Talkin' Cowboys: Backs To The Wall Again?

Mickey Spagnola will be along shortly. He's getting grilled on the radio right now. You're gonna assume I'm Bill Jones. Brian brought Us is here, Rob Phillips is here. And how are you guys doing? They weren't bad this morning. No, Actually ask some good questions, r J chopping. You pay attention a little bit better to the line of questioning when your co host ask a question, You listen to what the co host asks, and then you don't ask

the same question thirty seconds later. Yeah, sometimes we'll get distracted. Let me ask you this real quick about Bill. You prefect. You guys, professional broadcaster type guys. When you interview people, do you honestly listen to their responses. Are you formulating another question in your head? You are supposed to be listening.

That's that's that's what I thought. That's what the drill was all because sometimes your next question cannot not be what you have in your head, but based off of what the answer is that you just got, you could come up with something else. Great interviewers will say the greatest aspect of interviewing is listening. That's what I thought.

That's what I thought. When you get a red zone question and you answer the red zone question, and then you get another red zone question behind it, basically the same question. That's not listening? Is it? Maybe like your answer? No? Maybe, you know, I mean, you know, he should have liked the pause I had for thirty seconds. That pause made him feel a little uncomfortable. Right, did you call him on it by pausing? I think I did. I didn't want to call him out on the air. Yeah, but

I'm just I just wanted you wait till now. I AW. That's what I'm saying. When you when you answer, when you answer questions, or you're interviewing somebody, you listen to what they're saying, right, And then you'd, like you said, you try and formulate maybe there needs to be a follow up from that question. Sure, maybe there needs to be something. Maybe you wanted to take it in another direction.

But then you turn around and you say, whoa wait a minute, I was going to go this way, but he brought something up very interesting here, or she brought something up very interesting here, and you have to find a way to kind of navigate that. I think that two times nowadays that did we just you get as an interview you get questions and you just feel like I have to ask these questions instead of instead of really trying. One of the best interviewers I've ever heard

is Howard Stern. Yeah, Howard Stern's great the way he interviews people because he gets people to open up about themselves, which I think is great. We're just talking about you, Mickey having to probably answer the same question over and over again from r J. Chappey. R J did better in my segment. What was the question? Yours was red zone? Red zone question? Yeah? Yeah, are you just kind of

tired of talking about the red zone too? Because I feel like, no, not really, not really, because it's it's a problem. It is it's a problem, and it might be the one thing that that them from from going places if if not, I always give Mickey credit for this. I don't always give Mickey credit, but I'll give him credit for this. He identified the offensive line issues a long time ago. You know when they were before there

were three and five that there were there. There were there were issues there, and you thought, okay, changed the coach, made some things better. You won five games. But the issues there are, the issues that we've talked about in before the three and five start are still there. And you know what, protection and you know what, running the ball.

The biggest problem is not failure. It's the inability to trust to call plays that you would call him absolutely right because you self scout and you're going, okay, I could call this, but I just don't have a lot of confidence and maybe I have to. Why do you on fourth and one at the three yard line call a running play. You tried to run it away from the straight You tried to fool them. You tried to

fool them because you didn't trust you. What you did was you ran the ball to the side of sue A. Philo at Smith feeling like that they were going to slant away and then you can maybe better better. Question is, okay, here we go. Why don't you just kicked the field goal then? Because you needed a touchdown? Yeah, you know you say they needed a touchdown. If I thought you kicked field goal, was a coward because I know what

you're you're saying. But yeah, because of the opponent, I didn't think the Colts were going to score a lot of points in that game, and so you didn't as opposed to when you're playing the Eagles or the Saints, typically they're going to score more points in my mind anyway, okay, and so, and I feel I trust my defense whatever,

so kicked. Yeah. Yeah, it's disappointing that olawally dropped the ball and you had a touchdown in your hand, But in my opinion that early in the game, kicked the field Go get your and so that when you're you're not down ten nothing at the half, rather it's a ten three game at the half, and then you would

have been down seventeen. Well but yeah, but still I've saw several games this year, and in fact, it was whoever it was playing Kansas City, I can't remember who the opponent was, and they were going forward all the time on fourth Then, now that's that goes against what I'm saying. It's Kansas City is going to score a lot of points. Yeah, but they lost that game because they kept going forward on fourth down. Whoever it was, I can't remember, and it wasn't a Pittsburgh It was

in the first half of the game. I'm on, somebody, wait a second, Okay, had you kicked field goals to make it to get six points on those two possessions, you wouldn't be down fourteen nothing at the half, will be a one score game. It was a long one yard it looked like. But we've given Jason Garrett credit for knowing the condition of his team. We talked about the overtime game in Philly, and if you look at here,

I wasn't surprised at all. We went for it even though they had trouble again down there, because early in that drive, Zeke six yards, Zeke twenty four yards, Zeke seven yards, they were moving the ball. I thought he felt like he could get a yard on that drive. The way they would at least get a yard to get a first down, to get four more downs. Now why they felt like they decided they needed to, you know, run kind of trick play with Olawally on third down

instead of running Zeke again. I don't know. Maybe it was the look, you know, did he tweet out something that there Bobby Belt. I think Bobby Belt tweeted out something that the Cowboys have only rushed like for sixteen yards in our four yards and sixteen red zone. It was I kind of wish I need to pull it and see that. Okay, I need to pull up. But he had something. Bobby does a lot of research on

this stuff. He went back and looked at it. The number of yards that they've rushed for down in that situation is small, very small compared to how they usually how they usually handle things down right. See. I think if it was if it was fourth and one, yeah, the twelve yard line, they would have kicked the field goal and he got a five yard gain to the differences that make three yard line because you were at the three yard line and you needed one yard for

a first down. Well, if you're fourth and one at the twelve, you still need one yard for a first down. I know, but you're right there next to the goal. You got to score a touchdown, Yeah, I just think in that situation, I think I think we're just going forward on fourth down all the time. Now, No, I don't think so. Yeah, And I think what I'm seeing looks like we're just going every time fourth and one, we're going forward against that bill in that case, I was.

It depends on the situation, depends on how Maybe he's tired of being criticized for nine being aggressive. I don't think he cares about that. I think I really don't. He does not think it comes down to is it a yard as in half a yard, a couple of inches? Is it a yard and a half? Okay, here you go ahead, humor me if you made Bobby Bell, he works with the he's a producer with the NFL network. He said the Cowboys as a team have have four yards rushing on sixteen red zone carries over the last

three weeks. I don't know. I thought it was gold and gold. Maybe it's goal to go. Okay, you know he got it. They got a five yard game on second now three, well, goal to go? Well, well that would not be This was not goal to go. But it was a yard. No, that's right, Yeah, it wasn't. What I mean, I saw. I'm thinking like, oh wow, that sounds like but but doesn't that kind of play into what we've talked about though? We all like to say, oh, okay, load up and run the ball. And this isn't twenty

sixteen anymore. You know, you got the back, but you know I have the offensive line, right, Mickey's right again, I think the trust factor there. And I'm not saying he doesn't trust tyrants. I'm just saying, though, when you start calling plays the way they have there there, it's got to creep into your mind, like I've okay, I've got to run this thing. Yeah, I get in thirteen personnel,

I've got to run it to left. He ran it to who he thought his best two blockers were, Sue Philo and and and Smith and and and and Jason Garrett. I've admitted this thing's got muddied up over there. And then all of a sudden, you know, the Maruts, Marut Hunt, Marcus Hunt makes a great play out of backdoor read, you know, and and yeah, that's you're gonna have problems, but it's it's there's a lot going on, and you know there's a lot going and I just I just hope I just hope that it when if they can

get in the playoffs. It's not gonna be the offensive lines in ability down in the red zone or goal to goal or protection, you know, but it will be. But you're you're right, Mickey, it will be all that said. This is my question. You've still got a rushing attack that's fourth in the league. You STI got the leading rush from twenty to the twenty five to the twenty five? What makes it so different down there? You think? I mean, what just the space the loaded up fronts that you're space,

they don't create the next space. If you're the defensive coordinator, what do you bet nine? When I set my defense for fourth and one at the three yard line? What do you bet nine? Ball a handoff of Ezekiel? And that's where I'm setting my defense. Yeah, and now you've got to be better to knock more people off in a short zone there, short field or do you have to in order to beat that run a different play? Yeah?

Next time. Let me ask you this though. Do you think the fact that they can't run the ball down there is because they can't throw the ball either. That's what I mean that you don't have so dependent. Should listen to your answer. My bet they are so dependent down there on four and twenty one did in the end zone? Did it? They had no other option, and no one else has really stepped up and said, Hey, I'm the guy, throw me a back shoulder fate up

catching No. Eighty eight, eighty two, Yeah, no eighty three. Remember eighty three kind of was a small area player there too, and he used to play. But if you complete a couple of those, to your point, then the next time they've got to think that in the back of their mind that's an option and maybe that box is a little bit. They haven't proven that they can do that, So just load up, because wasn't it against Philadelphia they tried to run the quarterback draw and yeah, work, yeah,

they tried to help. Yeah, they lost four on a handoff and before I mean, well they got stuffed. You're right, that was the play they ran. They got minus four. You're right, the quarterback what quarterback draw was like the read option stuff they tried to run. Remember he got he got stuffed on that one. So yeah, they're they're they're woes. I think is more offensive line, clearly, play selection, clearly execution clearly, you know, but they've got the opponent

this week where they that they're awful down there. Yes, maybe that's the time that could be it. If they don't score against this crowd ride here down there, then just pack it up. Okay, that's funny that you mentioned that. I was going to bench of that off the top. I was talking to a friend this morning and they basically said that same type thing was, well, if you can't beat these guys, you don't deserve to be in

the NFL. You know. I'll tell you what though, that there were people that will admit that to you though, if you know, you go intose games and that's I always say the Strange Lady, But that's what I was. My answer to this person is you kind of look at it and you go, I wouldn't be surprised they lost this game. Hey, I mean, just you're looking at me. Funny, Rob, I know, but I mean, would you it's not all right?

I'm not do I not subscribe to the Strange Lady theory the vice president of the Strange Yes, I want fifty percent on T shirt sales, you got it, because especially against this bunch Jamis Winston. Yeah, he'll turn it over, but he can Mike Evans of offense like they did against the Redskins. That's crazy. They were up at fourteen three on the Saints. They can't beat the Saints. They can't possibly lose the Tennessee. Jacksonville's Jacksonville. You can't beat Jacksonville.

You can't go to Atlanta and hold him under thirty one? Can't you? How many times if we've seen this where everybody's on one side of the room, you know, so, yeah, absolutely, you got to be ready for this team because they can move the ball and they can put themselves like the Cowboys, in position to score points. All right. It's one thing though for fans or media to say, what we're talking about here? How much do the coaches have to convince the players not to be thinking in that

same way that this is this is Tampa Bay. They're fine, you know your attention, You get your attention, that that looking past somebody whatever. And I don't think they did with Indianapolis. But if you're you don't. If they come out and say no, we're just got to focus on it, you better damn well know what what's in front of you right now. None of us want to I sound

so whiny right now. What he had he had one more padded practice to use, and he used And you think that meant something we need to get back to plan physical football. They pulled out the blocking sled there on their knees, popping up, hitting the pads, the other single sled pad thing for the linebackers they were hitting that. I think he wanted to remind him we got to

get back to hitting. Uh. And and maybe they backed off the week before, and not because it was Indianapolis, it was because they had just played an overtime game, thirteen to ten game that they had to grind through to win three games eleven days before that, five games in twenty five days. Yeah, I want to do it that way. I think they I think it caught up with them. I think they exhaled. They just they just okay,

well sound soft right now? No, No, no, we sound yeah, you sound I mean you would just hope that they was so much on the line to go try and get this thing at Indianapolis that they would have played better. They didn't. They didn't play they didn't. But Mickey, to your point, Yeah, if it takes rolling out the old crowd, or sled and knocking it around a little bit. I'm all for it. I'm all for anything to try and get you back to what you did for five weeks

when your season was on the line every week. I'm all for that. It might didn't just needed a reminder. Yeah, and they used it because they ain't no more padded practices. Yeah, they'll get one of the getting this playoffs, so he'll use that, right, yep, yep. But what do you have to do to get that at next padded practice? You gotta go win. Yes, I'll tell you this though. I mean, you do not want to have to go to New York. Rob Phillips, You're right about that. We've seen Division games

up there. Yeah, you do not want it. They're playing better. The first time this team played in New York, it was like, how many games is New York gonna win this year? Give them credit because they fought back and give and let like one of the teams lose, like Philadelphia or Washington. Washington plays on Saturday, Yeah, and they they'll be sitting there going, oh, if we win one, we won't be in last place. Yeah, what times the time time as a cowboy, Houston's playing for a lot too.

They got the second seed on the line. You know that's that Philly, right, that Philly. Yeah, But I'm with Brian. You just gotta win this game. He said it too. We gotta take everything. Nothing's gonna be given to act gets the Wall game. But you say that said back against the Wall, he said, must win, must win, or the other did because yeah, why not? It's because the other part of this. Okay, Yeah, you can clinch the division if both the Eagles and the Redskins lose a game.

But I mean, if you're going into the playoffs with an idea that you're going to have some success in the playoffs, You're not going in with three straights and having success in the playoffs. You gotta streak into the playoffs. Tom Landry, you gotta you gotta nip this thing in the bud right now, using all the old Old Man sings here the Old Man show, getting after the Old Man said into the play that's party five. Nipp it, nipp it, nipping, nip it in the bud right now,

and get back off track against Jampa Bay. You're an Andy Griffith fan, aren't you. You gotta be an Andy Griffith's born in nineteen eighty. It doesn't matter. There was a runs. My sons in law, they're nineteen, my grant, my grandsons sitting they're watching Andy Triiffith. He's two years old and watch all of the family every night. I know the whistling open theme, but that's it. That's the LB with this every day. No, I love it. You saw my tweet the other night. It's for him. I

wasn't missed it. It was from Grumpy old Man and it was just with him, just going huh, yeah, what huh. It's like, oh, this is my life from nine thirty thirty every day mainly with this one. Yeah, I love vainly with this one. He threw us under the bus. It was really for him. Yeah, it was. Yeah, should have been with us last night. That's right. We had Mike Singletary. Oh is that good Boys legend show? What a great Cowboys legend? Mike single t there it is Ki Ki Garrison comes and only a few of us

could go down memory lane with Mike Singletary. I watched him playing college Baylor. Yeah, great player, great, great college player. For some reason, he didn't remember talking to me in the locker room in Chicago. For some reason, I don't know why I couldn't see it. Now it was a one on one. He can see everything with those eyes. Guys, what a what a great guy. Yeah, that was fun last night and he is, Uh, you can find it

whenever it gets posted on Dallas Cowa dot com. Well, but he is the head football coach at Trinity Christian Academy and Addison High School, a private school here, and he doubles up and he's going to be the head coach of the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football, which kicks off training camp in a matter of days. Wow, next month, and they kick off the season right after the Super Bowl. Good luck to those guys. Yeah, February tenth.

Maybe it's a Sunday after the week after the Super blows. See, there's no break. And in fact, they've got a national TV contract with CBS Sports Network, so you can watch those games right after you watch the Super Bowl on CBS and then the next week CBS Sports Network. You can keep track of what's going on. Racing season, guys, racing season. That's when it starts. The Daytona of the week after bow. Yeah. Absolutely skiing season. All right, we got much to get into. We want to take your

phone calls. We got breaking news out of New England. We will get shots well when we continue on talking Cowboys in just a moment. Selor has been helping Cowboys fans set better since nineteen seventy two. He said, they don't miss a moment on the field. Get glasses Withlor's best vision, clarity and protection with the Ultimate Lens Package, three innovative technologies in one lens for a limited time.

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change and you subscribers cancel any time. Content varies by package and maybe limited sixtens A five a man's steps and doesn't just protect him from life's elements. It projects an unstoppable and legendary spirit, just like the men wearing silver and navy on the field every Sunday sends eighteen sixty five. Stetson hats are American made with pride right here in Texas. They are still the official Crown of all self prospecting cowboys, and Stetson is proud to be

on the field with America's team. Find steps and hats in the pro Shop or at Stetson dot com Today. Doctor Pepper is the one you crave, But how do you explain that craving? Imagine being shipwrecked on a desert island, an one glass like curls of self bound at the shore with Doctor Pepper, colored waves, surrounded by desire. But you can't drink, kids, because it's the ocean fish and even there, the only thing you want he's Doctor Pepper and you can't have it. Now, that is it? Doctor Pepper?

Craven Doctor Pepper when you crave? Back to talking cowboys. Here in Cowboys Country, we always ride with our boys, but when it comes to your underwear, you definitely don't want him riding up on your boys. That's why we always wear Tommy John. The revolutionary brand of underwear was state footwate bans that keep everything in place, Tommy John, no adjustment needed. Brian shop exclusive Cowboys Underwear at Tommy John dot com. Forward Slash Cowboys for twenty percent off

your first order. That's Tommy John dot com Forward slash Cowboys. Mickey, you have your Tommy John's on. I do not. But you know what I need bill us the way you asked the question. Yeah, I need a couple more pairs Tommy john socks. Yeah, okay, because you know what, they keep everything in place on your calfs. They don't ride down on you know, they stay up very good free socks. Huh yeah, okay, scale listening, pick up a couple for you. Yeah, you go online, all right, by some good for you.

I don't have my Cowboys Tommy Joe. I thought that's your direction for Sunday. Oh yeah, big game Sunday, Big game, Bob. You need to get them signed by someone. Oh gosh, Miles. I love the expression on Rob's face when Vicky says things like that. It's it's basically the Miles Austin drop. Okay, news out of New England this morning. Josh Gordon, Um, well, I've got my I don't have my reading context in so it's hard for me to read this, but I can. Okay,

there you go. How about it, Micky? What the old man show? Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon is facing them another indefinite suspension for violating his reinstatement under the Substance Abuse Policy. This is being written by pro football rumors. So his statement was he needed to step away. He was having some in their mental problems. I take my mental health very seriously at this point. To ensure I remain able to perform at the highest level, I am

taking time away from football. Yeah. And then subsequently there were numerous reports from the national NFL beat writers that a suspension is imminent. Yeah, Jason Cole was talking about it. I know Tom pellisor is that I say his name, he was saying the same thing. So they were saying that that maybe that he was trying to get out ahead of the suspension and uh, and that's why he walked away from the team at this point in time

in the summer, checking yourself into rehab. Yeah, you know, it's it's well, it is what it is with with him, and that that's a terrible way to say things. But when you you know, you talk to people in this organization about him, particularly, you know, guys were very honest. They were very honest that they're like, listen, you know, tremendous talent. They talk about him as being a great player, but they also say, there's a lot of issues with that young man, a lot of issues. It's not it's

just not the marijuana. There's a lot of things that go on with this guy, and he says, you can't. And these are again, these are several guys I was talking to throughout the year when that was all breaking down, right after when Cleveland let him go that you can't, you can't. This is what their fear is, that he'll play a certain time and then bum, he's gone. And here it is December. It's week sixteen, and you know, and the Patriots are the Patriots are not a one

or two seed right now. The Patriots are gonna The Patriots are are having to fight and scratch and claude first two game losing streak in Decembers in sixteen, Yes, exactly. Yeah.

So now you're talking about one of your better players and having forty catches on the ear having to step away, and you waste you You invested all those snaps in him, yeah, bringing them along, and now you're left high and dry where maybe it was a lesser player, but at least you invested snaps with him, and he's ready to go. Late December and now you left. I don't think we're trying to be insensitive nor because there was a lot of people going, well, why didn't the Cowboys pick him up?

It was only a fifth round pick. Now, well you guys talking the same cats I do. And and they were adamant that like, yeah, we get the talent, but we also we also understand the bigger, bigger issue and the bigger, bigger picture. And they wanted to avoid exactly what happened right now to New England because there's fans that said to us on the show, you know you're you're handling the Randy Gregory situation. Yeah, this is a really talented wide receiver, and I think you have to

take every case individually, every player individually. Absolutely, they made that decision that it wasn't worth it to pursue, and it it's not. And I told you so. It's unfortunate for I wish him the best, but I mean, so many headaches you can put up with and you're gonna get diminishing returns, and he's he's a really good headache. He's he's one of my as guys, right always something rand As McLean, didn't you nickname him that I mean we've gone you're going through it with Irving David, with

Randy Gregory. How many more guys do you want to take on at David Irving Win. I don't think it's gonna end well, I don't think so well. I don't know about what I mean well in a way of him being in him being on the field, yeah, I just don't. I mean, that's that's one of those things that you do. You gambled on it, you tried to make things work and that that went, and you know, but the thing that does he love football? And on now, Clarence, don't ask those questions, you know, I mean, the guy

obviously it's not easy to play football. It's not. But you know, the guy's got some serious off the field problems and so he has to take care of those that It takes every bit of his energy to have to take care of that. And the team tried their best to help him through. And then he gets hurt. Yeah, and now now you're trying to does he rehab or is he able to rehab? Is he is? He hears in the facility? Wait, is he taking care of that? You know, when you're not around, it's hard to do

your job, and that's that's what he has been. I keep saying this. One day, I'm gonna throw you guys at crawfish boiled. It's gonna be Hey, who was the guy that was the guy that was the most talented football player I ever saw that didn't do anything, you know, because of off the field stuff killed him for any chance, he had to be the type of player that he was capable of since high school. Yeah, Tom Pellicero's tweeked

about him. Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon facing another indefinite suspension for violating terms of his reinstatement under the Substance Abuse Policy, per source. He announced today he's stepping away to address his mental health. Take it back to the Cowboys leading up to the trade deadline and what was a fifth round pick that the Patriots gave up to Cleveland seventh back? So that makes six? I don't know whatever whatever that is um and what the Cowboys do.

They gave up their first to get a Maury Cooper to fill that. That took a lot of grief for that took a lot of grief because also to what was given up in Philadelphia in a golden tape for gold under Yeah, and you know what, I can't. I can't. Hey, as much as it pains me not to be able to talk about the twenty f pick overall for the in the NFL draft, you did the absolute right thing. You did. You you you evaluated the player, You get all your leg work on the player, what type of

person he was. And not every single guy in this league is going to be perfect, but but this guy is as close to perfect as you're gonna find. And you know, they had guy connections, really good connections to this player when you think about it. Jason Garrett was in the Nick Saban camp before. Jack del Rio is a cowboy basically, and he coached him in Oakland and the reviews were great, not just on the field, but off the field. And that what we've been talking about

for the last ten minutes. That's important too. You gotta understudy, um, what was the offensive downing? Was the coordinator out there prior to Nuss Myers here coached him in college, so yeah, I coached him to Pro Bowls too. Yeah. Yeah. See. That's that's the thing is that if you're talking to the right people that you trust, it makes all the difference in the world. You know that better than anybody? Well yeah, process right, Yeah. The thing about it was

my experience was with Leroy Glover. I had people in New Orleans tell me you're not gonna get a better human being, not just a great player, but a better human being than Leroy Glover. And that's when Jerry Jones asked me, I'm go about to hand this guy have a a lot of money? You okay with this? And I'm like, sir, yes, please. Everything that I've heard about this guy is absolutely top shelf dollar for dollars, the best free agent they ever signed.

Thank you for saying that, because but but but it takes people. It takes relationships. It takes that relationship with somebody in this league or in life. You know, if you want to if I want to hire Rob Phillips, you know, and you know, and you've worked together, and you tell me Rob's lazy. He doesn't you know, I'm gonna listen. I'm gonna listen to you. But I'm just true.

But you know what I'm saying. You know, I'm just using music sample, right, But it's relations ships that you build where guys say, listen, I've I've never coached a guy or a gal that is as good as this person. Do you know what related to the draft? And this Daniel Hunter who is your guy from LSU, I say, you're a guy because you're an LSU game and he didn't have any production on the field in college. Yeah, okay, And I was enamored with him leading up to that show.

Remember I remember talking about attributes. On the day of the draft, I called his old high school coach in Houston because I wanted to find am I just crazy miss something here. Yeah, and he told me that that kid is the partiest working athlete at the same along along the same lines as what you're talking about with Leroy, that they will name the weight room after this guy. He he is incredible, Okay, and now he just went to the Pro Bowl fourteen and a half sacks this year,

you know. But it's the same type deal that you're talking about, that the quality of the charister of the person. Yeah, there's a lot of trust. There's a lot of trust when you're involved with decisions. You have to have trust, especially about guys you don't have intimate knowledge about bingo Bingo, because that's the problem with free agency. That's exactly right. Mickey always ask a great question why they're letting him go? And it's a fair question. It really is a fair question.

It kind of drives me nuts at times, but it's a fair question because you know, you wonder, Okay, did he did he do? It's like when somebody it's gonna be well documented when David Irving tries to sign with somebody else after here. I don't think he's gonna be signed with the Cowboys. I think we've we've we've kind of gone down that road too far. But people are going to have to ask some questions about him. Is

it worth it too well? Let me tell you this, but he can do this, he can do this, he can do this, But let me tell you this and this and this and this. Yeah, you know that's the decision that somebody's going to have to make on the other end, you know, is it is it worth your time? Is it worth your your finances? It worth your effort to try and bring that type of a player in. Don't you think that there was people in this building that had to answer that question about Dez Bryant. Absolutely,

people called and absolutely, Hey, what's what? And and and it depends on your level of trust, right the person you're talking with, right, Because I'm not gonna tell just anybody well here's what I think, right, you know, but if it's one of my best friends, yeah, I'll say he recommendations are difficult. They should be difficult for you to give because you shouldn't be asked to give a lot of recommendations. That's why we have rules in hr Yai recommend that you don't want to give it. I

mean you you want to you know. If I'm gonna recommend somebody, it's it's gonna be with my heart and soul exactly, if if I just know you just a little bit. No, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna recommend people that I don't think or do a good job. I don't think you could. That's not fair to that's not fair to you. Bill. You again, you asked me out Rob, and I tell you all the great things about Rob, and you still don't hire him. Well that's

on you, you know. But if you if you don't hire him because he's a bum, then then that's then you're just doing your due diligence. You doing your job. So in the in the Patriots don't care by the way I think in the draft process, when you're talking to colleges, Yeah, if they don't have they got some liars, Do they do that or is it oh yeah or silence? Yeah? Let me tell you what you want to know the

best person to talk to about a player. I guess it's it's either the trainer or a waiting conditioning coach. No equipment guys, really equipment guys. The equipment guys are around. These guys all the time. They know who who keeps their locker messy, They know who's rude to people, They know who's who who comes out. It goes out of their way to help somebody, you know, sign a ball for them, you know, pat them on the back, tell them how great. You know. Hey boy, those kids, those kids,

those equipment kids, they make no money. But you talk to an equipment kid at a college, they'll tell you all you need to know about a player. Trainers. Trainers because of hippo laws now or really, they can't do that. They can't talk like they did back in the day. Yeah, but not about injuries. But they can talk about yeah, diligence, Yeah, but about you need guys. You need guys that aren't recruiting. Yeah, you know, you don't want to talk to Brian broad

Us about him. You don't want to talk to the football ops guy because I'm selling I'm selling you. Oh he's great. But but but if you you guys come in and maybe I don't like Mickey as a scout and I'm not really gonna give him everything, but Rob comes in, I kind of like him, right, you know, then I'll say Rob, listen, you don't want this guy. Or hey, by the way, Rob, you need to watch this junior. He's coming out right. You know. That's that's

how this business works. It's relationships. We all have relationships, right, and that's like recruiting, like college recruiting. Yeah, you know when when you trust certain high school coaches that tell you the truth right not to build their own resume. Is a player that went to go play you know what? You know when a coach is honest. But if you ever have to talk about a player, go the equipment guys. They're the guys are around those players ninety percent of

the time. Let's go to Bobby in Oklahoma here on talking cowboy Boomer. Hello Bobby, Hey, good morning, gentlemen. A great pleasure to talk to you. Thank you for taking my call. Sure, I got a couple questions, both on Dak. I'm a big DAK supporter. I feel like good first three years of a career. You couldn't ask for something better. Sure, two questions. One is over the off season, but the

other one is more specific. I've looked at some of the research that comes out on passing charge and sometime that I've always wondered this year, maybe it's more this year than other years. The deep middle of the field is not being attacked very much at all by Dallas. So I don't know if that's more of a DAK question, a Lenahan question, Garrett question, But what do you see as to why the deep middle of the field is

not attacked that much? And then my next question, what can that specifically do over the offseason to speed up his release to get rid of the ball. It seems like even on some good throws, man, he's like a half second league or a full second league, where if it would have been there just a little bit sooner, the receiver had time to turn up the field more and get some yards aft to catch and said it, just catching it and getting tackled are you talking about

his physical release or the processing, the mental processing, the processing. Okay, you know Tony always Tony rom Will always talked about every off season he was always working on something to get better. Sometimes it was his release, sometimes it was other things. I'm just wondering what Dak can do in the off season to speed up that process. And it is it just simply he did he doesn't trust what he's seeing yet or is it because he's still going and he hasn't the trip there? And I'll just take

those answers off the air, all right, thanks. Bobby deep middle of the field, no, Jason Witton, Yeah, that's that's big, right there. A guy works. They used to work the middle to feel like any other Dez Bryant those digger outes and stuff was another good one. But why option? Yeah, well you need you need, you need something to keep the free safety occupied. Yeah, and they don't have that. And they don't have that. Yeah, and then and they

also their situation too. That ball, the ball was a crossing route that he missed to Cooper when he was throwing to his left. Would that be considered deep middle? Yeah? That was that was one. You know, he hit those plays he hit uh gosh, he hit Michael Gallop on one that was pretty good. I think we were they were playing the might have been the Eagles were Redskins one.

I mean it was a third and third and fifteen or so third and fifteen was a screen, but he hit He had a deep middle shot to Gallop that worked out pretty well. And one of the couple of the passes he threw that that Cooper turned into long touchdowns. Were kind of working that way into the middle of the field, remember, and Cooper spun out yes when he split, yeah, split the double that was. That was the Redskin game

as well. Yeah, that was the big game. They throw the route inside, he makes the catch inside, he pivots off his left foot and comes back around. So yeah, is there I think two things the tight end play deep middle. I think also as well that there are things that you know and listen to some of the things that the Colts were talking about in this game defensively that they felt like that they could play too deep and affect the way that he was going to

throw the football. That's getting some whispering. I was hearing from some Colts guys that they were like they thought that they could they if they if they kept if they didn't play all single high safety and play some too deep. I think Mickey brought that up yesterday that you can affect the way he plays by putting that extra guy in the box that he's not or that extra guy deep. You know, but what does it do. It allows you now to It takes that guy out

of the box to run run the ball. So if you want to say, hey, he's not throwing the ball deep in the middle, but if they're playing too deep on him, if that's what the answer is going to be to make him have to make some throws or hold the ball, well, then you're taking a chance. Ezekiel. It can can run the football with a with one less guy in the box. But it kind of plays into their strategy of making them grind you. Yeah, they want,

they want you. They want The teams now are gonna want Dallas to grind the ball because they're thinking if they get to the fifteen years, they can't they can't get point make a mistake. So how much were teams now the Cowboys opponents look at that Indianapolis game and eber flows how he defended You should you should, but again, that's that's eber flows no one route combinations too for the Cowboys. That's what that's what I mean his knowledge

the Cowboys that helped. That helped. They also had knowledge of him and didn't attack it well enough. You know, give him a lot of credit for that. But I think where this is. I think this is where that teams are saying, Okay, if we don't play him single high and we put an extra guy, does that does that just that flash of a jersey make him hold it a little bit longer? This is why they need a forty yard touchdown to run by Ezekiel Elliott. Yeah,

forty yards so everybody's not backed off. Oh yeah, okay, you know we're gonna make you go underneath. Hey, well, there's a lot of reasons why he's had some fifteen twenty yard games. Yeah. The cool guys were talking about this too. This is all late night conversations that they felt like they had to stop Elliott in this game.

They felt like if they can make it to where they could they could stop Elliott and turn it into a one dimensional game by playing the two deep guys, that they were going to be able to affect the way that the Cowboys threw the football in that game and affect Amari Cooper. You know, I think Marks came out and actually said that yesterday, didn't he talk about that the too deep look was a little bit different than what they had seen. Yeah, which is why it

was huge for them to get up to score. Yeah, they played some too deep but then and then again they went to the single high suss. So it was a mix. It wasn't like, you know, they were saying, oh, but that they felt like that that second guy on the hash was going to make a difference the way that Dak Prescott was going to throw the football as right, That's why they needed to score a touchdown on the goal. Um, I'm ignoring that the speaking up his processing. UM, I

hate to be this guy. I think that Cat is who he is. You know, I think he is who he is. I think there's I think there's things that he's seen in his three years that have have helped him. But I think he is what he is. When it comes to his ability. Can he get better? Yeah he can't. I shouldn't say yeah, it's gonna come down to that. They've helped him with some receivers. They need to help

him with these tight ends. They need to help him, Like Mickey always says, how about Travis Frederick playing center again? How about a healthy Zach Martin playing right guard? How about a bigger Connor Williams playing left guard? You know, how about a tyrant Smith that doesn't get called for holding penalties? You know, I mean I think the things around, He's never gonna be a guy that's gonna carry a team. But we've seen him. What was in the Philadelphia game?

He forty five? I mean pass you throw? That game? He carried him that day. Here's what's happening. Perceptions become reality. Perception that he doesn't see the field and stuff like that. Yes, and now everybody can look at a play and go, oh, look at that. Yeah, and does it happen? No, they give have a sack with one time out of fort Did anybody watch Jared Goff play this last week? It was awful? Was he not holding the football? He was off? They weren't open at all and he didn't know where

to go with the ball. You think it hurts him not having Cooper Cup? Yeah? Absolutely, that crossed my mind as I was watching the game. Yeah, that's it. That's just like, wait a minute, somebody's what's the guy's missing. That's that's a big miss right there, exactly right. I think the thing with I think the thing with Dak is that you know that you're right, and but they gave up a sack with max protection, two tight end, twelve personnel. They have a sack that way. Guys didn't

get open. He held the ball, I mean. But also when he tried if he you know, people say, well, he needs run with the ball. Well, it's hard to run with the ball in the middle of the pocket is coming down on top of yet, because the last thing you want to do is go out the back end. You want to go forward. You don't want to go back and get and trapped, would you. It wasn't. Romo was one of the young quarterbacks they had here and every Oh it was the kid from A and M. Steve.

Remember when he get in trouble everything it was he he had about a second clock in his head and if the first read wasn't there, he would but he would go out the back end. You can't go out the back end, like you can't go back. Yeah, you gotta go forward. You can't go back and around. Well, they're getting pressure up in the middle. Again, this is a lot because of what's going on up front. That's that's clear. That's pretty clear. All Right, we continue with

more of talking cowboys and just a moment. If you're like me and you love I mean, if you have a thing, then cutting the court is scary. But then I found out I could switch to direct TV Now and still get the live sports I love. No satellite needed, no bulky hardware, no annual contract, just that the live sports. You tried direct tv now for ten dollars a month

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and conditions. Applying batter to talk in Cowboys, Boy, we talk a lot about innovative lar Tommy John Now Jack Black all right, Micke, you wait't hit them all Skincare Company got them glasses on myself absolutely, And when you can get some Jack Black on you boy, your facial moisturizer, your beard, beard lube. Yeah, yeah, everything they have. The

TurboWash certainly hops out your skin. And if you want the Playmaker, you just go get Jack Black dot com slash Cowboys and use the code Cowboys and you'll get free shipping and it only cost you ten dollars for the Playmaker bills. So get Jack Black dot com. I'm hoping it's at least in my stocking if it's not a package that I unwrap as well. Captain Mickey landed that one perfectly. I'm not sure about a little turbuce. I'm not sure about the takeoff on that. He mentioned

them all he did, but some waiver. First, I thought he forgot the client runway. That's a lot to remember. More sports all those folks. That's right, good job, Mick. Way to go, Mickey. All right now, as everyone got their shopping done yet, we're waiting on you bill. Yeah, I got today in tomorrow. Basically, I got Saturday. No Saturday, I don't want to go Saturday. Well you're not going anywhere order Saturday. It's too late then, isn't it. It's

probably Saturday. Christmas is Tuesday, Amazon Prime. Whoa put some more billions in that guy's pocket, you know, um taking over the world. Jerry was asked about Christmas shopping. He goes out, Yeah, he goes you like to go to the grocery store on to get into the spirit of Christmas, right, because he grew up above him go shopping. What do you mean I think he can. You don't think people just bugged No. I think it'd be fun to kind

of see him Bill goes to Central Market. It'd be funny to see like Jerry's pushing his basket, kind of looking at the what kind of you know, stuffing he wants to make. You know, he's kind of thinking that. You think he actually cooks. I don't think Jerry, you know, it's so funny. This is a bad story about Jerry Jones. I remember one time he had to make a phone call in the draft room and he looked at the phone, like, what's the number? He didn't even I mean, he's looking

at the phone like he didn't even really know. I mean, Miss Marilyn's been with him forever, you know, and she's just Marylyn get him on the phone, and you know, and so he's looking at that phone like Stephen, you know, you're in the draft room. He's like what he's just looking like, go to call a number here? You know, what do I do? Early in Troy Aikman's career, when he was of an out in Heckberry, Yeah, I think

there was one grocery store close he goes shop. He would go grocery shop right, well, within a year or so, then there was a parade in the grocery store. But he's following him around right and and and then Emmett I remember he would go Christmas shopping. But he made friends with somebody in some neat little store in the mall, and they would basically shut down for an hour or two and allow him to come in and lost. He was gonna buy, but they would shut down so he could.

So now they've got everybody outside the windows looking in like, oh, there's Emmett. He's shopping, you know. But they would shut the store down for him because he couldn't go. He couldn't. He just couldn't do it. Wow. I think it's bad that you can't just go out and get a hamburger. And you can do it, but then you you you run the risk of being rude, you're ignoring. But Nate, like I gott Nate's saying this, I'm not saying yeah.

True is that's Nate's nice? Did he also if you if you invade his space, Nate will be rude to you. Now to I've heard stories. Yes, if you're a fan. I think if a celebrity is dining, that's the one no go zone. I think, you know, if you want to walk up to somebody, whether the grocery store, okay, but somebody's trying to enjoy a meal, don't don't ask for a selfie. You don't do any of that stuff.

That was that was that was good about last night when Mike Singletary sat down to have dinner with his wife, Yeah, no one bothered him. Yeah. And I was keeping an eye on it, just too. And that's what you get that because of the Clah Club. There's no phones in that club. You're not allowed to take pictures or anything upstairs. Phones, no phone, Yeah, cameras, but but no one ca Hey,

I just wanted to say hi to you. Yeah, they just it was cool, that's right, But but you also should say hi to people when they say hi to any Yeah, you know, no, no, I mean we're in the business. I mean we we we were hanging out with a lot of it's just us. Yeah, no, exactly. You want to bother me for dinner, it's fine, Yeah, exactly, pick up dinner that's fine too. Yeah, but you're thinking about Tiger Woods. If it wasn't there, yeah, I wouldn't

lumping us into the celebrity category. But yes, Mickey in the celebrity Yeah, Mickey, maybe Mickey Tiger. Just remember when they quit saying hi to you, you're in trouble. That's exactly right. Good, there you go. Good point, Tampa Bay. What are you most concerned about the Buccaneers as they match up with the Cowboys? Moving to the football against you,

I just worry about the league in passing yards. I worry about their ability just to say, you know what, we're not very good and we're just gonna throw the ball all over the place and see if you can cover. We'll see if we we'll see if we can protect. First. If we can protect, we're gonna make some plays on you. We're gonna make some plays down the field. I worry about chunk plays against this cow has done a great

job though of handling the chunk plays. Yeah, but this team is capable of doing I worry about the Mike. This team drops a lot of ball though, too, which is kind of funny to watch him play. But I worry about them all of a sudden catching balls, you know, and then making those big, big plays that would worry me a lot. They got a lot of guys that can make plays down the field. And we talked about Mike Evans the other day. The Shawn Jackson was limited

in practice yesterday. If they get him back, everybody knows what he can do still and he's missed the last three games. Yeah, what he can still do as a deep threat. I mean even at tight end or he killed guy. I mean they're Howard's out. Howard's out, He's out, He's out. Well, they've got guys that can do, you know, get up the field. And they got Cole Beasley in the slid. Yeah, they sure do. Adam Humphreys that guy.

Good job, Bill, you're scouting these guys up though, But Cameron Brake the tight end, that's probably who you were talking about right there, And so yeah, I would be a little I would be. You know, they got they got capable offensive players, but on paper, they've got guys that could sack you on defense too. Would if you look, he's got eleven and a half sad Jason here, Paul, and then on one side and Karl Nassap who came from the brown he's got like six and a half. Yeah,

they were, they were, They got rid of him. The Browns just said od tired of his financial advice. John Dorsets just got rid of him. And then all of a sudden, a lands he gets claimed to Tampa. He's got six and a half sacks, which is, you know, is more than he had when he was with the Browns. So yeah, they're they're very capable. You have to deal with Gerald McCoy and we talked about Vida Veya, the

big defensive tackle, very active. Where the Cowboys have had struggles with pass protection has mainly been inside and and those are big guy, big catch you have to deal with. And then Lavonte David linebacker. He can run, Yeah, he can run. Pierre Paul miss did any dnp yesterday? Yes he did, he did. I thought I saw that. Here's the problem with them with their offense. They don't have a conscience. Yeah, the quarterback will just throw it up there you go, he doesn't care. Yeah, you want a

National Championship. Yeah, and that's what scares you because they may be leading the league in passing, but they also lead the league in turnover. Yea, So they don't care if they throw an interception. But by golly, at one point, you know, my daddy used to tell me a blind girl will find acorn every once in a while and you might land one of those. Yeah, that's what scares me. Yeah,

because they don't care that that. He's exactly right. That's when you have a team that's playing with house money basically just you know, Okay, we're gonna try and you know, we're gonna try and make you sweat another week. Yeah, and are they going to keep their coach? Yeah, they're they're probably not. Yeah, so they get they just yeah, this is just one of those. Now they could now you could go to win this game. You need to go out there to take their will, is what you

right away? Yeah, don't don't. Don't have a Tennessee game where all of a sudden, you're you get a turnover two and you and it's a three nothing game. Don't don't get in in one of those, or like, yeah, don't against the Saints where you yeah, yeah, go out and take these destroy these guys will to compete. That's what you've got to do against these guys. Give them a little soft pillow to lay their head on. Yeah, they'll go biding hopefully. And their defense has been um

injury riddled from the season. They fired Mike Smith the DC and then in the last four games they've been awful on defense. They lost Quan Alexander and Hargraves at cornerback. They're trying a couple of safeties. Ye, they're trying to put things here. Brett Grimes plays for him. That Carlton Davis from Auburn was is the corner of that plays for him. They got a really cool little safety though, Jordan Whitehead. I wrote about him as one of my

under the radar guys. Know a physical player could cover. He's the guy. Now you talk about the tight ends for the Cowboys have had some success catching footballs. Jordan white had number thirty one. Will be in coverage on your tight ends and he's capable of doing that. It's one thing he was able to do it Pitt you know, it was kind of a nickel safety that they use that way. But he plays a lot in coverage, So the tight ends for the Cowboys are gonna have to

deal with number thirty one. Jordan White had keep an eye on that when you scout these opponents. Do you look at step counts for the opponents? You just look at it film. I think who lines up where, who plays right? Yeah, I think it's interesting though if you but looking at it and just seeing how how much players are being used so forth, you know, just as a quick glance, you know, uh, and you can see how they how they operate both offensively and defensively, you know.

So you know, but to the point that we talked about early in the show about getting these players attention that yeah, Tampa Bay can beat you. You just look at their front seven on defense and the players that they have, from Jason Pierre Paul to a pro bowler. I mean he was a third pick in the draft, was the twelfth pick in the draft. Jpp was a first round pick. Levante David was a second round pick. These are guys that can can win. Is your film

session up yet on the website? And I'm not sure if when they post that as part of the Jason Garrett Show. But Will mcclin was talking about that yesterday talking about Vitava and I mean he was a guy talked about we talked about here. Yeah, absolutely, big athletic, talented guy. It's huge that you gotta deal with. Yeah here, Paul, by the way, was a DNP. But if he can go, obviously everybody knows what he can do as a pure pass rusher. And Zack Martin was a DNP yesterday, right, Yeah,

big day for him to day. Although he's he's getting closer. I think he's doing I think he's doing more on the side than he was last week. So we'll see, but I want to see it on the side. Yeah, they need him to play well. That was what we heard, right that he was trying to ramp it up a little bit and get closer to getting back to practice. The deal with the MCLNT, you can't work it. It's got a heel on its own. You know. You can put a brace on it and see how well you do.

But it's not like, oh, I'm gonna work real hard on my rehab and it's going to get better. But he's been playing with it, I know, And that's that's the first part. As we look at practice reports this week, does he need to be limited in practice to be able to play in the game. I think he's one guy that doesn't necessarily have to be Yes, I don't think so. I just think today because last week's pattern was no practice Wednesday, no practice Thursday, and now you're thinking, okay,

we're getting close to him not playing. I think if it had been a home game, yeah, he would have been listed as DNP, DNP, DNP questionable. Okay, because you can. But you're not going to drag him to away game if you think he's not gonna play, right, So this week, maybe you take it all the way till ten thirty Sunday morning. All right, that does it for talking to boys? Of course I hear music. Yeah, that means it's time to go. Time to go shopping, shopping, shopping. The bar

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