Talkin’ Cowboys: Angry Birds

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This He's Talking Cowboys Straining live from the Dallas Cowboys World Head Course at.

The Star in Frisco.

Seconds dot tits the touchdown, and now your hosts Isaiah Standback, Patrick Walker, Josh Rodriguez, and Kyle Yeomans.

It's a Thursday edition of Talking Cowboys, presented by a Black Rifle Coffee Company, live from the Star in Frisco, Texas.

And the WBC Mortgage Studios.

Welcome in, everybody, as we've got the full cast of crew ready to rock here over the next forty five minutes. Patrick Noci Walker, Josh Rodriguez, Isaiah standback, Chris.

Beamer in the back of Kyle Yeomans. Isaiah, how was trip good?

Trip was good? Man, Yeah, it was efficient and got some work in. Now I'm back with my squad.

I think you said the most yeah I saw you saw. You said the most overrated or underrated.

Team in the NFL was the Saints. Yeah they Yeah, they were. Obviously we spoke about them last week. We felt relatively good about the Dallas Cowboys chances going into that game, uh, barring the fact that they can get to the quarterback right, which did not happen. And then we also felt as if you know, obviously we did this time last week. Literally QB Vision sat up there

With w Everyone's got a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

And then punched it in and again and then again and again and then four more times. Yeah before you swing back six times? Yeah, first first six swings.

All that was last week. Guys, We're on to another week. Turn We're turning the page to an angry team.

Yeah, with the new defensive COORDINATORRDS.

Hell yeah, yeah, maybe that's the title. Yeah, early, I'll write it down. Let's go and get the title and description ready to rock. They will be, they will be. Let's get into some news and notes. Patrick No c.

Walker, Cowboys got to be pissed to all right. So injury report, Yeah, injury report came out yesterday. Not not necessarily ideal. First, we'll lead with the fact that Mozzie Smith left practice during the open portion, which was within the first fifteen minutes.

What he did not return run that.

Mis Smith, my miz yeah, yeah my Smith fifty eight, Yeah, yeah, my man. He left practice yesterday with a little bit of a back issue. Missie Smith left practicees today with

At a minimum of four games.

You re signed, or I should say, you poach Carlos Watkins from the Commanders, So it's the return for Carlos Watkins. But all of that is to say that they're defensive tackle issues going on right now leading into the Ravens game. So we'll see if Mozzie Smith can do any work on today, being Thursday. Let's see Brandon Cook's rest to day. Trayvon Diggs, he was a headline along with Ceedee Lamb. They both did not participate in practice yesterday with a

So yeah, there's nothing to get concerned about unless it's a Saturday injury right.

Treat it like a like a veteran rest day. But per NFL rules, if it is injury related, and even the slightest instance, you have to list it as such. But I'm told there's no concern there. So everybody step away from the panic button when it comes to that. And while you're stepping away from the panic button, stepped toward the green light. Because Jake Ferguson returned to practice yesterday,

Uh.

And that's really those are the big things. And John Stevens Junior also returned to practice, so he has a chance of making his NFL debut. So not only could you likely be getting Jake Ferguson back, but you might be getting the debut John Stevens, So you might be getting some real tight end depth going into this game. So yeah, but just to reiterate, Mozzie Smith, keep an eye on that, Trayvon Diggs and Cedee Lamb.

No concern likely for the tight end room.

I like it, just like the Raven suit. What you did? Yeah, I suit you. I didn't like what you did there, but I suit you did.

I liked it.

You liked it. It was pretty likely you like the Uh. So you said no concern for CD.

That was the first name that popped up for me when DNP and it's like, oh my gosh, what is happening?

What's going on? Even Zach Martin was out there and then he was listed as a limited.

Right he was limited, but he wasn't. It was like an imp which is not injury related for those that are asking. So it was a rest day for him no matter what. But again, per NFL rules, if it's anything wrong with the player physically, half to list it, so they put knee.

But he's he's fine.

I feel like technically Kyle Yeoman should be on the injury report today for sleep.

Yeah, sleep deprivation, Yeah, definitely take that. Yeah, I would love that injury designation.

But the deprivation, Yeah, he can't hit his rim cycle to save his life. But no, we spoke with Ceede Lamb in the in the locker or e rem not realm rem. We spoke with Clamb in the locker room, and he was he was. He was the usual Ceed Lamb right, he's focused. And there's no indication whatsoever that Ceed Lamb or even Treyvon Diggs are concerned about taking the field for the fullest slate of work on Sunday.

So that was the scariest part by far, and looking up and down the injury report. On the opposite side of things, it was very similar for the Ravens. I mean, you have Kyle Hamilton was a d n P. You had Kyle van Noy, Uh. I mean there's a couple of guys, yeah, that that are significant contributors to the Ravens on both sides of the ball that did not practice.

Absolutely, we got six d MPs for the Ravens. We got a l I'm not going to his name, Okay, their guard. We got Jayalen Lamore Davis. He did not practice cornerback Cal Hamilton's safety. So you got two in the secondary that did not practice. One was a personal issue, Mark Davis was a personal issue. But Cal Hamilton is dealing with a back issue. Okay, so there's that. You got a Lisa Isaac dealing with a hamstring, but he was full Ronnie Stanley tackle. Obviously ankle did not participate,

Give a quick one of these.

So then Nate wiggansqution with Nick and he's a concussion.

Protocol there, you know.

So there's the injury report between the two teams, and hopefully the Cowboys get both Zach Martin fully healthy and ready to go back on the field Sunday. And then of course you've got Jake Ferguson and John Stevens as your tight end room.

Continues to show a little bit extra depth.

So somebody on Twitter replied to my injury report dropped yesterday and said they'd be completely fine with Zach Martin just being pulled out his regress.

Yeah, yeah, Zach, we're talking about I saw the Zach Martin.

I saw the same tweet.

They were like, he's regress. If you benched that Martin.

No, honestly, if you want to say he has regressed since twenty twenty two, that's fair, but he is still his His eighty percent of twenty twenty two is still thirty percent better than anybody else still in all pro Yeah, let's get it twist famous and if you watch the film, there are times where he gets beat. It's plain and simple, But he used to be impenetrable he used to be Thanos the second time we've made a Fanos reference in

And that was what he used to be. He's not that anymore. He's part of it. But he's still got like three stones. Yeah, he's got like three of the five reality times.

So yeah, time starting us float away from him a little bit, right, You see what I'm saying.

Yeah, Yeah, it's still got still got. I love TJ.

Bass by the way I thought he's He's He's about as good of a backup guard as you're going to get from an undrafted free agent, from a guy like that who isn't going to be expected to do anything until maybe even his second contract, hopefully knock on Wood his second contract. Maybe at that point he moves into the starting role and he's good to go. I feel very confident with TJ.

Bass. That doesn't mean I don't want Zach Martin. You want Zach Martine.

Uh.

Let's talk about the opposite side of the line of scrimmage.

Though we talked about Mozzie Smith a little bit there, All of a sudden the defensive tackle room is looking mighty mighty fin They go out and they get Carlos Watkins. They signed him yesterday. That was right after we got off the air and that news came down. Jordan Phillips to ir Watkins poached off of the practice squad. As Patrick you alluded to a moment ago. He's kind of a tweeter. He's not in a true one tech three tech. He's more of an in between a three and a five.

I I don't want to be disrespectful but you do want to be honest. I'm always honest.

I have to say the same, save what your chest for tomorrow and actually have a surprise for you guys tomorrow.

That's scary, is it kool aid? From the no.

From from the depth perspective, yes, it is almost time to sound the alarm. From the effectiveness side of that room, I think that I've pulled the cover off and my hand is hovering because what I saw on film last week from that unit was hm, hmm, underwhelming. It's probably the most respectable. That's pleasant. Yeah, that was probably it's probably underwhelming. I'm not I'm not ready to again. My hand is not on the button, but it's hovering. And hm,

Yep.

There was times where you could pause the film and D linemen were getting thrown physically on the ground, like thrown on the ground. Like I'm talking Jazzy Jeff if you were in Take Fresh, Prince of bel Air and Jazzy Jeff Miday are getting tossed out by Uncle Phil, literally getting.

Thrown on the ground.

There was times where linebackers were turned the opposite direction and eyes are to the sideline looking at it.

I don't even know who you know. So it was.

It was just this hardening last week to see the ineffectiveness of this defensive line. So in terms of depth of Mazzi's not there, Yeah, it's a depth play, But no disrespect to Mazi. I haven't seen him show up in a major way yet.

And know you're not wrong in that assessment. No disrespect to Jordan.

Small sample size to be fair, it's a small sampitize. Okay, so let's go to the veterans Lynnville. Joseph my old teammate, he did not show up last week. He was him Jordan Phillips. All those guys looked like they were see walking laterally pushed. They were getting pushed, and I think if they watched the film, they will say the same thing.

I have no problem.

Everything I say on here, I will say it directly to their face because it's what I see on film. There's times where you should never see d linman's feet crossing over and look like they were doing karaokes. And as a defensive interior defensive lineman, your feet can never be in a situation where you're now doing karaokes because

What do you attribute that to? Is it a lack of effort? Is it a lack of execution? I mean a little bit of everything, properly.

It's not effort. These guys are trying. And that's why that's why.

I'll never attack a man's effort.

It's execution, and that is that an execution that lacks because of the understanding or a lack thereof of the scheme.

For me, it was it was gap discipline. For me, it was gap disciplined.

There was times where you watch this defensive line versus the Saints offensive line and literally, right, if you imagine that you're lined up on a center, okay, and you're playing the ones right, so you're you're half a man, say to the right, right to the right of the of the offensive of center, and all of a sudden you're half a body across right. You have the advantage

And now you're relying on Trayvon Diggs to make the tech come on. Now you're running directly at him.

That's why I'm saying you can't. This is not a dance. This is not dance with the stars where you can go sideways. This particular defense that Coach Zimmer has installed, you have to have d linemen that a either go vertical and go north from their direction and they push the guys back across the line of scrimmage, or you hold the fort and you don't get moved at all. And that's why we spend so much time talking about the interior Divs alignment on this particular show, because that

Oh yeah, oh yeah it is.

It's frustrating when you see guys moving backwards and you see this lack of gap discipline. But it's all got to be rooted from somewhere. And that's where I have the biggest question mark. Is it a lack of understanding with the scheme. I agree with you, guys, I don't think it's effort. These guys are all playing and they know what it takes to be in the NFL. They're not just out there like collecting paychecks, Like that's not how this works.

Either that or it's the.

Not for long league and you're not going to get another opportunity and you'll get blacklisted.

Before you even know it. So I don't think it is an effort or a lack thereof from these guys.

But there's something leading to that inefficiency and gap discipline. There's something leading to the getting pushed back five to ten yards downfield, And it might just be as simple as a lack of talent, and it might be it may be a lack of talent in that room, unfortunately, and that's kind of what you're having to deal.

And do you think that's because of the priority at defensive tackle or just defensive line in general, where it's like you've drafted really good guys there. Obviously you have Micah, you have DeMarcus Lawrence, obviously guys that you've drafted. Yeah, oh so Di Gizua you drafted. But do you think that outside of the draft they've made a concerted effort to sign talented players at that position. Has it been a priority in free agency?

Yeah, it's up to question.

Right.

Prior to the Mike Zimmer era starting effect of this year, it's not been a priority.

So the answers, no.

Except for drafting guys high. I mean they drafted second round, acquiring from outside of the building.

God, So as far as free agency acquisitions, it has not been a top priority much, you know, much similar to how they treated the safety position pre dan Quinn right, as far as like they draft and you can get serviceable guys like a Jeff Heath or Kevon Frasier, but as far as getting high caliber guys like a Malike Hooker. That was dan Quinn right, that that's how that worked, and that's why. And you can you know, there's rightful reasons to to criticize dan Quinn, but we're not getting

They've tried.

Obviously, you you address it with early round picks that haven't necessarily worked out.

Like we talked about Tristan Hill, you talk about mis Smith.

So far there's been there's been a valiant effort there.

And I think when they drafted Neville, Gallimore was a third round pick. Golden was a third round pick who they moved inside. I mean was a third round pick from the same draft.

And don't get me wrong, is a dude.

Osa is a dude. He's a dog man. I love him, and chances are I can get into that.

Don't do it. Yeah, they won't have the bag. They won't have the bag.

They will not have the bag to retain him this year. So y'all give hi miss Flowers wise here. Yeahs is a dog, but Osa is even though he will still be and it has been successful in this scheme and through the first two games last week not so much week one. Yes, he's not built for this scheme if that makes sense, right. That doesn't mean to he can't have success in this scheme, but he doesn't fit.

He's at a disadvantage.

Yes, that's this scheme is not his thing. Now.

He can still do the job, they can. He still make it happen, but it's not gonna He's not gonna be a highlighted guy. In this particular scheme because you're asking him to to be the fore just hold the.

Fort, and that's not his thing, trying to get around guy Osa is a tweener. He's a tweener. He's a d N slash D tackle.

He's freaking built like a Decepticon, and and can he's quick. Yeah, he's smart, and he's fast, and he's a hard worker. I mean, he's he's a really good player. But this scheme, again, is built for the big fellas that don't move. I'm thinking about the old school. Since we're talking about Baltimore, let's go back to old school Baltimore defensive lines.

Who'd you have in there? You had?

You had Sam Adams, right, yeah, Tony Sarah Gusa, you had all the big fellas that listen. I'm not asking this dude to run five yards anywhere. But what I am asking you to do is take up both of these fellas in the middle for me, so that the fellas behind you can he That's what this defense is built on. And you don't have those big fellas in the middle. Now, since Zimmer's touchdown, what has he done?

He said?

Okay, let me watch this. Mozzie Smith cat. Okay, he's not ready yet. He's not big enough. Let's just call it what it is. Mozzi's not big enough for this game. That's that's no, no, no slight on him. We're waiting for him to come around as a player, as a professional. But while he's coming around and trying to figure himself out in this league, he's not big enough in this scheme. Facts, okay, has nothing to do with his strength. I was when I was playing tight end at the end of my career,

I'm like, I'm two forty. These guys are three thirty. You don't say so.

It doesn't matter at a certain point, it doesn't matter what your effort is.

You're you're you know what I'm.

Saying, Like, it's you have you have to have to size, so size mass at a disadvantage. But Zimmer said, Okay, I need some big fellas in there, so let me who's out there. Okay, let me pull out hey, scouting department. You know will Albert?

Who can we get right Albert last year weight? Yeah, filter my weight exactly right. Right. So he went out there and he's trying to address it.

But you're getting you're getting I don't want to say scrap because that sounds disrespectful to the guys that have been acquired. But you're not getting the first batch, you know what I'm saying. So you're getting a limbo Joseph, you're getting the Jordan Phillips. You're getting these guys that are at the house chilling, waiting for their opportunity and waiting for their proper fit.

And those guys have now come into building.

And they're trying to get their feet underneath Them's call it what it is, but.

To me, it harkens back to whenever we signed on Terry Poe. It kind of it feels like, yes, that's the way.

It's been that way for the last what three years now, the last three years, I think maybe even four years. They've gone back and they've tried to grab a D Lineman every year, every year, right, they grab a D Lineman.

Good.

Yeah, and he got the bag elsewhere.

Yeah, you know, he turned to working out because it was the same offer, but he wanted to go.

He wanted to Hankins. Poe who tours towards squad h jerom m Yeah, Jerrel McCoy.

It's been this way for the last four years where it's like, Okay, at that particular position group, we're gonna grab who's remaining and you're hoping that they come out.

Last year it worked out right with Hanks, but you had to trade for him. Yeah, yeah, you had to trade exactly. That's why I put it out there.

You you had to trade for Hankins, and it's it's one of those two things they traded for Jordan Phillips, right, Yeah, but it hasn't worked out because it doesn't always And to Isa, the effort is there. Yeah, the effort is there, but they're kind of snake bitten at that position. That's kind of my thought to the kind of snake bit.

They've done the work, They've added these guys that we just talked about, Gallimore and Goldston and Digg you do with Mazi Tristan Hill.

They've invested time, ef rated picks.

They have not hit the hit rate all machine the guys, but then the two guys that you've hit on are Osa and Jonathan Hankins over the last seven years. And if that's the case interior, if you're if you're hitting back interior defensive line, if you're hitting two of eleven or twelve or thirteen or fourteen that category, I mean, you're not going to get a second contract in the MLB with the Atlanta Braves, right pat Like you're not.

Doing anything exactly.

You're getting df a'd at that point, or the Phillies. But that's my point is they haven't had the hit rate of defensive tackle. You can't say that about any other position.

They've hit at defensive end.

They corner linebackers, they've hit at corner corners.

Yeah, yeah, corners. Insane And it has to it has to. Something has to give, right, and it has been the defensive tackle position, interior defensive line since I.

Think it's frustrating for Cowboys fans to look at it and say, why can't any of these guys work?

And by any of these guys, I mean they need that big, big guy on the end and don't have it.

The frustration that you guys are exuding is the same frustration that that front office is. It's not like, it's not like they're not trying trying, they just have It's to be to USA's point, it's got to be infuriating to know that you are excelling at scouting this position and that position, in this position, in this position, but this position.

Right here, which is right here.

This is death and this cannot you can't figure this one out. So you just know that Will McLay is just upstairs just pulling his hair out, like what is it about this position? So, yeah, they're as frustrated as we are. But I would also say that that kind of goes back to being players early in free agency. You don't have to be players at every position because you don't need to play at every position in the

We're seeing them try.

But because you're so snake bitting at defensive tackle with the current process, change the process.

Yeah, I like it.

Isaiah brought up a little bit ago the Baltimore Ravens and the tradition that they have on defense.

Is that tradition still there.

With the new defensive coordinator, Zach Orr coming to town, we'll talk about his impact and we'll give you a little QB vision scouting the Baltimore Ravens defense in their matchup with the Cowboys offense when we come back right after this with more talking Cowboys.

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I love it all, right, Isaiah stand back. You took a couple of days off. I did, went on a nice little trip out west. It was a soul searching journey just to be able to watch and scout tape of this Ravens defense. Dude, tell me how they're a little bit different with a little bit.

Of why Eddie, Why Eddie put up?

It's time for QB vision with Isaiah's standback.

Well, everybody, welcome back to talking cowboys. Oh, here we go. That sounded like me. This defense big game, man, big freaking game.

Absolutely.

I'm frustrated because last.

Week we laid out right through all the film study we do and all the research that we do on this in Obviously we can't go out and play the game. But what we faced last week was relatively simplistic, right, I told you, guys. There were some little bit of curveballs they threw in here and there, but you can see them.

You can see the.

Curveballs, and this offense just did not take advantage of it. And there's not going to be too often that you face defenses that are relatively simplistic. Right, This defense, even more so than last week, is a lineup, let's get after it had to head, old school, I'm not scheming you up to I'm just more physical than you type of defense. These guys you're talking about the new defensive coordinator and zach Or, he's getting his feet wet, per se.

Those two big fellas right there.

They're literal gargantuans on the defensive line, right like the guys that you send to the buffet and you say eat up and come over here. Put your hand in the ground and put your hand on each shoulder of these guys and just hold the fork. The reason why I want you guys to hold the force because we got some dogs behind you.

In roal Kwan Smith YEP, absolutely a literal dog. So I wasn't going to go there, but you did. He's a dude. Yeah, represent your.

Squad, go dogs, but not this weekend. I was hesitant to say this, but I'm going to say it. The way in which Mike Zimmer would like his defense to line up in the front seven and play. That's how Baltimore plays m like the it is a cutting pace even here in twenty twenty four, because I think there's been some criticism so twenty twenty four the way he wants them to play, Okay.

Well they're they're allowing the lowest yards per rush in the NFL right now, lowest in the league.

Yep, you know what the yard because it's hard to move three hundred and fifty pounds in two spots on the defensive front. And then you stand up a Kyle Vanoia on the outside, who's going to be running around like a madman? Right obvious whether he got the growing in the eye, we'll see what happens there. But these guys are big on interior defensive line, so it's very difficult to get a running game established. Okay, at the second level, these guys are physical. They're freaking physical. Second

So I just kind of a side note here. That's a byproduct of their new defensive coordinator. It's a tradition that Baltimore's had for a long time. But zach Orr, I've actually know him pretty well. He was back at North Texas. He played at North Texas. He was a mean green linebacker best in program history in my opinion, outside of me and Joe Green, So he was legitimate went to the Ravens. He had that physicality and that in his blood.

Initially went to the Ravens.

That's all he did was special teams and linebacker play and ran sideline the sideline. He got on the coaching staff in twenty seventeen special teams linebackers elevated a coaching analyst, then an outside linebacker, outside linebackers, inside linebackers. He is the physicality that is portrayed on the field with some of these guys.

And that's exactly what you see.

So in terms of the front seven, these guys are lineup four down guys. You might see three down linemen with a stand up defensive end. Usually Calvanoy is a guy who's a stand up and he's a number fifty three. But the interior guy is still bringing to He still bring backs. Last year he could bring it. So that's what the front seven looks like. Big physical, not doing a bunch of moving around. We're coming downhill, right. Our

Us, which is is kind of funny though, because Cowboys are going up against a UGA linebacker that's just an absolute animal coordinated by me and Green darn.

Right, North Texas is the boss baby I heard now.

To that point and to Josh's point as well, this is a Ravens defense that they're old school. They won't to stop the run, and they can stop the run, and they have been stopping the run, and they will continue to stop the.

Run, especially against a team that has done what struggled in running the ball.

Right, So they're averaging less than fifty yards allowed per game on the ground, it's crazy, that is insanity. They won't continue, but because have to believe the losses. But that's stick right, But they're getting it done. But here's where you attack them. Okay, the Cowboys passing attack. This is the game to get going. This is the game

Offense for the Baltimore this week. I know we did that yesterday helping more into your life.

Baltimore's Baltimore is gonna run the ball forty times. Baltimore is going to run the ball forty times. I'm gonna tell you all that right now. Okay, forty attempts Lamar Jackson. You'd be lucky to see him put the ball in the air. Okay, So they're gonna run the ball between him and Derek Hill.

We have the plan for Lamar. Yeah, check out, we got his episode. Yeah check out.

Yes, we solved it.

But to your point, how do you now beat them.

Okay, You're I'm not saying that you can't beat them on the ground in the run game, but I'm saying it's not likely.

It's not exactly is that my soft spot is right there.

If I'm fighting, if I'm fighting Mike Tyson, I'm running around for six rounds and then then I'll fight. Then I'm gonna tire them out first.

Okay. So that's the same approach you have to take here.

But to your point, you can beat these guys in the past game, and their past defense is that is probably the most basic that I've seen, because they're so confident in what they do. Front seven wise, they are running cover two, they're running cover three.

And that's about it. Like literally, that's about it.

When they get in man to man, they get torch and they sprinkle it in there, just to say that they're sprinkling it in there. But every single time they go a manda man they get beat one on one. None of their guys are good enough to cover man to man.

To me, that says big opportunity for Brandon Cooks absolutely to get on it, you know what I mean, to build the confidence and finally get on that second receiver.

Yes to your point, Bill, right, I think I think Brandon Cooks has a chance. But because of these guys want to run a two high show. Okay, then, and for a team, understand this. If you want to stop the run, do you go single high or two safeties? Tell me you don't really go single high because you go the extra safety in the right. You want eight guys in a box. These guys run a two high show all game, and they're the best in the league.

Are gonna be open if you have the time to throw them.

All those underneath little stick routes and out routes and little option routes by the tight ends.

Having Jake ferguson back is huge because.

If you guys have any questions, go back and look at what Brock Bowers did last week for the Las Vegas Raiders. This dude had nine catches ninety eight yards. I think it was no touchdowns. But he balled out against those guys as well. Why because they try to stay too high shell and they try to man him up underneath with a linebacker and they don't have the personnel coverage wise to take that assignment on head to head. So you have gaps in the cover. Two, you have

Kyle Hamilton is one of the best safeties in football. Absolutely.

Now he will hit your chest cavity out of the south side of your body. Now, all these guys, the whole.

Defense is physical concave against this too.

Absolutely freaking ay.

So it's concerning to me Dallas's history against physical teams.

That's that is a concern of mine.

However, I am relatively confident in Dallas's ability to protect up front versus a team that doesn't possess a lot of.

Past rushers per se.

These guys are more just yeah, big boys, We're gonna push you from the inside, and then if you if you sit back in the pocket too long, eventually we're gonna get you and there we'll get there. Event When they do blitz, it's usually one linebacker. They're bringing one guy. They're not going to expose themselves to being susceptible to a big play because they decided to blitz.

Sot the blitz.

He's amazing against the blitz.

Pressure, but it's pressure, but it's not pressure, right. So if they're bringing four linemen up front and they're bringing one additional line you have five offensive linemen, it's not really pressure, right as long as everybody does their assignment. The problem is the problem is it's hard to single up. And this is where Tyler Smith and Zach Martin are gonna have that heck of a day along with Cooper Bebe. Those guys are gonna have to hold down the ford

In the mouth, absolutely, and you have to be a little careful to Tyler.

Guy needs to make a big step going into this Going into this game.

He leads the league in pressures right now.

Uh, and you just have o'daffy away on the other side on the on the edge there that might give him some issues.

Graded as a ninety overall pff.

And a half already, Like I said, saying though they played brick Wall up front, right, they don't. They don't have well who has not many has a Mike have a Michael Parsons level kind of guy. But they don't have the twitch pass rushers coming off. So I mean, they're not getting back there with you know, prime delivery. It's physicality.

We're not. No, they're they're sending it you know via pony Express.

Yeah, it's pony Express. If you wait there long enough, they're gonna This is a team that it ain't coming overnight next to the.

Next to the forty nine or same day.

This team, to me, this team, to me is the uh probably the only other team in the league that I would say is the team that says this what put you in an alley?

Head up your guy vers my guy? Who would the other team be? I want you to answer that question.

On the other side of the break more on the Cowboys offense versus the Baltimore defense when we come back.

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Today to Talking Cowboys. Back here on Talking Cowboys.

This segment is brought to you by in visi Line, the official smile of the Dallas Cowboys. Diving into the Cowboys offensive preview versus the opponent defensive preview, as we do every Thursday. We've got plenty of science QB vision. Rodriguez z own, I don't even know. We got to find a game for your segment, Rodriguez. Rodriguez his own to the extrasease, yeah, maybe that's what it is.

I don't know.

You sleeping, but yeah, I would love that.

It's is gonna be my segment. That's the extra disease that I need. All right, final thoughts on this matchup.

You talked about a team that would want to go up in an alley way and fight whoever who wants to smoke against the rest of the league.

The other thirty teams in the league.

Yeah, so I mean again going back to the San Francisco forty nine ers that we faced in regular season and the playoffs, that physicality, that confidence that they have. Again, when you have a team that's like, you know what, yeah, we're running covered, We're running Cover two, running cover too, Like we don't care that, you know, we don't care. You know why, because we're more physical. That's their mentality, and that's their attitude, that's their swagger that they come with.

That's defensively.

I know we're talking about defense, but you're going to see it on the offensive side of the ball too. They have a solid offensive line and they are very confident in their ability to run the ball with speed or power with the combination that they have. So physicality is going to be the word of the day. And you're going to have to I can't say it on air, but you're gonna have to up against these guys, you know what I mean, like like being just real, Like

Yeah, You're gonna need Kendrick said that in an interview. That's not what Jordan said. Jordan said the other thing.

Yeah, so this is a game where as we like to say, every male sitting out there, you're your manhood's going to be tested. Your manho's going to be tested in this game because they are going to lick you in your eyes and be like bring it.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

I don't know how that confidence or how my confidence would waver in that element based off of that being the case, because I agree with you, I think it will be a physical, physical bout. But if if that's the case, I don't know where my confidence lies in the Cowboys to get the job done.

Because that hasn't been their game.

When they've been successful, they've done it from a speed, a finesse uh an execution attacktic way. Whenever it comes to physicality. There's only a couple of games over the last couple of years that they have won because of physicality. I can point to some of the divisional games with Philly that they have won, they've lost some in the same bout. They've he's usually exchanged blows. I think the Detroit game last year was one where it was physical

I think I'm going to differ from from Iris. And even though I know there are three words that is you don't miss with that. I think this is a game where number One, yeah, the Ravens are going to come with the big with the big glows, the eight ouncers, and they want to try to knock the hell out of you. But you can beat this Ravens team with finis. You can do it from the defensive side of the ball because really the only one outside of the offensive line,

It almost looks like a Tampa two, but it's really hey two high safeties over the top.

Our cornerbacks on the.

Outside have the ability to drift outside of their zone, so it makes it look like a Cover four and then they're inside. Linebackers are going to match against your tight ends like they.

Literally play man.

So if you have anything coming underneath them or behind them, there's huge holes in the middle of the field.

That as will take advantage. So that's what I mean.

You can beat that, You can beat that power with your finesse, but you better convert when you get the ball. There it is, you better cover when you get the ball because I'm not sure how many opportunities the office is going to have.

The offense might might have seven series.

But you're gonna want to You're gonna want to win time of position anyway. But it's like like we were talking about earlier this week when in time, time of position is one part of the battle because but the other part of it is how efficient and productive are

You want to score early and often because you don't want to give them the opportunity to run the ball.

You want to make them pass and you.

Want and what that does is it creates this butterfly effect where later in the game, because these guys are powerful, they're physical.

What that means they we're down.

Faster, right, So like Isaiah said, with Mike Tyson, one of the keys to beating Mike Tyson was not.

To go toe to toe with him. You had to tire him.

You had to take him to a ten rounds, eleven rounds, twelve rounds, and then the punches have less effectiveness. He's he's gassed, he's breathing hard. So that's how you have to treat the Ravens. You get up on him quick and then you just start dancing around the ring, which is quick jab my quick punch, strike, strikes, striking, then like oh god.

We you know we're tired, and there you go.

I know, we gotta get out of here. You made a statement about I don't know what you said, Jordan Lewis or someone that Jordan Lewis calling Derek Henry juggernaut and saying that you have to get him down before he gets going, before he gets going. Understanding the physicality and the ineffectiveness of penetration with our defensive front to date, it leads me to believe that Mike Zimmer is now planning to do what bring pressure?

Yep, And if you bring pressure now, my concern is.

Leverage because then Lamar goes at the end and list.

As soon as I let's see that clean that up, we're back to the spy games. Baby's be honest.

I know that that Lamar's speed is a different type of speed.

It's a different type of speed. But you're also facing a desperate, desperate team often.

But have never made the playoffs after starting zero and two.

You're facing a desperate team. You know what, that just invested a ton of money at a position that really didn't need to be addressed for them.

But you know what, at the end of the day, I would rather if it came to this, and obviously, like we talked about, spy him with Michael or spy him with overshown, the plan is there. You're going to lose some of those to Lamar Jackson, some of those runs because his speed is just insane. It's Mike Vick level speed. But I would rather allow, not allow wrong word.

So that's what I mean.

It's what you're more likely to win by Lamar Jackson having a good day on the ground and a bad day in the air, then a good day in the air and a bad day on the ground.

Yes, is what I'm saying.

Yes, it's gonna be interesting either way, and it'll be a tough matchup.

Tomorrow.

We've got some deep dive into what base packages and sub packages that Mike Zimmer is gonna utilize to his advantage.

We're gonna give some examples along the way.

Something for you to use is kind of a cheat sheet going into the weekend of what to watch for whenever it comes to the Zimmer defense and some of the nuances that differ from Dan Quinn's days here with the Cowboys. So we'll talk about that tomorrow and how

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