Talkin' Cowboys: Breaking Down The Week 10 Loss

But let's start first where everyone's pointing the fingers, Chas Green, Chas Green. What went wrong? We had faith in him. Tough day at the office, really tough day. I'll give him credit for this. He stood up in front of thirty people and put the whole game on his shoulder and that's big. Yeah, so I let the team down. I'll give him credit for that. So you run routes? No he didn't. Yeah, I would help. You're trying to

get the ball out quick. It'd be nice to get people open if you're going to do that, you know, I mean, it's it, Yeah, it's not just him. No, welly all had a hand in it. They all had a hand in that. Absolutely. They had some plays where they wanted to get the ball out quicker. Yeah it didn't happen. Yeah. Um, either the routes weren't good or the quarterback didn't see it, that's true. Um. You know, look, there's only so many guys you can compensate for ye

on a team. And that was kind of the mother load right there. And as I was writing, it's one thing to lose like four of the best players on your team. Clue the kicker there, Yes, okay, thank you, carry on, especially the kicker Tyrenzy and the kicker Pitterpole third segment. And also, um, we're not just talking about like four of the best guys on this team. We're talking about four of the best guys at their positioned in the league. And you know, I get the next

man up and all that stuff. There's a reason why that guy's the next man up. He wasn't good enough to be there in the first place. See that's where I'm getting questions now about everybody's going, Well do they evaluate their backups well enough? Well, how do you replace all pro players? You know, you do it the best You can't. Yeah, and I'll say this about Chaz Green. We've seen Chad's Green play a lot better, really have

you know, We've seen him started. They won games with Chads Green playing left tackle, you know, and go ahead, well you wrote about it last night. You made a great point. You haven't seen him start at left tackle or even started guard where Zeke wasn't in the game as well, where you're playing catch up and they're pinning their ears back and you know what's coming. Well, and yeah, but they had with Jonathan and Cooper being exposed like he was last night. They had four sacks in the

first half and it was only ten to seven. I know, so you know, and but you can't have one position run your entire offense. I know they missed Zeke, I get it. Yeah, but you know they missed the ability to run the football. Well there's that, but they I mean, it is the balance. I mean we kind of all thought that maybe that coming into the game, that they would be able to have some success running the football. They got into some twenty one personnel, they got into

twenty two personnel, they got in thirteen personnel. That kind of helped him in the second half. A little bit, but they really couldn't get anything going with with Alfred running the football. They couldn't get anything going with Rod Smith. I was asking for a you know, a physical back to run and there were a couple of times they handed him the ball and cuts that cuts that that Zeke would have made that generally run into a four or five yard game. We're you know that you don't

get those cuts. He didn't. Yeah, and that and that's a problem. That's that's where that's where you know, when you talk about your offensive line and you know you're a bully to run the football. You know, if you if you block well enough, it's up to the back too. It's up to you back to read it the right way,

make a cut and get what you can. Well, it was interesting, you know we always get to sit next to you know, in the home games, I get to sit next to Mickey, but most of the time on the road I sit next to Calvin Hill, who knows a thing or two about being a solid running back. And every time you would see Alfred, you say, you have to keep going, keep going, don't stop, don't let him tackle you. There. He was getting so frustrated. I'm sure you even heard him rob Oh yeah, yeah, it's

just like, what is he doing? He's stopping. That was a frustrating first half for the Running Game. And Alfred's funny because we've talked about Chaz Alfred saying put this on me. He said the Running Game got going too late in the game, and you look at what they did in the first half. They tried to have some semblance of balance. I mean when they run eleven times for forty three yards, but it was all dack. It was dak mostly scra including a touchdown run. The two

backs had seven carries for eight yards. Yeah, but you know what, they didn't do anything else. Atlanta didn't do anything. The total yards were exactly the same, The rushing yards were about exactly the same. After the first half was over. Where did they miss out then? Offensively? Other than if you know you could tell? Do you think how many points did you think they would give up in this game? I thought it was gonna be I think I predicted it was gonna be. I predicted Dallas to lose. I

think it was twenty eight two. Yeah, I had Yeah, I thought they could win. Can't remember exactly something like that yet, So ended up. What happened is you fall behind, sure, and now you're in big trouble. Yeah, right, right, you were hanging in there at ten seven, And the same thing happened in this game that happened last Sunday. Right, score at the end of the half, first possession, third quarter, score again and all of a sudden fourteen points. But

even then, exact same thing. Even then the third quarter the killer. The Yeah, first drive of the second half, Atlanta takes a seventeen seven league, right, but you're still you can still be balanced, and they got the running game going. In that first drive of the second half, more starts ripping off runs. You find yourself of the

twelve yard line. Than what happens, get sacked, the sack, seven yard loss minus run, and all of a sudden, I think it's like third nineteen and you miss a field goal which is from thirty eight yards, which is just a backbreaker because it's a ten point swing. Atlantic goes down their scores again, and all of a sudden, Now you're running games out the window. So there's other things. It's not just the sacks, right, No, no, that's what we're trying to say. But the sack hurt that possession.

It did, but if kicked the field goal, sure right, I went back and looked. So the last time other than a block that they missed the field goal less than forty yards was the third game of the twenty thirteen season. So wow, Bailey and new gentlemen. So that point went sixty three of sixty three, sixty three of sixty three. I steal that from a column tomorrow and go ahead, I already used today. There you go. But and then he misses, Yeah, hits the upright. He never

pushes the ball to the right. It always hooks to the left, you know. And so yeah, those left hashes aren't good for him. Seventeen ten. Okay, gives you a chance, though, doesn't it. Right, It gives you a little bit of an emotional lift. Maybe your defense plays better knowing it's a no one score game. It's not well, Shawn Lee was not in the game. Do you realize what's happened with Shawn Lee out of the game. Oh no, we understand. I've got a numbers for you if you want him.

And they can't give him too. I can't stop anybody. Yeah, give us the numbers. They stopped when when Shawn Lee went out of the game. That possession, they held him to a field goal. I think they punted, didn't they. Oh, it was a fifty fifty field goal. And then the next possession because they punted down to the two yard line, they stopped him and then it was touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, field goal. Yeah, he went out with he went out.

The play went out on first and ten. The Atlanta forty like twelve minutes gone in the first first tree one quarter, the first quarter. That's the play he got hurt in. Yeah, okay, so thank you for that. I'm just looking at the run defense with Sean in the

game without him. The two games he missed so far this season, Rams Packers sixty four gave up an average one sixty four and his six full starts, and I'm counting the Arizona game where he got hurt in like the last two minutes with the game already decided, gave up eighty point three yards per game on the ground. Big difference there. You mentioned that play where he got hurt. They had a minus four run by Coleman. At that point,

Atlanta had rushed four times for minus two yards. They finished with thirty carries for one thirty four four point five ACCR and no DeVonta Freeman. Yeah, and he's out with a concussion, so there's no question just run defense, specifically the impact he has when he's in the game. So I understand Zeke, but Tyring and Sean Lee they got no replacements for him. Bryan always says, though nobody feels sorry for him. Oh, I'm not. I'm not making excuses.

I'm just telling you what happened. That's reality, right, That is reality though, that you're just not good enough. You know, I mean shot, but let meybe. Let's be honest here though. Really it correct me if I'm wrong. Did we Did you feel like going into the game that Chaz Green was gonna be the liability? No? I thought he could hang in there. I was. I'm not sure. I think the coaches thought the same thing. What happened to him?

Because he looked like he was playing in quicksand he spoke to his technique and Brian, yeah, but he wasn't his feet, he said, yeah, he said, It's just true. He got caught leaning, he got caught off balance. He knew it. He got away from his technique. That if you want to break it down, That's what he said. But he looked slow. Do you think it was too differ cool for him this season? Kind of trying to handle the guard no things? At first, they wrapped him.

They rapped him all week at tackle, playing tackle. I just don't know why. Yeah, since Cooper's been playing guard, he hasn't taken any snaps a guard. It's not like he just jumped into it last week. I think where they missed Zeke most is kind of what we talked about late last week. It was like Atlanta wasn't going to fear the running game without him, no, and so they gambled with that wide nine look on the Cowboys

left side because Adrian Claiborne was way out. Why way, Why do you think they would have done that of Zeke's playing and known that there was a big gap there, or if Tyrone was playing and they you left that big gap. But they didn't fear those guys hitting that gap and beating them. Right, Okay, I'll give you three yards, I'll give you four yards, but by god, I'm coming after. I'm coming after Dak and he had trouble getting out

in space. It's a great point. You make Mickey because the first thing I know otis was when he was having problems he couldn't kick for depth, and then when he couldn't kick for depth, and as as he's going back, he couldn't get with so all of a sudden he stuck, like Mickey said, he's stuck near the line instead of being kick kick and be outside like you see, Tyren Smith will take two really violent kicks and he'll be

all the way to the outside. When it took Smith or it's gonna be green almost three kicks and by that time you've given up the corner because Mickey's talking about they played that wide nine, you've given up that edge. Every sack it was the same move. Basically, he just went around him. He was just it wasn't the footwork was bad, the hands were bad, the balance was bad,

the over extension was bad. You know, he even got caught on one with a spun on him, the fumble, the one right before the half with a fumble he got spun on there. You know, it was just, hey, it was it's a rough day at the office. I mean that's an understatement. I mean it's easy to pile on the guy and say it's his fault. But you know, you look throughout there's there's things out there that you know,

the coach was talking about. They wanted to throw the football, they wanted to be able to get it out quick, they wanted to handle some things, and they just didn't do a very good job that. You're two primary receivers think came up with five catches for forty eight yards. That's it, that's it. Yeah, Terrence did not happen. I mean it was it was you know, it was Jason Witton late in the game, and you know, and they were gonna give you that. Absolutely, we're gonna give you that. Yeah,

but they couldn't, you know. And let's see some untimely penalties too, not just the holding penalties, but how about the pilly on Bryce Butler. I mean you just you you know, you make a pi it's a great gamble play that all of a sudden, you don't need to do that. You don't need to push with a great pass, Yeah, you don't need you don't need to push that guy. You can go get their football. For anyone who's listening,

they were talking about the fake punt. Yeah, Chris Jones passes to Bryce Butler and Bryce Butler pushes off the defender and gets the offensive passage, shoves him, and he shone I had to play down to the twenty one. That was That was a one of those momentum killers. Absolutely reminded me of the muff punt against the Ram. Yeah, right, because they're gonna go, They're going, they're going, They're they're

down to the twenty one yard line. And I talked to him afterwards, and I think he got frustrated because the cornerback, Alfred Right, is playing it like he's the gunner, right, so he's gonna hold him up right, and he has that right to do it right. And he got into a wrestling match and he goes, oh, I gotta get off, I gotta get down, and he ended up throwing at him and the guy flopped a little bit, but he did.

He did throw at him. So what happens is the corner is not gonna get called for interference because he's blocking for a punt, right, But the guy that's gonna go out for the past can't do that. Yeah. I thought if he drove him off a little, I thought if he drove him like he was gonna cover right, and then and then made him have to kind of play back and then stop your route and go up because Joe's throw the ball where he needed to throw it. It was perfect, perfect. And you know what, Jason Garrett

doesn't call a lot of trick plays. I mean, I mean, I'm thearing to think of the really the last trick play. I mean last year in Philadelphia maybe, and not in Philadelphia, but the fake punt Chris Jones earlier this season, was there a trick play? Yeah, it wasn't. It wasn't with Chris Jones, though, let me look that up. He ran the ball last year, Chris, he did. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. The Philadelphia game. I'm trying to think about a thirty yard game. I'm trying to think of special teams.

I'm trying to think of a special team's trick play. I know what you're saying. This year? Yah? Yeah, like there was one. Yeah, you're right, Nick, that was a huge, huge That was a huge momentum swing. And and even though they punted him down to the two yard line and stopped him, you didn't get points. Yeah, and you had an opportunity. And I think Jason realized that they were going to have to steal the possession there were they were going to have to get something extra to

Babiel to hang in. See, and I go back to another bad penny and Chas Green gets called for holding. You throw the ball to Cole Beasley in the flat. It's a first down. Yeah, Instead, now you're you know it's ten yards going back and you have to punt the ball too many times behind the chain. Yeah, So eight sacks they give up. But not just eight sacks.

That got hit ten times. Ten times he could have he could have been sacked a dozen and they had nine tackles for losses nine that that last drive before the half. Every single play he was running for his life. He was tired. He was running for his life. And could I get out of bounds and take a break. I was. I had a flashback of what if Tony Romo was still a quarterback in that situation. I mean, he would have been taken off the field. It was

unbelievable how much pressure he was under. Well that's what happens too if he come would come one dimensional. Well yeah, I mean, I your inability to your inability to to like Mickey said, and stay ahead of the change. That's how this team survives. I shouldn't say survived, this said this team operates. It works on the run, it works

on the play action. It allows you the waggles to boots, you know, the things like that to get receivers open, and it just you know, when you don't have that ability, then you then your offense will struggle. Conversely, I thought Atlanta was able to take advantage of that. They got their running gamely used a lot of when did they get it going though? After Sean left? Okay, but I'm saying they got the running game going, and they used play action well off of that, a lot of misdirection stuff.

They housed down the middle of the field, Yes, third down, right down the middle of the field. Matt Ryan got very comfortable as the game went on. Well, they only would they sack him one time. One time Laurence sack one yep, which I was sitting there going they need a sack and and he got it. And it's like okay, but that was it. He At the time of day, those guys on on the right side of the of the of the line of scrimmage were running all the

way across to the other boundary and catching the ball. Yeah, you know, and I made some heck of a place too, that Hulo Jones made a couple of Oh one of that guy's got the greatest hands I think I've had also about six nine. He can stretch radius. He just stretches out the hands out like you know. And then and then not, I mean, he's enough of a load there running games, enough a load. And then some joker name Hooper starts beating you up up in the middle. Hooper?

Who did Hooper? Yeah, come on, well, and that's another indication Shawn Lee's out of there, you know. And so they end up moving Hitchens to the weak side and Jalen Smith in the middle. And poor Jalen Smith he needs like four steps to take what he should take to get two steps. Do you think it's more Do you think it's more about though the some of the mental and I'm not meaning mental in it, like some of them were. Yet we're sitting gaps that that weren't run.

There was no runner. Yeah, that you just get so overly aggressive and wound up and you're you're trying to attack the line and you just you put yourself out of position. And some of that just being a young player and having missed a year of football. The recognition he's played a lot of snaps now I know at this point this point he has. But if you was one of those things where you said, okay, he hasn't played all year and all he's been as a special

teams guy. If you said this, okay, that was if you said that was march Lillard playing, I would say, okay, he's a venter player. But he hadn't played a lot of defense. I would have you know, I would have been a little bit more sympathetic there. So what do you attribute it to? I mean, he's a smart player, he's he's I mean he was going to be a top five pick in the draft. He was. He's just way over aggressive though, Yeah, he's way over He doesn't

play within the scheme. That's a big problem for him. So this this occurred to me. If Sean Lee can't play this next game, are they better off with Hitchens in the middle and somebody else playing the week side? Then Hitchens going to the week side and somebody else playing in the middle. Great question to go into our break. We're going to take our first break here, break yep, we have to break. There is so much to talk about, but that is a good question to get everyone excited

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This is talking cowboys. Adjust your cleats, adjust your pads, even adjust your helmet, but serious your blocking scheme that too. Don't adjust your underwear either, because once it's been seen, it cannot be unseen. Just like those six sacks, they get eight sacks they gave up. Tommy John has a contour pouch and moisture wicking fabric to keep you cool and dry on the field or in the stands or hey, in the press box too, Tommy John, No adjustment needed.

Shop exclusive Cowboys underwear at Tommy john dot com Forward slash Cowboys for twenty percent off your first order Tommy john dot com Forward slash Cowboys. Beautiful. Once it's what. Once it's seen, it cannot be unseen. Once it's seen. Oh you like if you got a bunch we got underwear showing, mickey, and you're you're adjusting and yeah, never never get Oh wait minute, by the way about that? Because yes, by the way, can I make a statement here? What day would you guys like your pizza? Yeah? We

win in have a great Wednesday? Thank you don't. I'm not happy you to ever see someone be inactive? What day you want it, though, just tell me what Dan, We'll get that done Wednesday. Sure, Papa John's will get that Tuesday or Wednesday. Have a great ones. Thank you. And since he didn't even play, I think it should be a deep dish. Well, it was always going to be deep. It was always gonna be deep dish. You want the five toppings on him? No, I don't want to find all the topics. Just as long as you

have some sausage cheetos. Could we get some cheetos on top, crumbled up cheetos in the Yeah, all right. Make You asked a great question prior to our break, and it had to do with the middle linebacker. Do you remind Do you mind reminding everyone what that question was? Yeah?

I was. I was just contemplating because when when Sean Lee went out, they moved Hitchens to the weak side and Jalen Smith came and played the middle, and I was wondering, is it better to leave Hitchens in the middle and have somebody else play on the week side, like maybe justin Durant. Yeah, see, I see better in the middle. I'm playing. I'm keeping Hitchens in the middle, and I'm gonna use I'm gonna see if I can get march Lillard ready because he's younger. I just I

feel he's a veteran player and he can run. He can run. That's your thing. He can run. That's I worry about. I worry about Durant. I wouldn't worry about Durant for the mental right capability stuff because in Philadelphia, I mean, we'd sit down and see what Philadelphia is doing offensively with their scheme. But I kind of feel like you need a guy that can people that can chase the ball get after him. Had he just kind

of been a healthy scratch right now? Durant, Yeah, No, what Lillard, Marshall Allard, Yeah, he's played, he's played, but they yeah, they've kind of it's kind of how they adjusted how they mean, he was like the last one, like either him or yeah or yeah or Brown Brown. Yeah. I would, I would personally think, and they will see how they practice this week, but I would I would keep Hitchens in the middle and then and work with with Mark with march Lillard. Was Jeff Swaim a Blue

player that was missed this past week. Blue player, you know, just somebody that kind of goes under the radar, just you know he's there, and then the fans really don't notice him, you know what I'm saying an extra tight end to Yeah, was he missed with walking the young guy that played for him though didn't play badly in the couple of snaps he was in there and three types and then went thirteen personnel. He're talking about Blake Jarwin Jarwin, Yeah, he got into his guy and was

you know, playing through the whistle. H You know, if you if you were just grading him on a couple of plays that he was in there for thirteen, you give him a couple of pluses. How about this narrative though, because did you write about this last night? I know you've looked at the tape this morning. The lack of

help for Chaz Green. They helped him some, right. I counted eight snaps okay, eight pass plays where he was where he did get help and then when then when Bell went in the game, it was two for him, So ten total for the tackles to that side. Dak

had thirty pass attempts. Yeah, yeah, Lemon on that last drive though, right and that and that, like I said, you can the last one, like I said, was with all Bell Bell was in that last last group of and he got off in his his hand in there, given up to I mean, I just feel like that's that's a major arrative coming out of this game, is adjustments. Why didn't they chip do more? And he saw a little bit of that with Bell when he came in. I just I didn't notice, especially on the sacks. I

mean it was it was Chazz on an Island. Chazz on an Island. Yeah, there's no doubt about that. But I think to some degree, you go into the game and you don't expect your left tackle, no matter who it is, to get beaten that badly. That's part of the best guy that went in went into the game with two sacks this season and the starter and over the last of three four seasons. I can't remember what I wrote down, he had like a total of seven and a half sacks. Yeah, he hadn't had this many

sacks since Tampa picked him. He was a kind of an injured guy coming out of Iowa that Tampa took. Yeah, and the first come out signing him to last year, first year in the league, he had seven and a half sacks and then he got hurt and then he had five and a half, and then he got hurt, and then he had like two or three last year, and and then he had two all year until now. And now he if he can stay on the fifty three man roster and stay healthy, he'll make seven hundred

fifty thousand dollars thanks to that game. Yea and one point. And if he gets ten on the season, Oh, he's almost there. Well, he doesn't get to play the Cowboys again. Oh, that's the worst. The worst? Was that the worst in the eleventh Sac game? Because I was doing the game with Nate or doing the post game with Nate, and he was trying to describe that that was bad. Flight Simmons had four and a half sacks, But they had Klein Simmons, Jerome Brown, Reggie White, We're talking Adrian Clayborne.

And he's a good player. He's a good player. But it was still one Simmons, one sack away from tying the NFL record sacks by one player. Tom one game, the great Derek tomast most in Falkon history, most in Cowboy opponent Claude Humphrey played there too. Yeah, good player. I mean they had some good guys. The Cowboys team had never allowed more than five sacks by one player

in their entire history. Well, they only got six twice they had they gave up eleven so one in ninety one, Uh, they got beat twenty four nothing by the Falcons or the Eagles. Why did I say Falcons? Yeah, by the Falcons twenty four nothing. And then I believe it was in eighty six against San Diego they gave up eleven sacks. Billy ray Smith probably probably had them all. Yeah, and so but yeah, they had eight sacks. Let me ask you this, if you didn't have a moment, but you know,

like Dak, he might have been thirteen sacks. I mean, you know. And one of the other sacks that hurt him, by the way, is the president gave up a sack that guy threw the side, yeah, Poe. Yeah. And then and then one of Claiborne's sacks, by the way, Uh, they and I don't know why they did it, but they must have zoned Blitz because he was off the line of scrimmage and Dak tried to run out and he came up and met him at the mine of scrimmage. Right, no game, and he got a sack sack, right, But

it wasn't like he beat anybody. He was opened. They had blocked it, but not well enough. Right, So um, you know, let me ask you this. We are more concerned with your adjustment. Ben, if we were playing coach today, to help Green more earlier, or play with Bell earlier. I said at halftime in the press box, they need to seriously consider a different at halftime. Yeah, I just it just what a new left tackle putting Bell in there. He gave up two sacks. I was just asking in

two series. I'm just asking though, if if now I would have helped him more. Yeah, with the adjustment you especially when they went to that wide nine thing, right, but how do you adjust to that? Because who are you gonna put over there? You're gonna you're gonna have to put the tight end way off the light of strament. Well you get to put you just put the you know they initially did that. They threw the screen to

that side. Well, they tried the fullback, but the fullback kind of set them in right, not the slot way. And he helped Chip and then they tried to say, okay, you're gonna go way out there, I'm gonna throw a screen underneath and the linebacker came up. He gave up two sacks Bell but he also that was clear passing situations at the end, at least in the start of the second half, you could have stayed more balanced. I mean, the game wasn't decided by that point. He gave up

one to some guy. Never heard of Brooks Red, Yeah, I heard of him recent, wasn't He's a starter? I know, Yeah, I've heard of him. He's star. You know. To me though that it was you know, sometimes offensive lineman will tell you that they don't want the help because there's times where backs will get in the way because they don't do it enough, where they don't know where to fit, you know. They sometimes they'll they'll fit right into the back of the of the tackle and it will throw

the tackle off in his set. But are you talking about an offensive lineman like Tyrant Smith or somebody who like generally offensive lineman general offensive lineman i've talked to don't like help, and he needed help. It was clear. I'm not trying to say that he yeah, I was

just saying. I'm just saying, though, generally offensive lineman don't like help because they the backs don't know or the tight ends, don't know where to fit, they don't know how to get shoulder to shoulder there and make that guy have to run around him or run through them. And so a lot of times you'll see guys to say, I'm just don't do it. I'll just I'll figure this out.

But it's clear he needed help. Man and a couple and the one time they tried to help him, I think Troy pointed out in the broadcast, they turned the protection left and Cooper was going to help him to the inside right, and he was supposed to protect the outside, and he still let him beat him around the up. Couldn't get out far enough. Yeah, the outside Bill couldn't stop him. Yeah, and Cooper standing there, Okay, I got it. Yeah, there was no one there for him to block right right. Yeah.

And it was funny, you know, being on the plane last night, you have an opportunity to be around different guys, and des is watching his stuff, looking at Jeremiah's different photos, and he said he just couldn't he couldn't get out of there. He said, I was open wide on so many different touchdowns and he couldn't even get it to us. Yeah, not enough time to throw, not enough time to throw too often. He was he was a takeoff running because

he had no choice. Yeah, Jack, and you know what, And they should have had an opportunity because there were a lot of Cowboy fans there for a dome. I didn't think it was that loud. A lot of empty seats. There was a lot of empty seats, lots. It was not. It wasn't like and I heard somebody say they they said, well, they were having trouble with their calls at the line because it was so loud. I didn't think it was loud. I believe I looked at it. Yeah, it wasn't seventy

three thousand. I'd guarantee you a lot of blue. The rain caused a lot because it rained like right before, like an hour or two two hours before the started game. I think it discouraged people. Cowboy fans usually traveled pretty well those games. Well, there's probably a lot that lived there. Yeah, Now why did they not put Darren McFadden in. I saw a lot of people were asking for that. Now. I get yes, he's been inactive this whole season and this would be his first game back. Kind of ease

him into things. Coach said they didn't run enough plays I believe in the post game is what he said. No, he said, yeah, yeah, one carrier for minus two. That was the toss I mean toss going to the right. Yeah. That was another halftime consideration in my why don't you you know, put him in as part of the rotation. But then again, Morris ran well at the start of the second half, they got something going started thirteen Yeah, and Rod Smith, you know, three carries fourteen yards, almost

a five per carry average. Uh. They just they weren't able to establish anything in the game. And as as Alfred said, they got going way too late. I thought they would get McFadden in and try to get the ball outside, get get get out. Yeah, and they did. When he brought him in, they gave him that little pitch and then the guy the toss. Yeah, the toss yitch, and the guy busted through the Yeah, well he'll played.

He beat Uh, he beat Terrence Williams. They tried to bring Terrence Williams inside to block and he missed the block. So a matter of fact, they had another negative play where Terrence Williams earlier the game was supposed to trap and it ended up being a minus two on that, so they had some confusion with the receiver that normally is pretty good blocker. Yeah, and we we've discussed that Shaun Ley did leave the game with the hamstring injury.

Of course he's been dealing with this previously during the season. Now Jeff Heath is being evaluated for a concussion and left the game as well, So we'll see what will be diagnosed to him this week. But well, he took a shot. Yeah, if you can't play him, then now you know, here's the possibility of with Xavier Woods. You also can get a Woozier ready, you know, to play some safety. Betchy he plays this week. Yeah, there you go. How much you back now? I hope I hope you.

I hope you enjoyed that. But yeah, no, this is this is you know, you have the the option will be if if if he can't go, then yes, but you'll miss him on the special team stuff that he does. He's your personal protector on the pot you know, things like that. So ye, and that was another bad penalty that got them off the snide. It was like a nineteen yard run and then Heath made the tackle and they called him for grabbing inside the helmet. Yeah, Dak,

I tell you what. They show a replace. Oh yeah, he was kind of your holes and it was all back. It was all kinds of stuff going on there. It's unusual call. I've never seen it made. I hadn't either, because I thought they were a horse collar and he didn't. They did miss some calls though, They did miss some hands to the face, They did miss some face masks and missed some shots to the head on the quarterbacks, you know, you tweeted at one point in the first half,

they're just letting him play. Yeah, this was not a tightly called no. But I believe that Dallas only had had five penalties in the first half and didn't have one in the second half. Just five yeah, five in the first half. They got behind the change yea many times. Yeah. Five in the first half. None in the second half. So none bigger than that darn pass interference on the

fake punt. And such a bummer for him because he has a good catch, you know, to start and gets going and everyone's kind of looking at him returning back to Georgia, his home state. He gets the weirdest penalties, he really does. I mean, his penalties are strange. He's got one named after him. Yeah, he's he's the huddle penalty guy, he's the let's push off guy, he's the blocking the back guy. No, I mean, it's just what

it is. It is what it is. But you all, aw, you're always kind of going, guys, man, just go play, go play, because you're good enough to go play. And you you know, he's he's good enough to go. Chris Jones threw a hell of a pass, you know, And and it was a gutsy call too, but it was a good call. Did a forty yard game? How long? How deep was it was least twenty I think, I mean that could have really yeah, it could have given the offense some juice and it momentum wise, it just

went the other way. Yeah, and then you have to back up and punt it, and you know, so it's just I mean, it's just it's it's just in games like that, you need something to turn things around. And they never could get that turnaround play. They have the holding pellet or the personal or the pass interference, the missfield goal. I mean, they just could not get something going to be there. Now they had they had the interception, but that was and I'll tell you what I thought,

you know, with with Anthony Brown. I was happy to see Anthony Brown driving a football, knock it up in the air. Yeah, and then all of a sudden, I'm like, whoa, is that the only thing we're gonna see all day? He had one other play, but I mean, it's just it's just it's just not enough. And you noticed they didn't they didn't really go after Jordan Lewis too, till the one catching the end zone he got beat. Well,

he and they and they ran across on it. He got picked by his own guy, right, Yeah, well he ran through it. But he on the on the one that went across the field that Gabriel caught for the first time, it was third and six, he hesitated, He just he Gabriel ran at him and he just sat down. And that's all it took because once Gabriel went to the inside, then he couldn't rally. And you remember he was just short, I mean just a bit short diving

for the ball. So if he just naturally just breaks with him, he's probably going inside there and making that play. So I mean, and then you know, we didn't even mention it. You know, Scandrick goes out for the rest of the one series, and I think it was part of the next got his hand stepped on, came back later in the series. He came back. You see that his finger after the game? Yeah, dang, Yeah, nasty. But now you're without Heath, you're without Lee, and you're without Scan.

That was a touchdown drive, right, Yeah, Yeah, it hurts. There's a lot of young pups out there, yep. Yeah, and some point it'll help Dylan Smith. I value you saw some good things, but it was not consistent enough. What do you want to say about that? I was just gonna ask you guys this question. Then you know you're going to get the tackle spot fixed because Smith's coming back. Though. What is your biggest concern though defensively or is it offensively? Maybe the inability to run the

football consistently enough? Now, Shaun Lee, I think having that's that's gonna be the biggest that's your biggest that's your biggest issue. Yeah, because I think if Smith comes back this week, which I think, yeah, answered that, Yeah, that might help solve some of your running games, certainly your

pass protection. So maybe because I had a hard time evaluating this overall offense in this game without him in the game, because not just the past protection, I think it affected the running game, It just affected their overall balance. So you get him back, maybe you get a better evaluation of these back see. But I think they could have survived. They could have survived without the sacks with yeah, because okay, I didn't run yard well, so what in yards?

Fifty yards? But Deck's good enough to beat you in the passing game if he's got an opportunity to hit his back foot and throw. Yeah. Yeah, And that mucked everything up because now you're always behind the chains and a lot of those were on third down, you know, and then one was on fourth and you know, drive to the twelve yard line sack. Now it's at the nineteen, right.

That's why I felt like this game wasn't the Denver game where they just absolutely nothing went right, because, like you mentioned that series, they had a shot to still stay in this game in the third quarter, and there was little plays here and there, and certain certain issues the run defense, the pass protection in particular, that bit them. I mean, but they didn't get their butts kicked from start to finish like they did Denver. Atlanta only had

three hundred and thirty six total yards. The problem was the Cowboys had minus fifty four and penalties and another fifty fifteen sacks. Yeah, hitting yards, I mean they were moving the football. They just couldn't you know, couldn't finish, couldn't make a play, couldn't kick a field goal, couldn't fake a punt. Ah. Well that with that deep sigh, we are going to go to our final break here

and maybe offer some optimism. In the third segment, of course, we will have Rob's Twitter poll, So stay with us. Cowboys fans know that the second best of anything simply won't cut it, and your skincare should be no different. A long time locker room favorite of the players and the official men's skincare brand of the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas based Jack Black is the number one best selling men's skincare brand in the country because we make products that

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talking cowboy. Do you know why Papa John's pizza tastes so great? Why we're gonna be free and whether you get to gradients like that are free. And then you get pepperoni that's free. It's gotta be a better pizza. It might be the best pizza you've ever had. It's not free. You gotta pay for it, right, but you gotta discount. I got me and Brian say, if it's free, give me three. If I have to pay, no way, But we don't have to pay. Good, So we'll take three.

We'll take it. We'll take it. So let's hear it. Rob Healthy scratch By the way that was a healthy scratch. Well, here are some non healthy scratches except for Zeke, which injury slash absence hurt the team most versus Atlanta. We've covered them all so far. But I want to see what the fans thought, Bailey, Zeke, Seawan Lee after the first quarter or Tyran Smith. I think this was probably a runaway. You think so? I think this was this might this one might have this one might be our

all timer. I think this might be the all timer. I bet you this thing goes over eighty four percent. I'm going ninety roll seventy seven. Yeah, tell you agree? Oh day lived it. Tyrn Smith seventy nine percent. Honestly, like I finished second, Sean Lee with thirteen percent? And why didn't he get a little bit more? I mean, I know it was bad, is really Lee? I would have, but his absence impacted the defense almost as much as

as Tyrant being out. If you if you would have voted this poll before the game, this poll went up win this after the game. Oh man, there's no way. I know. That's why I thought it was we voted before the game. I thought I thought we all kind of didn't have like a similar Pole, we had a which starter do you need the most? I said, I said, Elliott, Yeah, it was des Tyrant or Zeke, and Zeke got fifty

six percent of the vote them all. Honestly, as we're supposed to be banged up, Bailey belongs in this poll as well. That thirty yard miss Okay, Well, that segues into a question I have for you guys. Out of these five plays that I'm about to tell you guys about, some of them are penalties, some of them are miss

field goals, what hurt this game the most? First you have the Taylor Gabriel thirty four yard reception, the Jeff Heath facemask penalty, the Mike Nugent missed field goal, the Dack Sack fumble right before the half, like Mickey brought up kind of the twist of last week. And then of course the fake punt pass interference call on Bryce Butler. It's good five right there, door number five. That one hurts you because you felt like that you would have taken that and gone in. What was it? What was

the score at that point in time? Seven three three seven three seven nothing. It was seven It was seven three seven three. Yeah, So you have a chance to

maybe have a chance to make it fourteen three. Yeah, different ballgame, and you'd already and you and you got to stop on the next right possession, by the way right, they only stop after Sean Lee left, and then you you were thirty nine at midfield, thirty nine at midfield to forty nine and Poe gets the sack right, so now you got a punt and then they come back

and that's when we had the double. Uh. It was the the run for nineteen yards and then the fifteen yard penalty on face mask on heath, yeah, or whatever they want to call grabbing inside the helmet. How about the how about the sack before half? I was just gonna say that have made that, you know, because you're kind of driving, you could have been in field goal. But we think you could have been when it was the last time that when Dak was sacked, he actually

fumbled the football. That's what I was trying to remember. I know he's fumbled, I know he's had interception. I think Pittsburgh maybe that's what I was thinking, Maybe Pittsburgh, because I think that was a that was might have been before. I'm sure there's somebody out there right now you know, is there something later in the year that happened. He had a couple last year playoff game giants I think stripped him. That's right, we're giants, Okay. I was

just kind of thinking that. So they're at the thirty nine. First they just complete a pass, maybe they get it to the thirty and you're attempting of yeah, you're ten ten. Say you're ten ten going into half with with Atlanta getting the football, if you can count on the field goal if yeah, it's I'm saying though, that's that's now. I hate I hate that. That's crept into an now our thinking. That's that's why my vote is nugent thirty eight yard miss, because that's that is where clearly you

miss Dan Bailey. That is a chip shot for Dan Bailey, and at that point that's points and go play defense hopefully, I mean maybe maybe. I mean, you're not bagging, we're all bagging, but you're still in the football game. If you cut it to seven point turn the field position, yeah that too, So you can vote for all those Those were all Mickey pointing to the Bryce Butler penalty. That's a big one. Momentum wise, what are you looking at Mick. I was just seeing what happened after that.

And it's seventeen so they score right, right, So say it's seventeen ten, right, got that field goal, right, So when the Cowboys get the ball back, they start running it. They go from the thirty Oh yeah, nice kickoff return. Yeah, way by Switzer. Yeah. And they've got first and ten at the twelve. Yeah, and Claiborne sacks Dak right second and seventeen. Morris loses two yards. Then they tried to screen that screen passed Keith Smith nowhere to get one

yard and then he misses the field goal. So you know, if you go you're at the twelve, go score, you could have been tying the game up. Oh, they've been a all year long. They've scored inside the twelve. Yeah. About red zone yeah, red zone efficiency, I mean it was they were one of two yesterday and red zone efficiency and usually they're three for three, four for four. That's where you get. You give the ball to Zeke from the twelve yard line, you're probably scoring a touchdown.

I mean, he's been the red zone guy for them. It's a good point sixteen touchdowns last year, seven this year. What was how many rushing touchdowns did they have in twenty fifteen? Like five? Yeah, something like that seference down there. The other thing is that they had they had just run for eleven yards right on first and ten. Alfred was tearing him up on that drive. Run it again,

I think so in Hinesight Hindsight twenty twenty. I mean, you know, it sounds weird to say this because it was such a bad loss, but it's like your MVP was Dak you know, at least for the Cowboys side, he's the only one who scored points. Well, you know, if you look at defense, and I know there was some,

but Anthony Hitchins played a heck this game. Yeah. I mean, if you want to give an offensive offense defense, yeah, if you want to give now Chris Jones and what he did punting the punting the ball and throwing the ball and ended up with ten sacks. Interesting you bring up Hitchens. You know, obviously two weeks ago we were looking at Okay, this is the first time Anthony Hitchins and Sean Lee are back together playing. Yeah, and now you're in a game where it's Hitchens, no Sean Lee.

You know, I felt like they'd settled in with Jalen with a nice role for him, you know, twenty thirty snaps a game, a lot of it, you know, rushing forward, being a pass rusher in those situations. And now you've got him back covering, having a play in space, and that's just not that's not an ideal role for him

at this point. And and he you know, there's one game I think one of those two games Sean missed earlier in the year, he had to place like sixty seventy snaps in the game, and that's just that's too many for him. And I don't know it's at Arizona. It was, yeah, after that, and then he played all the plays against the Packers. The problem is, I just you talk about those four guys that are missing, like you, Okay,

may get tiring back. I don't. Are you gonna get Seawan Lee back a week later and then you play four days later. If he misses Sunday, he misses Thanksgiving for sure. If this is indeed a reaggravation, or is it the other one? Now it's the same one, same one, I mean, left one. Dude, Aren't they gonna be deliberate with him? It's hard to imagine him just jumping back in on that. You'll see then unfortunately ten days going to play another one before you get the break, right,

and now Zeke's already missed four games. Yeah, it's uh, not gonna be easy. It's it's I mean, you get the problem. What I'm saying is you may be compromise in the same way as against Philly as you were in this game, unless you get tired back and maybe that has an effect. But you don't have Zeke and you probably don't have Bailey either, so we'll see. Yeah, hey, you do would rank them though you had Dak Yeah,

light at the end of tunnel or something. Yeah, you know it's hard because you look at it and you're like, Okay, this Shawn Lee excuse is getting a little tiring, But I see it. It's fair. It's fair to say every time he's not on the field. But then you look and all these people that said, oh, Jalen Smith, he's going to be the Shaun Lee replacement. I just don't see that yet, And maybe that's unfair to say since he's only played nine games or yeah at nine, Well

what happens without Shawn Lee is fact. Yeah, it's no opinion, it's fact. Just look thirty five points, thirty five points and then you saw what happened in this game once he went out, they scored twenty four unanswered pain. How can that be? Now? How could it be that? It's just it's such that's such as charity in that way, and it's I don't and I don't think it's all his ability to make plays. I think a lot of it is his ability to just get everybody set up

and they feel better about stuff. You know, it's almost like a confidence level. Without him, they're scattered. Yeah, Yeah, it's just sad. I just it's just sad, you know. And I wonder, you know, all of this talk of okay, now you've got to look at who your backup left tackle is. Now you have to look up what is your running game? Now? Everyone felt very prepared coming into this game. You have two one thousand yard rushers, but

now middle linebacker. So this lack of depth that they keep finding themselves in this season, how is that going to affect free agency? Draft? Yeah? A long time from now. Yeah, definitely not a conversation for now, but it's on the horizon. Well too, you're gonna have to think about your defensive end who actually played didn't play badly yesterday? You know, when you look at and what Lawrence was able to do play in the run a couple of different times.

I mean, he had the one sack. It was just a little maybe a step late or two on, you know, getting maybe one or two more. But David Irving made some nice place, yeah, David Irving. Yeah, but yeah, Lawrence's sack was big, got him off the field, got him an opportunity to stay in it. Just I don't know, there's gonna be a lot of dirt being thrown on these guys this week. I'll be interested to see how it all, how they respond. Yeah, that's what you said exactly.

This is a Garrett Special time, Well, this is a Garrett Special all the way. Get ready, this is a this is everybody's gonna tell you how damn good Philadelphia is, you know, And then and then they're gonna show up and something's gonna happen. Yeah, and all of a sudden they pull one out. Honestly, I didn't think they're gonna beat Kansas City, and Kansas City beat Philadelphia. You know

what does that tell you? You know, these teams. I mean, I'm not getting trying to blow smoke up everybody's rear, but I'm just telling you though that this NFL is a strange lady. It's a strange lad Just when you think that you're getting to you know, just when you've got the one foot in the parking lot, get ready, you know. I mean, it's all doom and gloom here this week. Get ready for everybody talking about the Eagles come rolling in and hey, they might roll the Cowboys.

But you know what, I've seen it too much in this NFL. Yeah, I mean they talk about their they rally. I mean teams they pull within each other, they pull together and they and they block out the outside noise. And people talk about the Cowboys not being a good great team at home. I'm always more comfortable with them when they're back at home and they're not dealing with a road crowd noise and defense is pinning their ears

back against them and stuff. Yeah, I think they're gonna play better, but again, you're still faced with and I get it. They had a three game win streak, but they didn't they were they didn't have they had the guys that they lost. Oh you're gonna get the Smith back. You're gonna get Smith back. I think you will. I think you will. I think he's got the best shot of any of them. Sure. Now, now you gotta figure out what's going on with the linebacker. You better figure

that one out. And like Mickey says, how do you play that? I ever wrote about that a little bit myself last night. How do you? How do you play the order of guys? Somebody step up? Make plays? You know, Hey, they don't have Jason Peters playing left tackle for them. It's fair, you know, go find a way to go, find a way to get some pressure. Knock this kid around a little bit. You know, he's had some success, had a week off, you know, feeling pretty good about themselves.

Why not? Man again, I'm not trying to cheerlead. Here. A strange lady like that girl that you think you figured out sure thought that he never think that thought she was the one? Right? Go over you go over here to talk to her, and you go, whoa, you're not, that's not you? Who is this person? Yeah? Who is this person? Suddenly she's showing you signs of jealousy and she's been cool cucumber this Yeah, just when you think she's really cool, all of a sudden, she hit you

right in the mouth. I don't even know you anymore. That's saying start. But cool as a cucumber. Cucumber is always cool. Yeah, you have to keep him cold. You ever had a warm cucumber on a salad? It's horrible, nasty. Yeah. So other than the week before or the last was it the last series of the game, wouldn't would have been the last time Chaz Green played left tackle in a real game. San Francisco. No, I think he played.

He play were weird game in Detroit or Tampa. One of those two games last year been start year when he started those two games right right, and that was at the beat. That was like game three and four. Well, the Tampa game in Detroit was late in the year. Those were December. He was out already. He didn't come back. Yeah, okay, okay, So so it was a game before that, some type

of game. He had two stars in the way ego early Okay, that's right, because because Smith had to play because of the back, because Chaz Green was out, because they won games. He ended up he and they won Chicago San Francisco. I think Cincinnati three and four. I think because he Misco. Well, I think it was San Francisco and Cincinnati. Yeah, and he did play well, that's right.

I don't but he hadn't played right and then Trenny Camp it was a lot of he was back up, but she tackled, but it was guard, a lot of guard. But as Brian said, I mean, he has been practicing there and he I talked to him on Friday. He said out, yeah, we could practice. Well. I mean, it's not like he hasn't been taking reps there at least, no. I know. But it's give you the speed of the game. But that's that's in't that the swing tackles job. I know, you gotta be ready, I know. I mean I know.

Well he started against the Cults and against the Raiders. That's preseason this year. Yeah, back to last year. Yeah, I'll go back to two thousand and sixteen. He started against La at La in the preseason. Let me go to the regular season Chicago San Francisco three and four. He didn't play, He didn't start any at the end of this, didn't play any Yeah, he was out. So I don't know. I've just seen him play so much better than that. It just didn't make sense. It's about

to be a hard stretch. But I'm gonna I will, I will second what Rob said. He was a man in the locker room. He stood there in front of everybody and basically accepted the blame and talked. Even if he hadn't accepted the blame, he talked. He stood there like he had a great game, Like I mean, he was ready for the questions and took every question like he would if he had was almost dominated. He shallered and walked up there and goes, okay, let's go, let's

peel the band aid off. And the thing about it, too, is his teammates on the line, we're kind of looking around like, my god, you guys are gonna pepper him right now with all this, and he just stood there and took it. I give him a lot of credit for that. Let me ask you this, If Smith can't go, who do you start? If Smith can't go, do you move things around? If Smith can't go, left tackle, who do you start? Lyle Collins move him over? And then

he was playing right tackle? Probably Bell Taco, always Taco. Do you have what do you have? Somebody in mind I mean, it's just a guess. I'm not asking, I'm not pinning you too, and I'm scared to move lay all over there. He was struggling on the right side for a little bit, a little bit this game a little bit, a little bit well, as Frank Pollack said after the game, we don't want to lose Chazz. You don't want to just kill the kids confidence. They're gonna

you know, they still have faith in him. But yeah, I mean, this has to be a competition. During the week, somebody subjected if Tyran can't go oven Zach Martin, but then who's going to play the other guard? You Joe Looney, Oh, that's Mickey Spignal. That's possibility. Yeah, I just don't like, I'm not a fan of like two moves to fix one. By the way, we need to look at Philadelphia. Where's Fletcher Cox in those played Here's what guys, here's what

I looked up. So they've got twenty five sacks as a team, they're tied for like it's a four way tie for eighth with twenty five sacks. Twenty and a half of the sacks are by their front four right or the guys that play defensive and defensive tackle. Right, so their front is all their sacks. Yeah. Well, on that note, thank you guys so much. Who start to preview the Eagles this week? Ki's Eagles a week. It's gonna be fun, it's gonna be fine. Night game, same time,

same place, same people tomorrow. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.