Talkin' Cowboys: Biggest Surprise On Defense?

sunshiny day. And this is incredible this rain. It's forty five degrees for the second straight day here in the Metroplex, and it's raining all day long. But we're here to brighten up your day with Talking Cowboys. Right absolutely, it's London. Outside it's Seattle. I'm dressed for success today, you know I wore I wore pants today. Very good. Oh that's great. No shorts, Brian, you wear pants today. I try to

every day. Rob. I'm getting a little older. It might forget some things, but I hope I remember my pants. We haven't got to the point where we're wearing onesies yet. Yeah, that's coming next week. Oh, something to look forward to on the byeway. Why not I'm gonna bring my lsu onesie out and here we get just get crazy in here. Yeah, all right, Well it's a player's day off of the second straight day. They got two days off and go

back to work on Redskins week tomorrow. And but we're not taking a day off here on talking because we know you want to talk about the big win on Sunday and what the owner, president and general manage. Your calls are very game this week against the Redskins because it is against the division leading Redskins. Yeah it is the Redskins. Yeah, it is the Redskins. And you know, who knows which Redskin team will show up and who

knows which Cowboy team will show up. This is kind of one of those games where you feel like though that this thing is one of those I guess Redskins

games in the past it could go either way. This one really could go either way because you're trying to think, Okay, if the Cowboys can just do this, and I'm sure in Washington they're saying, well, you know, if we could just do this, I mean they've had some they've had some quality wins if you look at what they've done in Yeah, and then you know, to beat the Packers

as well. I think we all kind of saw what Green Bay was last night a little bit, and so you know, it's a it's a it's going to be an interesting week to try and prep and try and figure out. Okay, is were the things you saw against Jacksonville? Can you take advantage of? You think that? Do you think they'll let you do this? You know what type of game plan will will material realized out of for

this week to get ready for this game? Yeah, it's the chess game, right, Like what's Washington gonna do with Cole Beasley? And how do they because the questions and I heard it on the fan this morning to Jerry it's it's like, well, what was different? Well, Jacksonville played him a certain way, right, a favorable way, yeah, for what they want to do, and it worked out and they were able to execute. So if you're Washington, you probably look at it and say, well, we have to

take eleven away. Yeah, and if they try to do that, okay, then who steps up and make plays for this Dallas offense? So the Cowboys now have a number one receiver, Yes, yeah, the teams have to take them away. I think we I don't know. I mean, maybe if I'm wrong again, I talked about my memory sometimes going. But we kind of thought about that. We've always talked about Cole Beasley as being the best receiver, haven't we? Am I wrong about that? Yeah? Best we did a deal. Then we

do a deal in training camp. Yeah, who was gonna be Yeah? He was my choice. I don't know about you guys. Yeah, I think it was my choice. I think that's and with the hope of getting Michael Gallup going, you know, maybe this is that click, the you know, flip the switch game for Michael Gallop that all of a sudden, it's I'm gonna go out there and make some place for you. Now, you know, you're halfway through

the season. Hopefully the understanding and a little bit of the nuances and stuff that he's had to kind of go through. Um, maybe I put a little too much pressure on him to try and make a bunch of plays. But I think he's capable of it. We saw that. But they're gonna need They're gonna need somebody to step

up besides Cole bees. I just don't see you know, Greg Manuski allowing him and I haven't seen the Redskins tape a smart I've watched their offense, but I haven't seen their defense, And I just can't imagine Greg Manuski is gonna let Cole Beasley dominate the game. He did like he did the first half of that one the other day. Even Jacksonville, who is pretty stringent in the way they played defense, they decided in the second half,

all right, we have to run linebackers at him. We got to do something different to move a different corner over at him. Yeah. So if they're willing to do that, then I'm sure. Yeah, if Washington's gonna look at the tape and probably see something different to do. But he's still caught three passes in the second half after yeah, twenty four nothing right, gallop. He had the most snaps of all wide receivers and I'm not against that at all.

Fifty nine and that's what I think we've been asking for. Yeah, get him out there, get him going. And it was unfortunate he didn't have that touchdown catch because he had his foot coming down. I'd like to see him the second half, hit his heel, yeah, you know, but yeah, the second half, get him going, find a way to get him going. You know what you know, if if no, uh, if no Tavon Austin this week, you know, because we think, you know, the situation didn't sound very good for him.

Well let him. Let him be that guy, and he's a guy that could separate. We could see, I mean they have. They almost hit a play the other day with Tavon Austin on the you know, against Jalen Ramsey down the middle of the field, and it would been a chance. We've seen the same thing from Michael Gallup to be able to run, to be able to separate. Hopefully he can take some of that downfield, uh, you know ability and bring it to the and bring it to the game and bring it to the game plan

next week. All right, refresh my memory. The owner on the fan this morning likened Tavon Austin's in jury to Mo Claiborne's groin injury. I'll remember that was more stomach, but that was that was one of those abductors. Yeah, that's what yea, he was asked about. I mean, I'm not but Mo had a lot of different things. You know, it wasn't just your normal groin. I thought it was your lower applement, which is if there is, yeah, because sometimes you have to have like surgery for those sports.

But we're not we're not ever saying that's the case here at all. We're just trying to read it. Well. Jason didn't sound very hopeful for him no this week, and Jerry didn't even and when Jerry and and and Jason's normally a day to day guy, right, and when he kind of suggests he's going to have a hard time getting back for this one, then yeah, it's a little bit more serious than your Bryce Butler pulling a

growing muscle on on Friday. Okay, So what do you think about the Shawn Lee situation going into this week with a bye week next week? I can't god less Shawn Lee? How hard was raining? Yes? Okay? Yeah, going to that first, did you see what was going on inside? Yeah? I know they had something going on, but he's outside. It had to be he's outside doing his rehab and

the pouring down sideways rain. Yeah, with his helmet on. Yeah, I don't Brown had his rain suit, so he was okay, and they actually went in to put more on, but he had his jersey. I couldn't tell if he had his shoulder pads. On or not, but out there running sprints, doing his resistance work, it's like something out of the natural. It's like, seriously, yeah, but that's Sean Lee. So I don't rule him out. Um. I want to take Jason Garrett as word, and I do. He said, look, we

only get sixteen games. Yeah, so if he's available, we got to play him against Washington. That looks he took a picture of him when we finished yesterday. Sometimes that's against the rules. I know I did not. I didn't.

He just showed me. Didn't catch it. But they have a history of you see that by looming in an extra week and and the fact that he's had lingering problems with this thing, he's to me, he's got to be like one hundred and fifty percent to be able to go this week, because otherwise I think they'd be cautious and make sure he's good to go right after the buy. Shaun Lee has a tradition, excuse me, a tradition, a history of playing really well against these NFC East opponents.

You know, I'm sure Jason Garrett and you're right right. I read into that yesterday of Shaun Lee kind of wants to play. Of course, and that's why Shaun Lee is out there in the in the pouring rain in forty five degrees, dragging Britt Brown like he's a you know, like he's on a dog walk, you know, I mean to me and I always say this, you know me, guys they're all must win and he and Garrett's right, you only get to play so many of these, and you know you gotta. If you're Sean Lee, you're seeing

what's going on with his defense. You know, it's probably killing him to sit there on the sidelines while they get stop after stop after stop and create turnovers and no question, you know. And and if Sean Lee can get out there, because he owns this division. When he plays the Giants, the Eagles, the Redskins, he always what was the big play he made several years ago, remembered

down the in the the interception? Did he get? You know him, Barry always seemed to like those guys were always playing well against the Red They He's I'm just saying, Sean Lee, if he could play, Sean Lee's gonna play. I don't care what they say about caution and all that stuff like that. If Sean Lee's doing everything, he's just saying I would say, I'm trying to argue with you.

I'm just trying to say that. But it's, you know, caution cautions when they okay, they have you way to be cautious because they've got two keys right now that are playing their ass off with that, you know, with Jalen Smith and then with Layton Vanderish, they can be cautious. But you know what, this season is not about caution anymore. It's not. But you do have ten games left, and I want him for ten games, not one or two. Not get him for ten games? Well, well I want

him for for eight. But they're not going to force him out there. No, they don't. They don't do that. I think what Jason was saying, if he's ready, he's ready. Yeah, and I don't care if we have a buy coming up yea notybe. I should sit it that way. And if he's not ready, then we get three weeks before he would play a game. Ready means not though, no, I mean ready ready. Yeah, that's all I'm saying. But I think also even if he's ready, if he's ready, and they will have a plan for him because they

now have confidence in his replacement. There you go where he doesn't have to play every snap. There you go, and there's a there's an other side to this, Okay, all right. You can look at it and say he's got if he doesn't play, he's got three weeks from now they're playing a Monday night game when they come off the byes, even an extra day there. Sure, But you can also look at it. You can mix him back in, okay, and he maybe he gets half the

snaps that he normally would get in a game. Okay, and then he's got two weeks to recover after that, so you can still you're still using that bye week to help him in the process of having him ready for the rest of the season. He said, the other thing way you look at it, I mean, how many weeks is he going to be out of action before coming back if he doesn't play on any STAPs on Sunday.

I mean, we're looking at six weeks in between times where he played, and he may be more apt to get injured again coming off a six week layoff than if they worked him in. Great I think I think they just play all of these things together and try to figure out what's what's the best way to approach it, assuming that he's ready to play. Yeah, no way, he's going to come out and play one hundred percent of the smiles. No, And that's the good thing. Go back

to their plan early in the season. Absolutely, those three guests. The last game he played in in Seattle, he came out on the first series of the of the I mean the second series of the game, and vander Esh was out there for Carolina. Well, see this is where this is where it plays in. If you can keep him healthy, you know, now, if he if he doesn't have to play, like Mickey said, play sixty five plays, he could play, you know, thirty plays, forty plays. But then you have him at the end of the game

when you really need that Shaun Lee play. All of a sudden, you're in a tight, tough game, you know, and you're trying to get that stop against the Houston Texans, You're trying to get a stop against Detrode or whoever. And now you have a fresher Shawn Lee playing. And how about okay Evan forbid? But what if an injury

occurred to either vander Esh or Jalen Smith. Well they don't say that, no, but but if that you have him available to come in and play that, just like with a woozy a last game where he didn't get any very many snaps but none yeah and so um and already. But he's Joe Thomas. He is active, right, And that's the other part of it is Joe Joe Thomas's and he's basically taking Joe Thomas's spot, you know. Yeah, Yeah,

I've been saying it. You don't to get Sean through the full season, don't play him sixty defensive snaps a game, don't do it. You don't have to anymore so, And I think that's the way they approached it in the offseason, that when they look back at at last season and the last several seasons, it's his entire career. They knew

that they needed to fortify that position. They were also losing losing Anthony Hitchins and free agencies, and which is a huge reason that they spent a first round draft pick on Layton vander Eshye, but they also added Joe Thomas justin March Lillard. They knew that they need they drafted yeah, and so they knew that they needed to fortify the linebacker position because you because of where Sean

Lee is especially now in his career. What age he's at right now, right, I mean, here's what they've done. A first game fifty nine of sixty seven snaps, second game forty one of sixty eight, third game thirty six of thirty sixty nine against Seattle. But that's when he got hurt, right, right, right, Yes, he wouldn't have played more, but so he was playing about oh, you know, fifty percent sixty percent of the snaps and he was nursing

a hamstring then too. Yeah, all right, yeah, the other hamstring. Ask a question about the linebackers, Yes, just in comparison. I'm interested what you guys think, bigger, bigger surprise or not surprise probably a bad word, but pleasant surprise the way that Jones has played at corner a way that Vanderish has played at linebacker on the defense. For me, the bigger surprise is Jones at cornerback, because I hadn't seen that. Yeah, yeah, I had. Well, I didn't know much.

I mean, I knew about Vanderish, but I didn't know that he could play like this. I thought, I thought, just from what I had read about Vanderish, what I looked at when I saw him. I'm going, Okay, he may need a few games, but this guy's gonna be pretty good. Yeah, give me Layton Vanderish because we saw Byron play at a really high level. I know it's training camp practice in preseason games, but Layton missed a

lot of time preseason camps. Yeah, I mean all these practices out here, he wasn't out here, and it was kind of like, Okay, what's what's he gonna give you? What's his role going to be? And he has been really good against the run, no miss tackles, coverage of something Brian talked about pre draft, his ability and coverage for a guy his size. I mean, he has looked like the total package for a rookie linebacker in this league. You know Anthony Hitchens his rookie year, Kate had got

thrown into the fire. Oh yeah, okay because of a shan lee injury for the entire season he played hurt two at the end. If you remember that Colts game they won. Yeah, which leads to me, okay, which is the most the more difficult to go? Ahead? Can I answer real quick? I don't want to be Yeah, you know I think that I agree with Mickey I think the Byron Jones transformation to corner has been outstanding. I think that it's it's gone better than they even thought

it would go. I mean, I feel like that they knew that Byron was a talented guy, but I didn't think that they well, they probably didn't think that, you know, hey, this could be this way. I think I think it took Chris Richard to convince him to make the move, but it took Byron Jones to say to hammer the point home. And I applaud him for doing that because I was thinking, Okay, why would you move him from safety where he's a good safety. Hell, he's an even

better corner. I mean, he makes plays at corner. Had an idea what Vanderesh was, but man, they're both playing so well on this defense right now. You know, you're more surprised. I'm more surprised by the corner play by Byron Jones. And again I agree with Mickey on that than I do with Vanderesh, which I had an idea that vanders was gonna be. I didn't think Vanderesh was going to be this good. But he's exceeded what I

believed he at least in his first year. What he could be, which relates to my question is, Okay, what position is more difficult to play in the in this league? Inside linebacker or a week side linebacker where Layton Vanderesh is playing, or cornerback the way the way the rules are always with corner. Yeah, yeah, this is which which means Byron Jones, when he was playing corner before, that's a much. Now he's a he's a veteran guy. Going back.

He had more ability, savvy, toughness, whatever it is uh knowledge of the league to be able to play corner. And now we already saw it with Hitchens as a rookie was able to play that position. And now here's Vanderesh coming in playing linebacker. But the thing with Byron Jones, he's played fifty four games for you now, yeah right, forty eight coming into the season and now with six so hasn't missed a game. Yeah, yeah, I think he's getting more opportunities at this position to show that he

can make plays. I mean, last year he's a lot of this kind of deep safety stuff run up at the end of plays. You know, he wasn't that involved. He's now on an island and that's a tough position. But here, look, he can show off his athleticism and show what he can do in these situations. And we've seen it his first couple of years in the league, covering tight ends. You know, when he had an opportunity to go down and cover a tight end, he did a pretty good job most of the time. Yeah, but

that was tight ends. We haven't seen him cover receivers the way we had even in his rookie year that was very limited. Well, they kind of had threw him. Yeah, yeah, it was. That was the Rob Ryan administration. Was that Rob Ryan? It was twenty thirteen, I was fifteen tea yeah, yeah, so yeah, so yeah, he you know, but he was mainly a safety year, that's yeah. I'm just because there was always that chaos in the secondary for that bunch, you know, it was it was it was always the

thirty second, right, Nothing against Rob Ryan, I'm sorry. I mean, I'm not trying to run the bus over him. I am trying to run the bus over him at the same time. But but there was chaos there, you know, And I think that Byron Jones, maybe maybe he would have developed into a really good corner if they wouldn't have had the chaos that they had, but I had him outside that position. Flex could either be a blessing or a curse. And now Yukon he played safety place both.

I know he played both first and then say, okay, I got that right, you know, And you mentioned Richard, and I think he deserves a lot of credit just for like I bet it's got to feel good for Byron to have this coach come in and say you're perfect for what I want to do. He's got the opposite feeling that that Jordan Lewis has. You're right, Yeah, you're right about that. Jordan Lewis went from a fourteen game starter, I believe, Mickey, Am I right about that?

Fourteen games a year fourteen games started and all of a sudden, you know the kids like listen, you know you're just a tick under five ten, but you got really long arms. But you know what, I really can't use your right now, you know, so at the opposite, probably the opposite. It has to be rewarding. And I think you had to worry about losing Jordan Lewis a little bit, Mickey. He made the right call. What a good personnel guy would do, would say, hey, I'm not

trading this guy. Where Joe and Flower Mountain Manny in Mexico City and everybody was saying, hey, trade the guy, get something for the guy, get a tight end for the guy. You know, sometimes you just have to hold on. Some of the best trades you make are the ones you don't make, you know, And holding on to Jordan Lewis for that game the other day proved beneficial for you. He had he had the bad play they had the one time when they played dime against Detroit, and that

was bad for him. But and you're worried about, gosh, we lose this guy. But no, he bounced back in there and played very, very well though in that game last week. Technically he had played fifteen games, seven starts last year as a rookie Jordan Lewis, it seemed like fourteen starts, Yeah, it was. It just seemed like he was on the field every everybody with all the injuries they had, Scandrick and a Woozy A. Yeah, all right,

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Doctor Pepper, the one you crave to talk in Cowboys, Oh, Mickey, crunch time is when you gotta stay cool. Nobody's better at keeping you cool under pressure than Tommy John. Tommy John Underwear has Bryan moisture wiking anti microbial fabrics to keep germs in perspiration at fame. That means no discomfort and no adjustment Tommy John, No adjustment needed. Shop exclusive Cowboys Underwear at Tommy John dot com forward slash Cowboys for twenty percent off your first US word in a sentence.

Please Yeah, Tommy John underwear has moisture wiking anti microbial fabrics other than what you just read, uh microbrew Bill's hotel room is my child. That's a Petri dish science class. It's like man am curies and they're doing experiments. Hey, ever dream of becoming Adallas Cowboys cheerleader Mickey every day? Chance? Yeah? Well,

now is your chance. Prep class is taught by master instructors and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader group leaders will introduce you to the choreography and techniques taught to the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad. Sign up for a prep class now at Dallas Cowboys dot com slash Cheerleaders. What's so funny? Those girls are athletes? Now they are doing a little I was doing a little. Yeah, looks good to be a yell leader and m right, that's all the things. Did you ever inspire to be a yell leader at A

and m Rob? I did not? He wanted the white coveralls. Yeah, kind of with Rob Rob on a name like a hospital orderly you know, coming on, mister Phillips, you're coming with us? Yeah? Have you ever? Have you ever sat down at an Aggy game? Uh? You stand in the whole game? Right when I go back, I'm old. Now you don't have to don't have to stand if you're to stand, if you're a alumni or a student. Right, if you're alumni, you can hear a visit. You aren't

require to stand though. No one's gonna shame you. Absolutely not. Kent is all the way one percent. I'm more two percent. You're two what you went there? Now? I love my school. I don't know all the yells. I went to fish camp and it completely ignored it. So I like to go to the game and have a good time, but I don't get into all the other stuff. Rob loves it when he sits with Auburn fans, too, Am I

right about that? Not so much? Not so much. That's where when he hit your wife, guy punched your wife he accidentally hit her in the back. Yeah, because he was drunk and being ridiculous LSU fan throw a beer on me. WHOA, that's respectable. Any respectable LSU fan would not throw a beer because we drank the beer. I'll tell you it was an accent. The most irritating fans

are Alabama fans. That's true because they know because they got these Because and I'm sitting at the National championship game in New Orleans, Missouri was in a national championship No, I'm watching LSU Alabama's time. We didn't get past the fifty yard line and yeah, the great sec and I don't think either team was going to score a touchdown

in that game. But for some reason, there was this row Alabama fans right in front of me, and they're shaking these dang pomposa and they were getting close to my head and I announced, if this thing hits me, I'm grabbing that pompop and gonna start a fight. And it hit me. Well, I was a lady. I wasn't gonna what the hell and it hit me. It hit me right in the face, and I went to grab it, and I wasn't quick enough because it went back forward,

and I was just pissed that I couldn't grab it. Okay, all right, I was gonna break it over my knee. I've got one more question on this topic. To for Brian Lsu storm the field after beating Georgia's at right, Yeah, that's kind of we should wears an SEC. Yeah, we've won a couple of national championship, don't We don't do that,

that is I understand. I'm just that's not acceptable, especially when I said that they were better than Georgia, when they think the Yankee did tell me that when and before the game started, Mickey says, you got a chance today, and I looked at him, like, Mickey, I don't agree with about in two weeks, if you beat Alabama, is that worth storming the field? I don't think so, because you guess they've been there before they went. They've won

now three games over top ten opponents this year. So yeah, Miami, Auburn and Georgia. Who does who do they? Who does Alabama play this week? I don't know what. Let's get to first October for Saturday or what Very helped him out. They knocked the quarterback out. All right, We're gonna go to Palmer in Georgia. Helloh, yeah, ta Hey, how's how's it going, gentlemen? We're great? Yeah, go tigers. Hey man, I'm down here in the south tip of George on

Saint Simon's Island about play golf. There you go, there you go. That's you know exactly, that's a great spot. No hurricanes coming from, No, not there. Why would you wish that? Hurricanes? I didn't wish it. What do you got home? You like a wet blanket? Mickey? Yeah, here's my question, Brian. Okay, do you see any chance the Cowboys trading for Joseph out of Oakland? Or maybe Brandon Cooks to tie it in with that. I'll get off and listen. Thanks for all you do, guys. Yeah, thank you. Micky.

You hear anything about trades? Anything? Do any trade? Oh? I just saw that those guys were on the block, and I figured the Cowboys would be the only one out of thirty one teams that would be interested. Yeah too. You know the word is I was talking to some

people around the league and they had not heard. Usually you can, you know, usually you can call somebody and say, hey, listen, has the Raiders called you or somebody called you, and like my guys are on the league are saying, no, I haven't heard any calls yet, so uh, it might be you know something that they've you know, that they're going to explore. It sounds like that John Gruden, I know, Charles Robinson wrote a piece for Yahoo about the relationship

between Reggie McKenzie, my buddy, and John Gruden. Another friend. That's not very good there. But I you know it, I haven't heard anything about the Cowboys, you know yet. But if, if, in fact, I do get word that they are shopping them, I'll ask people and we'll see what we can get. But right now, I just don't asking price for Initially, what I heard was like a first round pick for the receiver for Amari Cooper. I just don't see them, you know, that would not be

I would not part with that. And he didn't include Cooper in that. Yeah. Yeah, so Joseph West Virginia. Yeah he. John's trying to get rid of everybody Reggie drafted and so that's he was a first round pick. Yeah, that's that's I can end well for Reggie. No more first

round picks for wide receivers in the middle of the season. Okay, that is a that is a you should live by that, or first and a third or a first and a first yeah too, first is it's never good either, but no, I just you know, I haven't heard it official Palmer and good luck today knocking him around there in South Georgia. Another former cowboy in the broadcast booth Joey Galloway. Oh yeah, he does a good job for ESPN. I'll tell you what college football. He's really good. Yeah, he's really good.

I like him. He surprised me. Yeah, yeah, he's thinking. He's surprises. He's very intelligent about the game, very intelligent. He did the tech TCU game. Did he usually in the studio, but I heard him doing the game and he was really herb Street. Yeah. I can't remember who played by play guy was, but anyway, sometimes it's twelve years old. Oh yeah it was Armstrong's his Armstrong. Yeah, he's like twelve years old. He does San Francisco Giants games.

Oh does he yeah? Okay, yeah, so it might be thirteen. He does look young, but he's got it. He's got a good voice and good style about it. There you go. Unlike some both snoop around we got October thirtieth. It's a trade deadline, so we got a few So Tuesday before Halloween got a few days. So two weeks from today. Yeah, well we'll snoop around a little bit and see m again. I need to figure out. I don't want to chase this if in fact they're not really trading the guys.

So we'll see. But you would think Gruden is going to do all he can to John is trying to do. I don't know what John's trying to do. I don't know, trying to win what he's doing when he traded Khalil. I love John John. John and I are really close. John's terrible at personnel and I and I and Reggie. I love Reggie. I was with Reggie, and I think Reggie brought them out of the dark ages with some

of the moves and stuff. I mean, Khalil Mack was a hell of a pick and went John, Okay, well you know it's John going to take those two first round picks. And you know, maybe I don't know. I just I feel bad for for Reggie. I do because John John is killer on personnel. Guys. It sounded like the Khalil mac thing just became personal instead of business. John will do that to you, John, John will hug

you and then punching the face at the same time. Well, you mean with him and Mac because Mac just didn't want to be there. Yeah, So what do you do? Well? You you let him sit and he's gonna play six games like the Steelers are doing. Yeah. Yeah, Connor's working out for them though he is. It's not a great to beat cancer. And he's a damn good player he is. Yeah, good for him, I mean the good for him. The livebacker for the Cowboys did it. And was it ninety

three or ninety four? Um Smith? Darren Smi Smith, Darren Smith. Remember he got in a argument with the and he sat out ten games, played his six and got his year of credit credit. Yeah, yeah, okay. Um. A question from yesterday at the end of the show is about tight ends and can Rico gathers, um, take time away from Blake Jarwin. Let's let's look at Blake Jarwin versus Rico gathers what what are your thoughts on on that?

Kind of good thoughts about that? When Robert h I like progress what I'm seeing from both in terms of progress, Um, Ricco again continues to show the ability to go up the field and make plays. And that's play. He's made a couple plays, one play in each game. Okay, that's that's plural. That's a couple of plays, one in each game. Okay. And Jet's Jarwin's bread and butter, right, So I kind of want to see more Rico, I really do. But but I think Jarwin's more polished as a tight end.

And I liked what he saw. You wrote about it, the block up the field on Dak's first touchdown round, So that's that's encouraging that he's becoming more of a maybe maybe well rounded guy that you can trust. Here's what I worry if if you play him more, you may get diminishing returns. If you spot them in places where he's got it, that you've practiced that stuff, you're not asking a lot of them, then he can excel. I just want the internet to break, Mickey. I just

I just want to sechdown. We don't need to do worry about that. I just want to see it. What do you think, Bran, what are your Yeah, go ahead and answer that question. I got I'm running down the path where I'm agreeing with Mickey a lot here today. But I'll be okay with that. Um, you know, I would like to see I think that you have to kind of spot play him right now. I know, but

but but I do. I do understand and again not I don't hate riding the fence on this, but I do understand that to get him go when you're probably gonna have to play him. It's like me trying to cheerlead for Michael Gallop, you know, I mean, both are very talented players. Why okay brought us? Why are you cheering for Michael Gallup and not cheering for Rico because we've seen Michael Gallup produced in college. Yeah. See, that's

the thing I would like to if. But Rico, you know, it doesn't look like to me when they put him out there and some of that thirteen personnel stuff, it doesn't look like he's making mistakes. It doesn't. You know, when when Rico's bad is when he's Rico two hundred and eighty pounds blocking air. You know, when he's kind of looking around like he just stole something. You know, he's like you know what you know, yeah, he he's putting his head in there. You know, you want Rico.

If he's gonna make a mistake, make an aggressive mistake, just drive, Just drive. Whoever. The other color of jersey is far down inside as you can. And that's one of the reasons he made the team was they felt like he was playing faster. Yeah, not thinking about it, but I see where Mickey's going with his analysis of it,

and i'd like to. I think, if you're going to play him in thirteen personnel, he's got to be able to block a little bit, because you don't want it to be the every time he's coming in the game, you're just throwing in the ball. Await, they're throwing a waggle, and so now you take your strong safety and you jam him on the line. And we've all kind of seen Rico when he gets held up at the line, it's kind of like he's trying to you know, it's

like he's in a revolving door. You know, he's just kind of getting caught up in And I think you have to prove that he could block first before you can say, Okay, let's put him in there for twenty five thirty snaps and let him just go. Blake Jarwin agreement. Yeah, you don't want to give him too much. You give him a little package of things. I just when I see him make the play that he made one play there's but it takes three guys to tackle, no doubt.

And that's the you said. Okay, if I could put you know, if I could put Blake Jarwin's brain in Rico Gather's body, you know what kind of tight I mean? I think Blake Jarwin's a sharp guy. Is he the most physically gifted guy? No, he's not. I mean, he made a nice block on the touchdown run. But that's really the first time I've seen Blake Jarwin have a block where I was going, oh, I mean I had to catch myself thinking, oh nice block, sway, Oh no

a Jarwin? All right? Yeah, encouraging so at least met him the question I was gonna ask you, how do you what have you seen out of Blake Jarwin? And not enough? I think there are people who wonder having this conversation. I think, yeah, and I think there are people who wonder if he is even though he was not a second round draft pick another Gavin Escobar. What would be the difference is they protected him? They protected him, you know, they didn't let him go to Philadelphia running

off the practice squad. They obviously thought enough of him, though, he just seems like he hasn't the plays that Blake Jarwin should make. The catch the other day on the third and two where they faked that they faked to dive and they got Blake Jarwin up the field and his hands were his hands were laid or his hands didn't you know he got Yeah, I mean that's that's a play called for you, right because you're Blake Jarwin catching tight end. And and we saw him make those

plays in camp down down the field. I mean, Dak was raving about him in preseason, really liked his ability just to get down the field and make plays. See. I think that's It's one of the concerns is it's one thing making plays in camp when you know you're not gonna get hit, tackled, whatever, and there's another thing when you're playing in an NFL game. Rico had fourteen plays, Jarwin had twenty two. So not that big of a

disparity considering Jarwin's in there to block quite a bit. Yeah, and I'm with you, man, Look but here I'm arguing for gall up, gallop, gallop, and then yeah, you have a talented player like that, But is it is? It is at the right time. He's still coming along, he's still this is his first year, and he's different than your average first year player. He hasn't played in ten years. I get it, Mick. I just want to I want

the Internet to bring I get you. I would love to see us have a show where we're talking about Rico gathers the difference maker. Okay, you know where it's a five catch, sixty five yard day. You know, maybe a touchdown. Yeah, but oh, you know he did okay blocking you know, you know what. He looks bad. He looks like one of those guys that needs to in

his progression have success. Man, I don't know how well he'd do with failure, you know, because then you go, well, I hadn't played in a long time, and he doesn't. He doesn't lack for confidence. Yeah, okay, I'm just gonna say that right now. And I put him in situations where he could excel except for on the goal line against and one more thing on the time in situation how valuables Jeff Swain to this team? Right now? Very see, there's now my guy that used to be the unsung

hero that I say that right, unsung hero? Uh was? It used to be Jeff Heath. Jeff Heath was always the guy that you know, you know, hey, you guys, everybody's on Jeff heat Well, okay, watch him play, watch him play special teams. Well, I think Jeff Swain is one of those guys that, you know, really the underappreciative guy and their appreciated guy of all the things. I was really worried about him having to play so much in line y and block and just get a beat

up and beat up. You know, we're starting to see you watch him at practice and he's got a knee sleeve on and he's got this on and you know he's eat those spots on his shoulders. Yeah, he's he's one of those guys that's gets so beat up and you're thinking, will that affect the way that he plays down the field? You know, But he's he's been he's

been outstanding. You know, I've it's he's given you everything he has at the point of attack and when they've thrown him the ball in the waggles and stuff hack, he's been athletic enough catching it, getting up the field. Not just going out of balance or falling down like we've seen in the past, making tough catches showing balanced. Was a Detroit or was Houston? Yeah, he's like he's the balls on the ground and he basically just scoops

it off the ground. I mean, he's your stunt man and he's playing your number one, and I'm worried about him being too much of the stunt man. Yeah, you know, that's why I wish they had a James Hannah. James Hannah is a perfect guy to take all that abuse and allows other people around him to be a little bit better than you know, allows him to do what they normally do. It's just get downfield and catch the football. James Hannah was an unsung guy around here. James Hannah's

you know, James Hannen Sun. Yeah, I mean Witten. You know, Witten did a lot of really you know, Witten was some dirty work player guy, but he wasn't the stuntman. James Hannah was a stuntman. James, Listen, We're gonna ask you a block that two hundred and ninety five pound defensive end. Listen, James, you need to crack inside on Fletcher Cox here. Yeah, what else swaying has to be hitting? Yeah, yeah, exactly right. Now he has to crack on Fletcher Cox.

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about Jack Black? Yeah, gotta use it. That's what the pros use, That's what we use. And if you go Bill occasionally ask back Black dot com you can get their four faves for ten dollars with three shipping if you use the promotional code Cowboys Go get Jack Black, they go makey a great job. Hey, no props today, get a load of this. Registration for holiday youth camps

is now open. One day camps available for both Dallas Cowboys Football Academy and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Dance Academy at at and T Stadium, and the star spots are limited, So register today at Dallas Cowboys dot com slash Academy Holiday Youth Camps. Which holiday holong break don't you for? Like the Thanksgiving Christmas both both both Well, it doesn't specify to go to Dallas Cowboys dot com slash Academy, Mickey,

and you couldnt to that question, ask questions. I don't know the answer, because anymore student students for Thanksgiving and two weeks for Christmas and New Year week for Thanksgiving. Yeah. Back in our day, we got off Thursday and Friday, right, Sure, didn't get off Wednesday? Yeah, that's right, Rob. Did you get off Wednesday? Wednesday? Yeah? And that was in the weekend. Teachers might get the full week off Wednesday. Yeah. And her best friend is getting married and I hope she's

not listening. She's a teacher too, so she's getting married. Yeah, why you're not going to game week of Thanksgiving? And that's why I'm not going to the LSU A and M game. In fact, I may not be able to watch the LSU A and M game. Oh you've got a phone. That's right, it's not good enough. But anyway, I digress. Go ahead, Bill, Bill you ever. I was with the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock when they had the first Thanksgiving, so I didn't get any days off speaking

of weddings in football season, which that oughted to be outlawed. Okay, I see, especially her daughter's never your daughter's gotten married much. My oldest daughter got married Thanksgiving weekend. It was on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. You know it's bad from going on then. Actually, I think they may have played the afternoon. I was at night wedding, and usually by

Thanksgiving weekend night. It's don't my daughter. I'm gonna give myself in trouble here, but to me that if you're gonna get married on Thanksgiving weekend, that might as well be a destination wedding. You ask people to come if they can't make it. Well, no, no hard feelings. You know, you might as well be getting married. But really, Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, there's not that much football going on,

is there. No, there's really not. You know, NEA used to play and they play on like on Friday, Yeah, after Friday afternoon, Yeah, and then Saturday afternoons. To be by Saturday night is not very mississ in Texas A and m rivalry game. How about That's right? Old miss and Mississippi State play the egg Bowl at that time Thanksgiving night? Yeah? What usually when I can tell you about the egg Bowl? Covered a few of those, covered

a few when I was at the Jacksonville Ledger. Not jack jack Larian Larian l. Let's say hello to Nebbie and Silver Spring, Maryland. Nebbie, you're on talking cowboys? Huh Hey, guys, how's it going? By the way, Rob, I just want to let you know before I break down the keys to the game to our game against the Redskins, I just want to let you know that I'm excited because I'm going to the one thousand episode of WWE SmackDown tonight at Capitol One Arena Blossom. Here you go, Ken

and I are jealous we'd love to go. But anyway, uh uh, I think the keys uh to our game at the Redskins are obvious. We have to be able to protect the football, protect Dak Prescott, we have to be able to run the ball, and we have to be able to put pressure on Alex Smith. And before I go, I have a quick question. Uh uh if you if you had the guests, uh, will Sean Lee play when we play in DC against the Redskins? Uh?

This Sunday? Take care of Thanks for being patient with me and I hope to see you guys at the team uh hotel, Thanks a lot, take care of bye. All right, thanks having a way to go Sean Lee. Okay, it's good on record here it's Tuesday game week, Shan Lee playing Sunday or not. I'll start. I'm gonna say yes, yeah, Mickey's going No. I was leading on No. I was the make you go ahead and do it. You're right, you'll be. Bryan convinced me I was leaning towards notes.

I just listened to the head coach. I would like to see what happens tomorrow. No, neb says now. Nebbe says now he needs an answer now not tomorrow. I should have asked him who was winning tonight. It goes to smackdowns. SmackDown, that's Connor McGregor. Maybe someday, maybe someday, but not maybe something on Roda Rowse. He's doing it now. He's on a career track there. Yeah, Buffalo is looking at him as a backup play and I'm going yes, I'm going yes. So your vote doesn't matter. We've got

three yays. You got me. Just don't tell Sean. He'll hold it against me. Nah. Oh, you didn't think I could play? Huh? All right. I had a little cliffhanger last week where I said I made a reference to Dak Prescott and the Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs offense and kind of the I think it gives hope. Not I'm not talking Dak so much as I am the Cowboys offense. And of course this was the Cowboys offense and Chiefs offense the same. What is the MS?

Okay did you fall? What think about the Chiefs offense? Yeah? For the better part of this decade? Okay, when Alex Smith was a quarterback? Yes? Whatever? How many weapons did they have? What was the big knock against the Chiefs offense never could score touchdowns with the receivers. They went a whole season without a receiver exactly. They had no weapons on offense basically, right, okay, And now all of a sudden they got more weapons than any offense in

the league. And you know, of course, now Mahomes it makes makes it happen too. Yeah, but if you took Travis Kelsey and Tyreek Hill off that Kansas City team and put them on the Cowboys team, what would you have weapons? Yeah, you would have some weapons, no question. But my point is about we're saying that Dak is

comparable to me. No, no, no, no, no, I'm saying even before Mahomes this year, they had weapons last year with Tyree Hill and Travis Kelsey, with Alex Smith at quarterback, right, and Prescott is and we'll talk more about this as the week goes on. Dak is a lot like Alex Smith and the way he takes care of the football

and so forth. Whatever. And they made the playoffs right now. Okay, Now, they didn't go deep in the playoffs, but they were a playoff team with Alex Smith at quarterback and with the and they finally got some weapons last year and now it's all coming to fruition with Mahomes pulling the trick. But if you what I'm saying is the Cowboys aren't that far away from having an offense that can threaten teams.

They just got to acquire these plays, the importance of the weapons, the tight end, pass catching tight end like a Travis Kelsey, a speed receiver like a Tyreek Hill who can make plays like he does. Now there's not a lot of them around, but I mean, you look at Kansas City. For a half decade at least, they didn't have any playmakers on offense whatever, and now they got all the playmakers in the world. You can turn it around. When do you think Kansas City? Okay, you

said turn around the draft? Do you think they turned it around with And I'm not trying to take a shot at Scott Linahan, but I'm saying, did they turn it around when Andy Reid stop calling plays? And when the guy, the Chicago head coach was like, you know it was nat you was their play primary play caller? Yeah, okay, did they get creative with him there? And as Andy Reid is saying, oh wow, okay, this is you know, this is a good idea. This is the way you

need to play. I mean, I wonder if the change in philosophy was what got Kansas City to this point. So you know, so am I making sense here? Point? Yeah? But your point is Hill and Kelsey right now? And they got a running back to Yeah, but who are their other receivers? Helped me out here? Well, one of them is Sammy Watkins. Yeah, and you know what he's got not doing anything? Twenty two catches? Yeah? Which guy which the Cowboys tea would be second buying? Cole Beasley

as far as receivers. What's he making like fifteen million a year? Six? Yeah? Yeah he is? Wow? Yes, And I'm looking down the list here of AFC and they end at sixteen catches and none of their other guys ye have. Chris Conley is another receiver for right, So so you trade out? Is Dak better than Hunt? I mean Zeke better than Hunt? I would take Zeke? There, take Zeke? Okay, so you got so you have that, Now can you get the other this? Yeah? This is

that you're right, mickey. This is where the discussion was was made. Is they determined that, Okay, this is the way we're gonna go at tight end and this is the way we're gonna go at wide receiver. Yep. And those might be the two positions that are holding you back from having an offense similar to what Kansas City, at least the weapons. I don't know if the play caller would be is you know the play call I thought, yeah, I thought the play card did a nice job the

other day. Yeah, I really did. I thought he did a really good job of of of working with Dak and getting that thing to go. He took advantage of some stuff that Jacksonville was doing and give him some credit. I don't know, if you had the weapons like that, do you turn your play calling around to the point or do you just say, okay, we're we're gonna do what we do with Hill. And also that, by the way, Hill coming out of college, John Dorsey really stuck his

neck out on that one. Now he was rewarded for a player that had some serious domestic violence problems stuff. Yeah, and then he also traded up for Mahomes. You know, in a lot of people thought, whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing there? Looking like gold right now? So, but I'm not putting everything on the offensive line. But we can talk about their weapons and can they upgrade those weapons in the offseason. Mickey's been banging this drum

and he's right. I mean, there's a large part of this that when they've protected Dak, they've been more efficient, and every time it's been at home so far, the road has been much different. And I don't know exactly why. It can't just be crowd noise, but they've been a different team offensively on the road. And it starts up front, it really does. Maybe it's who you play well. Yeah, but you know, they played the number one defense in the league on Sunday at home and really did a

nice job of protecting the quarterback. Yeah, I'm more surprised they didn't if they could have protected maybe a little better at the Houston, they didn't get a chance to really take advantage of that secondary that that that hurt me. That's one of those games where the week before we came on this program and talked about Detroit can't stop

the run. What happened? Dallas ran the football. We came back, We're thinking, Okay, Houston's past defense is really leaky, but what happened you couldn't protect well enough to take advantage of a leaky past defense. I think, so what happened they got protection against a really good past defense. They were able to complete some balls. And you have to have confidence in your personnel. Yeah, and I think the what you know, if you have a Tyreek Hill, if

you have Kelsey, you can exploit your personnel. Sure. I think what's going on here a little bit is they're managing it. Yeah, like, Okay, we can't do this, this and this, but let's try to do a little bit of this and this and do it well. Right, So, I think you have to play to your the hands that's dealt you right now. And as much as attention as Mahomes is getting right now, look at Alex Smith's numbers last year in Kansas City at age thirty three,

made the Pro Bowl. Okay, he completed sixty seven and a half percent of his passes for four thousand yards. He had twenty six touchdowns, five interceptions, and averaged eight point eight point zero yards per attempt. He was in here, He was in the MVP conversation till mid season. Yeah. Now, right now, Jay Gruden is saying that he's got to do a better job. He's holding on to the ball

too long. He only completed fifty eight percent of his passes against Carolina for one hundred and sixty three yards, and for the season, he's only completed sixty percent of his passes, which is the lowest of his five seasons and a ninety one nine QB rating. Only because I read the Washington Post and Gruden was all over him that he's got to step it up. And this was the quotes from the press conference. Yeah, he's saying Alex Smith needs to step it up. He's holding our offense back. Wow,

how about that? Well, they found the fountain of youth, that running back though. I mean, they hand him the ball, and some good things have been happening for they. You know, they went from draft and the kid in the second round to you know, losing him to nie knee injury and then all of a sudden you find Adrian Peterson on the scrap heap and he's given a little something though, And it'll be interesting to see, Mickey, did they say anything about Chris Thompson plan what he think is gonna

because he's a weapon. That wasn't an injury update, but they played this past game without Thompson yeah, and without Jamison Crowder by the way, see that, and then there's Crowder again, there's another that's Jamison Crowder. Got Sean McVay his job and with the Rams and he really he turned Jamison Crowder into a really nice football player, used him well, used you know, with Garson and you know

they still got hey. Like I say, well, I'm sure we'll get into tomorrow what they're what they're gonna do, you know with Jordan Read and those guys, and their offensive line looks like it's actually you know, it has been times in the past the Cowboys have played this group and it hasn't the offensive line hasn't been completely healthy. Well, they look like they're pretty pretty healthy going into this game.

And before I hear all this talk about Josh Norman, yeah, always back after he got benched because he got an interception, Cam Newton's arm got hit and the ball fluttered up like a duck. Any one of us could have caught that watching that game right now. Can't wait to hear Mickey talking about Josh Norman the rest of the week here on talking Cowboys. That's right, all right, we'll see you again tomorrow. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club