Talkin' Cowboys: More Steps Backward

here at the Star in Frisco. It is the morning after a thirty four seventeen loss at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. The Cowboys now at three and nine on the twenty twenty season, and all of our weekly routines and schedules are also It's a messed up because we had Tuesday Night football, but hey, we've got three days to put this one in the rearview mirror and get ready for the battle for Pina Seul, a battle for the third overall pick going into this weekend with

the Cincinnati Bengals coming to town. Kyle Yeoman's alongside Isaiah Standback, Rob Phillips, and heck My Harrison, We're gonna break things down for you as to what happened in that Ravens game. But first I want to give a little credit where credit is due and start off with some positivity this Wednesday morning. Isaiah Standback made a call the other day, and I just want to get this out of the way early. I'm bringing positivity, but also I just don't want to hear it all show long, so I'm just

gonna attack it up front, Rob and Heckma. But Isaiah came out and said thirty four seventeen was his prediction and the final score. He used those Laura lenses to look ahead and see exactly what was going on. So Isaiah, you've got ten seconds to gloat starting now. I just want to thank my support system, you know, Kyle, Rob Pie, you know, saying hey, I appreciate you guys for being here for me. You know, I think to my sponsor, Surf make sure that I could see the future. Thank

you your sponsor a sponsor. Now, oh my god, just now that we've got that out of the way, I wanted to get that out of the way, the Cowboys losing thirty four seventeen. But the point of the matter is is this really anything other than what we expected? And I think that's the most frustrating part about this loss is that it's pretty much exactly what we expected.

It's one of those things where you look at it and you say, all right, Mike McCarthy, all right, Cowboys, even though you're banged up, I want to see what you've got. I want to see some sort of energy. I want to see some sort of execution, because I think that was the word of the day, rob But whenever you look back at this game, mister Phillips, how do you categorize it for the Dallas Cowboys? Because I thought it was frustrating and I thought it was just

a poor lack of execution all the way through. Can I throw out one more positivity before we get to all the negativity? Why not? Reddy Robinson was active? Man, he was active. He had three snaps special team snapps. All right, we got that. Okay, now onto the bad stuff. Yeah. I mean I would say I was surprised about the run defense, and maybe we shouldn't be, but I I thought they had turned a corner in terms of let's not allow three hundred yards rushing in a game anymore.

That that was a repeat of Cleveland a few weeks back. I thought they turned a corner. Turned out that corner is like a cul de sac where you kind of just do a right back to where you were, and uh, that's that's where we are at three and nined. And you know, Michael Irvan's on the NFL network this morning

saying it's over. Math says it's not over. But it felt like that, like, you know, psychologically, you're down basically two and a half three games to Washington with four to play, and if this was the game that cost them a chance of the division, it's the type of game they've had for most of the season where you can't stop the run, you beat yourself with turnovers, you

allow points off turnovers. They're up to one twenty points off turnovers allowed this season, and uh, you know, to me, it was just representative of a lot of the losses they had. I didn't expect it to be this bad defensively after some strides they made, but there it was there. It was Lamar Jackson did his thing the Kota second right. You might like, No, I didn't like that, like a little round about I like that. I like that with a lot. Uh yeah, no, I mean Rogers hit it.

I mean, these guys are they are what we thought they were. Unfortunately, we knew Baltimore was a strong team. We knew Baltimore had all their dogs back, you know, fresh legs, you know, twelve days off, whatever it may be, for majority of their premier players. Come to find out it wasn't even their premier players that killed us. So, um, you know, these guys are just a better team than us. I don't think any of us, I know, none of any of us. None of us projected the Cowboys to

win this game, unfortunately. But you know, we're realists on this show. We don't we don't say what feels good. We say what it is. And that's what it was, you know, thirty four seventeen. I honestly thought that it should have been a larger margin. You know, I felt like that was gonna be the final score, obviously because I guessed it, but I thought it should have been a larger margin based upon how the game flowed. Um,

you know, the missfield goals unacceptable, just unacceptable. I mean, we were in position to to be in the game, honestly, and that just killed your drives m. Defensive, you know, run defense just not there. We haven't seen it all year long. I think it might have been one game where we felt somewhat good about it, and this team just just lacks confidence. That one of the one positive though, I know we said the one positive already. Any Dalton played the heck of a game. Any Dalton played the

heck of a game. Any Dalton looked like any likes look like any Dalton and I was boasted about as soon as he got got in the game. But you know, he was throwing that thing around. I think he threw it over eight I think by eight receivers in the first half of eight different guys. I mean, so, I mean he looked confident and he was rolling the interception. It was just a heck of a play. It happens

tip ball m. But that's the one positive thing. But everything else, man, the officsive line played pretty well, you know, officsive line played pretty well. I mean they didn't have any pressure with all these guys on their defensive line that they have over there in Baltimore, So there were there were definitely some positives. But Baltimore is just a much better team than we are. You guys are so nice.

Um uh uh. This game, this game was a complete embarrassment, uh for for our defense when you go into the game, and we talked about this all week leading up to to this game, knowing what the Baltimore Ravens were going to bring to the table, a running game. They had no other choice even if they started their backup quarterback. They had a running game that they were going to bring to the stadium. What did we do to all week scheme wise to stop the run? We did nothing.

This is the same two hundred and ninety four yards is unacceptable for a three hansion stop. I'm so sorry that they were six yards away from hitting that mark. But there you are, Isaiah. I mean, it's dog it's embarrassing. It's embarrassing to see that. And then they put up the graphic of Jalen standing there, you know, got his arms all shaped butter down, and they got the number thirty two thirty two, thirty two thirty two. I can

guess that that's last NFL. Okay, there's only thirty two teams in the league, Thank you very much, But do you have to show us like that? And then they cut right before they go to a commercial break and they show our sideline with our dB sitting there. I mean, it is it's embarrassing to see, but it's also embarrassing to see these guys just completely quit on themselves be

in a position to win the game. Third down, third and ten, third and seven, you can get off the field, and Lamar Jackson it's just like, oh, oh, you're gonna give me that. I'll take those fourteen yards for a first down, Thank you very much, Cowboys. And on that touchdown, guys, that Lamar Jackson the thirty seven yard he could have hit his head on the goal post twice. What how how do you how do you prepare a team that goes into a game they completely just with the band.

There's there's no leadership, there's the come on, man, come on, give you what that you mentioned? I mean that set the tone. The thirty seven yard touchdown by Lamar set the tone. But what I kept thinking about was there was more than one play like that where nobody's around him.

I think the boy can touchdown as well. And what I kept thinking was in the Seattle game in Week three, everybody was just astonished by it and and like my god, I can't believe guys are run and wide open free, and it's reached a point this season where like you just kind of not expected, but it doesn't surprise you when it happens these bus, whether it's the run game or the pass game. It's been all year long, just about every game, there's been at least one of those,

and I mean it does. It takes away everything they did in the first half. I think Baltimore was only one of five on third down, Like that's pretty good for your defense, but when you're given up four plays of thirty plus yards, it doesn't matter, you know. And that's been the story all year long. I kind of want to go into that that thirty seven yard touchdown run because there was so much frustration with it. It

looked like a Madden glitch, like it really did. It looked like a Madden glitch where it's just wide open spaces in between the hash marks, and Lamar Jackson takes it for thirty seven yards, by the way, longest touchdown run I think for a quarterback in Cowboys history. But you kind of compound that with the fact that you have two hundred and ninety four total yards one hundred and one of those coming from Gus Edwards mark Ingram, not JK. Dobbins. Gus Edwards went seven of one oh one. So,

like Rob said, exactly, it's Gus Edwards. He's on the bench of every fantasy team in the world because JK. Dobbins and mark Ingram could have potentially been out this week. That's the only reason people know who this guy is. And he goes for one hundred and one yards against the Cowboys, but big plays continue to gash at Isaiah. Why was that the case? And why can't the Cowboys somehow stop the run because it looked like they could

a couple of weeks ago against Pittsburgh and Philly. Well, I think I had my slors on last week on the show as well, whenever I talked about the misdirection and how misdirection kills this defense, the Cowboys defense, especially at a second level. Who that's your that's your job is to be able to control that aspect of the game.

These guys get confused, they get days, they confused. Obviously, specifically, you know lbe and Jalen Smith, those are the two guys that are in the game for the most part, all the time, and Lbe, I think he came in the post game and admitted it. You know that that he screwed up. I mean, he was completely lost. He took a bad step. He totally consumed himself on the offensive line, Um with with the offensive alignement or actually in the back of his defensive line to the point

where he couldn't see Um. And at the corner, at the corner of his eye, he saw his guy, his responsibility, running back go the opposite direction. So what does he do. Oh, I'm gonna follow him. I don't know where the ball is at, but I'm following this guy. And then he's literally running away from the ball. Um he realizes it's too late, and you know, you got one of the fastest guys in the league running with the ball down

the middle. Um, this defense continues to get gashed. There's no there's no solid answer asida from the fact that you have to point to the coaches. Um, it's not just the coaches. Don't let me. Don't be bamboozled by

what I'm telling you. It's not just the coaches, but it definitely starts with the coaches, and they have to instill some form of what we always talk about culture within this defense, and if guys are not getting get done again, I already alluded to it, if Lvee, if Jalen Smith, if these guys are getting done, then go find some other dudes that are hungry. They want to do it because you did the same thing with the

defensive line. You got rid of Polled, you got rid of a Griffin, right, But all of a sudden, now these linebackers, oh, these are guys. He were committed to. These guys. If they're not figuring it out, fellas, make it competitive. I don't give a dog on what I'm paying you. Carson Bey sure don't care what Carson Wentz is getting paid over in Philly, right, sit his butt down,

Get somebody else in there that's going to compete. And that's what they need to happen on this defense, and that's the only way that they're going to find a resolution in these last four games. Hey asaid, we talked at halftime about that play, and I think vander Esch said after the game too, he thought Lamar handed the ball off and that's where he was going. He just read the play completely wrong, you thought, And I think Mike McCarthy spoke it after the game that they were

in the right play to stop it. You said at halftime you didn't really have a problem with the way they were they were lined up, even though they went nickel. They had they had I believe Darian Thompson as a safety in that situation. So you were okay with that look though. I was okay with that look, but I wasn't okay with the actual call. Right. I was okay with the alignment at guys. I was okay. I was okay with the personnel. But one thing you don't do, and I talked to you about it a hand of time,

is you know I was a quote unquote running quarterback. Right, I was a running quarterback, so I faced similar defenses a lot, and teams had to scheme against me, had a scheme against other guys. Right, Um that they had those same kind of assets in terms of the ability to run. And what happens is they went man to man. And when you go man to man against a quarterback who can gash you with that kind of speed, you

have to have two guys spying. You cannot spy a running quarterback, a quarterback that has four three speed like Lamar Jackson. Okay, you can't spy him with one person. The reason why because the first person is never going to make the play on him, never a right Harley ever with the one guy to make the play on him.

So what do you have to do. You have to spy with two guys, and you have to trust that the rest of the guys on your defense and your secondary can guard these the rest of their receivers and tire the ends and running backs, and you just have to trust that. But the moment that you'd say, one guy, I don't care if it's Thompson, I don't care if it's l Ve whoever. It is the moment that you say, you know what he got he has Lamar, You're kidding yourself.

You're completely kidding yourself. And you saw that happen right there. Yeah, I have a problem with that. I have a problem when you go man in the situation like that, knowing that Lamar Jackson wants to tuck and run it. And if you're gonna have Darian Thompson up at the line of scrimmage or in a linebacker set, at least give him an opportunity, give himself an opportunity to make a play on the ball. This guy doesn't know when he

is in that position. It is a fatal flaw for our defense because he can't jam, He can't do anything as far as stopping offensive lineman from getting on him and pushing him out of the way, and obviously lvee when he makes that many false steps, there's no way that he can recover from that, whether it's defensive lineman in this face or not. But you talk about the miscommunication on the backside for the defense, just look no further than the mouse bnken thirty eight yard touchdown. Are

we in zone? Are we in? Man? What are we in? Because a guy should not be able to go across the backside of your defense that easily untouched and there are no cowboys even in the vicinity to stop it. So I mean, defensively, man, we're lost all over the place. And I don't understand that. You know, it's enough to keep talking about scheme, but I just don't understand what it is that we're trying to accomplish on defense. Mike McCarthy said after the game, Hack like, we're we're past

talking about scheme. You know. I don't blame him, you know, And I mean he wasn't taking a shot at the players, But what he didn't that question was about, you know, where are you with your scheme this late in the season. And it's He's right, like, you can't talk about, oh, we didn't have an off season when you're you know, it's two weeks to Christmas. Yep, I mean it's too late for that. How does that still make sense? Though? Like, I mean, that's the thing is why is there still

these kinds of lapses of breakdowns? And I know, Isaiah, you said you don't want to blame it on the coaching staff. Ultimately it comes down to the players. But there's got to be a little bit for the coaching staff of that blame to be placed on him. Right, No, absolutely, no, nobody is is exempt from fault here. Um, the guys that call the players, the guys that run the plays.

At some point in time, you have to go out there and take over no matter what position you're playing in this organization, and we're not seeing any of it. We're not seeing much ownership. I think Lbe stepped up and obviously took some ownership there, but the guys just it's not good. It said, you know, we can talk about it to we're blue the face. It's just not good. That defensive coordinator doesn't need to be here. I'm sorry, I'm not wanting to call for a man a man's job,

but this is not it. You know, maybe there's a reason why he why he wasn't on a you know, on a coaching staff. He's this scheme is not working. Um, you know he's he's he's made alterations to this scheme. You know, with personnel changes. Guess what it is still not working. Um. And you could look at the players and say, yeah, they need to be barried or better, but guess what whose jobs are to ensure that they're better? Is your job? So you know, somebody has to make

some move, whether it's players or or coaches. Um. But there's gonna be some moving, some moving other chairs. Okay, I can almost guarantee that following the season, there's gonna be a lot of changes with the personnel. I mean, you've got a lot of free agents in the secondary and don't I mean, you can't rebuild entirely through the draft this year. But it's there's gonna be a lot

of changes on defense, There's no question about it. And you know, the other thing too, is and Jerry was asked about this on the Fan the Morning yesterday morning about you know, two teams in your division that are leading the division right now, Washington and New York have new coaching staffs and and he said, it's fair to compare. You know, those teams are really or being led by their defenses. So at this point you ought to be talking about progress, even though I think personnel wise they

don't have the personnel, certainly at Washington does. But you should be talking about progress. And we were for a couple of weeks, but it was like they took five steps back last night. It's just there's a lot to go to or whenever it comes to that defense, I mean, you could talk about the secondary, you could talk about the front seven. Honestly, I thought we saw we saw a defensive tackle worse than than Dontaripo for the first

time all year, and he was wearing his number. And I want to talk about that when we come back on the other side of the break, when we return on talking Cowboys. There's nothing as unique as our eyes, which is why Selor pioneers wigs to make lenses as unique as you Varilux for super sharp vision, Essential Blue for protection and Crisolve for freedom from glare. Three cutting edge solutions in a single unique lens. So whatever your needs, insist on Selor visit your local sl or experts and

find a perfect lens for you to see more, do more. Selore. Since eighteen sixty five, Stetson Hats are American maid with pride right here in Texas, and Stetson is proud to be on the field with America's team. Want to show your Texas and team pride too, You can by purchasing your own Stetson. You can look just like how the flag guys do on field at every home game. Stetson Hats the official crown of all self respecting Cowboys and your favorite football team. Get yours today at shop dot

Dallas Cowboys dot com or at Stetson dot com. I'm Jay Novachek, former tight end for the Dallas Cowboys. Back in the day, I was the guy who always got the tough yards and that's why I run with John Deer today. In fact, I have a John Deer three zero twenty five E tractor that can handle any yard work I need to do, even the tough yards way out back. So if you have one acre or a thousand, John Deer has the equipment that's just right for you. Visit a John Dear dealer today and run with us.

We are the official tractor provider of your Dallas Cowboys. Here it's nineteen oh eight. Don't you think we should get electricity and stop using candles to see at night? It's just electricity lights up the room fast, It's more reliable than candles blowing out, and people seem to love it nationwide. Well, dear, did you just run into the wall? I have a new candle. Please work. Switching to new technology is a no brainer today it's AT and T

five G fast, reliable, secure, and nationwide. Switch to AT and T five G. It's not complicated. Five get requires compatible plan may not be in your area. See at dot com slash five G for you for details to

Talking Cowboys. Second segment here of Talking Cowboys the Wednesday after a Cowboys thirty four to seventeen lost to the Baltimore Ravens, and whether you're listening to Talking Cowboys while you work, watching highlights or even I say highlights more like low lights, or trading fantasy draft players Bose Quiet Comfort earbuds let you experience audio in a brand new way. Bose Quiet Comfort Earbuds are the official earbuds of the Dallas Cowboys. That I threw a change up at you,

a little curveball at you. Isaiah. Yeah, you gotta listen, you gotta listen, you said, well, I don't. I don't have boses on. So that's that's what happened on I'm waiting on. I'm waiting on my shipment to come through. Maybe I'll get the quiet comforts and I can hear a little better. I saw a package in the mail the other day that was a closed package up here, so I don't know. Maybe they are coming in your direction. I mentioned, Yeah, the jealous are trying to get on

that that Isaiah standback sponsorship. So yesterday was the second time that a NFL team has rushed for over two hundred and ninety yards this season. Out of the two hundred games that have been played in the NFL, it's only happened twice. What anybody like to take just to go out on a limb here and talk about who the defense was in both of those games. Oh wait, it's to Dallas Cowboys. The three hundred and seven yards against Cleveland in Week four, two hundred and ninety four

on Wednesday against the Baltimore Ravens. That's where we stand in terms of the rush defense, and at first it was the defensive struggles. Is it fair to say that we that we got better, oh Man silver Linings, I like it. Hey, our defense got better, man, I mean just six? But well, well yeah six? Three? Okay, Well jokingly, I know you're saying that jokingly, but I do want to ask this question, Isaiah, and I'll start with you on this, since you're so eager to talk about it.

But we're the Cowboys defense better against teams like Philly or Pittsburgh or did Pittsburgh just not want to run the ball? And it's Philly just downright terrible and they gave us a sense of false hope before you get gashed by Minnesota and then you get gashed by Washington and then again last night by Baltimore. Yeah, Philly is just not a good team. In Pittsburgh is no longer a running team, nor did they did they show up to play that day? So there's your two answers. That is, Yeah,

Pittsburgh just is a running period. I mean, and you saw that, and they're lost to the football team. They can't they can't run the ball. I think they finished that game with like twenty thirty yards rushing UM and and so yeah, and Philly, Philly is just a dumpster fire in the nfcas just like us. So that's just what it is. Defensively, man, we don't we don't have it. I mean when a guy like Gus Edwards, who no one had on the radar to do what he did.

And Isaiah made a point before the show about the Cleveland game and it was their third string running back that gashed us as well. And so it seems like we are we are we make you better. We are the RNs, we are the RX. If you have a problem, yes it is. And so we're like ELpH on the shelf for your running game you need it, we can

give it to you. I think we talked about Baltimore coming into this game and all the problems that they were having on offense rolling, and it's what he's trying to change, um, trying to change what Lamar jack doesn't.

You saw this game. Lamar Jackson really needs to work on this mechanics because a lot of a lot of those balls sailed on him in the one and that one throw, and I think even Xavier Woods didn't even know how to attack it, which was one of the most awkward safety closings that I've seen in a while. But you know, I just think that defensively, you knew that this running game was going to present a challenge, and they just kept doing they can't. They stayed true

to it. I think Lamar Jackson finished with what one hundred and one yards passing, So that's I mean, those are the kind of statistics that we're gonna get versus teams next week when we go to Cincinnati. They're gonna do the same thing. They're gonna load up. They gotta run that thing. You know, why what, why would you

have any other game playing versus the Dallas Cowboys. I just googled the slogan we make you Better to see if I thought it maybe a company had that title slogan and I could I couldn't find it, but we can trade market. Yeah, I think it's trademarked by some elevator company. Unfortunately, anyway, the run defense, like I think you guys are right, Like, you know, looking back maybe it was fool's gold, but I didn't think in those

games they were better just alignment wise. Assignment wise, because you know, some of the runs that the Ravens had last night nothing special. You know, they just didn't they didn't diagnose it right, they didn't make the play, you know. I think I think it was the drive after Lamar's big touchdown early it was Gus Edwards for thirty six yards, and it was just kind of what we saw early in the season, where you know, off the line just getting pushed out of the way and creating a crease.

And that's all it was, you know, just kind of simple and and so they reverted back to that, right Am I the only one that thinks that we ran the ball well with Zeke last night? Yeah? I thought so. I thought he ran really good early and he more just took it out his hands, right. Yeah. He kind of went to Pollard after that, which surprised me. Um. I give Kellen credit for like trying to stick to the run he got. He went past a couple of

times where I thought, okay, just stick with it. But that's funny you brought that up, isaih, Because I was gonna say that at the top of the show. Like the Cowboys plan offensively was to shorten the game and try to uh, you know, help the defense, keep the defense off the field, you know, and and for large stretches. I mean they were able to do that. You know, they were able to move the ball. I forget what the time of possession was they won. I don't know

if they've won. I don't know if they've won time of possession all year long. Maybe a couple of times. Um. But you know that that game plan doesn't work when your defense can't stop anything in the run game. And that's that's the story of the game, story of the season for a lot of these games. Now, yeah, go for it to heck one, no, you know, it's pedestrian. And we got to the point and you know, trying to run the ball, and I talked about it just you know, some of the weird calls that that Kellen

was making. He came into this, and I thought that it was really vanilla. He didn't get into anything weird. But towards the end of the game, we just became predictable. And that's what happens when you get down by that many points. But I thought that Zeke was giving us a lot in the running game, but they tried to do the thunder and lightning tandem of those two and

I didn't I didn't blame him for that. I just think that once Zeke starts to get on the roll and he has a hot end, stay with him, don't stop, you know, get keep getting him that because statistics show that once he has those carris and he gets over one hundred yards, the Cowboys typically win. And so you know, look, you said it to Isaiah that Tony Pollard had to have a good game, and for a lot of those

stretches he was getting us some chunk yards. But you know, Tony Pollard is that kind of running back where he'll go negative two, negative three and then get your seven. You know. So we just were not in the position last night to have that kind of flow be you know, the defense disrupt our flow that way, and it happened a lot to us where we were behind his third and fifteen and penalties at that just took us out

of any kind of rhythm offensively, are you right? I mean, but Zeke was getting four point three yards per carry, Yeah, four point three yards per carry. Ninety million dollar Man and you take it out of his hands. Why I wouldn't be surprised, you know, and there was a play in this I was gonna say, I wouldn't be surprised if the Cowboys show or if Ezekiel Elliott shows up on the Cowboys injury report this week with maybe like a nagging thing, something that kept him out for a

bit of for just a bit of time. It's easier to hide that kind of thing in COVID nineteen whenever you don't have as many media personnel around the field and watching every single movement, especially when they're on the road. So I wouldn't necessarily be surprised if something comes out there. But that's really kind of also just me looking for an explanation. Rob Well, I think Heck said it. I mean they tried kind of the thunder and lightning thing

they want. They've been wanting to get Tony more involved. His biggest play was the kickoff return. That was a great kickoff return off but but he only got two point eight yards of carry. And there was one play in the second half I forget which drive where he hesitated to hit the hole and I think he got hit for a loss and they brought Zeke right in. You know, so Zeke, that was one of Zeke's best just I don't know the rhythm, the way he was running. It was good. Yeah, he did, he did. And the

problem was they didn't. They weren't able to set that up with any chunk plays in the passing game. You know, I don't think they got an explosive pass play till late in the game. For a long stretch. It was Dalton Schultz for like fifteen yards, So you know, some of that was probably trying to get the ball out quick to protect the offensive line. Um, but they just

never really made him pay, you know. And um. And you know when you miss the thing when you only can settle for three field goals and you miss them all, Uh, you're you're really putting stress on your defense. And they weren't. They were not going to bail you out last night. Just the pit from heckm Harrison. I love it. Let's go ahead and take our second break. Let's take second break before we talk about whether or not Mike McCarthy is the right man for the Dallas Cowboys. I want

to ask that question. When we were turned on the other side of the break you're on Talking Cowboys, We're back in a tasty treat that's sweeping air waves and taste buds. It's new Doctor Pepper and Cream Soda. Let's take a listen, Doctor Peppett and Cream sodas he a new combone. Let's music to my ears. Okay, doctor music to my ears and mouth. New Doctor Pepper and Cream Soda. Delas just do. There's nothing as unique as our eyes, which is why SLOR pioneers ways to make lenses as

unique as you. Very Lux for super sharp vision, Essential Blue for protection, and Krizol for freedom from glare. Three cutting ex solutions in a single unique lens. So whatever your needs, insist on selor visit your local ESSEL or experts and find a perfect lens for you to see more, Do more. SLOR The Cowboys Way, where sixteen Hall of Famers and five championships shows us what success looks like.

Where Turkey is always the second best part of Thanksgiving Day, Where we are all defined by one single thing, the Star, Where we as fans know it's our job to keep the tradition going. Bank of America is proud to be the official bank of the Dallas Cowboys and to support the quest of living life The Cowboys Way Copyright twenty twenty Bank of America Corporation. Dear, it's nineteen o eight. Don't you think we should get electricity and stop using

candles to see at night? It's just electricity lights up the room fast. It's more reliable than candles blowing out, and people seem to love it nationwide. Well, cadle, God, dear, did you just run into the wall? I have a new candle, please. Historically, switching to new technology is a no brainer. Today it's AT and T five G, fast, reliable, secure, and nationwide. Switch to a T and T five G. It's not complicated. Five G requires compatible plant may not

be in your area. See at dot com slash five G for you for details. To talk in Cowboys, whether you're watching from home or cheering in the stands with Selor lendses, you'll see every exciting play. Isaiah doesn't stop talking, But we'll book an appointment at your local sel or experts and see what selor can do for you. See more. Do more, slor Man, Isaiah, do you not know what standby stands for you? Not here? I don't, I don't, I don't Let's let's not talk about that word this year. Okay,

let's not use that word this year. Okay. I mean like the they stand back, yeah, stand back, stand by? I mean I know it's closed. Stand bad. Let's not stand by, No, stand stand by the other that's go on. Oh now, I know what friends, you're going to Now, I know what that is. Oh man, I didn't do that game out of left field. Oh wow. All right, Well, we've got about eight minutes to push past that comment and continue on here on talking Cowboys. Glad you're with this.

Isaiah Stanback, Rob Phillips at Harrison, I'm Kyle Yeomans and Mike McCarthy. I was asked this this morning on the fan, and I think it's an interesting question because I think so a couple others in the media, national media. I've said so. Jimmy Johnson was the most recent to say it. But is Mike McCarthy the right man for the job for the Dallas Cowboys, because right now we're sitting at week fourteen in the NFL season, he is three and nine as a head coach. It's a losing season for

the Cowboys. The Cowboys not really in the spot right now anyways to win the division because of the recent wins from New York and from Washington, but also if you want to go all the way back to October of twenty seventeen, since Mike McCarthy defeated the Cowboys in October twenty seventeen, he is seven and twenty one as a head coach. So it hasn't been good for Mike lately. But heck, we will start with you on this one.

Do you still think Mike McCarthy's right man for the job and does he have the right staff around him as well. I may not agree with the staff, but I agree that Mike is and I just feel as though he's in a very peculiar situation when you look at what he has to deal with with the cap, the decisions that he has to make, whether he's to resign Dak, the guys that are making Bookoo money on this roster, and how to maneuver and get out of

some of that. I mean, I think he really has to look at the totality totality of this and see how he can make this roster better. He's gonna be limited. He's gonna be limited in that, especially with some of the wrong guys getting paid. But I just feel like it feel as though it's gonna be it's the job that he's gonna have to do to get that under wraps and get the talent that we need on this roster.

It's gonna be scientific job by this coach. And so if you know, if his past is any indicator of future performance, let's just hope that he's passed at seven and twenty two or whatever the record that you just said, because he's gonna need to conjure up something. Because the other teams in your division, to walk the football team and New York based off of their salary cap, they're going to be a lot better than what they are right now because they're going to have the money to

pay players. And so maybe Philadelphia is not in that situation because of where they are with Carson Wentz, but Dallas is in a real tricky situation right now. They're in a deal pickle. Yeah, it's a pickle. I don't I wish I can comment on this with a full, full head of confidence. The reason why I can't it's because I haven't been able to see practice. I haven't

been able to see how he coaches in practice. I haven't been able to see his facial expressions, reader's lips, haven't been to be able to see any of that stuff. All I can see is the decisions that he allows to happen. He allows, He's allowed bad coaching decisions this year. He's allowed bad schemes defensively, He's allowed bad offensive calls early on in the season, specifically in the first half

of the season. He's allowed bad special teams calls to get pushed through or you gonna pass him all the way to the field. So, based upon those things that I can see, I don't believe that he's the right person for this job right now. But again, I don't know how he coaches. I have been able to witness that personally, to be able to get my full scope. But based upon the things that I've seen this year, performance wise, it doesn't appear like it. There hasn't been

a culture change. Things haven't gotten better in any regard. I don't feel I think I know Roule alluded to the defense getting a little bit better there for a second, But in terms of overall overarching effort, overarching efficiency, overarching wins,

we haven't seen any of that. We haven't seen any seismic change in that nor expectation levels this season, so as of right now, based upon that information, the answers, No, Yeah, that's a good point, Like it's it's such a weird year and that it's really hard to get a feel for like the culture that he's brought in with the player because you're you're not around the players, you know, even in kind of a casual setting to talk more about stuff like that. You know, you're just on these calls.

And I mean I said this during the bye week, I think when we were all doing different shows, like I think you we're gonna have a much better idea by mid season twenty twenty one where they're at because I'm I'm willing to give I've said this over and over again. You know, it's got to be somewhat of

a mulligan here. I know that sounds probably like an excuse, but I mean the bottom line is, like, I mean, look, the offense is going to be should be miles better next year when you get some healthy guys back and run it back defensively. They've got to figure something out. Ye, whether it's scheme, it's probably it's a combination of scheme and personnel they're gonna have that change is there, and uh, you know, I don't know if if, if Mike's staff

will come back fully intact. We'll see. But I think on at least one side of the ball, I think you come back next year and you feel much better about the situation with Dak healthy and all that. Defensively, though, they've got to find a way to make more plays and just make sound plays, make make just plays that don't lose your games. If they can find a way to do that and have a better offense, they're going to be much more competitive this year, regardless of you know,

talking about fit with Mike and all that. I just think they'll have better players. So that's a start. And you mentioned earlier there is going to be personnel changes, and I agree with you in that standpoint. But with what you're saying, there is Mike Nolan still kind of on the hot seat here over the last four weeks of the season. If this defense doesn't see some kind

of improvement, I don't know that. I mean, I know Mike has been very you know, defensive, but been a staunch defender of his all year long that you know, they've I think they feel pretty good about what they've done scheme wise and when and trying to tail things back when they feel like it was I think two weeks in they said we scaled back, you know, But I think ultimately when you have to look at it

and say it's it's never just one thing. I mean, what is causing players not to succeed in what you're trying to ask them to do? I mean, that's the coach's job. So they've they've got to evaluate that heavily in the offseason. Figure out what's you know, beyond personnel. Why can't we because you know, I mean there's defenses out there that I mean, I'm thinking back to Bill Parcel's first year that I covered in two thousand and three.

It wasn't like a super talented team, but they just kind of did their job in one games ugly, and I think that's kind of what we thought this team could do without Dak at least some games, and they just haven't. They haven't played winning football nearly enough. Sorry, are you? Are you staying with your coaching staff? Rob

or No? Well, I mean I don't, I don't. I don't know that it's certain that they're gonna make like coordinator changes because I just think he's he hasn't sounded like some guy that's really questioning the scheme side of it. But I think they have to look at that and say, you know, what's causing guys not to have success because they do have some talent on that side of the ball, especially up front. They've got guys who can make plays. Isaia,

are you you can make every now? I already said what I already said based upon what I see right now and McCarthy and he's allowed I don't believe that he's the right guy right now. So that's how I'm able to see other things like I mentioned already, behind the scenes stuff practice. Um, I don't know how he facilitates practice any of those things. So I can't make a full statement, but based upon the information I have, the things that he's allowed, I'm not a believer. Em now,

I don't. Yeah, I don't know how I mean looking at let's just start from from the defensive side. I mean, uh, these these guys are teachers and this is you know, film study. Everything they're teaching this scheme and what they expect from this team from their players. In personnel and they get out there and they cannot execute it. And guys all the way up until this week seem to not know where they need to be position wise on the field. They've gone through all of the looks and

this situational awareness all the time that's being taught. But if how does that not get conveyed to the field, is what I'm seeing, And so I don't know if like, like he said, let's give him a mulligan for this season, I'm okay with that. But when you get into twenty twenty one, if we see any of these same things sought to happen, it's X name he gotta go. I mean,

it's how much how much longer is this rope? And we can blame twenty twenty, we can say all that, but at some point your fan base and everybody around is not going to accept that. Right. You cannot continue to accept that, whether it's the guys, the personnel scheme, whatever it is, it's not being conveyed and bones fossil. It's probably one guy that definitely should be looked at immediately to find that what's going on with special teams.

And I think that's something that the Cowboys will have to address this offseason or even the last four games of the year. I mean, this is evaluation time, not only for the players, but for the coaching staff who is going to be here in twenty twenty one to quote unquote run it back. That's what the decision making is going to come down to, is what we've seen so far and what we're going to see the next four weeks of the season. There was plenty of frustration

around the special teams. We're gonna hit that tomorrow. Don't worry. We're gonna talk about the three miss kicks some of the special teams they hit and misses from Bones, Fossil and that unit of the Dallas Cowboys. But that's gonna do it for us here today on Talking Cowboys. Tomorrow, we'll also preview the Cincinnati offense in the Dallas defense. Can the Cowboys not give up three hundred yards of rushing? Of course, like Isaiah said, they didn't give up three

hundred yards of rushing? How about that? We got it underneath three hundred thank goodness, oh wow, two hundred and ninety four. Frustrating week after the thirty four or seventeen loss to the Baltimore Ravens, but for Rob Phil Loops, for hack My Harrison, Isaiah stand Back and the great Chris Beam as always doing work in the back. Um Kyle Yeoman saying so long from the star in Frisco.

We'll see you tomorrow. I'm talking Cowboys. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.