The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
Cowboys.
This is nick Shot, streaming live on dallascowboys dot Com and the official Dallas Cowboys at now. Here are Bill Jones, Everson Walls, and Nicky Spagnola.
And welcome to football season Shots inside the SWBC podcast studio. The team is set for all intents and purposes. We've got college football tonight, We've got college football Saturday, Cowboys, We've got the Giants next week. Yes, there are football players on a football field right now.
And a beautiful, beautiful Thursday looking outside.
Everyone.
At the start, I was looking out seventy five degrees.
About seventy five degrees? Is that what it is?
Well, that's what it was. I think when practice.
Rising, clicks rising, this seventy nine degrees right now and it is a bombing ninety seven for the high today. That cold front came through, and so they didn't need to change practice ago at eight o'clock in the morning.
Or started the press conference at seven.
And you were up right and early.
I was, so, what time did you leave the house? I left the house at six thirty two.
You beat the rush hour traffic did very good because seven you're good.
You know what what.
Occurred to me is my patients driving to work got ruined in training camp because I walked five minutes to work in Oxnard.
Like from your room to the field.
That's right.
You can still have some traffic problems there. No, no, If it's a lot of people walking.
No one's in my way. I forgot about the traffic, especially since school started.
Speaking of training camp, I have. I am approaching today with a clear mind because I stayed late at work last night and I got my expense report done from two weeks in ox Star that's been hanging over my head for three weeks now. Yeah, and I'm sitting there, okay, Okay, I got to prepare for these preseason games. So I'm not going to do my cause I knew it was at least a four hour process when you're you.
Know, and you should have stayed up last night because it was a full moon anyway.
Well, and so I got working on it at work last night and I stayed there and got it done, and so it is really football season for me.
So do you think the Cowboys got all their roster manipulations done?
That's the question for you.
No, No, I'm asking you guys, are you are you happy to think what they did?
Oh, that's a different in question you asked.
Well, if you asked if we're happy, then that's up to you as well, because if.
Mickey ain't happy, and there still could be some jockeying for position, and there could be in some things. But why don't you explain what's going on with the practice squad right now? And then we actually need to get into the cuts themselves, right, explain what's happening with the CJ. Goodwins of the world in the practice.
Yeah, so CJ. Goodwin they put on the practice squad. Uh, he's a vested veteran, so he didn't have to go through waivers, and they basically told him, look, don't go anywhere. We're going to pay you. We're putting you on the practice squad. We'll use the first three weeks you'll call be called up to play in the game as part of the forty eight.
And you get your full salary if you get called up each week.
Right exactly. And and then what they're kind of playing the odds that maybe somebody gets hurt and you can put him on after his three call ups, you can put him on the fifty three man roster, and this allows them to keep a younger guy that they didn't think would get through waivers. And having said that, the only guy they wanted to keep that didn't get through
waivers was Isaiah Land. The Colts claimed them on their fifty three, so they didn't get the young kid through that they were grooming to be a linebacker slash pass rushing defensive end. So I think that was the one thing that they probably regretted, thought it was going to get was going to happen, but it certainly didn't. So now they had some other guys that I think they would have signed to the practice squad, but they chose to sign with other team practice squads. Wide receiver Dennis
Houston signed to the Giants practice squad. Jabril Cox probably was looking around and going, all right, they're not thinking much of me. I'll try this in Washington and then
will Greer. I think another guy was playing the odds because McCarthy had said the day before that they would be willing to sign him to the practice squad and have four quarterbacks, but he chose to sign with Cincinnati on the practice squad, and I think what he was looking at was at the time, Joe Burrow still wasn't practicing, but he did yesterday. But he did yesterday, and so other than that, the only other backup they had was Jake Browning.
Oh, and that's the other part of it, is he's competing. Once he learns the system and you know, a month from now or whatever, then he could be the primary backup for je Zach.
And if Burrow wasn't ready, Browning would have the star art and they would have to elevate.
Him because they let Trevor Simeon go a guy with more experience. Yeah, so there was there was more of an opening at the end in Cincinnati than there was anywhere else.
Yeah, there were, and there was no opening here, right, he was going to be just the practice squad unless there was multiple injuries. So, uh, those were the four guys I think they wanted back or would have brought back maybe, but.
They could be in a situation in Cincinnati two depending on what they decide to do now, especially with Burrow's injury concern, where they may elevate Greer for the first three weeks of the season from the practice squad, so they have a third quarterback and actually, actually, no, that doesn't work.
You can't do it.
You can't. No, no, it doesn't have third quarterback rule doesn't work on fifty three. He's got to be on the fifty three.
But still, if Burrow, you know, hadn't practice, say practices today. Now I'm assuming because it's Joe Burrow with three actuses next week, he's ready to start. But you know what if he's not, so I think he was looking, you know, financially at it and opportunity, uh, signing with Cincinnati.
And so let's go back to cut day on Tuesday and what we were what was both of you's take on what happened? And and he surprises as far as that goes.
Before spad goes, I got this. I have this surprise player. I don't think we've talked about him. Uh, he wants to break a generational curse. Cowboys safety Thomas Thomas good story.
Well, he was on the practice squad last year.
Okay, okay, Well he wanted to make the fifty three man roster.
Yeah, and and he did a big safety. Yeah that is bigger than I remembered when I talked to him. In training camp, he's like six to one. I think they listed him at two fifteen. He looks heavier than that. I mean, this is a strong looking guy.
He's a young to fifteen, yes, and I'm fifteen, and I don't like him.
It's different to you.
No, It's like when I when I interviewed Dak and I asked him before we interviewed and or sit down during training camp, he said he was at two hundred and twenty five pounds to twenty eight something like that, Like, how come you're two twenty eight? Looks different than me?
A lot differ than that.
Anyway, So, Wanye, they had him playing a lot of safety but also in the nickel defense, moving him up into like a linebacker spot.
But did you know about his story? Did you know? Yeah?
I didn't know the part about his dad burning down their house. Yeah it was. But he had played at Georgia Tech, played well, uh, and I saw that they were kind of using him some on returns. And so when I first this was the first couple of days of training camp, and I asked him, I said, so, did they use you at on returns at Georgia Tech? And he goes, oh, yeah, I said, were you good at it? He goes, go look at my tape, probably said video right, and I said, okay, we'll do So
I went and looked. It was pretty impressive, right, He had a couple of returns for touchdowns. And so a guy that big and that fast. Uh So I told him yesterday, I, hey, I went and looked. You were right, so he I think.
It was early in camp and you may have been with me talking with John Fossil about jan Ye and it was almost as if Fossil didn't want the case.
Yes, yes, yes.
I guess that's why the story was lost though.
You know, he was one of those that, okay, we got into the practice squad last year, and you could tell he was really excited about what he could do on special teams, that he could be a core special teams guy. And so he was hesitant at first to talk about him and then he in the course of the you know, he's such a fossil, so excited about that. Yeah, and so, and you know he was going to play
in these preseason games. Word was going to get out on him, and sure enough, the first preseason game, first drive of the game, he picks off Trevor Lawrence, so the cats out of the back.
Yeah, and a good, good guy and a willing special teams player too, by way. So yeah, the.
Amazing thing about it is when and he talked about it the other day, uh is I mean you look at this safety group and there you talk about no room in the end, you know, and there doesn't appear to be any of them at the end there, but with their starting trio, but with him and Marquise Bell, they've got not only special teams value, but they can go play down in the box and subpackages too.
So when I talked to Dan Quinn the other day, I said, little Thinn at linebacker, you only got four on the team. I said, what happens if Vandersch or Dimont Clark get hurt? And he goes, well, we'll play Parsons more at linebacker.
We talked about this, right, yeah.
And he said also that that was the plan anyway, even though he did a lot of pass rush stuff in training camp, they were thinking of using him more at linebacker. And he said, and then we got our couple of big safeties that can help us at linebacker.
And we talked about that too, So he confirmed.
What we talked about on Tuesday, which is to say.
That if there was an injury that was multiple weeks, right, there are there are veteran inside linebackers out there that they could go.
Right exactly, And Harper actually played pretty well in that last preseason game. Now they kept him for special teams purposes, but you know he did all right. So anyway, Yeah, so with only four there, it was like, oh, that's pretty iffy because you usually want to keep six linebackers, but I didn't think they had six to keep on what they had. Now okay, because they gave up on Jamirol Cox.
Yes, okay, we need to get to the cornerback.
Yes, let go.
But first off, Hunter Lipke made the team.
Yes he did.
And when we convened on Friday, someone in the room said, my pick to click was Hunter Lipkey of that game. When I said that, when I said that, when I said that, I didn't think he would click to the point that he would make the fifty three. No, I'm in that game because there wouldn't be anybody that was on the fifty three man roster basically playing in that game. And he goes into that game and he makes the fifty three out of coming out of that game.
You know, and we talked about it. I think they finally brought it up in the press conference today about how Mike McCarthy used John kun as a full back, one back, special teams guy the Pro Bowl. Yeah, and he burned the Cowboys pretty badly too in one game. That he likes the fullback and so this kid was versatile enough and he showed it in the game that they said, all right, not only can they use him as a lead blocker, a one back, a guy that can catch the ball, but I'll guarantee you he'll be
a very willing special teams guy too. So yeah, and he's got his teammate here for one year they were together North Dakota State game.
L Right, never mind.
So I mean if you look at the fifty three as they as they did it and then made the adjustments, uh yesterday, I mean, there really wasn't a surprise.
And then well, seany Ekewen, we sat here on Tuesday and said, well you started going down the tight ends. You keeping four tight ends. You're keeping four tight and McEwen is on the practice squad, right, and but to the point of lipkey, he can do some of those things that they were using McEwen as in the backfield, or he can be trained to do that as a lead blocker h BAC type in the backfield too. But McEwen is here to stay for the season. He's just on the practice squad.
And maybe at some point last year or the year before he was on the practice was he was he yeah, I think so here's and then they elevated him a couple of times.
There are so many tight ends that are like McEwan, like others that are out on the street as free agents right now that are going to get signed a week from now or whatever.
You may sound so bad, No, I'm just saying that.
No, I'm saying. I'm saying that you have the ability to get him to the practice squad because there are a whole bunch of options out there, and coaches like coaching the guys they've been coaching for the last six months. And so it was a good play I think by the Cowboys that he wasn't going to get picked up because there's an abundance of tight ends out there, so if he did get picked up, you can find another one.
He started last season on the practice squad and then they activated him October twenty ninth, So they're kind of doing the same thing this year, and the same thing with sort of the deal with C. J. Goodwin. You're thinking, Okay, these guys are with us. We're telling them you're with us, don't go anywhere, and then at some point somebody gets hurt and you have an opening on the practice squad.
I was somewhat surprised, and I'm going to leave this to Bill by the way, that they got something for Kelvin Joseph.
My guy, man, I'm going to miss him.
Why are you get giving it to me?
Because you're going to say Noah's last name operly big benogany, Yes, and I got it right here.
It's actually it's actually it rolls off the tongue very big bananga.
Yeah, banogay.
So what do you think of that? And it'd not benogahy uh any. That first round he was a first round. He was a first round twenty twenty.
And he doesn't have a CD out and he's good.
Yes, and he's out of Miami because that's where Joseph was going to do his wraps in Miami.
Okay, that one.
So when I answered the question on I think twitter X or whatever you want to call it. And I said it was trading a bag of peanuts for a bag of walnuts.
Yeah, I saw that. That was that was pretty funny, pretty good. So is the guy any good?
Then they didn't want him, well, they wanted to get something for it.
Yeah, yeah, they didn't just release it.
I mean it's like San Francisco that didn't want he was going to be more than the third quarterback, and so it's like, oh, maybe we can get something for him.
So they just gave up on my boy.
Huh yeah, all that talent, all that, and I'll tell you what, just watching him out there, Boy, he throws a pretty pass and he's got it.
Not only Trey Lance.
Okay, yeah, I thought we were still talking about corner.
Okay, I was.
No, you said, and they got something for him? Yeah, I thought you meant trade San Francisco. I was on the wrong way.
Like Bogay is throwing pass, they got.
Something for He's here already too, by the way. Uh no, Trey Lance. So I got to chat with him yesterday in the locker room, and uh, it seems like I.
Got an idea.
Real I got an idea. Take a break and talk about try.
We're good to talk, and I got something to add on Noah Igbogany too, Okay, okay, and Mickey is going to say the name Noahgaty.
Here on mixed shots. We got it.
I'm Dak Prescott, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
And they snapped the press guy who looks right, it's not there. He escapes left. He'll run for a perch down.
Just like football, when it comes to crypto, it's important to have a team you can trust. With blockchain dot Com, I know I'm in good hands. Since twenty eleven, they've been trusted by millions around the world to buy, sell, and trade crypto currency.
Prescott's gonna run this himself, run it up the middle and he scores.
You're new to crypto or an active trader, They've got you covered.
What are you waiting for?
Get started at blockchain dot com.
You know that sound anywhere. It's the crisp crunch, that first nacho chip with its perfect cheese to sour cream ratio, sitting atop a layer of delicious beans. It's a sip away from perfection. That's what we're looking for. Add a delicious refreshing Pepsi, and we've achieved absolute nacho nirvana because while you can pile those nachos high with every spicy, cheesy, savory topping, there's no topping of fool Pepsi. Finish nachos better with pepsi.
That's what I like.
The Medal of Honor is our country's highest military award for valor in combat. More than forty million individuals have served in the armed forces since the Civil War. Fewer than four thousand have received the Medal of Honor. The National Medal of Honor Museum will be a place to preserve these legacies and inspire America. It's being built right next door to the Dallas Cowboys in Texas. Help us honor our country the greatest heroes. Learn more and get involved at mohmuseum dot org.
Cowboys, Football and Miller Lite.
What a pairing can cracks a kickoff tailgates going way past postgame Sunday night overtimes, followed by Monday morning swagger, brisky in the smoker, Miller Lite and the clue America's team playing America's greatest school. Miller Lite the only beer of the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas Cowboys football tastes like Miller Time Celebrate Responsibly twenty twenty three.
Miller Brown Company, Fort Worth, Texas.
Demict shuts Kposts, Roofing and Waterproofing, the official roofer of the Dallas Cowboys.
The official official official. Now, who did the Cowboys strade for? No, not Banoga mee.
It's banogaee.
Yeah, yeah, just call him Noah.
That's what I'm digg. I'm doing you.
That's another one there.
Uh.
And by the way, sounds like he is a high character guy and he's more of an outside corner than a slut, which is.
What they were looking for because they figured they had enough guys in the oh.
That was the other significant thing that happened is that Jordan Lewis got activated from He did not starting the season on pup. So he is on the fifty three and we'll see if he's ready to go a week from Sunday against the Giants.
Has you been looking at his progress at all?
Well, he's out there this practice these last two days. Yesterday, they weren't in pads today. They are.
Explain that about nashun Wright as well. He went on ir after he was on the fifty three, right so it's a with well, let's go, and Matt will let's go, and so they can return in four weeks from now.
But by leaving Joseph Lewis on the fifty three, even if he's not ready to play, they're betting on he's ready to play sooner than the four weeks he would have to spend on IR. And when you're on IR, you can't practice with the team, can't be out there other than to do rehab. Really not supposed to be in meetings either.
And the significant thing on it was they had to claim they had to put him on the fifty three because he did not participate in training camp. He was on PUP to start training camp, and so he could stay on PUP regular season PUP, which would keep him out the first month of the season. But they feel strong enough about his rehab that he's going to return sometime within the next month.
He's running awfully well. The other guy they kept on the fifty three that's not practicing is Donovan Wilson. He's out there or doing his rehab.
What's wrong with Dolan?
It was a high hamstring string like almost right behind the knee where it attaches.
First day high hamstring.
That's there's a there's a word for the muscle there that I cannot pronounce.
Well, that's I would think that high hamstring would be closer towards the the buttocks area as opposed to down by the knee.
No, it's your hamstring, not your calf. I mean I said hamstring, yes, calf. Okay, okay, sorry, it was a high calf injury.
I hate those. Oh god, Yeah, that's where the muscle is.
Yeah, and uh so, I don't know if he's I'm thinking he's not practicing today. They would be hard pressed to say, Okay, you get to one padded practice next week and you're ready to play in the game on Sunday.
And so that's the other part of keeping the extra safeties too. It's because Donovan Wilson. We don't know when he's coming back.
But they did keep you know, they kept Eric Scott, the young This is still a young roster if you look at it. They kept all eight draft choices, at least initially. We'll see where it goes from here.
Well, my pick to click was Bohannah. It was Bohanna on the list.
Let me see.
No, he got cut and I didn't see anybody claim him or sign them to a All.
Right, tell me about Trey Lance. You wanted to talk about, Oh Trey Lance. Yes, uh so got a chance to just kind of talk casually with him yesterday. It seems like a really upstanding guy, good personality. When he did his interview the other day, he looked people in the eye, and he seems to just have a very good, healthy outlook on things. And he knew about the history of the team. He knew about, you know, McCarthy with quarterbacks, and I was impressed with that part.
And the other thing I was impressed with if you go back and read what took place in San Francisco after they traded him. Everybody couldn't say enough about him, how he handled the entire situation, from the head coach to the general manager to Kittle the tight end, and even Garoppolo had really good things to say about him, and basically said, the guy just needs an opportunity he can play. So I was really impressed with him. You know what, He's sort of built like Dak. You know,
Dak's got some thick legs, same thing. He's a little taller, and boy does he have an arm now, and I don't mean just throwing the ball. He's got a huge arm, right, so you know, we'll see how it turns out. But first impressions pretty good, at least from my stampoint.
I'll tell you what.
Let's take a break and let's come back in just a moment here on mix Shots.
The Medal of Honor is our country's highest military award for valor in combat. More than forty million individuals have served in the armed forces since the Civil War. Fewer than four thousand have received the Medal of Honor. The National Medal of Honor Museum will be a place to preserve these legacies and inspire America. It's being built right next door to the Dallas Cowboys in Texas. Help us honor our country's greatest heroes. Learn more and get involved at mohmuseum dot org.
Cowboys, Football and Miller Lite. What a pairing can Crack's a kickoff? Tailgate's going way past postgame Sunday night overtimes, followed by Monday mornings. Black Brisky in the Smoker, Miller Lte and the Cup the America's team playing America's greatest sport. Miller Lte the only beer of the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas Cowboys football tastes like Miller time celebrate Responsibly twenty twenty three, miliber Own Company, Fort Worth, Texas.
I'm Dak Prescott, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
As they snapped the thrush, guy who looks right, it's not there. He escaped flapped. He'll look for a French style.
Just like football.
When it comes to crypto, it's important to have a team you can trust. With blockchain dot Com, I know I'm in good hands. Since twenty eleven, they've been trusted by millions around the world to buy, sell, and trade crypto currency.
Prescott's gonna run this himself, run it up the middle, and he scores.
Whether you're new to crypto or an active trader, They've got you covered. What are you waiting for? Get started at blockchain dot Com.
You know that sound anywhere. It's the crisp crunch, that first nacho chip with its perfect cheese to sour cream ratio, sitting atop a layer of delicious beans. It's a sip away from That's what we're looking for at a delicious, refreshing pepsi, and we've achieved absolute nacho Nirvana, because while you can pile those nachos high with every spicy, cheesy, savory topping, there's no topping of school PEPSI. Finish nachos better with pepsi.
That's what I like.
Demiced shuts. The twenty twenty three Dallas Cowboys season at AT and T Stadium is right around the corner and limited single game tickets are available now. Don't miss your chance to see your Cowboys live at AT and T Stadium when they host the NFC East rival Eagles, Giants and Commanders, plus playing the Jets, Patriots, Rams, Seahawks, and Lions. Visit Dallascowboys dot com, slash tickets or seat geek dot com, the official ticketing provider of AT and T Stadium.
And welcome back to Mick Shotts, Bill Jones, Mickey Spagnola, and Everson Walls. And the Cowboys have just announced this former Cowboys executive Gil Brandt passed away at the age of ninety one this morning, one year as Nick Harris I'm reading from Nick Harris's story on dallascowboys dot com. Gil, as you all know, served as the vice president of player Personnel for the Cowboys from nineteen sixty to nineteen
eighty eight. After graduating from University of Wisconsin. Brandt first broke into scouting, working part time for the Rams nineteen fifty eight full first full time opportunity with the forty nine Ers before making the move to Dallas take a job as the chief talent scout with the Cowboys. Twenty eight years with the Cowboys made an impact on scouting still felt in the game today. Credited for the introduction of computers and scouting and evaluation, along with the drafting
of players such as Roger Staubach Herschel. Walker also credited for the undrafted pickups of Drew Pearson, Cliff Harris, and Everson Walls. Jerry Jones on the passing of Gil Brandt. We are so deeply saddened by the passing of Gil Brandt, a true icon and pioneer of our sport. Gil was at the very core of the early success of the Dallas Cowboys and continued to serve as a great ambassador for the organization for decades. Beyond that, His contribution cemented
his spot in the Ring of Honor. He was my friend and a mentor, not only to me, but to countless executives, coaches, players and broadcasters across the National Football League, which rightfully earned him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where his legacy will be celebrated forever.
He was an.
Innovator and set the standard for excellence and player acquisition, from the creation of the NFL Combine to revolutionizing the NFL Draft. Gil finished his over six decade NFL career with an eye towards the future of the league and teaching fans about the sport he loved. As a radio broadcaster, Gil was as good a story teller as he gets, with memory as sharp as attack. His dedication to and passion for this game left a lasting impact on generations
of Hall of Fame players and coaches. There are very few people that have been able to have the kind of generational impact that he did. Gil was as dedicated to growing this league in sport as anyone ever was, and we are all grateful and better for it. Our hearts go out to Gil's wife, Sarah, his son Hunter and ol of Gill's family and friends, and one of those guys he discovered ever since Walla.
That's right, man, I just talked with just texted Doug Williams. He had no idea because Gil was on the Black College Hall of Fame board and so I saw him every year in Atlanta when we give out the awards for Black College Hall of Fame. So yeah, he was always still connected to the HBCUs. I used to tease him all the time and tell him we were just like cheap labor for him. So he always let me uh uh unleash on his radio show whenever he had me on, and uh, he was always a good sport
about it. So now Gil, he will be missed. I just texted uh, Dennis Thurmann, Dexter Clinkscale, Michael Downs, and Bill Bates as well to let them know. And of course Dexter clink Scale got back with me said he was devastated as well.
So yeah, he will be missed.
And uh, you know he was in the end, he was trying to do the best he could, you know, to make sure the HBCUs were recognized throughout the NFL.
By the way, Everson, the media is here this morning because the locker room is open, I think you should make your way over there. I think it would be great for everyone to hear Everson talk about Gil.
Yeah, and gil uh protected the Cowboys money like it was his own. Yeah, if you talk to anybody that had to negotiate a kind with him, right, he was tough. But we had gotten word early in training camp that he was in bad shape. He was struggling. He had kind of gone down this last year to the point where he was not returning phone calls or he wasn't
doing any more interviews. So you knew it had to be bad if Gil Brandt didn't want to talk, right, because that was you know, him and Larry Lacewell, two peas in a pot about talking and telling stories. And yeah, he was.
He always wanted to help other people too.
And he did he did. You know, I can tell the first time I ever had an interaction with Gil It would have been the early eighties when I was working in Jackson, Mississippi, and I just out of the blue said I need to talk to this gil Brant. And I called him right, left a message and was like, oh, well, it's the Cowboys, right by god. He called me back. I've forgotten what the question was or what the story was.
It was something about the draft and he called back and gave me the time of day and I was like, okay, and then when you get here, you better if you ask him a question, you better carve out ten or fifteen minutes because it'll turn into another story. Right, But he was you know, here's the hard part. Now, the people that know this organization from the sixties and it really into the seventies, they're no longer with us, right. The three guys that did the deal with Tom Texts
and Gil, now Gil passed away. Really the only guy to go to for historical questions is Joe Bailey, who was Texas right hand man as a vice president. And he's still sharp. And I forgot which documentary that just Deep Blue that just showed, you know, he answered a bunch of questions on I think it was probably Chuck Holly. But we're losing people that have the knowledge of the beginning of this franchise, you know.
Now you've got to go to some of the players.
I mean, you got Roger Right and Drew Pearson, you know, guys like that who were really there doing that.
Drew still pretty sharp, yeah, but some of the other guys are kind of you know, I mean, Chuck Holly was a prime example. You know, wasn't healthy enough to attend the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bob still pretty sharp. Yeah, but yeah, it's a it's a real shame.
And the other thing with Gil and as Jerry alluded to in his statement there, I mean active. He was when most people have long past, long past retirement age, you know, all the way to ninety years.
Old, for ten years doing stuff with NFL radio and uh. And he was even lighting so involved in.
The draft, in the whole the draft process and inviting players, uh to whether it was in New York or one of the cities, you know.
It was all a part of it.
You remember he was in the mountains somewhere and they got a shot at No.
Yeah, he was on some fishing trips.
He and his wife were driving together.
That's right, the sniper, Yeah, shooting the people on the road randomly.
Yeah.
Didn't have anything against Gil.
No, nothing.
So ever since tell us when you first met Gil and when we're uh back in the.
I'm in my first conversation. Yeah, uh, but I believe it was I can't remember if it was wounded or if it was Jeff Opeugh sent him down, you know, because it's just gonna be a free agent contract at Grambling. I was undrafted. They I knew I wasn't going to get drafted. After the first round the first day was done, and uh, they offered me fifteen hundred dollars signing bonus. I'm like, okay, if I'm getting this crappy contract here,
I was good. Think it was thirty two to five or something for the for the year and fifteen hundred dous signing balls. I said, look, I want more signing bonus. So he puts Gill on the phone, and Gil's just Stonewall and I got used to that. That was a conversation that that went on. Okay, that went off for thirteen That.
Was nineteen eighty one. Yeah, okay, and that's when I started in my business.
That was the spring of.
So your pay in nineteen eighty one was thirty two five two five. You know, my pay was twelve thousand dollars a year.
I had to work.
I had to work eight hours of overtime to get to a per week. To get to twelve thousand dollars, got five dollars and two cents an hour.
We had to move out though, right, you had to move out to Lubbook. I actually had the luxury of staying with my mom.
Oh there you go. Yeah, I game, but look at the difference.
Here was the lowest possible paying job for a college graduate was my job, right, okay? And you as an NFL player, we're making only twenty thousand dollars more.
Now, Gus, and that.
Was what I did. You said you sucked.
That's signing bonus verus three times more than what Drew Pearson got.
That's true.
His was five hundred.
Yeah, he said he spent his all on the party that night.
No, here's what he did. He tells the story about that gave him five hundred dollars and he goes, and I had just enough gas to get to the hotel to sign the contract, and so I needed gas and decided that we were going to have a party at the dorm. Right. So when he got home, he had just gotten married, and his wife goes, how much did you get to sign? And he goes, two hundred and fifty. He's and I can't tell you how many guys told
the story about the first. I think it might have been Walt Garrison, uh talking about Gil, you know, giving him a signing bonus, and he said, yeah, and it was so small, and he goes, and what Gil would do is he would pull all this cash out of his pocket. He goes, but they were all ones. So he acted like he had this big roll of money, right, and he okay, here, here's your signing bonus. Right, But there are so many guilds.
He was known for being a hard ass. Yes, you know, and then to disrespect his legacy. He was known for being a hard ass.
He would blame it on text too. All the time, everybody passed the buck.
Those those three, yeah, they passed the buck all the time between each other.
Danny White. Danny White tells the story about you know, when he first got here, for those first four years, he was the punter, and so when he ended up getting the quarterback job after Roger retired in eighty, he was still punning. And so in eighty one, uh, he went to Gil and said, hey, you know, I'm kind of doing two things here. He goes, don't you think I deserve a raise? And Gil said, well, you know, we'll see, and he goes, and you're probably not punting this year. Well he punted that year.
He did.
So they went through the same thing the next year, and uh, Gil tells him, well, I think that's a good point. Go talk to Tom about it. So he went to talk to Tom about it, saying I'm doing this and this and you know, and I am the quarterback. And Tom goes, well, Danny, he goes, you know, in my day, the more you can do to help a team win, the better off. We're all out, and Danny goes I had no answer.
But they were. They were. They were my introduction to corporate may.
Did you know of him before? Of course the draft? Like of course I knew who he was.
I was still mad a I don't forget getting rid of at that time, they just got rid of Rayfield, right. I knew all about the organization, so I knew what was going on, and I was very upset about that.
At the time.
When I was at Grambling, I thought I was going to be a good football player. I thought I could probably make it to the next level. So yeah, I knew all about the organization itself. By the way, Dennis Derman of Thrman Steves just just sent the rip GB exclamation point with prayer hands. So everybody you know sending it in their condolences. But now Gil Brandt, everybody knows it.
I remember recently, I think, well within the last ten to fifteen years, talk with Charlie Waters about Gil Brandt and they had done an interview together, Charlie and Gil, and you know, Charlie's Charlie is very intense to this day, still very intense. And you know Gil kind of makes light of the little tricks and stuff that he used to do back in the day. Well Charlie was not happy about that. So Charlie's like, he's getting pissed off on the interview itself, you know. I mean this is
like around fifteen years ago. So yeah, Gil he left some you know, he left some marks. He left some stains on some people, I say, some tire tracks all some people as he kind of rolled over us during the negotiations.
You know, Charlie Waters is a good example though, of a guy Gil. He could see the ability even if you played a different position or if you played a different sport now it might be able to translate to the NFL. And Charlie Waters, who quarterback, was a quarterback at Clemson, and we all think of we linked Charlie and Cliff together. Well, Cliff, of course was an undrafted guy out of Washington Baptist when Charlie was a third round draft pick out of Clemson in nineteen seventy sixty
six pick in the draft, but he played. He converted over to safety.
Yeah yeah, right, well you know the you know what happened with him his rookie year. Uh, it was cut down day and Jim Myers at the time was the turk. He would tell people they got cut and he came in.
Oh god, Jim as the worst person to have that job.
And he came in and told Charlie, I'm sorry, Charlie, but you didn't make it, ye. And Charlie Waters was devastated, right, he what am I going to do the rest of my life? And he said. This went on for a couple of hours before he started packing his stuff up. And Myers comes back a couple hours later and he goes, uh, Charlie, we made a mistake. We didn't cut you.
We made a mistake. We made a mistake.
We didn't cut you. Charlie said something started cussing, like, oh do that to me, and Myers don't talk to me like that.
He's Sergeant Carter.
It's like sending Sergeant Carter from Gumble around to tell, and.
I'm sure Gil had something to do with how they made the mistake of who they were cutting or whatever.
To clarify on Waters, he was a quarterback to start his career at Clemson. Then he was an All Conference wide receiver and moved the defense.
Actually know you got the.
Basketball players from Cornell Green to Yeah, Preston Pearson was a college basketball player.
So yeah, he definitely knew the athlete or Billy Joe Juprie, come on, they had He definitely knew.
I have a feeling.
And besides you HBC, you guys too, I got that.
That's true.
I gotta say, I still don't think he thought I was gonna make the team. I cannot see him being that that type of genius. And if he did think I was gonna make the team, I surely should have been paid more money to entice me to come since he knew so much.
So we only we have I mean, we're out of time here.
Let me tell one more story. It's a typical Guil thing because he always knows somebody right Leroy Jordan. Part of his signing bonus out of Alabama was he wanted this fancy kind of Cadillac car, something that he always wanted. And Gil goes, Okay, So instead of getting the car, he probably saved money and got it from somebody he knew here, and he was going to drive it to Tuscaloosa, Alabama,
to deliver it to Leroy Jordan. And somewhere in the middle of Mississippi, he's driving at night and he hits a cow and totals the car basically right, and he was close enough to Mississippi State where he knew the head coach at the time or whatever, and they came and got him and put him up. And the next day the police came because the guy who owned the
cows was going to charge him for manslaughtering the cow. Right, but because he knew the person at Mississippi State, they got him out of whatever trouble he was going to be in. He goes. But the worst part was I had to call Leroy and tell him about that car. We'll get it to you a little bit later. A little bit car cow killed the cow, and he drove it there himself. He didn't hire somebody to go do it.
Right.
That's when he was young, right, That's when he was young.
But you just think of the twenty years from nineteen sixty five to eighty five where the Cowboys were making the playoffs every year, and the impact that Gil Brandt had.
On that and killing the draft because back in the day, the people in the NFL didn't think it was a big deal, the draft, Like they weren't prepared for it. He told me when he went into that first one in nineteen sixty one, he said that everybody walked in with their Street and Smith magazines because it was the college previews, right, so they were picking names out of there. No one was scouting anybody, right, And he goes in it with.
The Street and Smith's magazine was like from the summer before.
Yes, well, but the draft was in November, remember right, Oh wow? And uh and he said, and back then, you know, they didn't have like fault. Everybody wasn't hooked up to a phone, right, so when you drafted a guy, you had to go out in the hallway get on the payphone. And so you had to show up for the draft with your Street and Smith and rolls of quarters so you can get on the payphone and make phone calls. And that's how they got a hold of guys it's changed a little, Hesard.
Well, we're out of time here, but there's so many that we.
Can go on. I'm getting so many. I put it on my family.
What's the app Yeah, everybody so surprised, major Cowboy fans in the family.
Still.
Yeah, what a legacy and what a guy.
Uh and and the reason why he's in the Pro Football Hall of Fame because some of these stories that we're telling here, people are going to go in and say, oh, I remember this about that guy.
Thank god he went in before he passed exactly.
All Right.
That does it for this edition of Mixed Shots. Have a great holiday weekend. We're back next week. It's a regular season schedule, right Mickey.
Oh, we are on Labor Day on Monday, aren't we already?
It's Labor Day is Monday?
That's you're not doing Monday, I don't believe.
So Tuesday we're back on.
What the season starting, all right, gil Brett.
It doesn't start till Wednesday forever since Cowboys Wednesday. All right, So that does it for this edition of Mixed Shots. Have a great weekend. We'll see you next week.
All right. R Ip Gil Brandt and go Cowboys.
This has been a production of dallascowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club