Being live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the official Dallas Cowboys at now Here are Bill Jones, Everson Walls, and Nicky Spagnola, And it is a Tuesday here inside the SWABC podcast studio at the Star in Fresco, Bill Jones, Everson Walls, and the star of this show, Mickey Spagnola. Yeah. I like that we're back together for the first time in a while a while. It seems like a long time, Agoll. I think it was November. It was, Yeah, that's right,
it was a month ago. There you feel any you know, and it feels like the weeks are just racing by. And part of it has to do I think with Thanksgiving week, went back to back Thursday games certainly had a lot to do with, right, and then even just myself, Okay, Thanksgiving week and then I went to New Orleans for the game last week, and so those two weeks raced by, and now here it is and I'm my Christmas Day shopping, Christmas Eve shopping is fast approaching, and I'm actually putting
up lights this early. This is early for my family. Yeah, we actually have we're putting up lights like this weekend. We already have the indoors done all that, so I'm ready to go. Man, my wife gets the indoors done, like the day after Thanksgiving. Yeah, that's well. Know, all the hard part is get bringing the boxes down from the attic. Yeah, that's that's she was on it. I didn't have to do it. No, no, what I was.
I didn't have to do it. I was shocked and like right there, I'm like, oh, I need to go out of town often. Yeah, where do you store your boxes? I need to know? And how many boxes do you have? Not only about four? Oh? Just for no, the hard parts taking the tree down, because then you got to put everything back away. It's not half of it, no, no, because yeah, you take too much care with it, wrap it up and throw it in the claws. Yeah all right, So here we are and not everybody is back to
the Star in Frisco, but we are back to the Star. Yes. Yes, How did Landry Award go? It went very well last night. We in the past and what the Landry Award is for those who are not in the area, it's this is the twelfth year we've done it. It's in partnership with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The Landry Award goes to the top high school football player in North Texas and U and as the coach of the year as well. That's right, And it was five finalists and unfortunately we
had to do it by zoom again this year. We did it virtually, but we we did get them, the five finalists together right out here at the Star last Sunday. I'd made it a little more special this year, h And we got their parents. What I really like about it is we've got the parents talking about the kids, and the parents get all emotional talk about especially for
these kids, they're all seniors. Yeah, and so for any for any parent who's had a child who's left the nest, you know, and it's sometimes it's the dad that's the one that gets emotional, and sometimes it's the mom. In this case, the winner of the Landry Award, Josh Hoover, made news yesterday. He committed to TCU yesterday rock Wall Heath High School quarterback and so he had committed to Indiana and they had fired their offensive coordinator, so he
reopened his recruiting. So he commits, he commits to TCU yesterday. Ever happened in Indiana, Well, he was one of those late bloomers. In fact, there were two Rockwall quarterbacks. The rock Wall High School quarterback who set the Class six A record for career passing yardage, Braden Locke, who's going to Mississippi State. I think Dak Prescott had something to do with it, but he was also one of the finalists. Whatever. But anyway, it was that Josh's dad, Uh he got
emotional talking about him. Uh and uh, it was really it was. And so I saw that for the first time and then I'm supposed to come back on on camera. After I see him getting emotional, I'm like, I'm starting to tear up myself. And so anyway, it was fun. Which coach which coach was the Coach of the Year was from Chris Beam Where did you go to high schoolage?
Colleville Heritage coach Mark kirk martin Colleville Heritage High School, who spent a number of years, like twelve years at Manville High School And in fact, this brings him back to the Cowboys. He was the head coach at Manville High School when Highland Park and John Stephen Jones Stephen Jones' son Jerry Jones grandson won a state championship game in what I still say is the greatest football game I have ever seen. In fact, you saw the did you
see the Baylor Oklahoma State Big twelve Championship. The game came down to the last play of the game where and it was at AT and T Stadium. I think it was the same corner of the end zone I'm about to tell you about the high school state championship game. You know, the Oklahoma State running back gets caught just inches shy of the pylon by the Baylor dB. All right, that game against Highland Park. It went back and forth. John Stephen Jones played an unbelievable game for Highland Park.
And by the way, he's a past winner of the Landry Award. And by the way, second finalist was with Spencer Sanders, the Oklahoma State quarterback playing in that game. But anyway, they played against Manville in the state championship game that same corner of the end zone at at and T Stadium. Manville throws a pass and the guys running for a touchdown he got caught at the one yard line on the last play of the game. Remember that that kept them from from matching what John Stephen
had done. It just dawned on me. I believe it's the same corner of the end zone at eighteen. It wasn't, but in my mind it was because it couldn't matter. Chris now, but this this entire season, you know, because they all coming back. It's been a great season at all levels, all levels. I'm loving that. I heard about
the South old Cliffe algo game, but big time upset. Yeah, South Cliff Altho never gets beat and South Olcliffe is usually that team that's in there, and you know, they usually kind of and they about the state quarterfinal round they lose. They won in the state quarterfinals over love Joy this week and so they are in the state semifinals. It's the first time since the nineteen fifth. Martin is looking down right now. Dallas I s d smiled down
as a shot at winning a state championship. They gotta win two more games and Dallas Carter won in nineteen eighty eight and um, and of course that was taken away. Took it away. Yeah, So so who do they have to play a good question. We'll move on to cowboy talk now. No guyers, no guyers. In six A Division two, I can't remember who South O Cliff's playing. But we'll move on, William. Let's talk about Cowboys. Yeah, well, cowboy talk. Let's go and talk. They're playing Cooper. They're playing love
Ack Cooper. By the way, thank you out in Loveock, who are shouting at your podcast right now? And the Cowboys are playing Washingtons right And Mickey wrote a book about this rivalry. He needs to write another book now. That was a twenty years ago and a while since this game is rivalry hasn't been hasn't meant anything since
you wrote the book. I think best rivalry in sports really sixteen the game was critical, I think when they met late in the season, and then twenty was at twelve or thirteen when they met for the division title. But it's been a while since these games have meant something. Um. They certainly used to in the seventies and then the
early eighties personally seventies and eighties. Yeah, especially when wreath into the seventy nine and then the early nineties, the first part of the nineties because the Redskins were still winning and were the Redskins Okay, uh, they won the Super Bowl that ninety one season, and as a matter
of fact, it was the Cowboys. That probably kept them from being undefeated that year, because they were undefeated until the Cowboys beat them in game twelve to twenty one, and then they lost the last game of the season because they didn't matter, so they finished fourteen and two.
Was that the on side kickstart second half? It was, and it was the hall Mary to end the first half, the first one that Troy Aikman ever completed too, by the way, as the Hall Mary, because after the game, I could remember him saying, it's like, yeah, every time they call us throw a hill Mary, it's like, well, there goes my quarterback rating because it's going to get intercepted, right. These things never work, and this one worked and then
he got hurt. Steve Burline comes in, finishes the game, and Michael Irvin caught what would be the u turned out to be the winning touchdown, beating Darryl Green corner of the end zone. A couple of Hall of Famer saying, yes, absolutely it was. It was a really good game. And it was up there too, by the way, and Dale Green out all the time, and then it was one of those things that Achilles heal, Yeah, yeah, yeah, it
was a it was a really really good game. And I've told the story before and I'll say it again since I'm proud of it. Was the last time I predicted a score and it came out right? Was the sEH yeah, because you've been blowing them on pick for quick Yeah, just fyi there and my good Fred Dale had said on Wednesday said we didn't need to watch the game. All you need to do is read the Times. Harold and Mickey would have told you what the score was. Oh,
you got a reputation now. And the pick to click was Michael Irvine by the way, you know what you go. Who's the only person who remembers that me? That's right. That's the thing about the all our predictions. The only person that remembers predictions is yourself. We went over yesterday and I said, we would have if we would put us all together, we would have been a damn good pick to click. Yeah, we all we all missed it in one way or the other. We were close, but
no cigars. So I said, the only one that remembers their picks is yourself. Well, I don't remember my pick. You don't know now because it was way off. Okay, yeah, forty something to whatever. I don't know. It wasn't. I thought I would. I thought, I said, twenty seven seventy. Right here, guys, what in twenty seven seventeen, seven seventeen Bill Jones was? It was about sixteen thirteen. Okay, and you said d Law would be the pick to click guy, and so you got that point. I got that, right.
What did y'all have favorite? I had Prescott? And I think my score was was it was twenty four sixteen. So come on, but okay, pick the click? Who got the better pick the click? I had Dak Prescott, I said he didn't. He didn't get it with three. He said gallup. The Spags had Gallop. His score was twenty three twenty. Yeah, yeah, so don't if I don't get the interception, I think I think the caveat on mine was that I did not expect for I said, I think for the snaps he would have in the game,
he wouldn't have an impact. But it wasn't it. It didn't take a genius to figure that out when you considered that the Saints didn't have their offensive tackles. Yeah, so yeah, you were every one of us. We were close. I'm just gonna pick Michael Parsons every week from that and I'm just gonna pick that, just say that. Okay, I'll just drop it down to two fifty. There you go, there you go. All right, Um, so you gotta what
update you have for us here? Well, by the way, what I would like to get into today, And of course Mike Apple watch doesn't work because my phone updated today, and that's another story to get that in. Got the rant, that's a half a rant I would like to get into in the second segment, what is the identity of this Cowboys offense? But bring us up to see maybe what we need to know. Maybe it should be run the ball sixty eight out of seventy two plays, right, Well,
we'll set up the next segment with that. Well, we're gonna set up the next segment with that. So it sounds like Mike McCarthy. As soon as he'll be back in the building is Thursday. That's when his ten days are up. So evidently he hasn't tested negative twice within twenty four hours yet. So Thursday is ten days and we'll see if he's back in the building. My understanding is the strength and conditioning staff should be good to go. The offensive line coaches, Joe Philbin, Jeff blastco should be
good to go. We haven't heard any more positive tests. We'll find out more. I guess Michael do his virtual press conference tomorrow. Dan Quinn sounded and Jerry sounded very hopeful that Neville Gallimore would be back, that Randy Gregory has a chance to be back, and Terrence Steele should be back from COVID. So it looks like they're going
to be possibly as healthy as they've been. And I thought the the best nugget from dan Quinn yesterday was he said, we're certainly will certainly be looking forward to getting Randy and Mike gun in Law all together. He said, if you would have told me at the beginning of the year that those three guys going into Week fourteen would have only played twenty eight snaps together, he said, I wouldn't have believed you. So that's all those three guys have played four naps. He didn't say the part
about yeah, n B eight and four. But think about it, because those snaps basically came in the season opener right where they all three. Because Randy Gregory started the season right, he wasn't well, they would have been yeah, because Lawrence missed every game until Thursday, right, and so going into that game, um, and then and he played I believe it was thirty seven snaps on Thursday, but Randy Gregory wasn't playing, So yeah, you have to go back to
that season opener. Remember they could him on a pitch count because he didn't play the previous year, right, Uh, and then came back missed the was rehabbing, I mean, didn't miss the previous year, but Parsons obviously wasn't here. So yeah, so get those three guys back on the field together, and just think of the different things you can do playing those guys. You know, you can have
Gregory and Lawrence at defensive end, mica at linebacker. You can go to Nickel and have Micah the left defensive end and move to Marcus Lawrence inside as a pass rushing defensive tackle. You can stand up Gregory and Parsons in the middle of a four man line and they could be the two guys that they were using standing up. So there's so many different things they can do if they can get all three back on the field together.
Before we go, When you think about the season opener and we had everyone and you look at the defense now, they're better now. Yes, even with you know, being depleted from with certain personnel, were still a better defense than we were opening night. That's kind and that was kind of Quinn's point on that is because because so many people have had to play, what was it thirty three
different players who have played on defense. Yes, they because so many have played, they're in a better position now than it had they not had the attrition and they could be more versatile, right, And you got guys that had been pressed into duty and now they know that what they can do and that they're they're in the system basically, although that were gods now and Spags always talks about the next man up being kind of, you know, as good as but in this regard, we have seen
players step up who are not as good as the starters and still make a hell of an impact. Right, So yeah, in that regard, you can Although the shocking thing I noticed on the defense was they came out of the Atlantic game, uh, fifteenth in total defense. They have fallen to twenty seven. Now, wow, that is and that was the Atlanta and that was a game against Kansas City where it was a nineteen to nine game right, Okay, wasn't like them talking total yards? Yeah, so they were fifteenth.
They're twenty seventh now and twenty eighth against the pass because they've given up those big raiders that had that sounds so a whole bunch. Yeah, big, big, big play. Got to get you to make your plays, but you give up the play, right, yeah? Absolutely all right? When we come back on mix shots, what is the identity of this football team and could they win a game throwing three passes? When we come back, Hey Cowboys fans, ready to spice up your next watch party? Bring Yokierro
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How great would it be to travel to watch the Cowboys win on another team's turf? Pretty great? But honestly, just watching the game from anywhere but your house would be fun. Even a hotel bar was some guy named Phil from Saint Louis who thinks Oakland still as a team. So we're traveling to the game or watching from your face in vacation. Spot book a place to stay on hotels dot com. Prone partner of the Danna's Cowboys at ATNT, everyone new and existing customers get our best deals on
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Strictions and exceptions may apply. Back back to mixed shots. Celebrate Christmas at the Star with Cowboys Christmas Extravaganza powered by Reliant to twenty minute show electrifies the Star in Frisco with a powerful mix of game day excitement and Christmas cheer every Friday and Saturday at six pm through December eighteenth. Ad Mission and parking are free. For more information, visit the stardistrict dot com Free parking. How about that ended mission? All right? Okay? Um, so what do you
think of that Monday night game? Last night? I saw a story, I think it was before the game that the Buffalo Bill's ownership is trying to get past whatever to get a new stadium, and they kind of wanted to build it in Orchard Park or whatever. And I've got one sex suggestion for him. A roof. Okay, you're in Buffalo. I was riding in listening to a radio show and they mentioned your name. They said that this
was your dome a roof. There is no other they're talking about you and some other mickey, no other sport that plays in fifty to fifty mile an hour wind. Right, the poor dropped the ball to kick it and itn't moved and he shanked it. Yeah, remember Icago bears, Yes, right, a roof. You're in Buffalo. There's a lake there. It's the same by Chicago there. So here's the deal. You
know how they all talk about that's home field advantage. Well, home fields down right, because their quarterback got neutered, couldn't throw the ball, and they decided all we're gonna do is run the ball. See if you can stop one of these days. Goodness gracious, he might have been able to do. You know, you might with the roof. You might have scored two touchdowns and could have won the game. They're gonna there's gonna be a b match two weeks from Yes, you're right. I love to see how that
turns out. Because as much as the weather still gonna be bad because there's new England I'm gonna be playing New England not nearly as bad as Buffalo, let's just face it, most likely, and I would love to see how this game comes out and how Josh Allen would play. And maybe you don't miss a field goal when all of a sudd and the ball takes but boom, wow, seriously, get a roof. Okay, Cowboys have just played the first of three straight road games. The first one was under
a roof in New Orleans. They did okay there, Okay. Now playing at Washington. Have they built a roof in Washington? They have not. Have they built one at the Meadowlands? Because that's the following we definitely not. No, it'll be cold and the wind will blow. Let's still, you know, you don't usually get snow and fifty mile an hour gusts of winds at twenty three. Now, what the giants
would do? I think they said they would open up the gates of something and allow the wind to come through when they used to do at the Old State. That's what they said they would do. I didn't see it. Yeah, that's what they said they would do, and it would somehow, I always blow the opposition those doors all of a
sudden would raise the end. There you go. I'm looking at the forecast for Landover Maryland on Sunday on Saturday, eighty percent chance of rain, high of seventy two Sunday, a low of thirty four, a high of fifty five and partly cloudy. So just wonderful. Okay, bring in the NFC East. I think the worst team with the worst weather consistently was the Giants. Yes, rookie you I think it was Winshield thirteen degrees or something like that. There
was overtime over time thirteen degrees below. Come on, there were some cold ones in Philadelphia, that's true. Now. I missed the one in eighty because that that's supposed to be one of the cold games they played for the play a little of Montgomery playoff games. No one Cowboys wanted to play in higher cold. I heard that was least the theory. And of course, the last game of the year is at Philadelphia, so that of these last five games, you've got three on the road in what
could be um less than ideal weather situation. The old vet the press by used to be they would have the Philadelphia writers in a box to the left in the middle was the radio broadcast, and then to the right was where the visiting media was, as if we were visiting, right, It's like we're not the visitors. And at the end of the press box there was a huge window that they would take out so the TV
camera could be on the high on the sideline. And it didn't matter what the weather was, that window came out, right, and we're sitting in there one year and it's twenty some degrees and you know, you came dressed to be indoors in the press box, right, Wow, we might as well been sitting in the stands, right. And I remember, I remember the cameraman was getting just at Randy. Randy Galloway just shouted at him one time, can't you just shut that window? And then after the game, media guys,
y'all can be on the auoy. Sometimes after the game they wouldn't put the window back in. They would just leave it out. So then you had to go find somewhere to write so you weren't freezing, because it's hard to type when you've got gloves on, right, And it was just miserable, just absolutely miserable. And the other thing that when we would complain about it's October and it's cold. It's like, why don't you put the windows in? Oh?
The park District runs this and they have a rule about when the windows back up, right, Yeah, give me a break, it's cold. Put the windows up, all right. So Mac Jones was two of three passing for nineteen yards. Is the Patriots beat Bills fourteen to ten the snowplow game in nineteen eighty two. December nineteen eighty two, Patriots beat the Dolphins three to nothing. Steve Grogan was two of five for thirteen yards. At least threw it five times. Yeah,
he threw it five times. Jones only threw it three times. That was the worst. I mean, come on, that's like being in the flood. But it's snow right, because it wasn't they It wasn't just that it was packed. It was fluffy. It looked like it was about that high. Look about six inches off to you. I mean, come on, you don't know why, you don't know where you're stepping. And here comes the guy on the little snowblower or whatever. Okay,
let's get the line here. So the next con I mean, you can't write this down right, So yes, the makeup of this Cowboys team. The identity of this Cowboys offense right now? Could they win a game in those conditions? Not the way this offensive line's blocking of late um, So it has the identity of this team. This offense changed from the six game win streak to where it is right now. Well, the identity of the team changed because they were basically averaging thirty some points a game.
And if you look at the last six games, only twice if they scored more than thirty well, yeah, twice more than thirty points, thirty three and the overtime loss to the Raiders, and forty was at forty one, about forty three against Atlanta. Everything else in the last six when they've gone three and three has been twenty sixteen, nine,
twenty seven. And yeah that's the three games. So yeah, they're not scoring, they're not moving the football the way they used to, and they've got to hope that getting their receivers back, getting this offensive line and some sort of continuity back gets them moving the football once again. All Right, I'm gonna put the name out there, Kinna Williams. Yes, how a thing's been going since Connor has been on the bench, less holding calls, but not as well consistently
blocking I think at that position. To me, so what were we talking about with McGovern then is he what we thought he was or is he that backup or that is he truly the next guy up? Yeah? Yeah? And I and to me, at this point, if you look at the production and the ability to run the football, and I know everybody wants to talk about Zeke and the injury, but you know what he's getting met at
the liners. He is getting met at with this stuff that well before he was pushing the pile four yards, well before there was a little you know, they negated the rush you know from me from the defensive line before there was movement on the offensive line. There is no more movement. And we talked about it the other day. I don't know if you will hear Bill. They are
escaping from our our linement, the defensive lineman. They are not our offensive lineman, not holding their blocks nearly long enough, and they are coming uh directly at our running backs with with with no one in their way. And and the fact was unabated did I use it unabated? It's good could go. That's how they come out to spell it.
But but and then and then here's the other problem when when you you played what, uh a game and a half, two games without your top two wide receivers and your other one had just come back and played, and now you're looks like, I don't know if the routes are right or what. But now the passing game, he's not getting protected very well. You're getting drop passes.
And Jerry pointed out when you look at some of this, look at some of the routes they're running, like how precise are they because that affects the quarterback to do so, Yeah, it's just if you couldn't block up front. And that was that was when when Kellen Moore was starting to talk about the stuff yesterday about the offense. Uh, you know he was talking about uh, I guess the question was they they were struggling on third down and I
think they were two of thirte against the Saints. And then he said it's important to have continuity on the offensive line and throughout our offense to get ourselves going. The more these guys are together, the more we practice, get back to traditional week for the next weeks, all that stuff's going to piece together and give us an opportunity to get going. We just have to launch into
this December football. And then when it went to well you're with these third downs, he's saying, well, yeah, here's the best way to get third downs converted. Do better on first and second down. And they were having trouble
running the first down. So now, But when you look at it, it does also affect the way that Kellen Moore caused the plays because he looks like a genius when everything's working right, when when the defensive when offensive line is working well, and everybody's gone, all the personnel is there, everything is looking good, and he is a genius. But I want to see that guy bring us out
of this doldrum right while we're having issues. While while we're having these problems, I want that offensive coordinator ignite something, create a play, create offensive line blocking schemes like you saw with the Patriots last night. They were in a trap plate. Were the last time the Cowboys were in a trap plate? I mean, the trap play is amazing, and you need someone with a quick hitter that's gonna get up the middle. If you're gonna do it with anybody,
of course, you might think Polock. But if you want to open up something for Zeke, get him a trap play and get him up in there to where he can have some daylight to run up. And if you look at at at at the game at New Orleans, that first possession they ended up third and ten, Well, what do you think happened? Well, they didn't convert him right. The second possession they were third and three and they threw a little dump pass outside and they gained two yards.
The next possession they did pick up a third and seven, and then the next possession they ended up going for it on fourth and eight. So they were getting into those situations where that they you know, you have to the next possession. After that, they did pick up a first down, but it was they picked him up on second down. And then it got to third and nine. Well, what do you think those Saints did? They blitched and then you end up kicking a field goals. So let's
let's look at the next possession, third and seven. So they kept going in in these long third downs and that's not conducive to picking him up on a regular basis. Yeah, I mean, when you when you have problems like that, you have to look at what the quarterbacks doing or at least trying to do. You have to protect him. And the one thing I like about what he's not doing. The old Dak would have tried to throw something in there, you know, and they usually would have gotten picked off.
You know, he's been throwing. Like I said, the last three possessions were a mystery to me on how all of a sudden he wasn't able to complete passes because before that he was on. But when you when you see how he played later on, he could. He could have in so many third down situations tried to force an interception in there, because let's face it, the Saints had some damn good coverage. There were not many open receivers there, and you know there were times when you
saw Dak just to it in there. Anyway, besides those last three possessions, I thought he was just really accurate in regards to how he played. All Right, we continue with more mix shots in Just A Moment of Honor is our country's highest military award for valor and combat. More than forty million individuals have served in the armed forces since the Civil War. Fewer than four thousand have
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slash Atlanta Atlanta. You almost added you almost had I said the stardistrict dot com slash Atlanta. You know what was I supposed to be? Almost I just I spoke one one word, one syllable too song Atlanta. All right, what do we have left here? We got about seven minutes left on mix shots? All right? Ever since since you brought up the last few possessions of the game, that's what I wanted to bring up. And it was it was kind of on the heels of what I
was talking about, the identity of this team. And it concerns me about this team if when they have a twenty to ten lead in the fourth quarter, especially against a team like New or well against any team, but again in this game against the only way New Orleans is going to be able to get back in that game is if you cough it up and give them good feel position or they get a you know, pick six or something like that. All right, So the Cowboys get the ball back with eight fifty seven left in
the game at their own thirty two yard line. First down, they ran it to Zeke for three yards at second and seven, then incomplete pass, and then on third and seven it was the interception by Marshawn Lattimore and before that play, it was like the offense was frantic at the line of scrimmage, you know, the play clocks going down, and it was was CD's waving and you know, like he's doesn't know what the play is and Dad, he's
trying to pass it on to the outside. Right. The noise is crazy out there, okay, And so and I thought to myself, they're acting like they're behind twenty to ten instead of ahead twenty to ten. And then Dak throws a pass that was ill advised and he admitted afterwards and interception. Okay. So on that possession he got hit in the face, by the way. So on that possession, the Cowboys were at ran fifty two seconds off the clock.
They had one run, two passes, all right, So then Taysom Hill gives them the ball back the Kaz interception. Cowboys have it at the twenty six yard line with six twenty four left. They run Pollard for five. Okay, no problem with that, incomplete, incomplete punt, and they ran a minute four off the clock there. So the Oneans gets the ball back with five to twenty left, and then they gave it back to the Cowboys with another interception.
But my concern is, at that point in the game, you're ahead twenty to ten, I'm in favor if if Zeke's hurt, whatever you don't want to, I'm in favor of taking a knee three times, run two minutes off the clock, and then give it back to them and then next time, and they got to use their timeouts eventually. I'm being facetious there, but run the ball. And the reason they didn't because they couldn't. And I guarantee you
that factored in, and think about it. That's why I know I don't care whether they can't run it or not. I got at that point take time off the But they finished rushing twenty four for one forty six. Well, out of that one forty six was two plays and one was kind of a pass play anyway, thirty three yards. So they had ninety one yards on two plays and twenty and in twenty two plays they had fifty five yards. And concern, my concern, take it out of that game.
When we're talking about the final five games of this season. You got three of them, and who knows what the weather is gonna be. You gotta be able to run the football in December and I'm not talking about the game plan strategy run versus pass, but there's a certain time in the game where you got a twenty ten lead in the fourth. Every year you have to be
able run that football and gets in the game. Guess what they were facing the third rank rush defense in the league in New Orleans, and guess Washington now has the third rush defense. So now you still have the same problem. But earlier in the season this offense seemed to have that same identity that it basically had Zeke's rookie year, where and Zeke was running like he was his rookie season earlier in the season. Clearly he's not now, and so I think the identity of this offense has
changed right now. And we've talked about a lot of the reasons why maybe it has changed. But I think down the stretch of this season, you got to get back to that. If you can, maybe they can't get that. I've told you, guys, I don't know how many times you gotta keep running expecting it to break and it did. You understand the system in that regard it worked. This is a game that you needed to win by hooker Cook. I think we talked about this yesterday's bags. You gotta
win ugly. That was an ugly win. It's okay to win ugly in those situations down there where you had the loud crowd. You know, you could have easily this guy's running all over the place, Taysom Hill, you could have easily just done something stupid offensively more often instead of just the one in the sex. She could have had more than one. Could they had strip sex. There's so many things that could have happened, but they didn't because we did at that moment stick to the plan.
We have to keep running the ball, so to go away from it when it's truly time, that to me did not make anything. And then in the ideal offense is an offense that can win either way either okay, where you can win passing the ball or you can win running the football, depending on the strength of the opposition, what the weather conditions are, any of that stuff. When you look at those Cowboys teams from the nineties, they could win either way. They could throw it or they
could run it. Well, they're not running it well right, and running it more doesn't mean it's going to be more effective. And everybody's like, well, you know, you got to use Pollard more well. He had one carry for fifty eight, he had six carries for thirteen. They're just not creasing anybody at this point. And Jerry and even Jerry and his radio interview today talked about the offensive line. They need more continuity, they need uh you know, and
thinking now, what are they now? What are they going to do this week? Is Leal Collins you're starting right tackle?
Or are you going back to Terren Steele now on the depth chart for in the release at Terren Steele at right tackle, But it sounded like when Jerry talked this morning, and he was being careful not to give away secrets, but he basically said, both guys are going to play, so to me, judging from what how Kellen Moore answered the question on Monday about the mac attack when they use Connor McGovern as a fullback or second tight end, it sounded like one of those tackles and
maybe Terren Steele plays the blocking tight end position to help with the blocking when they go to tight ends. So I'm gonna see if it plays out that way or not to try to help this running game because you go to tight ends and you're thinking, well, but neither one of those guys are big blockers, right McEwen H. Schultz Um, you know they don't get much from the other guys. Springer um, so shelt reception, his receiving prowess has really improved, but his blocking has gone still. Still, yeah,
it's worse. Okay, when coming into the season, who are the starting offensive lineman, well, who are their preferred five coming into the seas Smith's Williams. Beyond this Martin, Martin and Collins and Collins. Okay, then Collins got the five games suspension, right, So the same way we talk about the wide receivers, not having those three wide receivers together, they haven't had the same the five. Even if you you trade out Williams with McGovern, they haven't had the
five offensive linemen in there on a consistent basis. I don't have time to go through how many games they've had that. They didn't even have it in the first game because Zach Martin was out. I don't know that they've had it all season long, that they've had the five really that they won out there because then Collins came back from his suspension and he was not starting the first game back and then Smith went out for three games. I'm just going through it right now, and
then you had Steele miss in the last game. Even if you decided that Steele was the guy instead of Collins, I don't know that they've had a game this season where they've had the five that they really prefer out
there at the same time. So here are the starters they started the season, and you're right because McGovern started at right guard for Zack Martin who was out right the next game, steel Cats to come in for Lal Collins because the suspension started, and then after that it was kind of the same for looks like I mean, if if your preferred right tackle is Lyle Collins, then they have not had a game this season that they've had the five that they prefer out they had they
had the one oh no, because the one game when they had Collins at right tackle and Connor Williams still at left guard, Steele was at left tackle right Tyran was out, and then the next game, Steele is at left tackle, the next game, Steele is at left tackle, then Tyrn returns, now McGovern's at left tackle, Steals at right tackle, and then the next game McGovern it's Smith McGovern, Beardist Martin and Collins at right tackle. And so so they've been re right now it's coming off this the
mini bye week. Okay, all right, they have all of them. When Steel gets back here, they've got the option of whether they go with Collins. They've got everybody back now, right, right, right, And so I think the key to establishing that continuity is having these guys back and hopefully we don't find out something right when we get off the air like we dorbally do, and they can then have their five, whichever five they want to pick. They've got him available
for this stretcher. But one of the key things is are they convinced that McGovern's better at left guard? They are not than Connor Willim That's what. And the three games that he started it was a plus because there was less holding calls, and some of those Williams holding calls I think they were Frans call. He got targeted. Yes, right, they said, all right, we were watching it. We didn't replace him necessarily because he wasn't playing well right, only
because he was being talking. They were trying to save the holdings, so they saved the holding calls. But I don't know that McGovern's playing. I think what this offense needs more than anything is I'm on task. You know what this office need. That defense better keep giving them opportunities to score. Okay, you hold them off long enough, then you can break those pology routes of those plays
and those CD LAMB play. You just keep on defensively giving them the ball back and you guys can play complimentary football until the end of the season, which hopefully but even but even like with the receivers, they haven't had the all the receivers out there. The practice schedule has been way off kilter the last three weeks, and excuses were raced with four interceptions, right, you understand, right, So that's my point. The defense has to play and
give them chances. And every team that's winning ugly, that defense is keeping them in the game. And the other part of it is that those are erased if everybody gets back from COVID and are healthy and can be out on the field for practice and stuff, exactly because
they haven't had that either. Because if you look at that short week after the Sunday game in Kansas City, you know you basically got one practice in and then COVID hit after Thanksgiving and they gave him time off, and then it hit the beginning of the week and they basically got in for some reason. The Cowboys can't fall back on those excuses. I know everyone else can, but we cannot. So just to be clear, and during this four game winning streak for the Washington's, I can't
keep saying the football team. They're the Washington's. Okay, they've given up nineteen, twenty one, fifteen and fifteen, and they've won the last two games seventeen playing at home and at home. And it's a big game. And it's not like they're scoring a bunch of points, although they did. They did against the Bucks. They put twenty nine against Tampa Bay. Go figure. How big is this game? We'll talk about it the rest of the week. But if the Cowboys win, they got a three game lead. If
they lose, they got a one game lead. And for more on that, join us tomorrow on mix Shots. Did you Say Go? Cowboys? This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.