Talkin' Cowboys: A Balancing Act

will be along shortly. What a difference a day makes around this place? Yesterday was awful? Are you looking at me for some reason? And I did listen to yesterday's show, Yes, And what a difference a day makes for Brian brought us. Yeah, feeling much better today, right, So did that, So did the young men that went out with me. Listened to the show. And I got all these messages these guys send to me. Haha, life short kind of a message,

but I appreciate everybody's saying I look better. By the time I got to do periscope with Ambar late in the day and it was like boy, it brought us you rehydrated. Well, you look fresh. I saw you later in the day and I didn't notice. Yeah, well, Phil, trust me, you and I are about the same age. Not easy being us. He's a gamer though. Like the first two minutes of yesterday's show. I heard it, I sound awful. He could barely speak, I know. And as

we got along entertaining. It was entertaining. But as we got along, now you picked it up. You're That's what champions do. I appreciate all the well wishes, folks. I'm ready to I got a great fifteen hours of sleep. I'm ready. The youngsters you went out with on Tuesday night, Christmas night, yeah, how was their day yesterday? Well, that's what I'm saying. No, they were fine. No, those kids are fine, and they they they roll, they go to work, get up, roll out of bed, go to work. The

old man just doesn't make it that way. And so at what age do we stop doing stupid things? I thought it was a long time ago for me. I used to burn the midnight oil and then there was a certain point that I didn't do it anymore. And I'm trying to really got married age that was? And you got married, did you kind of stop doing stupid things. Well, yeah, it was at another level before Marridge. Yeah, it did. Still. I think once you hit thirty. Once I hit thirty,

I kind of stopped doing the downtown uptown thing. Were you were you a night? Al Like you seem like a fun guy to go out because you seem very responsible, Like if you see somebody having too much to drink, you're not gonna let him drink anymore. I don't have me friends like that. Where where were you the other night? Yeah? With it was twelve family members. Yes, Rob's running all over the place. Rob's a great teammate because I see Rob is not letting people do anything stupid. No, I

wouldn't do that. I wouldn't do that to you. Even if your wedding you let me kind of you were like, yeah, well I don't. I don't remember anything about that. The whole thing was blurred, but I do remember you kissing me on the cheek. I appreciate that. That was why. Yeah, he was Yeah, did you kiss anybody on the cheek Tuesday night? Brian that you were called? No? Okay, I didn't, all right, I was good and Mickey I did sing what's the song John Demmer's uh Rocky Mountain. Yeah, Christmas heven,

West Virginia. I sang that song as loud as I could possibly sing it in a bar, did you? And it was the I'm sorry, John Denver, I did that to you. But yeah, I thought you would sing a Christmas song from John Denver on Nestmas night, Daddy, don't get drunk this Christmas Dad. That was that. It should have probably said that talk about take me Home Country Road, take Me Home Country, Yes, closed. Everybody sings it's like sweet, It's like sweet, It's like sweet Caroline. Right, everybody knows

the words that song. Ye in a West Virginia your football game, they say all night long. Yeah, And there was another song you were say Alabama. It wasn't sweet Home Alabama. There's another Alabama song that they played before gaming. You hear that when you're taking an L. Yeah, they played that. You're just automatically you're taking an LL. But Mickey made a great point. He didn't recall that any places open on a Christmas. Yeah, there's there's places that

I heard The Rustic was open on Yeah. There's establishments, folks, folks kind of fine establishment They do all their, They do all their their You do all your Christmas stuff in the morning and then at night you go meet all your your fruit and I know, movie theaters doing great business on Gritic. Yeah, that's a big night for movies, right, big night game movies. Yeah, definitely, Yeah, you go and do all that. Yeah, all right, cowboys here. Glad he's better.

I'm glad he's feel But it was that was funny yesterday. I joined that. I appreciate it. I didn't mean you had great conversations about rust rests. Yeah, I needed rest. I need somebody to take me out of it. Uh. Yeah, you know, if you talking to folks and rob I don't know, if you visit with anybody, yes, say Bill, you might have. I'm sure Mickey when he comes rolling

in here. You know. The only thing that I heard differently about a rotation was that the more that Jackson was more involved, and you know Darius Jackson did, it wasn't Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush split and reps and it wasn't The offensive line was with the exception of Tyron Smith and Zack Martin, it was all hands on deck. Yeah, you know, but you know, and then you look at the in the defensive line without the exception of Tyron crowd By the way, I had eggs this morning with

Tyron Crawford. He was ordering the line. Looked good, looked good, you know, well doing well. Yeah, he out ordered me. He out ordered it. There you go. Yeah, how can a big fact guy let me get out ordered? You know on food at a bar or no here a star. But no, Tyron Crawford looked good. I'm just saying that he physically looked good, you know, moving on in his backpack on kind of moving around excellent. I was like, okay, please be okay. Brian hates nothing more than being out ordered.

I hate being out ordered on the road wherever. That's first, I will challenge you for the first play, the first time they set your plate in front of you and I look at your plate and I'm thinking, man, I just got out ordered. You know. That's that's But anyway, in terms of volume or just the presentation presentation, yeah, I have you start with clam chowder, and I don't you know, and then I'm thinking, oh god, he's got this,

this guy Gala's got their game on. And then that you bring in and I'm going, oh, My goal is to out order you once at the combine I'm gonna do. You'll get in. You'll the best I can. But but I usually fail on the first order, but I will make up for it and the on the when I go back for the second second time around. You know what's going on. But yeah, Mickey, we're talking about just the only different rotation you might have talked to some folks.

The only different rotation that I was kind of hearing about was the running back one with Jackson getting some more reps. Anybody tell you anything differently or that they were all they were playing the same way status quo. No, but I assumed he was going to So that doesn't suffrise. Do what now it looks good? Oh yeah, well, what's the occasion I wanted to out dress you? Yeah he did. I had to get dressed up to Bill's got I was getting my Will McClay segment today. So I had

a shower this morning. Very good. Bill's got a nine ten eighteen tea time the guest Christmas sweater. That's what addition is like, Yeah, it looks good. I've got a bunch of TV stuff to do today. So I didn't want to be changing three times there you go, all right, we've all seen that at the so it's like camp, let's just go right out in the open. Yeah, Hey, welcome to so dinner. What I feel sorry for people that just got to hang out there. Yeah, there's a

ten I go in. Yeah, the running back rotation you're speaking of. Yeah, So, so do you think Zeke's gonna play? Yeah? I do? I do? And how now how much and and and for that matter, how much are certain starters going to play? Once you get into the later stages of that game, we'll see, I think. But Jason Garrett's not acting like anybody's gonna sit down. No, you know

he's not. But he's been consistent about that. Yes, I wonder what he was saying leading up to the Philadelphia game two years ago, the season finale two, the same thing. No he was, he was, Yeah, he was, play the same thing Cats. And then all of a sudden, Mark Sanchez made an appearance, you know, And I'm looking at the snap coups from that game, and of course Zeke didn't play. Yeah. Out in twenty fourteen, Mick, correct me if I'm wrong, guys, because I wasn't here that season.

Did they have were they locked in in twenty fourteen, late in the season, and Romo played pretty much the whole game. There was there was a chance that they could get the second seed against Washington, if I'm not mistaken, because they still had something to play. They had something to play for, because, yeah, they had a chance to get the second seed if they and Romo and Dez Bryan and those guys. Murray, they went into the third quarter. Okay, they went into the third quarter and then the game

became a thirty eight to something game. Maybe I'm sorry again, I know I'm going back a few No. No, think of Garrett's history doing this. Oh No, He's been consistent. He's been consistent when he tells us the guys that are healthy enough to play are gonna play. He I think that's the old school guy in him. I think that's the that all these games do mean something to him, and he's trying to find a way to win the game.

And I do I believe that. And I don't think even if he pulls these guys that he's gonna sit there and go, Okay, I understand we're playing with backups. Now, it didn't matter. It's gonna matter. Yeah, No, he's gonna try and win this thumb, He's gonna try and win this almost right. Well, it's just like, okay, what if you lost Zeke in the first quarter of a game.

I mean you you got to have Rod Smith ready, you gotta have Darres Jackson read if he's gonna be on the game day roster or whatever, you know, and so you still have that mindset, Yeah, we're winning this game, We're working to win this game or whatever. In that game two years ago, Tyran Smith did not play. Yeah, Sean Lee, Yeah, remember Shaun Lee had his helmet buckled the whole game. Zeke dress but didn't play right, right, Um, I'm looking at starters. Witten played like twenty two snaps

in that game. Em mt Clary was the left tackle. Joe Looney was the left guard, played the whole game at left guard. Yeah, and that playing the left guard for would that at time been Ron Leary two years ago? Larry was nursing an injury then, I don't remember growing injury. Didn't Ron Leary was always a rod injury. But Travis Frederick played the whole game, Zach Martin played the whole game.

Doug Free played the whole game. And this gets back too, well, if you if you're sitting Tyrn Smith, then you're sitting Ronald Learry. Then you just don't have enough offensive lineman for those other guys to take any snaps. They actually have enough to Okay, they could go Flaming at left tackle. They could go Suefilo at left guard. They could go Looney at the center, Connor Williams, or they Connor Williams

it right, and then they could go Collins. They don't have enough tackles for Collins to sit, but they could go it could go Redman at center. See this is the difference, And Jason pointed this out in his press conference. Is that but he could rotate Redman in with the other guards. Well, I think it depends on how long you're playing. Dak Prescott. Yeah, I mean you can do this, but it's not the same as like a dress rehearsal where you've got ninety guys you just put in a

whole new offensive line. I mean, certain guys are gonna have to play most of this game, if not all of it. And you've played a couple of games this season with Cam Fleming playing left tackle and Dak Prescott playing. I'm okay with Connor Williams playing a whole game if he has to, and you don't think about it, didn't it done? And what if one of those one of those guys get hurt. Somebody's got to go in and play. You don't just play with a four man line and

say this game's meaningless. Yeah, there's another side to this that I hadn't really thought about until now. Well, last night, just what you finally got to breathe after the Christmas Nabs MAVs didn't have your interests last night? I did after that and after Luke TC you got it done? Really? How about kick? Did he really did? Okay? Who did Patterson? No? He changed? I know he iced the kid. He missed it.

Oh boy, he missed it? He bill? Yeah, well I was saw No, I thought they they sent the kicker out. I was reading they called time out, called time and pulled him out and it was the other guys. No, No, he switched back, switch back to the original guy. Oh, I thought he switched back now and then the time for the game winner that he switched back to song okay, the one that he did not use earlier. And then

sh right, Yeah, got trucked the sideline interference. Oh you don't needn't watch the game second and just very briefly, and Mark Cohen is great, it's information director at TCU. All right. In overtime, uh kyl through the thirteenth pick of the game. Literally there were nine the game, the five by the cow quarterback right, maybe plural. I don't know if they used more than one. But anyway, so the guy runs it back for TCU, runs it back eighty yards, got caught by alignment at the ten yard line.

But there was a sideline interference penalty against TCU, and they showed the replay of it. A guy in a suit sideline who got out on the field and a referee or an official ran over. It turns out it was Mark Cohen, the sports information director, the sid who I am now calling the sideline interference director, not the sports director. So did did did the over officious official have to throw the flag? It was? It was it was a big situation over time. Well but and so

then what happened, Uh TCU was penalized fifteen yards. I had to start their possession at the forty yard line. And if you saw the TCU offense. You wonder how in the world they're going to get him field goal, but they were able to ye in the game. Yea, what a jerk that it all goes back to the red and it was way back black and white stripes. It was way behind. No, it was like seventy yards behind them, and he wasn't going to make a call down to your point, All right, Rob, what were you

talking about? I have no idea. That's what the beauty of the show, uh gart Yeah? Yeah? Could he be thinking a couple of different things here. One, this is a young team, a young football team. I want them keep the pedal down right now, and not even the fact that they lost got shut out two weeks ago, but maybe that's in the back of their mind too. That Look, we've got to be continue to be focused, continue to keep the pedal down with this young group,

keep giving some a lot of guys experience. And Two, we had a mail back question about the defense. Yeah to me, that spoke talking about the defense being on the field too much. Offense has not been able to the same drives last couple of weeks. We know that they had six of nine true drives last week of five or fewer plays. Could he be looking at this and saying, I need my offense to get some momentum before the playoffs. I need to get him out there for a few series and try to get something back,

get some juice flowing again. Because they clinch the division, show a lot of guts that what they've done the last down the stretch has been great, But offensively there's things they can improve on, and maybe he's looking at that way. Now you have to balance that with a couple things, because I think Zeke needs rest. I think a week so a little time off or a fewer carries would help him a lot. I think Zach Martin probably needs to rest, Tyron Smith probably needs to rest.

So then how do you do that? If you are trying to be mindful of your star players? Are they are what they are? Offensively? Well? I hope not. I hope it's I know. I'm just say this. I'm asking the question, though, Are you Are you gonna you think they can magically waive the play a couple of extra series and everything is gonna be hunky dory. Maybe not. I'm not I'm not busting on you, maybe saying I'm saying that that Yeah, they got to turnover two in

the game the other day. That means if you did the sixty nine yard touchdown return and then then they had to go right back out on the field. But maybe maybe it's more of the first thing I said. It's a young team, and it's Zeke said something yesterday that make I don't know if you heard it. He said, compared to the twenty sixteen team, He's like, this group relies more on intensity and just and and being, uh, just that intense mindset and put like I said, putting

the pedal down. Maybe he's he's trying to keep them in that mode because it is a young team, and not that they're gonna lose focus, but just keep them. Look, you can't relax just because you cleanse the division. Maybe maybe that's part of it too. Do you worry about a young team in the playoffs? I would I would be if they hadn't been grinding since week game five. Yeah, and it kind of goes back to that. And look at and and there. I pointed this out just a

minute ago. They won games by seven, three, eight, three, six and over time and then seven. So it's not like they own p Bull away. They have not posted. They've had to grind, and I think that was one of the things that Garrett continues to reference that in that first half of the season maybe they didn't grind so well. When things went bad, it's like, oh, here we go. And I think they finally learned how to

win some games. And by the way, in winning those games, they scored twenty seven, twenty two, thirty one, okay, thirteen against the Saints, twenty nine in overtime, twenty seven against Tampa Bay. Now that's that offense we're worried about, yea. And what's sticking out is twenty three to nothing. Yeah.

So in the last game, last game two, they had a lot of stall drives and I get it, but they but they also had a couple of short drives for scores that they couldn't have a long drive, right, the one after the Gregory recovery, Yes right, yeah, okay, adown too, Yeah, And they had a defensive touchdown and then the problem was defensively they couldn't get off the field. They let Tampa Bay have the ball for nearly thirteen minutes in consecutive drives. Yea. So some weird that was

the male bad question today. Right, Yeah, but it's also a product of the offense. I mean, you get a defensive touchdown and the ball goes right back to Tampa Bay, right, and then they have a long drive. But also three start a lot of short drives. What was that Indianapolis was not a product of the offense, because it's they scored on five out of six possessions. Yeah, right. They didn't get into the end zone every time, but they didn't have to get into the end zone. Yea. They

were in control of the game. They didn't have to press the issue. I don't know, Garrett, in a way, it's I think Todd Archer said this in his ESPN column. It's like he's damned if you do. Damned if you do dam if you don't, you know, I mean, you rest them and then you risk rust, and if you if you play them, then you risk injury. I mean, I don't know how he wins in this situation. Really, yesterday morning, at this time, while you were conducting this fine show which I listened to later in the day,

good thoroughly enjoyed. I was interviewing Darryl Johnston Cowboys Insider, which airs on Fox Sports Southwest, and he was adamant that they need to play to win this game, and he's concerned about the offense and the red zone issues, especially in UM Anyway, that's that's his two sents worth on it is that they need to have a mindset of we're planning to win this game and they and the thought of resting people shouldn't even be enter in their mind, even like a Zach Martin though I don't know,

I don't plan. I didn't press him on injured players, you know, Zekes And that's the issue is Zeke. And we kind of dovetailed that into a conversation on carries and getting into the end zone. And Todd Gurley's got seventeen rushing touchdowns this year, Zeke's got six, what's Barclay's

got ten? I think? And the concern that with Zeke is or with this offense is when once you get down in the red zone and not been able to just hand the ball to Zeke and or have the confidence even too from the offensive coordinator's perspective, apparently to just hand the ball to Zeke and get him in the end zone. I usually agree with Moose on a lot of things, not on this one though. Yeah, not

on this one though. I you know, Mickey's right, this team has been playing meaningful football games since week eight. I mean they he read all the scores to you. They've been in some tough, tight football games and some games that in a short period of time plump together. Yes, and you put yourself in this at least now you've by the way you've played, you've given yourself an opportunity to have some options. So, you know, I think the biggest difference between now and two years ago is because

you had the bye week. Sure, I mean you had so much time off between where you had to play to win games. You know, right, you can treat this one more like I lean to where you're talking here, where you find a happy medium where you're able to keep them sharp and at the same time rest them.

You know. You know the funny thing about this red zone stuff and goal to go situations is no one thought it was a problem while they were winning, and then when they lost one, it was like, oh, look at this, Well guess what you were late to the party, I wrote, because this has been going on time. Yeah, you don't get three weeks ago before it became a problem for everybody, and this has been bugging them the entire season. Yeah, but you lose one and it's like, oh,

they can't get in the end zone. Well, yeah, it's been going on. They've been able to overcome it. In that game, they couldn't overcome it because they ran into a very good team and they dropped the ball and goal on Yeah. Ye, well they missed a block too well the other one that that play that was over with. Yeah, I I and I'm just thinking about what who's the saying you want to win? You want to win what expense? Yeah, exactly, You've You've fought eight weeks to get it to this point.

You know, I think is? I think is. And Jason Garrett's not a dumb guy, he's you know, and I understand, you know, you want to go and win these games. But I also understand though that that playoffs is that's what you're trying to You're there, You're you have an opportunity put your put your unit in the best condition it can be to go win. You watch, and we've talked about this, the two healthiest teams will be in

the super Bowl when it comes down to it. The two the two teams that have withstood all the months of football, all the games, and they get to the point of the end, and it'll be the two healthiest teams. You know, It'll be the you know, and these playoff games will get affected by somebody not playing. Yeah, I mean, Pittsburgh's playoff chances could be affected by James Connor lining

up and playing. And that's gonna happen in a playoff game. Hey, look, something's gonna happen where a big time player is not going to be able to suit up and his and his team is going to be handicapped. Well when playing game this Sunday, and Mariota's I assume very questionable to play. Yeah, what do you what do you think the Rams are thinking right now? Gurley? Yeah? Is it worth playing him

to get the second seed? He hasn't played in what two weeks, and and he's he's questionable at this point. You're gonna stick him out there with a sprain knee. Now, They've got to keep winning to get the second But that's what I'm asking, Is it worth it, man? Because what if you get it and then you don't have Todd Gurley? Well, yeah, Minnesota, look at the mean the Bears. Think about I mean the Bears. Their quarterback has had a bad shoulder for like I mean, and they've got

they've got a decision they gotta make. Do you play to try and get the second seed or do you sit back? And you would say, okay, wait a minute, now, we would rather face Minnesota again than we would face Philadelphia. And I know this is against every probably TV the philosophy, but I think in the last week of the season, everybody should play at the same time soccer mentality, So you do it. We'll cut it there and go, oh, look what happened early. Now I gotta do this. We're

just all play at the same time. So you're saying, everybody, everybody play at noon. Why don't you do this to help the West Coast teams. Why don't you play at yeah, three o'clock, yea, or everybody at in the East coast you play it at four, and essentially you play at three and in the in that way, you give the West Coast teams at least a shot. That was the other thing I brought up. Not at ten am Monday on Christmas Eve. I don't know. I think I did

that right. Nobody knows, at least we don't know, didn't I Yeah, yeah, you know, thanks win the Cowboys play their wild card game. But if there's a chance you could be on a Saturday night, So if you're if you're Garrett, do you think about that and say there's a chance where we're on a short week next week? Like how much do I want to play my regulars? So and it's a three hour plane flight coming home. Yeah, I don't know. There's there's a lot of factors in

the weather. It's another huge factory supposed be nice there though this it was going initially gonna be snow and not it's nicely sunny and in the forties. That's what I heard, all right, right? With better talk in Cowboys and take your phone calls when we come back has been helping Cowboys fans see better since nineteen seventy two, said they don't miss a moment on the field. Get classes with slurs, best vision, clarity and protection with the

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with pride right here in Texas. They are still the official crown of all self prospecting cowboys, and Stetson is proud to be on the field with America's team. Find Steps and Hats in the pro Shop or at Stetson dot Com. Today. Doctor Pepper is the one you crave, But how do you explain that craving? Imagine being shipwrecked on the desert diamond alone, glass like curls of self bounded the shore with Doctor Pepper colored waves, surrounded by desire.

But you can't drink, kids, because it's the ocean fish and even there, the only thing you want is Doctor Pepper and you can't have it. Now, that is it? Doctor Pepper craving Doctor Pepper, the one you crave to talk and get it. Oh, they don't play Monday Night Tommy John time Mick. I don't know. I already got mine on. I don't care. Wow, Okay, fair enough, Brian and Bill check this out here at the Cowboys Country.

We always ride with our boys, but when it comes to your underwear, you definitely don't want him riding up on your boy. Yeah, there you go. Why we always wear Tommy John. The revolutionary brand of underwear was stay put waste fans that keep everything in place Tommy John, No adjustment needed. Shop exclusive Cowboys Underwear Tommy John dot Com Forward Slash Cowboys for twenty percent off your first order Tommy John. Which one did you not want to read?

One that talked about the draft and it's the off seat off season one. Oh did you grab that one by mistake? Yeah? You know, nobody ever steals that one. Yeah, they steal the ones you need right now. You don't need that one to steal yours. I'll look at their Bill's got I have some reads actually, And by the way, I received a couple of pairs of Tommy John and I got replenished with my Jack Black Way to go to kids. Yes, they did great, okay. And also they also gave us a new TV for the bedroom. Oh

we haven't heard. You haven't had You don't have a TV in your bedroom? We had a TV in the bedroom, but it's about thirty years old. Black and white. No it's not black and white, but it's like HD. Click. My son in law, Colin, goes in there for summer. I don't know why he's in my bedroom, but he apparently months ago went in there and saw the TV that we had there, an old tube TV whatever, and he said, we're getting them an HD TV. All right, So I get you know how old those TVs are?

If you try to go take them to some Yeah, how do I get rid of it? They won't take it? What do I do? Because of the tube thing? How do I get rid of it? They thrown in a garbage you can you put they will take it. The garbage man will don't let him sit there. I paid a guy come out salvage guy, for you know, fifty bucks and he took him one. I mean, this thing was like was this American Pluckers? That show Got Young one of my favorite show. You haven't seen that truck

got junk? Whoa I have not? Where we're hanging out all? Is that one? They just come driving down sometimes? Okay. I tried to give American pickers. Yeah, antique show, Yeah, yeah, I love it. Don't miss your chance to register for a holiday youth camps on December thirtieth. Hey, it's coming up December thirtyth Sunday. Yeah, one day camp available for both Dallas Cowboys Football Academy and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Dance Academy at the Star in Frisco. Spots are limited. Registered

today at Dallas Cowboys dot com Slash Academy. That's a great idea on Sunday, Dallas Cowboys Football Academy, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Dance Academy with the Cowboy game going on, probably on the big screen. Here you go, so forth, great way to watch the Cowboys. I think it's an outdoor event. I don't know if it is or not, but they got screens indoors too at the Star in Frisco. Right, very good? Yes? Okay? Um, Ray and fort Worth your next up here on talking Cowboys. Hello, Ray, Hey, how

you doing? Hey? Bill? I don't I don't know where you live that depending on where you live your rules. I know a city of Fort Work won't let you put a TV out like there, you'll get a ticket. And basically my parents had a TV like that. Brother and I we had to lead it up on his truck and take it to the city dump. And you know, you had to show him your water bill to show it that you live in that city. So I don't know what your rules are, so you might want to

check with that. That's good advice. Or just take it apart piece by piece. That sounds fund wat to do that. Yeah, yeah, I get somebody to do that for you. Yeah, because you don't want to get a ticket, and you set it out to the curb, I don't know. Maybe you could, but I don't know what your rules are. Better put your recycling then, yeah, yeah, I just put it down the bottom and then put stuff on the clock. Once it's a little bigger than the recycling. You can't you

can't do it like that. I wouldn't risk it. Just I don't want you to get a ticket. I wouldn't risk I'm about to take it to the talking cow. Okay, A couple of questions. I just it's a delicate situation. I think when I just looked at the playoff picture, it looks like we're going to play Seattle. I mean, there's an outside chance you had to pay Minnesota and we were about to play a physical football team here. I wouldn't play Zeke at all. I know you a.

I wouldn't do it. That poor guy has been taken a beating problems in the red zone? Is it teams? No ninety there? Our tendencies are we're just gonna turn it around the Zeke. They just loaded up on the run. That I think that's part of it. I think that that's that's that's offensive coordinator situation. Yeah, teams know you're just gonna turn around a hand Zeke, but you gotta you gotta give them something else to worry about. We haven't done that enough in the red zone, especially in

gold to gold situations. I wouldn't play Zeke at all. I wouldn't play nobody. This hurt um. I don't know. You got enough offensive linement and to play this game to get through the game. Maybe you treat it if if you got enough bodies, maybe you treat it like a a preseason game, a quarter and a half. But

Zeke wouldn't touch the ball at all. I mean, and that brings up entries in point that Sean Payton made about a last week about expanding the rosters if you had if we had that situation, well, okay, you could get away with that. But I would try to treat this as a as a I know, I know Mickey said the last show ten and six sounds a lot better. I don't give a crap about that. The real season starts next week. I worry about that game, not no winning ten and six. I try to get through this

game with a little injuries as possible. I wouldn't play nobody maybe a quarter and a half if you got enough bodies to do that. But Zeke doesn't touch the ball at all. Thanks guys, I'm with them on the ten and six. I mean, three years. Only people I think people are gonna remember is that they won the division. And I didn't care about the record. It's horowably doing the postseason that too. Mostly that, but so going into

this last game. Before the last game, so the previous six games I figured out in Gold the ghost situations. They gave Zeke the ball seven times this isn't gonna be pretty and he got seventeen yards. Yeah, and there was a bunch for negative. Yeah. So it's that's not the panacea because everybody else knows that's the panacea, and it's not working. And what what he just said is

they have tried other things. Sure, unfortunately the execution hasn't been perfect, but they have given people something else to think about. The end around to Marie Cooper, right, you don't block the defensive end and he makes the tackle for a loss. You tried running Dac one time and he gets dumped for a five yard loss. So they have done different things. They just haven't executed well. Because the bread and butter, they're taking it away from you.

It's like, oh, no, Zeke, you won't Yeah, And they tried to take it away two years ago. But the Cowboys had an offensive line Zach was superior, a center that con get to the second level, get blocks along the lines of Zeke and running backs in general. Your favorite website pro foot Well, this is Pro Football Focus. Okay, that's his favorite website. Yes, mine too, all right. They put a tweet out yesterday, often a good indicator of performance.

Here are the top thirty halfbacks ranked by tackles avoided per rushing attempt with a minimum one hundred attempts. It's a lot of words, tackles, tackles avoided. Yeah, okay, not running through tackles, but it's you make the first tackles avoided? Where do you think Zeke ranks among the top thirty on their list? And eighteen again? This is again, this is them looking at coaches film and deciding that they avoided that tackle or did not over if they did. Yeah, eighteenth,

you got Zeke at number eighteen. Again, this is often a good indicator of how good a running back or the performance of a running back. Okay, he gets hit a lot, eighteen, eighteen. I'll take fifteen, Robin go ten, Yeah, twelve, twenty ninth, Yeah, twenty ninth out of thirty. I guess who number thirty is, uh, Todd Gurley. Todd Gurley. Yeah that's right. So now this means we should not pay any attention to pro football, I said, I said so, he said, often a good indicator performance the top thirty

half number one ranked by tackles avoided per rushing attempt. Okay, I said, an even better indicator or performance is yards gained. Yes, and of course the first who first, Who's first, number one on the list is Melvin Gordon. Okay, okay, no quarrel two hundred one rushing attempts, tackles avoided forty one. That means tackles avoided per attempt zero point two four.

But but if he's avoided forty one tackles forty one touchdowns because at some point he got tackles at some point, you have to go down right an Zeke has thirty ze Mickey to just kick. Zeke has thirty seven tackles avoided in three hundred and fifty two attempts. Okay, Gordon has forty one and two hundred one attempts. I'm saying, though, the number on the list is Kareem Hunt, three, Kenyon Drake,

then Nick Chubb and Dalvin Cook. There's your top five, and the number of carries for each or two O one, two twelve, eighty eight and one thirty seven. Collins is number six at one forty four carries. Unfortunately, Kareem Hunt made one too many tackles. But this also doesn't take into not wrong. This also does he should have avoided tackles avoided also does not take into account a running back who gets hit and maybe that tackler gets credited

with the tackle. Yeah, and yet that running back is able to get an extra one, two or even three yards on that particular Kerry, are we talking alike at the line of scrimmage anywhere on the are just anywhere tackles avoided? I am insane. No, my head is spinning. I don't know. Hey, PFF did get Byron Jones in

the Pro Bowl. Partly give him credit for that, you think because on being on the those primetime games and stuff like that, they were touting him all season that he was graded maybe number one, number two all season. My point is, any list and I don't take an accounting. Okay, that's a great list for the Melvin Gordon type back

or whatever you know. Okay, that's fine, okay, But any any list that has Zeke Elliott twenty ninth, Todd Gurley thirtieth, yeah, and se Quon Barkley twenty third is not a good indicator of performance of half back. Barkley's analytics. Yeah, sa Quon Barkley is the closest thing I've seen to Barry Sanders in my career. So what happens, avoiding it might be a good indicator of a yes. By the way, yeah,

say one more time. Sa Quon Barkley is the closest thing I've ever seen to Barry Sanders when it comes to avoiding tacklers. And he's Yeah. The best indicator for me performance besides his yardage is yards after contact. The guy finds a way of getting an extra two or three yards and squirming through, and that guy three different contact might get credited with the tackle. Yeah, so it's not a tackle avoided. And yet he just dragged that guy for an extra four yards, right, He does that

maybe better than anybody in the right film. So if you jump over a guy and then lose your balance after you clear him, is that a tackle for that guy? Might? You avoided it and last person to touch him? So it was not a tackle avoided. But somebody though he got an extra ten yards jumping over the guy. So anyway, M glad you brought it up. Yeah, all right, and do how much time for another break? Here? Talking cowboys? We take more of your phone calls when we continue

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Jack Black. You have to have that men's facial treatment. Everything that they have is makes you feel so much better. The beard lube, the TurboWash, the face cleanser, all that stuff helps you out. Look at look at this face right, it's a face for TV. I'm telling you that's why he's on TV and we are just on a podcast body Washed. He got Jack Black Christmas and go to get Jack Black dot com. Forward slash Cowboys and you can get your playmaker four JB faves for ten bucks

free shipping. Get it. Get Jack Black dot com got a tweet from a buddy of ours listens to program, Ron Cox. He said, I got my Jack Black playmaker for Christmas. Thanks for the suggestion, Phillis there we go, Ron Cox's He's got his game working the right way. That's exactly right. I love the conversation yesterday about the officials and Mickey and his other life. Would be a game official. I would. We didn't determine what a fish the sport he would do though, right, We weren't sure.

We thought maybe he would be a baseball umpire. I would be very good at baseball, And I said, because you can argue, You can argue with people, and then and then uh basketball. I was one of the top intermural officials. Or are you really must did like a PF site rate you? Is that a director of the intramural department putting myself in my roommate on the best games when we got to the playoffs. Oh wow, Dean Blandino. But you on, that's right. There's nothing worse than a

bad official in the in those wreck games. If you get a bad official that that that just ruins your opportunity to get the T shirt. You know, remember when I was coaching eight and undergirls basketball. There were more of it, more officials that hated my guts. Bill. Were you like a subtle did you like subtle like you were sub guys? Or did you? Are you a screamer? No? I want not a screamer, you know, but I would.

I was a smart elic. How about this, I have tell a real quick story about you don't think I have a ball, real quick story. We're playing Bennett's playing a flag football game. He's six seven years old. On the other side side of the field, I don't have my glasses on, so I can't see who's yelling at the kids and stuff like that. And I'm like, hey, I'm like, settled down over there. It was Roger Staubach. Well,

he was there for his grandson's game. He was playing against Bennett, and he was like getting him that he was I'm like, settle down over there about yelling, And the next thing I know, my son's getting his picture with Roger Staubach. I'm like going, oh God, I didn't have my glass, so you said it to him for him. He's I'm on the other side of the field and I'm like piped down over there. Roger Roger, and Roger was getting on the official. One of the nicest people

you'll ever meet. He was getting on the official and I'm like and I'm and I'm like the dad that never But he was driving me nuts, you know, yelling at the official. It's a flat football game, you know, and I and I and then I yelled, I'm yelling at Roger Stauback. I'm like, oh God, would I just do I didn't go years ago I was. I was at doing a live shot from a chair. It was more than a couple of about five years ago, doing live shot from a charity basketball game. There's a lot

of former Cowboys that were playing in it. Uh at one of the high schools in Carrollton. And what a lady who is a basketball official there. She sees me and says, I remember you South, Like, oh no, man, that's not me. There's a lot of people at South like no Night of the South like sports program. You know how good I was as they had referee for flag football. We had they got the fields next each other, right,

so like four games one same time. And one of the rules was for flag football you couldn't dive to grab the flag and if you did the official was supposed to not blow the whistle because it's illegal, and then they get penalized afterwards. Right, So I'm one of my guys that the one of the players dove and one of my guys blows his whistle right, and a guy runs for a touchdown, and it's like, no one stopped. Right. So it's like I called the touchdown. He blew the whistle.

I said, no, he didn't. He goes, yeah, I heard it. He blew the whistle. I go, no, it was on the other field. But thinking nicky avoiding the introverted whistle. You know one thing about Mickey and this is the last on the official talk with Mickey, Okay, one thing I would love to hear. I would love to hear Mickey as a referee at an NFL game where he makes the announcement of what the call is. Yeah, can't you make that announcement for us? That should be a

bucket Listen, I just ance one the hat. Can't to do this? Maybe like Hall of Fame game or something. Yeah, that's great exhibition. Call a false start, Mickey, just right now, you can just call a false star fall start. Little thing number seventy five offense. Can you do it right? To do it animated too? No, I can't do the animation. You can do it right now. No, I just did it. No. I want you to know you have you have the microphone on. You're telling the world. What do you come on?

We'll all start number seventy six offense, five yards, five yard. Pilly still remains first down there. Yeah, there we go. All right, let's go to Albert in Philadelphia. Hello, Albert, Hey, Hey, hey, hey Bill, did you say seventy five in honor of Phil Pozz Derek. Yeah, exactly, That's exactly what I had on my mind. Yep, Phil Pazz Derek. Okay, the last time I called was last day in ox Start. I

said that late in Vandergh. After all said and done, it's gonna be one of the best linebackers in Cowboy history. Oh okay, it's starting to go. I hope you got start information I sent chill. Oh yeah, I do. Hey, thank you so much for doing that. That's very nice for you to do that. I appreciate you. What did you get? I asked one time on the on the on our show on the uh the Happy Hour, I asked about the one gift I'd like to get and Electric Football because I wanted to pass it down to Bennett.

Do you electric remember the game Vibrating Field? I was, and yes in the gentleman right here semi information. I do appreciate it. Very kind of you to do that. Thank you, No problem, the problem, Rob. I care about our history. I care about seeing ten to six and the media guide five years from now. As from a fan like me who pays to go these games, I'm like, right, I'm sorry, see us are some of our starters play.

I remember twenty fourteen that you know, we rolled through the Redskins the week after we won the division, and we won the next week in the division game, I mean in the wild card game. Uh two years ago we sat people in Philly. I was at that game too, and you know we came out real slow. Dak Prescott Clinton had a post power to save his life and we lost. Yeah. Yeah, but they scored thirty one points. Yeah. I thought he dueled him pretty well though. That Rogers

Rogers beat you on an incredible Oh. I know, I understand that. I understand that that's a mad example. You were rolling really well there by the way, though, you were going well, thank you. Well, I still think I'm going well, I think, um, somebody gets hurt in this game. Pathetically. You're gonna be Garrett. Oh no, no, no, you don't. Don't. Don't go there. You're not gonna say you're gonna call I'm not gonna call him Monday, Martin. I'm not talking about a guy like that. I mean, of course, sit

him down. Sure, But whoever is really hurt doesn't need to play. But and I'm not saying play the entire game, but I mean at least put a good effort out there for the fans who pay for it to go see these games. I've been to the last three games of the season, and I'm sick and tired of being shafted. Okay, well if that's one, if that's your argument, then go

with that. I mean, you kind of set everything up like you're I had tons of things to say, no, but but no, But seriously, you you know, the fact of the matter is if you were working in this organization, you would you would not take this attitude. Did you have now? You wouldn't. There's no way you would take this attitude. Well, Brian, I agree with most of time, with most of the things you say. Right, No, I'm

not asking you to agree with me. I'm just saying, is a let's take the last year we had nothing to play for it, right Hey, we're saying, oh, well, we can't get abody for the next season. I mean, come one, who said that? Yeah? Well who said? What? I know? I didn't like they weren't. Seriously, No, no, I'm wrong. You should hurt next year? You should? I mean, no,

you don't. I would like to see some of our guys play, and all right, I just seriously, if you weren't, if you you know, I understand the fans and the money. I get that, trust me, Okay, my family is a season ticket holders for twenty years. I get it. Okay, but if you sat down right now and you lost the guy that could help you get into to win a playoff game, you would be losing your absolute mind right now. I respect for your coming from, especially from

since you were a Scout. I truly do respect that. But as and as a fan, I kind of get that. But I but I want to see I want to I'm sorry, I'm a history buffs. I want to see ys. Get that time wink. All right, fair enough? Good. You know what, I think the Giants care that they went nine and seven and oh seven, I think they care. I'm just saying I love our cars, I really do. But man, that that one kind of and I appreciate him. Give me the electric football thing. That was very kind of.

You know. It was better than that though. It was the hockey. Hockey was awesome, like hockey. You know. Also, when I was in college, it wasn't the electric football, the vibrating game. It was the electronic football. I just discovered. I just discovered the discs you put him in the I just discovered football. The handheld game was back. Yeah this Christmas, and I didn't get it for Christmas. Yeah,

I love the electronic football. Maybe I was such a great electronic football players just go up and down, up and down, up and down, and then break for the break. Basically, yeah, are you familiar with this game? Never played? That? Make you love? It? Makes great sounds too, oh right, the joys of being younger than you get this is a video game. What do you mean There's no way, there's there's no way. I'm just sitting here thinking there's no way that the fans would forgive anybody here if they

get if they got somebody hurt. Trust me, we all have Twitter. Everybody is an expert here. You know what I'm saying. And so if you tell me that you go out there place somebody just to get a tenth win, you've played your ass off to get it to this point to where you can have an option. This isn't Minnesota, this isn't Indianapolis, this isn't Tennessee. You know, this is

not Philadelphia. You know you now if you have a chance to play, this a way to give your team the best chance to win a more important game than the tenth game. What was the caller's name, Albert? Albert. I mean, I respect his point. He talked about like trying to put a good product out there. They're practicing to go play well and put a good product on the field this Sunday. Now, how often how much some of these guys are playing, that remains to be seen.

But they're not sitting around this week drinking gatorade. I mean, they're trying to get ready to play this game and next day sharp. And we're not talking about a fourth preseason game where you're sitting thirty guys. You have to play, you can't physically do it. Yes, you've played your ass

off to get to this point. That that in itself, you should be happy about it, and I'm sure Albert is happy about that, But to win ten game, No, they won thirteen games and didn't need you know, at home field and didn't get to where they needed to be, the first team in like NFL history to have the number one seed and not get to the super Bowl. Whatever works was right. That's what I said the first segment. If Garrett is damned if you do, damn if you don't.

But what gives you the best chance out there trying to win this game or to get the playoffs success long term? It's making sure you got all your guys healthy. Now you got a factor in RUSS. But it's different than two years ago because there's not a full week off in between what's RUSS. They've been they've been, I mean it's been it's been playoff atmosphere for eight weeks. Now we worry about they are what they are, they really are, that this team is what what it is.

Bill Parcells told us after Thanksgiving, you are what you are. This team won enough games to win the division and get into playoffs. This is what they're going to go to battle with. Give me the best opportunity to go to battle with what I have to go win one of these games there. And I love you, I really do. About fans being short change, not being able to pay good money to watch the team play, Nobody respects that more to trust me, it's hard to go to a

game nowadays. It's hard meal for the Boston College in Boise State fans who came down here. The whole point we were, Mickey, you could get a ticket for next year's game. Mickey and I and I did Star Sports tour. There's all these people from Boise here. Yeah, I mean they came your Christmas playing. They went to see the Cowboy. Hopefully they got to see the Cowboys play Tampa and then get to go to the game hopefully. Stuff. That

was rough weather here yesterday. But that's tough, that's really tough. And well the other part of that is I saw that where the teams were saying that they were were staying that night too. They weren't leaving right after the game. Yeah, okay, so they're staying in the hotel one more night. Yeah, they could have played this morning. Leven am. How about how about playing this morning? It's a beautiful day for football.

But you said it just stakes when I crossed you yesterday TV TV, But ESPN doesn't have games and starting to do. They have gas going on all day play at nine am the next morning. But we got the reason. Oh we've got Steven A. Smith screaming out us. The only reason they have those games is for ESPN, exactly the ones. And once that lightning delay got past one hour and they could not fit that game into a four hour window before the next Bowl game started, then

ESPN pull the plug on it. Yep. That's what all these Bowl games are. And that's why I say they couldn't play content, Go ahead and play. They don't have Bowl games today until at least eleven, yeah, twelve. And how many channels does ESPN have? I put it on. She played some bad games on some of those. I couldn't even find it. It was like on the Classic. It was like way when the Cheese It Bowl? Yeah, where did that used to be? That's probably the Cactus

Bowl before that. It's a phoenix Phoenix at the but it's at Chase Field, at the home of the Diamondback. Cactus Bowl. The Cactus play that they were talking about a record, and I'm going that the cheese It bowls got like history. By the way, the First Responders Bowl put out a tweet that said the game has been ruled a no contest. Yeah, and that's her motto, right, I said, I said, God, I hope the Orange Bowl doesn't tweet that on Saturday night. Now the game has

been ruled a no contest. Oh boy, I'm afraid it would be. That's a really quick question for you. What do you get it? I got it. What's the deal with snack food in Arizona to tostidos cheese? It's do we have all snack foods have to go to Arizona. I want to want a gold bowler. Give me a goldfish bowl. That's my favorite snack. Stink goldfish bowl, stink rural goldfish. That was the bold I used to have in Tucson. There was a wasn't the cat I thought the cactus was in It was in of course it's

Arizona Phoenix. Maybe that was in Tucson. I think maybe that very This bowl at the Chase Field used to be a dot com something. Yeah, it was an inside dot com. I was Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl too, yes at one point, thank you, all right, here we go, and now it's the Sideline Interference Director Bowl. There is seeing they change all those names to force everybody to use the sponsor name, Like you know, Orange Bowl. I'm always called the bowl called yeah, the Pulan we need

your Independence Bowl. Hate Texas, A and M was a factor. Oh yeah, noon today, Noon today, by the way, straight for Missouri. Now we're back a little bit better than that, I am. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.