Mick Shots: Very First Take

to watch this week. They'll have three of those. That's two down, one to go on Thursday, and it is Mick Shots here in the swb C Mortgage Studio on Mickey Spagnola, Everson Walls and filling in capably for Bill Jones as Danny Serek with Danny Great. I think I've only been on with y'all virtually, so it's so great. I'm so excited to be here with you guys in person in the studio over a year here, over a year ago, we were zooming right right over a year ago.

That year is gone. What do you realize this OTA practice we got to watch was the first one since twenty nineteen. Wow, because there was no OTA's last year right, you guys, and uh, I did you got your booze a little? What is this? Uh? Lacrosse? Will you a rower? Your crew? Your crew? Bar harbormain? What are you doing? Man? I was the last place I was when on vacation. Stop right there, this last place. Yeah, that sounds about right. So we got a lot to disseminate here after watching

a helmets and jersey and shorts practice. Danny, you were out there? Did you see a kay from up there in the press box? You know what? It seemed okay because I was looking for three players, looking for Dak Prescott, I was looking for Tyrn Smith, and I was looking for Lyall Collins. Check check check right fine by me? Exactly absolutely, uh, and that's probably where we should start. Everson.

Just I was not out there, but we want you to ask questions if we don't hit anything right, because you know it's it moved to this time of the day. I was napping, Sorry you were napping. Yeah. We hate to mess up your schedule, your busy schedule. So Danny is exactly right. Dak was out there moving as well as ever. Right, I didn't see anything. He was rolling out throwing the ball. He was fine watching him run. And the only thing is he had shoes on that

were black. It's like you're slow yourself down, you know. Grambling we had the blacks all the time. Yeah, that's how we had Yeah, but no, he was he was fine. Uh. You know, Tyrn Smith and Lele Collins didn't do everything, but they did uh kind of the warm ups and then when they went into individuals, they kind of walked and watched, and then they did some of their rehab. Uh and then at the end when they did to walk through part of the practice. Uh, they were out there, right,

They were out there. I think a little bit for the eleven on seven drills because they didn't have defensive linemen oka up against them. So we've been telling everybody that these guys are ready to go, and I think today was another indication on what is it like May

twenty six six? Yes, uh, that fifth, That's what I said, and I followed ever since lead on that one can't see my watch made twenty fifth that you know, we got a long ways to go till trading camp starts to kind of the second third of what two thirds into July. So they should be ready to go. I think that's encouraging. Kind of been telling everybody that, but it was good to actually see those guys out there.

I saw Danny earlier before you came around, and that's the first Those are the three people that I asked about, and it was Dak you want to know about You told me about Lyle Collins, and I want to know about Tyman Smith. Of course I didn't think they'd be doing much, but I wanted to see the movement. What kind of movement did they have, How did they look? Uh, you know, back problems, neck problems, vander ess. We were wondering about how he did. She said, he looked good.

And I wasn't worried about his legs. I was never worried about his legs, always about his neck right and and upper area there. So yeah, he looked fine. He looked fine. Jalen was out there in his new jersey number nine. Man, that's weird. That was weird to see. That was my college number. By the way, that was a great number number. Nine. You were nine number, but you were a cornerback. The single numbers a cool for cornerbacks,

but for linebackers it makes him look small. That's what I was just gonna say I thought nine on Jalen looked like he was twenty pounds lighter, and sort of the same thing with Michael Parsons wearing eleven. I want to see fifty something on a line. So is that the reason that he changed to nine because MICA's having eleven? Is this happening? No, this is not happening. That was his number. I understand that. Are we taking this into

oh the season, is what I'm saying. Oh, yeah, this is a so Jalen's gonna have nine, nine, So but passons eleven? He will have eleven? Yes? Wow, do any other linebackers, because if you were called back in the day we were, we were you know, designated. They changed good number changed the rule. These guys are so lucky. Guess what my understanding is if you change numbers and you have jerseys out there still that haven't been sold, you have to pay for them. Wow. Now I think

it's not fair. Yeah, they did well this year. That's not fair. You got why not don't the player? You have to pay for that because they printed your jerseys to sell and if they haven't sold yet, you got to buy them. That sounds like a you problem. I can well, whatever jersey I want now, I have to be behold into what you change numbers in the mid stream with your your product out there. Right, So when they talked about the hundreds of thousands of dollars, you

got to pay it. That's exactly what they were talking about. Yeah, they're paying the inventory though, the inventory. That's what they're saying. Hang out is not cool at all. Unions got to step in on that. Come on, now, does that make any sense at all? Yeah? I think so. He thinks, Oh yeah, Well here's my question. If you have a fifty four jersey, are you going to go out and buy number nine? Now? I mean if you're a fan, Well,

now you're not the way he played last year? Yeah, now you keep it as now the way you keep it as memorabilia, well yea to me, it makes more valuable Smith's jersey. Right. Um, and he looked like he was moving. Well. The other thing I noticed about him that maybe I passed off last year and didn't or whatever, he seemed to be a little bit more engaged with

his teammates. Did you notice that? Yeah, I mean he seemed to be more I won't say necessarily coaching, but more kind of like engaged and other people going through their jerals as well, not just going through the motion himself. And then you know it was kind of sitting there watching them, you know, hyping him up, tapping him up

when they were done too, right, I noticed more more engaged. Yeah, I'd say with that, I hope it's because he has more knowledge in the defense itself, because that was a big excuse last year. He didn't really know what he was doing. Nobody knew what they were doing. So hopefully this year he's going with a little bit more knowledge

and will help him play a little bit better. Because trust me, if you know what's going on, I mean, you truly have a grasp on your defense, and especially who you're studying, it's like the Sean Lee thing, you you can anticipate. He had no anticipatory skills last year at all. No, he didn't, and to me, that man, he wasn't prepared. So I think maybe when you see them draft a middle linebacker, uh, you say, okay, maybe

I need to be engaged here. But those guys, they were switching in and out so much on you know, at one point Layton and and Jalen were out there at the same time, and another time it was Jalen and uh and neil Um out there. Remember they said they thought he'd started like that, he's starting, you know, you forget about those guys we signed up agents. Yeah, because the draft and the first time they went out the safeties were the new safeties. Yea. By the way,

it was jern Curse and uh um demonte. Because he was out there for a bit, Yeah, I was. That's something I just I didn't know. I guess where he stood in his rehab from that Achilles injury, which I think was October. But yeah, I saw him out there for a bit, which means he's doing much better than I am. So hey, I could have gone through that raptic. Okay, So how how do they look? I mean you had two guys came in with repair the Achilles and he was the year before. Okay, uh uh neil Uh. They

look they looked fine. His his instincts are really good. He reacts to the play. They went one point when they were out there, they ran an end around to ceedee lamb and he snuffed it out immediately. So uh, yeah, his recognition is good. Um let's see who else? Uh? Really the only guys that the other guys that didn't do anything. Zeke wasn't there, so we'll see what happened there. I understand he was there yesterday. Zack Martin was out there early and then he didn't do anything when they

started doing the other drills. But I've seen him out there doing his rehab and he's he's moving just fine. So so if you want to take if you want to take a temperature check on on you know, the injuries from last year and how they've developed this year and recovered. What are you what are we looking at it? We're looking at were we gave ourselves a percentage? And

I'm really thinking divasively here. Forget all, I think everybody is the only other person on defense and didn't do anything was DeMarcus Lawrence, Okay, and I think they were being very careful with him all the things he had last year. Uh, you know, he was doing his rehab early. The walkthrough at the end, so it was the defensive

walk through an offensive walkthrough separately. He was out there at left defensive end, Randy Gregor, who was at right defensive end Randy Yes, yes, And guys look like I mean, some of them looked like they lost weight. I don't know what your perception was. I mean, I think Jaalen looked small. I don't know if that was in the number or something like that. I don't know about losing weight. Like Lane just looked really fast to me, like he

like looked like he was moving really well. Um, I think to some of the excited, he's ready to go. You know what I mean, you don't play much last year, He's ready he get in well, he missed the he got hurt in the first game. Miss four played maybe seven eight nine games, and then he got hurt at the end with the was it a calf a calf or I forgot what it was quad knee something, and he missed the last Cup several games. So yeah, I thought he was looking good. You know, when I've seen Zeke,

he looks like he had lost some weight. Dak. They got him listed at two thirty five. He ain't close to thirty five. I guaranteed, yeah, at least ten pounds wider. I don't you know who looked small because he is. I don't let's I don't even know what they have him Nishan right, the rookie. I mean you can tell he is tall and lanky. But um, i'll tell you what. Make sure I got his They've got him at one eighty three. Oh my goodness. He broke up another one

eight three. Yes, that's how much he weighs. That's six four. Oh my gosh. But he looks like Danny. I'll take that as a compliment, thank you. But he did it. He almost an interception. Yeah, Um, he's got he's got good instincts. I just think I thought everything was and maybe since we're not used to getting to watch or practice, everything seemed to be moving really fast, and so maybe you know it was us, but I thought the speed of everything, I'll tell you. The other person that looked

thin was Michael Gallup. He's already lean. I know. Yeah. I didn't think he could get leaner, but maybe he did. Uh or Marie Cooper didn't do anything today. He was there, but he didn't do anything. Or what's going on we'll find out. I think Mike's going to have his conference call and the other players team. Blake Jarwin was out there. He's not practicing. Blake coming back. You so you mentioned about the injuries. He's still rehabbing. So he was on

the side doing his room one. Yeah, he really is. I think if he's ready to go, regardless of whatever tight ends were out there from Florida or whatever SEC team or whatever, I still think he's a very prominent figure in the offense. And one of the other guys out there or was out there late doing rehab, Mitch Hyatt, the offensive lineman. He had injuries last year and I believe I think I've heard that he sprained a knee

doing some conditioning, so he wasn't uh taking part. So these are just kind of off the top of my head the things that we we kind of saw out there. Um, I have to say Reggie Robinson, Yes, So they had a cornerback from tulsa fifth round pick last year fort fourth round. I was calling back in safety out there, Yeah, and they moved him to safety last year. Well, he was working with the cornerbacks so and kind of went

out there with the third team. So when they kind of first went out there, it was Anthony Brown and Trayvon Diggs, then uh, Calvin Joseph and Nashan Wright and then um and then Reggie Robinson went out there with the with the third guys. Uh, who was the other place. I gotta say Reggie, Reggie being a corner. I know he played some safety, but changing to safe at a very young age, that's tough. Yeah, that's really tough. You used to playing cornerback, you know. The challengers kind of

see the individual is one thing. Yeah, but if you're you come in they say, okay, we want to let's try you at safety in the pros. There are so many things that can come at you that you've never seen in college. In college, and let's face it, at the same place over and over again. Yeah, it's doesn't matter how well they run them. But if you're safety in the pros, you're going to see so many different things. They can bait you and set you up so easily.

I don't think I'm glad that he's back at corner. I bet he's more comfortable practice in a corner than having to worry about being a safety. So if anybody sees pictures. Two other notable number changes Donovan and Wilson the safety Oh my man, thirty seven okay he was thirty seven last year and six Oh my goodness, so lucky man, Wow, they were They just restricted us in so many different ways. I was born too soon, and that I get all you ought to hear a funny

story about that. The board too soon. Uh. We used to do a kind of an well we called it old Timer's Lunch, uh Pat summer all was part of it, and so the stories were always just wonderful. So one day we're at lunch and uh we were talking about Ellis, um that he was kind of upset about his contract because remember when he, uh he signed that deal. He

signed like a six or seven year deal. And this was before the explosion of signing bonuses and contracts, and he was kind of grumpy about it, right and complaining, and so Pat asked about, you know, what's going on, and so I kind of explained to him that, you know, he signed that contract so early and then later on everything changed, and um and I said, yeah, he kind of did it too soon, and and and summer all

goes all came around. He was contemplating something totally different from what he was talking about how much he was getting the early days. Um. So yeah, but yeah, so he uh six, and then Cedric Wilson is one. So now, well, Donovan didn't have to worry about his jersey sales I'm sure he didn't have to worry at coming out of the pocket. Yeah, I'm sure that was nothing either of us. Those If you recall, if someone else had your jersey that you wanted, you still had to pay. You had

to pay that individual something. I remember I went to the Giants, I wanted twenty four, and I think maybe that you know might well no one, no one was wearing nine. Yeah, so Jalen was cool because they weren't given away Romo, but eleven was Cedric Wilson, Levin was Wilson and here oh yeah he's won now, okay, so wow, so I don't want this Carson. I don't know. I don't know if Parsons had to pay up because remember, because you're talking about paying inventory the question, you also

have to pay the player. But I think you got forced to move then. Yeah, so he probably made some money. Remember when it came up in the press conference about oh, it's going to be a negotiation, Yeah, and Jerry said, what negotiations? OJ wouldn't even let me siff twenty four? O. J Anderson had twenty four. When I went to the Giant, you said, Cedric war one? Yeah, coee. So he went back to war because one, it's it's a it's a kicker all the time. Yeah, but it's the coolest number.

And six. No one has worn six other than kickers in the history of the couch. Oh god, Zenda, yeah, yeah, the Zenas was that was the bounty Gate, right, yeah, you remember number six with the Cowboys. They got Buddy Ryan putting the hit out on the kicker. Zen Day has the talk about being Penny trying to take out porson Day him. That's what thought, Why is this guy blocking me on the kickoff. I'm not gonna go down

and make a tackle. I think Tim Cedar had six, So there was a couple of kickers that had Warren worn six. So yeah, so so number a little few number changes, a few position changes, and you know, just got to see some of the young guys with the veterans back out there. So all in all, that'll be

next time we get to watch No. TA. I believe it's a week from Thursday because next week's Memorial Day Monday, so they practice I think Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and I think our day is Thursday, or maybe it's Tuesday, Thursday Friday next week. So anyway, the next one we get to watch is back then anything else you might have saw before we take a break. Yeah, this is not important whatsoever, but I just thought it was kind of fine.

Kind Of early on in the practice, one of the equipment guys was run in with the cart and he was running too fast and it tipped over and all this ice just fell. And you want to take a guess who the first person was over there ran over there to help him clean it up. Michael Parsons, Really first person over shoveling ice back in as a bucket. Right. The kind of reminded me of Dak's rookie year. Remember they got the shot on the bench and he had something tape or something and he went to throw it

in the garbage. This was on game day, like during the game, and he missed and he went over and picked it up and threw it back in the garbage. Sometimes you got to act like a yeah, that's who we act like your mom was watching, and every once in a while you had a guilt feeling, you know what I mean, because you know you're on camera. Yeah

I can see that, Just go go pick it up. Well, all right, well we're just getting started here on mit shots on this Tuesday out at almost no Actually we're we're si look at their one thirty to one fifty. Well that's because I I don't prolong the person that's trying to run the thing, right, because when I'm not in charge, I never look at that clock, and I

know you don't know. All right, Well, we'll return. Oh and by the way, as we did last week with our buddy Philippe in uh France taking call eight eight eight eight five five two two nine seven eight eight eight eight five five two two nine seven, be nice to Chris and he will get you on as we return to mix Shots in a moment, Honey, big news, Gary, Are you okay? Oh? I'm not Gary anymore. I'm Jackie Flash. What see? I want the latest smartphone, but the best

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in to Mick Shots. Mickey Spagnola, Everson Walls, Danny Sak filling in for Bill Jones, having some fun with the two of you because it's been a hot minute. Cowboys had their second OTA practice today. Media got to go and watch Mickey. Did you see any other new faces out there that caught your eye I did. The Cowboys ended up signed. They had an open roster spot on their ninety man roster. They had very silently last week

released William Sweet. He was an offensive tackle they had picked up last year, so they had an open spot, and they had brought in two wide receivers to catch for Brett Hunley, the quarterback. When they worked him out on Friday, and this guy of the two, I was like, I thought they were using guys that were already on the roster, right, and then I realized, now their names are not on the back of the new jerseys. That's

not fifteen and sixteen on the Cowboys roster. And they didn't sign and we can talk about Hunley, but they didn't sign Hunley. But this guy looked good. I mean he could run right well. It ended up it was Johnny Dixon, former wide receiver at Ohio State and he went undrafted in twenty nineteen. Houston had him into training camp and then they let him go, and then Arizona picked him up, and I believe he was on their

practice squad the last two seasons. Didn't hasn't played in a game, but his senior year at Ohio State or actually the last two seasons when he had kneed troubles and ended up there five five years. So he must have got a medical red shirt because he only played like one game in twenty fifteen, one game in twenty sixteen or fourteen fifteen, whatever the years were. But in twenty seventeen and twenty eighteen he played in twenty two games. He had sixty seven catches for one thousand, one hundred

and forty six yards. He averaged seventeen point one to catch and six touchdowns, eight in each his junior and senior year. So he didn't get drafted, but I think the Cowboys saw how well he ran routes out there and the speed he had four four one in the forty when he at the combine, so you know they had an extra spot, so bring him in. And he looks pretty good out there too, by the way. You know, it's so weird about this past season. I was teasing Danny about not seeing it for a whole year. It's

almost like the strike year in eighty seven. You know, moves were delayed, you know, moves had to be made for different individuals, and if things didn't swing right for you, you go from being a potential player making a team to just being out of the league, right, you know, it just interrupts your continuity in whatever plans you may have had. And some guys were just unlucky enough to fall by the way, said Johnny, one of the lucky ones. Yeah,

you know, great career. But you know when you start talking about going into the twenty eighteen and twenty nineteen and here talking about pandemic, it just kind of all gets a little convoluted, you know, and you start to wonder, Okay, well my next step was gonna be here when now all these variables have changed, and I don't know what step I'm gonna make next. So Dixon, this is sort of like going back to college. He was the white

uniform number six, so uh so, yeah, everybody's got different numbers. Yeah, and I believe I got that right. I think he had. Yeah, he had six sons. So anyway, he was out there, he looked good. He catches the ball well, so we'll see where that goes. So Hunley Brett Hunley played his college ball at UCLA. He was a fifth ri draft choice of Mike McCarthy in twenty fifteen. And then how's this for a little bit of irony. He made the team in Green Bay as the third quarterback. The second

one was Scott Tolzie Cowboys now assistant offensive coach. Right Tozine left the next year to go to Buffalo, I believe it was, and so Hunley became the backup. He only played a couple of games that year. But the next year is when Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collar bone, and so he had to come in. Everybody off on the way up the defensive end on the Vikings. I just thought it was a dirty hit. He just never happy. He he's happy now he's in Hawaii, right, Yeah, not

at Ota right, good one. Uh. And so so when he broke his collarbone, then Hunley had to come in, you know, and he had been the backup, but he had played like two games or one game in the NFL, and it wasn't pretty. They ended up going three and six with him at quarterback, and he struggled. I think his quarterback raiding ended up being seventy that year. He had more interceptions than touchdowns, and that ended up they

ended up going seven and nine the Packers. That was Mike's first losing season since their second one in Green Bay. So they ended up trading him the next year to Arizona or no, to Seattle. Didn't play any games in Seattle, they let him go. Arizona picked him up. He played maybe three games one year, didn't play at all last year, so they brought him in to look at him. You know, they're kicking tires from that backup quarterback spot, and you

know he throws the ball. Well, it's just a matter of you know, how well do you play the game? Do you recognize things? Because I think at UCLA, you guys tell me you might have. But he was more of a kind of past slash run quarterback. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So anyway, they had four quarterbacks out there today. Right, Well, that's my question for you about all of this, as we only saw one game each last year from Ben d Nucci and Garrett Gilbert. So now, right, and Danucci

was a seventh round draft back Gilbert came in. But now that they're going to have an entire regular offseason, more regular at least the last year, right, and working with this coaching staff, how comfortable are you if the Cowboys decided to stick with the two of them as

the backup quarterback, if they don't find anyone to bring in. Yeah, And I wrote about this in my column on Dallas Cowboys dot Com on Friday, and I was basically like, Okay, this is what they got, but don't be surprised if they don't keep kicking tires and just kind of see what's out there. Can any of these guys come in and be better than any of those three because you're probably not going to take more than four quarterbacks to training camp, right, You're not gonna take five. You can't.

You can't go through that. So uh so yeah, so you know, and so it got me thinking because I was thinking, because of five quarterbacks being drafted in the first round, that um, there would be some veteran guys getting released, right those teams can't keep all those quarterbacks. And if you're gonna play that that the rookie immediately somebody's going, right because maybe because of salary cap reason. So I went back and looked and started looking at

two teams that took first round picks. So Jacksonville they drafted Trevor Lawrence first, right the other three quarterbacks on their roster right now, or Gardner Minshew who started some games. You're thinking that's pretty good. That's probably their best. That's right. The other that's right, Chris was doing The Men Show. So there are other two quarterbacks are Guy's name, C. J. Bethard and Jake Lewton, neither once probably any better than

the three the Cowboys have, right um. And then if I can read my notes here, the Jets take Zach Wilson right, he's probably their walk in starter. Well, they only have two other quarterbacks on the roster right now, James Morgan and Mike White. Oh. I don't think I realized he ended up there. That's where he was last year, so it's where you can disappear in New US, so that none of that gets you excited, right Um? I was thinking, Okay, I saw where Tampa Bay signed Blake

Gabbert back. He was their backup quarterback last year Universe in Missouri the way Zou and they paid him one point five million, so I figured, okay, he's probably the backup. But they also had signed Ryan Griffin who they signed earlier, and then they drafted Kyle Trash. Okay, but I don't know that any of that gets you excited, unless they decide to get rid of Blaine gabbert Um the Bear. We get a backup. We gotta have a veteran backup.

It can't be a young guy Dalton. There's an interesting twist. So the Bears trade up right to get Justin Fields. True, you think he's the starter? I think by week four? Yes, okay, So here's here's here's there might be some irony here. The other two backups that they have. They signed Andy Dalton on a one year deal ten and a half million, and they still had Nick Foles. Yeah, so Nick foles cap hit is six point six million dollars and if they get rid of him, it's fourteen point three and

dead money against the cat. Andy Dalton is counting ten point five million against the cat, but if they get rid of him, it's only five and a half million in dead money. So don't even, don't even. I sort of finished. I sort of finished my column and and Danny won't recognize this, but you remember that old Western movie Shane, Yes, of course, Shane, and the movie come

Back Seat. Shane ended the movie where he kind of made friends with this little kid and they had Shane writing into the sun that and the little kids yelled, Shane come back and I'm going and he come back. He just might. I mean he wants to start, I know, but what if they decide he's not the starter. Well, the way that coach is up there, he's very concerned.

If you talked about maybe game five, you said what you say for you say by week four, I'd be surprised because they're very he's very conservative head coach up there. So he may go. Yeah, I think I see him going with Folds before he would even go with Fields, I wonder. I mean, so, I mean you could qualify keeping I mean, Field's not going to cost you that much on the rookie contract, probably three and a half million against the cap. But can you keep Foles and Dulan?

You can? Yeah? Yeah, and they say they can they can't. So we'll see. Well, Folds is always that guy that's he's like the owl in the nest. He's always up there, you know, and he's always going to be there for you. So everyone's always calling Nick back. Now he's the one that's coming back all the time. Right, Yes, you think Aaron Rodgers wants will be a backup, I'm no comment.

So so here's the other thing. So I started looking at comparing who the Cowboys have as potential backups with what some other teams have, you know, and there's some teams that are they've got that kind of veteran guy. Like Arizona has Colt McCoy. Uh Atlanta signed How old is he's got to be up there now? Right? Go ahead? Uh Atlanta has aj McCarron. They signed him. He hadn't played that much, but he's played. Uh, Mitch Tubrisky's in in in Buffalo, case Keenum's in Cleveland. But like Denver,

they brought in Teddy Bridge Rod signed him. They got Drew Locke and then the other two guys are Brett Rippon in case Cooks hey Man. They probably said that about Everson Walls too back in the age. Okay, is this guy y thirty four by the way, very good for so Deshaun Watson. We're not sure what's going on there? Uh the guy from Indie right? Um Taylor didn't they? Yes, they They've got Ryan Finley, David Mills, and they just signed Jeff Driscoll who worked out here. So I don't

know that that gets you excited. Look at this what's behind Carson Wentz in Indianapolis that's weird. Jacob Eason, Jalen Morton, and they drafted Sam Ellinger. Wow, So not everybody has this backup quarterback that you go, Okay, you can probably save the day. The Rams they brought in Stafford, Yeah, right, the backups right now, John Wolford, Delvin Hodges and Bryce Perkins. Well,

on the other hand, let's look at Detroit. Uh, and I've got that too, So behind goff right now, Tim Boyle and David Blow Boyle I've heard of, right, And the only reason I know of Blow he played at Purdue and the first game he started against misso yes, and he threw for five and he threw for five

hundred and Missouri won the game. It's a miracle. So so yeah, it's it's like, you know, not everybody has, uh, the Giants right now, Daniel Jones, right, the backups Mike Glennon and Clayton Thorson who was here on the practice squise yes and the year and they ended up releasing him. So yeah, there's not a lot of these guys out there that you know, the Redskins, Okay, Ryan Fitzpatrick after that, it's Taylor Heineke, Kyle Allen and Steve even Montez. It's

the football team. Oh sorry, oh slap, but um heineke he he played well in the playoff game and that was the only game he really played, right, that was the playoff game. Played well against US, didn't he? Yes? He yeah, you're right, he played very well against US. They beat us. And somebody might say, well, Blaton Gabbert played well against US. We happened to win, but you know so. So anyway, my point is with these backup quarterbacks that there's just there's not enough quarterbacks out there.

I say, not in the veteran quarters out there, some young guys. And if you go with the veterans, well I say veteran, they might be three year veterans who never touched the field since they got out of college. Right, That is not a good backup to me. If I'm gonna go with a backup. Of course, Andy Dalton would be great. That was the best backup you can have at that point. Folds or somebody like that who has

pretty much used up all of his backup material. Now he's not the guy that he was when they won the Super Bowl. I don't even think I feel comfortable with him coming here. See. And here's the other thing. If any of these guys that have a little experience come available, there's a whole bunch of other teams that probably would say, too, hey, how about it. We got a bunch of rookies back here backing us up as well. Yeah they want so it's not like a slam dunker.

You know that these guys would just say, Okay, you fail for two million dollars on a one year deal, I'll come play for you. So it'd be nice if Hunley would have gotten a lot more experience as a player, because he has just deteriorated as an athlete. So he ended up with He's so where did I say? Came out in twenty fifteen, right, and you know, Mike knows him. He's a decent athlete coming out. He played seventeen games in the NFL, eleven of those in the twenty seventeen season.

So uh and those were the meaningful games. Nine touchdowns, twelve interceptions, five point eight in attempt. Yeah, that's what scares me right there, took twenty nine sacks and got a seventy point six quarterback rating. You would think that they could kind of you know, dumb it down a little bit for the young young kid coming in. He's not even Rodgers. Yeah, he's still trying to learn. A pretty good arm. Rodgers got hurt. He had a good arm, and he was a nice athlete. Yeah, I mean, you don't.

You don't do well in the Pac twelve by just being a bum. Yeah, he was pretty good player. But I think he just just eroded from lack of play. And you know here that can happen. And you guys tell me, but my philosophy on backup quarterbacks like young guys like that, once the season starts, they don't get any better. You can't learn, right, there's no more. You don't really get the opportunity to no learning process anymore. Start against all the snaps and you're you're the dummy

square quarterback. Now you know, you're you're just doing the Washington stuff, You're doing the Cowboys stuff. You know, you're Ohmo this week or you're you know, Tom Brady this week. So yeah, that's that doesn't help you learn at all. In high school, we called it the nut squad. We call it dummy dummy squad. How politically incorrectly are you, guys? Oh gosh, so so yeah, so you asked about the backup quarterback. I say, you keep your eyes open and

maybe something comes available. I think you just at that point you just kind of have to get lucky, right, Chips fall where they may. I don't know that anyone out there is probably better than Garrett Gilbert at this point, right. I mean it's hard to say. We haven't seen a lot of him, but you think he's been around in the league enough, a couple of years, another full year under his belt here with this coaching staff, you'd like to think, you know, he'd be fine if you need him.

I'm kind of my initial thought with all this is like, oh, Dak's back, Lyell and Tyrant back, and then it's like, hold up, do you not remember what happened last year? How important backup dogs will? My dogs knew we got hurt and it was so howling during the game, and it was sobering too right to say, okay, we gotta go with the back. And that's what she's saying, That's what Danny says. It's very you can you can be sobered up real quickly in this situation, and that's what

bothers me about it. I am just very surprised at the lack of opportunities that we have out there as far as backup veterans and with what we have, you know, and I know these are nice young man, they're the backup, but I just don't think they're ready at all. I thought the Nucci was well, think about it, clearly physically out match today. I worry for his physical health because he's so small about Yesterday and today were his first

two OTA practices of his career. So you asked the guy to come in as a seventh round draft choice. The hind though, and that ended up playing at FCS school, right, James Madison, And he gets no OTAs, no rookie mini camp, no veteran mini camp, he gets no preseason games, got training camp. But everybody was in a rush to get everything ready. I'm sure he had maybe two what Connor Williams and probably Zack Martin was still out there that game. Yeah,

and then that's probably the worst thing about it. I mean, you can put all that together, right, but not having all of your offensive linement in that game, a bunch of new guys coming in, It's not like it's not like those guys that got hurt a couple of weeks ago, and we had some guys that we could fill in and they got their experience, saying okay, we feel a little bit better with them. They're settled in not not

this time. Yeah, they were hurt like that week. Do you know how fast that game must have looked to him when he got in there. It was like rush hour and hell But but the ushers were his offensive linement. I here this way, sir, you can you can just come on. So it wasn't a fairer assessment. I'll be

interested to see what happens through an offseason. Uh gets a chance to maybe play some preseason games and get a better read on him, because when we saw him and when I finally got to see him in practice, it's like he was very accurate and he had some zip on the ball. But you're right, he's very slight. So uh yeah, we'll see where um, we'll see where

that one goes. But for now, keep looking. But in the meantime, you know, the Cowboys got so lucky in twenty sixteen, right, you lose Tony Romo, you lose Kellen Moore and the guy that some people couldn't figure out his talent dat Prescott because they thought that he should have been the fourth guy, ends up starting sixteen games for you and you win. I mean it's a minor miracle, maybe a major miracle that they were able to survive with a young guy like that and not been where

he played this first year. Now you can't. That is a miracle. Okay, more mix shots come in your way. We'll be back after this new Doctor Pepper zero sugar. You deserve it. I do deserve that. You deserve decadent flavor without sugar, and a day at the beach without sand getting everywhere, and a relaxing bath that your children don't interrupt. I deserve all that. It's really just a visual metaphor for doctor Pepper zero sugar. Everything you want,

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I thought it was gonna say single game tickets and standing. No, I should have just let you see how good Danny did it. Yeah, can I see a pro you're not? Yeah, that's our way back into mick shots. Thanks for that. Every soon, go ahead and give us a call if you guys have any questions. We haven't touched on so far. Eight eight, eight, eight, five, five two two nine seven. Cowboys had Day two of OTAs today. Media was out there, including Mickey. One rookie we haven't really talked about so far,

linebacker jibbra Cox. How was he looking out there too today? Yeah? He um so. I think it was maybe at one when they were they were rotating everybody in and out so much. But at one point early when they were in seven on seven, the first kind of team stuff they did, he went out there with Michael Parsons, So they kept those two guys together. Michael was in the middle and he was on the week side. And again he you know, he looks good in coverage. I think

he moves awfully well. Yeah, a nice first team, second team thing going on. Yeah, I think linebacker for a position that I was somewhat concerned about. Everybody was yeah, I think when you do that. And I'll tell you the other guy that got a lot of snaps in the middle. And I want to make sure I say his name right because I always transpose, transpose it. Francis Bernard could be Bernard Francis, right, so I shouldn't say that.

I'll mess you guys. But they had him him working in the middle too, and and and he looked like he was taking like when he was calling out signals and getting guys lined up. So I thought he was interesting last year. And um, and he was a good special teams player. So they're gonna need some guys to step on step up on special teams from that linebacker spot. Oh, they have what we have what on the roster? Ten? Go ahead, guess ten linebackers. You're way high, probably seven

or eight, eight, way high. A high traumatic you know when they who I could just kind of forget about just because he was hurt and then didn't really see him last year as Luke Gaffer. Yes, yes, and he's back. So one of your injured guys, he was back out there. And so the other linebackers that we didn't mention was a zur Kamara. Um was he an opt out guy last year or they they picked him up as a as an early free agent? Uh? Yeah, and Luke Gifford,

Francis Bernard. So you know that somebody's gonna have to step up for the special teams guys justin March. That's what the special team guy special Joe Thomas. Yeah, good Joe still there? No, No, okay, I was gonna say we talked about that. Pay them a little bit of money. So I don't know that the Cowboys actually wanted them back. I guess so we want we we are heavy linebackers.

That's probably the position that we have the most. And you want to keep you would love to keep for sure, you're gonna keep seven, but you'd love to keep eight to say, okay, special teams or if or if somebody makes you keep nine. Right, Um, but yeah, uh about defensive backs. I mean, that's got to be our second most populated position, maybe the most. So we're talking to Yeah, but I don't know how. I don't know how that makes me feel more comfortable by any means. We need them.

This is this was it was a matter. It was about need. We had to address it. Yeah, but skill, you know, quality over quantity. Right, there's eighteen guys you are lying, bro, eighteen dB that's that last group down there. Wow, we are just no respect for dB. Is eighteen not enough? They just bring them in? Just bring guys Inah, man, it was twenty five wikie dbs. I told you in nineteen eighty one. So you know, I didn't even get

through the drill. Sometimes I didn't even get to get a chance to participate in the drill because the line was so long. Yeah, but you know what, back then, there was no limit on how many guys they could do. What are you saying about right now? You got eighteen out of nineteen? Come on, that is a lot. Well that's good. So how Kevin Joseph looked you throw? You throw more solutions at the problem, you know. Yeah, that's how you do it and something. That's how you do

it something that's right. So Joseph Kevin dood he looks like um still bouncing around out there. Yeah, like John Morant or somebody. He didn't look like he was lost. Which, by the way, if you were guarding Job Morant, would you let him drive into the lane? No way? And they kept letting him do No, he's gonna have to trick me. Yeah, he's threes. He was doing that a little bit, but he's gonna have to show me more than one game. We digressed this, but that's okay. All right.

We got a call him. He speaking of the Memphis Grilis. Yeah. Now we've got a caller from Nashville. Bob, Hey, Bob, how you doing great? How are y'all? We're good? He real quick. We talk about offense and defense. But I thought our special teams was much better last year. What are you all thoughts about special teams going forward this year with John Fossil? Oh? Thanks, I'll just hang up and listen. That's a good question, because John knew he had a good special teams. Yeah, but he overplayed his

hands sometimes. He was pretty risky, no doubt about it. Way risk didn't he didn't you go fake punt. Are you like thinking of the Washington game or was it Washington when they go fake punt? Yeah, I thought twenty four yard Yeah, but he didn't know what he had and he was so desperate to turn things away up from the previous year because twenty nineteen. But you know what, when you go back and look at that, the call might have been good. The execution executed. Yeah, execution, that's

the thing. Everything can work with good execution. But the but analytics don't tell you to run certain rights at certain times, it just doesn't work. Their percentages of of of working aren't right, or they don't figure in the downside, like because most coaches, you know this, they coach from what if it doesn't work right, that's what you should do. Yeah, not oh, if it works liquid, we're gonna have. But looking at the number of special teams improved a lot

last year the year before. And I mean, I think he's fun even today at practice when players, you know, stretching and warming about the beginning he had the football in the middle field, who's only just throwing it up and catching it, you know, having finally, he brings so much energy and talking to the players. Last year, I mean, they loved playing for Really, he's a good coach. He really is a good Yeah. He created an enthusiasm there so well, he knew we needed it. Yeah, he knew

we needed it. You know, those Gambles we were flailing offensively and even flailing in every way. And to answer the guy's question, I think that they've upgraded the linebacker spot so that immediately upgrade special teams and to go with the improvement from last year. As he said, right, No, that's that's a good point. I think we're gonna be well. Especially Hey, guys, how many times have I said it. I get tired of us trying to depend on just

offense defense. All the good teams I've been on. You have every weapon available. The Cowboys had every weapon available. Special teams was important the practice itself. Sometime, Tom LANDI would come see it in the practice in the meeting room special teams head coaches in the Yeah. I guess the fact that he was a punter that kind of helps. That he could kick the ball, so he understands the

importance of it. We're going to need everybody this year, just like we needed everybody and every facet of the game last year. We're gonna need it. That's Fossil's philosophy. He said that from day one joining the staff, he wants his players to know that special teams can make a difference and that you know, they are important. They can play a role. And we saw that a couple of times last year. Special write the Watermelon Kicks Atlanta. I mean, god, I forgot about the watermelon kick. That

was very cool. Dan Quinn hasn't forgot about it. I don't think he thought it was that cool. Did you hear his story? No, the first day he walked into the building, you know, whatever screen he went by, they were replaying stuff and he said, I walk in and it's like, ah, no way, the watermelon kick. Kids watching it get he goes. I can't even run away from it. And let's face it, guys, any great play is not just made by great people. Sometimes some food screwed up. Yeah,

that's just the way it goes. Some food screwed up. That Falcon player was right there. Yeah, he could test the ball at anytime. And I don't know if he didn't know that he could get it. The rules, so they've they changed the rule on how to line up now for the for the on side kick because of the watermelon. I don't know if it was because of the watermelon, but you can't, um, you can't overload one side.

It's got to be five. And I know, you know, it took the teeth out of what they were trying to do, is is reduced the percentages of the offensive team recovering the ball. I mean the defense of the defense kicking team, the defensive team they were they were just hoping that maybe the offensive team can recover more

so from a defensive standpoint. Uh. Well, they they took away it's affectiveness initially, and now they're trying to bring it back, right, so they sort of I think what they what they took away was kind of the pooch kick up in the air, like everybody has to be up. You can't have and you can't get running start. Yeah yeah, right, so anyway, but yeah, I think, you know, and they've

they've got some young guys. The receiver they drafted, Semi Fujoco, he basically pointed out, right, I can play special teams, right, I make some tackles. Uh. And I think he blocked a kick at Stanford, if I remember, that's all he is I think he may have started that before he ended up with a wide receiver. But he he's got something too. I saw him today caught one pause on the on the move and uh, he's got good hands.

So this will be I think there'll be some competition at that wide receiver spot for four and five and maybe to convince him to keep six. Let's let's be real, guys, four and five they are instrumental on third downs for us, especially as many times as we fell behind or the top guys got hurt. Yes, yeah, and we had we had some Cedric Wilson coming in and doing the great keep. I mean a lot of practice because Amori Cooper wasn't practicing.

It was Sedrick Wilson that was out there. He looked good. Yeah, okay, I don't think he dropped the house. Looked good. I think he's got something. Just don't ask him to throw the ball. Hey, you've never a touchdown pass? Well, you should have thrown another out. I do have a question, super early on from all of this, now that you've you know, watched a practice, you know they're back practicing, which position group are you most excited to see competition? Wise?

Kind of pan out the next couple of months. Mhmm, you've got eighteen dbs. I think I think the secondary right right? And and I agree, like do they need Kean O'Neill to play linebacker or is he a safety? Um? You know what will those other safeties do? Uh? Curse and Wilson just came and Demante? Uh why can't I keep remember that guy? Zaze Curse and Kazi? All right? I got it now? Uh Hey, I'm interested to see what happens there because there's a little bit of a

log job jam. And then the other thing is who's my backup swing tackle? Because I don't think we know I know they they they signed tie In, the seci veteran guy who has started games. Uh, lastly Washington by the way. Um, but now, can Tarren Steel step up up and like do something? I noticed Brandon Knight they actually had him at guard, uh when Zack Martin wasn't out there. Uh so can can one of those three

guys step up and say I got this? Or might Josh Ball the rookie they drafted in the second fourth round, Uh, step up and say hey, I can do this. But I think that's a position not only backup quarterback, but I think that's a position. Uh, that'll be interesting to see who's your center. Well, they they had a bunch of guys with their hand on the ball before practice started. Uh it was because Beadish was snapping elsewhere. So the rookie that they signed, uh Fijoko Farneyac. How you say it,

Farney acc, Farney Oak, Matt Farney Oak. Yeah, so he's going to be a center. He was he was, he was a guard, but they moved him to center. Uh, everybody from Nebraska on offense, Connor and I'm Connor McGovern. I'm signing anybody from a Nebraska on the offensive line, it's good with you. Yeah. Connor McGovern was doing some pre snaps, as was Connor Williams. Uh So yeah, we'll

see how that one plays out. Right now, I don't know what the rookie can do, but I would think they've got to work Connor McGovern there behind Beadish and then see how it how it plays out. I think they don't want to have to use more salary cap money to bring back Joe Looney question. Yeah, I think that that that might be the because no one has signed them yet, so that might be the emergency thing there.

So yeah, backup center, backup offensive tackle, backup quarterback. But you know what, we're not so much worried as starting spots. It's basically what you thought from last year. So yeah, after last year's fiasco went down, now you're backup, so extremely important. Yeah, realized that. Yeah, absolutely, So I think those are a couple of the things that we've got to and we won't get a chance to answer him in OTAs because there's no pads on. So we're going

to have to wait till training camp. And you know, and I know we always sit here and go, okay, good training camp started, Now we can figure this out. And then the first three days of training camp. That's basically ot A, right, I think too. Another spot is interior defensive line. Tristan Hill was out there, but he wasn't practicing. He was doing like strength conditioning stuff. He'll

be ready, you think. I mean he started because he tore his ACL in the fourth or fifth same as same as Dack fifth game, right week five, So I see him doing his rehab by the kid and he's running by the kid. That was unfair. We talked about it because he got hurt. He got hurt the same week and his dad. We thought that was so unfair. He didn't get all the glory. Yeah, you know what,

I took all the all the you know what. It reminds me of back in when Emmett Smith broke while the Peyton's record, Uh, Darren Woodson broke the Cowboys single season tackle record really or career record, I can't remember which it was. And it's like, yeah it was career okay, thanks Chris. And it was like bad day I've never

heard till today. Yeah, bad game to do it. And that was always our joke when we would fly and the weather would get real bad, you know, and it's like, if this thing goes down, the bast last paragraph also perishing in the crash, you're you're gonna be called staff staff. No, I'll tell you a big called same thing. We got called in when we had the bus crash and they pointed out that there was four people from the Cowboys organization in the bus, but there was no coaches, there

was no players, there was no front office people. It was non essential. No. I said, you know what if my mother will be missed there and there no one that would be missed y're okay, guys, Well there, it doesn't matter. We're good. And the and the and the and the kind of saddest, the funniest part, and it was funny. So this happened to like one thirty in the afternoon, but we were on our way back to

training camp that night. We figured we didn't want to stay in a hotel, and so we found the guy that was the driver that was taking us to Vegas and he said, yeah, I can get you the ox Nard And it's like, we'll be better off showing up at four in the morning than staying in a hotel and to have to take all our stuff out and fly and then somebody's got to come and get us.

So it was about midnight or one o'clock, and we started looking to see how people wrote about it and the different apiece stories, and one of them they identified identified Emery the bus driver. They identified me because I had been blogging or tweeting whatever we were doing about it, so they knew my name. And then the other two were a videographer and Rowdy Wow. Rowdy. Rowdy was on it.

Rowdy was on the trap and I read it looks like so I read it and I looked at Foster, right, he was rowdy, and I said, it's a damn good thing that Rowdy didn't kill, because I said, a damn good thing you didn't die, because then they would have had to get another another mascot, because Rowdy would have been killed. And he looked and he goes, I'm a person, I got a name. I'm not a character. Yeah, as you go walking around with a soul on. It was it was a sign of great reporting that was going on.

And it's like, oh, our poor business, our poor business. I think we went over time, didn't we? Did we? All right? That's uncle. See Scott get my money, goes Scott. Danny, and I will go, oh, we missed lunch, didn't we? Um not me? Oh you thought ahead. I thought I had. I dipped out the last like three or four minutes of practice. Well you got here stairs to the room. Man, that's good. That's a good food of this bags. We should have got it here a couple of years before.

And think about that. I thought we were going to be done at like one o'clock. I didn't know we were going to go that long. So well then we better go. One of us is hungry. All right, Danny, thanks for sitting in. Thanks and you might and you might have to make another appearance if you can next Tuesday, because I'm not going to be here. I'll see if I compen see if you got time in your busy schedule. You'll be back. And uh Bill will be back. He

had golf duty the Colonials. This tough work in for I mean, in this rain kind of I's doing sitting there. It was an interview. He not coming ready. All right, that's it for mix shots on this Tuesday. After that OTA practice and we'll see you guys next week. Go Cowboys. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.