Talkin' Cowboys: Are Changes Coming?

sitting there with your family. Take a break, take take a listen to us as we bring some positive news after a sad Cowboys loss on Christmas Eve. But we still have work this week and we still have the Eagles on Sunday at noon. So how's everyone doing ready for that weather? Yeah, I'm good. We're getting ready ready for it right now. Yeah forever, it's quite the same, Yeah,

no different low of nine, Brian. So people get awoke off between Christmas and New Year's Yeah, if you if you drive along the highways, you can tell that when when When does the last time that's happened to any of us? I bet rob high school when I didn't work here for three years. Yeah, they get you the whole week. Taylor. Taylor getting ready for bowl games, national championship games. I've never had time off ere. I would say high school because even when I was in college,

and you still get the break. I would leave on Christmas Day and go to Miami or Pasadena or Nice and a lot of places use us. Yeah, she did a lot of places that young life. Kind of a big deal. Kind of a big deal. So low of nine, low of nine, So it's not quite the same here. No, that's gonna be difficult. They gonna have to fight. I lived in the Low of nine for about five years. Let's you come with us. Yeah, we're downtown. Found out so sweet. If you took my spot pregame, you're just

stand on the box and stand above. You could host. Yeah, I'd love that. You guys will all be the same height. Yeah, it'd be cool. Yeah, all the same height. That's important. It is important. Yeah, TV TV, we need you on the trip, Tay, we do. I can't believe they're outside practicing right now. No, they need to practice outside. They need to play football. Used to it. No, you know what though the coach is set. I know you're probably gonna get into this, Tay, but listen to the head

coach talk. He's gonna go try and win a football game. He should because you have to have a winning season, because if you don't, you're gonna sit there at eight and eight for the rest of the off season. Yeah, knowing that you're super Bowl hopes and dreams at the start of the season long gone. Well, maybe some of it not at their own doing. You know, what do you mean the whole thing with the suspension with Elliott you figure, you know, Mickey, we were trying to talk

about how many more games would it mean? It mean one, two more games, you know, maybe a little bit different, maybe not being three and three, maybe being four and two. A couple of things your way. In a couple of losses they had all of a sudden, you're looking at ten eleven wins. I just think, you know, that's the thing about what happens is that it's amazing to me and I've I've accused the fans of this waiting with

pitchforks and torches at the gates ready to storm. I liked your tweet this morning after that you know, I missed it. What was it? Yeah? Just what he said? Oh okay, yeah yeah, pitchforks and torches, you know. And and it's amazing, you know, and Nicky likes to use the line. Well, they hadn't. They didn't get this dumb just overnight. And and you know, talk about the players. You talk about Prescott, sure, I mean he saved your rear. The start the season had really kind of an off middle,

didn't have the running back. The offense is built around Elliott the way it is, you know, And we didn't consider a sophomore sump for a dack. I don't you know. I didn't. I was one of these guys, and I don't know about anybody else. I think you guys were pretty consistent about this when we're coming out of Oxnard, that there wouldn't be a slump because of the weapons around him. But did the weapon around him help him this year? You know, Mickey talks about the offensive line.

Was it really one of the best offensive lines? No? You know, was their lack of the running game? Yeah? For six weeks there really was, I mean that that dynamic player to run the football. Remember after DeMarco Murray left and it was the twenty fifteen season. It was the four and twelfth season ever, and said, well, they've got they've got the old line. They can place, plug and play anything in there, and then it feels almost

very similar with this year, except vice versa. It was like, well, they have the running back, they can almost plug anyone in there on that old line, right, and it will kind of be the same. And it was not. It's

a threat. They were able to run the ball. The threat that Elliott presents is difficult to deal with if you're an opponent, and we saw that the other day with Seattle to a point and then all of a sudden, then you got behind in the game and now you had to start throwing the football to try and get back in it. I really look at the season in

like three different chunk. We talked about the first month of the season where they played some really good fronts defensive right that they struggled with and you could say the offensive line didn't play up to their standard. They were really challenged in those games. And then you start looking at Green Bay, San Francisco, Washington, Kansas City, when they got things rolling up front, they got things rolling

with the running game, Dak. Let's not forget Dak was terrific there in that stretch, and all of a sudden it looked like this team's a contender again. They started looking like the offense that we were accustomed to lasting. And then the court stepped in exactly and well, both this and Sean Lee hurt too. You're right. Day it was like it was like being on that ride in the fair the bottom falls out. Yeah, well stick to the wall and you keep spinning. Yes, that was kind

of the perfect storm. And then they went through that lull where they didn't adapt well or maybe it's just a reality without without those guys got it turned around and then looked they lost. They lost a difficult game the other day. Zeke Back thought he played well, there were some things you talked about in blitz protection. Okay, maybe that's some rust. Yeah, it's not all on him. But they just they just beat themselves. They turned the ball over too much the other day and it cost them.

But have they been perfect offensively with all their pieces. No, but it's never a perfect season as it is. This is silly, so bear with me on this question. But if you could go back, you know, we talk a lot about losses. You could get back and forth, and it is what it is with the ezy gilia suspension. He missed the games he missed, and we are where we're at. But would you have rather him, knowing what you just said, how this team kind of got on the role, would you have rather him do that sixth

game suspension right away? Get it done? I think what game would you have come back for? It would have been the October twenty ninth game, I believe San Francisco y San Francisco or Washington on the road. San Francisco was the seventh game. He would have been back at Washington. At Washington. Yeah, so say he's back there, and then the rest of the season, I mean, you go on a run hopefully or at least you've figured out different things. What do you think? That's a great question. They went

what four and two during that six game stretch? Yeah with him? Okay, so they went three and three without him. Yeah, it's one game difference, right game difference? Yeah? Where yet right now? One game outlay, one game off. I don't know if there's any guarantees. Yeah, it's look at our question if you want to look at itselfish, But you got to look at it from his standpoint. Yeah, Oh no, I agree. I'm not I'm not saying anything about him. I'm just saying, you know, timing of the season is

so can I can I interject and maybe it? Can I interject another thought? Were they too late to adjust to the young defensive backs, adjusting which sense play the young defensive backs? Or I mean, I know a Woozier was trying to practice, actually missed a couple of games while he was got hurt in Denver, right, and then actually got hurt in Green Bay, and then got hurt again in Green Bay, got hurt again Bay. Yeah, But but were they could they when he was coming back?

Were they? Were they? Should they have? Should they have made a switch? Should they have thought about a different plan of attack? Again, I'm just asking because it looks like with that switch, or with the secondary switch with Shaun Lee, with Hitchens, they've kind of found them. They found themselves defensively a little bit. But remember they had

brought him back twice. The Green Bay game he got and it failed, right, And so when they brought him back the third time, it was like, let's not give him a heavy load. It wasn't going to corner, so he played two games of special teams before he took over at left. See, that's what I'm saying, though he was he was actually available. I want to say before they they put him out there at Washington. You know that. That's That's all I'm saying. Should they have made the

switch a little earlier. It's a good thought. I mean, I don't know if it's a good thought at all. No, No, I'm just saying, though it is. I think we're we're all we're all focusing on the offense. Yeah, but could the defense again, they've played through the winning streak and then the last week. I mean, it couldn't have gone any better for them last week the way they played Seattle defense, and they did they did, and we talk about a Woozier and then they had the one drive

and the PI and stuff. That was a terrible call. Yeah, I'm I'm with you, But I'm just saying, though, when you when you're dealing with you know that was that was a game there where I'm looking at Hi, I'm going Mike, Gosh, your defense played well enough to win

this that you had. You had a chance if you get that touchdown if Dak somehow gets the ball to Beasley, and then I think, if I'm Jason Garrett, I click over and say, guys, just you know, Rod, get me a stop here, Just get me a stop, you know, because you got to feel good about the way the defense. I mean, if they were gonna put the game in the defense's hands, that they got that score, then I think I think he might have won that football game.

I wrote about it yesterday. The last time they lost, they lost a game allowing that few of yardage was like two thousand and five, where one hundred and thirty six total yards. And that's the second time twenty fourteen. They played Russell Wilson really tough too. Yeah, didn't allow much. Yeah, they've done a nice job of playing being disciplined against him. And yeah, Rod's got a good plan against him. Yeah, and the and the the guys were rushing at the

proper depth. They gave the Seahawks defensive line a lot of problems. You guys were tackling, you know, you guys were covering, covering on the outside. Biggest play they had and they're a chunk play team, was twenty yards, I believe, And that was after that was after I should have been a holding call on Taco. Tacco clearly beats ia Fetti to the to the around the corner official standing right there. You know, he gets the gets to pull down right, you know, and they don't get the call.

Now again, that happens. You're not going to get every call. But that was the That was the biggest play they made in the game. And a funny thing on that play was Trey Aikman said, even though i Fetti turned around like he was surprised, he was expecting, but how obvious it was. I just wonder, I wonder if the if they go with the if they went with the young kids trainer's decision. I see, Okay, that's that's fair. I see your point. That was the influence on let's

not give him the whole load. That's that's that's fair. But you're right, if they had had the opportunity to do it right, sees, young kids have played really well because you wasted time with um well Anthony Brown was oh not Anthony Brown who started off and then he got hurt. Oh h Nolan Carroll and Carroll right, but see, Oozie would have beaten no out. I think Oozie would have beaten him out if he was healthy, Like right from the start. See, the thing was everybody was really

high on I'm talking about everyone high. I'm talking about everybody on the opposite side of the building from us. They were Saint Brian watch Jordan Lewis, Watch Jordan Lewis. See to me, it seemed like Jordan Lewis was initially their candidate, that he was the guy that had the first round ability, that they were that they got the third round steal. Yeah, So I don't know if you look at the season, was it really the six games

with Elliott. I think that was huge, no doubt, But we're could they've made some adjustments defensively from what we've seen right now to even help them even more. Injuries definitely prevented them from executing their plan with that too. But but do your point. I see your point about

the young dbs. But Mickey, I agree with Mickey there in that they wanted to make sure when Chito came back, oh there's no questions, not a third, no question reaggravation and then he's done for the season when you don't see basically all his rookie year, right, So they want to be certain hundred ten percent when he came back, and he came back and played awfully. Well, you know everybody wants to talk about Okay, he gave up the touchdown. Oh,

I love the kid. I mean he played hard and and and that call in the end zone was bs because if anything, you can call holding, the ball was not in the air, so you can't call interference. Right. How do those guys make mistakes like that? Officials? Yes, it's part of their job. I meant, yeah, it's it's part of the pre record, so you have to, Hey, come on, make mistakes. But no to me, I I just kind of I mean, you do the autopsy of the season. Where are you where are you looking at?

What are you saying? Okay, this this should have been you know what could they have done differently? Okay? Here it is and this is and I think this is. This is the cork that fell through the bottle. Oh boy, that's a bad situa. That's a bad also. It'll also ruin an offense. The backup swing tackle. Yeah, totally failed on it. Now, I can't criticize him for thinking Chaz Green could do it because we saw him do it.

That's that's a fair point. That's a fair point. But when he failed, there was no way Byron Bell was going to hang in there. And I heard you watching that tape yesterday. There were a lot of yelling going on over there. He single handedly caused three or four like critical plays in that game because he couldn't block the guy who couldn't stand in front of him and not get pushed back into the quarterback. Right. It was just awful. So we talk about Sean Lee, we talked

about Ezekiel Elliott, talk about not having Tyron Smith out there. Yeah, they survived one game without him, the Raiders all the rest of them they lost. Yeah. Yeah. In the past few years, who has been the best swing tackle? You think that this team has been able to kind of manage when Tyrn has been interr out because he's miss

games last yeas well. Nikki's right though last year. But but then Jeremy Parnell who left to go to Jacksonville, who I was watching Jacksonville and Seattle tape again, is he still starting? He still starting right tackle for Jacksonville shocks me. Yeah, But Jeremy Parnell was a guy that least you can but Jeremy Parnell played when Tyron Smith was not available. I mean, I want to say that Jeremy Parnell in a in a key game at Cincinnati, the game that Jerry Brown game. Jeremy Parnell had to

play that game too. Well, it's not just the swing tackles situation, because offensive line in general. Well, yeah, because Chaz Green was your starting left guard going into the start of preseason, not just your swing tackle. So you can argue, all right, and he got hurt hurt, and did lack of reps focusing on guard affect him when he switched to tackle? Did he need more work that you just need to stay over there to start? But they wanted to get their best five starting on the

Can I take that a little further? Was it a mis evaluation of taking reps making him play guard? Or was that the Brian broad us to get my best five out there. That's that's my question. I think it was the best five. Yeah, And they didn't have any confidence in Cooper, And you know, as it went around along, Cooper was okay, he wasn't. I don't know that they sink their teeth into him going forward. Now, I don't know what you do. But you know he had his

missteps too. What was Leary's final number on it? Five million a year? I was just gonna say, this is all run Leary's phone. No, no, no, I'm just at because shouldn't let him go? Was it a five year deal? Thirty some millions? So it's six million to season then, so they weren't gonna pay that. See, I'm siner thinking who could I have sacrificed to make sure I had Ron Larry play with? The fans are screaming right now, Terrence Williams, Terrence Williams. But this is that enough money

to get? Is that enough money to get that done? Three years? Thirty six million? Yeah, with a three point five signing bonus, average salary of nine million, and he had eighteen million guarantee. An't do it? Don't get can do it? You extended Lyle Collins in training camp, and don't forget that this summer will have Martin. You're expecting that, You're you're very hopefully you're gonna get something done with with Martin too, So like, how much money do you

want to spend five linemen? I don't know. Was the guard more of a problem than the swing tackle. You say it's a swing tackle. I say it's a swing tackle. But then they're next to each other. I'm saying, I'm saying that, yeah, swing tackle. But where Chaz moonlighted? A guard influenced situation? Are we worried to try to fit him into two spots? Really left side? Are we worried

about seventy seven going forward? I don't know if I'm worried about him, but I think that you need and look, both of your tackles had problems this year with oh no health, right, yeah, yeah, so you need somebody yeah and not just anybody? Yeah, all right? And I don't know if you find that in free agency or if you you know, can find a to to find it in the draft. You got them draft high and they got too many other things. I think that if you had the shot to draft at say sixteen and draft, well,

that's what you got in Zach Martin. Basically, would you take another first round offensive lineman? Know in the situation you're Mickey just told me I'm in dire straits, right, let me let me. You have to tell me what I'm passing up. I'm end okay, okay, I'm not you're gonna miss out on a linebacker, and you're gonna miss out on You're gonna miss out on a linebacker. You're gonna miss out on a receiver. I'll give you tho to cornerback. No, no, I'm taking that. I'm gonna make

it hard on him. Here. You're missing out on you're missing out on a linebacker, and you're missing out on a receiver. By draft time, are they resigning Anthony Hitchins? No, he's gone. And I gotta take a linebacker that might be your biggest need. Boy, did you just I mean you just and look for that guard and it's tackle and it's killing you right now, and yeah, it's killing it. See you could go out and maybe get maybe go get a guy, maybe the second best offensive tackle at sixteen.

Maybe you get the second best guy. Yeah see. And I don't know because then can he play guard, because he's gonna have to start if I take him. That hire you go started like, yeah, Alaman Page, Yeah did it with those guys They started at guard and then moved out the tackle. Yeah, Scar see that's where that's where business real quick, Tano, you're gonna moving along with

the show. I know, you're moving a show. Uh, but would you now with with next fall, next spring, would you start to work Zack Martin sum at tackle just to see with the idea of moving Collins to one of the guard spots if if you cannot, would you start to Yeah? I mean, I'm just saying, oh, would you would you do if something happens again to turn Smith? Would you consider moving Zach Martin from left from right guard to left tackle? He takes start seeing him get

work reps? Doesn't he take some reps every camp? A little bit more center? Yeah, I'm thinking center. Yeah. Um, well, they've always had the thought that they could just move him there in a pinch anyway, because he's Zach Martin. He's Zach Martin. I'm trying to make a better swing tackle for Mickey, but if he's not gonna let me have Yeah, but he's not gonna let me draft one because he needs a linebacker and they do need a linebacker. Of Hitchens not there because you can't put all your

eggs in Jalen Smith's basket. See that, And it's the same sentence, right, But it's also the same situation as Okay, you're worried about potentially Tyron's long term health. If you are worried Sean Lee missed how many games this year, it's it's Sean Lee, it's Jalen Smith. It's no Anthony Hitchens. Potential loss of Hitchens, that that makes linebacker potentially your biggest knee is yeah, because who else? Yeah, See, that's what people ask me, they go give me, give me

your number one nee. I would say linebacker because of just just what Rob said. I really don't know. Jason Garrett talked about, you know, he feels like the health of and everybody you talk to feels like Jalen Smith's on the way up, right, That's fine. Yeah, so he's on he say he's on the way up. And then you don't have Hitchens and the health of Sean Lee. And who's behind that. See that's what I'm saying. You're you're a You're in a tough spot right there at linebacker.

Hitchens is a must. Hitchens is a must because if Sean Lee goes down, he can play that spot. Who We're gonna sacrifice, Mickey, We're gonna have to sacrifice, going to break right now? I'm sorry, Well, I'm sorry. Here's what you're about it. Here's what you aren't gonna do. And you know that it sounds really cute to move guys up from the practice squad to the fifty three. Put somebody on ir Well, guess what, I know. It's

not a lot, but it's salary cap money. Oh sure it is, and you can carry that over to next year, right when you got to sign these guys. So let's not frivolously spend fourteen fifteen million dollars just to have a guy play one game. Yeah, well that is a lot of money for one game. Yes, well, we're gonna have one break and then we will be right back. We have much more to talk about, getting into the Eagles week and what's going to happen with Cooper Rush.

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We are still getting into everything this week. It's been very frustrating, but it's very interesting to see what sometimes these guys share on Twitter. M David Irving kind of having a little bit of a situation on Twitter right now. I don't have to read it. You guys can go find it if you want. But he's just talking about Cowboys personnel. I was with Cowboys personnel. Odd. But let's get to things that you say, what does that mean? Yeah, what do you say? There's a video that's out about him.

I don't know. He said, it's funny how people have a video of me the same night I was with Cowboy personnel, them saying you didn't see me here? If I was any less of the man, I am at least some names, Luckily for everyone involved. I'm not a snitch oh out on the town. Maybe I don't know. It's that about We should just stay away from that. Yeah, they should stay away from Twitter. Yeah, they should stay away. David Irving. Though, Rob I saw you tweet today. I

think it's the end of his season. Yeah, I am. You know, Jason Garrett said, if you're healthy, you'll play in this game. He hasn't played in three weeks. Um, he's not practicing to day. I got a hard time believing he's be out there. He's out, Okay, okay, Smith is out, all right, right, but you're in. You're in, sean Lee out. You give shan Lee this game playing through different things. Um, that's a good better not let him get on the plane. Yeah, because he'll be wearing

his helmet and all of his pads and everything. You know, you got to take Garrett to his word. Yeah, because he's I don't think is he on the injury report. He's been on the injury report. Any guy that's been on the injury report I wonder about because like Lyle Collins, Anthony Hitchins, those guys have played, but they've been like dealing with stuff. And so for me, that's like the domino effect. Is Mickey's right, Tyrn's not gonna play in

this game? Does Lyle Collins playing this game with a back issue that he's been dealing with for a month. But you're telling me that Dak's gonna play. So if you're gonna play Dak, you gotta be careful, That's what I'm saying, because then you go into the game with one backup offensive lineman or you gotta move somebody up onto the fifty three. Yeah, because you only got eight right, right, Well you got I'm trying to think about I mean,

Joe Looney could play a couple of different spots for you. Yeah, but that means Chaz Green and and Byron Bell or brighton tackle right saying, there's there's this gray area of yeah, and that's the case Cooper Rush's playing. There's this gray area of yeah, you're kind of thought, so too, me get out there. But can you play? You know, can you can you really play if you absolutely need to? And I I would air on the side of caution with somebody like Lao Collins. Yeah, so how does that

affect your backfield and your quarterback? See it? It's just it's just an interesting situation because I understand the thought from Jason like we're gonna work like we're this game matters and we're gonna approach it like any other week. Um, how much roster movement do you think we'll see besides of course the Justin Rant move we've already seen what other things aren't doable? Or the one guy that I'm hearing a lot of really positive things about is Lance Lenore,

the wide receiver. Now I know that doesn't click on everybody's meter. But when they talk about practice squad guys, and this is where I'm you know, you worry about poaching and stuff. That's how the linebacker Johnson, that's what happened. They were gonna poach. Somebody was going to poach him off the team. And Justin Durant's not part of your plans. You know, you go to Justin Durant, you shake his hand and say, hey, thanks for all you've done for us,

and you move on. I think Justin Durant I think he did Justin Durant a favor. You know, he's had a he's had a really nice career. But you know it's time. You know, you got to protect your players, especially the guy that you've worked with all year long. And but the name I've keep kind of hearing is is Lance Lenore. And he's the one guy that gets when they go when they go offensive snaps, he gets work.

You know, he's one of those guys. And then also to White, the corner Marquez Quez White is another guy that gets a lot of work with the defense. Will they be on your forty six though game day? Well, how you bump them up? And that gives him a little bumping. Well, if Bryce Butler's not mean, Bryce Butler's been a scratch guy all week, you know he's out. Yeah, so I mean that. That's where I mean if you wanted to say, is there any rule about putting guys on I R like for the last game of the season,

the Packers the Packers. Yeah, yeah, there's obviously no rules. If the Packers did what they did. It just depends on how much money you want to spend. And I know it's in the scheme of things for a salary cap. It's chump change if it's going to cost you another ten thousand dollars per guy, right, But if it means keeping their rights, by the way, I think you can see they're gonna they're by the way. I heard today

that they are. So they got an open spot on the practice squad, right they they were supposed to have signed Katie Cannon, the wide receiver from Baylor, right. I think he's been around, he's had some products, a lot of speed, with the idea of signing him as the futures for next year until the season ends. Yeah, when the season ends on Tuesday, then that's when you'll see all the futures they got all those contracts in the file right now, ready to rule. So yeah, but but

the guy you mentioned, Lance Lenora's talking with Dak about him. Yeah, he says he's my guy. Yeah, he really likes him, So it'll be interesting. Remember remember Lance Lenora was Will mcclay's guy. Yeah, remember coming, you know that that was a guy that really will kind of target it as, Hey, I'm gonna go get this guy in the OTAs and the mini camps and all that. We saw him work in training camp. He's been on your practice squad squad

the entire year. But I was asking somebody about him and they said, hey, this is a guy that actually gets offensive snaps with and that's you know, when you're you're getting your game plans ready every week. So he was part of that, and that's that's because he had been a draft choice. Do you think he makes the fifty three instead of Noah Brown? Oh? I think? So what's your deal with Noah Brown? I just think there's a lot of hype about the guy. I state, I

didn't say I hate him. I just think he's over SATs sports hate. Well, you're always you're always bagging on him. I don't know why, Well, what does he do? He blocks? Watch him have a game? What do you want? And every time he comes in, I hope every time he comes in, you might as well have a neon sign out there saying we're gonna r What do you want him to do? Mick? Would you like him to catch them? Be your number two receiver as a seventh round pick? Like?

I think he's filled a nice little role for them as as a seventh round draft pick. But if he hadn't been a seventh round draft choice, I don't think he makes the team. Okay, I'll bet you he's on the team next year as Noah Brown. Yeah, there's gonna be a robet pizza on it. There's gonna be room. Yeah, yeah, I don't know. Lance Lenor might beat about Yeah, Lance, I don't know. Here are some good things about Lance Lenor. Let's go to the phone lines. We have Ray from

New Orleans on the line. Ray, how you doing? Hey, guys, how are you doing doing good? Yeah? I was calling. Had a couple of questions, first and foremost disappoint that week seventeen, is got gonna do anything? Um? I hope we haven't had that since since two thousand and six and that's Romo got injured and those couple of years. But you, yes, sir, it's it's been. It's been one thing. It's been hard, man, because I grew up in the Alaay. We did win super Bowls and then we had a

long dry stretch there with quarterbacks and um. But my question would be, I'm just I'm frustrated, but I'm trying to keep as calm as possible and still enjoy my holiday. So Thanksgiving Thanksgiving was hard for a Cowboys fan. We still had great food, great family, um, and we got through it. But but and then we went on our three game winning street and this team, Mickey is just it's frustrated because we're we don't suck. We are good

enough to win those games. I just don't understand why we didn't play to our strings and run the football down there. And moving forward, if we do get a new avertic coordinator, is it gonna take time for dak See, I'm kind of on the fence there. I'm almost going to leave our coaches up intact because I don't want any further setbacks as far as learning a new system.

But if we do get a new office coordinator. You know, if we do keep the only half, Now, what's your confidence level in the fact where if you do get into another playoffs position next year, are you going to stick to your guns and run the football and do what got you there? Okay? Ray, hey, can just stop stop right now. Now, let me let me ask you something. Okay. They practiced all week on a game plan for Seattle, right, okay.

So do you think they got to the goal line and they just said, huh, let me grab something out of thin air? Or do you think that maybe when they came up with their goal line script, they said, this is the way to beat this team if we execute. Or do you think he just got there and said, I don't want to use zeke, let's let's throw the football. I mean it, I'll guarantee you it was. It was a coaching staff decision that this is our goal line game plan. So it wasn't something that just came up

with the ball in the three yard line. That was the coaching staff plan. So I know, I know Lenahan's catching a whole lot of heat. Same guy that you know it could have been Offensive Coordinator of the Year last year, right with a rookie quarterback. So if you want to be mad, be mad at the fact that the offensive line the tight end doesn't pick up the guys that are blitzing. That screwed up the entire play. It was a touchdown. It was a walk in touchdown.

Lots to be frustrated. Let me ask you this, nickey, would you would you have not rather? I did all that, And of course I said all those things because I don't know if I want to get rid of Scott Nahan. I just sounded like it charge from our other comments. I'm afraid also we get a new quoach that it's gonna take some time and it might be a further setback. I don't know. But let me ask you this question, since you asked me that, would you have rather line up and run zek three times in a row and

take the chances there? Yes, but that wasn't for me to make the plan on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. All right, I understand that, and let me and then and the last thing I was going to tell you, Well, the other thing I told you was last year when we played Green Bay in the first first quarter, we go down, we have a third and one and that throws into double coverage. We hadn't done that Nicky all year. Now.

I don't If it had worked, it would have been great, but we just didn't do that all year to get us there. You know, it was like in that no man's playing. I think it was like at the thirty three or thirty two. If you don't make it on third and one, just line back up and run it again. I just don't know. One we got away from that and moving forward when we get in these situations again, and Brian brought us hit on it perfectly. And I was hoping that somebody who's gonna say, yeah, just run

the damn ball there. But look, we're gonna still be Callboy fans. I'm not going to stop calling the show. I'm just frustrated that our biggest weapon in the backfield didn't touched the ball there. All right, we got you, we got you, get it. But guess what, as much as much frustration as you have, what do you think those guys are They're frustrated. I think the team's frustrated. The players are frustrated. That's their job. Yeah, it's not some sort of lark for them. How do they find motivation?

To go into this week and still want to be competitive is just because they have that competitive nature and that that will to play. And you've you've carried this this far. You know, you've been through all the training camp, extra hat, extra game because of the Hall of Fame. You know, it's been a long year, but the OTAs, the mini camps, and then you know through the season you've had the mini ups and downs. You know, you

don't want to finish on a bad note. There's a lot of these guys that you know there won't be teammates anymore, you know, the way these rosters turn over, the way you the addition subtraction. Yeah, you want to you want to go out on a good note. And if you're one of those guys that's going out, you know and maybe going to another team again. They talk about good tape bad tape. You don't want to be one of those things like, hey, let's watch how this

guy played in a meaningless game. Yeah, I think that's I think that's something I think Scott Linahan and you know, and and I understand ray in New Orleans because I was from the same boat of you know, I wish they would have turned and handed the ball to Elliott. I get that. I mean, I'm with him on that. Mickey's right on the execution of the play and in talking to the coaches and stuff. Though that was big they had. That play was there, they just didn't execute

it well enough. And so that's the frustration level. When it works, it works, everybody's happy. When it doesn't, then the fingers get pointed. But I think overall, you know, you want to finish this season the best you can. I think it's pride. It is it, Tay you said it. I mean it's you look at the end of the season and say, we were nine and seven. We had a winning season despite a lot of stuff that happened and affected what you want to do. I think that matters,

you know. I think it's wort into the owner in general manager. Yeah. I mean, I think when you sit down and watch that tape, you want to be able to say, hey, we can count on this guy or we can't count on this guy. That that goes a long way. There's there's clubs around the league right now that won't have coaches and that, and you know, this is one of those teams that will have their coaching

staff in place. I don't think they'll do anything with Lenahan, but I'm saying some of their assistance might be going on. You know that that's you know that that could very well happen. But I think it's about like Rob says, pride. But I do struggle with a little bit the idea of playing if you're healthy, you play, and playing all your healthy guys, all your key guys, and risking injury

late in the year. And I get the theory of like, we're gonna focus, we're gonna practice hard, we're gonna finish strong, but there's ultimately nothing on the line, and the end of preseason, you do this, you sit guys and it doesn't affect their work week leading up. They still have good practices, finished training camp strong. It's not like they're they're taking that time off. So I don't, I don't.

I don't know if I agree with the theory that you can't you're just throwing the rest of the season away by resting guys. I think there's some value in protecting guys, especially anybody that's high. But what about what happens to the guys that have to play? What are you telling them? What are you telling them? At the end of preseason. Well they don't, but they're not. It's a preseason game. What Travis Frederick's got to play? Yeah, so if he doesn't have his guys next to him,

what's what does he feel like? They don't care if I get hurt. Somebody's got to play. You don't have enough backups to put everybody out there. But there there's to a point in time where it has been a long year and I would hate for Zach Martin or Travis Frederick or one of those guys that get rolled up on Yeah, in a freak injury. Right, I got you know, I mean the entire game. At some point do you pull So, I'm kay, at some point, That's

what I'm saying. If you if you throw that down now, no one's prepared to play on Sunday, right, No one is going to give it. This is a This is one of the most difficult situation for a coaching staff and players to be in because again, there's a lot of young guys that are excited about getting the opportunity, and there's a lot of coaches and general managers and scouts that are terrified. They're every play. And I've been there get up, Get up. Okay, get up, and you

do it like sixty five times. Get up. It is, it is. It is the most stressful game you You know, you could live with it. If it was for something, you could live with it. But if all of a sudden, then you know, there's a freak and it might not be Travis Frederick's fault, or it might not be Zach Martin's fault. It might be one of their bad players

getting shoved into or something like that. You know, I'm ironic that we had this exact same discussion last year going up to Philly, except it was about a team that's twelve and three, thirteen and two. Yeah, no, no, you gotta get them ready for the playoff. It's absolutely right, and it is. This is a terrible This is a terrible thing to deal with when you're not playing for something, because there's there there's two ways to do it. Either do the Jason Garrett approach and say we're gonna go

play and if you're healthy, go play. And I get he's trying to set a culture, I mean not in culture. He's this will be was a seventh season as a head coach, so he's got his culture but he's trying to make it like, guys, we're not gonna go and you know, lay down. Now he's gonna he's gonna take guys out of the game that need to be taken out of the game. But man, I would feel terrible if something happened to Dak or Zeke or Travis Frederick

or Zach Martin or Sean Lee. I would feel terrible. Yeah, I feel terrible because I don't want it to be a deal with Okay, now you're going into the two thousand and eighteen season with well, how so and so's you know how you know, you just it's a balancing act for sure. How do you think Philadelphia is gonna play it? I don't think they're gonna play their starters. If it was me, most teams in this position don't

do that. They didn't do it here. But you said, I think he made up a point about Nick Foles and he needs to work because he looked like a bag of you know what the other day. Yeah, and so if he plays, your offensive lines got to play, sure they do. Bowboys can't rest their entire offensive line. They wouldn't need do they have offensive linemen on the practice squad. Yeah, they do. Anybody can play center. Edwards is on the PROCCT. Yeah, but no, no, though they don't.

Joe Looney's your practice squads. Well, you I have a guard. Yeah, So what happens is you could you could take Zach Martin out and put Joe Looney in there and then turn around and then put you know, I mean, it's it's a it's a balancing act. It's there's no doubt about it. You only have forty six and if those guys aren't playing, I'm not playing back Yanks. That's That's what I go back to with the tackles, I tires not playing and if Lyle's less than one hundred percent, yeah,

it's it's a risk. It is. And then how are you evaluating Cooper Rush? Though at the same time, if you want to put him in not fair. So Cooper Rush to me, I don't worry about it. You got that's pause on Cooper Rush because we're gonna come back and we are going to get into the guys that will play this weekend and what they're going to be able to do. We'll be right back. Cowboys fans know that the second best of anything simply won't cut it,

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fifty dollars or more. Jack Black Look Good, Smell good, Feel good, official men's skincare brand of the Dallas Cowboys. Star Sports Tours is the only official fan travel partner of the Dallas Cowboys, offering exclusive game weekend travel packages with sideline access and photo ops with current players, alumni and cheerleaders. That's not all, though, You'll get to talk xs and os with Senior Director of Player Personnel Will McClay and of course with yours truly, me, Brian broad Us.

You can trust the official fan travel partner of the Dallas Cowboys, and with us, you'll travel like a pro. Visit Cowboys Travel dot com to book your travel package. Today. I hear all talk about what it takes to be a cowboy. Everyone's got their ideas, but I just say to myself, it's what's up top that matters. Sure, you need men with the muscle and heart to get her done. But if your scouts and coaches are listening out there a word of advice. Pick the man with the most

well worn stetson. That's the one most cut out to be a Cowboy. Stetson hats are handmade right here in Texas and have been on Cowboys heads for over one hundred and fifty years. The rest of you can visit stetson dot com slash cowboy to find a retailer nearest you. What does it mean to be a Dallas Cowboys fan? It means you've got the passion and the heart to do your part supporting the Boys no matter what. That's why when the game's on the line, you're on your feet,

whether you're at home or in the stands. Actually, you're more than a fan. You are a member of Cowboys Nation. And so is AT and T doing their part to keep you connected to America's team all season. Law AT and T is a proud member of Cowboys Nation. This is talking. Oh it's the holiday season, and that means you should celebrate with some Papa John's pizza. With that celebratory ingredients. They have veggie on the pizza celetry, that's celery. Do you like celery on your pizza? I don't know

at all. I don't know if I veggie on there, but if it was, it'd be freshhold, never frozen. And if you get a little pepperoni or sausage, it'll be one hundred percent pork or beef or both. And with pizza like that, you can celebrate the holidays. Papa John is really good. Before we get to the long awaited Cooper Rush talk that we are dying to hear, we have Rob's Twitter pool that touches on something we've all been talking about. But at least we get the fans

vote in this. So Rob, take it away, which game would you like to have back? Of these seven losses this team has? We are over that before. Well, we're getting man's vote, Mick, because they matter too many games? Did you give them a choice of four? That's how you get the options are and right EN's welcome. We got a bunch of those. The Rams in week four, the Packers in week five, the Falcons in week ten, we're the Seahawks on Christmas Eve. This is the closest

vote I think we've ever had. Tay, everyone's gonna with Seahawks. I bet what you got you change your noled your mind after Christmas Eve. Nope, Rams, yep, I'm still going Falcons. Go Falcons. Yeah, Falcons here, I would say falcons too. The fans barely picked the Seahawks fresh in their mind twenty seven percent, Rams twenty six percent, Packers twenty four percent, Falcons twenty three percent. So I guess they all are bad. Voice of the people here, that's what I call you.

Until you start just imma getting in fight for them, call you vop. So wait, okay, this was like a twenty four twenty five, twenty one percentage point. Gosh, really, I mean, guy, because all of them, I mean the Packers and Rams you pick you can fight for. Yeah, one player two there, falcons. If you change the Chaz Green situation, you give him some help, maybe that game goes totally differently. Yeah, first game without Zeke and then this last one. I mean, gosh, it's like one player

play here or there. But guess what you had a full boat against the Rams. Nobody was missing you lost? That was it? Sean Lee? No, yeah, he was out against the Rams and Packers. Oh, that's right, it was Rams full boatboard. I was thinking further into this. It was earlier in the season, I think in the Broncos game where everyone the Rams were coming off a loss to the Redskins. If I remember, it's true, and you had them down seven team to six. I'm surprised nobody

picked the Charger one. I thought about that. That was a four and six team coming in here, but they were. Yeah, but look where they're at now. Yeah, but they've got Philip Rivers. Yeah, yeah, No, it was a four and sixteen the Rams. At least the Rams were playing better, but didn't hadn't they just won like four straight or something? Oh they Yeah, they beaten beaten Buffalo or something like that.

I mean, it's just crazy to me that. Again, I respect Philip Rivers, but gosh, five hundred yards it made you switch your defensive second or out really come but see you weren't. But you weren't even close in that game. You didn't even have a chance to. Was that halftime that was that bad? Well, yeah, Benny sure got away

from him. They got the ball in the second I remember Lindsay we were on the break when the halftime show, and Lindsay goes and the Chargers get the ball, and I'm thinking, and the Chargers are gonna score when they get the ball second half, you know, remember seventeen six and getting the ball. Okay, I'm gonna change that up a little bit. Okay, So you said the Rams the Packers, and then I'll Seattle. Okay, yeah, okay, Mickey, Yes, start

with you first. Because if you could choose one player to have a better game, and you can, you can say it for that one. In this Rams game, it would have been Ryan Switzer. In the Falcons game, it would have been Chas Green in the Packers game. Let's take the opposite had a worst game, Aaron Rodgers. Yeah, and then Seattle des Bryant has a better game. Who do you want to pick out of that? All Switzer had to do was all you had to do was catch the punt. Switzer, all you had to do is

call fair catch and catch the punt. Yeah, they we're gonna go down and they we're gonna be up twenty four to six. Well that's that's a really good question. Well, because I was asking in the sense, you know, because he's right. You know the Rams game, they were in it, and it really came down to a rookie, a rookie that you spent a high pick on. So I get you got to put him in there, and he'd shown you that he could do it, and then it came down to a rookie. Work on the opposite of last year.

It came down on a rookie and a post. You guys thinking then, because we said the Atlanta game, are you thinking though? Minus Lee, minus Smith, minus who else I'm missing? I'm missing three guys in that one, right, Smith, Lee, Zeke and Zeke. There was no way that we're gonna win that game. Falcons. Yeah, I just felt like if you had made a change quicker, like at halftime with Chazz and it was it tend to say what were you going to put in? Things might have been different, Bill,

but he and he gave up two sacks in one quarter. Oh, you needed to change something at some point, you had to do something. See, I'm asking because maybe the Falcon game was not a winnable game. I don't think it was as it turned out, well, okay, but then can you Okay, maybe not under that. Under under her scenario, I need Aaron Rodgers to be not good, I mean, and is that possible? Well though that's a thing she said,

she's got no control over that. But that's I'm just what do you have control of her vice versa your own players, not somebody else's. No, I'm just saying to her question, she's saying, who do you need to be better? And then in that but she flipped it where he said, who do you need to be worse? All I needed is one punt cut? I mean, yeah, okay, you're Garrett Key. And something that happened really early in that game, like wid that entire game. It changed the whole changed the

minimal season for him. They scored, They couldn't stop, girly, they they scored right right, and and then what happened. They took the first the first was at the first possession of the second half, and scored again, and suddenly seventeen six was twenty one seventeen. Yeah, but by the way, you recaptured the lead in the second half too. But see you, but you're thinking that Dallas is going to score again. They wouldn't even come close to stop at

him those first three possessions. See, you're usually like the guy that's like, oh, you can't say that you're that guy. Yes you are, you're that guy. You can't say that. You can't say that about that. They were going to go down and score again. Rams had no clue. He had it in a vision. Let's go back to the phone lines. Hopefully people are happy, but we understand the venting Roscoe from Midland, Texas on the line. What is

your question, Mickey? Can you talk about the cap or the contract with das looking ahead over the cap if he's a post June one cut, there's eight million dollars in dead money and maybe twenty five million that he's saying that you saved. And my question is do you add up to eighteen and nineteen years for the cap or how does that work? But basically, can you talk about the implications of cutting or trading days with his money? Would it be detrimental or save or what can I

ask you? Hashway way will stop you there? Yeah? Yeah, you've had enough of him? Then it's that what you're saying, Well, he can't catch the ball and he's he's ten percent of the cap, and you know, I understand that eighty eight is a big part of the of the scene, but it's not working. You know, it's not working. So so I mean, that's it. You're you're just completely you're you're willing to take a big cap hit and make receiver one of your top two priorities now offseason. That's yeah,

that's it's gotta be. We all seen it Sunday. He's not catching the ball, the ball sitting him in the face, he's not holding on to the ball. That's an expensive problem. You know. I like him, but it's what goods they do, and it's he's heard. It doesn't even seem like he gets double covered. I don't get to see it like you guys do, but it seems like the double coverage is almost stopped, you know. But it's the problem. They're still done got to happen. They're still doubling him, by

the way. It doesn't And I don't know if people understand double coverage. It's not like basketball put two guys on one. That's safety still slurking, edging. I mean, somebody thinks he still can do it, so, um, I just would be careful of that. I've got to that, yeah, post June. I want to say post June one split it right, it would be four and four. I think there's eight million left in his signing bonus that has to be accounted for and the base salaries or twelve

and a half million. Um, Yeah, you saved the twelve and a half million. And to answer your point a trade, you lose eight. You lose eight, right, and you got to replace it. There you go. I knew that was gonna come do. No, that's that's the point, right there is that all of a sudden, now you need a number one wide receiver. And this is not a franchise that spends big money in free agency on one. It would be very expensive to try to do that, yep,

and they're usually not available. So are you going to spend the number whatever seventeen pick on a wide receiver when you need a lot of help elsewhere? I just I just don't know. I need to go back and look at all the all the first round receivers that have been draft and look at how productive or lack of productive, or how quickly they produced, how quickly they produced. I mean's not sure, Buddy's not Julio Jones, Yeah, Shuster's doing a great shot. Smith Schuster's doing a great job

at Pittsburgh. I think he was a third round pick. Okay, Swan dread. What was the first round pick? Josh Duckson, Yeah, Josh Duckson's another question at seventeen, I believe. What do you think happened to Dez this year? Quarterback? No, because at the last seven games last year, if you factored out his numbers over an entire season, he would have had like eighty some catches for over a thousand yards and fourteen touches. It was enough to get him in

the Pro Bowl as an alternate. So what happened? No, I'm I'm asking, I'm asking this question. Was it the quarterback in a way that didn't play as well as they does? He does? He does? He miss? Does he miss? Does he did? He have such a great rapport with Tony Romo that it's hard, but they'd had it at the end of the year last year. Was Dak protected him? Was the past good last year those last seven games after he got healthy? Confidence Mickey? Would it be the

past protection? Well, I think some of that has to do with it, But I don't you know that whole thing about that premise that they're not on the same page. Well, how did they fall off the same page? Because if you look at the final game of the year last year, in the playoffs, he was the All Star. He was what kept him in the game, right, And so now all of a sudden they're not on the same page. That page got ripped out of the book something. I

don't know. But you are seeing it though. I see it, okay, but I don't. I don't understand it. Yeah, you have fishing the poet. Yeah, no, I don't. He's always been able to catch the ball, and now all of a sudden it's bouncing off his hands, not seeing it. I don't get it. Does he need glasses? We need to take him doctor tylock or whatever that deal is. Is this guy still around? I don't know. At the ticket Mickey, that's what it's all the named it came to Bye bye,

doctor Carter. I just feel like Dak couldn't couldn't get the passes to him that he was getting last season. And I say that because I felt like Dak was scrambling so much more than we've ever seen him before. The pass protection was wasn't there this year, and a lot to do with your swim tackle a lot to do. And I think I think one of the things that happens with Dez is when things don't go well, he

doesn't relax. He presses it, compounds, tries to try too much like like the ball they bounced off his hands. It was a very simple route to go sit down and Dez throw it to a sitting down Dez. But in the midst of the throw, he took another step rowing forward, and now the balls behind he came at. He came at Dak instead of staying where he was. It's absolutely right. The thing about it too, Remember the slant early in the game that he had to extend

for right and they didn't hit that. Yeah, and he's that's his bread and butter. And you know we've had I mean, everything going inside is usually money with him, and we've seen well, you think they're pressing on both both sides. I think Dak's pressing a little bit to try to get him, get him a good pass, get him in the right spot, because they both know that it has the chemistry has been off. You know, I'm not I'm not sure. I don't I don't get I thought only on both guy. I think the guy wouldn't

admit it. I think he's a little banged up though too. I do. But that's and I've been I've been yelled at for saying that, but I'd like the fumble. He's trying too hard. Yeah, he was trying to make more out of Okay, I caught the pass, get out of bounce. What game did he get injured in? I'm sorry to interrupted Mickey. If you're still going no, what game? Remember the game? Both him and Terrence. I want to say it might be the Chiefs game. Terrence had a great

game against the Chiefs. Not somebody at the very end of the game was injured. It Terence got hurt bad in that game, does as well. Yeah it was it was tough. But I just I don't know. Mickey's onto something as far as there's not something right with you know. And again the quarterback after the game says, maybe maybe I have to throw it at their face. You know you could sense frustration there as well. You know, you could definitely sense some frustration. I've well, and Dak does

a pretty good job of covering up sure other people's mistakes. Sure, I know he caught himself when He said that because he ended up with if I threw it at his face, he wouldn't have dropped it right, And he has never said anybody's ever dropped it before. Yeah, And I saw him pause like did I just say that? Ye? Did I slid? Yeah, Well it got him in both hands, so I know. Well, here we are. Here, we are on a Wednesday, and we're wrapping up today's show. But

tomorrow we'll have optimistic talk for you guys. I hope we'll have practice tape that we can talk about or something like that. So we'll be back tomorrow. Stay Jay. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.