Winners and Losers from Cowboys-Saints

UK Hank Dave Damask. Listeners nome as a handsome Hank. But I just know, miss Henry, that's what That's what I p And you know back in the day, Henry, when I first came to the NFL, and we're gonna get to what was a pretty good Thursday night game, better than I expected. So I'm happy the Saints gave us some entertainment back in the day. People Erica might not know this. There Eric is on as well. Of course, Here Henry was running all of content four NFL dot com.

He decided where things went on the page. Henry was essentially my boss. I worked with him about how all the things were gonna happen. And you know, one of his favorite uh columns of mine that he liked to just put right in that what we call the CP and big big Good spot. It was winners and Losers. You know what a creative article. So that's what we're gonna do tonight, little winners and Losers from TNF. I love it. Greg used to push back on winners and loses.

He would say, why do we need to say who who are winners and loses? The school tells us who are winners and losers? Um? And it was like, Greg, come on, we can do better than that. We know we can tell more stories. So I'm excited. Did yes to to be able to to decide who else won and lost beside just the cowboys in the Saints. That might have been like easy, Like early on, when I had some integrity, I was like, oh, we shouldn't just be, you know, fishing for page views. But but soon I

realized that he gave up on that quick. That was more of like an off season column. You know, we didn't really need to do Winners Loser during the season because you know, They're not the first winner here is the Dallas Cowboys. They did win the game twenty seven seventeen, and I think I'll start my winners and losers. I'll give Ceedee Lamb a little of seven for eighty nine today.

And like the last couple of weeks without Lamb and Cooper, it's just like, oh yeah, it's important to have the best combination of wide receivers in the Like I don't know why I thought like the Cowboys would be fine without them, but they absolutely weren't. Cooper was limited tonight. But just Ceedee Lamb when he put that little move on Malcolm Jenkins in the open field with that third down catch where there was no separation between Bradley Roby and him. To me, he is the difference. He he

was the difference. That's my first little winner. He and and he's the difference. And he's the difference in you know, uh Cowboys receiver call, which I think is like easily the best in the league at this point. Michael Gallup reminded us who he is. You know, occasionally you'll forget that. Mikey got Michael Gallops there, and I know he's been been out injured for a few weeks, but then he'll pop up and make a catch like he did today

and that was insane as well. So that whole Cowboys receiving corps is ridiculously good, right, And Gallup is good at like two things jump balls and sideline catches, you know, which he kind of combined with that touch sense that's perfect when like you're the third receiver and just like go ball he's good at just like running down the field. He has like a skill set that's valuable. But when your first two guys are out like, it doesn't it

doesn't make a lot of sense. And so it was do you know what else he's gonna be good at and the next and the next few months is getting paid an awful lot of money? That's for it to add a receiver in free agency? Yeah, he will get paid a lot. And I've seen some like little projections and whatnot, like he's gonna make more than that. Everyone's gonna make more than that. That TV money is coming in. Henry's getting some of it eventually, right, I mean I

don't know about that. But what like my second favorite, Greg Rosenthal call him is the top one on one free agents and Gallup will be right on that list. I think, well, like I would project if I had to guess now, I think you're gonna put him somewhere between twenty and fifty. I was just gonna say top thirty, probably top. I'm gonna say I think he'll be low. I think he'll be lower than that on the initial list. I am gonna miss doing it with Chris again. Um

did that last year? Um, And I bet he's one of those. I think he'll be in the thirties, thirties or forties initially, and then all the franchise tags and resignings get taken off, and then he'll get pushed up. That I called that to pretend top one on one the actual top one on one and the guys who hit free agency right well that you know how it is in the game, Like people want those page views. They're gonna be looking for the the initial top thirty

and Annuary is that thing. Does numbers give me a winner or loser or whatever. I'm want to give you a winner, and my winner is I've heard enough about Michael Parsons going to be the defensive rookie of the Year, and I don't want to hear about that anymore. What I want to hear about, and I think tonight we're

a winner for is the defensive player of the year. Okay, Michael Parsons is playing at a level and has done throughout the season that should be have him in that conversation for people are trying to slot you know, t J. Watt in there, they're trying to slot uh, you know, Myles Garrett and there no one's playing better than Michael

Parsons right now. And what I'm excited about is that, beyond anything else in the league, he we don't have any part, you know, we we've kind of we've gone missing with a pass Russia who's been the best defensive player in the league for for some time. And I think Michael Persons is filling that slot really nicely. Now I love this take. This is why I needed Henry on the pad. He's not just a Dolphins fan. He

brings that takes. I think you're right. I think there's still what six five games left of the season for the Cowboys, six for a lot of teams, There's a long way to go here, and so I think if he continues at this pace and Garrett is slows down a little bit, and the Browns have a bad finish. I'm buying that tonight was as an interesting example because DeMarcus Lawrence returned for the Cowboys. I'll give him a

little winner too, you know, let's just throw that in there. Uh. And so they're getting there with the four men rush, and they weren't using Parsons quite as much as like an edge rusher, which I don't know. To me, he was one of the five best addressers in the league. Like he's a good off ball linebacker, but he's even better just rushing the passer, and and I want him

to do that all the time. But then there's another play where he's running down the field covering Kenny Stills tipping the ball that turns into an interception, Like what what can he not do? That is the type of that's what you want out of defensive player there. Do you know why Kenny Stills um has a special place in the history of the NFL news room? Though, Henry, Yes, I was. I think I was there, and I don't

think we're allowed to say so. I was just I was just gonna say Kenny Stills was not coming down with a lot of contested catches tonight and that was that was exactly what my argument um with the former colleague was all about, was his inability. The most catholic

argument in the history of NFL media. It was like it was like it ran for most of the day, UM with with these two individuals, Greg and someone whose name I think I may have even forgotten at this point, UM going back and forth throughout the day, and it got very testy. And I will know what all I'll say, Um if you if anyone listening is interested in who won the argument? Is Greg still employed by the NFL? No one. No one's seen since they say like live

in your head, rent free. You know. I was just saying, we got a text from Greg tonight, blank dying somewhere with all these Kenny Stills drops. It was well, I just st I hadn't thought about it in a while. And the argument was a percent about contested catches, and so it was funny. Here we are six years later, and yeah, that is the that's the best, Um, that's

the best scoreboard. And Henry and I were in jobs that were, at least for me, not as enjoyable, much more stressful back then, and a lot of the people we didn't enjoy over the years, they're all gone. We're here. Greg's the only one left down even I've really left. I'm gonna let's throw a loser at how about how about Taysom Hill in the fourth quarter. So winner, Taysom Hill the first three quarters. Loser Taysom Hill in the fourth quarter, as he threw three of his four interceptions,

or at least three. We're in eleven plays. I'm not sure if one was in the third. I actually thought Taysom Hill looked pretty good early in this game playing quarterback, which is what he did in the preseason. I thought he looked better as a quarterback in the preseason than he ever had before. Making quick to sit. Then it's like, you know, you're you trade your trailing the Cowboys, and then you hurt your finger. It's a lot to ask Taysom Hill. No, you don't have either of your Pro

Bowl tackles. But it was more of the decisions than the execution for the most part. In it all kind of fell apart. But I I applaud Taysom Hill for giving us a better game than I think Trevor Simeon would have. So that's my damning with me hell throws another one for yeah, I I'm I had Taysom Hill. I slid Taysom Hill from the winner's column over to the loser's column in the last ten minutes of the game. That one quarter where he you know, in the third

quarter he ran for seventy one yards. He had one drive where he ran for first downs and it was like Sean Payton just like sticking up both middle fingers over at dan Quinn. That was kind of fun, Like that's what I mean. At least they gave us a little something that that would be the dead game. All right, give me, give me a loser, or I'll give you loser.

His name Brands. Okay, so if you if you don't tune into the NFL that much, you see the Saints are going to be on TV, and you're like, okay, cool, high powered offense. This is going to be exciting. You see Ze Elliott in the background in the backfield, and you think, okay, we've got a guy who can who can run the ball and break tackles and do exciting things. And if you watch now what you find is a Saint's offense. You're like, wait, who are these people that

are playing on this offense because this isn't interesting. And and you have Zeke Elliott, who you know. There were a couple of plays and it was it was very much called out boy by Tray when there where it's like, yeah, Zeke has got no juice left. He managed to turn the corner and then was caught by I think a defensive line. He's playing hurt but exactly Erica. And and then it's like, well, why are we posisting with Zeke? Just give him a couple of weeks off and let him,

let him rest up. It's a weird thing with injuries this year. I've thought about a lot with Baker Mayfield and different guys, like who is it serving when you're playing guys that are clearly hurt, Like that's the NFL m O, Like we're gonna play through injuries. But it's not helping him, it's not helping the team. I'm with you. Pollard is so good, um that he should just be

getting most of the reps. He he basically is that that'll give me a loser, which is Marcus Williams is ability to evaluate like an angle on a play on that Tony I know he was like slow playing. Yeah, you know he was. He was preventing Pollard from cutting back inside, but he thought he had the angle because he's, you know, a great athlete. Marcus Williams is a franchise tag safety, I think, one of the better safeties in the league. Having a pretty good year for the Saints.

He thinks, like, this guy's not gonna outrun me. I'm gonna make sure he doesn't go. And uh, that's what happens when you mess up with Tony Pollard. Oh boy, um, Erica has just slacked me. She wants in on this winners and losers fun, and you know, I'm feeling generous. Erica should be allowed in whenever she wants. Let's hit what are go? Wow? Thanks Hank. Okay, So my winner is Mike McCarthy because what you will see floating in the ether this week, it's like Mike McCarthy is gonna

be on zoom. He's really virtually involved. So it looked like almost the Cowboys were trying to get ahead of this message that like, it's not dan Quinn, like Mike McCarthy is very capable, which I found very interesting. So then dan Quinn they win, which is great for the Cowboys, but they didn't win so handedly that everyone's like Dan

Quinn is the answer. So I think that it was a win in the book for Mike McCarthy, and the loser of tonight is the listeners listening to you guys discussed like the layout of NFL dot COM's internet pages. I think that I don't that I don't agree that it was great stuff people like to hear um people people like to I think that's a good take. I think that's a good take. It felt like Kellen Moore was definitely like just calling more passes at the end of the game than Mike McCarthy would have. But I

don't blame Kellen Moore for that. I'm more disappointed that what looked like the old Doc being back in the first half, and I thought he played well in the fourth quarter of that Raiders game. I'm like, Okay, this is old deck, Like I'm pulling for Doc. Doc would be my like narrative m v P. It's not gonna happen now. I think he's played too many poor games. But then they just had a sluggish second half. Again. I know the Saints defense is good, but they just

could not put that game away. I don't blame more on trying to like work on from passing and get better and trust in his passing game, but they were not getting it done. One last loser for you, Um, at least for me. You're welcome to go anymore, Henry. Uh,

Saints fans, you know, it's been a tough year. They set up this whole season where this was gonna be the peak Thanksgiving night and then the post Thanksgiving Thursday slot, which I've noticed has just turned into a Cowboys slot every year, which it's a it's a good thing that you get the whole week. Uh. This was all building to this, and in the in the first seven games of the season, they beat the Bucks, the cow the Patriots, and the Packers by a combined like seventy Like they

were a frisky, fun team. I think if they had their tackles and Alvin Camara out there tonight, they might have won this game. Like even with Taysom Hi and um they you know, they they the Saints fans like got all excited, We're hoping for this game, and then you have that blindside block call, which was very strange, and you have to watch Greg's Urline hit a fifty plus yard or field goal, bringing back memories of the worst loss I would say in franchise history against the Rams.

So just a tough night. Look at you throwing shade at people with Greg's called Greg with only one g no shade. I mean the dudes, the dudes clutch. He sent the Rams to the super Bowl and uh he sent I guess, uh the Cowboys to a lead here tonight in anyone that took the Cowboys minus seven. Uh, it's thankful to Greg's. That's true. I've got a couple of others, I think you know another another loser or pair of losers, Dan and mark Um not being on here um right, and they got they got on me out.

I'm or you haven't heard this yet, but at the end of today's show, they like implied that I had some sort of machiavellian scheme that I'm having you on before them because you're like going to rise in the NFL, and like that's that's the reason that I would do it. Or they're just like jealous that I'm hanging out. It's very very I mean, you know, look, I'm I'm I'm

definitely not loyal. If they asked me, I'll also come and join that, right, You've been available about this last year we all sat during when we were all supposed to be you know, social distancing, and Dan and Mark and I watched a terrible Seahawks Cardinals Thursday night game and then did a wrap up after that. So I'm not loyal. Will I'll join them if they would like

me to. I also include me as a loser here because of all the games that I could have chosen to join you on for Thursday night football wrap up, this was not necessarily the one. This season has been some there have been some good Thursday night games and this, Yeah, that's that's fair. I did initially, you know, asked for that Dolphins game which they beat the Ravens. That would have been fun, but you were you were working, you were on the East Coast. There would have been like

after midnight there, and you got to enjoy that. Well. I was actually at the time, I was in Dolphins remission and had decided I wasn't going to watch it, and then because it was so exciting, I found my way to a bar to do it. Can I throw one other winner out there? And this is just a personal one, um, but a friend of mine. UM Adam Dirty is the defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys, a Hard Knocks star, so I'm going to throw him

out as a winner. But especially he is part of the Michaeus Myke Cleats program that's going on at the moment, which I didn't realize coaches can be involved in. But he really wanted to find a charity to support in the UK, and I worked with him and we found he very passionate about knife crime, which is a big problem in the UK and in London especially, And there's a charity called the Godwin Lawson Foundation, UM which supports kids and tries to get you off the street, eats

and out of you know, bad situations. And he was wearing shoes for this game. UM that was was kind of honoring the Godwin Lawson Foundation. So that Godwin Lawson Foundation is a winner for me tonight because they got a chance to be shown on on national TV in the US, which is which is pretty cool. He's UM, he's an up and coming man. I know he's your buddy. This group party, you know, Parsons getting a little shine. De Marcus Lawrence coming back, going to make them better.

Randy Gregory having a career year with them. I think people saw him on hard knocks and that is not going to hurt his chances to get job. Henry only hangs out with like really handsome guys. That's why, that's why we're such good That's why we're hanging out exactly,

all right. I'm I'm a winner to you know. I um this last year, you know, I I do think about things differently, and I was like, do I want to really be calling up you know, some great football mind from like CB a sports line that you know I don't really know that. Well, No, I want to hang out with my good friend Henry a little extra twenty minutes and make his family have to be quiet late on a Thursday night and they can work way later than he would have to. This is definitely not

what this is fun. But let's time next time, let's do it in person. Yes, I want to do that, all right. Appreciate you, Hank, Appreciate Ricky and um. We will be back on Saturday on NFL Network. Check us out in the Sky Sports as well the broadcast DVR that and UH Sunday for the Flagship Show. Until then, we will see it beat the cough. Forgot that bro,