Mick Shots: Victory Monday . . . Finally

Anytime the Cowboys win, I'm gonna take credit for it. You know. I woke up early this morning and no hangover. I felt good. I didn't have to drink myself to sleep last night. It seemed like everything involved with the Cowboy world was good. Jason Witt called a touchdown day. I'm taking credit for that. Bryant called Bryant classon pass. Thank you, Bill. I mean, look at the NFC East. I think three of the fourteens actually all one game winning street in the FCST. So come on, man, everything

is back with the world. Ceedee Lamb. Best catch of the Year, bar Nuns I love it, man, I love and uh So Everson picked the Cowboys to win. I picked the Cowboys to win, and Mickey Spagnola, what did you do on Friday? I was precluded from picking them to win because I said I wouldn't pick them to win until they won two straight. So I got I

got to pick them to lose on Thanksgiving. Have you noticed, though, when I start picking them to lose, their play has picked up week by week by week, right, yes, it has. I think have we discovered the key here? The defense is offended by your gall the fact that you have the goal to pick against. They were. They were so offended they gave up four hundred and thirty yards and twenty eight points. What did I tell you, SPACs? It's

all about situations. Right when it came down to it, the last drive, the Cowboys were battened a thousand Kirk Cousins didn't know what hit him. We finally came to play that last drive of the game. Defense they had already settled in finally with two minutes left to go

in the game. Actually it was the last two drives because the time to drive before they got the ball back for the offense with four minutes to go to drive down for what turned out to be the winning touchdown, and then with a minute thirty seven left, I believe it was, they actually closed the game for a change, which is something they haven't been doing so far this year, or by the way, not many times last year either.

But they ended up getting a four and so yeah, but when we win, it is it is such a good It's like the sun is shining brighter all of a sudden. Nationally, we're back on the national stage in a positive level. On a positive level, we got a chance to play for first place in less than four days. Come on, man, life is good. You know, the best,

the best news of all. We're on that national stage, and we get Joe Buck and Troy Aikman calling the game on third on this Thursday and the following Thursday too. That's what I was saying throughout the game. No matter how it turned out, at least we're getting Bucking Aikman the next two games. We didn't. They didn't even manage to get DJ in that game. You got you got promoted. Yes, I know you're talking about Moose. Yeah he got promoted. So yeah, so yeah, that's exactly right. Yeah, now's we're

gonna see him. We're back. That's all we needed, was right. That's right. So here we are on a victory Monday, and there's so much to talk about. We need more than forty five minutes. Mickey, where would you like to start? You already kind of started on the defensive side of the football. But you know, the other thing that is remarkable is how much different things play out strategically when you actually get a lead in the first half of

a game. Bar have a seasoned veteran playing quarterback for you that you actually uh protected at a decent rate. For a change, I thought that they were able to open up the playbook be much more multiple on offense. Uh. The offensive line uh performed probably the best it's performed in weeks. And everybody's gonna say, well, yeah, it was the move they finally moved Zach Martin to write tackle. Well, they moved Zach Martin to right tackle when they felt

comfortable with Connor McGovern playing right guard. H And that was the key to that. Uh. Listening to Stephen Jones this morning on his radio segment, when they asked him about to move, his first response was, yeah, Connor McGovern has been getting better and better and better and felt like he can handle right guard. So that allowed them to kick Martin out to write tackle. I think that was key. H And as an offensive line they played much better. I think what Dalton was sacked just twice

twice or once in the game. Yeah, and that was his fault because he hung onto the ball far too long. But other than that, the protection is good and it's like, oh, Zeke woke up. Yeah, Zeke woke up. The offensive line block better. Uh They all of a sudden, the opposing team had to worry about the run. They ran for one hundred and eighty yards. You know that kind of got lost in the shuffle. They ran on the team that runs. Uh so, I just him one hundred and

eighty two. I think it was one hundred and forty, one hundred and twenty five. Uh so I and I thought Mike McCarthy and and Ceedee Lamb hit the nail on the head. McCarthy kept talking about how what a team win it was, and Ceedee Lamb said the game of football is complimentary play, and he meant offense defense special teams when the when the offense scores, defenses got

to pick up or when they don't score. And how about this, They got takeaways and actually scored after both a touchdown and a field goal, which is something they had kept previously right, and that touchdown on after the first fumble recovery, it was a thirty yard drive. It was the shortest drive all season long for a touchdown. Prior to that, they had no drives left than sixty five yards for a touchdown. So they complimented each other.

And then you get a great play like you got from CD Lamb, and like I said, you got professional quarterback play finally at the quarterback position since Dak went out and all of a sudden, you look up and you go, oh, gotta win. Scored thirty one points. How about that the most points they scored since what the Giants game? And actually the most touchdowns they scored since they matched it the Giants game. And they scored more touchdowns in one game than they had totaled in the

last three. Wow. And you know, when you look at their game, guys, what I liked about it was, yes, the defense they played loosely so to speak, but there were no quick points. There were no quick drives, quick a quick scoring opportunity, and when this isn't taken advantage of about the offense, that kind of demoralizes your defense. And I like the way we hung in there on

every drive. Yes, we gave up some rushing yards, and oh my goodness, was I the smartest person in the world last week when I said Kirk Cousins was gonna have a Harbor game. This guy comes out was twenty five. He was killing it three touchdowns and I'm like, what the heck is going on? And yet even with that, we were still able to defensively, How could I put it? We didn't just lay down. There's something to be said of resistance. I enjoyed watching the defiance by our defense

on the goal line. Yes they scored, but it took him a minute. And boy, you're talking about somebody bringing the hat with him? Is it Donovan Wilson? I always get this guy's name messed up. Donovan Wilson was bringing his hat to work on Sunday. I loved that physicality because, yes, Cook was still getting his yards, but we were very active defensively, and anything that Minnesota was able to accomplish in that game, they had to earn it and to me.

I can take that for a defense. I know we're not necessarily that talented on defense, especially in our secondary, but those guys for a tooth and nail was just a couple of technique issues in our secondary. This is something that just has always bothered me with our secondary. Tom Landry had the flex defense, which I hated because it it is not a defensive backs friend. But the best tip you could give for the flex defense because it plays against the run and they're getting you ready

for the play action pass. That's what the flex defense is all about. It gets you ready for the play action. The cornerbacks in a play action pass must be deep and inside shoulder coverage. We have never talked about this, guys. That's why our defensive backs in the eighties would give up sidelines because it was by design. If you give up a sideline, you can live to play another day. If you give up the inside of the field, you can go all the way for a touchdown with any

slant or inside route. For some reason, technically speaking, we do not have our defensive backs play inside. You must play inside on the blitz, and especially on a play action pass. That's where you're going to get hurt, and you've seen it all year long. I don't know why no one makes the adjustment. You get a yawn inside if you have to, but just make sure that this guy doesn't run all the way across the field. Well, no one is there to help you. But even with

all of that, we hung in there. Of course we've been going to give up some plays, but we hung in there just long enough to allow the offense to control the ball game with Zeke, Elliott and Pollo. Great win, textbook win. For me, it was all facets of the game, you know. There for a little bit. They were long drives that the Vikings put together to start the third quarters,

in fact, three in a row, three touchdown drives. But they seem to be getting quicker as we went held long and I was like, okay, we're reverting back here to what we've seen too much in the past. And then finally they got the stop which gave the offense a chance. But I mean, then you look at the

third quarter and the Cowboys. How many plays the Cowboys run in the third quarter like sixth place to twenty for the Vikings, Yeah, third quarter, you know, and they had the quick Uh what I seventy five yard five play drive that resulted in the Justin Jefferson touchdown after the Tony Pollard touchdown run that gave the Cowboys the league. So back and forth we go in the fourth quarter and uh, and then it came down to crunch time

in the final four minutes. Offense came through, defense came through, and we walk away. Uh. Sitting here on a Monday, uh, a half game out of first place in a division that has four teams with three wins ten games into the season. Not for long baby, and four wins coming up and playing coming place on Thanksgiving Day against them Redskins against that football Washington's the Washington I did, I

did look it up. They've played They've played the Washington football team nine times on Thanksgiving and one eight of them. M and I was notable was the Drew Pearson guy. What was the quarterback's name? I'm getting old Bill, Come on, come on to Drew Pierson. That's one of the best Thanksgivings ever. So here we go with another one. All right, funny, you got a couple of minutes the funny, funny story about that funny story about that game. Uh. So it

was the night before the Cowboys played Washington. It might have been a Sunday night game or Monday night game, and was having an after dinner drink in Georgetown, and uh, some guys start talking with us, found out what we did, and uh, he said, yeah, he goes that that that Clinton Longley guy, he spoiled my Thanksgiving. He goes, I got to my stomach and I didn't even eat Thanksgiving

meal because of that guy. And he goes and I'm still mad at this has got to be thirty years later, right that the guy was still upset about Clint Longley's replacing starback after he suffered the concussion and came to Uh, what was it the victory of the victory Uncluttered Mind or something like the Uncluttered Mind? Yeah, yeah, yeah, triumph it was, Wayne and I described it, Yeah, Triumph of the Uncluttered Mind. Yeah. It's been thirty years, and Roger

and Clint probably still don't like each other either. You know what it's been ever since, it's been forty six years. Forty six years. I can't forget how old I am, But well we're here to remind each other how old we are. Yes, only all mixed shots yeah, right, Okay, there's so much to get to, and we only have about a minute or so left in this first segment. Let's line up what do we want to get to over the next half hour. We're not getting to it yet, but Mickey, what do we want to get to over

the next half hour? On mix shots? I think Ceedee Lamb is at the top of the list for me, right, and then uh Andy Dalton uh has to be. I think uh their ability to run the football with Zeke and Pollard. Uh. And I think we got to pay some respects to Layton Vanderish and see how much that defense on the field. It's amazing. All right, all right, well you can you had all three linebackers, right, Everson? Yeah, but I have, sir, clearly I had. I had Layton

Highway number one on the list. Okay, we continue with more mix shots. So much to get to and we come back. Hey, they're Cowboys fans with Ty Cleaners at home pickup and delivery. Cleaning your clothes has never been more convenient. Simply sign up at your local store, set out your dirty clothes, and one of our TI cleaner professionals will come directly to your home for a totally

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dot Com slash tickets. Yes, the football team comes in here after winning over Cincinnati on Sunday to improve to three and seven themselves, and they knocked Joe Burrow, a number one overall pick out for the season now with a torn acl that was a brutal hit to see. You know, It's every week you'll seeing players go down all across the league, and it really shows you what

a survival of the fittest game this is. And what a marathon it is really as well, you know, and people will rag on the NFC East and how brutal a division it's been, you know, through the first ten games of the season, but it is what it is, and it's there for the taking the last six games now.

And so I like the fact that we're sitting here with with some tangible games, meaningful games to play, and a couple of them here in the span of a week's time from Thursday to Thursday against Washington in Baltimore, where we're going to figure out a lot more about this football team and how it is currently constituted, because it's obviously this Cowboys team is a different team than what it was two months ago. You know, Bill, You're

you're exactly right. When you get Andy Dalton back on the field, you get an offensive line that maybe I don't want to jinx them, but might start the same five guys two weeks in a row. If all goes well between now and Thursday, you're seeing a little bit better play there. You get the running game going, it gets the passing game going. Uh. It's just as as

Ceedee Lamb said, complementary football. Uh and and and the defense as Everson said, they may have given up the point, given up the points, given up the yards, but they made plays and that's what this game of football is about. You've got to make plays. And they made some plays for a change and made life tough on a Vikings team that had won three consecutive games, which, by the way, it goes back to my my theory, right, the more the more you lose in a row, the closer you're

out of winning. And the more you win in a row, the closer you're out of losing. That's why it's tough for me to see Pittsburgh at ten and old. Yeah, I'm waiting on them to lose because I mean, they had a chance to lose here in Dallas. And you know, one other thing about this win, guys, I didn't even really realize it until I'm sitting there because the field, you know, it looked good. It looked like our field in Arlington. We played as if we were at home,

you know. And I get it that the crowd is different now because the pandemic and all of that, but you know, there's still a familiarity with whatever stadium you go into, and the Cowboys played very comfortably. You never saw them in a panic situation. Even though the defense was giving up some plays, they made some two turnovers made a difference in this ball game. And when we talk about all the things that we may have done wrong, Spags during the break, you talked about not having a linebacker.

The three linebackers in the game, you've got the defensive man trying to guard one or two very accomplished tight ends and who were having a great game at that time. We did so many things I think to beat ourselves, but yet we would not allow ourselves to do it, because the pace of the game was ours to control. And we came out doing that on the the initial drive and without with a stall in the third quarter.

We continued that train the thought defensively and offensively. And Bill, you know, I was I was mentioning having Andy Dalton back on the field, and by no means was he perfect. Uh. He had a couple throws that I'm sure he wanted back. The interception. Yeah, you know, if he just leads the guy, Uh, you know, he's got a big play. He had another play to Dalton shows that he was wide open and he went somewhere else with the ball. Uh. And and I think he and he missed Cdee Lamb on what

would have been a touchdown. But but other than that, right even the ball was in the air, I started moaning watching it because I could see it's like, I said, you missed him? What are you doing? Yeah, it was

like And then there was the most fantastic catch. I don't think I've seen a guy contort his body the way he did and twist himself back from catching the like he was going to catch the ball over his left shoulder to have to adjust and do a one eighty and turn around to the right shoulder and falling backwards, yet still have enough height to go up and get the ball. And then he hung on and the hands and the hands to hang on as he hit the ground.

The only other catch out seemed like that is the ob j K against us, which was in Today's the anniversary Today's the anniversary of that catch. Wow. Yeah, it's amazing. And that was more amazing because it was a deeper pass and of course harder to judge, and Brandon Carr was all over him, just like the dB was all

over Cede Lamb. So except you know what, go back the same impact ever since you go back and look at that O. B J ketch like I did today, and you can make a case of a little offensive PI there on Beckham is you know, Brandon Carr wound up on his backside and you know, I'm not saying it should have been called, but you could make the they he kind of caught his arm and that's why Carr went flailing on the play. Yeah, yeah, and so

it was a fight. It was a fight, right, Yeah, it shouldn't have been called, but yeah, yeah, that's right.

But but I'm with you. When Mickey was talking about what CD did on this catch, Odell did the same kind of stuff on that catch to make it and this one, I mean, you can just see what hens that CD has because as you mentioned Everson, I mean, he's hitting the ground at the same time he has got to hold onto that football, and the jarring collision with the ground would be enough to separate a lot of people unless you got some really strong hands, which CD obviously does, all right, and I mean we got

we got other people with eighty eighths that we've had on this squad, But that catch right there reminded me of Deaz more than anybody else. We've had some great eighty eighths on this team, but that play with the physicality and just it's like Dennis Robin going for a rebound. That's a fifty fifty ball. I want this and it's mine. That to me, that just shows how good you've always talked about in the bill. Ceedee Lamb's the man. He

is the man. Well, I've been watching him since he was a freshman at Ou and back then everyone was talking about Marquise Hollywood Brown. Take nothing away from him, but I thought, I said, you know, Brown came out and he was a first round draft pick of the Ravens, and I was telling people, you ate this, Cede Lamb is better than him, and you know, and the other thing, you know, And then he said his moments this season already where there's been some rookie stuff, you know, or

dropped past and whatever. So he's gonna have and all receivers are going to have moments like that. But this is a game that the Cowboys really needed to have, and he stepped up not only with that play, but in other ways. They were able to use him in the run game, the two point conversion run and that you know two carries for twelve yards and his physicality that he plays with. I texted a friend then I said, take nothing away from Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, but

I think CD's the best receiver on this team. I mean at the at the snap, at the snap, I'm looking to see where is Lamb lining up and because I want to watch him, and Bill on a side note on him. So that was his second catch in the game. That catch tied Bob Hayes single season record for a rookie at forty six, and then he went on and caught two more in the game and broke the record ten games in Remember Bob was playing I guess fourteen games at that point when he set the

record at forty six. But this kid, in ten games has broken the record. H He has forty eight catches now. So just a little hysterically one of them guys. One other thing about him six passes as a rookie in Tom Landry's offense. That's saying a lot as well. That's saying a lot about bullet Bob hay is the fact that Tom Landry will throw it to a rookie that many times in a in an era of football that

wasn't pass happy the way we are right now. That's probably I wonder what his yards for catchwor get him been merriedth probably didn't get a last one other one other note on the CD that I love about him so much is he is so tough. I mean he he will take a hit and he'll can it doesn't phase him, and he will deliver hits. I mean he is such a tough physical receiver. I mean, you mentioned Bryan and does has that same some of those same qualities.

But Michael Irvin another eighty eight. Uh, you know, CD's got the same kind of toughness that Irvin had. And Bill, did you see what he did when he scored on the two point conversion? He stopped immediately in the end zone, threw the ball, the referee turned around and went back to the bench. He's a lot maturer than Time to go to work. Yeah, we got work to do here. It's time to work, that's right, No no celebrations. We got more work to do. That's what I liked about

the whole attitude. That was the attitude about the entire team defensively and offensively. Nothing's gonna be perfect, and they have to win every game like this. Now, you know you can't just say and we you know I've said it earlier, the three facets of the game. We have to have all facts of this game. And that's the that's the beauty of a good team. I love teams like that, to where your special team's coach he wants

some of his glory, your offensive coordinator wants blood. By the way, keller More did a great job with some of a play calling yesterday and two book versions. Hell of a play. You know. I was a little disappointed that coach McCarthy decided to go for the field goal where we had that fourth down, and I thought there was interest. I was a disappointed in that, but otherwise I thought the entire game plan was built towards winning, and when we did make mistakes, no one lamented on it.

We came back out and we played That third quarter was horrible, and we said forget the third quarter. We came out in the fourth quarter and re established ourselves to go and win this ball game. So it's the resolve of the team that is just as important as the game plan that you installed. So let's hope that this resolve stays at where it is with this cowboy team. And you know, to emphasize your point, ever said they had to come from behind three times to be able

to win this game. And the irony of this whole thing is if you remember early in the year and I can't remember which game it was, and they got accused of quitting, right, and then you got all the fans out there wanting them to quit because they want a better draft choice. And the dog gone team they wouldn't quit. They kept coming back and coming back, and they didn't on the road. Let anything that went wrong

get them down in the dumps. There you go, And um, all right, you want to get into Dalton and you want to get into the run game. I'll just say this about Kellen Moore also, and this is this kind of gets us into the run game too. I love the play call to Zeke on the touchdown pass to start the game with the two tight ends out there leading the way him into the end zone too. Yep. And I didn't know that Zeke. I didn't know Zeke

had a little option quarterback in him. That was a nice little pitch, you know, he froze him in bone. That's pretty smooth, easy catch, easy score. I mean, earlier in the season we have taken these golden opportunities and just turned him into crop. But not this game. And

that's what you have to have a feeling of optimism. Hey, here's another thing, another thing that on the goal line on the setting up the touchdown pass to Schultz, he remember the play before that, CD came in motion to the deep, you know, angling back behind the running backs in the backfield, and I believe it, Jonathan Vilma said on the broadcast. He didn't understand why they took Lamb

out of a play like that. I don't even remember the play myself right now, But what I did think of after that is, and ever since, you can tell me better, all right, the reasons for putting a receiver in motion like that. You're able to see what the defense is doing and where they're in man's own whatever it might be. I'm wondering if that motion on that play set up in any way, what went on on what turned out to be the touchdown pass to Schultz on the very next play. I'm not I don't know.

It was almost like they were setting up. They want first of all, they want to create the misdirection after the snap. I mean, if he's to go in motion, then of course all eyes are gonna go that way. But and then they brought it back to the other side, so total misdirection. But they saw that the misdirection was going to work because the motion did create the pre snap read or anytime you go on motion and you

don't do anything with that wide receiver. He was just like what you call a catalyst to the rest of the play itself. He determined who they were going to go to once they created that misdirection. And speaking the Scholts, this guy's been having a tough year. He's really been having a tough year. He had to blocking well. You can kind of see the frustration even when he makes catches on plays. His brain and his feet didn't seem to be going together all year long. And he's really

put us in some tough situations. And I was very critical at of him a couple of times on Twitter, but I must say he came out of his shell yesterday. He played well, and I'm glad the Cowboys gave him an opportunity to make plays because he could be a great outlet for us when CD's not ready, when Coop and the guys may be getting double team gallop. You know, didn't have the best game. Dalton Schultz is a great option for us, not only a safe option, but extremely

effective in certain parts of the field. But I guess it's a great point Everson. As we go to break here, I guess I'm wondering what I would like to find out is like on that previous play, whether whether Kellen Moore saw something thing that they were doing defensively that helped him know that the touchdown play was gonna work by putting lamb in motion on the previous play. So it'd be interesting to learn that. All Right, we got

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Mix Shots. So much to get to. We started to touch on it a little bit on the defensive side of the ball and the linebackers, as Everson had his picks to click with the linebacking corps with a special emphasis on Layton, vand H. That's what he said on Friday. My guy was Sean Lee. I said, if if they'll play him, he'll be the pick to click. Sure enough, in the first half of that game, Shan Lee comes into the game. And let's see. He came in on the third series and after an initial twenty seven yard

passed to Justin Jefferson on the first play. It was three and out for the Vikings offense, and then they get the ball back and Shawn Lee was in for Jalen on that series, and then vander Esh was out. The next series, Shawan Lee was in and there was a three and out and that's all we got out of Sean Lee in the first half of that game. Can you sound like you're trying to make a case. Sound like he's trying to make a case for Shawn Lee over my pick to click. No, no, no, no,

I'm just signing that checker. Oh no, Jack vander Esh obviously he deserves with with all he did in that game. But I would like to see more Sean Lee. Did you explain about like he made on delf and Kill Love? I love more hits like he made on Delphin Cook kind of readjusted that face mask a little bit. They had to change helmets for Delvin Cook the goal line on the goal line, and once again, the stubbornness that

they exhibited was amazing to me. Of course, they ended up still scoring, but you want to I hate it when the running back just goes into the end zone untouched on the goal line. Delvin Cook was touched and he was touched about three or four times, and he had to really work hard for it. And Sean Lee was one of those guys that was in there creating that resistance. I do like having all three linebackers in the ball game, and Spags, I want you to speak

on this. They had a defensive end trying to cover a tight end. Man, this is killing me. I don't understand that part of the game plan. To me, it bowled. It was more in the in the in the realm of things you do when you lose. You know that you make when you lose. You should have been here. It's like he tried to cover the tight end the one play. I swear to god it was either the next player or the next two plays later they had him going out there trying to cover the running back.

And I know these guys here got tired of me because I kept pointing out right. And then when that play happened, all I kept going was why why, I just why can't you put a strong side out there when we have the personnel. I don't go. You guys are gonna have to talk to you. Guys have to talk to Mike Nolan and ask him what is his pet peeve with three linebackers in the ball game, especially, you have decent athletic linebackers. I get upset at them

sometimes on the lack of the run support. But when it comes to the pass, if you could just play a nice zone, I think you could be a little bit more effective with those three linebackers, because we're doing pretty well affront at this point. Sometimes you get a little tedious. You don't wanted to get the guys in there, but they were putting enough pressure on Kirk Cousins to where he had to get rid of it quickly. Give

me some good linebackers back there when it's time. Maybe Delvin Cook would stop slicing dicen Us a little bit and then we could have a little bit more staunch run support. But for some reason, he loved having the big defensive end in there and set in the edge, and it wasn't working well. And you saw in the Raiders Chiefs game last night, the Whitten touchdown. The Chiefs had a big old defensive end, Garden Whitton out there, and he's thirty nine year old Jason Whitten, who Jason

was shaking him down. Yeah, defensive ends couldn't keep up with him. Jason probably felt like, man, I feel like I'm twenty three all over again. I'm shaking people down getting open in the end zone. Good to see him with that touchdown. But you see how futile the effort is to put a defensive end in such a compromising position. It's not fair to the defensive end himselves. It's just a very try. Can you imagine Witton if he was here in practice and they put Duran's armstrong on him,

you know he can play another three years here? Yeah, I try. He's sitting there here, played him fifty. If you're gonna do this, he would have stormed into the defensive meeting and going, what the hell are you doing? And see the thing I'd like to move on to the Donovan Wilson are giving up the touchdowns fast because you talked about it. There you go, go for it,

go for it. I played safety with the Giants a little bit on third downs, and one thing I learned by through Bill Belichick is giving a receiver free release down the field can be very dangerous to your secondary and especially to your deep safety. If you're safe, no matter where you are, and Spags made to make the point to say that Donovan Wilson lined up too close to the line of scrimmage to be covering, to be

deep on that play. Well, no matter what happens on that play, you create your own isolated man to man's situation as a safety. First of all, if someone doesn't get a hand on that receiver, because otherwise he's gonna close that gap on that safety and you're you're in no man's land. You can't turn your hips fast enough, and you are at that receiver's mercy. So to me, there's a flaw both ways. You have to get a hand on that receiver that's coming from the system itself.

And as a as a safety, you have to be prepared when you've got a dynamic receiver coming at you. I don't care if you're ten yards deep. If he comes with a free release, he's gonna close that gap on you. And it's just like being a cornerback. You have no help anywhere. I know that feeling. It doesn't bode well for you, and it didn't bode well for Donovan Wilson. He's gonna get beat on that play because he has nowhere to look for help. I don't care. If the guy runs a post, he's gonna beat you.

If the guy was a post corner, he's gonna beat you. And if I'm not mistaken, he ran the post corner, Donovan Wilson was isolated, and it was one of the negatives, one of the few negatives that Donovan Wilson had in that ball game. I thought, justin Jefferson there for a second thought. He was playing against Oklahoma in that bowl game last Yeah, that was a really easy It's really

easy player. It's as easy as that. But see, like I said, that was another case where they're in two wide receivers and a fullback and a tight end, and you played a five man front, and you brought your other safety up into a linebacker spot. And once Anthony Brown gets beat off the line of scrimmage, then Wilson's got a And I don't know if he saw theland cutting across the field and he lost sight of the other guy and he didn't have his eyes in the right spot. But he's in the middle of the field.

It's a long way to go either way if they're gonna throw a deep pass. But again, if if if if you had another linebacker there, maybe you put your dB back and you got too deep safety instead of instead of one. That was the thing I didn't understand. But what I did understand was the fact that the Cowboys finally ran the football with some authority and again. And it's like, well, why did it happen? Well, Number one, the offensive line played better. Number two, they weren't down

by twenty five points in the game. They were in the ball game, so they could stay with the run. And I thought, I thought. Mike McCarthy had an interesting comment last week. Someone asked him. I think it was on his radio interview. Someone asked him, can you think back to calls you wish you had bad? And his answer was, you know, you don't after a game wish you had calls back because you planned all week for

that situation to make that call. He goes, what I wish I had back was better execution on the play I called, And I said, okay, that's good, right, So then if you think about it, think about Pollard's And I went back and looked at it a couple of times. Pollard's forty two yard touchdown run. So was it a great call or was it great execution because when you go back and look at it, Dalton Schotz, who does have times trouble holding down to edge, got his guy turned.

Zack Martin pushed his guy five yards beyond the line of scrimmage, blocked him right out of the play. And then you had Noah Brown at wide receiver on the right side come and got safe right and to Hod and then to help Matters out their cornerback, Jones decided to Ola he didn't want any part of making that he did this, And it's like, are you kidding me? So, and everybody wants to say, see, Pollard needs to have

more carries. Well, any one of us that had enough speed to get through that hole could have ran for a touchdown because it was blocked perfectly. And it's amazing when you execute the play that's called, how how easily it works. And so again it's like, oh, he's got to have as many carries as Zeke if people watch what Zeke does in a game. To me, it's absolutely amazing how he keeps getting four and five yard carries when he gets hit at the line of scrimmage. The

guy's a warrior, Yes, he is a stun. He is a stun, and I gotta say God before we go. There has to be a change in the secondary coverage. I promise you, if you just make the change from being outside shoulder to inside shoulder, that could really put the defensive back, safety or corner at more of an advantage because you won't be getting be inside and these guys running all the way across the field creating these big plays. Trust me, guys, you gotta be inside strong coverage.

That's how Thermos Feeds got all of their interceptions. We stayed inside and we dare them to try and throw it across the field. Okay, I've got it written down. I'm gonna go down the hallway and give him a note right now. Please don't tell just don't tell them I said it. Don't tell him. I said it. Tell them tell him Dion said it. Then they might listen to you. But Mickey will be giving it to them for the Ravens game, not for the game on Thursday, because he has to go through a week's worth of

COVID testing. More. You can go give him the other side of the field. I tried. I tried well to it in two games from now, I want to see a change. There you go. All right right, We're back with Washington's Washington football team tomorrow at one thirty here on mix Shots. Make it a great victory monthy third, Go Cowboys. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.