Talkin' Cowboys: Big Picture Bye Week

Thank you go Tigers was the reason they were showing cowboy highlights. Their h Rogers named Offensive Player of the week, and yeah, the NFC he was how many times it was the Cowboys defense? Now done that twice, girly one two in a row. Nothing happened in Denver, right, Anderson and one of those guys didn't get named did they had to be proud of Now Anderson might go to a Pro Bowl, though he'll be able to highlights we see exactly, So maybe Brady through for four hundred yards

at point. Yeah, probably, that's a good point. You never know. These these quarterbacks, they're able to just do magic sometimes just trying to keep up with the current thanks events, yep, I appreciate it, makey because some current events we have going here. It is now expected that Nolan Carroll will be released from the Dallas Cowboys. Of course, he was a free agent signing for the team in this spring after they had a lot of defensive guys go with

different contracts things like that. So Nolan Carroll released, It's nothing has officially been said yet. You know, the salt expected to be. He was not out at practice when it was available about an hour ago, so they just finished what's wrong about him? I was wrong about Nolan Carroll? Why were you wrong? I felt no, only Carroll could come in and give you some of the similar play that you got with Brandon Carr. But did you expect Nolan,

I mean Nolan Carroll to have this injury. No, but that's still not the he you know, you look at the Giants game was not an issue the but the the Denver game was an issue even before he got hurt. Yeah, and so to me, that's that's bad on my part to miss evaluate a player that you know, you saw some things, some traits with him that were better than what you saw with Carr. I liked this ability to fight for the football. I think we saw some of

that in training camp when he battled Dez. I saw some separation where he was you know, he wasn't as good as where he needed to be. I thought Nolan Carroll would play better for this football team. I can understand what the scouts saw in him. And you know, because I saw this a lot of the similar things on the film. I love the fact that when you know that he played the Giants, he was very competitive against Odell Beckham. You know, I felt like, hey, if

you can match up with people in the division. I mean I watched all his games that he played against opponents within the division, and it didn't give me any pause. Sometimes you watch a guy and then all of a sudden, you're guy going, well, he can't help you because and I was wrong about him, because again he wasn't up to the task. The injury didn't help. But looking now at it, though, playing all these young kids, that's fine.

If you want to play a Woozier, you want to play Lewis and if they in fact do release no only Carroll, you said he wasn't on the field if they bring somebody up off the practice squad, or they signed somebody else, you know, another position, you know, if it's white, whoever, you know, that's that's fine with me too. I hear what you're saying, Bran, and I think sometimes you are a little hard on yourself. No, it's true,

but it's my job to evaluate these players. And when you don't do it the correct way, and you paint a picture to somebody out there, whether it's Talking Cowboys or or Dallas Cowboys dot Com, you have to be you know, what you see is what you say. And then and I did. I thought, no, only Carroll would help this football team on the same level with Brandon Carr. Maybe maybe a little bit better. But he just wasn't. And if yah, that's the move they make, that's the

move they make. Good points. But did Jordan Lewis, Mickey rob did? He played better than everyone expected as a rookie, especially dealing with some hamstring injury in training camp. You know, I thought now Orland Carroll was a bridge to getting to the young guys, because now they signed him before they even had the young guys, right, so they did that. It kind of covered herself going into the draft that

they didn't have to see looks like Alfred Morris. Boy, we just need you know, we just need a cornerback. And then when they drafted all those guys, I said, Okay, they got a veteran guy. Here's got some experience. That'll buy time for Woozier, by time for Lewis, maybe by time for Brown, Marquez White, Anthony Brown, and you know, he just he never stood out to me. And then the young guys got hurt, so it bought him more time.

Right now they're healthy and it's like, well, you know, they've shown they can play, and if they're gonna play as well as a veteran guy, then play the young guys. Now. The downside to all this is it costs some money against the salary cap. He did pay him some signing bonus. He can, since he's a vested veteran, take his base salary for the year, which I assume it's probably close to a seven seven hundred, six hundred thousand. Yeah, and he only played how many games won before he got hurt?

Two games. I can't even remember. You got hurt. Hurt in the second game, so two games. So yeah, so it becomes an expensive bridge. But you know, if you're gonna go forward with the young guys, then you know, go forward. And now you've created a roster spot for you know what Brian said, possibly Marquez White or maybe you need something else. Um, maybe they're I don't know what else they'd be looking for. I think they're in

a position back. Maybe the way Jordan Lewis has played, you've got to get him on the field and you got to play him a lot of snaps. He's been arguably their most productive corner the last couple of weeks. What he's done. The thing that kind of surprised me because Mickey mentioned the money involved, is Okay, you'd rather have been Wickery than Nolan Carroll, A healthy Nolan Carroll. That's the decision they made. We haven't seen a lot from Ben Wickery to say, yeah, really how he's played,

but that's the decision they made. I agree, like, if these guys had been healthy in camp, this might have been accelerated. Yeah, you know, I think to me that if the fact that they kept Ben Wickery over him tells you what you need to know right there, You know that they felt like they'd been Wickery if they had to have a veteran player that they were more willing to keep him around, and if they want to play him, then that's where they're gonna go. But I

was flat wrong about Nolan Carroll. I really was. And that and that's and that's that's the thing. You never remember the ones you hit. You remember the ones you were wrong about, you know, thinking what he was. So it is what it is, and you know, you move on. Like Mickey says, it costs you money. I think he was a three year, ten million dollar thing. The guarantees and stuff like that, so uh yeah, it's never easy

to go that route, but they're going to go that route. Yeah, I think it was a was a three million dollar guarantee. It was. It was Mottle pricing more than I expected, a little pricing. He had three million guaranteed. And when you think about Cedric Thornton as well that they let go. Well, that's what I was just going to get into, Robin, since it is a bye week show, and yes we do have some news. We'll get to Shaun Lee at

practice soon, but Rob, I'll start with you first. Now that we're five weeks in and we're seeing that the Cowboys are two and three and the deficiencies that we're seeing on defense, should the Cowboys front office staff re look at how they approach free agency? You know, they in terms of what they approach it very conservatively, you know, doing these bridge type players. I mean, you just named a great one and I thought it's such a good

point to bring up Cedric Thornton. You know, a guy that they really went after the year before, offered him a big time contract. Benson Mayowa has been another one that they've gone after. It was a restricted one. Yeah, yeah, he maan a great example. I'm sorry when you said

a great one, you meant great example, great example. Sorry, yeah, yeah, I was hoping you didn't mean a great no. No, no, no no, good catch, goodt But Rob, I mean, you know, they let so many of these guys go, and of course we're seeing them have success at other teams, totally different personnel, different schemes. But should they re look at this? And you know, are they relying too heavily on the

draft process? Um? I see, if you talk to Stephen Jones, what he'll tell you is it's it's he's more a believer now than ever before that it's a young man's game, and I think Will McClay has had a lot to do with that. They try to build through the draft. Like you said, I think that's the right way to go, especially when you have a lot of Pro Bowl, all Pro type guys that you have to resign. You have to figure that into account. With Zack Martin, they've got

to eventually pay him. Guys like that, So, yeah, bridge type players. They're trying to spend their money wisely and not overpay it. You know, Cedric Thornton wasn't a large contract. It was about an eighteen million dollar deal a year or two ago. Well, I think that's a prime example of why you don't spend well in Yeah, Mayo was like a nine million dollars. They haven't spent a ton

of money. It's just always risking free agency because there's always a reason why guys are available on the market. But they've tried to be smart with it and build primarily through the draft, and I think that's the way to do it. It's just not an exact science. And I think that the Thornton signing to me was really confusing that it didn't work out, because when you watched him play against Dallas. He was pretty successful. Yeah, he was especially stopping the Cowboys running game. He was a

good player in Philly. So you know, I trust this front office. It's just sometimes these free agent deals don't always work out. Would you like to spend more money? Is that what you're saying? Well, no, I'm just saying, you know, should they have spent more money with the guys that they had already had here instead of letting them go? Now, I know you mean, like keep Terrell Terrell McClean already had like those types of guys. I'm not saying go after the big hot shots on the market.

I'm saying, you know, yes, they had already had Thornton and McClean was a good guy, and you know, we're seeing him what he's doing up with Washington Redskins. But and they might have said, hey, we're going to pick him off because we've seen what he's done two times a year. Yeah, or keep keep Mark Clayborn or or Ron Leary. You know that's a huge one. But you have a budget, you do, and you know it's just not a matter of going to the store and shopping

and buying what you want. But I think her point is though, would you you would rather have Terrell McClean paid as opposed to Cedric Thornton. Well, yeah, after you found out what Cedric Thornton was. No, but that's what you didn't know what Terrell McClean. That's that's the right. Yeah, that's that's the evaluation. And I think that she's talking about is they seem to have had more success or maybe not. They've traded for some guys they traded, you know,

but you look at David Irvin. You know, you traded for Bryce Butler, you traded for Matt Castle. Yeah, see, but that that was out of you had to have, yeah, quarterback. Yeah, but they seem to have a better look of trading for a guy and having it work out than they do having the guy to go out and sign as that free agent. But you just said that you thought that Nolan Carroll could be as good, if not better, than, Brandon car would you. Yeah, they have kept Brandon Carr.

Would that have been within there? Well? Yeah, that Brandon cart Bean. Yeah, I mean they could have, they could have offered him. I mean, to me, I would have. I thought the guy that played better was was actually uh Mo Claiborne. You know, if you look at just who played better. But you know, but but the steadiness and the reliability of Car is impressive. There's nothing wrong

with that at all. So I think you bring up a point though, in terms of when you're scouting these guys, it's always you know, you're you're you're playing it less risky, but just to stick with the guys that you know, instead of like bringing back at Terrell, McLean, bringing back a Car or whoever, instead of you kind of taking a chance on a guy that you've watched on film but you haven't been around him. You don't really know for sure if they fit into your scheme until you

really get them here. But like you said, I mean Thornton was a signing before McLean really broke out, So yeah, there's a budget involved, and they'd really I like what they did in the secondary just trying to get young.

Barry Church got a huge contract that they just weren't going to I mean some of these guys that resigned Mo Yeah, I mean they're just there was some salary there that they just weren't going to match and couldn't match because they've got to they've got to address other things well, and absolutely, I mean they did make an effort to keep Terrence Williams. Obviously he got kind of a lower Yeah, they both expected. I think they were

preparing for him to leave. I think we all were preparing for him to maybe get between seven and eight million dollars. And then all of a sudden, you look at all that, Mickey, No, then all these receivers, why, well they were We know you and you might be right, because what's happen is what's happened is we saw a lot of receivers. We saw a lot of receivers get one year deals. If you look at guys I believe gar Song got a one year deal, you look at what happened Prior got a one year deal. So you

had some receivers. Teams just did not want to pay receivers. And again that's you talk about mis evaluation. That's a mis evaluation right there. You know they felt like that that you know, not they we all felt like that maybe that some of these receivers were going to get paid and the league didn't pay him overall. Remember Laarn Robinson. Yeah,

well that was my example. You know, Big Year wound up getting way overpaid, right and left this team, but it didn't happen and they got They got Terence back on a bargain. Good Brocko Sweller. He might be the best free agency regency deal out there. Yes, yeah, so just a thought, you know, just because you look here, we're five weeks in the different things that people are discussing with the d line. I think you bring up a good name Mickey and McClane and other guys. You know,

Jack Crawford was a productive guy. He's now out on IR for the Falcons. But it was just a big year for free agency for the Dallas Cowboys with so many contracts up. What do you think they played better run defense last year? Why? Yeah, can you point to a couple of things? Why did you think it was because of McClean? Is that where you're no, I'm just I'm just curious. Think I think Shawn Lee played sixteen games. We can start right there. That helps. Yeah, you're down

two games with him already. True, Um, you had Hitchens for sixteen games. Yeah, and you know and don't tell me, Okay, well Hitchens was there last Okay, that was the first time back in what six weeks? Seven weeks? Terrell McLean was a good player for him against I think so uh and the better They kind of looked like Stephen Pia was going to be a guy. And then his knee at up right, he wasn't a sufficient replacement at the nose tackle spot. Um was the secondary better? I

mean just about tackling linebacker. I mean you talked about the two lineback So I'll give you the one that I think if they were going to spend money on, and they didn't, it was Bury Church. And from what I understand, they've been trying to replace Barry Church for years and you know what, they haven't replaced Barry Church right now. We'll see what happens going forward here after this buy. But I think he had a lot to do with helping in that running game and then the

physicality make yeah, make the combination of not him. Two of your top linebackers are out. Sure you're playing a handicaped linebacker, sure h and a compromise linebacker. Compromise, Yeah, handicaps a bad word. Sorry, you know, and you're you couldn't get settled up front right with the with the one technique guy, And here we are, and so one technique probably been more of a problem than the left guard. Yes,

I think so. I mean the left guard hasn't been perfect, right, but finding somebody to plug that spot on a consistent basis. They've been rotating guys in there, you know, and they had two people, right Cedric Thornton was supposed to be that guy. Well he wasn't. They get Steven Pie and it looked like he was that guy, and then the knee acts up. Now you're down to David David Irving and maybe that's gonna help, and maybe that's his spot, you know. I mean, he played awfully well first time out.

Now we'll see what happens after people say, oh, look what he did. He I think he gives you a little bit more as a pass rush. I don't know about the run playing ability unless we get some more penetration plays, right, or if he could just hold things up whole thing. That's kind of what you want on that spot, right. I don't think MALIEK. Collins has played as well. I don't think so either. See, that's another That's one of the ones I was kind of because I thought that he and I. If you talk about

all the linebackers Burry Church, that's three players. The two linebackers and Barry Church get it good job. I don't think the two inside guys have played as well. And that's what I'm saying when you talk about Terrell McClain and and then Collins together and what they were doing that gave you a pretty good inside right there. Well, I mean, how much does that help Malik to have that guy next to him? Kind of like when we talk about Left Guard and how it impacts Travis Frederick.

I mean, or does it help Malik to have Sean Lee behind you? That that could be that could very well be it. Well, Shawn Lee was back on the practice field and we will get into all of that. So stay tuned for more right after this break and Rob will have a great Tommy John Reid for you. We the entertainment loving people to mend best unlimited wireless plan ever from ATNT. What else do you want? Are

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it was robbed? Why is it every time that we have the tim somebody comes walking by by it's always tells us and it's always females too. But hey, man, you're married, you know, I really don't. Yeah, it's over for me, so yeah, yeah, whoa oh man, let's get back on track. And we are back on track. As Mickey just told you, you know, he said this team is missing shan Lee. Well he was back on the practice field doing different things, at least for the media

open portion. We don't know complete one. We'll get a practice report later, but we won't get a practice report. We don't off. There's no game, no game. They're not required I required football. Are you disappointed? Miss those emails from Scott? I do like he was out there early. He started doing chords and it looked like, um, the majority of the practice was going to be for young guys, and that's kind of what they've done previously during the bye week, like the guys that haven't played much or

the rookies practice squad guys. They because Whitton was out there without a helmet, so he wasn't going to Don Smith wasn't even didn't make an appearance, so it looked like it was going to be a young guys deal. Regardless, we're talking about like an hour pro but at least at least a short workout, no pads, but at least he was out There's good sign right, and he looks good on the chords. By the way, as we talk about this next week, Tay, I think your practice report

should be favorable. I want that, you know, I expect that every week. Yeah, I'm just thrown off when there's no football. Yeah. So, and there was another bit of news this morning. Um, the Colin Conny grand jury no build the Damien Wilson case, so they declined to indict him on charges of backing into a woman in the parking lot at Toyota Stadium and brandishing a woman brandishing a weapon not a woman. Yeah, so, um kind of had a feeling that's where that was going, especially since

the Frisco Police Department declined to file the charges. They said, now, let's send that to the grand jury and let them decide. So they decided this morning about I guess it was a little after nine. They know build him, so he doesn't have to worry about that, thank you. And still no news worry about Simon Ezekiel Elliott's decision. We should expect it soon. Yeah, I was. I was betting on Tuesday.

Missed Tuesday, didn't I missed the Tuesday deadline. So I'm just kind of leading the league and be just probably listened to talking cowboys them. They aren't going to force us to get this down. They've tweeted at us a few times. You know, I mean, you guys are really smart people. Uh what what if it goes on longer? Do you worry? I mean always, I'm always I'm always one of those guys about time. The longer something kind of hangs out there, the better or worse. I mean,

people kind of read the tea leaves that way. I actually think the longer it takes, it's it's it's better for him, okay, because I think if it was gonna if they were gonna rule for the NFL, it was going to be cut and dried. So they got something to think about. Because normally when you try to do these things with an arbitration case in you have a CBA or a union, they're gonna rule for whatever you agreed to in in collectively a bargain, collectively a bargain. Yea.

And now maybe they have something to think about, and who knows, maybe they got more important things to do. I would hope they do, right, I'll tell you what though, that to me is you know, it's it's it's something that you're like thinking during the bye week that maybe you would get news on it. Yeah, but it's not a bye week for well, no, no, it's not. I was gonna. I was thinking they're sitting there eating there

a beignets this morning. I don't know if they I don't know if the court cares about this, but it would give the cowboys an opportunity to read group if they don't care about that either. Okay, well, I guarantee the judge did say what last week that he would try to provide an answer a SAP. But again, we're on the courts time and it's not and it's three judges, so you got to get them all together to decide

this stuff too. And everybody's got to write their own little what do you call it, brief reef or everybody has an opinion? Yeah, it could, you know, I could one who knows. I don't know. I don't know which way this. My gut feeling is just gut feeling. And I hope I'm wrong. I think it's going to go badly here, as in he gets six games immediately and they're gonna have to deal with without him, and they

just dismiss everything. Now the other option rights, they can throw out the case in that jurisdiction and it starts all over again and right, which I hope I'm I really, I hope I'm wrong, but I I just to me, it just kind of reading into some things. It's reading. I'm not a lawyer, but I'm just reading into things. It sounds like there's one of these Appellet judges that is really not either on Zeke side or the NFL side. And then now about his decision, it will come down

to one one man's decision about this. And like Mickey says, when you start talking about collectively bargained agreements, you know that that holds a lot of weight. You know, the players agreed to give the Commissioner's office the power to be the final the vinyl say yeah. But also a big thing that everybody keeps going back to is that

irreparable harm phrase. Sure, and they were asked again during that hearing, Okay, irreparable harm, but you let him play week one despite your claim that that would cause irreparable harm to the NFL. So they have to figure that they have to rationalize that to this Appellet Panel two. And then the other thing is they pointed out was Ray went through a whole season, right, and in the question was what harm did that cost? So you're thinking that you think it's gonna go for the side. I

think I think they're gonna look at this. I've being wrong right now. I think they're gonna I think they're gonna look at it, and what they have to settle in their mind was exactly what Judge Amos kind of pointed out that, Yeah, you have to go with the arbitrator's decision, but did the arbitrator make egregious mistakes but not allow they allow this thing to be That's a fair and I think that's something they got to consider.

That's fair, you know, was the arbitration fair? Now? Did you exhaust all avenues to allow them to plead their case and they weren't. They weren't allowed to interview or have the commissioner testify, to have uh lease of freel testify. And these were the people that basically and made out testimony or potential testimony. Right. So yeah, I mean that's

what Mozunt ultimately ruled by exactly right. That they're right, there were flaws in the arbitration press and now they're trying to skirt kind of skirt that and say, well, they filed this before, they should have been allowed to file right, right. And the nflpa's argument was we knew it was about to have If I knew my house is getting ready to get run over by a semi do I have to wait till the semi hits the house before I leave any and the analogy, No, that

was what they used in the court of law. Absolutely interesting analogy. Yeah it was. It was. I was shocked. Yeah, it's like you have to wait till the tornado hits before you leave, you know. I was gonna say, no, I'm not. Yeah, yeah, I don't. They're having problems in Napa. Yeah, very sad. All my wine is burning up. Oh god, Oh it's bye week here. We're all confused. That's awful. I didn't realize it was so widespread. It's terrible, terrible.

It is terrible, really bad, beautiful part of the world. Hey, by the way, did any of you catch uh the uh opening of the Las Vegas Nights Less Night? I happened to be and I said, oh, let's see what's on this channel, and it just started there. It is on TV for everybody. And that guy was a mating in England. I don't know the Vegas players he was.

He was watching the stars. He was the guy that we played there in the minor leagues and uh ended up living there, getting married there, having kids there, and he spoke. But they brought out all these first responders. They brought out nurses, doctors, and each player led them onto the ice and it was dark and on the spotlight was I mean, it was unbelievable. And everybody, and I'm not being p icole here, everybody in that stadium

that they showed they were singing the national It was chilling. Yeah, yeah, I mean it was. It was an amazing And then within maybe seven minutes they scored three goals. Oh no, that's there. I don't think they've lost on a boom. No, they opened with a beating them the Stars here two to one. Not a bad not a bad team, not a bad team for an expansion group, yep. But some might argue that the Cowboys are headed to be a team. Hopefully this buy is coming out a good time for them.

But I want to ask you guys a few big picture questions. We got into some different things yesterday and there's still some things to be answered. What to do here? Okay, So do you guys think that anyone besides to Marcus Lawrence obviously leading the league in sacks with eight point five, has had a Pro Bowl season yet on defense or on the D line. I'm going to say on the team.

On the team, Wow on the team. And I say that because last year, obviously this team had lined you know, the entire National Football League with seven des Bryant and Shawn Lee were alternates, but you know you had dak Zeke the three linemen and uh Shaun Ley ended up being there and des Bryant. I don't think the quarterbacks got near enough credit. I would hate to see where this I was gonna. I would hate to see where this team would be at. The quarterback has not played

as well as he has. DA's been fantastic. I had him on their back. The numbers, the numbers don't really show it, but he's been under some some really some serious pressure, especially with the run game not being that run game hasn't been there. He's the team which was very good at not dropping the football on him, has started to drop the football on him. And so last year they were one of the best in the league

when it came to those numbers. You had guys like Cole Beasley that you know you throw at his direction, it's gonna be a catch. It's not the Coles dropping. But they've had some untimely drops in this game in these in this season but I would, I would, I wouldn't want to know where this team would be. The team might very well be like the Giants if in fact that you didn't have Dak Press Scott, Yeah, playing to the level that he's playing at right now, They're

just aren't many spots. And right now there's seven NFC quarterbacks with a higher passer rating. So if you go based on numbers, you know, he's got a ninety three point one rating. That's certainly very good. Leven touchdowns. Um, but sometimes these things go off of statistics. Give it time. There's a lot of time, and Shaun Lee was playing awfully well until he got hurt. Yes, I think so too. And I think the offensive lineman, I mean, three get

in every year. I think, especially on the offensive line, you create a reputation for yourself. Well they need to pick it up. Well, they obviously they do their point, but I think all three of those guys still has a shot to get in the Pro Bowl. Yeah. Yeah, but I mean if you just said right now, week five, but week six vote, the one I think of is the quarterback not a Zekiliot, not yet not Yep. It's just been Yeah, it's been tough tough, not not all on him, not all on him, but you know, there

there's there's issues. You know, It's funny, you can you can kind of go around the offense, the defense, even special teams. You could go around and pick one or two areas of huge concern. Yeah, you know, and if you don't correct those areas, then you really, like Bill Parcells would say, you are what you are. You know, they really wanted to lean on this offensive line, like Mickey says, it just hasn't played very well as a group. You know, it's not just the left guard of the

left or the right tackle. What's been worse, And maybe worse is a hard word for that, but what needs to improve? What has been disturbing? Well, what needs to improve more? Is it the run blocking or is it the past protection? No, it's really been both. I thought I thought Dak has That's because I was just looking at that. I'm sorry, Yeah, no, I thought Dak had some cleaner pockets against the Packers. But you look at those first four games, and he was under more pressure

than I can remember him being under last season. And it's not like it was always pretty for him, but boy, he has really had to move and duck and scramble and stand in the pocket and take hits. And he's done it especially in games. Even in that Denver game where they were trailing, he would still continue to stand in there and take hits. Um. But obviously you look at the numbers in the running game and say, yeah, run blocking has been an issue. This is the identity

of this football team is physical. Is the physicality of running the football. That's their yea, that's their identity. That's what helps their offense move, that's what helps their defense stay off the field. All the things that we know about this team, it's their running game. The fact that Dak Prescott can avoid I think can allow you a

little leeway as far as your pass protection. But as long as they're running the football, you're gonna keep people from coming after you in the in the passing game. If you can run the ball. That they mean. Aaron Rodgers got a huge break the other day. I couldn't imagine if Aaron Rodgers had to play a game where and he's had to a little bit this season where they haven't been able to run the football and he has just been him, they might have sacked him nine. Yeah,

there were there were. I mean they could have been that way. Now. With that being said, though, I just feel like though that the running game is really needs that that needs to get going for this foot ball team because he helps again not only helps the offense, it helps your defense as well. It needs to get going more efficiently. Efficiently, yes, because it's not sporadic. It's like a thirty yard run here and then you have two one zero minus one. Right, can't have those, right,

there's no business assistent. Yeah, it's nice to have the twenty five yard run. We talked about it yesterday. When he hit the twenty five yard run. He did more six yard. He had thirty one yards over however many carries it was, Yeah, it was Yeah, what did they average on first down last year? I keep going back to last year. It's a different season. It was it

was it was darn near five yards of carry. I mean, god, that's that's the quarterbacks dream right there, to be on the second and five every time and then third and two or whatever you're saying. For last year, I think I have it. If not, maybe Kent could look that up for us. But now we ran on first down or just average first down run first down running. I felt that was really good. Five yards of carry something like that. We can look. Yeah, you never felt like

they were really in a whole right way. Rarely Bryan would say they were staying ahead of the chains. Yeah, the change. I mean, there were only a couple of games where you felt like they really struggled Minnesota Giants. Struggle the Giants was a struggle. But and he saw it offensively that what they weren't able to accomplish when they didn't run the football. And I think the fact now, if you want to talk about what you've seen from Dak Prescott from one year to the next is he's

had to play clearly under more adversity this year. You know, you look at more long down and distances, more pressure. You know, he's had to make throws. I mean, that's that play he made to Bryce Butler third and sixteen. On the play third and fourteen, whatever, I mean, you know he's scrambling around, moving around, and then he keeps his eyes down the field. I mean those are the types of thing to play he made down the field to Rod Smith. Yeah, those are those are the types

of plays you're seeing seeing those seeing him make. And that's that's been the impressive thing. Again, credit the defenses they've been playing too. We always we don't always give credit to the other team, but the talent level on some of these fronts that he's facing in the passing game and then obviously in the run game has been has been really good. Yeah, well, let's take our final break. Sorry, Mick, maybe you have a question. They no I was going

to say next. I was looking forward to your next question, I know, because we have some good ones that need to be addressed here on Talking Cowboys will be right back after our final break. You guys can call us the numbers two one, four eight seven two twenty one O two. Stay tuned to work this big land. You need equipment with values rooted as deep in Texas soil

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That's not all, though, You'll get to talk xs and os with senior director of Player personnel, Will McClay and of course with yours truly me, Brian Broadest, you can trust the official fan travel partner of the Dallas Cowboys, and with us you'll travel like a pro visit cowboys travel dot com to book your travel package. Today. This is talking cowboys. And if we're talking cowboys, as we know,

we talk. And I think today's National Pizza Day, So I can't think of anything better than to call Papa John's and make sure that they send you one of those pizza with every days freshest ingredients, freshest pepperoni, pork and beef, and treat yourself on National Pizza Day to some Papa Johns baking up holidays. Mick. Now, the guys, I heard it on the radio this morning because they made me hungry. They were talking every day my credit card bills due today, and you know I always go

to Papa John's on those days because celebrate. Well, they have such good deals such you need it because you paid your credit card, that's true to make real good. They were debating what's your favorite topping on pizzas? And so caught my attention. Yeah, yeah, well okay, so we had some now here's you're a pineapple guy. I'll eat anything pineapple. All right. Well, mister pineapple, so wrong. Bryan Bronson used to this is an ended question. What question

an open ended Oh? Yes, so, and we can get to that. We'll get to this one and then we'll get to the pool which has options for jars have options. No, oh, it's it's it's open. Let's just go. It's opinion based. Just to follow up on that previous segment, thank you, it says six point six yards averaging on first down. I think that's passing though. Yeah, that's good for Russia, but that's kind of where they were this year thanks to that seventy yard run by Morris. Sure it was

a first down run, right, Brian. Yes, I want you to tell me your top moment from the season and your worst moment from the season, and what you can expect more of My top a lot. Yeah. My top moment of the season I think was the fact that they were on the ropes at Arizona. That was looking bad. Defensively, they were looking bad. They really weren't getting off the field, uh you know, but then things flipped for him. They

were to hang in that game. That showed you a lot of that game is a lot about the coach likes to preach about toughness and fight and all that. That to me was as good as you're going to get right there when everything was going the wrong way, you you were able to to stand tall at that time and go get you win in a difficult place to do. You know your season, you know the way it was. But I think that the worst moment. I have two but I I and you had green Bay

on the ropes. You really really yeah, and you just yeah, you just couldn't. You couldn't finish the game. And that to me is disappointing because it's not often you know, when you when you got a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers and you haven't beat and you just can't finish it. That itself is disappointing. I think the Rams game, though, really really really bothered me. I can understand green Bay because I gut feeling I picked the Packers to win,

But the Rams game bothered me. For the second half. They had the Rams dead to rights and they instead of like they finished the Arizona game, they didn't finish the Rams game, and that that that was disappointing to me. Uh, overall, And it's it's not just I can't just point out like, oh, it's the running game, it's disappointing, it's the pass rush or whatever. It's it's the it's the games that I think about, because they they they they had, Yeah, they had the game at the Rams, and they also had

the game at the at the Cowboys. The inability to finish this is troubling. I would say top moment holding the Giants, and we know the Giants now are winless, but to three points defensively, Wow, that you look back at that game and you thought the way they tackled, the way they kept got off the field really impressed things going forward. Yeah, yah, that's whether they got to

get back to um. Worst moment, I would say just the most shocking one for me is looking at the stat sheet after the Denver game and seeing Zeke carried eight times for nine yards like that, that's that's a good It's just I would have never guessed that would have happened. And they did get behind early and big in the scoreboard, but that's just the total the polar opposite of what their offense is about, and they've got to avoid that going forward. Top and worse, Mick, worse,

Can I just pick the whole Denver game? The weather delay really got to just tizzy awful got home later. If I had to pick one play, it was the muff punt against the Ramps because they were getting ready to put that game away. There you go, Uh, this is gonna sound weird, But I thought one of the

top moments. And I don't know if you would say proud or what was the ability down twenty eight twenty four to drive seventy nine yards in seventeen plays over eight forty three and score a touchdown against the Packers to take the lead. I thought that was maybe the most impressive thing I've seen him do in quite some time. That was right after the pick right now, Yes, but Dak Prescott has scored eight rushing touchdowns throughout his entire career.

I believe I will double check on that most updated number. I'll look up. So you're right, Mick, And he does score a rushing touchdown at the end of that, and I was breathing a side of relief only because I trust stats so much here and prior to the loss against Green Bay, every time he had gone in for a rushing touchdown, this team won win a game. Yeah,

in a game, so you're betting it. Yeah, you're pushing the chips total eight totals, so yeah, you know when he got seven to six last year and two this year. He got the one against the one in the playoffs too though. Sure, yeah, so you know. So it's what's really said is we've had more. I think we remember the the bad times now more than we remembering the good times. I mean Mickey's point about the touchdown drive, what's what's gonna be That's gonna be a footnote in

history one day, seventeen plays and all this. If you win the game, that's legend. That's that becomes a legendary drive. They still talk about drives. And I know it was a playoff game in Denver and on l Way in Cleveland and all that, but they still remember drives. You know, they remember the drive. It in Denver, and but you know, you could have, if you could have pulled that victory off,

you could have remembered this one. As you know, one day in Cowboys, you know, somebody will be talking talking Cowboys. I'll be at a lake somewhere and someone will be saying how about that drive they had that time against against the Packers that want you know, Rogers off the field. Yeah, cap Rogers off the field. And yeah, as I think and talking to some fans, that game is going to be one of the more memorable ones for the just high low high right, the emotional roller coaster. It was

people were just worn out. Oh I know about when on set I was worn out. The playoff game was like that too, right, I thought. I thought the playoff game even more so because they were down early. Yeah, but it was a constant day we care, we come, here we come. This one was here we come, there, we go, here, we come, there we go and then the innerception and then you come back and do that, and then they come back and do that. I bet

people were just emotionally spent after that game. It's tough, and it's tough think about the coaches and the players and the front office and all that. I mean, I you know that that I have experienced myself. But afterwards I just couldn't, you know. And we were worth less? Miles and he was. He kept saying, your less was

his coach, Miles was. He kept saying, think about the coaches here, think about the players here, think about you know it just the the peaks and valleys that they had to roll through in that game and see and that was one of them so much invested in it and bringing that up. That's what I was concerned about the team, right, recovering from that, right, because that's tough. It is now maybe the buy kind of smoothed that out.

You know, you got time to not have to get back to practice today and get ready for the next game, right, But the emotional roller coaster can wear a team out, and you got to hope that you can get over that. Baggies after the UCLA game, they didn't exactly come out with fire the next week here. Yeah, it takes a little while to get over something that's hard. Yeah, well against Alabama though, Well what about your poll though, Robert, that's always fire. Thank you day I voted you did. Yeah,

so the poll today, it was something we talked about yesterday. Yeah, at the end of the show. You know, if you could point to one particular aspect of this team that needs improvement or that you could improve, what would be and coming out of the buy and there's four options. Pass protection, run game, run defense, or takeaways defensively, would you have Day said takeaways takeaways? Because there are two

touchdowns behind your opponents without any takeaways. Yeah, you're the bottom of the lead scoring defense they have four through five games. Brian thoughts, I'll tell you what I would like to see the run defense approof. I really would. I think teams, if this team could just somehow find a way to play better on first and second down. I went up and looked up some numbers as well. I just trying to learn. But teams are averaging almost

six yards to carry on second down. You know which is which is near the bottom for the cow near the bottom for any team in the league. So I think run defense has been just as much of a of a problem and needs to be corrected as quickly as possible. I would say run defense as well, because it spills over to the offense. Get your offense back on the field and try to get them in a rhythm with their own run game. Mickey got a vote. Oh,

I'm with Brian. Run defense. Yeah, And I was just trying to look up, so what three of the next four games are on the road, right, So San Francisco they're they're running offense. Yeah, they're twentieth, Kansas City. We got Washington after that, okay, Washington, and then Casey Washington seventh, Kansas City second, and then what's after that, Atlanta, Atlanta third eye. Yeah, so they're got some teams that run and throw the ball awfully. Well, you know, it's just

got to stop one facet. It's kind of like San Francisco, even though their twentieth he thought Green Bay was near the bottom of the trip. But hopefully again Shawn Lee, Anthony Hitchins and you're sitting there going oh, and they're top two running backs are out. Yeah, and then Aaron Jones, Yeah, lights you up. Yea, the great Aaron Jones. I'll see you what the old passo Texas. The turnout the turnovers, though,

is an interest. That's a good one. That the turnovers are interesting because look what, look what's happened when the Cowboys have turned over the ball? You know, I mean that you know, Denver was a that pick six was bad and that you know, you're trying to rally there, but that was a huge play in the game. The other day. They just have you know, I mean, you're turning over the ball and but you're not getting anything back. Well, look at that muffed punt. Yeah, the muff punt. May's right,

I mean that that those are just huge. Turn that whole game a walk around around. Sound you vote? That's right? Well, I was just gonna say, I mean, what if the Cowboys had gotten a turnover in that one minute thirteen? Well, see that's Obsand yeah, if you've got if you got the interstand or maybe standards on the blitz and he goes up and it's kind of tipping the ball, he somehow catches that ball or you know, somehow you get one of the sacks becomes you know, fumble, sack fumble.

I mean, we know Rogers he gets hit and he doesn't fumble, but howbut just keep the guys in bound. Yeah, yeah, well we're on the right track. Fifty percent said run defense, thirty one percent said takeaways. Okay, did you vote? Would you vote? I didn't vote the run defense would make sense. Choice. Yet where you lie? That's where I lie. It's where I stand. Well he doesn't lie. Yeah, Robert is one

of the most enterous guys here, I believe so. But oh, thanks Day, It's just it's I think you're right, Brian. You know, you said a great point. When you're sitting here at two and three and the Cowboys have had bad losses to the Broncos, the Rams, and the Packers, you're thinking more about the bad things than the good. Sure out, I mean the last time, the last time it buy for the Cowboys last year they were five and one. Think about that. We weren't we weren't talking

Cowboys at lambeau Fied. Yeah, exactly, so think you know, Yeah, you're in a situation where you're thinking a lot differently about your football team. But they've they've got issues. They've got issues on the run defense, they've got issues on the offensive line with their ability to be complete run or pass. They've struggled getting open wide receivers. They've had some bad drops, you know. I mean, it's just been a lot of inconsistencies. Is why you're the two and

three you are right now? Is the thing He's right like, it's not a flukey play here or there. It's there's a body of work here. Over five games, they've struggled with certain things and it's got to get better. And that's what this bye week partially is for, is it try to clean up some of the stuff and selfis out yourself. Well yeah, fortunately they don't. You only have two practices. Yeah, but you know, and maybe it's just getting away. Like I mean, they showed up this morning.

They had a planned team meeting at seven thirty to eight o'clock. Um, that was on the schedule on Thursday. They have one after practice. Was on the schedule since Thursday. And then you know tomorrow that it's early and then they're gone. Maybe it's just a mental break they'll make. Yeah, four days, you gotta have four days in a row. Yeah, you have four days in a row, including the weekends.

And so were mail back Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Mondays that four days in a row, unlike what built parselves would pull. Yeah, he'd practice, give him, he'd give him Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off and say, oh yeah, we're going to practice Friday and I think on Saturday. So if you're leaving town to go to the old Alma Mater, you're gonna have to pay a full fare on the airline.

Not fun, not fun, But it is fun around here to to have this job, to be able to look at this because we will go and talk to these players at one PM. Don't know how many will be in there, but the locker rooms is going to be guys empty. Do you really do you think? Do you think I think it's gonna be mostly empty. I think there'll be a couple of the team leaders in there. And the reason I brought up that team meeting was like because it sounded like something. That's when they had

their talk out. There was reporting that they had an emergency team meeting, sure discuss all this stuff was schedule, That thing was planned since Thursday. So the players, yeah, I think so. I mean, not only you're fighting the record to be in two and three, but your own your own feelings forever for Yeah, for the I mean, maybe it's a good thing and it's happening during the bye week. Yeah, yeah, that's true. That's just not distracting

you preparing absolutely for a game. Absolutely. Yeah. You look at some of these guys, like Bryce Butler was on NFL Network the other day, and they're able to kind of break away. A lot of these guys were golfing. Now, yeah, they've all picked up golf. Dak Prescott, Tyron Crawford, Bryce Butler. You know, and I think and I don't want to

get into this. But I think the good thing is is that the owners are meeting on Tuesday as as a league, and they're gonna in New York, I assume, and they're going to come up with a policy to make it uniform for every everybody here you go, and then there's no, oh, we're doing this, Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, it'll be a unified thing what the league decides to do. And I think that's what needed to We need a long time. Give me some directions, that's all it needs. Well,

I like what you guys are saying. We have a few minutes left, So why don't you say the one player because we've talked about what they need to improve over. But who's the one player that you think can benefit most from these four days off? I'll go with Sean Lee. Maybe that's an obvious one, but I think they need him back so badly, and I think an extra week just for a veteran like him, it's just a little extra time to make sure that hamstrings right because you

need him back against San Francisco. Jaln Smith, Now go ahead, Jalen Smith. Reset button. Yeah, let him hit the reset button. It'll be good for him. Just to get away from this for a little bit, you know. I mean, there's he's he's played the best he could under his condition, you know, and maybe a little rests will allow him to heal up a little more. You'll feel about one of the most positive guys as you'll ever be around

in your life. And you know, but I think he needs to take a little break and kind of re evaluate and see where he's at it. I think it's a great thing that we're gonna get Shawn Lee and Anthony Hitchins back, because him in a rotation should be pretty good. But it's him as a full time starter for sixty plays a game. I think that's asking a lot for him. And in twenty eighteen, load up the wagon.

Twenty seventeen, I think you just need to. Now they're not putting him out there hurt, but he's having it's having to play a ton and I think that's hurting his performance. I think it frustrates him. It does. It absolutely does. And he doesn't let on. He's never gonna let you know he's mad, but you can just kind of tell his body language in the field that he gets frustrated that I can make this better yeah, and I'm not. Yeah, I'm gonna give you two guys and

aren't that kid, David Irving and Anthony Hitchins. Those guys hadn't played a game since the Oakland preseason game, and I'll guarantee you they are are sore puppies even today. So this will give them an opportunity to get their legs back underneath them. When you don't play and half contact for that long, you know you can come out and play the way they played. But boy, the next week, it's your trouble, your shot, your shot, you are so sore. So they actually get all this time to recover and

be ready to go again. And I think those two guys are very critical to not only Sean Lee coming back, with those two guys playing the way they can play to help this defense out going forward. Well there, you guys, haven't great bye week shows here in the SWBC Mortgage Studio. Stay tuned, Stay tuned to Dollars Cowboys dot com because they will announce what time a special joint show will be on line tomorrow. Yeah, we got the draft show. We taped it all so be on Thursday as well.

So a couple of shows for you to get you too. We got content, we got content, We got absolutely so thank you so much for watching today. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.