Talkin' Cowboys: Most Memorable Witten Moment?

ryder cup the video streams. We have over here a couple of plaid man, it's up a couple of team. What country do you think we are today? Olympics. We're in the Olympics. Scotland, Scotland. Yes, yeah, we got the lion wimbledonen. Right, Micky, you look like you're about to go play some golf. I wish I was. Yeah. Are you any good at golf? No? Okay, I just want to make sure the best thing I can do for

a team on one of those charity golf deal's put. No, my handicap is as high as it can be, so if they if they grade your score according to the handicap. My team gets lots of points. Obviously you're not a golfer. That's Right's right. He's a team player though. Yeah, that's a great sign name. It's good for the team. Pictures what he is, yes, yes, and a team player we all know and love. Jason Witton officially retired after fifteen

seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Of course, if you guys have read Mickey's calm about his departure, I know there was a lot of coverage over the weekend and it was a very emotional sixteen minute speech he gave at the press conference. Garrett emotional, Jerry Jones. It was as a hard few days for Cowboys nation, I assume. But he has gone now and we must move on, we must say our goodbyes. Yeah. Tony Romo shared a very special letter last night to the best player he's ever

played with. Yeah, I think that's fair. That's fair. Yeah, for sure, that's fair. It's funny you go along and he's it's with players and at one time, you know, I had where in Romo and Witt and as all guys kind of I still connected to just from a draft perspective, you know, two thousand and three and two thousand and five, and then it goes from three to two to one to none, and it just shows you how his careers, you know, I mean fifteen years a

long time. I mean we drafted Jason Witten. I mean he was a young guy, went twenty twenty one years old, and now you see him, he's now, you know, I'm going to retire and go on to Money Night Football. But good for him. I think he made the right choice. I really do. I said this the other day. I felt like that that the the decision he had to make that Monday night Football is an iconic brand, and I think the fact that he was as the opportunity to go and be a part of that, I think

is fabulous that he can do that. And so you know, hey, you know, I believe he asked Bill Parcels. Parcells told him the same thing, Hey, you gotta go on, you got to go do this. So good for him. It's gonna be a great opportunity for him. And and I'm sure that that he will enlighten football fans much like he's enlightened us over the years. When we get a

chance to visit with him. Yeah, maybe you called it the offer he could not refuse, shouldn't refuse, and he shouldn't refuse it because as Brian just said, you know that comes out around once every yeah, you know, seems

like decade. And so if you want to do it and you've put in fifteen years, uh, and you know, and I'm not sure what the Cowboys had planned this year year at tight end, but you know, when you're hitting thirty six and fifteen years in, you're going on your sixteenth, you know, chances are I mean, you're not gonna play ninety percent of the plays. You may not play eighty percent of the play. So I think it was time and I think he he sort of knew it.

But it's hard to say. And as I put it out in my column, he's never quit, right, yeah, And I'm not saying he quit, but he moved on, moved on. Uh. He didn't quit with a buck broken jaw, he didn't quit with a lacerated spleen. He didn't quit without a helmet. And for him to say, Okay, I'm I'm leaving it was a very tough thing. And you know, I've had three or four people tell me how he kind of went back and forth on this whole thing to the

point of tears that he couldn't decide. So yeah, I thought I thought though that he came to the right conclusion. I think he'll be awfully good. How he can exp lane things. I think if anybody needed an example, how Jason explained how Witton gave the presentation on his why option route, which is a very seemingly simple route, but he goes into the detail he did and knew what

everybody else was doing on the play. Sure, it's it's rather amazing, and I think he will bring that to the broadcast and hopefully he brings Jason Witten to it. Not try to be something he's not, just the way Tony Romo gave him the example. Don't think this is the cookie counter way you're supposed to be an analyst.

Just go on there and be yourself. Be yourself. If he's himself, people are gonna love him because I think a lot of people got a glimpse into maybe a different side of him during that forty five minute press conference. Just how genuine and what an earnest guy he is. He's so likable, and I think that's going to translate well.

On TV. We were ketting, I were down in Palm Beach interviewed coach Parcels a few weeks ago and we mentioned him, hey, you know, maybe Witten down the road might get into coaching, and he laughed and said that, you know, there's there's two sides to that pancake. That was one of his famous cliches. Maybe one day Whitten will be a coach. I don't know. He's only thirty six years old. He's got a lot of life in

front of him. Um. But you know, Romo found his voice doing TV last year, and I think Romo's on his way to be in the next Madden and Witten might very well do that as well. I think he's going to be great at it. Go be John Wayne, Go be John Wayne. Yeah, you don't have to worry about that. Hey, two thousand and three draft, you're forgetting about somebody who's buckled up for another season. Terence Newman

about that he's ready for it. Yeah, he was too old when we drafted him the first time, when he was twenty five. Yeah. Yeah, we took a lot degree for that one, just because But now he's two thousand and three three. Yeah, he's found a coach that really respects his game and understands his game and takes care of him in that regard, in Mike Zimmer, you know, yeah, no more. Yeah, everywhere Mike's been, Mike has brought him along, and Terrence is always come in shape and ready to go.

So yeah, it's it's yeah, you're running out of guys and that that whole uh, that whole draft. But it was incredible. I mean, Witton was I've told the story before. He was, you know, on our board as a first round grade and here you are, you getting the third round. And it was a really unusual draft because of all the tight ends that were available and people were just

picking them off one after another. And Witten. If you look at the combined career of most of those guys, Dallas Clark was a really good player for you know, for the Colts. But man, I mean his his numbers was compared to all those guys that were selected ahead of him, you couldn't add him up and have a better guy than what you had with Jason Witten. So we got very fortunate draft. Guard gods were smiling on us that day that he happened to be there when

it was our turn to pick. Do you remember the guy from UCLA that year, Mike Seidman, Okay, yeah, yeah, Parcelsa that was there was a discussion with Witton or him in the third round. Yeah remember that? Yeah, yeah, exactly. Well the discussion really, and I've said the story before is that Jerry looked up at the board and looked at Bill and says, we gotta take him, don't we.

I mean his tags there And this was really when we first started uh doing things with you know, with the way setting the board in a way to where it was done by position, by round. And you know Bill's line was always it looks like a you know, a two day old Thanksgiving turkey. You know when the board it gets picked off, everything gets picked off, and you know, the board kind of tells you where you need to go. And you know Jason went and there was that was that tag and you're going, why yeah,

let's go this that's our guy. And he he was He was everything and more. You've heard me say that he Bill had the vision, but he was everything and more as far you know as we we didn't have we we knew he was competitive, but we didn't know he was this competitive, you know, we didn't know that the passion and the you know, you saw it at Tennessee.

I mean he was a defensive lineman at Tennessee. They made a tight end out of and so, I mean he's got that defensive mentality and we didn't evaluate that correctly because he played with a lot of toughness for fifteen years. So I wonder why he lasted that low. It was it was, yeah, yeah, he did. He did. And you can go back, Yeah, if you go back and read Rick Goslin's uh, you know, from the former Dallas Morning News and now this Hall of Fame radio. Rick put out a thing. I tweeted this, if you

want to go back and read it. It talks about what people said about him during that draft. And there were position coaches that, hey, I don't see this up the field, guy, I don't see this block, or I don't see this time. There were a lot of comments

that were made about Witton that weren't very flattering. There were a lot of people that questioned his ability, they questioned his his presence on the field and all and and so yeah, I mean we had the grade we did on him but if you read the comments from a lot of those guys, a lot of those position coaches, a lot of those head coaches, a lot of those scouts,

it wasn't the most flattering. People liked L. J. Smith, who the Eagles took, Mike Seidman at Carolina, you know, Dallas Clark was a I mean there were there were there were four or five different tight Ends that people liked better than Witten, And again, a lot of the evaluation about him was very, very poor, and that drove people probably to go away from that way. I think one of the most special things that I witnessed after Witten's retirement was a lot of the outpour of support.

Of course, you know, I mentioned you guys wrote very flattering columns and articles and shared a lot of your personal stories with them. But a lot of players are not only on the team or that I've played with him, but around the league. You know, it was interesting to see Greg Olson shared that he was the first guy that recruited him out of high school, right, you know,

and you don't realize that. Yeah, of course Greg ended up going over to Miami, but it was neat to see there's a relationship with tight ends that you see across the NFL. They always respect one another. Zachert's you know, sent out a message. I believe Kyle Rudolf from the Vikings a number of guys who just are honored to even be in the same conversation of him. He's one of the true tight ends when they talk about the position.

He is a true tight end in a day and age now where we really don't play with tight ends that are in line or next to the tackle. I mean, we played with a lot of guys that are upfield players, flex players, detached players. Witton was a through throughout his career, was a guy that could play in line, he could play on the move, he could play flexed. You know, he was making plays down the field when when people

were were you know, they were they were stealing. To say, he's a throwbacks tight end in the way that they traditionally played. I think that's where the guys like the Greg Olsen's and the various tight ends around the league, the Tyler Eiferts, guys like that respect him because he did it that way. You know, those guys are like, Heck, I don't know if I could get in there and

Russell with a defensive end. Heck, I was watching today Jihad Ward, you know, and watching witten block in the in the Oakland game, you know, and he's blocking on Jihad Ward and he's he's taking care of him, and I'm thinking, Okay, how many tight ends want to block a two hundred and ninety six pound defensive end. And Jason Wittenwood, you know, that's the difference between him and a lot of guys. And I've said this before. That's

the thing. Another thing I respect about him is he adapted his game when they got to Marco Murray going and when they brought Zeke in, he wasn't the ninety six catch guy anymore. He settled into that. I mean, he was still a focal point, especially in the red zone and stuff, but you know, that complimentary blocking role.

And we're talking about a guy that's probably going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, see, and he has Parcels to thank for that, because Parcels had the picture of what he absolutely he saw Mark Bavarro, Howard Cross toward Cross those guys a guy that can block but also catch the ball. And obviously, you know, in this day and age, the tight ends all want to catch the ball. And it was almost like the Dallas Stars telling you know, madonno, hey, Hitch told him, I

want you to play defense too. I want you to take on their best guy, and he molded him in this vision that he had. And Bill did that with Witten because you know, we remember that I told the story a thousand times about him calling him a past catching tight end his rookie year when they came out for that mini camp, and he said it very sarcastically, like you know, I'm going to teach you to block, and he did and he can't. And you can't find those guys. That's why it's hard. Everybody says, how are

you going to replace Jason Witten? Well, you're not, because it's the colleges aren't producing those types of tight ends at about and they come close. Sorry, they've maybe come close with Schultz. I don't know if he can catch the ball and run routes as well, but they liked him because he can block, and maybe the other part comes around with those guys just aren't can't go down to Texico to get one. Bill. Yeah, there weren't enough stars on the Captain patch for as long as Jason

Witten was a captain. Of course, they fill those stars each year, but he had been a captain long over those and to mention that, we're talking about how you can replace him. Of course we'll get into Rob's Twitter poll if you guys have gone at talking cowboys on Twitter to vote in that. But how do you replace that type of leadership and just the soul of the team. Really, you know, if you guys have seen all or nothing,

you see the speeches he has. You see how many times he's references his tough grit that he inspires everyone around him. How do you even match that? Well, I think that there's guys in that locker room that are capable of it. And I think this is now where Dak Prescott has to step up, even though he will be a third year guy. It's really easy to sail. The quarterback has to step up. But you know defense, Sean Lee will step up and do what he has to do. But I think on offense, though, it's going

to have to come from your quarterback. He's going to have to be a different leader than what Tony Romo. Tony Romo was a leader in a way of relying on really on Jason Witten to be the leader. You know. That's and now you know quarterbacks, he needs to come in there and have the attitude of Okay, this is my team. Well I've got to do this. I've got to step up. I've got to make people accountable. I think that's where Jason Witten being a leader is one thing.

But I think that you have to make players around you accountable. And but you have to be accountable for yourself, you know. And I think that's where Prescott is capable of that. Offensively, he can't, you know, the offensive lineman have always been You're not going to get you know, Tyron Smith. Tyren Smith is a leader in his way, in a quiet way, a leader by example. I think Prescott is going to be the emotional leader, the verbal

leader at what the team needs. So they've got guys, you know, like I say, Travis Frederick can be a leader. They've got Zack Martin that can be a leader. You know, They've got guys that are capable of stepping up. But they need that quarterback on the offense especially to step up and be the leader. Yeah, Tyren Smith will speak up when needed to. But I think you're right. I think the linemen are more. They're just have so much respect in the locker room for how they go about

their business. You know, Witton did that, and he also we saw it, like you said, town all or nothing, like in the middle of that awful three game losing streak, it was him in the meeting room trying to get guys don't give in, don't give in. I don't know if they have a true vocal guy day in day out right now, but yeah, I think Dak's the natural

fit because Dak can. We've seen it with Dak. He can connect with anybody in that locker room and he's a quarterback, so he gets a natural place and you've got to earn it though, and it just does somebody don't just say, Okay, I'm the guy. I think Dak's

the most likely one. If you look at everybody that's not an offensive lineman our land Buddy's left right, and if you think about it, you know, Michael Irvin was that guy for the Cowboys over all those years, and he gets hurt and there was a gap from nineteen ninety nine till Witten kind of took over, but he didn't take over as a rookie. He didn't take over his second year. Maybe it was his third year or fourth year when he actually starts producing and people go, okay,

let's follow that guy. So it's not anybody's going to raise their hand and go okay, I'm taken over for way. Let me ask you this out of the question, hell take I'll take this one. Is that the question of a guy like Cole Beasley as a leader is that out of the question, And just as the way of maybe maybe, and it's to a point of Rob's you know, it's a point of a player that seems to get along with everybody in the locker room. And he's also been here a while. Yeah, he's been here, and maybe

maybe it's time where he and Dak. I don't think I see. I see leadership with Elliott more through play, you know, physical play than I do being outspoken and all that. But maybe Cole Beasley is a guy that you'll see see starts stepping up a little more, making more people accountable for what they're doing in the group. Because he's a guy that I've kind of noticed if you watch the the thing that it's not afraid to

say something. He's not afraid to say, hey, listen, this needs to be done differently or something needs to be and I thot Tyrone Crawford, I think that I'm just like kind of thinking about offensively more right now because I think Sean Lee will defense and Shaun Lee can't be in both meeting rooms. So if you get Tyron Crawford is a good I kind of always thought, uh, you know that that he was a guy that people

respected in that room. He played through injury. You know, he's kind of seen the highs the lows, uh you know, but Sean Lee was always going to take care of things on defensive. I think the leadership and the believe it or not is going to come from this is gonna sound funny because it's not a player. I think that Chris Rashard is going to be a leader and and hear me out on this. I think he's the one just talking to John Snyder about the type of personality in a room. I mean, he could go in

there and get those guys rallied up. John was like, man, you're gonna love this guy. The way he makes people accountable. I think that's leader ship is make people accountable. And maybe that's not always the player, but maybe a coach steps in there and says, hey, listen, well, you guys, I'm going to tell you how this needs to be done. Christoph Shard's got skins on the wall too. I mean,

he coached and raised so many young guys back there. Yeah, I mean, but that legion of boom, that's one of the best defensive secondaries we've seen in the last twenty years, right, and he helped grow that thing. So I think, yeah, that's natural respect there him coming in absolutely Well, let's take our first break here. When we come back, we will talk more Witten discussion with replacing him at tight end, and rookie Minicamp is coming up, so we'll get some

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I'm sure. Hustle huh, the hustle, the hustle, which these rookies better apps work with us a little bit here, rider, Hustle and bustle, all right, Nestle, I wish that one wasn't mentioned. I know, all right. Well, the guys are coming back into the building. Of course, Layton Vanderash Connor Williams made their way over to the Star already, but they will be officially welcomed to the Star as Dallas Cowboys, arriving probably Thursday afternoon, nothing really, probably meeting around and

then Friday and Saturday having their rookie mini camp. But it's basically now just a teaching session. It's kind of similar down yeah, it used to be where we used to beat the living daylight. They would we'd see how many guys could get sick during a practice. That was kind of a thing that we were doing there for. Yeah, but and that was without an indoor facility as well, so that was kind of one of those things. But yeah, it's it's more now about kind of getting guys acclimated

to what's going on and what happens. Just my experience of handling this, I'm really happy he went two weeks after the draft. I think that's really the right way to go. You bring these guys in the week after they mean, they have not been working out at all. Guys have done there that then their pro days, they've worked out for teams. You know, now they're getting refer a draft to get drafted, So no sense of bringing

somebody in here. We saw what you know, could happen with all the hamstrings that happened last year, and it robs some of those kids opportunities to play and to get ready for training camp, and so it hurt. So the smart thing is to kind of get them in, get them acclimated, let them lift, let them get back into some shape, and then kind of figure things out, work with them mentally. Their heads are going to be spinning as is. It's a pretty fast paced thing as

we all know. So I like the way it's the teaching aspect of it. When you have the big mini camps and stuff with all the veterans, I think that's a good opportunity to let these guys go and get some work. And they give teams the option. I mean, they could have had the mini camp last week, right, but you know it's it's smart. Let them get their

feet underneath them and look like, getch their breath. Yeah, they've been on a job interview for the last four months exactly, so you know, an OTA start up in a couple of weeks anyway, that's when it's really gonna get going. They're gonna be in there with the vets, so let them, let them acclimate. And there's another part to that too. There's no sense bringing them in for a weekend and then sending them home and then the next week you got to bring them back yea or

two weeks later for the start of OTAs. So now they can stay what May sixteenth, whatever the date is, that Monday, and they don't have to go back unless they're on quarter systems in college. So you actually save some money too. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, to give to Taylor to give. That's usually where it goes right right. Yeah, it's it's so kind of them to do that. But yes, they get to come in here. I think some of them.

It's kind of funny, you know, Um, they do get to meet some of the players that might just be around in the building. Because I remember last year and Ryan Switzer got here, the first guy you met was Colt Easily. Now, the funny thing is is when they go out and have that rookie minicamp, all of a sudden, the watching like, okay, let me see what I'm up against, right, And it's been that's been going on for years, you know, speaking of that again, this might be change a little.

I'll try and make it quick about these veteran quarterbacks around the league. You know, there's some guys that have been drafted, have been Roethlisberger. What was going on with that pick? Yeah, Ben Roethlisberger not too happy with you know,

with Mason Rudolph and drafted. He's basically saying, ah, you know, if if he asked me a question, I'll point to the playbook where when Ben Roethlisberger came in, Tommy Maddox helped him every single day that he was a rookie, you know, and he said, hey, I wouldn't be here today without Just find it funny the veteran quarterbacks that are kind of guy in Baltimore is the same way it's been. Hadn't been like that forever Montana and young didn't like you know, this isn't mean, this isn't this

isn't that movie with al Paccino. What's it any given Sunday? You know, with a veteran quarterback, you know, Cap doesn't want to help anybody whatever. You know. I think that's in more positions than just quarterback. I know that. Yeah, but it's the one that people talk about. And you know, and again a guy's trying to take your job. You know what. Listen here, Roethlisberger, you had a hell of a run. Joe Flacker, you've had a hell of a run. You know, try trying, yeah, try and have a little

you know. And here yeah, you know, and I get what you're saying because he's a Steeler for life, right and they've stood behind him through stuff. So sure this help, This helps the organization going forward. If you have this young guy, don't question. Oh I wonder a third round you could have picked a player that could have could have helped the team win. Now you know what, shut up? Yeah.

I was always actually I was always surprised about the guys that picked the quarterbacks can replace you get ready, the guys that went the other way and actually helped the newcomers out. And it's like, why are you doing that? Guys coming here to take your job, and it's like, well, it's going to make the team better. Yeah, And that was their thought process going through that. And it happens every year, and I think it goes both ways, but this is the first time I've seen it so outspoken.

Oh no, well, Ben Roethlisberg, I'm serious. Ben Roethlisberger was helped by Tommy Maddox. Tommy Maddox was not. I mean Tommy Max was a Blacksmith quarterback. He wasn't. There was anything great about Tommy Man. But what Tommy Maddox Mark Sanchez trying to help Dak you know, I mean, if you're a starting quarterback, there's no there's no Brett Farve didn't help Aaron Rodgers at all, you know, and so

why competition? I don't care. All right, Well, we're going to the phone lines of course, you guys can always call us the numbers eight eight eight eight five five two two ninety seven also on the screen over there, but we have Jack from California on the line. What's up Jack? Hey, Hey, guys doing it's from Arizona. Actually sorry, we have a battle between California. We're the better of the two states. But anyway, I didn't know that battle. It's a big one. You get all their southern California

people come over to Arizona. But my question is for um um any of us. Brian, Yeah, well exactly, Brian and Mickey especially. This was something that you guys just recently brought up, and I was just curious. You talked about the mini camps and the OTAs and things like that, and this is something that I've been noticing over the

last couple of years. And my question is, with the soft tissue problems that our players are having, is this a lack of conditioning on their part or is this an over working on our coaches and strengthening, because I've heard a lot about how we make our guys run a ton and they're always pulling up on their hammies, and we've got guys like Cheeto and Jordan Lewis and even Cold Easley last year was even hurt. And I

think Ryan Switz was even hurt. And it seems to be a very common thing, is that all these guys are coming in unconditioned or is it we're just over exerting them too much and trying to trying to bring them up too fast. I'll hang up and listen. Thank you, guys, Hammies. It had been both. Guy Brian just explained how these guys for since January February, they're they're training for the combine, they're training for personal workouts, they're not training to play football.

And then they're taking trips, you know, chicken dinners, banquets, name it so. And then you get him here and all of a sudden, oh, I gotta go play football, and I gotta cut. I'm not running just a forty yard dash and they're not ready for that. And then you overwork them. Plus you send them out there, and the trainers will tell you this to the end of the earth. So I'm gonna send these guys out there with a helmet, a jersey and shorts and let's go

play football. And we're gonna go up against each other and I'm gonna start diving for passes or I'm diving to break one up. I don't have shoulder pads on sure, and now I'm gonna hurt my shoulder. So the whole concept of that rookie mini camp, you know, and you know the media watching and think about Dez Bryant's first day. He lost his breakfast or lunch or whatever. All of a sudden it is, oh see does not in shape.

And it started right there the first day, the scrutiny, and so yeah, I just think this is the smartest way to do it. Let these guys come in, have it kind of more of a teaching session on the field, and then before they start OTAs and start doing this, they'll have two weeks. It's like that day before you started high school. The freshman would come in and kind of see where their classes war, see where the building orientation.

It's it's a little orientation for them to see, Okay, if I'm going to the room, it's over here, and get your helmet, ride and meet everybody. I don't think players have enough time off myself. Oh they don't. I don't, And this is what I would do. And if there was some way to do this. There's all this work that's put into these mini camps, OTAs and all that getting to this point where the guys are in the

best shape of the of the summer. They're in the best shape of the summer June fourteenth of June sixteenth, and then they got a month off and then they come back to camp. I totally agree with you. Yeah, I would figure out a way to a backsh it all back in. Have your mini camps two weeks before training camp, so you kind of get an idea. Okay, but you're giving your guys more time off, but you're also going in from mini camp to say a week off to let's go get on a plane and then

go to Oxnard. Yeah, if you don't want to, you're not saying that all the work leading up to June mid June is wasted. But you know, guys are off at that point for an entire month, six weeks. Yeah, and you're you know, you're working out on your own. Maybe you're working out really but yeah, yeah, you know you're trying. I'm trying. You're trying to get your last breath before everything hits the fan. And the sin, the sin of this whole thing is as well, this is

the way we always used to do it. Well, the way you always used to do it wasn't really and we can go back to I remember Patrick Creighton coming in here as a rookie free agent, seventh round pick. Seventh round. Yeah, okay, same thing, uh, and he's got planner fasciitis, and he was not gonna take himself out. This is Bill Parcels, and I gotta shoo Bill Parcels. I'm tough, right, And he for two days after he

did it. The first day he's pushing through it. He's limping, and I remember asking him, I said, what are you doing? You know? And he goes, well, I can't let Bill think I'm soft. And it's like, well, okay, now you got this foot until you go to training camp. Yeah that's that's might have got him on the team. Well maybe I know, but you know, well then we can go last year. Yeah kind of impression those guys. I would I would I would give I would give teams more time off on the front end. You need to

be the commission. That's the no. No, he needs to be on the nfl PA when they come up with these CBA job. Well, how about this though, And Mickey and you guys remember this. I mean, Mickey and I are much older than you guys, but we remember when they had two a day practices. He covered one of the most brutal practices training camps I've ever witnessed myself. I was in an NFL Europe. He was in Austin in nineteen ninety one, ninety two, that area. Yeah, and

they were, and they were. They were every day, full padded practices. Heck, we were in we were in Wichita Falls, full pridded practices every day. And today the collective bargaining actually gives the players a break with the way practices are, but they don't give them enough time off. I mean this, this seventeen weeks is a grind for these players. It's it's hard on their bodies, and we don't what do

we do. We give them a couple months off, and then all of a sudden, players start filtering back in working out, and then we're like, okay, let's let's have pursuit drill. You know. Rod Marinelli blows a whistle and everybody, all eleven guys take off running to the corner of the end zone. Trying to chase the ball and you got full on sprint. If you're if you're the one guy lagging behind, well full of the whistle, everybody go back, do it again and now you're full on sprint again.

And to me, you're like, and again I'm not talking about toughness factor at all, but you don't help the players at all with the period of time. I mean, they they were full on and like Rob says, June fourteenth, we're all like, okay, we'll see you next month. Yeah, we'll see on the playing Knox Nord. And you're like, you lose every bit of conditioning that you have. And guess what the first thing you do after he had a month off the first day of training camp, what

did they do? Conditioning test? Conditioning test? Seriously, well, let's go run seventeen one tenth? What it is? One? Go ahead? No Hamburgers. There you go. Yeah, he's up on that um. But that is one reason why Garrett, you know, it kind of eases and changed a couple of days. But to what Brian said, it is kind of a no in situation because the CBA they did cut back on the amount of work they're trying to protect the players.

They're not. But but you hear coaches around the league have said I don't and there's more injuries and they talk, maybe our guys aren't really ready to play football because there's not enough time on the field. It is a physical game. You gotta adapt to your body to that. So I don't know what you do. I'm with you, though, on pushing it back, because you lose five weeks of work and then and then you start have you sat there?

We've all done this in Oxnard. Every time a players laying on the field, we all just look at each other like, oh no, oh no, yeah, you know, I mean, as it should as your season, you know, and you're thinking, oh no, and in you're winnering, okay, then well he'll be out with a hamstring injury. And then like a guy again, like like Ryan Switzer. Ryan Switzer was very

effective throughout OTAs and mini camps. Right he gets to training camp, he runs a route that somebody grabs the back of his jersey, just stop him in a T shirt and helmet drill and what happens he yanks is hamstring and you're like, and now he's out the whole

training camp. Jordan Lewis. I mean, all these guys that you can get the practice, and we need to figure out something to give the players more time on the front end and make ots and mini camps closer to training camp, so you just transition from one end to the other. Yeah. Before we go to our next break, we're gonna hit the phone lines again. We have Paul from New Jersey on the line. Paul, you're there, Yeah, good morning. Big question, his uh Rico gathers. Do you

think he could develop into an end zone threat? Using his height? How are you I would like him to develop into a full tight end. Yeah, we saw that a little bit in preseason. The guy can go up and get the football. Yeah, he's a basketball player if it's a jump ball. I see where you're going with the call. But there's so much to playing this position. That's what Jason witness. I see what he was on

a roll. If you remember the Arizona game, the Hall of Fame game, you mean you're thinking like, all right, man, this is this you know, there's some things getting it here, and then he took that wicked hit. I think Rob, you and I might have been doing training camp live or something at that point. In time when he got hit got hit, you know, they were he was diving for the ball and Frasier catches him in the chin and they and the shoulder area. It's a whiplash bat

it's a concussion. It's it's a terrible situation. But he's out there working. I mean he I think you have to find out what you have with him. Either it's the old Fisher cut bay. You know, he's got to do more than Yeah, five plays a game. Yeah, he's gonna and like Taylor says, he's gonna have to become more of a complete guy. And and and we'll see. I mean, it's it's gonna be difficult. You know. Well now that will this team for sure carry three quarterbacks?

You know. Yeah, that's the thing about it. Okay, if you carry three quarterbacks, how many tight ends can you carry? How many running backs can you carry? How many wide Receieah, the numbers start to add up. So if you can't be Rico Gathers and be the fourth tight end, you can't be that guy. You've got to find a way

to position yourself to where you're the second or third guy. Yeah, you know, and and you know I'm not saying he's gonna be the first guy, but he's got to figure out a way to be the second or third guy and be reliable in that way. Brian just gave you his vote for the poll he did or was that

I got, I'm gonna get to We're gonna get to. Well, the hard part, the hard part is is the guy hadn't played football for whatever eight years, right since junior high, and then he comes here and now he hadn't played the last two years. Yeah, and then you didn't have any practice time last right, so where everybody thinks he's just gonna walk out there and you know, he's we'll see, and we'll see, we'll see. The OTA's always is one of those great it's like a mirage. Sometimes you're like

the OTA guy. You're like, well, this guy's got it. Yeah, he's gonna, you know, carry on to the camp. And then you get out there in the Oxnard and we all look at each other, Guy, who the hell is that? I mean, what is he doing? You know kind of a thing. Yeah, So let's hope that he can carry some things from Ota. We saw it a little bit with with Cheeto and some of the young guys. That did get to participate in the OTAs. They were able to carry some things into training camp and it actually

helped him into the season. I'm just hopeful that they don't have that sophomore slump we saw anthy Brown. You know, I know, I'm diverting another direction. He's all over the place. But nanthy Brown was a guy that we thought the sophomore year was gonna be you know, Wow, He's gonna be great starter, you know, And now it's like he

had that sophomore year. You just hope that doesn't happen with the Woozier and Lewis and those young guys Xavier Woods as well, certainly do Well, let's take our final break and when we come back, Yes, we will have Rob swrpull. So go vote now, Rob, everyone's voted, or Mackey, did you find it before we go? I forgot it and cante it. I added a second one too, if you guys want to vote U second. Yeah, your best Jason Witten moment? You can go vote for ten. Yeah,

I like it? All right, We'll be right back. Cowboys fans know that the second best of anything simply won't cut it, and your skincare should be no different. A long time locker room favorite of the players and the official men's skincare brand of the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas based Jack Black is the number one best selling men's skincare brand in the country because we make products that help guys look, smell, and feel better. Visit get Jack Black dot com slash Cowboys to get ten dollars off your

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in the pepperoni one hundred. Pretty soon it's going to be one hundred and ten percent part in beef, custom made for USTA standards with no fillers, better ingredients, better pizza, Papa John. What's ta Usta or USDA. I thought maybe we're doing something like the United States Tennis Association. Oh, by the way, we tell me a part of the body that begins with the letter T. Yeah, drop seriously, like by we went to that Mets game the other day. Yeah,

Arthur ash Tennyson are on the right. Yeah that it was great. Love to the US favorite. I've tried, and I've failed twice because I didn't have tickets before I got there and train rides easy to get there. Then I got there and the guy was going to sell me one for four hundred dollars, and I said, I didn't like to go, but can't do it. Next time. This is a great story. Yeah's it go. We'll debate that. No, it is. Next time. I went and I'm looking for

like three tickets, and I watched this guy. He was walking people in to the ticket taker and they gave him the tickets and Then the guy came back and he found them another seven people and walked him in and I'm watching and I went and listened to what he was telling them. So for twenty bucks, he had these tickets and they were going to the ticket taker who was his uncle. His uncle would take the ticket, he would not rip them, he'd he'd under the sly

hand him back to him. He would take the tickets back out. And he gets seven more people and walked him in them. I'm watched this three times and I said, if this works one more time, I'm doing it for twenty bucks. Right, walked up started giving the tickets to the uncle, and the uncle goes like this, and the guy goes, oh, no, okay, And they got caught like they didn't get caught, but he was. They were watching them, and you were in that group. No, I didn't do it.

I said, they got to do it one more time before I trusted. It didn't. It didn't work. A great story, New York. Everybody's got a scam, I swear to God, New York. You scammers. And everybody's got a guy or an uncle, right their uncle's voted in your Twitter poll today. Yeah, Mickey didn't Yeah about that. Yeah, well you're running out of time. Why's that? Because I'm doing it right now, right now. Cowboys starting tied in in twenty eighteen. Should

be not who will be? Who do you think should replace Jason Witten, Jarwin Gathers, Dalton Schultz or Jeff Swain go should be? Not? Who be? Hunt? When they When was the last time they drafted a tight end within the first four rounds? It's been a moment like three times in the second round. Yeah, you guys want another question, Guys, I was just gonna say, I don't know. I'm curious to see how this Dalton Schultz guy comes in and what it shows. I have a feeling that it's gonna

be Dalton Schultz. Yeah, that's what I was gonna say, because it just seems like the way they targeted him, the way that people talk about him, he seems like a natural fit. Of course, easier said than done. Yeah, And if you played at Stanford, it's like you're ready made to at least come in and contribute. I don't know if you can, you know, play Paine percent stabs, but he's got a chance to step in and play. The feeling he's going to look good in the one

on one stuff. You know, they when they when they do some when they do some drills at Oxnard where it's one on one with pads, and then he's going to figure out, you know, he's gonna probably work against, you know, some of these young safeties and give them an opportunity. He's got some craftiness to his game. So I wouldn't I would not put it past Dalton Schultz. I don't think the game's too big for him. I

think he's been in some big time. He could play that I could say, could play in line, he could play detached. He can help you as a pass blocker two when you keep him in. So I think he's gonna he's gonna fill a lot of different roles. And I wouldn't be one bit surprised if they did open and twelve percent. But they put him in line and move Jeff Swain around, you know, That's what I kind of feel like they would do. So my vote create a huge difference in the percentages there. What's your vote,

Dalton Schultz? Yeah, yeah, only eighteen percent. However, they want Rico okay, they want him thirty six percent, followed by Jeff Swaym at thirty two. So there the bigger question. Here's the bigger question, who are your top two tight ends? Because if they plan on using that some Solt personnel. Yeah, I'm seeing that's Swam and Schultz. Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Rico is going to have to beat out Jarwin. I think I don't know if they can carry four

tight ends. I really don't how mad is Jarwin at the steam right now? They hold him back, They keep take him, put him on the roster so he can't go to them. But I'll guarantee you Philly drafts a tight end, right Yeah? Does he have an NFL catch? Swam the only guy who has a catch that's left on this right. That's amazing. Jarwin will be out here at the Rooky Minicamp this week like nine proved any

games that'd be big. Um, It's it's amazing now the experienced level at this position, I mean you just it's not that you take Jason Witten for granted, but you take him away from this depth chart and Hannah retires and it's like whoa, it's like nine catches, right, yeah, nine catches total? Yeah, was James Hannah Maddi didn't the retirement press coom runs, just like he didn't get one diddy. You know, James Hannah wasn't a bad player for these No,

he was a quietly go a bunch of business. Phil hurt a lot, yes, played hurt and injuries robbed him. He came in here's a guy that you're like thinking, oh, he's not a very good blocker, and he became. He developed as a blocker, and then all of a sudden he started Last year was one of his better years. Catching the football again watching the Oakland game, he has a nice play on a Dak hits him on a route near the sidelines, and he had a couple of games where he had you know, two or three catches.

So good for him, but it was a shame because he injuries. Yeah, he paid his dues and it looked like it was ready to take the next step and flourish. And then the knee came out just too They couldn't fix it, couldn't get it, couldn't get right in too bad. They tried, they really did. Next Twitter pall I had one more to a real quick best Jason Witton moment. Right End's welcome because he only got four options, the jaw injury only missed one game, you know three it's

the only game he ever missed. The famous helmetlet less catch, obviously, right, obviously there's a tribute to that here at the start the three yards yeah against Philly Spleen game. We're probably had no business playing in that football game. And the why option play versus Detroit that Jason Garrett reference and Romo referenced in his letter last night, simply cannot agree with that, only because Dave Hellman takes credit for bringing that up and it was not him. You know, I

know he mentioned that to you as well. But I have to go with the helmet list catch. That's the one I voted for. And I only say that as somebody who talks about iconic players in this league. There are certain players where if you bring up their name, you're going to remember a moment and you're gonna remember an image. I think for a lot of Cowboys fans,

it is the helmet list catch. And you know, Brian Jokes is one of his sayings is I played a lot of games without a football helmet, Yet Jason Witten could say that really literally did? Right? Fans agree sixty vote. Mick helmet helmet was played? He play? Yeah, I mean, today's right. You think of one moment. I think you think of that one. Look, I mean, look at the giant twenty foot mural we got down the highway. I'll tell you what. It's not maybe a moment that people

know about. But I remember him coming on the field opening day in the Giants game. Or I didn't think he was playing, got a doctor to say that, oh no, he could play. The lacerated kidney and all that. I'm thinking, there's no way he's playing this game. There is no And he runs out there on the field. I'm going, okay, yeah, all right, And you know, I mean it wasn't a

large numbers game. Another game against the Giants was won the Romo Drive where they won the game and the when the last the touchdown pass to Witton right there in the middle of the field where he pops into the you know, pops right in there. He He's had so many big, big catches. I think that's where you're gonna miss him in those those big catch games. The red zone, him and him and him and both him

and does not being in the red zone. They better figure something out how to kind of get that squared up. Will take care of that. Going to our fan vote. They would love to see it, you know. He had He had also a bunch of game winning catches. Yeah, that's just a play winning catches? Was it? Washington? I can't remember recently. A couple of years ago. It was several catch game. Yeah, yeah, over time with Dak, over

time with Dad. Yeah, against Philly, right, but the Giant the Romo drive because they just kept feeding the ball, feeding in the ball fee and then finally Romo just and I'm not mistaken, didn't Romo drop the snap? He's kind of he's kicking it around and he kind of gathers himself and there's witting in the middle of the field. He just what about that one handed catch he basically had last year against San Francisco. Yes, there was a bunch, but the helmetless thing, and I remembered it, but as

I said, I better remind myself exactly what happened. So it ended up being a fifty three yard play inside the ten yard line, but it was twenty three yard catch and then a thirty yard run and my recollection was okay, and he got down by the ten and he just kind of ran out of bounds. Oh no, he didn't run out of bounces. He got tackled. Yeah, he didn't go down and sell. Somebody tackled him without a helmet on. Nice guys, Nice guys there in Philly,

brother going to let him scored. I mean they actually they're showing it right now if you watch it with Mickey's talking about getting taken down. But you know, and you're looking at Colombo there yesterday, I just passed him around the Star and we were talking about it, and you know, because we were saying, you know, we had to thank so many different people in his speech Jason Witten,

did you know? And he made sure to mention a few names and to get into certain players would have taken probably a lot longer than most people wanted because you look at some of the guys that he really had good relationships with, some of the most random players that were on this team. So you know, my question on that play was, though, and they cut it off helmet the helmet, No, who Wit and got his helmet for him? Did Romo pick it up and go okay,

here thanks, Mike ran out there and got it. He didn't have the ten year old kid that goes and gets the team to go out and get off. But you make a point. I think it's a good one about that he in fifteen years, you can affect a lot of people in the way. You know. I'm not sure that Jason Witten probably went was friends with everybody on the team, but I think everybody really respected him,

you know. I mean there's like there's teammates you don't go out to dinner with or hang out with and all that, but I think you had to respect the man. And I think that's something that you know when you when he walks away, or when as he walked away, he felt like, you know, I wouldn't really close to that guy, but you know what, I enjoyed having him as a teammate. And he'll be able to talk about that a little bit on this Monday night broadcast. You know,

the sign of his respect. I thought Rob probably saw it when we were sitting there and he was given his fourteen fifteen minute speech whatever it ended up being. The young guys on the team were sitting on like the edge of their seat, leaning forward, and they were listening to every word he said, especially dak Um. I saw jar one young guys. I didn't know where Zeke was sitting. You miss his hair trying til my story the grenade comes in. Tell me had just lobbed it

right in? I know some guys on talk radio that do that all the time. Tylor was good at it. Yeah. Anyway, they were listening, and so that showed me that they had a lot of respect for what he's done because they were they were just attentive to what he was having to say. Absolutely well, we have time for one more caller. We have Nebbie from Maryland on the line. Nebbie, how are you doing? Um, I'm doing well. Thanks for asking first all, before I get to my question. Happy

thirty five a wedding anniversary. Mom and Dad, I love you, And my question is am I crazy for believing that Xavier Wood is going to win? Uh? Uh? Our starting a job at Free Safety and and play wealth for us. Uh take care. Thanks for being patient with me and have a great week. Bye. Great questions. We've had issues with our phone line, so he's up stayed true listening. Oh, we do appreciate where we are getting phone calls for Yeah, change, big change. Yeah, absolutely way to go Ken. Yeah, I

think that Cam. I think that when we get to the OTA practices and stuff like that, I think you're gonna see Xavier Woods get the first shot at this thing, and and it's gonna be him and Jeff Heath and they have to figure out what they're gonna do with Byron joneses Byron Jones play at right cornerback? Is that you know? Is he gonna be the starter over there?

I mean, I think that's something that we have to think about because a Woozier is going to be the left corner and you know, well Will Lewis b the nickel now that uh you know, but Xavier Woods was the nickel the last uh yeah, you know, last several games since the Charger game. But to Nebbie's point, yeah, I think that they're gonna go with Woods to to start out, and if it works out, he's your guy.

If not, then they'll have to figure out something else and figure out something quickly and don't eliminate Anthony Brown. Yeah from the equation. Yeah, to move back there and play for well, I just somewhere I thought they got the season went along, Yeah, he got better towards the end, he struggled early, and I think they always worried about his flat out ketchup speed. Yeah, like he can't get beat off the line of scrimmage. Just the penalties that got him. I think he led the league or was

right up there before he got benched. They got a couple of kids that they signed as unrestricted, got an unrestricted but free drafted. Yeah, cam Kelly, go back and read his report from San Diego State, and then also to this Tyree Robinson from Oregon. Maybe a couple of guys that could be candidates for safeties. Kyle Quero who they signed from Northwestern is a big safety. I think they're gonna play him at linebacker. Just talking some people

in the buildings. So but keep an eye on cam Kelly and then also then Tyree Robinson, maybe some guys that can maybe one of these young guys it's undrafted, you know, I have a feeling that Cam Kelly, I'll check this out. I have a feeling he was on the draft board. And they've probably got several guys that were on the draft board that they went after after

the drafting ale to get that secured. So that's always great when you got guys on your draft board that you wanted to draft and then you have to get to sign him. Boy, that's a huge bonus. And they need some depth there. I mean they only have three guys on the roster now that played last year, right right, I mean Showers is there and yeah they're there, Showers. I mean that's something that there's three guys with NFL

experience and that's it. And one of them, what Cavan Frasier, only played about twenty five thirty percent of the plays, so yeah, not a lot of experience back they're accounting on him. Comedy, Well, thank you guys so much for joining us today. Great show is always with these awesome guys stories from Mick. It doesn't get better than that. Join us next week when we are back here in

the SMWBC Mortgage Studio. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. One