Mick Shots: Setting Expectations

I am Bill Jones with Everson Walls, and for the second straight week, we've got Danny Siak filling in I guess for Mickey. This week she filled it. I mean, I didn't do a half bad job, I guess. Or maybe you're so desperate to film Mickey spotless. You know what, she's here. Let's just let's bring her back. It'll be fine. Let's looking at you as much better this time in the morning, you know what I'm saying. Anytime, let's just be honest. Well, we got so much to talk about,

you know what. It is now a new month. All of a sudden, it's June first, and the Cowboys. We can say this. The Cowboys are out on the practice field after a long weekend and it's the second week of OTAs and before you know it, mini camp will be here next week and the off season will be over. It like starts one week and it's over the next week anymore. And I was out the size and the guys up, Oh were you? Yeah? I was kind of fantasizing a little bit, and then Danny came and got

me out of it. You know, hey, that was what you're looking at. I was like, you know, I think I could take these guys, you know, uh huh yeah, just initially I thought that, and then I've snapped out of it. Yeah, yeah, sorry, my bad. That's okay. We'll start without you. Well, we're gonna try to make do without Mickey somehow, some way. And I don't remember call what Mickey said he was doing this week. He's doing something that really doesn't matter. We won't we won't even

hear about it, whatever it is. Once I find a phone number, we can take phone calls too. Did y'all take any phone calls last week? We did? We took one. We took one, okay, had one caller. Well, maybe Mickey'll call him that all the calls are going to come from us, that's right. How is your Memorial Day weekend? I was gonna say, man, we would just blessed this weekend. What we just with the weather. I had a great weekend. I hope you guys did too, hanging out with both. Okay,

so what is your ideal weather day? Because yesterday it was raining, Like, oh no, that was no But I'm talking about Friday, Saturday beautiful days, right, yeah, beautiful days. We had some events, of course, graduations was this weekend. And my sister in law is like, we keep calling them. We've elevated her her her position on the school board. Because we don't know exactly what she does. We just said she's the president, that's all. We just called it

the president of the school board of Richardson School. I know that she's the first African American on the Richardson School board in their history. Wow. And she's been doing a lot of work. And of course, her son, Brian, he graduated this past weekend, so her signature is on his diploma and that very cool. And she presented him with his diploma as he walked across the stage. So you can imagine she, you know, tried to play it off and be all cool and gave it to her.

Then she just runs up and hugs him on the neck. And so which high school did he go to? Richardson High School of yours? They were no rival, They were no rival on that field. They were the Richardson Eagles Field. I torched them. Yeah, yeah, I killed him. Yeah, okay, well yeah they played Eagle Mustang Stadium, Richardson Stadium and Rego Wildcat Wildcat Ram. Yeah we're sharing with Lake Hilands. Just be Lake Highlands too. Yeah. Man, I made a difference. Man,

I made a difference. They never would. You know, my first my only year playing football, uh in high school, my senior year, you know, when I found decide to play football, we smoked him. We smoked all our district guys. You know, was your sister an athlete? Uh? They were, but they didn't back then. Back then Title nine had just come on. Wong. I mean, we're so old, Danny girls girls basketball in our day. Yeah, there were six on the court. They could they had three on one

end of the court. Yes, across half court. They couldn't cross because you guys didn't have the ability to just drop the ball. Girls didn't have this and they didn't girls didn't have this quote unquote, they didn't have the stamina the yeah, let's say quote unquote, because I know that wasn't true. You know that wasn't true. I thought you would say, like maybe they led him play with six as an extra. I didn't mean like six total.

Are you on one? So you had three on three on one end and then three on three on the other end at the same game. That is insulting. Yeah, it's crazy. Well, you know, and then Iowa, look, man, this is yeah. They continued that like up until about a decade ago. I don't know how long ago. They stopped it in some state in the Midwest. I can't remember what state it was. I don't know why. Maybe it's what it takes a few of people if you're going five on five. So yeah, I don't know what

they were thinking. But that's great though you're not fo there. Don't look at us. Okay, we didn't. We didn't think that, all right. One one other note on school boards okay, and uh my parents more great parents. My mom went to every single school board meeting when we were going to school. She was that person when when when I have a twin sister, Janet okay. When we graduated from high school, we were the last to come through. They presented her with a plaque for attending every school board.

Please don't come this is your plaque um to never come in again. We'll have your pictures. That's a great parent right there. Well, well, no, you're right. My sister was the same way. Of course, as we talked about my sister in law Virginia. But my sister Grather, she always on them. I mean, you know, make sure that her kids would treat it right. She had four boys in school, three boys in school and a daughter, and she wanted to make sure her kids would treat it right.

She was always up there, just like your mom. And that's just to me, that's just the way it should be. Uh, they want to She knew everyone by their first names, and they knew her when she walked in the building. Because you know, you have to look out for your kids. When you start talking about institutions, whether it's educational or what, you have to be careful that no one gets left behind, you know, and I think it can happen. It's the

system itself. Sometimes it's not perfect. So then you have to make sure that you know the details are paid attention to, and that's what those PTA's afore, that's what those parents are for in regards to communicating with the system. But so proud this weekend. Uh, you know, after the events, after the graduations, went to you know, restaurants and just

had a great time. It was. It was just one of those weekends that wasn't too hot, wasn't too cold, sitting in the shade family, you know, don't have to worry about a whole bunch of people around. I just really was one of the best weekends. I think I'm going down to Austin tomorrow for my niece's high school graduation. I hope the weather's good. University of Florida, Yeah, Um, what's your nephew you gonna do? Uh, he's gonna go to Old State. He's going to Home and State University.

Sure is. He was, like I said, honor student. You graduated with honors. And I think he did get that academic scholarship. He's he's well accomplished. These kids now that way smarterer than than I was. All Right, So Danny, what does June first mean? Well, first of all, summer should be summer. If we hadn't feel like summer yesterday, not today either. Uts are back and this is the big day for cuts, right that would make a difference on Saturday. Can yep, you see you can see some

cuts made. You can see some trades, cuts made over and uh, well, if you cut a player, make him now a lot of times on cuts they can and it's already happened, you know two months ago. You cut a player, you just make it a June first designation. And so for salary cap reasons, it affects things like that. But as far as trades go, Uh, this Julio Jones, possibility of Julio being traded by Atlanta, and I think that I saw this morning the Rams it kind of

backed out on it. Tennessee is a big player on that. But June. I haven't looked at his contract, but I assume one of the things they're waiting on on that was to get past June first, so that from a salary cap standpoint, it's easier to trade him. And so things should start happening along those lines. And there's other players that have provisions in their kind or right, or it's because of the way the salary cap structure is in the NFL. There's possibilities that other players could get

traded after June first. And you also had me start a countdown at the end of last week. Today is now one hundred days away from the Cowboys season opener Thursday, NFL opener Thursday night, August ninth against the reigning Super Bowl Chance September ninth. Oh, my gosh, September ninth against Tampa Bay. Oh, one hundred days from today. I had to stay, so I got backtrack. Julio General says he's never coming here. He said there's no way he'd considered.

Did he really? He really did. I didn't hear that. I don't know. That's for real. Yeah, that's for real. He had a phone conversation that was wild. Do you think he was one he called him in the show? I didn't see that. Yeah, And they made the big deal about that because they said they may have gotten in some trouble, like maybe it was I don't knowing or something like that. I don't know how that goes, but that was very rare. You know. Is he still

pissed off about the watermel one thing? Get over it. You guys lost a lot more games after that, and no, I think he looked at the roster. Yeah, I would see that too. See He's like, you ain't coming here. Mark Cooper is like, you ain't coming on my side. Gallop is like, hey, look I'm the biggest visor star here. So Cooper lamb Gallop Blake jar One. I was like, hey, you can't block like I can't. And so there's not a lot of there's not enough boss to go around

for Huleo to come here. Money seemed like it was the way he was looking at the dude. To Danny, he get it like. It wasn't like oh I don't have enough room because the roster is so good. He's like he has like you know, this dame for the Cowboys. And that the reason I think he was asked specifically about the Cowboys is there was a picture that was circulating.

Some fan ran into him, I think maybe at a mall here, and he was wearing a Cowboys sweatshirt, and I think that was why I think he specifically asked about the Cowboys. So he had some gear on him dead Okay, yeah, I'm also it is the coolest gear. We do have, the best get you still wear? Where is it today? Not today? Not today? Man? I felt so comfortable after this past weekend. This is this is my word clothes. I'm going home after this and I'm

gonna do some some renovating at the house. All right, all right, Well, so second week of OTA, he's going to be Thursday before the media can get out and look at him again. And after seeing the reports from last week, Um, you know, right now, things look pretty good with this team. A year ago, right, they looked pretty good with this team too, though. A year ago we were just in heaven. Man, we were like, we are gonna take over the world. Will McClay got down

with the signings. Everything was amazing. He probably gave him what a minus just just for the signings last year, right, And then then football started. Football didn't even truly start before a lot of those free agents were cut. McCoy got hurt first, right, and the it wasn't the first first real basically, it wasn't even a drill yet. I mean, it was just very start of it. Yeah, Oh my goodness,

where's first practice where? By the way, he's in Tampa and he tweets a lot about the world champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I think he wants to join them. And waiting for an injury to happen. Maybe um we might we might see him in September. Romper, that's right, that's right, what a good game. And he would have made a big difference even just from a locker room standpoint, much less on the field last last year. But yeah, you turned back to clock a year ago and think about

all the signings. Yeah, yep, don Terry Poe, John Terry don't well you can bring that up close because SPACs is not here now right now. Yeah, we got that maybe the first mix shot of the day right there, John Terry Poe, don't get me started. Safety hahaw, Clinton Dix defensive and Everson Griffin. Remember they got a was it what? What pick? What did they get from Detroit when they traded him, um sixth round? Maybe? I think

it probably was something like in cornerback Daryl Worley. Those were all the big free agency signings last year that don't even make it their full season. And I never was sold on the defensive backs. I just never was. I just don't think we prioritize them. Of course we got the you know, Treyvon Diggs, we signed him high

up in the draft. I get that, but I think as an overall vision for the for the Cowboys, I don't think we really put much stock into free agent defensive backs and I wasn't happy with that sign either.

And even for those guys last year, it was more they were fillers until there were rentals, basically until the young guys came along, because they didn't know for sure at the time that Darryl Whorley, for instance, okay, he had h he had started fifteen sixteen games for the Raiders the year before and played a little bit of safety at the end of that year as well as cornerback, and he's a former I think third round draft pick um and in twenty fifteen, I think, but they they

didn't know for sure if Treyvon Dix was going to be able to step in and start right away, and then they had Dix and and with Dix that was that was a It's one of those familiar roles that you have you want to bring in because McCarthy was coming in. You want to bring in players that you're familiar with, and that was one of those guys. He was,

you know, came in from the Packers. He did well there had gone on to the Bears didn't do so well, and when he came here, I think he was hoping he'd be a nice little comfort zone in the secondary for coach McCarthy and that did not work out. His off season and his preseason must have been horrible for them, not to even make it to the level that they wanted him to. And because that's that's a signing that you say, you know what, we got a spot for

your dicks. You know, you and I've been knowing each other for a minute, this is for you. I'm gonna go ahead and deal with these guys. I'm gonna need you in the future because of your experience. They didn't even get to that point. So I just let you know. Whatever he was doing on the field was not working out at all. So what makes you feel more confident in defensive act? The sign this year and Jayron cursed de Monte Gaze and then Kean O'Neil, who's gonna play linebacker?

But you know, how's that safety experience? Why do you feel better about that? I don't know if I do necessarily feel better about that. I feel better about the rookies than I do the free agent signings. I guess I kind of take myself back there, you know, when I came out as a rookie, signed or not. I don't care where you're drafted. Once you get in those drills, yeah, it's man to man. You know, I gotta make plays. I have to. I have to live up to what

I have to do. It's all about being coached well, learning well, maturing physically mentally as you go through camp, improving every day. If you don't see that, yeah, if you don't see that for yourself, then you shouldn't even be in the league. I don't care what age you are. And so I'm hoping that these young kids can come out and bring that energy, you know what brings some whole different mindset to the team, and you know what

mine is. You're gonna give up some plays just the way it is because it's the NFL, But you have to look forward to making your plays during the right time of a ball game. You watch these NBA playoffs, you know, we always you know Lebron, I'm a big fan of Lebron, but any superstar player or any player worth his salt, you know that there's a time of when you have to make plays. You don't necessarily make plays all game long, but there's a time when making

your play is important and it's essential. And that's what I want these guys to have in their mindset. Yeah, you're gonna get beat here and there, that's the way. That's the way it goes because you're young. But make sure you understand the gravit of the situation and make

those plays when you have to make those plays. That was something Trayvon Dix talked about last year in his rookie season, was learning the mental strength you have to have in a game of you're gonna have mistakes, you're gonna give plays up, but it's how do you bounce back that next play? How do you stay confident, how do you put it behind you? How do you move forward? And that was something he talked about a lot last year.

Here's what I was thinking on the way here my approach to the game, and I would imagine others did. I never talked to any other defensive backs about this, But when you look at the game, the way that you have to complymentalize it. There's only five seconds of action per play. You got to think about that. It's only five seconds that you have to really, really concentrate on what's going on. That intensity is strong for five seconds. After that, you got to use the rest of it

to steady yourself. You know, as you go back to the hell, you can't be worried about what happened those past five seconds. You know, you just have to be worried about the next five seconds that comes up. So instead of worrying about an entire game that has to be played, you got to break it down into it. Where they say you can't eat the elephant in one bite. You know, you can't ephant. You know, you gotta break it off into pieces. And that's the way you have

to do a ball game. You can't be overwhelmed by the mentality of the entire ball game. Just those five seconds. That's all you have to concentrate on doing an entire drive. And it kind of helps you poise yourself so that you're not worried about all those things that can happen.

You just worry about the next five seconds. Remember, I'll never forget it, you know, I don't think I'm sorry um answer your question on I think another reason that there's I think they're one of the reasons there should be more faith in the signings of Kazie and Keyan O'Neil this year is because of the dan Quinn had him last year and had him the last four or five years. McCarthy's situation. Yeah, but but but it has but it had been several years since McCarthy had Clinton Dix.

Plus he's on even though he's the head coach, he's he's focused on the offensive side of the ball. If if haha, Clinton Dix's defensive coordinator or secondary coach, who were the ones that were he worked with before, Yeah, that he was familiar, Like if he was like if this secondary coach Joe Witt who had him in Green Bay was recommending signing him, then would be a different story. But what wit wasn't here last year? And so so so dan quinn knows these guys. He knows exactly where

they are from a health standpoint as well. And I think especially in the and I don't know so much about Kazia, he may fall in the same category. But the fact last week you can kind of read into who the Cowboys media people put in front of the camera's first and the first OTAs, and Kean O'Neil was one of those that they put up front and center. Okay, that tells you the a that he likes talking to

the media. You know, he can be a spokesman. He's has that mentality about him and also communicate with h that's right, and can communicate with his teammates and UM and that there is going to be a primary role for him on this team, even though they're saying they're lining him up and he's learning a will linebacker right now he mentioned with the will and the dime linebacker.

That's I think basically it's where you're looking at him where he can basically still be the buck safety that he was in Atlanta, where um where he was specialized in and made plays, made the Pro Bowl in twenty seventeen. But in the sub packages. You know, in seventy percent of the time they were in sub packages, if not more than that. I was gonna ask you think we're gonna start off in nickel again, right, I mean, it

depends on what the other team comes out in. But if they're coming out and with three receivers, four receivers, we're gonna see you know that's right? Yeah, so UM, but you know, after last year, I would imagine no matter what your strength is when you play the Cowboys, you're gonna have a two tight end package, just based on what you saw last year. In fact, until they proved they can't stop the run and they can't stop it.

I mean that's I think that's something they should be prepared for, be prepared for the three linebacker set, the

typical run situation, first down run defense set. I'm hoping. Yeah. Well, I think another point you kind of touched on, Everson is having Neil and Kazee from Atlanta is thinking about the locker room aspect of it, and not just maybe a veteran presence, but the fact that they've worked so closely with Dan Quinn so recently as well as that helps maybe any sort of communication barrier between the players and what Quinn is looking for and what he likes,

and you know, if you're out of practice you have a question. I think that is really helpful too, especially like I mean, they're still pretty young the Cowboys, like in that defensive backgroup in safety, so and the fact that Casie looked, yeah, coming off that achilles injury in October, like the fact that he seems like he will be ready to go. I think that's really important for them too, and they probably saw that before they signed him. If you recall such confusion last year and no one that's

the excuse. No one knew what they were doing. Yeah, and so now you bring in these familiar faces from the Quinn defense, you have some guys that can communicate to the other players, Okay, this is what you're doing wrong. I can see this. So they can have other coaches, not just you know, on the sidelines, but sometimes out there on the field with them making sure those adjustments are made. So hopefully it'll make Jalen feel better because

he had major complaints about it. If I'm not mistaking, some of the d lineman had complaints about not knowing the scheme. So maybe that takes away the excuse well of that and that, and that gets back to just the whole dynamics of the pandemic last year and not having any on field practice sessions last year, I mean,

where they were having to hit the ground running. And they've admitted that it was a mistake last year making so many changes with when they didn't have an offseason, you know, and you can't in three weeks time get them up to speed. I'd be like trying to learn the flex, right, we were blessed one thing doing it on zoom. Okay, when you're doing virtually whatever, but you got to be out on the field and with a new coaching staff. They don't know, they don't they don't know,

they don't have a knowledge of the players. Even coming back how they learn, how how do you coach certain players? They're what their mentality is, their personalities and so forth them and and but not to mention the free agents that came in. And usually when you've got to coaching a holdover coaching staff, at least you've got, you know, sixty percent of your players that you've worked with before, and maybe you've got forty thirty to forty percent newcomers

that you got to learn. But they didn't have any of that. So they're learning August fifth that oh this guy he's you know, I got to show him exactly on the field how to do it. And if it was if it was the same defense, that'd be one thing, if they were carrying over the same defense, But they want the other thing about it. No preseason games either to where to where? All right, it's one thing you're

in practice, not going up against any body. It's another thing when you're playing in a game, even if it's a preseason game, and you know, bullets start flying and now totally different exactly I mean, and that's when the coach realized, oh, we didn't go over that. He didn't understand that. You know, I have been I'm not much of a coach, but I do know some stuff, and I've coached kids some camps in the offseason and I try to show them some of the stuff outen. It

works out pretty well. They're pretty good at communicating with me what they don't know. But there are times when we're in the classroom and everything is so simple, like God, they're like, yeah, we got it, we got it as soon as we get out there. I mean, I'm from all over the place, yelling, yelling, none of y'all know y'all, So yeah, it's easy to happen. That to me, that's the norm. The exception would be for it to work

out easily. So yeah, that's that's what's gonna happen. And thank god we don't have to deal with that this offseason. That reminds me of school, like you do really poorly on a test and your parents like what happened, like, I don't know. I understood it during the week and during my homework, but you know, you get to the test and you just you don't know what's going on, like if your mom's working with you, like, oh, you're so doing so well, got it? Oh my god, you're

gonna do great. You're gonna do great. It wasn't the same problem that you're going there, you pick up the test, you go, I don't know what the hell is going on. I used to say, well, you know, no one else in then class did well what my parents were I don't care how the other students did. Okay, all right, we've got much to get to here on mix shots without Mickey and we continue in just a moment. Danny, Honey, big news. Gary, Are you okay? Oh? I'm not Gary anymore.

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edition of Mix Shots without Mickey. How am I doing so far? I think I'm doing very great and great. Yeah, if it was up to me, say that the phone's gonna ring and it's gonna be Mickey, and I please tell Danny to get up and leave. I want my spot back if you want to, he was saying, Televens to get the hell out of this to the phone eight eight eight eight five five two two nine seven. Give us a call if you have a question. Um OTAs picking back up today to memorize that phone number

eight eight eight eight five five to two nine. I don't know that when you were practicing during the break that your device what what's it called? However, you remember something that's really going to help you. Yeah, no, all right, here's the way to remolve for all of you out there. This is the way to remember the number eight eight eight. Okay, come on eight five five, So eight is eightman? Right?

Fifty five? What are you going with? Every I went with familiarity, Danny Spratlan Sprat, We mixed that nineteen eighty Tennessee volunteer middle linebacker never made it to the season. I'm good. Who all right? And I'll go with Leroy Jordan, which is always fifty five? Which is always better? Yeah, okay, l and you'll go with late okay, all right? Twenty two? Who are you going with? Oh? You can go to her.

I know where she's going with it going in. Come on, yeah, man, we gotta go a bullet I'm going bullet um all right, then, you got a ninety seven, you can go and you can split it and go nine and then seven if you'd like. So are you thinking, see that's where it gets to you? You can't. I think Drew Henson was set. So I go ninety seven, have some Griffin Man, you got everything I got, or you could go Jason Hatcher, Leroy Grain. So there you go. You're going a week

and see if you remember that. So the phone number is eight eight eight, Troy Aikman, Leroy, Jordan Bullet, Bob Hayes, Leroy Glover. There you go. I like the boy Glover. Yeah, I like that. There you go. We got it. You were going to ask a questions I was. I don't even remember where we give you some breaking news. Some breaking news. We have a signing in the National Football League. It is my guy, my guy, Rex burkehead is signed

with the Houston Texas. Play a wildcat, right. I love that guy, Man rex Burger, you know, Superman going back Tom. I don't have my big green notebook with me, but rex Burke. And it wasn't because he was gonna be some Hall of Fame running back or something like that. But here's a guy that can be your third back, and you saw it in New England and what he's done there loves you for that long. H That's right. Well, here's the deal. The Texans new GM is Nick Casserio,

who was with the Patriots. Okay, and so there's the connection why Burkehead just signed with the Texans. And he tores a c L And that's why I wasn't signed. I did not know that last season he tores a cl So he's good to go. I talked to his dad last week asking how it was going, and uh, and dare the ball? His dad played fullback in college at like Kent State or something. His dad actually worked I think for the FBI, work in work security. He worked.

He's worked security around here at the Star and at at and T Stadium. I go. I go back to that twenty thirteen draft though, and in my big green notebook, I'm like, Okay, we're getting to the third day, we're getting to the fifth round. We're going he got a draft Burkehead. He'll be I mean, he can play, he'll be a core special teams guy. He's you don't have to worry about it. As far as running back. I mean, he's a high character guy whatever. He went in the

sixth round of Cincinnati. Well, here we are. It's that was two thousand and thirteen. It's now two thousand and twenty one. He's going into his ninth year in the league. You know what who the Cowboys drafted in the fifth round that year in twenty thirteen. Joseph Randall. Oh wow, Joseph Randall was there pick in the fifth round and I'm like, whoa. So anyway, well Joseph round Yeah, promise, yeah, yeah, promise. I mean you always have a chance on the on

the on the Birkhead. But you know what are the odds that he's going to be as his long jam with he's going to be Oh, I mean if you just looked but with Birkhead. And that's why I was so sold on him. It's unless he got hurt whatever. Um, he was going to be the guy that you can depend on for as long as his career goes. And I think because and the talent versus potential, Yeah, and sometimes potential and went out and in his case it did, and so that but you can't always bank on that.

Well no, but but everybody wants to go see Rex was You could see it with Rex. I mean he was, he might be he's one of the top five. Uh. I haven't done my Nebraska football history, but definitely as far as popularity goes, he's one of the top five Nebraska football players ever. But he was accomplished as and he was athletic. He got a knock for not being

athletic enough. He had like a thirty nine vertical. I mean, if you went into that scouting combine, I got a picture I'll show you of him at his workout where he's just he was a terrific at Plano High School. As a freshman, he could dunk a basketball five ten. Okay, he played on He played on the varsity basketball team as a freshman, and their team won the state championship that year. I mean, I do recall that. Yeah, ye,

incredible athlete whatever. And so he had the athleticism to go with the high character and everything else that you want in a in a and a player on your football team. And see what what And of course, no, you know everything you're telling me. Some of these are surprises for him. I didn't know he could he could hoop like that. You give me the only thing he couldn't he couldn't get extra credit for me. The reason he lasted to the sixth round is because he ran

like a four six five forty. And see, when you when you have players like that, there are some players that you would you turn they turned out to be just good college players, and that was probably a concern. But he ran like a three nine five twenty yard shuttle, which was like the best at the combine if you put his out, take the forty out and the rest of his combine numbers, and he was in the top three to four of the running backs in that class.

With me, I think you take the forty, the thirty, the vertical and take all of that out and then I'm good. Yeah. But anyway, and then Randall had we already knew he had issues coming in, you know. You know. Anyway, Plano was proud because he's Rex is my sisters. She's like three grades above me. So I would have been around him playing athletics his senior year, my freshman year,

like in the building. And after he got drafted, like it was such a big deal and he would come back and do you know, awards ceremonies for them, and he I don't know if he still does obviously not last offseason he did like a fundraise or five king. He used to do it around Plano like the athletic Tea did it. And the year that my family did it, Andy Dalton came and was like doing stuff there too.

He does it's a Team Jack trifecta, which is a it's like three on three basketball football camp in something else I can't remember, but anyway, I guess he's a five K. But it benefited pediatric brain cancer research. He became friends with a what was then a six or seven year old boy, Jack Hoffman, who was a huge Nebraska football fan, and there was a great video from the spring game where they Jack Hoffman he was the

biggest Rex burk Head fan in the world. And so they got to know each other and everything, and so at the spring football game, last play of the game, they gave the ball to little Jack Offman and the team leaping down the field and he scores a touchdown of the spring game whatever you know. And he's still I mean, he's good. He's like fifteen years old now

or something and doing well. But uh, but anyway, I say all that, it's it's a great illustration in the draft and where you have to look beyond what their forty time is, beyond what they did in college and stuff, and really find out what that player is all about. And that's why I think that's why there's so many misses in the draft too. Uh, they just started doing this. You know, they've never gave a damn about your background or whether it's pretty myopic. I mean, can you run

the forty? First of all? When the hell is a forty come from? Right? No? That's always confused me. But you know, they break it down into these these categories and they think that I don't know who came up with it, but this is the way that you analyze a potential star or a potential player. They've never really gone to this length as they have now, which is smart to me, because you missed out on a lot

of really good players. You've had a lot of problems in this league from players who were off let's just be real of low character in this NFL. I mean we're talking about going back through history. Nowadays, as we've gone TV more and more, much more exposure. Think they've tried to eliminate those problems, and I think they've done a good job at it. My beef of course, being from an HBCU. I don't think they drafted one brother from a black college. I don't think they did this year,

and they're doing now. I think they were supposed to do it this year or last year, maybe within COVID to mess it up, but they're doing. I think like basically an additional Senior Bowl and stuff next year they've announced for HBCUs. Well part of it, they didn't have a season, okay, so they were playing a spring season. They had a spring season, so there were I'll get it.

Fbs FC FCS is the North Dakota State and that's why the draft is going to be there's so much more work being put into the draft next year because there's so many more players in the draft next year. Uh players used the ability that for for another year of eligibility the players and at that level. Yeah, that's right.

And there were there were the fewest players basically ever in the draft this year, you know, as far as draft prospects interesting, you know, so playing what we're going back into the fall, they're going to start back again. We'll start everyone's playing in the did Yeah, so it'll be back on the normal schedule. With about probably three hundred more players, maybe more than that in the inventory than what you know, scouts a lot to travel. Ye, yep,

Well we'll see. If rex Burke had plays in the preseason game against the Cowboys, a possibility, I wouldn't even I wouldn't even if I were him, coming nine years in the league. He shouldn't even have to worry about that. You know, he's a guy that you know he knows what he's doing. And that's the thing that you want. You want players that are accomplished at not making mistakes. You want players are consistent. I just remember, I am so confused at these mistakes I see on the field.

My dad was one of my first coaches, and any coach that I had after that, it was all about, regardless of how good you are, you have to do it right first. It was always about doing it right, being in the right position. I recall learning how to tackle the whey they showed us how to do it. It was never about throwing your head in there anywhere of you know, hitting the way these guys were hitting these days where they get injured. There was a way

that they showed us how to tackle. Now, I still hated the contact, but I still had to do it correctly, and that that was why we had to do it. When we played with the flex defense at cornerback, that was we were so detailed on where we lined up and where we ended up on our back pedal. In order for that flex defense to work, you had to be strong where you're strong, and if you if you're gonna be weak, you just gotta come up and make the tackle, because that's what it's all about. You're gonna

have a weakness in the defense. Know where you're strong and know where your weakness is. I just don't think they paid that detail is paid attention enough too these days from the coaches, not from the players, but this should come from the coaches, and I just don't see that. That's why you have mistackles. You know, you a player of defensive backs out of the position on deep balls or any ball in the air because the progression has

not been taught. And I truly believe that defense is obviously going to be a big area of concern and focus this year for the Cowboys. Head coach Mike McCarthy is going to use eight of their allotted ten OTA practices before mandatory Minicamp June eighth through the tenth. I want to hear from the two of you about your expectations, because when there's a new coach that comes in, you have a little bit of a grace period for them

and adjusting and understanding that. But now that McCarthy is entering his second year, and now that he's going to have a normal off season, how do your expectations change for him and this team and what you're expecting to see from him. How about we do this since it's twelve twelve right now, how about if we come back and do that last segment here, however, expectations changed? Worth the question? Okay, yeah, it's a good teas all right, very good, and we're back with more mix shots in

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United for details. What we thought maybe Mickey might have called in tell us how we're doing without him here on Mick Shots. But I guess he's still sleeping wherever he is. But if you would like to Carr's how old is Mickey? He'd been not be on his bike. I know that much. Old people don't sleep. We don't

sleep at all. I'm not even good. I'm gonna move right past right, yep, I'm gonna be careful here if you would like to call us though, And you have a question eight eight eight eight five five two to nine seven. But you probably already remember the number based upon Bill Jersey number. Reminder, that's exactly right, eight five five two ninety seven. That's the way, guys. Huh. I've always done it that way. That's right, all right. So your question, Danny, that you posed before that break, can

you repeat it? Yes. Entering his second year here in Dallas, head coach Mike McCarthy now has a full offseason to work with. What are your expectations for him this year? You going first, Everson? You know, I am, I am, And it's jotting down notes. It's well because you know, I go off the whales and start talking about myself.

We had noticed, But how have my expectations changed? And yeah, because last year, when when you have a new coach, you have a little bit of grace understanding, right, might

take him a little time. But second year now and now that he no and there and to me, the only reason I beg the difference because you do have that grace with the new DC, you know, with with Quinn coming in, I think it we're kind of still right back at that uh, that moment of not knowing, you know, really not being sure, because like we said last year, man, we were on it. I mean, we just thought the offseason signings were amazing. We could just

see ourselves seamlessly going back into another year. We're gonna be great. Defense is going to be well, who knew at this time last year we'd be giving up historic numbers in the rushing game, And so this year I think it's all like a domino effect. We got better defensive lineman. Okay, this is me being optimistic. Okay, because I'm a Cowboy fan. We got better defensive lineman. And to me, I know how this works. The better your

defensive lineman play, the better your linebackers play. I dogged out Jaylen Smith many times last year because I could just see him out of position. I do realize that you can't always put that on the linebacker. Your defensive lineman have to be able to if they don't keep that offensive lineman off of that linebacker, they better make

the play. And we didn't have either going on last year. No, no d lineman were making the plays, and therefore j Jalen and and Van drest were getting cut off every time, and it was just a disaster. I can't see that happening this year. I think we're much better prepared personally wise, not just scheme wise, and personally l wise, to me, is really the important improvement here. Without d Lineman getting better, I don't think Jayalen's gonna play any better because he's

got number nine. I think that's just some mental thing that he's got going on. When it comes down to it, was gonna make him play better? Is number ninety seven? You know number ninety six? You know those guys are going to make him play better. It's not the jersey that he has on his back, and I truly believe it. And I think as much as anything, it's getting the players back healthy on offense too. I mean, if you if a year ago, if you would have said, all right,

you all right, let's put it this way. If even go back last year, we didn't know when Mike McCarthy was hired a year ago in January, we thought Travis Frederick was going to be the starting center still for several years, okay, And so when he was hired in January of last year, he thought his offensive line was going to include Travis Frederick at center, Tyrn Smith at left tackle, Zach Martin at right guard, and Lyle Collins at right tackle. So what did he have last year?

Or Travis Frederick he retires in March, okay, a month before the draft. Then they drafted Tyler Biadas in the fourth round. Okay, all right. They had Lyle Collins for no games, they had Tyrn Smith for two games, and they had Zach Martin for ten games. So if you would have told us a year ago that those were the number of games that the offensive line was playing, I would have said, they're going three and thirteen. There's

no way they're lucky to go six and ten. And then not to mention the quarterback, Yeah, we will forget about that in the tight end in the first game, you know, but I think you're gonna have some injuries, and so they could have offset the Blake Jarwin injury if the others at least, you know, three of the five others were still available. But well, clearly the teams had handled COVID the best, and injuries were the ones

that ended up being some more successful. Well, I thought that I remember the Pittsburgh game last year, in November and just in the Pittsburgh was unbeaten coming in here. And if you looked at that Pittsburgh roster, it was with the exception of one linebacker who went down with an injury, and that was that was right before the trade deadline, and they were able to make a trade with the Jets and get a replacement linebacker to come in here. They had absolutely no injuries going into a

November game. There was a reason that the Steelers were exactly because they were healthy. And so if the Cowboys there is, in my opinion, if the Cowboys have the same kind of fortunate history at fortunate injury situation that the Steelers had last year, there's no reason the Cowboys can't be you know, nine and two and November, you know we have them. I think Pittsburgh was undefeated. I think the Cowboys were looking for like maybe their third or fourth win two like they were not doing hot

by that point. Well, they were on their fourth quarterback. We scared the Cowboys worst, I mean scared the hell out there. We should have won the game, and we really should have. So it just lets you know that the team has the potential. Obviously, the system is gonna work. But the injuries themselves. I don't look forward to those same mishaps this year. And let's say we had half of those mishaps. That's the worst case scenario for me.

Let's say we yeah, let's say one offensive lineman goes down instep of you can make up for one offensive, you can't make up for three. And and let's you know, and of course with dak being back, you got your quarterback back zeke Is. You know, he's a little bit leaner this year. You know, we we're looking for him to hold onto the ball this year. A lot of things that happened to us last year was so much of a Murphy's law, you know. I mean, what could

have go wrong, could have gone wrong, went wrong? And I just I just I can't see us having that same snake bit type of attitude and happenstance this year coming in. I cannot see that. That's the way it usually works in this league. I mean, when you have a horrible injury bug one year, the next year it turns around on you. That's right, that's how so. Yeah, Now, having said that, sometimes those injuries happen because your players

get longer in the tooth. You got older players and so older players, and that's what happened in free agency last year. I mean, the reason that Don Terry Poe, Gerald McCoy, you know, were you know, didn't make it through hardly any of it. And Don Terry Poe wasn't necessarily an injury, was coming off an injury, but he wasn't playing up to snuff because he's coming off an injury and coming off of COVID no off season, and

you know, he wasn't ready to go. I think that'll be really interesting this year, and now that there are seventeen games because they got rid of a preseason game. But the thing is is the players are still playing another game because a lot of those starters weren't playing in the final preseason game anyway, so they're getting an

extra game. So that'll be interesting to see in terms of, you know, whose body is going to hold up for that extra week, that extra game, or if you get to a point where if you already have your spot in the playoffs solidified, like maybe you're going a full two weeks without your starters, that's interesting because there are going to be some things that come up because of the seventeenth game. There are gonna be some things that are going to come up that we you know, we

just never figured. Yeah we hadn't. You could we have an NBA situation where players you're you're you're resting players as you go. Yeah, management, load management, have load management? Why not? I mean you could? Why not assure you get off to a good start, you know, and you've kind of solidified your playoffs status. I can see that happening and see that it always back backfires, you know. Management, of course they want that extra game. You got extra money.

It's all about the money. But then all of a sudden, players are gonna do something else that's going to be something that's gonna counter what you wanted to do. So now, like you said, load management, you know that seventeenth game, everyone's loaded up about it. You know, it could be Cowboys, Giants or whatever. Never the schedule is like, oh, I can't wait for this game right here. Well, the way the season turns out, like that game may not even be that important. And now you want to make extra

money on this game. You might have it on Monday night and hardly no one's playing anoe of your start as a play that could happen. It could happen. Now we have another issue in regards to playing fans being upset because you want to come see your favorite player play. Oh well he's not playing this week. That wasn't question pulled the San Antonio spur. Yeah, Like if you know, if you go and you save up money, that's why

fans get so mad. You save all this money to go watch Lebron play and he's sent out for load managements. You know, I'm wondering, like if you go and you want to watch Dak and Zeke and Amari and that end of the day, Now, we don't need that. We have the district sign, you know, we have it wrapped up. We have to you know, the conference even wrapped up

all right last week. Ota is the one practice we got to see the best thing that came out of that practice, in my opinion, was watching Dak Prescott and seeing that he right now is already to a point where he literally he could play in a game right now. He said it a month ago that he could play in a game right now, But the way he's moving around, he's in great shape now that they may be keeping him out of some drills just to make sure that he,

you know, doesn't get stepped on or whatever. You know. But he looks great, and that's the best thing because that's the first time we are able to really lay eyes on him uh in a practice since the injury. That that was the best thing that came out of last week. You know. Me, I'm always about the uh uh I guess ans Hillary aspect of it. Not only is he looking good, it inspires those others too to

pick up their pace. We were just outside like, oh, Blake Jars got this helming on, you know, and it's like, okay, well, Blake's like, look, that's not the only one working hardly around here, you know about tiring and lyall were exactly well all you know. That's I love that to where we're all influencing each other and it's like, Okayda's not the only one doing work around here. And then it'll

all show up, you know. The other thing. One other thing that caught my eye regards to DAK was Keanuneil's interview. Did you catch it when Keanu was talking about Dak and talking about his leadership, and I think it was a little dig at Matt Ryan in Atlanta he said something and I just heard it once. I didn't go back and listen to it again, but it was like

it's it's refreshing seeing a quarterback like that. That is a big deal though, for I mean, he's he's the leader, and the fact that he's out there because he feels ready and obviously right, the staff and the coaches feel he can be out there doing what he was doing. But I think that's a big deal to be out there and camaradering, the leadership and the energy that he brings in wanting to take you know, his teammates to

the next level. And nothing against nothing against Matt Ryan, but that is that is Dak Prescott's personal quickly with Keana Neil, if he was able to touch on that, I think that's pretty time. I mean we probably didn't. The fact that he would probably say the same thing. This is because you really don't know what Prescott is like unless you've been around him, you know, and he's always it doesn't matter whether he's walking into his own

locker room or going to an event somewhere. When he walks in the room, he has a presence about him, trying exactly and he's he has an engaging personality where I mean he genuinely asked about you, how you doing well. He's polite. He's a polite person and it's not just you know, window dressing. I think he really is interested in what you're saying. You know that that's something that you can't teach that. You know, that's something that has

his mom and his dad taught him growing up. See that's the other thing when you go back to the whole draft. All right, So why is it that Dak Prescott is the only quarterback standing with the team that drafted him in two thousand in sixteen? Every other quarterback has been traded, cut, or benched wild fourth round pick. I think he was their second pick that round, right, right, Charles Tapper was the first pick, one hundred and thirty fifth in the draft. But they had two fourth round

picks and they took it. And so fourth round you're starting a new day in the draft. This is the third day of the draft. If you're in the quarterback position is so important. Okay, if he is on your radar and you got two fourth round picks, are you taking the defensive end out of Oklahoma? Who's making a basically a position switched from a three to four four three or whatever you know, or you're gonna take that quarterback.

That shows that we're not really sold on this quarterback, but we got a draft quarterback, so we'll go ahead and take him. With the second fourth round conference that he was in, you have to look at his career there. We talked about the other day, he had Mississippi State as the number one team in the country over Alabama. You can probably find it on YouTube. The last home football game that Dak played at Mississippi State. There's a

great video on YouTube. They make the the dog Walk or whatever they call it Mississippi State from either from the dorm to the stadium or wherever they bust lets them out to the stadium, and it is it's Mississippi State and it happened. It is. It's like a three quarter mile water It was long, and there's a camera on him and it's all just lined with Mississippi State fans just packed and he's walking through it to go to the game that day. I mean, the video goes

like five minutes. It's going on and on and on. You can see just how how much he meant to Mississippi State football if they don't already have the statue built there, they're gonna have a statue built there. And once again, no disrespect in Mississippi state. I don't know they ball like anybody else, but you did not expect them to even rear their heads in this conference at all. And here this guy comes from, Uh Louisiana, North Louisiana.

Report come on with Harton? Really right? And that's how you saying, yeah, I mean, come on, just un Let you know, man, the stories can come from anywhere. And that's what I like about his story. You don't have to start off with this amazing life. Matter of fact, some of those lives start off very ordinary, and he made ordinary into something great. And that's what I like about. Yeah, well, look at that clock. We made it through an hour without Mickey here. That was possible? That a breeze. You

know what? Maybe who well, maybe I can't. I'm not in a position to make this. I will make this suggestion that we just add Mickey's chair over there. He can have his back to the camera, uh, and Danny can be a long fang that wouldn't do a good thing.

All right, That does it for this edition of Mick Shots Forever and Danny, I am Bill, and we will be along next week, although the time may be a little different because we got mini Caamp next week and so whether we're on eleven thirty on Tuesday, I'm not sure. Maybe later in the day on Tuesday. We will let you know. I tried, yep, minicamp next week? Are you guys and you know you guys are like falling and

say hey, there's yeah. We do have some rules. I think I think media gets maybe every day of minicamp now, yeah, but it's still limited how many can show up, so getting Yeah, I think Mickey has seniority over me by kry pretty sure he does. He has Mickey has seniority over everybody ibout as many years as I've been alive. I wonder does Mickey have seniority over everybody in the building except Jerry. I don't know that the list will be very long. Honestly, might have seniority over us, but

we don't listen to it. Senority. He is older, He doesn't mean okay, is it for Mick shots and We'll see you again next week. Has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys football Club