Talkin Cowboys: Does Dallas Need More Playmakers?

Sunday night, the Cowboys and the Texans. I'm Bill Jones with Brian brought us and Rob Phillips and a chair as Ricky Spagno is not with us right now, but he should be with us shortly. He'll come in Hurricane Mickey will come rolling into it. He's gonna be thousand pounds. He'll have two sequoia trees under his arms for a paper that he has, and he won't have the right paper. He'll be like, he'll be going on, I where's the paper. Somebody to ask a question, and you know he'll get

that look like, yeah, there we go. I had that written down somewhere. Yeah, somewhere to stop down the whole show to find it, y'all just stop talking for us. Yeah, you know, when Mickey goes silent, he's trying to refute something you've said, you know, I mean, he just gets over there and he gets that look. He puts his glasses on and he starts thumbing through the paper and you'll say, you know, the Texans aren't very good in

run defense. On the first down, you know, averaging they give up only about three point four yards to carry. And then Mickey will start thumbing through and he'll go and we don't hear from him, and then he'll go, you know, the Texans zone play very good on running. Meanwhile, we're taking free calls. I'm like, all right, Mick, Yeah, all right, glad to have you on board today. Okay, I was doing some TV yesterday and I thumbed through

yesterday's podcast on my commute end today. As a matter of fact, there you go, and I heard y'all did a great segment, killed one segment on Dez and what

we do around here. However, at the end of the first segment, which I had kind of thumbed through because I wanted I wanted I had heard that you had talked about Dez and I wanted to hear that schure k And at the end of the first segment, Rob you said something about you love it when Mickey and Brian butt heads or something like that where there's some budding of heads, and yesterday's podcasts that I need to know about fire yesterday. I like that Cowboys offense trying

to move the ball against the Sexans defense. Again, I love Mickey. I respect People out there think I don't like Mickey, and that's not true. Andy, Mickey and I are basically from the same bottle of wine, like you Bill. We're all that same bottle, you know. And so you know, it's we're trying to talk about, Okay, what's the best plan of attack? How would you attack the Texans? You know,

are you worried about their pass rush? Well, wait a minute, their past defense is one of the worst in the league. You know, how do you how do you attack? And then you know, he's like, well, how does the Colts throw for four hundred yards? And I'm going when are the Cowboys ever thrown for four hundred yards? You know? And so what is the I'm to the point of where I try and look for reasons why can't can you take advantage? You know, the Cowboys are built to

run the football. We all know that that. You don't need a former scout to tell you that that's what this team does. But you know, is that really the best plan of attack? Can you can you protect enough on first downs? Can you use max protection? Can you keep you know, I say max, keep backs in, keep tight ends, and can you find ways to let your guys win one on one on the outside. And this is the discussion, you know that I like to have is do you have people that are capable on the

outside of consistently winning one on one? Yeah? I'd love to say, hey, let's drop back, use the line, throw the ball all over the park, but that might not necessarily be the best way for this team to attack the Texans. And what he pointed out, what Brian pointed out was I pointed it out. If there is a weak spot on this Houston defense, it's the secondary. There might be opportunities to win battles one on one and try to open things up for Zeke through the passing game, right,

And I agree with you on that. Mickey doesn't want to hear that, and Mickey doesn't need to be here for me to say this about him. You can point out positives in the opponent's game. That doesn't mean that you're trying to say, Hey, Cowboys can't win this, they can't possibly win this game. That kind of sounds like the yeah Derek Dooley does exchange on the Scottie report of the Broncos on on what was the name of the Yeah, pretty much? How would you like me to

phrase it? How would you like me to phrase this, Mickey? How can we phrase this any better? I just you know, I think that if this team, and like I said, if the conversation is do they have do they have enough weapons on the outside to affect you know? What do we say last week going into the Lions game, Hey, they have got to get back to running the football they ran in against Seattle Bill. You even brought up the point if they can build a lead, they'll keep

running it. And you know that's the best way for this team to play football. So, you know, I look at this and say, okay, but do they have those receivers? Do they have you mean, you know, the trust to the quarterback. I'd like to trust the quarterback. I really do. I think the quarterback can make some throws. He made some great throws. Yeah, yeah, and you know people didn't think he could make. Scouts are always taught that, you know, it's it's you're taught if you've seen it in Rob

likes to use this phrase occasionally. If me is you see a guy do it one time, you could believe he could do it again. That's Jerry's and that's and that's yeah, that's something that we've always you know, when I was working in the scouting department, and that goes all the way back to the Hall of Fame general manager, I worked within Green Bay with Ron Wolf. Ron Wolf is like, wait a minute, We've seen this guy do this. We've seen him make throws, we've seen him run the football,

we've seen him play past defense. The question is how how consistently can a player do that. They can do it, but how often and how consistently? If you dial it up, Yeah, that's that's the That's the biggest issue I think with the is if where is the trust factor in the wide receivers. I mean, I feel like they've done a good job of getting open for the most part, but are the consistently, the consistency that's going to take to do this. So that's kind of where I'm out on there.

All right, go ahead, Hi Mickey, Hi Bill? You listening to us talking there? But yeah, I was eating breakfast or your ears. I'll just keep eating there. Yeah, Hey, go is that is that a biscuit or is that? Okay, it's a biscuit, right, it's a bagel, you know, a bagels. I was gonna stop at a convenience store and get a biscuit or something or donut or something though late in and can I stop the show down for a second. Have you ever eaten a hot dog from a gas

station on when the roller things? Have you ever done that? No, you've eatn a lucky dog in New Orleans? Okay, there, that's worse that you're lucky. You're lucky. You're alive to talk a little little wagon bob. You'll do anything at four in the morning if you just can't see or you're hungry. But I'm proud to say I probably haven't done that in thirty years. Yeah, but you live to tell about it. I did. Yeah, But you never eating a rotisserie hot I guess it's a rotisserie. It's a

rule I did. It's been I live to tell about it. I guess what about what about buy it? You know they sell the chicken the wings like by I see people going, you know, you're convenience store. It's not convenient. You get behind these guys and it's like, yeah, I'll have three of those and a lottery ticket. Those a lottery ticket. Can we have a lottery line over here? And I was hopeful someone would bring that up. I would like to invent a lottery line for people that

like to play. And you know what, and if they actually if they went, have them stopping down the show. I'm so sorry. If minute, if they wind jump, I notice they buy the lottery stuff and they win, they buy more, they buy more, they're late date, Hey I won twenty bucks. Okay, give me twenty more. All right, you don't. You can go back in the line if you want to buy more, but scratch it off. By that time, my drumstick ice cream is just completely melted. Or the guy that comes in and ice cream, you

know I'm talking about scream in the bottom. Yeah, the guy that comes in, he can check it himself. What did I win anything? And you're sitting there. Okay, I gotta go. I'm supposed to be quick. The Red Cross is dropping supplies outside. You've been so long there, which leakes me go ahead. I got preempted by Jason Taylor. Oh okay, so they pushed me back. So what hall of fame is he in? Yeah? I don't know what's he ever do? He's acting like he's, you know, on

the radio broadcast Sunday night the National. Is that why he was of importance this week? Yeah? More importance than Mickey this week? Yeah? I don't understand. All right, here's my question of to day. If you were a player for the Cowboys, where would you live? You get that poll question up on the website right now on the Al Live. Yes, where would you live? Off season or regular? Regular season? Single or married? Was I on the team before they moved your single or married? Either way? Okay?

Was I on the team before they moved here or after? You're on the team now, right, it's don't complicate this. Try to tell you might have a nice home there and and sol or No, I'm saying Jay, you just a you're just arriving, Okay, I'd be out here. Yeah, that condo right by the practice field. I move it in right That's where I every day. I stand up and I say, I look at that, and I go, how cool would it be to live over there and be like single and work. We just walk across the street.

There's no doubt. And I say that because of my commute this morning struggle. You just need to get to it, you know. No, I had to relate it to the cowboys. So there now, everybody's not jumping off the cliff anyway. I make one false move and it brings up your biscuit there or whatever. You're you're right there. I wasn't able to get my bagel this morning because I make one false move off the highway and there's an accident on the other side of the road where I would

be getting back on the highway. There's police cars. I never ever get there, and I'm going, all right, it's nine o'clock. I got I got thirty minute. I was doing fine. I was gonna be here at nine fifteen. Ye never get off, and I wound up having to. I said, I'm not battling that traffic. There's no way I'll make it. So I drived out. Hebron Parkway all the way to the toll way. I've made it in time.

But anyway that you mentioned Jason Witten, I guess he came at six o'clock in the morning every day, five thirty six across first light to work. There's another prominent former cowboy who lives out in the same area, and I understand he would not be on time, maybe for some practices or meetings or way too. And I can understand why because it's one All it takes is one accident.

So I'm living across the street. So let's just use Dak Prescott as the example, because he lived about two miles north of here when he first got here in a condo and then he bought a house and it was in the same area, so he could basically, like DeMarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford, ride their bikes here. Yeah, if they wanted too. Is he lives like less than a mile if here. You know what, that's a really good thing there can really good. It is less driving

he has to do. He can play bumper cars everyone. And I'm sure if you're a twenty two year old, it's very intriguing to go live down in Uptown. Whatever but building legacy West the shops a legacy, it's it's it's kind of a college like atmosphere. That's right. Maybe there's a little older clientele. And if you remember that when we had the real estate Talk Cowboy Radio, Hey, I'm just going where where the bus is turning. Man's just just live somewhere where you don't have to pay

all the tolls, that's all. I got a good point. And I did hear the des talk yesterday, and I'm in agreement with what y'all were saying. I'm not surprised at all, and I don't know why anyone would at all be surprised that he still wants to play for

the Cowboys. That's the only team he ever wanted to play for, and it probably has affected if I don't know, if he had a firm offer from the Ravens in the off season, he probably was having this holding out hope that something might happen where he can reland here. I think he's made a great point throughout and I think he's been very consistent about this. Does he really want to play football? Does he really want to get in shape? Does he really want to do everything he

has to do? To get on a team and play. I've talked to teams that have been interested him, and I'm not gonna lie. I reached out to John Dorsey at Cleveland. I said, hey, this is what I know about Dez Bryant, just to try and help him. And so, you know, John sent me back message, Hey, thank you very much, appreciate your thoughts. So, yeah, does does does Bryant really want to play football? I think there were

some teams initially interested in does Bryant playing football? And I don't know if necessary that's the case, especially for the salaries that are being offered out there. Well we're past that, you know, we're with the quarter poll now. So yeah, now you're at eight hundred thousand year. Yes,

you're basically veteran minimum. Take whatever Bryce Butler got right, But then he has to look at it also, Okay, if he sits out a whole season, then what's his If he really wants to play football next year's value? Like then if you don't play at all this year? This is what he does? And you know, does is? It sounds like to me and talk at some folks that are very close to Deaz and I have a relationship with Dez. I've been able to tweet, text with

him and talk with him Insta about things. And you know, he's got some things going off the field in a positive light. A team, classmates he had at Oklahoma State and stuff like that. Guy's business opportunities, not just own a bar and lose all your money kind of thing.

But he's got some legitimate things and he has to figure out now if he doesn't play a year, does he say, Okay, I'm gonna take my my finances and back into a business opportunities and trying to you know, be like the rest of us, you know, and I have a job and work every day and you know,

try and do the best we can and commute. I'm sure when he got drafted in twenty ten, he had no other thoughts in his mind playing football, playing football for the Dallas Cowboys and only playing for the Dallas Cowboys. And I'm not in his head. I haven't talked to him. I just would imagine it's it's tough the idea of playing for anybody else besides this organization. And that's why I kind of rolled my eyes when I saw everybody freaking out on Twitter about Oh he wants to play here. Yeah,

oh okay, I mean he didn't retire. He got cut six months ago and he turns thirty on November fourth. Yeah, he's you know, it's let's let's be honest. Though there was some slippage in the play. I still believe though, when healthy, that he's better than I. And you know that's aside from Cole Beasley. But you know, if you look at the way this group is, this group, if they if to get better at receiver, they're gonna have

to address it in the springtime. They can't. You know, they've they've got to ride with what they've got right now and hopefully they can make it work. You know, they've got you know how many more games twelve more games now to to to kind of you know, you look at what's going on with the Eagles right now, this division. Nobody's running away with this division right now. You just got to find a way to put some wins together. You know, Houston looks like a team that

that as having their own problems. They're a little bit like the Cowboys. They've got really good receivers, but they got a really poor offensive line and they got a bad secondary. So everybody in this league appears to have a little bit of problem that they're having to deal with right now. With the exception, well, I guess Kansas City.

They scored so many points, but if you look at their defense, it's ranked last in the league and most most of all categories, with the exception of third down defenses. Rams are undefeated, but they've had some defense exactly. So you just got to kind of figure out how best fits your plan. Best fits your plan is not having Dez Bryant playing with these receivers running the football, trying to help Dak Prescott and hopefully your offense or some of your defense can continue to get pass rush to

help your secondary. Okay, go ahead and making it was just going to say, Michael Gallup should have more than five catches. Yeah, it might be a little bit on Michael Gallup though too. I'm not trying to put words or minimize what you just said. I'm just saying he should have more chances to have more catches. I understand he struggled some. Yeah, but how do you expected from a rookie? How do you yet, how do you get him out of the struggle, and how do you find

more opportunities for him. Like we talk, I think we are all in agreement. I've been banging on this drum for weeks, like let's shorten this rotation. Let's let's let Dak ride with a certain group with a certain snaps per game. But like, Okay, who's sitting down? Who sitting down to give gallop thirty forty snaps? If that's what you want? Whoever? Whoever? I mean, then who because because then now you're this is a new group, but that's a veteran group that at least has some time on

task in the NFL. One head one has been set down for whatever reason in the last week. And all right, Terrence Williams is a DNP, not injury related yesterday in practice, So what's going on with Terrence Williams? Would think, you know, good question. Yeah, I think that. You know, Mickey has been an investigator reporter a long time. He's covered this team. He could probably you know, he could dig hard in

this and probably figure it out before Rob. I know you done reporting stuff and Bill, but I think that

when you the head coach would and I can. I've always been I've been very critical of the head coach, but I think this is the times where he wants to be honest with us about it and he can't and we might be can get some kind of hippo laws here or something like that that we that you know that he can't go into great detail or what's wrong, and because if it gets and what it says on the injury report is did not participate, not injury related, which is the same as what it said the last

injury report, which was on Friday. You've got to be really careful of when you talk about people in this day and age and what information you do provide, because again, everybody understands the importance. Nobody wants to get sued or anything like that. So there's a lot of sealed lips around. Yeah, you ask people in this building, even back to last week when he didn't practice, and like more than once you kind of get a shoulder shrug like I can't

tell you or I don't know, Like no one's lying. Yeah, yeah, but no one's being forthcoming. I don't think anybody wants to be where it traces back to somebody said, Okay, what's going on with Terrence Williams, And I think the head coach was very honest, just again, I love to walk off. I wish we'd ask him two questions in the press conference and just have just do the rest of the walk off. I think we learned so much

about the football team there at that time. But he was very He was very you could tell in his face. He says, Hey, I'd like to help you guys here, but I can't help you guys. So that to me is very because Jason has been this year and and and years past, been very forthright with information when we've asked him questions in that type of a setting. You know, sometimes knowledge is better than a sound bite. Yeah, you

know what I mean. Yeah, Well, one thing to point out about it though, this week he's he was here in the morning yesterday, he was here on Tuesday. He didn't practice, but like the Cowboys are in tune with him and they're talking to him, and it's these are excused absences. So yeah, there's no issues. There's no issues there as far as issues, as far as any like. Okay, no,

the communication between both parties is there. It's there. Yeah, yeah, all right, we continue and take your phone calls here on talking can Cowboys eight eight eight eight five five two nine seven in just a moment. Selor has been helping Cowboys fans 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

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dot com Forward slash Cowboys. Brian brought us as a smile on his face, he nods in agreement as you read that copy, Rob Phillips, you must to have his Tommy John John I do. I do too yesterday it because unfortunately Mickey hand me one with the word I can't pronounce, which is because I'm Louisiana educated. The second thing is that the one I grab said in the offseason, get your Tommy, and I'm like, this is not me. Since I had to go, I feel I just had to kind of just be a just said to wing it,

you know, and it really sometimes that's the best. With the help of Mickey and Rob, we got through it, okay. But yeah, personal testimony is the best. Add Tommy Johns. It's not even a choice anymore. You look in the underword drawer. If it's in there, I just have a couple in there, and so we're gonna work on I'll dig to the bottom to go get the Tommy Johns to put all right there. Yeah, Mackey has a serious

look on his face. I was I was trying to figure something out and then didn't really okay, I mean didn't we wor didn't have the right tree. No, we can't. We keep we keep talking about the lack of numbers for the wide receivers. Yes, they've only averaged fifty seven plays a game. Yeah, normally you're in the sixties. That's true, sixty five right, True, they've only averaged twenty eight passes a game. That's true. That the rest of the league's in the thirties. Team is my next question? Is that

ideal for this team? I mean they won with how many nine? Yeah, but you're not gonna win when you're third down version rate is twenty eight percent and it just jumped to twenty eight, right was twenty three and a half. Yeah, that's not good. Yeah, So that that you know, you're not going to have big numbers when you're not having thempecially when you look around the league this year and you see what's going on. Mickey can

I can I give you a surprising number. Go ahead, and and and I know I'm with you on these numbers at times, but you wouldn't believe this, But this offense is fourth in the league and dropped passes meaning they only the league average. No, I mean fourth in the not not dropping pass not dropping pas, not dropping passes. But is that percentage there is the number, it's it's number. It's actually there at one point eight. They're at one point eight. But that's a game that has something to

do with the fact they don't have as many passes. It, That's what I'm saying. But don't you feel like some of like a lot of the passes they've thrown, they've been some of them been dropped. Well, Mickey mentioned get Michael gallutmore involved one bounced off league average. Yeah, league average is four point six and the Cowboys are at one point eight. So I mean, it's crazy to believe that,

you know. And to Mickey's point, they don't throw It mean, they don't throw the ball enough, you know, to h to be you'd think that they'd have even up to the league average. But I was if you said, no, the Cowboys, the Cowboys are probably near the bottom of the league when it comes to drop passes, and no, they're actually one of the better teams in the league when it comes to not dropping the ball, right, So this is what I was looking for. Sorry, The league

average for third down conversion is thirty nine point three. Yeah, so they're eleven percent less than the average. They've had some rough go sixteen percent less before jumping up to Yes, that is the reason why they don't have a lot of plays. And it's not on the defense. It's not all third and long either. I mean, you know it used to be third and one, third and two. You hand it to Zeke and it's just but it's still a small all sample. It's just a the season it is.

And they were I think five or twelve last week, so that is an improvement. That is an improvement. And they weren't facing an offensive juggernaut in Carolina or Seattle or the Giants for that matter, and so what they're doing offense, they didn't have to do as much offensively. They had to do more against Detroit and they did.

They'll probably have to do more against Houston with the quarterback they're facing this week, who has three straight games of over three hundred yards passing and two straight games of over four hundred yards total offense. Okay, about this real quick, if I could. If we're going to try and attack the Texans on first down, We've talked about there. You know, they're giving up like three and a half yards to carry on first down, and you're like over that,

You're well over that, You're forty nine over that. But on passing yards of fourth of four yards or more on first down, you only get your twenty eighth in the league. Suddenly happens. The league average is fifty three fifty three point four. Where you're at forty point eight, Which route do you go? Do you stick with the do you stick with? Do you stick with what you know? You're that we know that the textsans struggle defending the past, and on first down they're pretty good playing first down

run defense. I'm just trying to figure out a way to attack them so you don't get in long yarded situations to start to start to drive. The first play of the game last week, Zeke runs right for a yard. Yeah, second first down on their second drive, that's the thirty one yard or to swim, you know, lay So and they've done that. They've they've was second game of the season,

they opened up spread and they go pass. I'm just trying to think of the best way to attack the texts and say, you don't get in that situation where you're wearing Clowney and Watton those guys and merciless around ther neck the whole day. Well, part of it, I think is what do you what do you do better? Yeah, do you run the ball better? Or do you throw the ball? The numbers tell you run the ball better? And and how would you protect your offensive line the best.

I don't need the numbers to know they run the ball better? But but but but do they? But can they? But one thing is the numbers show that that the Texans play well on first down when you run the ball. I'm not saying against the Cowboys. I'm just saying, I'm I'm trying to formulate a game plan, and I know you have to have Okay, first down. First down dictates a lot what this team is able to do. Let's let's be honest about that, you know. So, so here's

the stat I want. When they run on first down? Yeah, what formation are they running on? Yeah? Like, are they are are they Are they in two two tight to wide receiver, come out in thirteen and everybody knows you're gonna run yea? Or are you in three tight, one wide receiver? Or how about spreading them out and then hand the ball off on first down? They do that, they run out a different person I know, but it seems like to start the game. That's not what they do.

It's two tight ends. It's a more conservative let's protect our offensive line approach, I think more than anything else. All right, let's go to the phone line and James in New York City. Hello, James, we're good. James. Take three steps to your left. Hello, James's got too many big buildings around him. We've lost. How about this offensively, you're twenty fifth in the league on average yards to

go on second down. The eight point four yards on second league averages eight point zero five, So you're twenty fifth in the league on average yards to go on second down. It's not the way they're used to. That's twenty fifth in the league right there, So you're almost eight yeah, eight and almost eight and a half yards almost nine yards needed on second down. They have got to find a way to win. I mean it's we're trying to tell you this. You gotta win on first down.

How do you win on first down? How that's that? If you want a key to the game, Bill and Simon Friday, how do you win on first down? That's going to be because you do not. Again, you do not want Clowney and Watt and Merciless and these guys to tee off on yon second down. Even though you know you've seen some we saw better pass protection last week.

I still don't. I just don't want that. I have visions of Carolina in my mind if they can't do that, where it's like yeah, second and twelve, third and twelve, third and ten, and you can't. You know, you can't ask Dak to be efficient that way. You know that's not the way this offense is built. So I'm with you. I don't. I don't know why. I just want to Whatever the plan is, it's gotta it's gotta work. It's got it's got to work on first down, whether it's

running the football or throwing the football. I mean, I know that's captain obvious. There was the plan last week against Detroit. They're not very good against the run. Well, and was what this is gonna run. And what they do on the first series of the game, Yeah, they ran Zeke three straight times and he got stuffed on third and one. Yeah, and didn't get the first getting They're getting stuffed on third and one the last two weeks.

That's not good for this team. Yeah, that's And then second series, are backed up at their own ten yard line and they run the pass to the tight end and they got out of the whole thirty one yard pickup and they were able to get some breathing room. And they were they but they were they mixed in run in pass, right, I think they need to mix in run and pass. We saw that plan against the Giants though, right, didn't we see more first down throws first play the game? More first down throws? Yeah, more

first down throws. But I agree with you guys, I mean two running the football. That that's what the team's built to do. And maybe you're gonna say, you know what, Texans might be good on first down, We're still gonna run the football. We're still gonna we're still gonna come out on first down and run the ball. I think that's you know, to me, that makes makes a lot of sense. But then again, I see the Texans just you know, they have no just their past defense in

the secondary is horrendous. They have gotten thirty first downs running the ball, thirty six first downs passing the ball. That's against the Texans or the Cowboy the Cowboys for four games. Yeah, yeah, ten by penalty. Well that I mean there should be a bigger disparity, don't you think. Let's let's I mean check out Jacksonville. They've got seventy nine first downs, twenty running and fifty seven passing. So they just kind of shows you when you're passing, offense

is not functioning. Well, yeah, that disparity should be larger to me, Yeah, I don't the Giants sixteen first downs running, fifty three passing. Well, the Rams, they're all looking at the numbers, were all radio looking up number. I'm saying the Rams thirty two first downs rushing, sixty four passing. I just think you have to come up with something. You have to come up and that's their job, you know.

I'm just interested to see what they decide. Okay, take us behind the scenes here and as they formulate a game plan, how much do they rely on numbers? Like we're looking up numbers here. I think you have much to analytics come into play. I think Jason Garrett understands analytics. I think he does, but I think he's like his father, an old school let's look at the tape and what do we do well kind of a guy. What do they do well? Yeah, what do they do well? What

do you do well? I think that you know, yeah, you could say, you know, these numbers are fascinating. It does tell a tale of what's going on. But you know where we're Jason Garret's probably looking at this like, you know, I feel like we're good enough to on first down to run the football. I feel like we're good enough. And the numbers tell you, you know, the analytics tell you that they that they can run the

football on first down. The analytics also tell you that the Houston Texans can stop the run on first down. Something's gonna give there. I know it's an old saying, but that's that's really the way it is. You know.

It's interesting this summer I'd talked with Tony Romo and he thought one of the keys to the Cowboys season is going to be this stretch of after they get four games in and with This is like from the from the opposition standpoint, Now they got four games to go on what the Cowboys are doing offensively, and it's how the Cowboys improve from week five through week eight or nine is going to tell the tale of their season and how they adjust to what the what other teams,

what other teams are doing. But also they've incorporated brand new receivers in here and trying to figure out what they are here in the first four weeks of the season. So it's been it's very fortunate, I think on the Cowboys part that Brett Maher made that field goal, so they're sitting here at five hundred going into the second quarter of the season. But that's what Romo was saying, And when teams scout other teams, it's basically the last

four games they take a look at. Even when you go to week twelve of the season, they're looking back at weeks nine or eight through eleven to see to scout and see how teams are playing, because teams changed as the season goes along, and so I just think it's a very critical stretch of the season that the Cowboys are hitting right now, and we're going to find

out what they have in the passing game the next quarters. Yeah, and as Mickey said, as Mickey Wright in that because Mickey's been saying, well, they need time to gel and I agree with that because of lack of preseason time all the new faces. They've played two home games. They've been a lot better at home. But here's a test,

and for a guy like Michael Gallup. I mean, it was expected for Mike and I believe I thought coming into the year, it's too much to expect of a rookie to be able to step in and have consistent play right off the bat. He's got four games under his belt now. Now he hadn't been out there for every snap obviously, but we can expect more from Michael Gallup as the season goes along. I believe I would hope, you know, I mean, I trust me. I had Michael Gallup as one of the better college players in the

country last year. You know, I was expecting the separation, the route running, the you know, some of the things that we saw at Colorado State. I understand why the Cowboys took him. I thought Michael Gallup should probably been selected higher than where he was, I know, third round grade, but it was still yeah, it's I totally agree with Mickey. I'm I'm let's let's get him the football. Let's rookie. What rookie has the most wide receptions? Now, Christian kirk

Y sixteen? Yeah, yeah, so that's four again catches is Calvin Ridley have he's got fifteen? How many touchdowns do have? Four? I can tell you that six. He's got six touchdowns? How many team catching catches? Pretty good ratio. That's a you know, it's a team that throws the ball really well exactly, it's a team that's got a you know, they go downfield. He's got a problem reminiver on the

other side. And there's no other rookie in the top fifty and not counting running bats because Barkley's got the most, probably because of what he did against the was it the Cowboys or who did he have on? Now? He had a ton against us? And then uh, Carrie on Johnson has eleven catches, but no other rookie wide receiver has more than eleven catches. Well, we've talked about it

takes longer to transition in the league. Okay, So I'm also confused on that first down stat because this here the NFL official Stats says the Cowboys are gaining six point one three yards on first down. They've had one hundred and eight first down plays, and it says they're averaging six point one three yards per play, and the defense is first in the league at three point six three yards per play. So I don't know, we have conflicting numbers. Should be four and oh yeah, now the

numb with the numbers from the defense. But that's but that's very reminiscent of what it was like in twenty sixteen. You know, it was a lot of second and four second and fives, a lot of those. It's just you and hey, let's let's maybe maybe they can pull things together this week with you know and get not get back. But they've run the ball really well the last two weeks. You think about Seattle and then last week against the Lions. Okay,

I had to laugh this morning. The headline in the morning news, So what's been going on the first three games of the year. Is ze getting enough touches? And now it is? Is he getting too many? Out where we were just joking? Are you serious? Because was that a story today? Yes, that working on load leaves Zeke

sore satisfied. Yeah, I love John Ma showed it too, And I don't think he probably wrote that headline, I know, and it wasn't really what the story was about, but the headline suggested that, oh, they might be using them a little bit too much. That's say it changes week to week in the National Football League and week take your phone calls at eight eight eight eighty five, five two two, nine to seven in a moment on talking Cowboys.

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Lens Package and get a second pair of frames. Find a participating I Care professional and details by visiting SLOR USA dot com. That's USA dot com terms and conditions. Applying back to talk in Cowboys. Do you want to use what we use? You need to go to Jack Black. I'm telling you this stuff is undisputably good. Uh disputably is that a good word. It's a great word, indisputably, undisputably it's Jack Black whatever it is, and not tell you what you get those JB four faves for ten

dollars and free shipping. Just use Cowboy's code our note used code Cowboys and you get that discount. It's make you. I think that's your best read you've ever had. You it's Jack Black, whatever it is. That's that's sorry marketing one, Yeah, sorry, sorry, Jack Black. That's that was the worst one was the best they're gonna cut me off. Now, I won't get my face. No, you'll get your face. I'll get cut off a R I use five today. Have you found the copy yet? No? Can we get those with all

the all my stuff here? Yea, to make sure I'm prepared for numbers. You know when you guys stuff out. Santoine Woods is the human log human log. Mickey's got the human log in front of it. Yeah, and Mackey us the human logs. Scott hates this one. I do TV and have all this information in front of me. Well, there's no way you're gonna get to it in like a two minute hit. What about those fuel stops that are literally give you ten seconds to talk? Do you

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Tree singer. Neil McCoy was here at the Star. He was reciting the national anthem with not the not the national anthem, but residing the pledge of allegiance with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders here at the Star for the one thousandth straight day. It's something he started one thousand days ago and he decided on the one thousandth day he would come to the Star in Frisco and do it. Here was that on his Facebook's page. Was that his giant tour bus out? It was yes, cool, yeah, very cool.

You know what if you if you practice real hard with those lessons for the Cowboy cheerleading tryouts. You get to be judged by Neil McCoy. And that's why I wanted to mention that about Neil McCoy. When I was reading this copy, I saw the deal on the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and that reminded me of it, because he is a judge in the Dallas Cowboy cheerleader tryouts, as

is Mickey, and he is the funniest thing ever. And as he said last night, we get this sheet and it has about seven categories across the top, and you're supposed to watch five of these ladies dancing and then make check Mark critique him, right, And he and he talked about it. He says, yeah, I got all these things. They're supposed to check him out. And he goes, you know what I do. I just look at him and

then I go hot. Hot. That's all I put this writes hot or if they're really good, climate nicky, that's probably not a good story. He told him last night. Yeah, you know him, he gets away. He gets away with it because he's so damn funny about it. He is. He is from Jacksonville, Texas. Neil McCoy and By the way, I looked up Neil McCoy on Spotify and I listened to Neil McCoy music all the last night. That's right, it's good country music. All right, Let's go to Dan

in Colorado. Next up on Talking Cowboys. Dan. Hey, guys, how are you good? Good good? Real quick? So, uh, this is what the youngest or second youngest team in the league, I think thirtyngest team in the league. Yeah, time to start looking for some coaches that can actually teach and not just coach. So young doesn't matter. Well, no,

young doesn't matter. I know, I know that it does matter, but I just I guess I'm just as frustrated as all Cowboy fans are right now because we've seen this ride for twenty years and it's like we're never getting over the hump. And I feel like sometimes Jerry just wants to be relevant. Eight and eight, nine and seven. Hey, if we just win this game, we're there, We're in the playoffs, and unfortunately that puts us in the middle of the pack or late in the pack as far

as there drafting. And I just feel like, you know, I don't want to see us go one and fifteen because I remember those years I've been a Cowboys then since Roger stall By brought the Cowboys back against the Niners in that championship on that playoff game, I think we're just all frustrated and I just I don't know, I don't know what we need to do as a team, but I just feel like we see a lot of mistakes during games, and I'm just wondering what you guys think,

And I'll just take the what did you think? What did you think this team's record was going to be going in the season, knowing they were that young. I was thinking that we're going to be in the middle of the pack, to be honest with you, So what what record would that be? Yeah, so that they're kind of headed that way, you were probably right, huh Yeah. And like I said, I think it's just everybody, you know,

Cowboys Nation is really frustrated. Give me a fix other than firing the head coach because they made a lot of changes in the coaching Yeah, new coach. If you just I don't want to deal with low hanging fruit, give me give me something that you're you're you've said you've been a Cowboy fan since nineteen seventy two when Roger stop back throw the ball to Ron Sellers right there and they wont in a playoff game and Tony

fritzch on sidekicked Dick Nolan is a job. Absolutely did give me a fix other than fire the head coach, new offensive coordinator. Okay, okay, that's the second. Okay, okay, other than the head Other than the head coach, the offensive coordinator, give me a fixed overall on the team overall, as far as personnel, just anything. Do you guys mentioned this just earlier yesterday. Look what they're doing in Houston with that quarterback. Look what they're doing with Mahomes with

that quarterback. We just start playing to our team strength, and I think we I know nobody wants to see Dak get hurt, but hey, if that's what I mean, if we have to start running him more, doing more our po is doing stuff like that, that's going to make the team more successful. On offense, I think the defense is just going to get better, especially if Irving can can get better, if Gregory can get better. I think it's the offense just needs to be a little

bit more. I don't even know the word I want to use right now, but a little just see a little more imagination on the offense. I think we saw a little bit of that, you know last week. Okay, we need to just continue that, okay, and what okay, and tell me some other things about it. What did you like about the offense last week? Getting six more involved okay, finally seeing some tight ends step up and make some plays. Okay, stuff like that. Okay, And dak

had three carries for two yards. Yeah. See, everybody thinks like Mahomes and Mayfield are running all over the place. They're not. They're throwing the ball. Yeah, they're winging it down field. Yeah. Different. The way the teams are built are different though too. Yeah. I mean, and you know, if you want to if you want to take what Andy Reid and them done. They took some chances on that that hill. You know, that guy was a sixth round pick, but he had no serious goodst violence, serious

off the field. John Dorsey, John Dorsey traded up, gave a lot to go up and get. Mahomes had a really good feel for the quarterback. I mean, hey, you know, I don't if I'm okay, if you tell me that you want to see something different, just don't tell me about the coaches anymore. And I always say that's low hanging fruit. Don't do tell me tell me what, Okay, I don't like the way this team is built offensively,

I don't. I'm just just saying for Joe and Flower Mount Dicamentura, Manny in Mexico City, I'm just doing all these guys, tell me what you think is different? You need one different about this team? Should should next year? Should this team go to a more passing based offense? Should it be about? Should it be about going out and getting receivers, maybe drafting one, maybe signing one, you know what, drafting another quarterback or whatever. Give me. Give

me those kinds of things, the coach and stuff. I don't care about that. I want to know what people will do differently for this team. That's what I would offensively and defensively. If you tell me that, and you know I'm with you, but to just to say to fire the coach, letting me be that guy, I'll be the bad guy. You know, you come up, you come up with answers why what you think needs to be different here? You know, I'd love to see them be able to like have a guy like Pat Mahomes play,

you know one of them. Would you look at that Detroit game. Love the weapons the Kansas City has, the way the Dallas defense played against Detroit. They beat Kansas by the way last year. All right. The Cowboys offense does not get enough credit for what happened in that Detroit game and how it helped the Dallas defense. No question. In that second half of the game, Detroit had three possessions. Yes,

they scored touchdowns on two of those possessions. They had a three and out to start the second half, and then they and it was like a knife through Butter Matthew Stafford through the Dallas the defense. Yeah, okay, and but that's not it's not exciting football when you hold the ball for eight and a half minute. Oh it is to me. It is to me there watching and

keep holding it for another two minutes. Yeah, exactly. But you're not making passes all over the field like Pat Mahomes does or Proctor Mayfield when you're doing that, But you're helping your team win a football game because your defense was not at its best in that game against Detroit, and you needed to keep that football out of the other team's hands that day. And the Dallas offense was able to help do that because of the way they

and that's the blueprint for success for this team. When you go back, the Dallas offense helped the Dallas defense two years ago in twenty sixteen, by the way they got ahead. I remember keeping track every week the first drive of the game, weekend, week out, they go eighty yards at seven points and play from ahead the entire afternoon. The if you look at the way they say the Chiefs are built four dynamic players in key spots. They got a dynamic tight end. They've got a young quarterback

that they're that they're have confidence in. They got a really good running back. And then you look at what hill I mean, see how many dynamic players do you have offensively for the cowboy they're trying to go by committee. It's skill sets, I'm saying, they don't. You got Zeke? Yeah, they got Zeke. And if you and if you ask personnel guys around the league, they will tell you, hey, I'll take your right guard, I'll take your center when he's healthy, and i'll take your running back. You know

they're not taking anything else you got here. So and two, you find a way to get those types of dynamic players. You gotta play with how you could play, and it's not gonna be you know, it's not gonna be. Yeah, fire the head coach, mediocre all that. No, I will say this, the head coach and the coach's dad had a hand in the direction they're going personnel wise. Yeah,

but you need more of those dynamic pieces. That's why when you're talking about how to attack Houston Sunday night, Yes, my gut says, and I know you don't want to bang your head against the wall, but my gut says, handed to my best player, I'll try to get him involved some way. Totally. If I lose that way, I'm okay with Detroit. Detroit had the ball in the second half for nine minutes and twenty four seconds. Yeah, out of thirty. Cowboys also ran sixty five plays in the game.

That's by far the most they have all season long to Troit head in the second half, they had sixteen offensive plays in the second they score. Matt Stafford got a lot out of the exactly right. Yeah. See, this is this is where I you know, if if and maybe all this changes next year when they say, okay, you know, hey, if there's a new coach or whatever, new direction. But this is where they could say, Okay, let's okay, we got a running back, Okay, let's go

get a dynamic receiver. Hey, let's play with let's go get a better tight end. You know. And they they had opportunities to do that in the draft the last couple of years if they wanted to, but they took vanderh I totally get Yeah, when you look, especially at last year's draft. Yeah, they felt like they had to

shore up that defense. Yeah, and you know, they drafted Taco in the first round, they take Cheeto in the second round, they take a cornerback Jordan Lewis in the third round as well, right, and they had to invest in the defense at that point. They felt like that they seventeen million dollars on the left end. Yeah, if you think about it, Yeah, and that counts. The guy I wanted them to take last year, well, in the second round was Juju Smith Schuster. Yeah, but I don't don't.

I mean, I'm talking, Yeah, he's turning into and But but I don't fault them for not doing that because they had to make their decision. You got to make that decision. How are you building your team? Yes, and they decided that Cheetoh was a better investment for their team right then, and Mac then still and you're you know, you're they had needs both ways. I thought I thought they needed a wide receiver, to a young one to

who could be that guy. Whatever they decided to go the other direction, that's great, I mean, Michael, Michael Gallup develops it could be Yeah, this year, this year they decide in the second round take Connor Williams at fifty instead of maybe either trading for an Earl Thomas, or they could have taken Dallas Goddard if they wanted to, as they could have taken a tight end. No, that Wittes situation. Yeah, okay, but and now you look at it with what happened with Travis Frederick. Thank god they

took Connor Williams. Okay, because what are you're looking at in the interior? You're there if you didn't take a second round offensive linement, right, you were back to playing with guys that Mickey and I were questioning whether they were really good enough. You know. So I'm not sitting here defending I understand why they did what they did, but to say you know your fixes if you want to go away from just the run base offense, did go out and you're gonna have to get those weapons

that we talked just said about a minute ago. Build that. That's exactly right. You know that you've got to go out and find a way to help the quarterback. Go get him a receiver, Go get him a tight end. You got one of the best damn running backs in the National Football League, and you got an offensive line that's good enough to run the football. I do. I talked to and I coaches round the league. They are

very envious of Dallas's ability to run the football. And these are coaches that throw the ball all over the part, especially act as the season goes along, yes, you know, as you get cold weather games, bad weather whatever. You know, as a season where it's gonna be some tough games down the stretch, you're gonna have to have an eight minute drive to maybe get this thing in the playoffs.

But that's the case. But I think if you look at the master plan from three years ago or in coming off the twenty sixteen season, they felt like they had to shore up the defense because that is basically the offensive game plan for the Cowboys is rely on on that running game and with the quarterback that they've got. Okay, then they had to build up that defense because they're

going to play a lot of close games. Well, they also know it's an offensive line that at that time is right maybe unquestionably the best in the league and now has undergone some transition. Right now, Well, how about they didn't expect Yeah, how about the retirements though they've had, you know, I mean the Doug Free one, you know that happened a couple of years ago, Jason Witten, that

the decline of Dez Bryant. I mean, some things that happened to them that they had planned in that all of a sudden, it's like, well, you know, Winton, but the two days before the draft is basically saying, I've got to make a decision. I think I'm gonna retire. I don't know. I don't think that should have affected their their drafting at all. But but but they're counting

on they're counting on guys. I mean, they didn't count on Dez Bryant just completely going off the cliff, right, you know, with the ability we'll see all right, See that does it for talking Cowboys for this Thursday. We will be back tomorrow for a fabulous football Friday. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.