Talkin' Cowboys: D-Line Dilemma?

and Bill Jones. And it is April second, two thousand nineteen, twenty three days in counting until the Cowboys don't have a draft pick on the first day of the two thousand nineteen NFL Draft on April twenty fifth, So it's twenty four days in counting until the Cowboys do have a draft pick unless there's a trade. Welcome to Talking Cowboys. I'm starting to get fired up for this draft. Now. You got fired up, Brian about three or four months ago. Yeah,

I'm ready to draft right now. That's right. I'm just now getting into it. I'm just now starting to fill up my big green NFL Draft scouting note there it is. Yeah, But hey, how you doing. I'm good, good good. I'm not fired up yet? Why not? I don't know, I'm just not. This is the week to get fired up. Okay, this is the right week. Try to tell us Rob,

what's going on? This week. This is top thirty visits week right Dallas Day on Friday where they bring in local prospects, so and names always start to filter out. Huge advantage they have over other teams around the league, for sure, because there's sometimes there's top guys betimes, there's top guys from the area that you don't have to spend a thirty visit on. Yeah, they technically they qualified to just come in on Friday. Yeah, yep. It's a good way to do it, yep. And it's worked in

the past as well. Yeah, they always seem to these thirty visits seem to allow them to the opportunity to get to know these guys a little bit better. You know, you've had this whole year now of a football season, you've had a Senior Bowl, you've had a combine, you've had now the thirty visits, and then you go put this board together. But the thirty I just always felt like though they pay really close attention those thirty visits. It might be one or two names, it might be

three names, but pay attention. This is there's a reason why that they bring these kids in because they want to get to know them a little bit better. Maybe you want to have Stephen and Jerry have an opportunity to visit with them a little closer. They don't maybe get to do that at the combine as much. So Yeah, I think this is a one of those times. I enjoyed this because I enjoyed this time of the thirty visits because I always wanted to get you kind of see what kind of kids these are. I mean the

personalities and stuff. You know, outgoing, well spoken, you know, quiet, shy. What do you have to do to maybe you know? And it helps you when you start comparing them to other kids on that board. You're saying, hey, we brought this kid in we feel good about and what about the grades? Grades are equal, playing ability equal, medical equal?

What can maybe shift it one way or another? And you know, again the guy like Deebo Samuel coming in here, wider siering, he's talked about, you know, he's actually on social media, he's put out, there's been in the locker room and stuff. So no surprise there. But yeah, Mickey's guy. Hey, you get to know a little bit more about him, and I think that's a good thing. And you're getting

to know a little bit more about these players. I think that is why the interest in the draft has skyrocketed the last fifteen years, ever since YouTube became a player in our society, because people like me, people like fans out there. We can now go on YouTube and go online and find out as as much as as

you can. Yeah, that about these players and whether watching tape of them or interviews with him and the interviews is stuff that I look at and I remember guys in the past that they're top ten picks by other teams, and then I see them interviewed and I was like, how in the world do you make that guy a top ten pick? Yeah, that's what got me interested and why I started really studying it was because I think it's I think you can learn a lot about a

player with those interviews. I still think it's the best way to help your team. The draft, draft, the draft is. I think that's why people take such an interest because they love their team and they're thinking, Okay, how what's the best avenue If we're not going to spend millions of dollars on free agent players, what's the best the next best way of doing that? And so you want to learn about these guys. So when they do get selected on your team that you have an understanding of. Okay,

this is a type of player that I'm getting. I think that's why a lot of guys in Galus have made a living now because of the just the NFL draft itself, you know, year around, year around job really is Dane Ruler has made a nice career out of it like that. It's um, you're right, it's so important. It's the best way to do business because cottage industry,

it is a cottage industry. But you get you get four years of four to five years of troll on a relatively friendly contract for a young guy that can that can help your team out. And like Brian said, you know combine, you get fifteen minutes with these guys, right,

that's it's it's kind of speed dating. Basically. This is more of an in depth process and like you said, it can help weed out maybe close decisions between guys based on maybe you know, football character, that kind of when you're stack, when you put your stack together and you just have that little bit more of a like a little bit more connection with the player. I think that's something. Now, again, they've had a couple of players

that did not bring in on thirty visits. I remember we didn't bring in DeMarcus Ware and they didn't bring in Mo Clayboard, So that's right. And those were two guys that had been drafted that were not part of your thirty visit program. I do remember at Valley Ranch they did bring Sean Merriman in. Yes, sure did visit Bill Parcells. Is that a head fake? I don't know it was a head fake. That was a head coach.

I was a head coach was on that one. Now in retrospect looking back at it, I mean DeMarcus Will, I mean there, he's about as clean a guy as you could possibly have walked through those doors. I'm gonna taste something. And you've heard me tell the story before. Though it came down to the final hours on that one. That was and I give Rick Goslin a lot of credit for what he was able to do. He was able to get to Jerry Jones and all the things you talk about with where and Merriman that were that

Rick had gotten from other teams. Rick had done. You talk about a guy that that had learned about the draft, and he had he was talking to people and the list of the things the good and the bads on both players were clearly in the favor of Where and the type of I don't think they needed to bring him in because they knew what they knew about him, and if you were some personality, he's more reserved at De Marcus. He's not really that outgoing as far as but when you get to talk to him, you can

see we're as hard as you know. We had a discussion about whether Spears or Where. That shows you how much we didn't know at the time. So small school guy at the time, right, Yeah, But again it's about having a feel for the player and we you know it. Honestly, it went down to the night before the draft, it really it was it. Usually you have an idea of which direction you're going, and we didn't have an idea until we came in the draft room that morning, which

which way. And so again that's sometimes the thirty visits help you, maybe it takes you another direction. But comparing Where in Spears, aside from the different positions that they played, Spears was the more accomplished player coming in. He was, but Where had them had the upside? I mean, he

was a late bloomer. If you talk to people and the if you talk to people around the league, I was trying to get a gauge at what direction that was a big It was a heavy offensive draft, and a lot of guys were saying, if they were going to go up for a player, the player they were going up for was where. He was the one that everybody if you're going for a defensive player, where was the guy that you know? Everybody was like, you know, there weren't other guys And it's kind of split a

little bit on Merriman and where. But a lot of guys I talked to before the draft said, hey, if we're going for a defensive player, we're going for where that's the guy. If you had gone to the Senior Bowl and scene where performance and pretty good, you you wouldn't have had no qualms about taking them where they did. That's fine, But there was some projection there. I mean, the guy came from a small school. He wasn't a stand up linebacker in college, so you had to make

some some projections. But he did. He did both. At the Senior Bowl. They had him stand up as a shrinebacker and they had him put his hand ground on the ground as a defensive end. And if you saw him go sid sideline to sideline, Jason guys down, yeah, to Marcus where well, and then that would have been Bill Parcel's mistake because he wanted Spear. Yeah he was, but he was more on Merriman though. Two that was

a fight both players. Both players had the same grade and that's where the fight came down to was that the scouts were more interested in Where and led by Thompson Scout Sky, that group was they were on Where, and then Bill was more interested in Merriman. But that's exact same two grades on the players. But that just shows you though this thing could be, it could go

up all the way. And the fact they don't have a first round pick, now you're a little bit of mercy of the board and you really have to protect yourself because you have to throw a wide net. And then it's like, okay, well, who's going to be there when we pick at fifty eight or do we need to go up? You know, there's a couple of players in my in my mind, you know that they're talking about bringing in here that you know the safety from

uh you know from Washington. You know, I think that you know Taylor Rapp I think that that's a guy. Him and Abram, those are two guys. I think you're gonna have to go up if you're an Abram interviewed the other day. Yeah, well I was very impressed with it. And that's a good point, Brian, because we talked to Jason Garrett at the combine about how your evaluation process. You still got to be pretty pure with it even

though you don't have a first round on pick right. Uh. You know, the question was could that affect your visits because you you know, what are the realistic odds of

getting a guy that's going to be highly higher rated? Um, but you know, maybe they still take a look at guys that might be drafted higher, just because you never know what could prop up, you know, possibility of moving up so or guy's falling, or guys because of either physical or yeah, you know, something off the field you never know, or slow time Taylor rap And speaking of slow times, slower time Taylor Rap four seven five, You're

you're not concerned as a not at all. I this to me and someone asked me that on Twitter this morning. I said, if he asked you, where does you fall now? He runs a four seven four four seven five the numbers I heard, I said, I hope he's there at two fifty eight because then hand that card in this is this is a player you watch him play again. I there's several players in this draft that I feel like that debt and holy feel the running back is

another guy. You know, there's guys that don't have great forty times, but you watch them play and they their their lights out and they don't and they're playing in big conferences. I'm not asking you to draft a four seven four safety from from all of some broadest college. I'm asking you draft a safety from Washington that you watched big time pack twelve tape. You watch him open the season against Auburn, you know, you watch him play

in the Rose Bowl against Ohio State. That's kind of when I'm basically, I'm not interested in the four seven five. What I'm interested in is the numbers three ninety nine and six eighty two. His shuttle was a three ninety nine at the combine in his cone drill was a six eighty two. That's all. That's all you need an that's right, don't lateral agility. I don't care that he runs a four seven five forty and when somebody's running down the field, he can't catch him. When he's already

going to school. He would love to have him. You would love to have him, and you know he's he could very well come in and do some of the stuff that you maybe you're asking Georgia Loca to do. Play down, tackle, get to the play, finished the play.

So again, they fill the spot in free agency, but it doesn't matter right because I look at their roster and I say, other than defensive tackle, that still might be a spot where okay, you really need to address that potentially, but you don't necessarily have to do it at fifty eight. You know, take the best guy that they do well. They could, They very well could. But I'm just saying it's it's I don't know if that's they could still go best available at a position that

they've technically filled in free agency. You just mentioned deebo or a wide receiver. They could go there. I mean, I think they've they've done a pretty good job of covering their needs in free agency, but but d tackle still stands out the most. Well, what they're the safety? What about it with safety? Well, what you were just talking about, I just said, safety wide receiver whatever. But

you said defensive tidy, I said defensive tackle. I mean, I said, that's probably the last need that you look at and say. I don't know if they got what they want. I think that they I think they're I think they're hunting defensive alignments, not defensive ends. I think they're hunting defensive tackles. Now, I thought im in the in their magazine it's coming out hopefully this week, I think when Bill Jones is showing me thin ye, Bill

Jones joined thin, Yes, sure you were sure the magazine? Yeah, yeah, there you go right there, right there, get your copy. Yeah, I get a copy that that. We'll look at the information out about that that should be coming out this week. But yeah, in the in the magazine, I picked the gentleman on the cover there from Boston College, Zach Allen. I'm sorry, I can't get past the gentleman on the cover that says Sooners on the front. Yeah, yeah, is

that the biggest pictures? How are you? Yeah, he's taller than everybody on the Cover's that we did that on purpose? Yeah, make him look bigger than everybody. Okay, So the gentleman on the cover from Boston coll far left, number two, right number two. Yeah, Zach Allen. A Zach Allen. That's kind of who I thought that maybe if they were looking at defensive end at Zach Allen, I'd ask a question.

Greg Gabriel, who is a former player personal director for the Bears, is on Twitter now, by the way, a really good follow if you like to kind of do that stuff, because he's he's lived it as well, and so he he was talking about, you know, the different where guys are gonna Would you rather have a guy like Alan, who he is in the scouting terms we call as a glass eater who might not have the most talent, or would you rather have Rashaun Gary from

from Michigan who has all the physical ability but doesn't always play tough all the time? Rod Marinelli wants that glass eater, doesn't he technically, I mean hypothetically, I was always guy And see that's what I'm saying. That's the argument that that scouts get into all the time is though, do you take the guy that has the athletic ability over the guy who doesn't have the athletic ability but is tough and can play a couple of different positions.

And all that. Alan is not going to wow you with his testing numbers, but where he will wow you is is with his ability to play at the point of attack and to finish plays and stuff. Gary Clearly, Gary could play I tell you what he I think he could be a three technique you know, and play over the shoulder of that guard and be very disruptive. But issue they play him on the outside, he's a different player than the player you drafted here two years ago.

That that type of he's got past rushability where I feel like Taco had to develop more of that pass rushability. And so basically a defensive tackle, what you're trying to do is replace a guy who only got into two

games last year. That would be David Irving, right. I mean that because when you look at what the Cowboys have lost and the defensive tackle rotation, They've still got MALIEK Collins, They've still got Antoine Woods, They've got a guy in pass situation tyrone Crowpord who can slide down, and they've added Christian Covington art Carry Hyder. But what they're missing is that dynamic, disruptive guy, rightly, which is who they didn't have last year either. No, they did not.

They did not. And I think the health a little bit, you know, with you talk about with MALIEK. Collins, You know I believe am I right? Robert? Is he one of those guys that's up in twenty twenty steal? So you got to think about now, if you do draft one these guys, is that the replacement for hopefully you can get something done with. I think with Woods. I think Woods proved a lot of people that he could play in this league, and you know, you'll probably do

something with him. But I think MALIEK. Collins is as hard as he plays, and stuff, the injury history or the injury questions are always going to be there. That's kind of why I think like they're looking at defensive tackles right now to be to kind of to be a replacement for those guys. K Garrison is here to take your phone calls as we'll do that as we continue on. But Mickey rob says, defensive tackle, what can what is the concern for you as far as what

they haven't done in free agency to fill the needs? Well, I think a lot the decision a defensive tackle is worst Tyron Crawford plan. And I know he's not that dynamic three technique guy that you might be looking for. But he did start the first half of the season last year and defensive tackle, if you remember, it might be your starter left end. Well well, yeah, but with Robert Quinn, now does that move Crawford back inside a rotation and he's just pass rushing? Yeah, I think we

need to talk to ride Marinelli about that. We'll probably you know, sit down with him at one point in time and maybe get his thoughts on that. I would think that you would keep quinn is probably as a rotational player. You could keep him fresh and let him you know, in certain situations and as much Nicola's stuff as you play. We always talk about that sixty five seventy percent Nickel, you're getting those, you know, you could

keep Robert Quinn. I think it'll allow. Robert Quinn. At Miami when he was there, he was in a rotational system. So yeah, I think that if you want to, you know, you want to start off playing the run, you use Crawford, and if you want to, uh, you know, you want to rush the pass, you put Robert Quinn in there. And there you go. Where do you guys think Tyrone's best spot has been because he's kind of been like a Byron Jones type guy, this chess piece that you

kind of move wherever you need him. It's just that's his best spot right there where wherever, Because I know when he moved out to end a year or two ago, it was I think it helped him a little bit from the wear and tear standpoint of trying to play inside all the time, but it helped his shoulder for sure. Yeah. Yeah, Well it helped the run defense. Yeah. Well, if you've got you've got a guy that could play the run rare like Lawrence does, that that helps you got two

ends that can hold the point of attack. Now you got two linebackers that could run and fill. Yeah, and then you got Woods who could be a little bit disruptive inside to So that's why you play the run pretty well if you get guys that are all pretty good the point of attack. So to Rob's point, Okay, your defense, Let's say you signed to Marcus Lawrence and he is healthy from day one of the season, he's your left defensive end. Yeah, ideally, then what are you where?

Where is that defensive end rotation? Who who starts, who comes in? Who we have to figure out where you play Armstrong on the left of the right. He was mostly left right behind the markets last year. Yeah, but he's played both. Yeah, okay, where's okay? Right? Who do you think? Just checked and we probably don't know, but just project if you can't. Who's a better rusher between

Armstrong and Taco right now? Right now, right now, um, because that's where you're gonna that's whoever the better rusher is, He's going to play right end Armstrong. I like Armstrong, Yeah, okay, but but he's better probably against the run two on the left side. Taco started at right defensive end, right ahead of yes, ahead of Randy Gregory right yeah, yeah, times until until yeah, until he maybe they failed there and they moved Crawford back outside. Yeah, Randy played more

down the stretch a lot more. See to me, Crawford backing up Lawrence. And you don't know what's going to happen with Gregory right right. I think he got to operate like you don't have it. But I mean their idea heading forward before he got suspended was he was going to be the every I asked the question, can he be there every down right defensive end, and it was absolutely Yeah. It was like the look I got

was why do you and ask that? Yeah, so his body had matured, you know, he probably could play more downs just based off of weight alone, you know. And he was he was causing teams to chip them too. We're putting the running back over there. They were putting the tight ends. They're doing Robert Quinn. Robert Quinn, it did the same thing. You Quinn as a Randy Gregory replacement and not knowing whether Gregory would get back or not. Yeah, So then does Quinn start and then Tacos the backup there?

It would be interesting. I don't think they move on from I don't think they move on from Taco or or Armstrong. But they've got they've they've got to think about now about the numbers they have there, and and who are the who are the you know, is it gonna be four guys? Yeah? Is that you think they're gonna keep five guys? Well, if he counts Tyrone and part of that mix, potentially, Yeah, all of a sudden, Now it's a good problem to have, Okay, So I

think that's why they're looking at all these tackles. All of a sudden, I'm going to present the problem that is a bad problem. You got the guy doesn't have Lawrence. You don't have Lawrence. You don't have Lawrence. Worst case, well, then that means that you put you put Taco and Crawford. Crawford would start to me at left defensive end. I mean, that's what's kind of his original normal spot at the ends. You don't have Lawrence by the twenty sixth of April.

How does that affect things as far as the draft? Boy, I'll tell you what I'm I'm grinding my teeth right now. I really am. You know what you know what you know? What? You know? What you know? It can change this whole thing. You know can change this whole dynamic in my opinion. And if you guys don't have to agree with me, you probably won't. If he were to get surgery now, he would put Dallas in a bad situation. If he

were to get surgery right now. How's that Because by getting the surgery, he's saying, Okay, you cut me, I'm still gonna go get money somewhere else. He's making if you get surgery right now, instead of holding it as a chip, you're actually saying Okay, I'm with you. I'm gonna get myself fixed. I'm gonna be ready to play. Now you got to pay me to get ready to play. That I think I think he could get momentum back

if he gets surgery. The more I think about this, the more I mean, instead of holding it as a holding it over their head, if he were to get surgery as a as a show of good faith. Now the everybody's looking him at going wait a minute, he's got surgery, he's fixed. Why don't you pay him? I think I think I think the Cowboys. If the Cowboys knew that he was going to get surgery, I think

the negotiations would would swing in a different way. I really do as a good faith measure, and I'm giving you something, you give me something, and his rehab would be done by the time training camp started. There exactly exactly a countdowns on because if yeah, you get past the draft and it's like start a camp and look like if I was his agent, I would have the surgery. I would go ahead. Because what he has to be ready about is because if it doesn't work out for

the Cowboys, he has to be ready to play. He has to be ready so if the Cowboys yanked the tag on him, well, then he is His ability to go get money or at least to get a one year deal has to be on his ability to play. So if he's not ready to play when the season starts, then that will limit maybe the options that he has, or or he could play without having the surgery. But then again, the cat where the Cowboys paying for they're paying for a guy that's not at his optimum probably

wouldn't be either. Or he could turn his back on twenty point five million dollars. There is always that you think he would do that. I mean, I wouldn't do it, you know, but I'm not I'm not him. He wants long term secure I know he does. If he I call him out on that one, You call him out on that one. Take my chances that he's not turned down twenty million games. What about the surgery then, Mickey, what are you gonna do? What you're saying, you're you're

waiting it out? Yeah, yeah, all right, you're gonna wait it out. Okay, you're waiting it out. But he didn't get the surgery done. How are you feeling about that? First? Now? And he hadn't got the surgery. Yeah. Wait, what if we get to July fourteenth and we haven't had the surgery done? So you're just gonna let him go? We have no choice. No, I'm just I'm asking you juifteenth right, yes, do you want him? Do you want him to still worth twenty and a half million dollars or ten games

for ten games? Or if he just straps it up, you know, and plays it with the artists again, he won't do that. Yeah, all right, thank you. We continue and take your phone calls. I'm talking Cowboys in a moment. Caboo Texas is three days, six stages, over one hundred artists, including The Killers, Minel Witchy, Leonard Skinner, Do you miss Lauren Hill, Kid Rock, Lennis Morris, Set, Little Big Town, The Eight Fat Brothers, Counting Crows, Pitfall, Sting, The Black

Eyed Pe and the list goes on. Don't miss Caboo Texas. Single day and three day passes are on sale now. Visait ka Boo Texas dot com to get your passes today. Laura has been helping Cowboys fan and see better since nineteen seventy two, so they don't miss a moment on the field. Get classes with slor's best vision, clarity and protection with the Ultimate Lens Package, three innovative technologies in

one lens. For a limited time, you can double your lenses for free when you purchase the Ultimate Lens Package and get a second pair of frames. Find a participating I Care professional and details by visiting or USA dot com. That's USA dot Com terms and conditions applying. Do you want the most interesting, up to the minute Dallas Cowboys news straight from the Star in Frisco. How about exclusive and on command. That's right news and nuggets you can't

find anywhere else. With our exclusive Cowboys content on Alexa, you can have all the answers, secrets, stories and more. What's Stephen Jones thinking during a game? What's Joe Looney's favorite pregame meal? We take your questions to Cowboys players and coaches, and you can hear the answers directly back to you. Just say Alexa Open Dallas Cowboys. You're like me and you love I mean, if you have a thing than cutting the cord is scary. But then I found out I could switch it to ACTV now and

still get the live sports I love. No satellite needed, no polky hardware, no annual contract, just that the live sports. You try direct tv now for ten dollars a month for three months. Visit DirecTV now dot com direct tv now more for your thing. That's our thing. He's called real the a limited time price with a little page. If three months when his monthday full price currently minimum forty dollars and less cats prices may change and he

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

the field with America's team. Find Steps and Hats in the pro Shop or at Stetson dot Com today. Doctor Pepper is the one you crave, But how do you explain that crave? Imagine being shipwrecked on the desert Diamond anone glass like curls of self bounded the shore with Doctor Pepper, colored waves, surrounded by desire. But you can't drink it because it's the ocean fish and even there, the only thing you want He's Doctor Pepper and you

can't have it. Now, That is it, Doctor Pepper. Craven Doctor Pepper, the one you crave back to, the talking Cowboy Tommy John time. It's the off season, and you know what that means. It's time to make some trades. Not just the Robert Quinndal. It's time you traded your old, worn out, tidy Whitey's for the latest and greatest in men's underwear. That's Tommy John. Trust us. All Tommy John

underwear features a contour pouch for mind blowing comfort. Plus shop exclusive Cowboys underweart Tommy John dot com Ford slash Cowboys and get twenty percent off your first order and join us for the official two nineteen NFL Draft parties presented by Miller Light at the Star in Presco on Thursday, April twenty fifth, Friday April twenty sixth, Dan Saturday. The twenty seven fans have the opportunity to see current Dallas

Cowboys players. Members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Dallas Cowboys Rhythm and Blue, and Dallas Cowboys mascot Rally while also enjoying live music, games and activities and more. Admission and parking free. Visit Dallas Cowboys dot com slash Draft Day for details. All right, let's go to the phone lines. Let's go to Chris in Connecticut. First up here on Talking Cowboys. Hello Chris, Hey, good afternoon, guys. Howdy. First, I want to say thank you so much for all

you do. All us diehard Cowboys fans are always scrambling and desperate for thanks to hang on to and looking forward to the season, et cetera. So thanks so much for you guys are amazing, Thank you, Thanks, thank you. Oh oh was that it? That was nice? But sixty seven and um, I want to say, I'm how happy I am finally you know, eureka moment that the Cowboys actually used a low, low round draft pick to uh

to pick up a free agent. I've just like blown away that they found, like been scratching my head for the last ten years. Why they don't seem to ever take advantage of that. But um, that's one thing I'm really happy to hear that and see that they're kind

of opening their eyes hopefully. And then secondly, I'm was wondering if you guys could could explain to me a little bit why I always feel like the Cowboys are very reluctant or resistant tom to getting you know, a really high quality big defensive tackle in there to shore up the middle, because I feel like, um, they really seem to have a lot of difficulty defending quarterbacks that are mobile. Um, and I just feel like they, you know,

I don't know what it is. I keep hearing about they have a low priority on defensive tackle all uh, you know, the one that's true technique, and I just don't get it. So maybe you guys could could know that's true. They don't. They don't want to use especially on a one technique. I mean Rod marinell, I mean he just now he'll tell you that the the under tackle or the three and the right defensive end are

very important in his scheme. But he wants nothing to do with you know, he feels like he can find a guy and like he's like an Antoine Woods. I mean, he feels like they're guys out there that he could find he could coach you know. That's why we were in the Draft show last year. We kept talking about Vita Vea, Vita Vea, and then at the end of the day they wanted nothing to do with Vita Vea, the defensive tackle from the University of Washington and Rod

Marinell I haven't asked him about that. He's like, no, he goes, I'm I'm hunting. I'm hunting some defensive tackles. But they're not gonna be. They're not gonna be all these guys that you know, they're not gonna be these defensive tackles that we've all you know, uh, you know, you know, talked about on the Draft Show. I mean that again, they don't have a first round pick, but Quinnon, Williams, Simmons, Wilkins, Lawrence, all those guys. I mean, no, he's going to find

him a in the third round. You know that he that he likes. He's probably gonna look like I said, he's probably gonna look more for a He's probably gonna look more for an under tackle or three than he is a nose because he's got you know, he's got Comington now and he's got uh the woods. So if it's gonna be a defensive tackle. It's gonna be a

three in my opinion. You know, Randy White, I do a show during the football season for CBS eleven, a game Day Cowboys Game Day Show with Randy White, and every every season Randy says they needed to get one of those big bazooka nose tackles in there. They won't

do it, That's right. It's funny because he played with he played with Booker McFarland at the at Tampa, who was a first round pick, and from then on he just says never He's never been able to do I'm trying to remember at the Bears and the Lions and places like that, you know, but still he's one techniques. Yeah, he just he will not do it. It just that Stephen Paia was with Chicago, right, and Stephen Pott was

here Melton. Yeah, yeah, but they just will not. He just it's it's it's something fundamentally to him that he believes he doesn't have to do. Give him the under tackle all day, give him the right defensive end, and he's okay with that. So as as fans look at the draft, what is the phototype of what Marinelli is looking for? In that defensive tackle. If you could from a scouting standpoint, as far the one or the three, that the three? Yeah, well either the one or the three.

What is he looking for? As far as height weight? You got something on that, Mickey you want to say, I mean, he's looking for somebody that's quick, that can get up the field even at the at the one technique right while it's it's a bigger guy. He wants a guy agile enough to be on the move. So from a scouting, but didn't he have Sue at he was Detroit. I'm trying to think of it, see but Sue, But he's not the big, sloppy three hundred and sixty pound No, he ain't sloppy. But know he had Warren

Zapp and at tap of your that's his three. That's Berg. McFarland was his one. And then and then he had you know, Simeon Rice playing one end was so yeah, I mean yeah, if you look at you look at what he's doing now in this draft, and you look at and the names might start leaking out on who they can visit, and but do you look at the Kingsley kid Kingsley Kiki from Texas A and m guys like you're talking about guys that can play in, can play tackle, can get up the field, get on the

outside shoulder attack. You know. Tristan Hill from from Central Florida is another guy that's like that. Gerald Willis from Miami another guy that gets on the shoulder, he gets up the field. Zach Allen, Zach, Yeah, these are guys, These are guys that that's what he wants. He wants, he wants guys that can play the run, but also are interested in getting up the field. You know, kids, got it right up there, right now, He's got the Hill kids. See. I mean, if you're watching along with us,

right there, there's a guy again. He's got some size to him, but he's got the quickness, the agility. Those are the kinds of things he's looking at for his defensive pack. You can almost say that the one in three in this scheme are somewhat interchangeable because you've seen Molie Collins play both. You know, he's alternated between three and one. Like, like you said, has some size, can hold up against the run, but you've got to be disruptive and be able to push the pocket. Both those guys,

I just think he's looking for more. I think that they're trying to find a way to upgrade the three, and I mean upgraded in a way that with Collins potentially being gone after next year, with kind of his injury history with the foot, he's been having to deal with that quite a bit. I think they're looking for a guy to take over that role the three technique. Now, whether Crawford swing gets inside again and does that, it might if they don't get the guy, maybe that's the

avenue that they go. But I kind of feel like that that they're hunting that guy. They're hunting that undertackle guy. But see the weird the weird thing of what the guy said about needing one of those guys in there to play the run. They finished fifth against the run last year. They did until the loss to the Rams. Right, they had two games the bad games four hundred and fifty combined washing yards other than that, and they still finished fifth, Right, and they and they only gave up

three point eight yards a carry. Yeah, yeah, until that game and the Colts game. But I think play was really good. So was it was it like poor personnel or all of a sudden that they kind of get out scheme together. Whatever they were doing the both games, it looked pretty simplistic to me. The Colts game, I didn't see them running a lot of intricate plays, washed out of plays. They're both offensive lines. The Rams line, the Colts line did a great job. I just thought

they took advantage of the Cowboys being aggressive up front. Yeah, well they they they beat them going the other way. They totally totally hammered them up front. And I think that Cowboys have done a nice job of playing the run, like you said, Mickey, So yeah, I would keep an eye again. These names will start popping out here, and I promise you there will be more of those under tackles or three techniques visiting here than than the one technique guys. I just I just that's just the way

it's gonna be. To your point, with that current cast, they did a great job overall. But to Bill's point, think about what they could have had with Irving And I know that ship has sailed, but I'm just saying, if you could add another guy, I mean, Covington Hyder can be part of this rotation, right, but another disruptive guy in that rotation take some pressure off Antoine Woods. That's what yer can do. You're right, I mean, yeah, I know how many of those guys are out there.

I'm saying, which lives Well, Irving, you want to replace him, but he was a freak. Yeah, that's see David Irving. There's people still debate with his best position was tackle or defensive end? The people that live, they mean he had just as much production that Tampa game if you remember a couple of years ago using as a as a left defensive end. I'm not saying you're gonna find David Irving's talent level necessarily, but another guy that can you can throw into the play everyone with one of

these first couple draft picks. I mean, I think that can only help this group going forward. One guy that I'm intrigued by, and I'd like to get Brian your thoughts on Charles A. Mina, who Yeah, from Texas. There's not much like there, really not overall, and have him by him? Is his long arms? No? No, And there's a lot and there's a lot of a lot of long armed arms, long armed players in this draft. I mean, especially when you get to the cornerbacks and stuff like that.

I mean, they got a lot of guys. Yeah, they've never they've never talking to some folks about a mina who never really warmed up to him as a player. They just never they felt And the things that with the biggest problem with when you watch him play, and I thought the Senior Bowl was probably some of his best work, But you watch him play, watch the Oklahoma game, stuff like that. I mean, he gets washed a lot.

You know, there's a two hundred and eighty pound guy, and you're thinking, Okay, be a little bit better at the point of attack, not so much. I mean, he is one of those guys when they when guys get on him, you see them take him out of the play. And I think that's really where the Cowboys scouts kind of talking to them pre Senior Bowl about him and then seeing boy kind of did some better things, and the still the attitude was now just go watch the

game film and the game film doesn't lie about him. Yeah, and you watch the Oklahoma games and and he has he has some issues there, and those Oklahoma linemen are all gonna get drafted. All those guys are gonna get drafted. So you're playing against pro lineman there and you're having problems with them. That's just a little bit of a precursor to what potentially could happen to you. And I don't know what position he is best suited for. Well,

he's played, he's played all over. But I mean, I think the way he plays to me, you know, I'm saying about him as a rusher and all that. I mean, the stuff that I saw with him was the left defensive end. I mean the thing when I'm looking at about him. At Texas, they played him in a head up scheme, you know, and it really didn't do him any favors. You know, when he was head up trying to like play with power, that's when the you know, that's when the issues were. Did I talk about disengaging

with guys? You know, you think his physical ability would allow him to get off more blocks, but it just doesn't show he could get moved by tight ends too. Is another thing that bothers me. If you're a defensive ending you're getting blocked by tight ends, that's a really bad sign, as a very bad sign. Okay, the little news nugget that I think Tom Pella sero head first today about Randy Gregory being extended. Um, what do we make of this? Extended next year. They're standing by their man. Well,

he would have been restricted next year. I think, Um, it says a lot of tracks year because told yeah, I've been looking for three weeks ago, told so he restricted. So basically what you did. It's a minimum salary for next year. Yeah, and you gave him a loan for this year. That's yeah, need some money. Well that's not MINEA needed some money. How many times did the poor guy get fined last year? Every time you turned around, the poor guy was getting a fine for something, you

know exactly what I mean. Yeah, And all of a sudden, those game checks, when they turn into fines, there's not anything left. It's like taking taxes from the guy, you know. So all of a sudden, you know, And I think that this is again, this is is Jerry Jones's way of making sure that he's trying to take care of a player. And everybody out there can beat everybody up about this deal or not, but this is a This is a another human taking care of another human. Is

what this is until the problems get corrected. Because you think about it, he was on the books for a base salary this year. I think it was nine fifty five ye hundred and fifty five thousand UM. And if he doesn't get to play right, he doesn't make that money, right, right, So they've almost done him a favor and not mad they have done. And the three hundred fifteen thousand that they gave him as a signing bonus now splits over two years, right, And so you save yourself about one

hundred and sixty thousand against the cap. You would hope that then you retain his rights. Yeah, you would hope that things get better for Randy Gregory. But again, he faced so many fines and things like that that happened to him last year that he couldn't. It took all his money. And so now, and I'm not saying how do you not live on nine hundred thousand dollars, but just keep taking it away from you and see how you're doing. But this was the Cowboys way of saying, hey, listen,

we understand your issues. And if you're a fan out there and you're busting on the team for trying to help Randy Gregory, shame on you for that. You wish, I mean, everybody wishes they had somebody like Jerry Jones in their corner. That was trying to help him along. You know it also it gives him incentive. It gives him hope that he maybe you're not totally kicking him to the curve, You're giving him a chance. But Terence Williams put Terence Williams on injurers or they gonna cut

Terrence Williams. But Terence Williams continue to get paid. You know, big difference in the way they would talk about David Irving this past offseason than they would Randy Gregory. Big difference. Um, like you said, stand and buy him, no question about it. Uh. And then Robert Quinn was here yesterday, Yes, made the rounds. Yeah, I was not here, signed deal. Ye signed his deal. Mrade Actually happened since the last time we convene. Yeah. So, Um, I mean we've we've talked it over um quite a

bit and where that stands. But I think from a salary cap standpoint that it's a great you know, it's a very good deal as far as what where the Cowboys are with Randy Gregory and whether they get a veteran guy in here. He's got some skins on the wall and can still play at age twenty nine. It protects you if something happens again with the defensive end spot, especially at the left defensive end spot, if you cannot get the left defensive end done and it becomes a

total impass. Yeah, am I saying We had a big discussion about this, Derek Eagleton, myself, Nick Eatman, Dave Van Hellman. You know, are you saying he's better than better than Lawrence? No? But are you're saying at least it's it's an option. If something happens where you you know, where all of a sudden, it's like, okay, we've got to move on now. It gives you an opportunity to say, okay, we least

have a legitimate pass Rusher. Okay, okay, Taco and Armstrong and everybody else, it's time to step up and play a little bit better. You know. That's where I think this thing is. If you can't get Lawrence done, if you could get Lawrence done and have him and Quinn together rush in the past pastor excuse me, it would be one of the one of the best situations you can imagine. And then and then in no telling what's

going to happen with Randy. But I think, like you said Rob earlier, that, Hey, you gotta have to think about Randy not being here, so you do. It's Gregory's not here, then he's not a rotation guy. He playing every down. It well, it depend on what they do with Crawford. Well, Crawford goes left, Lawrence isn't there, said yeah, but I'm saying and if Gregory isn't there, he's a full time no question, no question. And all you gave up was a twenty twenty sixth round basically what you're

looking at. Then the makeup if Lawrence isn't here, the makeup is you got Quinn and Taco on one side, you got Crawford and Armstrong on the other side, right as a makeup of the roster right now, without any addition. And then hopefully you can add some defensive tackles you've helped yourself, you know with Covington, you know Collins Woods, and then maybe another three technique and Hyder and Hyder exactly right, exactly right. Yeah, and he can rush from

outside too. Yep. So okay we continue with more talking cowboys in just a moment. If you're like me and you love I mean, if you have a high thing, then cutting the chord is scary, But then I found out I could switch it DirecTV Now and still get the live sports I love. No satellite needed, no bulky hardware, no annual contract, just that the live sports. You try direct TV now for ten dollars a month for three months. Visit DirecTV now dot com direct tv now more for

your thing. That's our thing us called really a limited time price a lit little page if three months when he's monthly at full price currently minimum forty dollars and less. Prices may change and you subscribers on cance lenty time content barries by package and maybe limited districts in suppot. It's time for tailgating with the Auterbox boys. The auter Box that builds those crazy protective phonecases. Yep, and now they're changing the side dish game with the autter Box Trooper.

Soft cooler, lightweight mobile, and leakproof Trooper is perfect for blitzing a crowded parking lot with a freed pie. Amazing. Hey you think I could fit my seven layer salmon salad into the Trooper cooler up, but please don't. And that's been tailgating with the Autobox boys. Learn more about the Trooper soft coolers at auterbox dot com. While a player could look good on paper, it's one he's out on the field that you really find out what he's made of. That's why the Cowboys rely on more than

just stats and scouting reports when building their team. When picking a tractor, it's why you should rely on more than just specs and features. You've got to take it out and put it to the test. The Cowboys did when they name John Deer their official tractor. Experience one for yourself. Visit my John Deerdaler dot com slash football. It can be hard to find the right resource for

learning about important financial matters. You search how to build savings, you end up reading about the one weird ingredient from supermarkets that can make you taller. That's why Bank of America built Better Money Habits dot Com, a safe little corner of the Internet for answering your financial questions. Full of simple videos and tips, Better Money Habits can show you how to make the most of your money without resorting to random searches that always seem to lead to

unbelievable photos of childhood stars grown up. To learn more, visit better money habits dot com has been helping Cowboys fans seed better since nineteen seventy two. Said they don't miss a moment on the field. Get classes with slurs, best vision, clarity and protection with the Ultimate Lens Package, three innovative technologies in one lens for a limited time. You can double your lenses for free when you purchase the Ultimate Lens Package and get a second pair of frames.

Find up participating I Care professional and details by visiting slor USA dot com. That's USA dot com. Terms and conditions apply back to talk in Cowboys. So Jack Black's getting real real worried about your soncare and they've come out with sun Save, real skincare, your suncare. Okaycare for your skin. Okay, there you go. Yeah, and it's for the sun lovers. So you can go uh to Jack Black dot com from head to doe toe JP not a deer to protect and nourish your sun loving care

and also for your tattooed skin. They also have lotion to take care of that big Italian flag on your back. Guess what you would get one free son Saver with your sixty five dollars person, and you get both with an eighty five dollar purchase. So you can choose from double Duty Face Moisturizer, Intense Therapy, lip Bomb. Go to get Jack Black dot com and use the code son one for one and you can get two for son too. So you go to Jack Black, don't don't ask him

to read it again. What are you doing? I just didn't catch the code again? What was the code? Son one son one son too? Okay? Why did I just feel like we were playing bumper cars? Mickey? Is that a? Is that a real reader? But you just kind of it's a they send out their little so we need to like Okay, I see, so we need some Jack Black buy some so we can get a professional readers and you can get you also can get new eight boost to care kid all right, see I have never

heard of it. That's good. That's that's that's important. Even I don't have a tattoo. It says nothing. It's nourishing essentials to keep tattoos of all Asian. I know where kids going here? Yeah? Eight minutes ago, here we go, and I saw somebody the other day that needed that skin care for the tattoos. M Who is that? I don't know? Who was some lady working out? Okay, here we go. It was here we go to our last show. It was an indictment against tattoos one more time. When

that drop their kit Cowboys, thank you. Yeah. The warning that I always gave my daughters about getting tattoos, like a butterfly tattoo, like on your hip or something like that, is over a number of years, that butterfly turns into a condor. It's true. That is true. Yep, that's a pretty good one. So what's up with the Alliance of American Football? Sounds like they're suspending operations, not clothes in shop, just suspending Well, suspension will lead to clothes is what

it sounds like. So, yeah, they're cain't finish this season. Yeah, I don't think so. And it's two games week during Week eight. Yeah, and it sounds like that. Vince McMahon it's had something to do with this whis XFL. He sold more than three million shares of his WWE stock yesterday with the goal to come aut proceeds to fund his upcoming football league, which turned out to be about

two hundred and seventy million. Two hundred seventy two million dollars is what he sold off stock yesterday, So that's because he has to pay Bob Stoops yeah to coach the Dallas Xact. Think the l will be fine, Well, financially they will. I don't know if anyone will because he's got Jay pockets Kill well yeah the ww he makes like a billion a year. So now I don't know how much money the guy from Dallas has that funded the league from Dundon, but he did he just

d two hundred and fifty millions? Did he just lose that? Is that what happened there? Well? Oh my gosh, well I can see what he's been trying to do is leverage the nfl PA to force the NFL to allow them to sign practice squad players in the office. But there's no practice squad players in the off season. Those guys are free agents. And once they sign, are you going to let them go play in a spring league

and then say, okay, now July twentieth, ye're going to training. Well, most of the practice squad players that the NFL teams want, they go ahead and sign them the future contract extend of the season, and so they then aren't available for the spring league. I'll tell you what. When we when we were doing NFL Europe, we're first starting NFL Europe. At least this league gives these players enough time to recover. We didn't. We we didn't give the players at all

any time. I remember Dwayne Hawthorne that we you know. I mean, he was a guy it went to NFL, played a whole season, and he went from being when he came back, he was just so beat up. He couldn't ru I mean, the one thing he had was quickness, and he had none of that. He was dead well. The one they would play that whole season and get

like a month between the exactly exactly. The biggest problem with NFL Europe as far as the NFL calendar is concerned, is it point as you're saying, it went into May to the end of May, and now you're missing OTAs and so forth. That so you could not be incorporated into I love I love the fact that we were involved to try and work with the NFL and that stuff when when we were in NFL Europe, But we didn't give those players enough time. Now, those are those

poor kids. They couldn't they could They had to go straight from our league to a training camp. Yeah, I mean, I mean, they were they were, they were without being involved in the offseason right program, right, right, And that's why the AAF had set up their schedule perfectly to where it was over by the draft. Right and then yeah, but if the NFL team wanted to sign one of those players, they couldn't get and put them right into

their offseason program and they don't miss a beat. If the NFL wanted a true minor league system, though, they could and I guess hypothetically you could absorb this league and make it part of yours. Now they were, they were televising games on NFL network, but it's not an official partnership. But I don't know if the NFL really wants to go down that road having a minor league system.

The problem is they got college football. They've put these teams in places where there's still major NFL teams, right Birmingham, San Antonio. San Antonio's got Houston in Dallas, this close. San Diego has a team Memphis as a team, there's one in Phoenix. But see, they don't they don't portray it like baseball because minor league baseball, you get, it's just minor league with these guys growing to get up, these guys playing there there's no one growing these guys

that are that either pastor primes or couldn't make it. Yeah, and it's hard to sell a minor league football team, but you're right, as far as you know, they were trying to get the players Association to sign off on it. And the only way a league like this would work would be like the old NFL Europe right where you've got an affiliation with the NFL. And I think the way they need to do it if you got a team in San Antonio put them in the Cowboy uniform. Yeah,

I can't there's no affiliation. Yeah that's good. I can't watch these teams with these uniforms that I have no I want to see. Like in baseball, you'll have the Saint Louis Cardinals a long time, you know, the Louisville Redbirds where they're Triple A affiliate or whatever and they wear cardinal uniforms whatever. But if a spring league put them, you know, have affiliations with NFL teams and have them yeah,

you know, like look like the Steelers. I mean, why don't people go to games in Frisco baseball games because those are young ranger players that you think you're developed to get to the Major. I saw Alex. I saw Alex Rodriguez. I was working with the Green Bay Packers. I saw him play in in Wisconsin for like ten minutes he played, but I mean I got to see him, you know, play. I mean, that's why people went to Appleton Fox's games was to see Alex Rodriguez play. You know.

So when I was in Jackson, that was Darryl Strawberry rookie years in the minors. But that's a good point, Mick, because we've got a lot of questions about, hey, there's any aff players to keep an eye on, you know, as a feeder system, and it's I don't know if it really is with this current group they've got playing, and if you watch it, it's I haven't watched a lot of it, to be honest, but you know you don't see a lot of Well the hard part is, at least with baseball you can see individual guys if

they're progressing. In football, like if you don't have offensive lineman, I'm sorry the quarterback qubect toast. You know something though from this league that we might get is the way

they handle replay. That might you know with it if you Remember they had and I know you say didn't watch Mickey, you probably watch more games than anybody, but they had the ability, You had the abilities for the communication between the booth and the and the official down and you kind of heard the discussion that was going

on between the two. More transparency, more transparency. You're right, ken't So maybe that's something that will get There's always something that these leads give us, and maybe it's like they you know, that wasn't a bad idea about us being able to hear the official, tell the replay official, tell the official on the field exactly what the call should be. Like. They eliminated extra points too. It's only

two point aversions in the AF. Yeah, I can still kick a field goal, but after a touchdown he had to go for two. It's pretty agreenable. Yeah. Yeah, Well, and the other thing that they were experimenting with is letting the official in the box have direct communication, like you said, to fix something and truth be known. That's what Jason Garrett was angling towards at their owner's meeting. It wasn't what they ended up. He was wanting to

basically go that route. Sure you're going to the masters, I am leave Saturday for I'm going to go for a Tuesday practice round, So you guys, I will be listening. I won't be listening on the course you're going to practice, No, I'm going to be practice round of the Masters, which is the time to go. Yeah, you go to the Masters, yea Atlanta on Saturday. It's gonna hang out with some buddies and then go the Masters on Tuesday. I'll be

back with you guys Wednesday. About the second shot for Brian brought us yes, like he's using a that's what I said, and didn't know the titles made a shovel with his Tomento cheese sandwich. Oh my gosh, they're so good Mickey and their two bucks. So you've been there before? I did went last year? Oh did you? Yes? Okay, I love that place. That was the I'm not a golfer. That was the first perfectional golf tournel and I was the Masters. Ryan says, you can eat off that grass.

You can. It's oh my god, it is amazing that place. When you walk through the gates, you're like, there's nothing out of place except me. On that note, that's a great way to end talking cowboys. But you will have the Draft show on Thursday at eleven. We will be here. We'll dig into this little deeper, we get closer, closer. Here we are and we will talk act you again next week. Here I'm talking Cowboys. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys

Football Club. Fucking gold there