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Touchdown for to one final off season edition of Talking Cowboys, presented by Black Rifle Coffee Company. We welcome you to the Star in Frisco and the s WBC studios alongside Isaiah standback Josh Rodriguez soon to be Nick Harris. We hope down the old line. Hopefully Nick Harris is here. I am Kyle Yeoman.
Thank hey guys, welcome back my friend that other host sucks.
Oh man was married. No great job, man.
It's a lot of fun listening to you guys over the last couple of weeks. And I mean the fomo is real. And for those who don't know, fear of missing out fomo, oh dude, like Draft weekend OTAs the.
Draft is your thing, dude.
The Draft.
That was the hardest thing to sit on my hands for ever. And my wife even got mad at me because I was at home and I was still like tweeting and like sending out content, like putting stuff out there and She's like, please get off the phone, and I was like, I will after the two hundred and fifty fifth pick, Like that's fine, I will get off the phone.
But after that's over.
So, man, I cannot explain how how good it is to be back.
The babies are all great.
They're all home, which is just so where you're so thankful for and they are doing, uh, doing incredibly well. They're growing and man, they're the cutest little things. And I will cherish those these these last couple of weeks forever. And but now it's time to kind of get back to the real world. It's been Cloud nine for a little bit, just hanging with the family, being around them and things like that. But now it's time to produce content again because the off season is pretty much over.
I mean today, there's a lot going on today, what off season, there's there's a lot going on today. We're finishing up our shows this week, and then the next time we're on a microphone, we'll be in Oxnard, California.
So that's when it gets really i mean.
Imperative about this team, especially with the way that this offseason has gone so far.
But yeah, good to be back with you. Guys.
No, it's great.
It's great to hear your voice again. And I think we've all kind of missed hearing that Kyle Yeoman's voice on Dallas.
Yeah, let's talk about some of that stuff going on today. Yeah, we've got some mandatory mini camp. And it was the first word mandatory.
That's interesting.
There's an emphasis on that word. I feel like today for a couple.
Of individuals, you got to be here, right, you would be here and you have to be mandatory.
That's not voluntary. It's different than.
Military Randalorian, but mandatory.
Yet it's not Mandalorian.
We're not talking Star Wars.
No, Star Wars.
Okay, we're talking about a young Jedi though in His name is CD Lamb. CD now talking about CD. That's that's who all the eyes are on. I know Micah had his.
Own OTA many holdouts. I guess you could say just not be at OTA's, but that's optional.
This is mandamatory. So you would expect Parsons to be in the fold. Do you expect CD Lamb to be in the fold, especially after the news of Justin Jefferson's new one.
And forty million dollar contra I don't.
I don't expect it. Now he might surprise us and be here. And I know a lot of people might feel some type of ways should neither one of those gentlemen decide to show up today for the mandatory mini camp. But everybody understands. I think at this point in time, I think the general public understands now that business is business and there's a team aspect is not. I don't want to say it's not personal towards the team, towards
the players, your teammates. They understand as well that if you have to sit out to handle your business, that it is not an indictment on your commitment to the team, that it is simply you trying to make sure that there's one opportunity that you've been working for for your entire life, that that box gets checked, because for you to not address it and have regrets later on, that's
one thing that you just don't get back. You got to understand the amount of hours, you gotta understand the amount of dedication, amount of sweat, the commitments that they've had. This is their time, and nobody on the team, I would imagine speaking from a former player, nobody is going to look at those two individuals should they choose not
to show up, especially CD. All right, we're talking about CD in the contracts right now, of course, and say, you know what, how dare you not be here during the mandatory meaning camp, we have to be here, you should be here. That's usually the public consensus. That's not coming from the locker room.
If you were in the same position, you would make a similar business. This is absolutely, absolutely this is the time where you make money. It happens now. They don't have the privilege of getting money after they stopped playing. You know what I mean, This is where you build that fortune, and it's a business decision and you have to respect that. And I think everybody in the building respects respects that, and the clock is ticking at this point.
The deal's got to get.
Done and hopefully hopefully you do that before training camp.
I think you know it's going to I think it's done now this week, will I mean, come on, you think so, yeah, I got nothing going on this week. Let's just do it now.
It happens.
They don't involve us in those financials reach out to but if they would have listened to talking cowboys, they would have known that this this day was coming. Because Ceedee Lamb's not the only big time wide receiver from that draft class in twenty twenty that's waiting on a deal justin Jefferson yesterday. Four years, one hundred and forty million, one ten guaranteed. It it's basically the Dak contract.
That's what it is. It's the Dak Prescott deal.
I like the one team guarantee. But you know what I liked even more. What's that eighty eight at signing.
Yeah, that's guaranteed. Sign Yeah, guaranteed.
It's sign your name and get direct depositive eighty eight million.
By the way, Yes, I know Dak was one sixty and that's a little bit bigger. But I'm talking from a team piece of the pie standpoint. It is a significant contract, biggest non quarterback contract in NFL history. And now that you've got two other guys waiting, You've got Ceedee Lamb and Jamar Chase, and neither one of them are in a rush.
They're mister Burns in it right now again to get it done.
But if you're the team, are you now in a rush? Does this? Does this expedite the process?
I don't think so, really, I don't. I don't think so. I think now I.
Think it's already kind of a conversation.
I think it should have been a rush prior to Justin Jefferson. Now that Justin Jefferson's deal is done, I think, now you know the number.
But I think they were very clear and that they were waitings to.
Have to match it.
Yeah, I think now, I mean when you look at their stats.
I mean matching that significant.
I mean, but you have to. I mean, you know I'm saying, and every person that you allowed to get their contract done was raising the it was raising the bar. Sure, it was setting the new standard. That was it, right, Like that's the market. Now when aman Ron Saint Brown got his deals, like ooh, you better hurry up and figure something out, right, you know, all these guys start getting their deals, you had an opportunity. The Dallas Cowboys had a window to set the market and say, hey, CD,
this is the highest for a receiver. But now you let other teams dictate what that is. And now you're putting CD in a in a very powerful position to say, well, now look at my stats, look at his stats. We're considered to be two of the best to do this thing in the game. If he's getting thirty five, I'm getting thirty five. If he got one hundred and ten, guaranteed, I'm getting a hundred that and he's earned that right. So, but you had the Cowboys had the leverage prior to
his comparison getting his deal. Now to his comp has this deal. It's no different than you going to get your property taxes at the house when you go to when you go talk talk to the talk to the city, and you say, hey, guess what I want to get my tax They say, well, show me the other houses in your neighborhood that are like yours. That's exactly what just happened with CD and Justin Jefferson. Now Justin Jefferson had just raised the market. Now to get how Cowboys have to match.
That eighty eight at signing.
Literally it's gonna be I mean literally, I mean, yes, I you like, but like that is it now? Yeah? It might not have bar it might not have been the conversation before, but now it is.
Well, they did say, granted they were waiting for leaves to fall as far as wide receivers around the league getting their contracts, and this was the big This is the the I'm gonna seel Patrick Walker's tweet here.
This is the redwood that fell, you know what I mean? This is this is what you expect.
He's so articulate, he really is.
He's got a way about him. But uh no, it's facts though.
This is the one that you really needed to get out there in order to determine how much you're gonna pay CD. Their stats are so similar that the output is so similar for both of them that that's the number now.
And do you get even a.
Dollar more than you did to Justin Jefferson That whatever it takes, but that is the number you're playing with.
That is the bar.
What would you do with the CD LAMB contract?
I want to hear from the ten line eight one seven two nine zero three two nine eight eight one seven two nine zero three two nine eight Do.
You pay him now?
Do you let him play out a year, which I don't think anybody wants to do. No way, there's no way. But do you feel like this adds pressure? Is probably the question I should ask to the front office to get a deal done, because we know CDs party is looking at that and saying, wait, maybe we can wait until Jamar Chase's deal comes down.
I don't think Jamar Chase is in that conversation Will has two. I think he's really good receiver, but I don't think that he's dealt with more injuries he has, and I don't think that that's to come right. I think Jamar Chase will come in below that now Jamar Chase is happy as well.
Doesn't always happen in terms of like ratings. If we're talking like Madden ratings, I agree with you. I think I think Justin Jefferson Ceedee Lamb are right there and they're both very very good. Jamar Chase is probably a step below there. But when it comes to contracts, it doesn't necessarily go that way.
You're absolutely correct.
They can reset the market with Jamar Chase just as much as they did with an.
I don't foresee that happening. Yeah, you're absolutely correct. Can happen. I don't foresee that happening. I do believe that Jamar Chase is probably happy now because he's like, Okay, well thank you Justin Jefferson. Now I can come in right underneath you. You know, if that's the case, I don't see him saying I should get more than justin Jefferson, I can't see that. But in terms of the Dallas Cowboys in a position that they now find themselves in, I think that both them and CD are probably in
a more relaxed state now. And some people may not agree with that, but I think that they were probably more on edge prior to this deal coming across yesterday because they didn't know in this real negotiations, right, you want this now? I don't think we want that on I believe that, And it's back and forth. But now that you're literally the person that we were comparing you to that number set Okay, now we know where're at right now, we know we're at Now, it's okay. Now
we don't have to bicker back and forth. Now we're talking about how much money do you want at signing? Now we're talking about playing around with the salary cap. That's what we're now talking about is no longer than actual number. Now it's just how much money do we give you in cash.
Piece of the pie?
Yeah, that kind of thing exactly, and how do you fit that under acts contract as well?
And just with the cole is Aller gap.
Situation that you have at the moment, I think.
Some of the other Yeah, that's the thing is some of the other dead cap situations and some of the where this off season is really pointed to is this is not an off season to spend, right, But if you were going to spend, it's gonna be guys like CD and Micah and Trayvon or not Trayvon Deron down the road, right whenever they those contracts are coming, this is the time to do it.
I think you got to get it done.
Being brought up a really good point yesterday, it's like, how much of the are the Vikings paying JJ McCarthy, You know what I mean? That's that's that's a part of why they're absolutely still done.
Do they have any dead cap with Kirk with Kirk Cousins on there too, with him leaving this year.
I don't know if they do or not. We'll find the answer to that while you're looking for that. And before we take our first break, we want.
To spend some time to remember one of the greats, the legend Larry Allen, passed away yesterday or Sunday rather at the age of fifty two.
And honestly, you've seen it on social media.
You've seen it on different platforms throughout the last forty eight hours or so. But the amounts of respect, the amounts of admiration, and the amount of sadness from this moment specifically has all just kind of compounded in the response from the league and from those that were close
to Larry Allen. And I first want to say condolences to the family of Larry Allen and really what he brought to the table, not only as a football player, but as a man as well, because he leaves behind a couple children and a wife as well, and he was only fifty two years old, but the impact that he had in those fifty two years will always be remembered for sure.
Yeah. Absolutely, everybody that I've spoken to that has had a relationship with Larry Allen has nothing but positive things to say about him. Every teammate that he's ever had, I know a bunch of guys that have played with him, old school guys and relatively new school guys, guys that are kind of in my realm at the end of his career. They all had nothing but positive things to
say about it. Talked about his his friendship, talked about his leadership, talked about his wisdom that he obviously passed along to some of the younger guys that were up and coming. You hate anybody passing. You hate obviously guys who have had tremendous impacts passing. But the impact that he's left not only for the organizations that he's played for, but the entire league. You really feel that in this In this regard.
It's yeah, it's incredibly sad, and you also feel sad for the players that he played with and the people that you know are in this building every day. You know, I think of Nate automatically and it's just I can't imagine how are breaking That is grind I haven't.
Tked to him about it, but I talked to him yesterday.
Yeah, that's you know, it's tragic, but still we'll be remembered as possibly the greatest offensive lineman to ever be a Dallas Cowboy.
One of the things that has been a positive, even if you can just find the good in anything over the last twenty four hours, is the amount of highlights and stories that have come out with Larry Allen. And of course we've had limited interaction with Larry. He wasn't around the building a ton, but man, you feel like you get to know him seeing the clips on the sideline, seeing the highlight reels.
The workout tapes. I mean we were just before the show.
We were taking a look.
At the his been for reps at the combine and just how special he was as an athlete.
And that's one of my first memories football. That's one of my first football memories because I didn't watch a lot of football growing up. I wasn't a football player primarily until I was thirteen. But you were more into badminton. Yeah, exactly, badminton pick a ball. But I remember watching that because I like the skills competition. I'm like, this is competition.
I'm watched this. I remember seeing him lift that weight and I'm like, bro, I don't know how much weight that is, but this dude is moving that like it's a tooth pick right now, and he's just a mountain
of a man. And you just hearing the stories of how this dude you uhould throw guys around in One of my ex teammates, Tank Johnson, posted on his social media page yesterday about you know, his first time playing against Larry Island and how he watched the film and was it was shook to play him and if you know Tank, Tank doesn't really get scared, so for him to say that, and then he gets in there and and cracks a joke like please don't hurt me, man, and like Larry just smiles at him. It's just cool
to hear these stories. Speaking with Nate yesterday, you know, I've checked in on Nate just to you know, see how he was doing. And Nate was just, you know, Nate being positive. He's like, man, I'm just choosing to remember the good times.
And Brad Sham said it this morning.
I was listening on the way into the Flagship one O five through the fan and he was saying on the Sean and RJ show about he was just he was so feared.
From a front seven standpoint.
He's like, you would have these guys that were uber confident, overconfident, strongest men in all of football, and then they would go up against Larry Allen and they would just run away. It would cower at the fact that Larry Allen was coming his direction and working that direction.
So it really was.
He was an unbelievable player. And even though of course I was limited in my time of getting to see Larry Allen you just know. Man, He's a legend and he will always be remembered around this building. Also, it's a good reminder to everybody out there, check up on your friends, check out up on everybody, just because you never know, You never know when something like this can happen.
He was fifty two, he was on vacation with his family.
Things happened quick and out of the blue all the time, and so you never want to.
Leave anything at any page unturned or turned. All the waves while they're still still here, no doubt, No doubt.
Emma Smith even had a very tearful video he posted on social which is hard to watch, but I mean still a tribute to to a very special person, no doubt.
Rest in peace, Larry Allen, the legend, Larry Allen passing away at age fifty two. All right, when we come back from the other side of the break, I need you guys to catch me up on the off season.
I want to since this is our final off season episode, We're gonna go through the major milestones of this Dallas Cowboys off season, the draft, free agency or lack thereof, schedule, release, all these different things as kind of a Hodgepodge off Season for Dummies segment coming up next to just set everybody up for training camp, and then we've got a training camp preview in the final segment when we come back with more talking cowboys.
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Welcome back into Dear Doctor, the show where I answer life's questions with an ice cold can of doctor pepper. Sheila, let's hear from my next caller.
Would you, Dear Doctor?
My friend supported me during a tough time, But what's the right gift that says thanks for being.
The soldier to cry out.
Okay, this one's easy. I say, give her a delicious Doctor Pepper. Nothing says thanks good better than one of the kinds. Yes, any Doctor Pepper flavor will do. Now, just a reminder that I don't need to be a real doctor to know that Doctor Pepper is the one you deserve.
To Talking Cowboys.
Back here on Talking Cowboys presented by Black Rifle Coffee Company alongside Josh Rodriguez Isaiah Standback soon.
To be Nick Harris. I'm Kyle Yeomans.
All right, I've been gone for the last month and a half, almost two months.
I need you guys to catch me up on a little Cowboys off season. So this is our off season for dummies.
Okay.
By the way, twenty five million dollars of dead cap eight point five Kirk Cousins in Minnesota based off of our segment, last segment conversation about Ceedee Lamb. So they paid him even with some significant cap number, not to mention the Daniel Hunter, not to mention Marcus Davenport and a couple other dead money contracts at the Vikings had to navigate around, all right, I'm going to start.
With draft class. Draft class overview. Of course, Tyler Guidon out of Oklahoma was the first round pick you traded back, and you take an opportunity to take a swing at some offensive linemen.
With both Tyler Geiton and Cooper b B out of Kansas State, I want to start there. What's the expectation for this draft class. What do they need to show you this offseason to provide some hope going into a.
Brand new season.
Physicality, physicality, and consistency. I think you have to bring an attitude to this offensive line that has, in totality I feel like has been missing. Not to say that again, I say in totality because I don't think that as a unit they have been feared for some time now. I would like to see this offensive unit be feared. And I think that the addition of big Cooper BB at the center position to see him more than I
am about anybody else in this draft. Tyler guid and obviously a big big fail to move it over to the left side and going to see what he can produce over there. Hopefully he can be stout. He's gonna have a nice little introduction to the NFL. In Week one, so we'll see how that goes from between now and then.
But if these guys can assert themselves as a as a unit, not as individuals, but as a unit, and they can work in symmetry with each other and be a road grader to the point where the Cowboys can feel confident enough to run the ball and get three to four yards a pop every single time with with any running back. I think that this team is a complete problem on the offense side of the ball. But that's what I'm looking for from this draft class, specifically on the offense side.
I think you're looking for a chip on their shoulder, and I think definitely Cooper BB has that.
Being drafted in the third round.
Granted, deep was a first round grade for a lot of people, and I think he's kind of become.
The overall favorite of the draft, if.
That makes sense, because of the value that you picked him at. I want to see attitude from the offensive line. I think it is a complete overhaul. Then that was clearly the cow was objective going into the draft. It's like, all right, let's remake this offensive line. You lose your center, you lose some depth, and I think it just makes sense to me that you completely go in with a new mindset of like we're going to mal people, We're going to get them out of the way for whoever
is running the football. I'm also really looking forward to Marris Lufou. I really want to see how he contributes on special teams. Granted we have a new special team, we have a new kickoff rules and everything, so I want to see how he impacts there and then hopefully, you know, gets on the field as well.
On defense. So there's a lot of hope. I'm on my end.
I'm just I'm a Homer by heart, so it's going to be hard to kind of dissuade me from this drift class until I see otherwise.
I'm interested in Lui Foul because whenever that pick was made, I mean that was a third round pick, late third round pick, and I had a late fourth round pick on him or great on him. I wasn't excited about it then, But then hearing the plan that Mike Zimmer has for Lui Foul, I think kind of turned the tidele a little bit for me. And that doesn't always happen.
I am I'm positive, just by nature in my own right that doesn't always happen whenever, especially when it comes to the draft, because I've got a pretty good idea at least watching these guys, how I feel like they'll they'll fare.
Of course, Sweep been around before, Lui Fowl with his ability.
To blitz and go downhill and play in between the tackles and fine holes like he did when you go back and you watch him at Notre Dame.
He did it a couple of times, but he didn't do it all the time.
If that's his role, I think he would have some success, and so I think there's some excitement there. I was really excited about the Marshawn Neelan pick in the second round, I think.
Which is a surprise for everybody. I think it was a surprise that he was there.
Yeah, a lot of people had him as a late first early second round pick, and he was there.
Dallas didn't need edge rusher, but we've.
Gotten onto this front office before for window dressing their board and only getting needs. That's what got them in trouble with the twenty twenty three class. If you in the second round, Luke Scoommaker, you needed a tight end, you went and got one.
They didn't do that. They said, hey, who's the best player on our board. Here's this Marshawn Neeland cat. He's pretty good. We got to know him at the Senior Bowl, we got to see him at the Combine. He was phenomenal in.
Both instances out of Western Michigan. Let's make it right, let's pick it and let it.
Ride and see what happens. And so I'm excited to see what he does.
I think he's going to have some success in training camp, probably turned some heads. Plus, I think it puts some pressure on Sam Williams, another former second round pick. That one might have been a little bit of a pigeon hole where they needed an edge rusher in that class and they went with Sam Williams, who they loved, by the way, But now it puts pressure on him because it's win or go home in that position battle. That's one of the ones I'll be keeping an eye on
whenever we get deeper. But we've heard about the draft class quite a bit. Let's talk about some of these free agent additions very quick.
Yeah.
Yeah, this would be a quick one two three B band bang, because that's about as much as they've they've added. Eric Kendricks at middle linebackers probably the number one contributing factor probably, but it's got to be uh, Ezekiel Elliott comes back. Course, that's an interesting one. That's more of maybe a name and then a running back by committee approach. But uh, out of those two, who do you feel
like plays the biggest role, Kendricks or Zeke? And I asked that in a legitimate way because I think Zeke has to carry the football significantly in order to be on this team.
I believe that Kendricks is essential to the success of this defense just from a standpoint of being able to relay in quarterback what the new defensive quarter of Mike Zimmer wants. I think it's important to have a confident, calm voice on the field that's able to relay that information, you know what I'm saying in an effective way. I think offensive translator. Yes, yeah, and just like hey, like get over, you're in the wrong gap, or I guess I need you and I need you in this shade
or whatever it might be. Like just little things like that, having that confidence there instead of just kind of hoping that you're making the right decision. Yeah. So I think it's gonna be important from a standpoint, and I honestly think that it's more important to Dak that Zeke is here than it is for Zeke to be here for the rest of the team. And people might think that I'm crazy, but I think for what situation Dak is in, I think it is very reassuring for him to have
his sidekick with him, to have his best friend with him. Yeah, having your man right there one hundred grand, sitting back behind you or sitting right next to you in the gun and knowing that he has your back, knowing when you might be getting flustered or might be getting you know, whatever's going on in your head, being able to tap you be like you're good, I got you, calming the seas for him, I think it's more for Dak's mental and his the calmness of him going through this season,
playing in his last year. As we now see kinda has come to fruition. Then it is as effective for Zeke to be a contributor in the running game. I know a lot of people are looking to him for that, and obviously that's going to be that's his job, but I think it's he'll have a greater impact on Dak than he'll have in a running game.
Hmm.
I agree. I actually agree with that quite a bit.
The past protection side of things, I think he will have a significant impact. He can still block, like yeah, let's not get it wrong, Like he can still get up there and protect Dak in a sense. So yeah, I think even based off of the mental and physical side, Zeke is there to help Dac out. Do you think he's going to carry the ball more than these other running back It's like Rico Daudele or even a Royce Freeman who was another edition in the off season, probably about the same.
They'll share, share those carries, similar workloads, opportunity for duce Van maybe to get a carrier too. He's got to show out in training camp significantly.
I think Freeman's your your workhorse.
You think, even your short yard guy. I think he could beat that shortyard guy.
I think with Zeke, you're looking at a different difference.
Zeke you can't expect you know, uh, twenty sixteen hurdling, Yeah, sixty yard run, you know, and especially if you saw him at all in New England, he's running tough and I think with this what we just talked about, this New look offensive line. I think they're gonna pound people into the ground. I really really do. I mean, that's the hope. That's the hope, um again, but part of me feels like it's just gonna be a bowling ball situation where you're just gonna keep inching your way down the field.
And for now, the short yardage isn't cute anymore.
You know exactly that we're gonna run in the red zone and it's gonna be Zeke. Yeah, I have high expectations, but you know, I'm cautiously optimistic when it comes to Zeke. But I do think he's going to contribute more to this team this year than Eric Hendricks will.
I like the way that you put it.
It's a different contributed to distribution, different build different Z differency.
It's like Freezer and Cell like upgrading and Dragon ball Z. You know what I mean.
It is unfortunate, and I think there's there's a significant overreaction by certain parts of the fan base about this offseason and the lack of movement, because.
On paper, this is still a really good team.
You've got all these all pros, You've got significant contributors at each level of your offense and each level of your defense. Are you a complete team? I think you're close. Are you a better team on paper this year than you were last year? I don't think I can say that.
I don't think after this offseason. So I think there's a significant portion of overreaction but also a significant portion of criticism that needs to be placed on this offseason because we just mentioned all three of the outside signings. Zeenkil Elliott, who you bring back for a homecoming, Eric Kendricks, who is a veteran who you expect to have some significant impact. He's probably Stefan Gilmour of the linebacker corps.
That's kind of what he was last or what Stefan Gilmour was to the corners last year, that's what Eric Kendricks.
Is this year to the linebackers. And then you bring in Royce Freeiman to be.
A running back by committee contributor. So you haven't done anything in this offseason, but you look around and you still have Michael Parsons, you still have Cdee Lamb, you get Trayvon Dicks back, you have Deron Bland. You have one of the best special teams units in all of football. In a year where special teams is going to be significant. And you've got a quarterback who was second in MVP
voting and has been better and better every year. He's been healthy through an entire offseason, and last time I checked, Dak has been healthy all off season. So I think there's ways you can be optimistic and ways you can be critical critical of this offseason. But there's at the end of the day, you still got to produce, and this team hasn't done that in the playoffs yet, so I get the criticism.
Uh.
There have been some changes though, from a coaching staff standpoint, coaches that have come in and completely flipped the script, mostly on the defensive side of the football. Defensive coordinator of course, Mike Zimmer. We mentioned him already. Greg Gillis is in here. Yeah, ge baby, it's been fun seeing him around the building.
Have you haven't loved it to him yet? No, that's my due.
He's down there every once in a while. He's always just so good to talk to.
Christian garcia Is, Paul Gunther, There's a couple of other guys. I mean, Al Harris is back, which is great. I think having him back is a significant one. And then defensive line coach Jeff Sigonia was also an addition the house.
I think this is probably this is an all.
Encompassing answer, not just the new coaches or question, not just the new coaches. Which coach is under the most pressure this year to produce produce from a unit standpoint, an individual standpoint, or a team standpoint.
I'm gonna take Zimmer out of this because I feel like that's unfair.
It doesn't even count.
I mean, but I'm gonna.
I don't even know if Zimmer is the answer though.
Oh no, I think well, I think Zimmer is the most prominent in terms of the magnifying glasses on him, because he's over all these coaches right in terms of the defense side of the ball. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna I'm gonna remove him from the equation. I'm gonna go straight to Jeffson going now, you prob pernous the last name I think, so, all right, So I'm gonna
go to the defensive line coach. Okay, I believe that he has the most on him outside of Zimmer, simply because of the fact he is being tasked with making this defensive line be stout and stop the run. Once again, the conversation is presenting its ugly ahead, and I don't think that he has the personnel on the interior defensive line to do what he wants to do. So it's gonna be interesting to see how he gets production out of guys that we've been looking for production. How does
he get that out of them? Right? How do you pull that out of guys? How do you pull production out of Mazzie Smith coming off of being underweight, coming off of shoulder surgery. Right, everybody's looking at his weight right now and questioning, what's kind of hard to come from somebody who had three shoulder surgeries. It's kind of hard to gain weight when you're trying to even be able to lift weight. So I mean, so we have
to wait and see what he reports. It's a camp at, But how do you get production out of guys who have been underwhelming in some sense? And then how do you connect with guys with your style of coaching that might not be receptive to that style of coaching? You know, And there's a lot of things that take place by replacing a coach. So I think that it's gonna be very interesting from his dynamic because he doesn't seem like
one that's going to change his style. How do guys adapt to his coaching style and how does he pull greatness out of guys who have shown flashes of it in the past.
I think the easy answer would be Mike McCarthy because everything is on the line for him the final year of his contract. You also have to look at Brian Schottenhummer two. I think because of how this offense sort of skidded the first five games up until the Chargers game.
I think it was when they finally got rolling that Installing that new offense is one thing, but carrying that success over now that you I mean, granted, do you have a new running back, but you have a lot of the same pieces in place on the offensive side of the ball. How does that translate now that it's been installed for a full year? Do you get up and running right away going into year two of this offense? And granted it's the last season on Mike McCarthy's contract, it's.
A good point.
All the pressure's there.
I agree with you. I think that's the easy answer. I'll throw one other name in there. I'll say Scott McCurry as linebackers coach. I think linebacker has been a question mark, mostly due to injuries, and he hasn't had a whole lot to work with because of injuries and depth at that position, and they didn't necessarily address a whole lot this year, So now it's kind of on
Scott McCurley. Of course falls underneath the Zimmer umbrella as well, but they've got to get something out of this linebacker corps. They've got to get some sort of consistency out of these players in order to be successful defensively.
So I'll throw him into the mix.
But the guys that you mentioned, I think I'll have some level of pressure.
Every coach has some level pressure.
This whole team. There's pressure on all everybody. He could blow up, and it's.
Pressure on everybody because if the hit coach is not retained, who's saying exactly. Nobody's job is saying yeah, no.
All right.
Twenty twenty four upcoming schedule the last of the four pillars of the Cowboys offseason. We hit draft class, free agency, coaching changes, and then now twenty twenty four upcoming schedule.
I don't want to list the whole schedule here. You can go on Dallas Cowboys dot com to find it. What is the toughest part of the schedulesh that early.
Half that you have the Browns, soon after that, Ravens Steeler, There's Lions. You know that, that whole that that run there is going to be tough for a playoff team a year ago, right or did they just I think they did squeak into the playoffs? Ca, Yeah, because I think the Browns.
Browns did not.
Did they beat him in the first round if I if I'm not mistaken, But then again, this isn't talking Browns.
Yeah, but you think that's that first part of the schedules that Yeah, that.
First part is rough man, but but everything before the bye you have a bye week seven and then you just you just have to play the forty nine ers after that.
So, yeah, Bills beat them in the playoffs. So they did make it. Yeah, the Bills beat them.
Yeah. At first, that first portion of the season is is trash. It's terrible, it's it's a it's a lot to take on.
But it's the first portion of the season.
But it's the first portion of season. But it's not like it gets easier, right in terms of where we're at today. That eight through eleven is a beast, and matter of fact, I'm going to extend it to say eight through twelve because I think obviously, coming off the buy, you you go straight into forty nine ers, which is awesome because you have time to prepare for them. But the San Francisco forty nine ers, I think Atlanta's still
trying to figure things out. But then you got Philly, you got a heck of a great Houston Texas team. And I think the Washington Commanders, I think they are going to present problems for the Dallas Cowboys this year as it stands right now. Okay, we'll see how things play out, but I foresee Washington being a lot more competitive than everybody's giving him credit for. So I know, I know, I know, I'm on my own island there.
I know I like dan Quinn too, but the football and.
What I hear, he's not just one that one side of game.
So it's gonna hurt.
So it'll be Jade Daniels that'll be throwing the football or running it. I mean, either he's a great player.
I don't get me wrong, He's a good player, but I don't think he's He's not that guy.
I don't disagree with you, but I don't I don't foresee them being I don't foresee them being the team that's gonna be throwing a ball around either. So you're right. So I think they're gonna they're gonna try to control the ground and then defensively try to add a bunch of pressure. But that's that's just my thoughts. But I think that outside of that first portion, I think that eight through twelve, for me.
Is is a little little dicey Seven of your first No way, I'm gonna go even further. Eight of your first ten opponents this year all were in the playoffs last year.
Brown's, Ravens.
Oh wait, okay, make it seven of ten. I forgot the Giants, Browns, Ravens, Steelers, Lions, forty nine Ers, Eagles, Texans. So that seven of your first ten opponents of the year we're all playoff teams a year ago. Doesn't mean they're gonna be just as good. But you expect the Texans to be better? Yes, well, San Francisco is still San Francisco. If you know for a certain fact that Detroit coming into at and T Stadium, who wants to absolutely destroy you.
And then you've got one for every more down.
Yeah, then you've got the Ravens. You're on the road against Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
I agree. I think the first you're gonna learn a lot about this football.
You are early before, in the first eight six weeks of the year before the bye.
And then first eleven weeks of the year, you're gonna know exactly who the Dallas.
Which one of y'all hit me?
Yeah, Yeah, you're gonna know exactly who this team is.
And I do agree Isaiah to a certain point.
I don't know that those are necessarily going to translate into wins for Washington, but I think you come out of those games pretty beat up. Yeah, they're gonna be a tough team, granted with with Dan Quinn coaching them.
I mean San Francisco, you know obviously, and then you played Atlanta, San Francisco, Philly, Houston, those three right there.
Yeah, those Houston's gonna that's tough.
Right, Those three out of four games are really really tough.
If you think you're getting a break with Atlanta, that's not that's not gonna happen.
Atlanta is going to be high fling offensively. Especially, they're gonna be really good. Their defense is going to give up points. Yeah, but they're gonna they're gonna shoot you out. So you're gonna get in a track meet with Atlanta and then have to play Philadelphia, Houston, and then oh, by the way, you go on the road and play Washington.
So yeah, all these teams still got to see CD LAMB.
That's what I'm saying, you know, hopefully with a new contract.
All right, I gotta be the positive sciences.
Let's take our second break. When we come back, it's time to do a little training camp preview.
The next time we'll be on the air, we'll be in Oxnard, California, So we'll get you ready with some of the camp superlatives early and often we're talking cowboys.
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To Talking Cowboys. Back here on Talking Cowboys. This segment has brought to you by in Visi Line, the official smile of the Dallas Cowboys. It's also brought to you by Quaker Oats, the super trusted superfood Quaker Oats, the official oatmeal sponsor of the Dallas Cowboys.
Did you get him in?
You know?
I freaking got him? And Kyle let's go.
Let's go now. I am sure you boy got them oats in, babe.
It's good to be bad. Let's go love it, love them man. Josh Rodriguez, Isaiah stand back.
I'm Kyle Yeoman's glad you're with us here on talking cowboys done?
Really? Uh?
The Off Season for Dummies episode is kind of the way that I've tabbed this one because I'm the dummy that missed the entire offseason and so I need to be caught up. But now it's time to look ahead training camp preview. Who is under the most pressure going into training camp? And I'm gonna stick to a player standpoint because we just talked about pressure on coaching staff members, I'm gonna say pressure player wise going into training camp.
Josh, I'll start with you, going back to my point about Zeke. I think you have to look good running the football.
With this offensive line, I would say your spot is secure, of course.
Man, Like I think if if he doesn't look good running the ball, then we just got to start looking at Okay, who's who's out there that's gonna be tough, man, That's my gut instinct call what about you, guys?
Am Trey Lance. That's a good one. That's a good one.
He's gonna have more than his fair share of preseason and he's fighting for a number two position.
Yeah, it's all it's wide open.
I mean, Cooper Rush doesn't And as much as Cooper Rush has had some success as the backup quarterback, he doesn't have the safety net of winning those games and have the year prior.
He doesn't have the upside and the youth.
Yeah.
I think there's a couple of things in Trey Lance's category and the comparison to Dak too.
I mean they're similar type of players, prototype players.
They didn't pick up his fifth year option, that's true, So I mean he is literally this is his resume.
That would have been an expensive fifth year option. Yeah, I mean he knew that was he knew twenty three million.
But this is his I mean, he's he is putting himself out there for the world to see, and he's putting himself in a position. I mean, there's a lot to go on that's going to go on here. Dak situation is not settled. Everybody's gonna assume that he's gonna get You know that Dallas Cowboys are going to extend him or if he balls out this year and then
they'll resign him. Trey, from his perspective, I got a ball out in his preseason with any opportunity that I'm given, just in case things don't go great for that, you know what I'm saying, Hey, I'm here, you know I'm seriously that's the situation. That's how he has to approach it. If things don't go well for Dak, I'm your guy. Yeah right, that's how he has to mentally approach training camp. Oh and by the way, if things do go great for Dak, hey goople Rush, I'm taking your spot, bro.
Like That's that's his mentality coming into the training camp and it has to be that way. So I think in terms of pressure, there's an expectation of Trey Lance now going into this training camp and he gets a real training camp with the Dallas Cowboys and it's going to be a shootout between him and Cooper Rush and his preseason.
That would be the answer to my next question as well, what position battle are you looking forward to the most? I think it'd be the backup quarterback battle, and there's a lot of times where the backup qbs get the spotlight at camp because you know Dak is there, you know he's the starter, and you know he's going to
be significant in terms of snaps. But you'd rarely through the course of the season get to see the backup quarterbacks, get to see everybody else a number of times, but in the middle of the season, you don't see the battle at all. So this is your one shot to look at it, and this is your one shot for Trey Lance to try and step up and be that gup.
Oh, he's in a great position right now.
I would also say linebacker as far as position positions that need to be kind of filled out at training camp. But then again, my first training camp last year, it was really hard judging line and back player in general.
It's like, and it's really kind of impossible.
It's like, linebacker and running back are the two toughest to see a training camp because you don't have the physicality of either of those positions.
They're not tackling at all. It's tackling, So it's like, it's so hard to judge this. Yes, they're in the right spot, but is that a tackle.
You can see win loss on the defensive line. You can see when.
Tag Duzbine on his hip.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You can see win loss between offensive line defensive line. You can see wins and losses between wide receivers and dbs.
And you can see.
Quarterback play in the right place, right time, right throw, right accuracy whatever. Linebacker, I'll throw safety as like a half because you can you can be good in coverage but then be in the right place at the right time. You can still see good safety play, but linebacker and running back are the toughest by Farest.
But I agree with you.
Well, especially with Deuce last year, I think kind of thought was like, oh man, this is going to be so special, you know what I mean, and not rapp it'.
It's it's really hard to judge. It's really really hard to go.
He would have broke that, Oh men't getting the game, get thrown out the club.
And we said it last year on this show. But when Deuce was going off in the preseason and he was doing everything he did against Jacksonville and against Seattle, it was like, oh, this guy's the number two running back, Like he's.
He's right behind Tony Pollard.
It's like, guys, he's doing this against guys that he played college against that were late round draft picks.
In these preseason games where he was an.
All purpose yards leader in college, He's not doing it against the top guys, and when he did it against the top guys had a very sliver of opportunity, it didn't necessarily he's got a chance.
To show up. I think he's he's Uh, what could be an answer to this next question?
We even talk about some of the things that he has going on right now. What's that about how they're how they're working him in that.
Slot, putting him in the slot.
That's whatever what I read?
I like it.
A couple couple of positions here and there.
What would make your confidence level rise after what was pretty much a slow off season? What would build your confidence in the preseason and in training camp to.
See a trade for a defense alignment, like a like an entire interior defense alignment.
Okay, that would be what what pick are you willing to give up.
That? I'm not sure?
Yeah, Like, what's what's the trade value you're willing to.
Part with that? I'm not sure? But right now my confidence low in our ability to be able to defend interior rent pressure.
If I'm getting a big time interior defensive lineman starter who is a known pass rusher, which don't grow on trees, and it's probably not going to be easy to trade for. I'd be willing to give up a third round pick, like a top one hundred pick.
I'm not giving coming up. Yeah I would. I'm not going to give up a first for a second. I'm not doing that. But depending on player, Depending on the player.
I don't think there's any other position group that I would be excited about it to say, Hey, Cowboys just got substantially better. You got a receiver, okay, cool, another option. You got a running back, okay cool? Somebody can tok the rock cornerback cool? All you go through all the positions, Yeah, I'm not getting excited about any other positions unless you get a big defens alignment. You get a big defense alignment. Now I'm like, okay, all right, I see what you're
all trying to do. Like that that gets me to the edge of my seat because of who you're surrounding that person around.
Does that mean you feel okay with where this offensive line is now?
I am waiting to see. I am I am highly anticipating. I think there's a lot of potential, and we use that word a lot. But I think with the guys that they have acquired, if they can put out right, if the big big Cooper in the inside, I think having a big physical presence there. Now you know, Tyler be Otish, thank you for your for your time, your dedication. But Cooper Beebe's a big boy. And if he can produce with that size and be a road grader, Oh
now you're cooking with fire. Because you got big Zach on the right, and you got Tyler Smith on the left. And if you got if you you can put the big fellow out there on the left side. If he can go out there a hold down to four and use his athleticism and be sound and confident in the calm with his feet. Now you got some rolling. Now you have something rolling. So yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I can't speak to it until they get the pads on good point.
All right, That does it for us here on talking cowboys. Next time we're on a microphone, we will be West Coast living, West Coast Dreaming, California Dreaming and Oxnard, California Training Camp twenty twenty four.
They not like us.
It's right around the corner, right around the corner.
Everybody is it is.
It was good to be back for one final episode and then I will see you guys back.
Out by the way before we leave.
Speaking of thank you from here on out, mister Josh Rodriguez, it will be.
A full time member of the Talking Cowboys crew very much.
I appreciate the opportunity.
I'm happy to be here a Talk Cowboys.
That's the whole point, right, can't wait. Man, you did a great job posting.
You've always been so much fun to work with and we can't wait to really dive into it over the course of an entire season. For those of you who might be wondering John Manchoda, where is he going? John has his full time gig with the Athletic and so he's gonna be doing plenty of content on the Athletic. He'll be around some certain things throughout, but he just can't do podcasts anymore. So The Athletic follow John Machoda on. He's really one of the best you'll ever follow. His
content is unmatched, his work ethic is incredible. He's a real one and he is real is. He is as good as they come.
So we love you.
John always a part of the Talking Cowboys family and always welcome to come back and sit down him whenever you want, and we'll certainly interact with John throughout the season as well.
But yeah, Josh Rodriguez will be back in.
That chair and we are full time coming up in the fall special. Thanks to all those who tuned in and who've always tuned in, subscribed, liked the YouTube channel, subscribed on iTunes, and all the different Where can they find you along the way, I'm at Kyle Underscore Yeoman's y ou m a n s on Twitter and I'm on I'm not really on Twitter, I'm on ig at the same thing. You can find me on I g at, I standback Josh W.
Rodriguez everywhere, bo everywhere everywhere.
And then Beamer O nine in the back.
Oh yeah, Uh Coach Mike McCarthy coming up at ten o'clock his press conference or going into mandatory mini camp that will be happening today. Stay up to uh todate on dallascowboys dot com for Chris Beam, for Isaiah standback for Josh Rodriguez.
I'm Kyle Yeoman saying so long from the Star in Frisco. We will see you in ox. Start on Talking Cowboys.
This has been a production of dallascowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.