Talkin' Cowboys Break: Offense OK Without Zeke?

That's why you're going with this. You don't want to tell me what you did over the weekend. Yeah, I'm just you know, you just watch tape of Navarro Bowman all day on Sunday pretty much. Yeah. Yeah, you're feeling good. Nate. Oh yeah, I'm feeling good. I'm feeling real, real good. I just knowing what we gotta do and hoping the coaches found some answers, you know, to translate to these players what they need to do to get better to

win some games. I just want to say, I didn't think about this team one time from like Thursday night until an hour ago, and it was awesome. But I'm ready to go now I'm feeling good. That's funny. You would admit that it is your job. It is my job. And when I get like a three day break from it for one of like two times all year, I take advantage of it. You'll be able to be real good for this show. Then. Oh, I'm so ready to go.

He's prepared, ready, ready to go. Yeah, you didn't think of the Cowboys when you heard that all of a sudden, Navarro Bowman was an unexpected free agent in the NFL linebacker when the Cowboys need a little bit of help right there. I think that technically happened before we left for the bye week. So I'm Saturday. We started hearing that, did we Well? Whatever, I got my ear to the ground.

I'm good. You're on Twitter. I'm always on Twitter. He's always on Twitter, so he's always thinking about the team. He's just trying to act like he's miss I'm trying to act tough. Right now, Navarro Bowman, we can talk about him because he is a free agent in the league, and he is a guy that's been very well known with the Dallas Cowboys. Played with Sean Lee at Penn State. Both drafted in the same year Obviously Sean Lee ended up here and Navar has been at this forty nine ers.

So what do you guys think of him on the market. It should think take on him Brown, I know you've seen something. Yeah, I know, I watched him. I just got done. Watched him again against the because now the forty nine ers being an opponent watching him against the Colts. Doesn't run as well as he once did. I think the Achilles the knee has kind of robbed him of that ability. Still a very good point of attack player.

Still one of those guys that you know, if you talked about, hey, I could see the fit because the Cowboys have really really struggled against the run. He plays Mike backer. That's kind of where the Cowboys, you know, have a little bit of some strength if you want to call it with Hitchens, say what you want about Smith, but yeah, that's you know it would be. It would

be as a fit as a rotational player. I don't know how much you would want him to play in space anymore with coverage, because I think there were some times where I watched him get taken advantage of that way. But when the ball's come in his direction, he's gonna make the tackle, He's gonna be physical doing it, and it's made that type of a player. I see why that they're interested in bringing him in at least kicking the tires on that he's a two down player. Now.

I think he still played three for the forty nine ers, but I think that he's a better zone player than he is a man player. Can you outline, and you know, first of all, let be let's be real for a sac. Usually when these types of things happen, you just kind of roll your eyes and say no and move on, right, And we're not doing that here because I don't I think everybody would agree that this wouldn't be a terrible idea. No,

it's not a terrible idea. So with that in mind, can you outline a more specific plan for how you would play your linebackers if he was on this team, you would have to think about playing He could be your mic linebackers strongly would be your will and then you can rotate. You could probably rotate Hitchens over at the SAM is what you would probably do, and have him also kind of be your catch all yeah, catch

all player. Yeah, And if you go to and if you go to the if you go to nickel stuff then or dime you just take you take Bowman off the field and put Hitchens at that spot and let him be the covered guy with Lee. So that's how I would play it. So but this this team needs a run stop, but he need a boost because he can do that. Yeah, because he'll get off blocks, he'll

be fisible with his hands Sean Lee. You know, I understand that people think, hey, we would have won a game, we won one of these games if Sean Lee was there. But in this case, the more the merria, yeah, the more mean because you we get we average and given up one hundred and fifty yards Russian shan A. Lee

can't make every tackle. Yeah, I don't disagree and that, And like I said, I think this is a pretty good idea and something that I'd be interested in the Cowboys pursuing a little bit harder than we typically see in these types of situations. If could get somebody that could play the run, well, you need that. I get my two concerns. It sounds so basically it sounds like you would get a similar, if maybe slightly better level of production with Bowman and Lee being your primary two linebackers.

Than Hitchens and Lee. I think that Hitchens, to me at the mic linebacker spot is not as physical. Yeah, but he runs better. But you're the space. You're still probably looking at a solution where you're going to platoon this thing, just in the sense that Hitchens still has a role to play. Bowman is not. He's not that top five linebacker that he was maybe even three or four.

You this might even cause you to have to sit Smith, which for the for you know, and I as an inactive player, I can hear the fans screaming at me from here that that's not a bad thing because Jalen Smith has struggled with the amount, that's sure plate. But I wonder for them, For the Cowboys, I wonder if the addition of Bowman is enough to offset everything that they've got going on already, assuming everyone's healthy, which I

know is not a guarantee. And on top of that, ego plays a factor in these things too, And I wonder if Bowman is willing to admit that that's the type of situation he's going to be in. You know, maybe he sees himself as an every down stud that can still be the centerpiece of a defense. I think when you get released, all bets are off. I think you're just looking for a home. Now you're just trying. Yeah, you're looking for a place to Okay, where can I

finish this thing out? You know? I mean, who's who's the best fit for me to have some success? Yeah? You know when when you went into when you went into as a coach of a fan, or how when you went into this break? Uh, you know, And I'm just I'm just old school. How what was you thinking? Okay, we we we even need a run stopping line defensive lineman. All we need a lineback or somebody to help. You know, no game to a two yard game, so you can be looking in it second and seven full of change.

Yeah you see what I'm saying. So now I don't know how good this guy is, and I'm just going by what brought us. Says he'll brought us, say he'll first and second down backer. We we need a first and second down back up because we've we've been getting gashed. You know. So I hear what you guys are all saying, but technically cleared up for the fans because it's not as easy as though. Okay, we need him he's going on visits. He's gonna go talk to some other teams.

I think could be done by Wednesday, That's what I'm hearing. So he'll so that's usually around that time. Fan. So then from there, how does you know? Technically, since he's a free agent, you don't need to worry about any trade or anything like that. So bringing him in, how does that? He's a vested veteran. So San Francisco's gonna have to pay him all year long, no matter what. No, he could, he could. If he doesn't sign anywhere, he

can apply for his salary. Okay, but you know, if he goes, If he goes, he's at a six million dollar player. Ben he's and he's halfway where we'll not halfway through, but the pro ration and so many games. They know the forty nine ers, the forty nine ers are on the hook for the money they paid him. You can negotiate a different deal for him. You don't have to pay anything. I mean, excuse me, Yeah, you

can negotiate a new deal with that. Okay. Instead instead of paying him six million dollars like the forty nine ers, we're gonna pay him for the last eleven weeks. You can pay him three million, four million dollars, like you guys said, kind of looking for a home, looking for a job at this point. But it's gonna have some leverage and still probably a good enough player that he can command. You know, he's going to sign for better than league minimum. Yeah, some teams won't don't have the

cap space to make a deal like this. Dallas would have the money to make a deal like this, So that in itself gives you an opportunity. I know, talking some guys this weekend, they're interested. You know, it's just a matter of you're talking about a veteran player. Oakland's involved. He lives in the Bay Area. Do you want to pick up I don't know, if he has wife and kids and stuff. Do you pick them all up and say, hey, listen, we're going to Dallas for eleven weeks, or do you

just leave everybody at home? So I mean the fact that it's a that the Oakland is interested, that that makes it as a veteran player, that would make it very inviting for me. If I that that would be my selling point. If I was the Raiders, I'm like, hey, listen, you you know you're right by the basically, don't have to change. You don't have to change, you don't have to leave your home. You know, just go a different way. You got to go to Alameda now instead of Santa Clara.

If he if he's good enough to help the scene, and uh, the money's right, you know, don't hesitate. I'm want to I'm about a youth movement. But evidently the Cowboy isn't not about a youth movement. So let's get this veteran in here that making help us, because you're either gonna sell out. And what I mean by that is braink putting Neil on the roster, put Ash on the roster, didn't put term around and put uh get

get uh. You know, there's a child and I'm talking going on a youth movement, get charts and put him out there and let you know, let's go, let's set out. But it seemed like they don't want to set out. So this guy should be looked at in a serious manner,

not just want something to talk about. And you know, typically, like I said, typically when this happens, you know, we inquire and the front office is kind of like and no, we like what we got Um, but there's a little something more to this, and yeah, I still I would

still probably bet against it happening. If it Yeah, but brother might not be the Cowboys doing, might be somebody else stepping up in say yeah, absolutely again, I gave the Oakland If Oakland wasn't involved with this, I would give you a shot just on the fact that that the home, the hometown and not having to pick up your life. Sure, it's just going to a different facility,

but you're in the same area. Yeah, means more to him. Yeah, he's trying to have ale nitty lion reunion here, Brian, don't worry about in state is ranked number two in the college football rankings right now. Yeah, I'm not going to discount that. I'm kidding I'm doing. I think I think you're giving a valid point. And the Raiders, you know,

a team that he's very familiar with. Obviously, sure Bay Area right what they could say to him because okay, so you say, decision, Raiders are really in the same boat as the Cowboys, if you want to be honest, Very true, very true. Both teams thought of very highly initially. Now they're looking the Raiders are two and four, bad loss against the Chargers yesterday. Offense hasn't clicked. The offense hasn't click. Yeah, you mean you've had injuries, You've had

different various problems there. Yeah, we'll see. I think it's far more, like I said for the third time, I think it's far more likely to happen than this typically is. But yeah, usually when a guy like this mid season gets dropped and everyone's tweeting, go to the Cowboys for instance, for instance, Martavis Bryan, I no, I don't see that at all. People want, you know, he apparently wants a trade from Pittsburgh. He doesn't feel like he's that involved

in their offense. I know there's a lot of there's a lot of support for him coming here. I don't see that. Well, they were talking about all these backs this weekend too. Was another thing that everybody was mentioning. Carlos Hide was on the trade market and a bunch of people were telling me on Twitter Saturday, They're going, oh, we're gonna trade for Carlos Hide. I'm like, okay, let me just throw it out there, let me just ask somebody,

and I got this. Are you eff and kidding me? Yeah? See, that's when that's when I you know, I asked that question, and when I get that are you eff and kidding me? Answer? Then I then I then I it makes me not want to ask anybody anymore, right, because again, it's just is when you get rumored speculation. Now I asked about this one, and exactly what we've just been talking about, the last six to seven minutes. It's gonna be about money,

it's gonna be about rotation, it's gonna be about fit. Well, that's I think you can do yourself a lot of favors as a fan if you just try to think about this first. I mean, okay, naval bowman, you don't have to give up any assets to get it right. You're not talking about a trade, you're not talking about taking on a contract. And then you look around linebackers

an issue for this team. You've got injuries, you've got tackling this issue, questionable depth, and you've got questionable performance. You know, no, it ain't it ain't it ain't questionable. See see at whide receive them. You know, I'm making understand that dads may click, I may kinderstand that uh will may not drop a valuable pass. I can see that. So Brian, Uh, I can see the other situation. You know, we got capable running backs, but right as of right now,

you're given up over one hundred and fifty yards rushing. Yeah, oh man, you do what you can to get him in. If you can't, then you saw the youth movement. Yeah. And well, and the other thing I was gonna say, the resources have been allocated on receiver and running back, whether you like it or not. They have done things to address those positions. They have money invested, particularly at wide receiver. They have a lot of money invested. I would argue they invested a lot more in a linebacker

named Jalen Smith. I mean they went after him in the second that's I mean, that's totally fair, good play. That is a fantastic They were kind of banking on him being the Luke Keikley Shawn Lee of this team. Yeah, but one percent, valide I got it. But they couldn't have seen they you know, and and I don't. One thing I hate to do is go against management. Yeah, but if you watched the film, you couldn't have thought that foot his football season. He had to play. Yeah,

you couldn't have Yeah, he had to play. But That's what I'm saying. He was forced in something that was Wasn't it fair to him? Yeah? It really wasn't my I got and again my other rebuttal to that would be okay Jalen for sure. Anthony Hitchins is in a contract year. Justin Durant is a guy that you brought in for no money on the on the quick. Yeah,

for debt, for debt. Damian Wilson. I know the charges were dropped against him, but again he's closer to the end of his rookie deal in the beginning, and you thought maybe you wouldn't even have him for a big chunk of this season or next season. So I'm you know what I What I meant by that is you're not locked into some of these guys the way that

you're locked into debt Terrence Beasley Switzer. I mean, that's four out of your six receivers right there that aren't going anywhere for at least another year or two right now. Hell uh, broad is miss miss take is Damon whistling and moving your meet up up? Is he making you feel good? Honestly through training camp? I thought he was, and I don't know that he's been terrible, but he's certainly where's the drop off? You know a lot of these players that we've been talking about that have had

kind of rough starts, if you would. And we go back and we're like in training camp, in training camp, we saw this Aron Jones. Yeah, you know, Colby Branty Brown, the polease guys that we saw in training camp. I mean I've heard this said a lot of times through these first five weeks. Well, in training camp, we thought he was going to be our guy. Where is that drop off? Is it just the nature of playing games and getting back into the swing of things. Is it

is where the pieces fall? For me? It's simple and in practice you get to pick and choose. This is a pass period, this is a run period, this is play action pass period. In the game is live and you don't know what's coming. So now you got to learn on the fly. And if you don't have the right guys, like when a Sean Lee go out, the little bit of a continuity you had just went out

the window. Yeah you know. So now yeah, so now you acting players that Damion Wilson Jones, who uh, I don't think he has natural instincts anyway, he has a great athletic ability, but he don't have just natural ball hawking skills. You know, he's a better player when you let him come up and cover guys and then he falls back into his say, he seemed to play better. So this team knew that, they knew that what there was gonna face. But I don't think they think thought

it was gonna be like this. Well, I think where they I think where the where the mis evaluation now comes is you don't you know, we talk about the linebackers, but you're not getting that training camp level that we saw from Malie Collins. Yeah, you're not getting that. Yeah, and you thought, hey, how many times we talked about oh, Stephen Pie, I look at him getting the backfield today. Stephen Pie is sitting somewhere right now, you know, Yeah,

that's back on. Yeah, he's getting rehab. Your your your defense is not playing. There's only one side as well that you're not playing well at tackle. You're not playing well, you know with the linebacker situation that's been a lot because of Jalen Smith just wasn't ready to play. And the safeties you mentioned Byron Jones, Jeff Heat's been bad. They've they've had Cabon Frasier's been bad. It just take it. Just take a pick whoever you want to do, whoever

you want to pick. On the defense, with the exception of your left defensive end, you're gonna say, there's one player on this defense that you can really say has had an exception. Yeah. First, I mean there's a lot of guys that aren't doing very well that you really relied on. Just this. You know, they say, Okay, we're gonna change out all the corners, We're gonna change out

two of the safeties. Well, the replacements, you know, haven't been up to snuff, and and some guys that you really really relied on haven't been up to snuff either. And I think it starts a lot with the defense. What's going on in inside it tackle? Where I thought last year that was a strength, it's not a strength any longer. Yeah, you know you're missing Tyrrell McLean. Is that so you're missing him? Him and Collins were a

good combination in there. Yeah. What what amazes me is I and I always feared this and now and now it's my worst nightmare. Is like when hustling to the ball, it is not enough. You just need that freakish out to me. Yeah, you need some playmaker. And see, this is what I always fears. Brah Man. You know, I know, right Mary Nearly. I understand he can holly him, but when you know he don't play, he don't play the actual defense one day is gonna catch us. Yeah, and

this is what I fear. But the good thing about it is if if we're not going to have a stop gap player that can come in and try to give us some energy, that's going to youth movement. Well you know what another thing guys is too. And even if you sign Navarro Bowman, does it help your run defense? Yeah? But is the fault to what we just talked about the defensive line allowing guys on second level blocks? Yes, I mean these if these linebackers are constantly fighting blockers,

then it doesn't matter. You could have you could have anybody you want by and mic linebacker, it's not gonna matter. Go get Jack Lamb. Yeah, you're gonna go get anybody who in the great Dick Bucket, whoever you want to get the greatest linebackers ever played, Ray Lewis. Yeah, you know, I mean if if if blockers are getting up on these linebackers. It doesn't matter. It could be Navarro Bowman, but if he's fighting constantly to have to get off blocks,

that's an issue. Yeah to issue. Yeah, well, we're already off to a hot start here on the Special podcast on a Monday after a buye weekend. But join us back in the SWBC Mortgage studio after this break, we the entertainment loving people to end the best unlimited wireless plan ever from ATNT. What else do you want? Are you in a car? Maybe? Only AT and T offers you unlimited data with HBO included and never pay overages.

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nearest you. This is the Talking Cowboys, breaking streaming live on Dallas Cowboys dot com and the official Dallas Cowboys out We are back here in the SWBC Mortgage Studio, ready to talk more about the Dallas Cowboys and how they will respond with eleven more games left to go in the twenty seventeen season two and three. Right now sitting there, ready for the forty nine ers away game this weekend and a yeah, where I guess we're talking.

It might not be as easy as everyone's thinking. No, thirteen points separating the forty nine ers between their five. They're rowing six, aren't they They're rowing six and they've lost five of those games by thirteen combined points. Yeah. I mean, they got beat up pretty good in Week one, and ever since then they've lost on like the last play of the game. Every week they made a quarterback except they made a quarterback switch. Yeah. With bet c J. Beth out of Iowa. We talked about him on the

Draft show Shout Out time to out out Draft Show. Yeah. And just when you think and and five teams locked away, the Giants go and get the win on Sunday Night football really upset you, didn't it did not Survivor Pool. Yeah, for many reasons, but Survivor Pool people took that one on the chin. Yeah. Gosh, that's brutal. But you know it was last week when we got the news of Ezekiel Elliott Thursday evening that the Fifth Circuit Court, I

hope I said that right. So many sees, different courts every week, it seems, has decided to uphold Ezeki elliott suspension removing the injunction, and as it stands right now, he's currently suspended, but the NFLPA has announced they will file another a pill. Yeah, I'm so confused with this whole entire process. But you know, we were talking about okay, people are saying, are you going to trade for Carlos Hiden? You know, we were like, oh, these crazy rumors and stuff.

But fans want to know what are they going to do with running back? And do we even know where Ezekie Elliott stands right now? When will we know? For this week? At least? Well, as far as I understand it, Zeke and his team are going to refile in bank is what it's called, right, right, um spelled? Yeah? Yeah, at the which court are they're gonna do it? At? Just tant They're gonna refile in the fifth circuit? Yeah they not Yeah for a for a basically an appeal

of what was just tossed out. Yeah, everything that I've read suggests that it's very unlikely he will win this. Yes, that's what I've heard, um, And so if that happens, then for there are reasons why I'm sorry to interrupt but it's just it's a rarity for the court to grant these types of things. Basically, that's as far as I understand it. It's not something they do very often. You know, the judge in Texas is asking for it,

right for he renders a final decision. But it was so funny, is yeah, when this first went up to the Fifth Court, Oh, this is a seven percent chance they've rather even looking change these things. Well we got seven percent. Yeah, Well you had three judges, yeah, and it was it was it was pretty clear, just kind of talking to some people that were following the case

pretty tightly. One of the judges was a was a pro pro NFL judge, one judge was pro labor player, and the third judge who had to make the call, they didn't know which direction was going to go right now, but they've seen some of these decisions have been made on party lines, Democrats and Republicans. So that's another thing

you've got to kind of keep an eye on. But yeah, you know, to me, I wonder if people, and we talked about this on our show six weeks ago, seven weeks ago, that the fact that you're possibly going to be three and three with Ezekiel Elliott. Do you mean it's gonna be a hindsight play now? But it's something I talked about. You know, do you go ahead and say, Okay,

I understand clearing your name. I get that we're trying to clear your name honestly, but do you take the suspension right there and hope that you're three and three or whatever and then play it out. Let's let's take this at face value. You can't. You can't do that, and you can't argue for that if you are, what would you think they're better record could have been without him, honestly their best case scenario. I don't, And honestly I

felt the same way that you did. Back in August, and on our show, Derek Eagleton made what I thought was a really good point, which is that if you are to believe Ezekiel Elliott that right, he didn't do anything wrong, and you're, yes, how can you can't just take that suspension which not as only not just as six paychecks that you're not going to get, but you're just accepting that being your record and your legacy going forward, and it's something that you have to work. I think

people have survived this you know. But but if you adamantly believe that you did nothing wrong, why why he's going to get suspended now anyway? Clearly? Yeah, but the court system, the courts system, whether it's it's about and it's not about it's not about the domestic violence now, it's about whether he can play or not. They're not ruling on the ruling on the ruling on right to work. What they're doing right now, we've buried all the domestic

domestic violence stuffy eighteen feet of red tape. See that's not. That's not the case anymore. It's it's not. But I guess my point is, if that were me and I was adamant that I had not done that, I'm not just gonna put up with that if I don't have to and just say, yeah, well so my legacy going forward? Is it any better now? For him? Nate's got an interesting look on no, no, no, I'm just to a

great debate here, But oh it's not. I mean, it's not a great one because because to me, it's it's it's clear that I get the part about clearing your name, I understand it, But did he really clear his name? If he obviously it didn't work out the way he wanted it to. But you're talking about life versus football, right, No, no, no, no, no, no. They can go ahead on. But my bottom line is just right here. If we're gonna get past the domestic violence,

you still don't You still fight for the team. You still have to make him, try to get all the six games in as long as you can, because you're a better team with Zeke. So you fight, fight, fight until you can't fight no more. And then then then if you're gonna not bury the domestic violence and you adam it that you didn't do it, you still you fight, fight, fight, because six games without Zeke is not is imaginable. But I feel more comfortable with Zeke. Oh sure we do so,

But I don't think that's the question. I think you could say, well, what would you think this team would be without Zeke? A disaster? Oh no, you're about to see what this team is out without You're about to see who would have started the season. It would have been a disaster. Even they get him now, it's gonna be a disaster. So I don't even think record read out of him. I just think, Okay, we got a bunch of young kids have had it. I don't know.

I thought an interesting point that Emmanuel Acho made a while back on Cover four, and at the time I didn't really think, well, I didn't think it had any merit to it. And now, kind of going back to your question, he said, you know, maybe if this whole situation had been handled in training camp and it was six games, that's it, you know it with maybe three three weeks, maybe a little bit more heading into your regular season play that Ezekielllett will be missing the first

six games of your season. And he said, it's kind of like when you break an arm and it's it's your dominant hand. You have to learn how to write with this hand. For sure. You know you're gonna go back to this eventually, but while you got this cast on, you're gonna have to learn how to be productive with the left hand for a little bit. Okay, what do you do? How do you write? What are the different movements in your life and kind of getting used to

that just for the time being. And you know, if this team would have maybe had that knowledge, I think the uncertainty has almost affected more than any case I've seen before. You know, David Irving you knew it well in advance. He's going to be out those first four games. Who's going to be here? They could have benefited from a more clear cut pick, I think so. I think

you know with this up and down and up and down. Okay, yeah, you had to bench Darren McFadden maybe to keep him healthy because you never knew when could he have been a better back him and Zeke tandem. That's why I would have done this in August, you know I would have, and and trust me, Nate makes a great a great view. You make a great view, you know. But is his name really cleared? Obviously not, That's what I'm saying. But I'm not gonna fault him for trying. No, and you

shouldn't and should but you're doing right now. You're saying he should have just taken it and sat out. See, I'm saying that. I'm saying that because I don't see an I don't see a good ending for him. That was my whole thing. It ain't gonna be a good inning, That's what I'm saying. I just don't see it. I don't see a good ending for him, and I don't see a good ending for the team. But Brian, this is this is, this is what the fall eventually gonna be is Are you ready for that? To put this

team on his back? Every week? He has for the first six weeks, and that's why I told you the first five weeks. So with so without him, at least Zeke, give him a reprieve. Rather, he's just for a half. But without Zeke, you know now, I his accordinator may not even wait, you may not even have no inkling to say. Okay, let's continue to press on. Am I? Okay? And we disagree on that. I get your point. It's

a bad situation. No, I don't see a good ending for anybody, really, But I'm not going to kill the guy in hindsight for trying to get out from under this. Having said that, am I a crazy homer? If I'm I want to watch what this looks like before I just declare it a train wreck? I mean, certainly, obviously, you're losing one of your best players and a crucial

component of your run. Your quarterback has played out of his mind, right, and you're two and three combine Dak raising his level of play with all right, we can talk about that. Lets yes, where a whole lot of component with you. Go ahead, I mean between the trio of Alfred Morris, Darren McFadden and Rod Smith. Certainly it's not as good as Ezekiel Elliott, but I'm not ready to declare it an ineffective train wreck either. I just

will it be enough? Probably not. What was worse than the twenty fifteen I know, we've got to rewind two seasons, so and very different slates, different personnel. What was different? Was it that you didn't have a solid quarterback or that you didn't have a solid runner most of that season? You had that season running back by committee. That kind of plays to my points, hey, because their running game was not bad that year. Darren McFadden, Yeah, sure, what

I'm saying is there. You didn't start with Darren mcno, No, Darren McFadden didn't take over until after the bye week. Fittingly enough, it feels kind of familiar, and he ran for one hundred and twenty seven yards against the Giants in his first game as the starter. Um, I don't you know, people are asking that on Twitter. I don't know if he's just the de facto starter from here

on out or if it's Morris. I don't know how much to expect from Rod Smith, but I do think between the three of them, I certainly think the Cowboys, combined with DA's abilities as a runner, I think you can hover at or above one hundred yards rushing. What are they in the league right now rushing? I want to say like fourteenth heading in Well, let me say,

let me rephrase this. Maybe if you had had Dak press Scott in that twenty fifteen season when you were going through Okay, Matt Castle, Brandon Weeden, who's this quarter? But and you still have the running back situation, would you have felt better about that team? Of course? I mean defense played better. You know here you are. That's

if it's kept him in almost every game. That's a seven to nine win team with Dak Prescott, I think, yeah, yeah, you know what I'm saying instead of four and twelve, right so, and that's so where I'm at right now is barring something crazy like that, everybody just suddenly balling out. And I've kind of been feeling this way since probably the Cardinals game is you're you're probably talking about you're gonna have to scrape and claw for your wins, and

this is probably a seven to nine win team. If I had to guess, that's just the and it's gonna be tough sledding. I had us. If you reframe your expectations in that manner, I don't think this is completely undoable. The reason I'm not as optimistic is because I had us winning nine games easily. No, I had us win nine and games he gave away two. Yeah, just gave away. Had us winning nine games at the beginning of this season, Yeah,

and barely getting in as a wild card. Uh. Now, you know, you take away Zeke and you know, and that's why I would once if he goes away, you know, let's have another joint show him about four weeks, you know, the Taylor boss man. Yeah, yeah, so we can see where we at. Because, uh, just like Zeke and Dak came in together and complimented each other last year, I think the more complimentary player was was Zeke. If you think Dak was easier, handle easier, his success was greater

because of Zeke in his offensive line. The condition you're in right now, would you accept that condition if you knew that suspension was over after this week? Obviously I would much rather be in a situation where this Zeke, situation was about to be over, over, over and done with your return. Yeah again three and three potentially and over Hindsight's twenty twenty. Man, Sure it is, and that that's what we do here in the show. If I'm willing,

I'm willing to break that apart and criticize it. You know, I'm still man. I'm not criticized. I'm just saying though me personally, if I was in that front office, I would like to have this behind me as soon as possible. I just don't. I think you wind up in a situation there where you're looking at NFL players as chess pieces, and that's not the case. You know, they're not just tokens that you move around on a board. They're people.

And Zeke Elliott is adamant that he didn't do anything wrong, and I'm not going to bash him or the organization for trying to fight that, and obviously it's not ideal for anybody. The court, the court system says he wasn't, so he really is not a He's really not. It's the NFL that's saying that he is a domestic violence person, right, not the court exactly, so, which makes it all the

more frustrating. So why, I mean, his argument is though, well, wait a minute, now, you're calling me a domestic violence abuser or abusive guy. The court of our country says, I'm not, so, so what's the difference? Why? Why? Why be concerned with the NFL because they're gonna because data one holds golden the golden him. But but but but but the law of the land. But the law the land says he's not a domestic violence guy. Let's not

be naive, Brian, like that doesn't matter. It's it's whether he's serving the suspension and what the NFL says that's going to dictate his advertising revenue, whether or not he's making game checks, whether or not he's in the Carry Underwood Sunday Night football commercial next year, which he freaking won't be after all this stuff. Sure, and so the fact that better is no, it's not better, and that's

not and where are we right now? They are struggling to win games, witness Gay This is so without this guy, were a better team? What a deep question? Because we should take our front on break and come back to come back. And so without this guy, are we a better team? We'll be right back here in the SWBC Mortgage studio. To work this big land, you need equipment with values rooted as deep in Texas soil as you are.

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Cowboys app Hey, So I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen with the Cowboys or Ezekiel Elliott and what all happens over the next eleven weeks or so. But I do know that Tommy John makes the most comfortable underwear I've ever worn. In my life. They're gracious enough to send me some free pairs, and it's just after you're all about free, So I am all if it's I'm with you there. If it's free, give me three, Brian. If I have to pay, no way, thank you. That

said I would pay for Tommy John. But you get a discount, get twenty percent discount. How you go to Tommy John dot com. Forward slash Cowboys. I would never see y'all wrong. It was fantastics, not true. You probably fantastic stuff were by lumberjacks all over the world. And Brownie paper towel then too. Obviously that was a dig at Dave wearing flannel. It's fifty degrees in Dallas today. You're damn right, I'm wearing flannel. Okay, So Nate ask

your wonderful question that you asked. Yeah, yeah, team, I just want to know one thing from Brian and uh and get him Dave. Would this team be better without Zeke? I mean no, they're having a problem no winning games with him. Will this team be better without him? I don't think they'll be better without him, But I, like I said, I'm not ready to declare them an inoperable train wreck either. I don't know. What do you think I thought if if he just sat the first six weeks, right,

that didn't happen. No, No, if he would have, they would have been writing now what they are? That's what I was thought. I thought they were. I thought they would probably be a five hundred team. I didn't expect to lose to the Rams. So what do you think they are now? Where it looks like he won't be available for this next six week stretch? I think you're in trouble. How much trouble I think because you're gonna

you're gonna put it all the quarterbacks back. Define define trouble because I mean, I mean, are we talking O and six during the two and four? Maybe two and four, so that would put you at four and six? Am I doing the map? No? I'm not four and seven. Yeah, that is trouble. That's bad. Yeah. Enlisted team, enlisted team

defensively in the top fifteen defense real real quick. Yeah, you you you are in trouble because, like like brought I said, two fifteen, we at least had a defense that competed and hailed people up and got people off the field. You know this hasn't happened, This happened, this hasn't happened. I mean the Giants stopped themselves. Yeah, this

was a conversation. You know, everyone over the bye weekend you see different people and you see a lot of people asking about what's going on with the Dallas Cowboys. I'm sure you guys all got it this past weekend, whether you wanted to think about the team or not. Dave looking at you, Yeah, that's what the fair thing that you know, people kept asking, like, man, last team last year, that team was just having so much fun, you know, they were doing great things and was it

the locker room chemistry? And it got me thinking, you know, we talked a lot about Man, this team just was jelling on all cylinders last year. You know, obviously you do that when you have eleven straight wins, no matter what, whether you want to or not. But you're talking about this youth movement? Does that affect and Nate, you're probably the best way to answer this from first, does that affect your locker room chemistry? You got guys catching up.

You know, you don't know them as well. They've only been here for three months, and now you know you're supposed to go to war with them and kind of work on the line to them do different things. Last year, you had so many veterans in this locker room, just a sprinkle of young guys. Let's say you answer to yourself. You answer to yourself. I mean a lot of guys don't know each other. I mean they don't know what each other is gonna do on certain plays. Can they

depend on them? If I was to call it, hey, briders, now you know I'm gonna blitz this time, drop back in this deep, deep zone. You know you just say to drop back, I'm going on this here. Well, if they did that last year, I could depend on brought us to drop back this year here everybody whole way out and all of a sudden the ball to snap and now you see a lot of this, and winning

cures a lot. But if you don't know how to play this game, you don't know how to be a profession If you don't know that, hey, this is where I'm supposed to be at all costs, and you don't know when to adjust. It's third and five. The defense asked for you to be ten yards off. You got to move up. You know, you got to move up because now all of a sudden, he run five y'alls catch the ball. By the time you get to him, he's got a first. So you got little nuances like that,

guys are not getting you know. I talked to a coach and that he's like, if we can just get him the line up right and not you know, and not go off on their own. I mean, but make a guy think he can go off on his own. Yeah, it's happened. Yeah, it happened for big plays. Because it's funny, you know, I'm hearing you say that you thought this team was gonna win nine games, and I agree with you. I had high expectations for the team, like most people did.

But it's almost funny that we didn't look at this as a season of rebuilding because here you go, you got you have to play a first place schedule, and you got a lot of rookies, and then on that old line that was so stout, you got two new roles that are being filled that aren't just you know, a step in and be the left guard, be the right tackle. Those are big time roles. But what I'm saying, though, it's like, you know, should our expectations have been lower? Well, no, no, no,

you you keep your expectations. But like the right tackle playing better than that most people would. The left guard, yeah, yeah, they're coming out of training camp. He's playing much better. You know, the left guard. We can't even decide who was the left guard right, So you got me in consistency there. Now your defense as a whole, uh you love you love Deva's men and Sean Lee those you're positives that ain't good enough? Yeah, and I for I mean,

you know we're talking about hindsight again. But okay, Nate, Nate thought nine wins. I think I think I probably thought ten. I was there were ten myself, which is a damn good season. But that's a three Greek, three game regression. I mean, I don't know anybody that expected them to be what they were last year. Again, when you talk about losing two fifths of your line, you talk about secondary, letting your whole secondary go to Rell McClain up and down Zeke decision made huge, Zeke the

Zeke roller coaster we've been on since Lie. So yeah, the expectations on this team were high, um, but I think I think most people probably did expect some sort of regression. Whether it's the schedule, whether I mean eleven game winning streaks in the NFL just don't come around very all. The regression they thought was going to be at quarterback, that's true that that hasn't happened. The regression hasn't been at quarterback, which is honestly, and that's where

everybody worried. Two things you worried about the most regression at quarterback and where's the past rush going to come from? That's that is a common common thread. Yeah, throughout this whole year. What what what got me nervous was the first place schedule And what we got me even even worse is I saw the Eagles, and I saw the Riskins. I thought got better either through coaching, through getting better coaches, oh, getting better players. Eagles got better players. Riskins got a

defensive coordinator and the defensive line coach that's better. You know, the offensive line coach Risks, I knew was going to get better because that guy can coach. Yeah, go calhanya ye. And this is another's something I was actually talking about last night, which all that stuff is true. And you know the Cowboys have progressed. Um, that's all there in the record. But you look around the NFL right now, and particularly the NFC, and find me the team that

looks head and shoulders up and down better. And there are some, but it's not a long list in my opinion, especially in light of the fact that Aaron Rodgers is potentially now done for the season. I think, particularly in the NFC, you're looking at a whole lot of teams where like nine, ten, maybe eleven wins is like you're ceiling, Like is there going to be a fourteen thirteen window in the NFL playoffs? It certainly doesn't look that way. No,

it's not. Well, I mean, the Eagles have the best record in the NFC right now and five and one right, I don't you know. Obviously it's early and I'm not an Eagles writers, so I'm not that equipped to speak on it. But they don't strike fear in my heart, you know the way that like playing really good defense that the Green Bay Packers do. Yeah, no, no, they are. I mean their front seven is nasty, don't They don't let you run the ball? Yeah, and no, and that's

gonna be problematic certainly. And I think they have the leg up to win the division. The loss they took was at Kansas City, and at the time I thought Kansas City was the best team in football. I don't think you can still easily argue that they are. And that was and the Washington went and played him as a stalemate too in Kansas City. I mean, there's teams better in this division the Cowboys. Oh yeah, no, it

was that was the killer. You know that that or at least right now though are No, that's that's completely fair. I think Washington and Philly both look better than the Cowboys right now, but I don't think they're so much better that it's impossible to imagine this team winning games against them. And that's kind of where. No, the Cowboys aren't as good as I think anybody expected them to be, and they're going to be dealing with problems for the

rest of the season. But yeah, you you the two games that you just I don't i'd got to kill you. I don't we get the remaining schedule. I don't see a lot of long winning streaks, but I don't see a lot of long losing streaks either. Think what gave your hope is you thought Daz would be much better. Yeah, you know, you thought the offensive line would at least be consistent, not not better. I knew he wasn't gonna

be better, not early, but we thought they would be consistent. Yeah, we didn't know where the pass rush was coming from, but we also thought that our linebackers as a whole would be much better. That's been the most glaring We thought that was a strength coming out of camp. That has been the most glaring weakness in the whole. Dealing with Sean Lee uh left out. It's like, wow, I the safety play has been bad too, Nate, you know, I am. I don't even want to respond to that.

That depressing, huh because Jones I was thought his instincts kicking. I thought his football instincts were kicking. He's reading his keys and understanding the difference between a play action pass and an actual run would be better. Uh, you know, I can't hold nothing again. Heath. Heath is what I thought. He was an excellent special team player that should have

a role in the DEFA not playing sixty players again. Yeah, now that that see some things, you know, and it may get me in trouble with some of the guys over there management. Something's unfair. Yeah, some things that Heath, that's unfair. Uh, Jalen Smith I said it back then. I said now, I'm not judging his kid good or bad until next year. Yeah, that was unfair. I am shocked to be on a podcast in which I have the sunniest disposition about what's going on with this team

because I'm not. I'm not trying to convince anybody that it's good. But it was San Francisco. Howld on, mand On, hold On, I know him asking it, san Francisco. How do you feel? Oh, that's that's that's yeah. See, we're getting a lot of tweets right now. They're saying stop the skies falling, mentality and all this stuff. Yeah, then, don't you know what I'm not. I'm not saying this guy,

well I am. I'm saying I think you can absolutely be you can have a realistic attitude about what what's going on with this team without thinking that the season's over. On October sixteen, sixteen, do you think do you think do you think that they're gonna be able to cure problems that they've had in the running game or in the run, run defense, cure cure because they're gonna have to do that to ought to be successful. I think you've got teams that can't run the football, that have

run the football on you. I think it'll I think it's one thing for Todd Gurley to run the football on you. I think they have what it takes to improve it for sure. With with Anthony Hitchins and Sean Lee healthy and playing, I think it can be better. Yes, even with I know we talked about the defensive line and all that. I think it can be better. And I, like I said, I don't. You will miss Zeke, you

absolutely will. But I think this team can. They'll do what it wants to do offensively with what it has it running back, especially with how well the quarterbacks playing. One thing I feel really good about this team is a quarterback. Maybe that'll be enough. Yeah, because maybe that will be enough. We're looking over there on the screen and we see Aaron Rodgers breaking that collar bone. One thing that I hope and pray is that we on defensively,

we either gonna stop the pass. Oh, We're gonna stop to run. You can't get you can't give up the chunk yardage on both played inside the rid zone. Huge thing that you can also. Okay, we're gonna we're gonna We're gonna sit here and play both running pass team. It's too good. Teams are too good. You can't do that. You got to go into the rid zone. I'm saying, you ain't running the ball, so the only thing you

can do is fast or vice versa. What if Navarra Bowman's on this team by Wednesday or Thursday, didn't take by two weeks to get him up to speed. Let's go, let go. Nate's ready to make that big of a difference. I don't know. I'm asking you. I told you could play the run here you go could help. Yeah, good help earlier. But the thing about it, we side here and we debated this team, but we debated Friday whether we should have uh Neil or the other young guy

as Ash. So, yeah, make that somewhere somewhere and that you you gotta put a player in there that can stop to run somewhere in there, somebody that can help stop the run, help stop the run somewhere in there, because you think fass rushing way pass rushing is gonna go away when you always and that's what we did the other teams last year. When it's third and two, it's third and three. You know who, we gotta put a big boy here because you put a little nicola

who were gonna blow him up? Yeah? Yeah, I'm gonna give you a big old hug when the show's over. I'm okay, Okay, you guys are good. You guys know I don't need a hug. I just I just you know, if if you're if you haven't looked at this football team and seen the issues, then I mean I can't help you. I'm well, I'm well aware of No, I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about you are talking about No. No, Hey, I can't believe I'm sitting there with a guy with a Sunday disposition. I'm not going

to try to tell you that everything's all good. Yeah I'm not. But it's also not as bad as you two are not knowing it. No, No, I'm not. I just what do you like, really, break, what do you like about this? What are three biggest positives? Just give him one? Okay, I'll give you the quarterback. I mean that's a big one. Okay, I'm with you on that. And I mean I'm the first one to criticize the offense as the reason why they lost that Green Bay game.

But you're putting up thirty points a game. You're running the ball not as well as you did last year, but pretty well. I looked it up during the break there and they're in the top ten in the league. And Russ get the left guard, right, I don't because the quarterback is better. Certainly helps, but that's all that all works in it together. But you're two and three. Yes, with the YEA offense, they my issue. It's not my issue.

You're this team was only ever gonna be as good as its offense, and even without Zeke, I'm not ready to close the book on the offense being napped. I think last year defense got to feel not enough. Yeah, not enough, like last week when they didn't keep Aaron Rodgers off the field. Again, defense did just enough last year off the field not enough. Defense did just enough last year even some games had good games. Yeah, you haven't had that one good game. I'm play yeah another

and honestly call me a homer if you want. Another. Thing I do feel good about coming out of the bye week is the relative health situation. I mean, Anthony Hitchins and Shaun Lee. I expect to start and play a lot in this game this weekend, and I do think that can make a difference. You flip my way the loose. Oh, if they lose to San Francisco, I'm joining you on the SS Draft show. Yeah, let's do it. Day took his headphones off three minutes left no servants

to Sunshine. Mister jack Man would not be allowed to switch. You know you would not if they lose to San Francisco. I'm no, I want Dave to be the guy. We're going to do it if he if they are not losing San Francisco, but if that tragedy was to have we are testing the same thing about the RAM shirt up every show, the same thing about the RAM they lose to the Niners. I'm just gonna work from home for the rest of you. Not not doable, Sorry, I know I'm gonna pick the Cowboys gets the Rams ms Rams.

These boys came beatlem after We'll see we will see it doubt now, isn't there? Oh it's hey, join us for a Monday episode. Yeah, just trying to have my best Monday possible right now, coach, Just trying to have my best money. Yeah, when you though about the Cowboys all weekend, way to go. He did. He told you three times in the show that he was very much and tuned to everything Cowboys. I wanted to seem like, mister, I can't turn it off even when I have a

social life. You don't. I have no social life. You really don't. But at least LSU who got you a win this weekend Tiger Tigers. So you know, hey, we just gave you kind of a pressing overview of all reality. Ever, don't ever look at this is depressing. When you when you're honest, when you're when you take you're honest with yourself. The number one problem, the number one problem that NFL front offices have that they can't evaluate their own team.

When you when you lose that ability to evaluate your own team, you're going to be the Cleveland Browns and this team big and they can evade what they seeing the same thing seeing, they seeing the same thing. That's why they're trying to getting Vera because they see we got to stop this run. Yeah they yeah, they understand, they see the same thing. They totally understand. The problem is, though,

can you do enough? And you know and you Navara Bowman is a piece that can help you and if you get it back into go in the right direction. But Nate's right, you don't play the run, and teams just continually hammer the football and show balance on you. You can score thirty five points a game and it ain't gonna matter. Yeah, you can look at the Dallas Cowboys to that in sixteen season, we're able to do that. Go find the twenty thirteen tape to talk about bad defense.

Yeah all right, Well we've got plenty to talk about this week. I mean, hey, I didn't think this whole hour it's just going to be dominated with the talk, but it was great stuff. So thank you guys today and everyone will have normal podcasts starting tomorrow. If you guys stay tuned to Dallas Cowboys dot com. Can't Garrison, We'll get that schedule for you. So thanks everyone. Stay strong, Zeke