tuesday full pass and then Wednesday off like they thought it's been moved back a day. So he's livid about that because he had things he wanted to get while the game was fresh on their mind. He didn't want to walk through.
He needed to get guys going, and so he just believed, like I believe that the only way you can get offensive line going is to work them physically as well as mentally. You know, you can get it all on the board and you can write it all down, but I need to get you going at least seventy five miles an hour here physically so you can see it moving faster.
And I think it'll be interesting to see. So we didn't get a chance to talk to Mike McCarthy yesterday.
We talked to him today.
I believe it's n nine point fifteen his press conference, So he's moved everything up, so it sounds like what he's trying to do is get the guys off their.
Feet a little bit more.
So they're going to start the practice early so they have a longer day before tomorrow they get the pads on. And he was pretty honest after the game, and I'll give you just one example. He said after the game, Josh Ball came up to him and said, well, coach, what did you think?
How did I do?
And McCarthy's answer was, well, I was kind of busy with another job, meaning I didn't get a chance to really watch on falling plays.
Right.
Uh So now that they've they've got a chance to go over the film all day Sunday, it'll be interesting to see what his evaluation is and the coach's evaluation of what took place during the game. I think that you know, from the quarterback standpoint, Will Grier hadn't played in a in a in a in a game, if I'm not if I'm not mistaken, since last preseason. Yeah, it took him a while, I think to start seeing things, uh,
to adjust to the speed of the game. And then I think we saw after he took over for Cooper Rush that the second half he kind of settled down and start hitting some passes. He's got a bunch of passes. I'm sure he wanted back, uh, And there were a couple of well I'm throwing this, and what's the wide receiver doing?
And there was young wide receivers.
Yeah, And that is why I believe practice has to be taking so and I'm not sitting, please don't miss Sam. This is what I believe that practice has to be even more important than the preseason game. I just really believe that when you have these opportunities as backup guys, I mean true back, cause Will Grill was hurt and he was truly the thirteen quarterback, right, so you have to really be focused. You have to really kind of
come out here and do extra. Uh, the the days of I'll get my reps that is over, that has been over maybe ten fifteen years. You now you have to find a group of guys where you say, hey, fell let's go out and get some get some throws. Right, Let's let's get something extra. Because the time that is allotted for veterans is only eleven hours a day. Yes, so you you gonna have to find time on your own.
And it can't be Da going to hit guys. He's gotta be Will Grill finding him a group of guys or Cooper Rush finding him a group of guys and throwing to his guys because, uh, time is so limited, like even for us, we you don't get a chance to see the second group of guys because like we're watching film and we didn't get a chance to see the TJ. Bastes of the world or the other other guys were so concentrating on on Richards. Uh we loscow. I did find out that my boy some questions was
answering on my boy froniac. His arms are just too short mate to play guard.
I think the center.
Yeah, he's but see that affects us because now if he could play a litt bit of guard, now we can, we can we get a lot of positions somewhere else. But now we gotta If we put him at the backup center, that means we got to find a backup guard as well as a backup swing tackle.
Butt out last year when he had to start those two games.
Yeah he did, Okay, he did all right, But.
Again take into a count that that's his first football that he's played in a game since they put him on I R about halfway through the season.
Yeah, and I and I'm with you, but still you have to start and and and I'm not judging him on this one game, but the film is being.
Watched, right, I got.
And I don't want to and I don't want to say he can't play guard, but I'm saying from what I seen by the first team of the other team, right, he wasn't He wasn't mentally ready to so.
And and the other thing we need to point out is if if he's the game day uh center, backup center guard, then you only got to get through a game. What you have to do is find somebody that can play full time guard. If something happens, or if Zach Martin doesn't get back in time for the start of the season. They I saw some people tweeting out. Do I have to say tweeting out or xing out?
Now? I don't know. I'm not intoday anyway.
Questions about do they need to get a veteran offensive lineman, Well, that's what they signed Truman a dooga for and he's out and I've been told that he's got a bone bruise on his knee. It wasn't something after they did the MRI, so it shouldn't be a too long thing.
Now.
I'm not saying he's the answer because he certainly hasn't impressed me during the practice sessions.
You know, I watched Richards and he played left tackle. He did not play bad at all in my estimate. Well, he did not play bad.
At most of the last week or so he's been in practice. He's been playing.
Guard, yes, but he played.
He shows up at left tackle and he gave up a sack.
But the quarterback held the ball right and we had pressure. He did his job. He ran the guy around the horn, all the way around the horn. He took three steps after he got him around the horn and the guy just looks up and here's a quarterback. Then backed up four or five yards because we had a rush up the middle that flushed him. At first he was gonna step up, but then we had a rush from the right side that flushed him, and and and he was
right there. So ain't nothing you can do after you run the guy around the horn and you take you two or three steps to secure it. So I'm thinking, awesome, Riches played nice. I think with Losco, I think he played nice. And you and and when you see this from your tackles, because between the guy that you mentioned, your dogga and these two guys those we gotta find the swing tap. Gotta be one of them. Gotta be one of these guys. So it's gonna be a great competition.
And I promise you when we get out of Dallas, we won't be doing the show together. But after this second preseason game, we can't sit up and we ain't gonna have a luxury to say it was the first preseason game. We're gonna have to either be saying, these guys, this is your guy, he looks like you're guy, or we'll be just ready to discuss well, when.
We talk about the backup tackle spot.
You know what Nate's saying is basically a game day backup because if anything goes wrong, Tyler, Tyler Smith's your your.
Full time, full time back up. Yeah.
So then again it's the guard position that they gotta concentrate on. All Right, We're gonna take a short break here on Mick Shots, and now we'll start going over some individual performances, because there was a few individual performances that you put a five star on. I thought for a first preseason game that next on Mixshots, I'm.
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Mixed Shots, brought to you by Miller Light, Mickey Spagnola, and Nate Newton. Here in cloudy, a little bit chilly, Oxnard, California, but not They wished that weather was like this back home.
Right if people could walk outdoors right now in the weather we're in, they would cheer you hear you would hear all of Texas cheering. I'll tell you what.
When we walked off that plane on Friday, it was around five o'clock. I swear we're coming down the walkway.
My skin felt like it was burning.
Oh and I called a few people who was coming off that flight because I called got time to just right, and called a few people. And the first thing it is, I'm wiltering I'm wiltering, That's all they was saying to everybody.
I was like, Wow, I felt like the plants in my backyard.
Yeah yeah, all right, So we're gonna get into some guys.
Uh.
And I guess we should probably start with Deuce Vaughan, who has already become a hit with the people at AT and T Stadium.
Uh.
And you realize that when he had his big run.
They're down at the four yard line and people in the stadium start chanting dudes, And I was thinking, Okay, Mike McCarthy, you got to give him the ball at the four yard round and they did, and he.
Found the hole and scooted it through for a touchdown. So your thoughts on what you see?
I just knew he was gonna start with number thirty five? What his name? Yeah, I just knew you was going so okay, I have to kind of stop in midstream. Okay, because Mickey, you've heard me, said producer Chris Beab has heard me sayd I ain't no I want no Deduce band fan say he has to show me out of all of these guys, you're gonna have to pull a
Missouri and show me. And from day one, in training camp, he's been like, mister Newton, this is who I am, and he ain't saying this person, but just the way he's been a professional way he's practiced because I only thought that he was a gadget player. I don't like gadget players. They can't help you win games in my estimate, but this kid is proven every day, every practice, every move that coach McCarthy's done with this kid, it's been a positive move the game. Positive moves out of the
things I've seen out of the running backs. Positive So he's winning me over. And he's more than a gadget player. He's a football player. So I have to say this one time, mister Deuce, I'm riding with you. I'm still waiting though. I'm not gonna just jump the fence. I'm not that type of guy. But if you convince me, you got a fan for life.
A carries fifty yards, including a twenty six yard run and a four yard touchdown run. He ended up catching three passes. It says three yards. The one was a big loss. He had a nine yard game, and then on kickoff returns he got one for thirty yards and he exploded on that.
Yeah, yeah, it was nice. And what he's doing is we have an all Pro returner. He's putting pressure on this all pro returner.
So I'm all Pro returner. Better hold on to the football.
This is what I'm trying to say, Mick is now, you have to be smart. If you are terping, you have to be very calculating in how you do things right. And I hate to say this, because you want a guy to be more than one thing to a team. Why receiver, third, punk returner, first kick return a second? Why I receive a third. I'm not saying don't work on your craft, but don't lose one to gain the other, because you become less valuable.
Well, I thought the impressive thing.
And and by the way, if you guys hear this like a drill in the background, we're not at a dentist office either.
Yeah.
Yes, they're building something.
Yeah, he's always doing something. I wish we had brash sham brasham. Start with the noise, so I splore see the guy right there, he's do what you gotta do, man.
Yeah, go do it.
At the other side, take a hint, I guess not the job to do it.
I'm doing it.
I thought The thing that stuck out to me about Deuce was the fact that he has this ability to put his foot in the ground and see where the crease is and just kind of scoot right through it. And he's got enough speed that once he gets through, if there's somebody facing him, he doesn't lose any speed. Side step in the game, right, It's just one step to the side and he's left.
Them grabing air.
Right.
So I thought that was pretty impressive for his first opportunity to play in a game. Uh, the other guy, and we'll go back and forth offense defense, But you mentioned Themarvin Overshan.
The kid can run, can he?
Mick? I could have did a whole show on him. I turn on the film out here, every guy, I would act broadest you. It didn't matter who I asked this question, who is the defensive guy that you like? Who is the defensive guy that you like? To a man thirty five? We wasn't called, you know, we wouldn't call him over with his name. Yeah, it was thirty five. Look at thirty five, and look at thirty five. And I would look and I was like, oh, but when I popped on a little bit of film, when I
would rant track somebody down. The first person I saw was number thirty five. I mean, and I'm running it slow, slow that down. I mean he got away of slipping by guys, and he's got so much speed and quickness till he can get out of his lane, get behind the guy, and get back in his lane for almost no gain. Don't let it bother you make almost this camp sounds sound no gain. And then number thirty three he's doing the.
Same thing sideline to sideline. Yes, right, yeah, And think about this.
He ended up starting five games last year, having missed all the off season, having missed all of training camp, and we saw how he was playing, and somebody and just tells you how people don't watch And obviously they're not watching training camp practice, like what they want to know who's going to be the linebacker starting next to fifty five, And it's like it's thirty three already.
This kid. Did you see the one he ran down to the side that there was a pitch out.
And he was on the Baie ran down the other Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, the moon Clark. We know they may fellas I'm old school, until you make the teams A lot of times it's just numb daimone. Clark is who we're talking about, and Over Shown it's thirty five. So just stick with me here and stick with Mick. Micker used the names more than I will. But these guys were running. It was three guys that showed up, showed out Mark, Keats, Bell, Over Shown, and Clark. These guys
were constant, constant, constant. And I'm dropping ahead of the game, Mick. And when number thirty, when number fifty eight our first round picked Mazie and number ninety seven was showing out Olsa, he played white. When these guys were eating up blocks,
these linebackers were unstoppable. And I know it was preseason, but I'm just saying, for a for a rookie and a first year guy, which i'm calling Clark a first year guy show up like that, I would hate to see when they scheme it up, how quick and fast.
He And when I think, when we're talking about linebackers, really doesn't matter who was playing on the other side. Now, it matters when the offensive line goes against the defensive line, right, But from from a linebacker standpoint, you got to know where your fits are and where you're going and those two guys along with Marquise Bell, who led the team with ten tackles. Yes, ten and again and that's probably
the most. Now he played last year, but he played thirty some plays in this game and show that he knew what was going on. So yeah, I thought those guys really really stood out defense. We've seen Juan yer Thomas, the safety make plays the first series. He gets an interception number thirty. Yes, and he's a guy that's pushing you know. He was on the practice squad last year. But he has some special teams capabilities too, so he
certainly did himself some favors. Now, we're going to take our last break, and we're breaks already.
Well, no, we only got yeah, we only got to forty five.
We ain't got nobody outs.
Do we have anybody after us?
Yeah, we have coach McCarthy. How you doing, a young lady, Good to see you.
All right, All right, well we can do that.
So where's he got with the bloor?
He's right behind you, and maybe he can just take a break here for ten minutes.
Oh, Lee didn't take a He certainly didn't take a suggestion there, did he?
Well, yeah, we can go a little longer today. That's right, yeah, okay, so we can't, okay, we can't. All right, Well then Chris Beams says it's time to take a break, So we will take a break here mix shots.
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I'm Dak Prescott, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. Blockchain dot com is one of the most trusted ways to buy, sell, and trade crypto. Whether you always on the go or stay closer to home, blockchain dot com is just a few taps away put the power of crypto in your pocket, so no matter where you are, you can trade on your terms and build a crypto portfolio to fit your life. For cryptopros, rookies, and anyone in between Blockchain dot Com makes it easy to own a piece of the future.
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To mixed shots. I tell you, guys and girls, man, when we get back to Frisco, we need for you to come watch the Dallas Cowboys practice at the Star in Frisco Doing Training Camp presented by American Airlines. It's free. Open practice will take place at the Forest Center starting with the Cowboys Cowboys Night on August twenty second, and it runs through the twenty fourth. Now, we won't be there for forty eight hours. You need to come back
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I'll be there or whatever I can.
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And that's Nate long haul Newton right, a new nickname here, the way he drives around Mickey Spagnola and it's mix shots here for a few more minutes, we're gonna give way in a little bit to Mike McCarthy's press conference.
Move things up.
Okay, two guys, I wanted to get to first, the kicker, Brandon Aubrey.
He had.
Kickoffs, which are important for this kicking job. He had five touchbacks, okay, kicking the ball really well at AT and T Stadium. As a matter of fact, I kept an eye on him when he was warming up, and it certainly showed the difference in his leg strength kicking at AT and T Stadium and not kicking into this blessed wind.
Here had a cursed wind.
Yeah, the cursed wind, the ruin of many a kicker, right and from in warm ups. He had the leg to hit from fifty one and fifty three by a good distance. So he's got the laying strength, he's got the pop.
Now.
As for his performance in the game, he hit a twenty nine yard field goal. He was two or three on extra points, and I found out that one of the things that happened was that when they had the first couple kicks, the operations, the three man operation was a little slow, so I think they told they needed to speed up. Well, he speeded up on that extra point and hurried himself, so I think he needs to settle down. But again, that was his first NFL performance.
I know he kicked in the USFL, but I think you can see the lage strength. Now it's a matter of consistency. Okay, so we'll see where the kicking thing goes. I'm sure the owner was sitting there going we left off, we're having trouble with extra points, and he missed one, and you want to be nearly perfect, and he was in the USFL, by the way, nearly perfect. So we'll see how he performs. But they had to be happy
with that's his first NFL competition. The other guy that I think people probably figured out is they had to know the name of number forty nine John Stevens tight end. First time he's ever played tight end.
In a game, and he leads the team.
Uh.
And again stats aren't that important, but he led the team with five catchers for fifty six yards uh and had a touchdown catch there late in the fourth quarter. We've been seeing him flash here. I was wondering what he was going to do in a game. He made himself available on seven targets to catch five passes.
That's good. Good he did he do a little fullback too? Did he get some foods?
I don't remember if they put him at an H back or not. They were using a lot of the other tight ends at H back, right McKeon, did I think.
Did it also?
So obviously he knows he has to improve blocking, but as an off the line tight end, I think he shows you why they turned him into a wide receiver in college. Right, three years that TCU didn't get a chance to play all that much, transferred to Louisiana, and again he was playing wide receiver at six six two forty five. So I just thought that what he did
was rather remarkable. Because I talked to him after the game, I said, so tight end, maybe middle school, high school, some No, this was the first time he ever played in the game at tight end.
That's great, that's great, And see you talking about him, But I'm talking about a guy who I was howling last year and I just can't wait for the season start for Jake First. Yes, absolutely cannot wait because he was trying to fight and block, to try to get in the way. He'll do everything he can, and every time we get a tight end that will block, it just increases the opportunities for Tony Pollard to be do his natural thing, and that's to get outside.
So he had three catches for thirty eight yards, made himself available, but was blocking. Now I've contended that this guy will make everybody.
Forget about Dalton Schultz.
Yes, now that might be too bold of a statement, but I think he's more of a complete tight end because he will block. Yes, And I think we also saw the rookie scoon Maker that's a big man on the line of scrimmage. He looks like a willing blocker too. I'm thinking, if you're a big ten tight end and these guys coming from Wisconsin, you better be able to block, right.
Yeah, that is and that is what we've been missing the last few years, or the last two or three year. But the thing about it is we've been able to but this year here we're gonna need a little bit more of a run game. We're gonna play much better defenses. We're gonna have to be just a little bit more balanced. And so we got guys that and like I tell people, and even the great Jason on Witting would tell you,
they're all about being a perfect block. It's about being a willing, fighting blocker to get that that's able to get in the way and get positioned. So we got guys that can do that. Like I say, Tony, it'll help Tony Pollard and whoever's going to be the second back.
That's almost like for a tight end. It's almost like playing basketball. You want to screen people off the play. Your job is not to really pancake people, right if you can find, but just know where you're supposed to be and screen guys off the play. And uh and if you notice, and this was no accident, especially in the most of the game.
They were in a lot of too tight end.
Yes, right, yes, So if you're gonna be in two tight end that much, you better have four tight ends that could right, I grew with, So it'll be interesting to see, uh Hendershot, you know, obviously one of them scoon Maker Ferguson and then we'll see what the fourth one. You know, do they go with McEwen just because of his experience or do I mean, can can you take a guy.
Like Stevens and put him on the fifty three man roster?
You know that that's that's that's not my decision. But the first two are good solid blockers and catchers, right, and Hendershot is my third guy because he's he's that he's a route runner. So the other guy, I don't know, Mick's up to what the coach see about. Now. The thing is it's always gonna come down to specialty, right, Can you be a special teams player or who's gonna be the willing h back? Yes, because they're gonna always be able to dress the young guy, you.
Know, and that's what Q and did last year. It was kind of more of the h back of the group. So yeah, it'll be interesting to see that. They'll have some decisions to make. And then you know this Hunter Lipke,
the full back. They use him as a one back and you know he'll play special teams, right, So that's gonna create some decisions that they've got to make here over the next couple of weeks because the cut is August twenty ninth, so they've got still what are we at the fourteenth, two weeks before they have to make the cuts, So they got some interesting decisions to make.
But I thought those guys, you know, the Stevens and the Aubrey, who, by the way, I found out when he got to the USFL with Birmingham, he didn't have any competition because they only had forty five guys in a roster and they didn't have room to have two kickers. So basically he got recommended to Birmingham Stallions and it was his job.
Yeah.
So now this was the first time he's been in a competitive situation and the first time when we talked about John Stevens playing tight end, which is a little different than.
And you know what, you know how confusing it was.
I saw on the on the stat sheet they listed him as a wide receiver, not a tight end. Everywhere he's a tight end, but in the official play by play they listed him as a wide receiver.
I guess just because he was out wide.
Well, if me and you do a show next week, I can promise you I won't be sitting here saying this was the first preseason game because we're we are underway nine, right, and guys have to take it upon themselves to say, you know what. Normally, when I used to have to asks a coach how did I play? That mean I had a lot of plays that were very questioned. I was a little Yeah. So when you
played good, I played decent. Then you have a confidence and you be waiting on the coach to come and patch you on the back.
Right, So you.
Walk off like I'm good, Yeah, I'm good. Yeah. So next week, you know, like I said, if we do a show together, I'll be like, nah, it's time to you know, do whatever it takes to make it happen.
So what Nate's saying these next two padded practice out big big, big.
Yeah, especially if I'm in competition at the Guard. If I'm in the competition at Guard, I got you know, I know. I know who my z is now, I know who fourniac Hell is, now, I know who Ghosting is. Bro. I'm finna crush you now, Intice, I know you, I practice against you. I don't need no tape to crush you in practice and now and then she will make
you more confident going into the game. It's like a lot of times you come up the ball timid well once you've done it, especially you've done it against Jacksonville's no slouch and you went against their first team and you farewell. Now next week it don't matter. You come off that ball and you do what you gotta do. You be the attacker.
Nate Newton crushing it here on mix Shots.
We will be back on Wednesday one more time from ox Star before we head back home and resume mix shots at the Star. Natal probably be back on his hanging with the regular show, and I'll get Bill Jones and Everson Wallas back with me and if we ever need help, Long Haul's gonna step in and help us out. Chris Beam, thanks for getting us going here. And that's it for today on mix Shots.
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