The following.
He is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
Cowboys. This He's Talking Cowboys Straining live from the Dallas Cowboys World Tours at the Star in Frisco.
Straight tydown and now your hosts, Isaiah Standback, Nick Harris, John Mashoda, and Kyle Yeomans.
It's an off season addition of Talking Cowboys, presented by a Black Rifle Coffee Company, live from the Star in Frisco, Texas and the SWBC studios.
Welcome in, everybody. We've got the full crew ready to roll.
Lots to talk about here in this Dallas Cowboys offseason. Isaiah's standing back, John Machoda, Nick Harris, Chris Beam in the back. I'm Kyle Yeomans.
Gentlemen.
How are we doing today, Isaiah?
Hello?
How's it going?
Man? Good man? How are you doing? Good?
Good? John?
Everything good, Everything's great, No complaints?
Yeah, yeah, the swing of offseason.
I guess you're really getting into the mix of it now, which is tough because the super Bowl week, but yeah, you're really entrenched in the off season now, so good stuff.
We have a lot to talk about too.
I still feel like this week, you're gonna see just how much fun it was for the Chiefs and the forty nine ers and what their fan bases are getting new experience right now. And it's gonna hurt a little bit if you're Cowboys fans, if you're out there and you're still thinking back to the Packers, you're thinking it back to that wildcard loss.
It's gonna hurt a little bit.
And then that sting will go away gradually after this week, but up until this week, it won't be there.
It's gonna be there.
Pockets are heavier than they wouldn't than what they would have been had you went to Vegas, dude, for real, because those rooms are not cheap.
Yeah.
Yeah, did you try and get out there this year?
I tried to get a hotel room the day after last year Super Bowl, Okay, and the rates were already crazy.
Oh man, wasn't that wild?
Wow?
I mean it's the first time in Vegas, so it's gonna be it's insane.
Yeah.
I know people with a lot of a lot of a lot of money. I know individuals with a lot of money. They're staying at the Golden Nugget, talking flying down, flying down there private and having to stay at the Golden Nugget. I should tell you exactly no but private private jet. Yeah, Golden Nugget. But before we get too crazy, I have to have to get the shot out real quick. Okay, today's my wife's fortieth birthday. Oh make shout out to that.
She's not here. She's out of town doing some uh some nonprofit work.
But oh wow, but she's giving even on.
On her birthday, her birthday. That's really cool, pretty dope. That's all.
Y'all had a nice little get together this.
Week, and yeah, we turn up a little bit.
Yeah yeah, let your boy get a little energy drink in the system, because that's it. That's the only I could live rigging my knee, that's all.
It takes some energy drink.
That's all. I need one energy drink.
Bro, don't give me too rifle coffee. Don't give me two energy drinks. If I get three, I might be streaking through the quad in the coliseum.
I think, I think at your water. I got your birthday dinner in Seattle during the preseason. You had had two red bulls and all.
Yeah, we actually I actually kept a pretty chill that night.
We had work.
What you'd be like, if you mix a little bit of some spirits in there, spirits, spirits, you haven't really lived until you mix that red bull.
Or something else. Somebody's trying to do that to me before, and I smelled it.
Yeah, I ordered a red bull and it came back into glass and I was like, that's not just red bull.
A lot of if you go to a bar and you order just a red bull, they sometimes will actually think you're thinking, that's like a normal thing. I don't think you should be my buddy, but my body's my temple.
Good job, Thank you.
There you go.
All right, We've got plenty of news and notes to get to.
Of course, there's a lot of buzz around the defensive coordinator position interviews starting yesterday. According to Jerry Jones, nine am Central Time is when he said it got going. Nick, Do you did you hear anything based off of how those interviews went, who those interviews were with, and where the direction could be headed.
Yeah, those interviews are still ongoing.
I don't think anything conclusive is going to come out of anything until probably after tomorrow at the earliest. But yeah, interviewing candidates for replace dan Quins since the last time we talked to Dan Quinn taking the head coaching job with the Commanders. Really fascinating how that all kind of came together so quickly. And then Joe Witt Junior over the weekend following him as his defensive coordinator. So the Cowboys do lose one assistant and one potential candidate in
their defensive coordinator search. He was slated to have an interview on Monday, but he took the burden hand and went ahead and take the defensive coordinator job with the Watch Commanders.
I can't blame him for that.
And now you as far as in house candidates, you look at eight and Dirty defensive line coach. You look at Al Harris defensive backs coach. Outside candidates, you look at Mike Zimmer, you look at Ron Rivera. Those are two that are in the building this week. It wouldn't surprise me if there's a candidate or two more that they bring into interview just to kind of throw in some parody and you know, really kind of widen the
scope on this entire search. But as of right now, those are the names that are being thrown out.
I like them.
Mike Zimmer idea, I really do I want to start with that. I think bringing him in would be an interesting pairing with Mike McCarthy, the two half chemistry together. Zimmer from his head coaching days, has a history of putting together good defenses, and his defensive coordinator days has a history of putting in good defenses. But the difference for me is what he brings whenever he's running a defense, and that's physicality, size and really focusing on stopping the run.
And I think later in his later days in Minnesota that kind of bid him because they were giving up so much in the passing game. But I trust with what Dallas has personnel wise to be able to limit the passing game. I want to be able to have a coordinator that will focus on being able to stop the run and keep things in the backfield. And I think that's exactly what this team needs. I think that's what Mike Zimmer brings. But that's just my opinion. What do you think based off that?
I think those all valid points.
I think, yeah, I mean Zimmer in terms of his resume and what he's done as a defensive coach, he speaks for itself. I think his defenses have always been highly respect I think the players that play for him hold him in high regard. He's a no nonsense type of guy. That's the one aspect that worries me a little bit about him coming to Dallas is because I'm not sure how that style of coaching works with this
generation of athlete. That's literally my concern as we as it pertains to some of the some of these really good coaches and even Bill Belichick, you know, I mean Coach Belichick obviously the goat and coaching is highly regarded it and as that, but his style of coaching might be the reason why he doesn't have a job right now. Players, you know what I'm just saying, Like players, players are more sensitive to hard coaching.
Now, that's just the reality that we're in. That's across the scope.
That's not just football, that's in all you sports and all the way up to the NFL sports at times. Yeah, it's just they're just not able to for in a majority, right, majority of the athletes that we that we now are around don't receive that type of coaching will So I'm not sure how that personality would do with his locker room.
Now.
Can he change it, absolutely, But in terms of reception That's what I'm more concerned about in terms of that locker room field.
I kind of wonder though, what factors in with Mike Zimmer. And then also Bill Belichick now looks like he possibly could have a full season not to be coaching. I wonder how much of that, like Mike Zimmer not coaching, factors into that. Listening to dan Quin's press conference yesterday in Washington talking about how, you know, when he got fired in Atlanta, I gave him some time to sit back and kind of, you know, adjust some things, maybe change some things that he did before.
Gave him a little time to think perspective.
Yeah, and I could see that being the same case of Mike Zimmer because everything you said I agree with. But I also think that he has to know that too. So if he's just coming in trying to just do the same exact stuff he was doing before, he's got to know that that he's going to have to change some things. Yeah, but yeah, I agree. I agree with everything that Nick said. I the sake of the show, I wish I could disagree because it makes for a
better conversation, but I do. I do think he's the best because I think it comes down to him or round Rivera. Yeah, and I like I like the Zimmer higher. I think that that fits with Mike McCarthy where they're at.
And then in terms of the Joe Witt going over to Washington, I think that's good for everyone because here's here's the thing that I feel like is you don't want to be bringing in a new defensive coordinator and then just being like, yeah, so you're a guy, but you got to take all these assistants with you, like these all these You're gonna have to coach with these assistants like you want your if you're hiring a new DC, you want that person to be able to bring in
some of their own coaches too. So I'm not saying that Joe Witt couldn't have worked with Mike Zimmer round Rivera.
So obviously he could.
But you're gonna want that coach to bring in some people that he feels comfortable with too, that he's worked with before, that he you know, trusts that you know, have been been close to him. And so I do think it comes down to those two, and I would be leaning more towards Mike Zimmer.
So how does the assistant's positions work now on the defense side of the ball. Contractually, I remember you guys saying something about you can't leave unless they get upgraded or money's more.
Commanders can really only take one, and they took Joe at junior. The question I have, and the thing that I haven't got a ton of clarity on which y'all might be able to give a little bit more to, is let's say they want to take Al Harris. Can they give him a co defensive coordinator position and it would still work?
Probably?
Yeah, Yeah, I think that's the way it would have to work. They'd have to give him a title that would be above what he what he has right now.
Well, and that's that's if he remains under contract with the Cowboys. Let's say Mike Zimmer comes in and he wants to redo the staff completely, then those guys are free to sign elsewhere regardless. So that's how a lot of the coaching carousel works is if you bring in your guys, you bring in these candidates and then they're.
Free to go elsewhere.
But I don't see anybody, whether it's Ron Rivera, whether it's Mike Zimmer or any other coming in here and saying Al Harris, listen, thank you for your service.
Contractually, contractly, are they once you, once you make a new defensive coordinator hired, does their contracts now have the freedom to just get up and walk away or how does that work.
Now they're contracted with Team Team. Yeah, so it's a little bit confusing.
That's why. Yeah, that's why I wanted to come in.
Yeah, they can request to interview guys, but that the Cowboys can block that. Yeah, And just kind of looking at the landscape and how things have kind of moved quickly with all of the other coordinator fillings as head coaching and carousel has kind of gone through its cycle. It would be tough to be able to fill a staff with certain assistance being out of the building. So whoever that new defensive coordinator coming in, if they want to bring in guys, they better have it ready to go.
And you know, hopefully the people that would be let go are kind of done right in that instance. But you know one candidate that I heard on the on social media last week that I just have to bring up. It was from a certain account on this on this table was Rex Ryan. I'm gonna give you the chance to just speak on why before we we.
Told con Let's give some context here.
So, yeah, last week, we're sitting around and of course the dat yeah we were talking about we were we had the conversation of dan Quinn leaving, and then very quickly after.
The show was over it the news broke was dan Quinn's moving on.
Well, Isaiah, knowing that you only got these forty five minutes a week now, you had been limited in the way that.
You can you can share your opinion.
You hopped on Twitter, you put together a video and you said, this is the guy I want, says her next defense coordinator.
Stand behind that Steel, still stand behind that. The name popped up, Rex Ryan, still stand behind that.
I can't tell you how quickly Nick and I like immediately looked at each other.
And so we're like, what is Isaiah doing?
That's okay?
Actually had a did you have more than one red Bull or an energy dream?
I still stand behind that statement.
I actually have one question to add that I would love for you to incorporate your answer. What was the game that you played when you were with the Patriots and made you think the Rex Ryan was good?
Preparation?
Preparation, So like sitting in those meeting rooms with with Bill O'Brien and Tom Brady and having to watch film trying to prepare for a game against Rex. Ryan was the most difficult thing out of any team I've ever prepared for when he was coaching.
When he was coaching the Jets, hands down, regardless of personnel.
I was about to say the personnel on that Jets.
Defense was regardless of personal ski scheme.
I mean they made back to back AFC title.
Games with mar I'll just tell you from skiing, I know there's a personality and the feed and all that stuff that comes with it. I think I truly and honestly believe that he's able to connect with.
This generation of player with his personality. I truly do.
High energy guy, still discipline, allows guys to be themselves right, the feed right, whatever it is right. But he's humble enough to be at that level with them, but still demand excellence right and hard work and all that stuff. But also again, havn't been in the league and haven't been in a lot of meter rooms with a lot
of great players and seeing the preparation and coaches. I've never seen any offensive coordinator, head coach, quarterback have to prepare more for any other decordinator outside of Rex Ryan. Hands down, the stuff that he was bringing to the table, the stuff that he was doing in the games was absolutely insane and with the personnel that doubts.
Did you ever play the Patriots in your career?
Yeah, it was with the Giants, Okay.
I just can't believe that in.
A Super Bowl.
Yeah, I just can't believe that Rex Ryan would be higher than Bill Belichrack. When he was in his bag, everybody used to just talk about constantly how it was like week to week, like I can't believe, like this guy just does it way different than everybody else, Like every week.
Real stuff wasn't complicated, It wasn't like it wasn't like you know what I'm saying, Like guys were disciplined, right, and guys did their job.
Yeah right.
But Rex's stuff was just out of this world, out the box, water boy, out the green book type stuff, you know what I'm saying, Like, what the heck is a one five to five defense? Like who the heck draws this up? Like what is this personnel grouping that's out here? Like just stuff that's off the wall, And I I can appreciate that with the personnel that's on
this roster currently. Because the challenge that you have by bringing the defensive coordinator, you have to bring in a defensive coordinator that that not only has a good track record, but you have to bring in a as a coordinator who can connect with your players that are currently on
your roster because you can't turn your roster over. Along with that, you also have a challenge of bringing in a defensive coordinator who has a scheme that's similar enough to what you've already been running because the personnel that associates with that. You can't turn your roster over in one year. You don't want to have a rebuild, so you have to deal with what you have.
Now.
There's gonna be guys that come and go, but the core is still your core, right, So you can't all of a sudden come in here and think that you're about to just run a three four right, or you know, whatever it might be like. You have to go with what you have primarily on your roster. So when you look about that, you look about what type of coaches have the flexibility and the creativity to be able to do that right. Much like much like Dan Queen, came in,
it was like, all right, I'm running three safeties. We're like, what the heck is, No, nobody runs three safeties. He did, right, That's what worked for him. It was off the wall, but it worked for him, right, and they continue that through his whole tenure here.
So when I think.
About Rex, like that, not Rob but Rex, Like, that's what I think about, high energy, discipline, right off the wall, big personality in Dallas, can connect with the players and can and creative enough to have those guys around. And I know there's a lot of other stuff that goes along with him. Yeah, but I like him and I like what he brings to the table.
I love all the elements that you're giving, and I agree with you that a coordinator that will be brought in needs.
To have those elements.
But there's one missing element that has to be had that trust with your head coach. Your head coach has to trust who you're bringing in, even if it is for the year and it's the final year of Mike McCarthy's deal and you have this one year hanging over Mike McCarthy. He's not going to hire somebody he's not going to trust and Rex Ryan very much so. Since he's been out of the league, has has downgraded and
been against Mike McCarthy very vocally on TV. On his television shows on Sunday Countdown or whatever the show is that he's on, he's been very adamant about how he disagrees with Mike McCarthy and he has downgraded Mike McCarthy.
I get it sometimes and I get it. Trust me, I get it.
But I prevalence his job Isaiah at all.
No, no, no, he wants the TV job.
To create opening here.
I've been here, I've been I've been on the thirteen and three. I've been on the thirteen and three Cowboys roster where two coaches disagree but then get to where you Jason Jason Garrett and coach Phillips did not see I. There was a there was a disrespect that was going on. There was communication bears, it was obvious the team knew that there was a huge divide. So I've been in that environment before and it worked out perfectly fine. You didn't want a certain where you're at today, That's where
you know what I'm saying. But what I'm saying, but like I'm saying, like it can it can still you can still have a successful team with that to those two elements being on the east side. You guys are over there doing your thing, rover here doing our thing. Long as we have a clear line that there's not going to be any disrespect in the building and that everybody works undeath one roof, you don't have to agree.
There's a whole locker.
Room of guys that come from different backgrounds, different beliefs, different political beliefs, different cultures, different religions, all that stuff, and you come together and you make it work on the field every single thing. That's what's so amazing about football is that you don't have to see eyed eye.
Right, I don't. I don't came from where you come from. Right. I didn't grow up in Detroit, Right. I grew up right in a.
Very diverse, not not very diverse area of Seattle. Right, it was pretty much primarily black. But then when I got the college, guess what, I'm playing with Polynesians, I'm playing with Asians, I'm playing with everything. And it's like, Okay, I don't know nothing about you or where you come from. Yeah, And it's not a come out yeah absolutely right, And like I don't like, I don't speak your language. I don't you know, like I don't believe what you believe.
Like we see, we don't see eye eye on any of these things. But guess what we would line them up. We're together.
Hey, we don't see eye to eye on your take of Rex Ryan's coordinator.
We're on this show. That's what it's all about.
Perspectives. Maybe it's all different. It's awesome.
I just want to throw some numbers here.
Mike Zimmer in his twenty two years as a coordinator and head coach twenty two years, thirteen of those years, he's finished in the top half of scoring defenses in ten of those top ten Rex Ryan and five of his first six seasons as a coordinator side head coach top top ten scoring defense. Wow, did not do it
again for the next six years. So it's just like looking at the body of work that he had in those two years in Buffalo and then to finish out with the New York Jets, and you kind of factor in the issues that you had off the field too.
I get it.
It's just not I.
Get it this team specifically, I get it risk versus and I could and I would feel that, And I honestly feel the same way as we talk about a Zimmer or Rivera and coming in here trying to coach up with Michael Parsons, right, or some of these other young superstars that probably don't want to hear nothing that they got to say.
Don't like you gonna You're gonna curse me out? Like are you serious?
Like some of these guys might have that response and you might lose the locker room like like that if you come in too strong.
Isn't that an indictment on the maturity level of your players?
Absolutely, But that's what you gotta deal with. That's what you're catering to. That's what I'm saying, and that's the reality that you're living in. So if you bring in a Zimmer of Rivera those guys who were kind of hard and those type of guys, and your players don't respond, well, now what do you have?
Yeah, I feel I agree with you if this was a defense that needed to be fixed and then they were going out to get a defense court like the pieces are there. And then the other factor is that, like I said, zim or not coaching the last two years, I find it very hard to believe that he can think that he's going to come in here and start doing that like that. He isn't gonna have to kind of fit in, like he's gonna have his way of doing things, but he's gonna have to kind of fit
with what they have here. Because the key is that is it is a talented defense. So it's not like you got to like, basically what I'm saying, he's coming in after Mike Nolan. Let's say he's the higher after twenty twenty disaster. You can do a lot of crazy things, but there's a lot of pieces that are working here that I don't think he can come in and do that. And that's on Jerry Jones, Mike McCarthy, whoever's in the interview process to find out, Hey, what are you trying
to do? How can what you want to do fit with what we want? And then they have to make the best decision off that me. I believe though, just because he has been out of the game for a couple of years, that he'll be more willing to do that maybe than he would have.
And that's the hope, Like that, Yeah, that's the hope. I go to go off with what I've seen. Yeah.
No, I mean that's that's that's from all of our points, right, I mean, for sure from the crazy Riggs Ryan idea, it's it a crazy Zimmerman idea. Like I every guys that I know who played for Zimmerman is just like, yeah, he's a he's a.
Yeah.
You know what I'm saying, that's that's just what I know about him, and what I know about him, I know wouldn't work with some of the players that are currently on this roster. If he's that same guy. Now, we can hope that he's different over the last few years. You know, I'm saying, maybe he's changed and maybe he can bring a different approach, but what we've seen for majority of it of his career, I'm not sure that that personality works with what's currently on this rule.
He can make the argument that that's why Mike Raball doesn't have a driver right now.
It's a good point.
A lot of the hard and those guys just aren't connecting. I'm saying, it's just what it is.
Let's give some grades. We've got this this long list of candidates, Mike Zimmer's on there.
I don't know if I want to talk about Rex Ryan being on that we may we may do it just for fun. Yeah, yeah, all these candidates top to bottom, and both Nick and John have have released articles about these different defensive coordinator candidates. What grade would you give the higher if they up being the choice. We're gonna talk about that when we come back with more talking cowboys.
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Welcome back into Dear Doctor, the show where I answer Life's questions with an ice cold can of Doctor Pepper, Sheila, let's hear from my next caller, would.
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I say, yeah, yes, sir man, I didn't Beamer. You got something for me?
What he tried? You tried to take it up?
We did?
I did?
You tried through the alley oop.
When there was a little bit of a pause there from Beamer, I thought he was going to come busting through the door and just like lay down the Quaker Oats on the table.
That had been awesome little brown sugar and raisings in there I.
Had that the other day, did you Yeah, how'd you work out?
Challenge going?
It was good up until this past weekend. It's been fine. Outside of that, I am on track. I'm actually ahead of schedule currently. I'm talking about so we're getting in the right Red Bros.
Yeah, all right, let's talk about some grades, and these are we will do report card grades for the entire season once we know where the coordinators fall coaching Carosel that kind of settles down.
That'll be a.
Later episode here I'll talking Cowboys, but today I want to talk about what grades would you give the following defensive coordinator higher if they indeed become the higher And I'm taking these these guys' names from Nick Harris, John Machoda Nick on Dallas Cowboys dot com com, John.
On the Athletic.
I'm gonna start with Ron Rivera Riverboat Ron of course most recently head coach with the Washington Commanders.
Basically, it would be a trade Dan Quinn for Ron Rivera. Uh, what grade would you give it?
John? If you're looking at what he brings to this defense and how he would fit in and we're talking aid to F scale, like a grade scale.
No, pluses or minuses. You can do plus Monk, Yeah, I'm gonna be it.
I'll probably be the highest on Round RIVERA anybody at this table. So I'm gonna say be minus. I don't think that just because it doesn't work out as a head coach in you could make the argument the worst situation if you think about who was the owner the organization he stepped into. It's not like act like anybody's just going in there and just fixing that. Oh no, no, if you just if you just put Kyle Shannan back
in there, he would turn them in the Niners. So no, he wouldn't have So yeah, yeah, he deserves something and it's hard to get past. I have some of the similar feelings I had about Dan Quinn in the sense of I always kind of laugh at people that wanted to ding his resume for the twenty eight to three in the super Bowl because I can't get past the he got the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl and so it's the same thing like he got the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl with Ron Ree. Let's not
act like he can't coach. Okay, let's let's let's stop with that. Like it's getting a little lot of control
on social media with some of that stuff. So I don't think it would be an A. But out of the candidates i've heard, I think he's the second best choice because I have believed and I still do believe that they will go with a former head coach because they need somebody that can be the head coach of the defense, and out of the candidates that are available right now, I think he'd be the second best, so be minus.
YEA for those exact same reasons, head coaching experience, just what he's been able to do during his career, being able to kind of fall back into a coordinator role.
I'd give it a BEE.
I think it's right and there in that range kind of teetering on B plus but sitting at a B. I think he'd be good for a culture fit as well in the Dallas locker room. I'd be curious to know what the interviews kind of come out of, though, as far as where he's at in his career and what he's still trying to accomplish and does he want to be a head coach again. You know, there's a lot of questions that I think would have to be asked there. But he's sixty two years old. I mean,
there's still a lot left in his career. He's a two time AP Coach of the Year. I mean, this is a guy who's done it before, just had a rough couple of years in Washington, and that's a tough place to win. I want to give that little grace, but also understand and realize that this last year was really bad.
On the defensive side of the ball.
We granted they gave away to a really good defensive lineman in the middle of the year, but wouldn't kind of factor everything in. It Probably is a good time for him to step back as a coordinator. I think it would be an interesting hire. I wouldn't be sold day one. I think with Zimmer I would be sold earlier than I would be with Rivera. But give me training camp and I could be sold on Ron Rivera for sure.
What do you think He's a two time coach of the Year.
I get it. I'm gonna see, I'm gonna see. I'm just not excited about it.
Oh there you said, I'm going to see.
No, I'm gonna see.
There's nothing from my experience, from what I've watched on film over these past you know, four plus years working for the Boys, there's nothing that I've seen that's like, oh man, yea, this defense is tough. Outside of the personnel scheme wise, I don't see it.
I just don't.
Twenty thirteen, twenty fifteen, he won AP Coach of the Year. He's one of three coaches since two thousand to win multiple Coach of the Year wins Bill Belichick and Bruce Arians or the other two. So, I mean, you have the track record. Does he fit with this defense?
I don't know. I would probably stick with John. I probably say like A B minus. I don't think it's a C higher because I think if it's if it's a C, you're kind of just your men.
You're at a C.
But it's definitely not an A higher. And I don't think it's A high. I don't think there are any a's out there. What about Mike Zimmer, that's the next name on the list, Mike Zimmer. You guys have talked about it significantly. What graade would you give it?
Isaiah B minus B minas it's a little bit higher than a little bit higher, just because I mean, either gonna either gonna hit with his style, or you're gonna swing a miss in a major way and you're gonna get a bunch of guys that are rejected and contracts coming up, not gonna want to stick around. Yeah, So that's why I say personality is a big part of this higher as well for me. So B minus just because of his track record of defenses has been solid.
Is just this style that he brings. I'm not sure that the creativeness is, but the discipline is definitely there, So there's there's something to be said about that.
I mean, if you've talked about something that dan Quinn's defenses have lacked, it would probably be discipline. So it would fix one problem, maybe create another, but it would still be I'd give it an a minus.
I really like the Mike Zimmer idea. I like how much experience he has.
I like the trust that he and Mike McCarthy have together, the way that they know each other both from a strength standpoint and a weakness standpoint, because they've played against each.
Other so much. I like that.
I believe that's a certain extent, I honestly think that's going to be the higher I.
Would give it.
I'd give it a low AA minus just because would I rather have somebody else? Would I rather have Dan Quinn in the building. Yes, But Mike Zimmer out of the candidates that are available, that's the best candidate on the block.
Yeah, I'm throwing to B plus and for me that's the best candidate as well, and the best candidates to be plus.
So completely agree.
I don't think there is an a candidate available. It actually made me think, like, well, who is really an a candidate And.
It's not realistic? Yeah yeah, it's Vrabel maybe, but like it's not realistic.
Yeah yeah, I just I don't see anybody that would be out there that you would sit there and say, oh yeah, no, no, this is the no doubt, go get person.
So I would say B plus.
But with that being said, to Nick's earlier point, I could. I could after seeing training camp and you know, talking with players and things like that, it could end up being an a higher you know, if maybe there are some tweaks there. The thing I keep going back to is I just think that when you do something for such a long time and then there's that period of a couple of years where you don't get to do it, I find it hard to believe that you just come back and you don't do anything to change.
Also, I just.
Think that your hunger is very high, because there's probably points in your life where you're thinking, well, I might not get this opportunity again. So I think Mike Zimmer would be very hungry.
What about Mike Rabel, You guys have talked about him a little bit. I know it's not necessarily realistic higher, but what would his grade b if he ended up being the.
Choice I'm given a but it's just not gonna happen. Yeah, it's just not gonna happen. I don't I don't see Vrayebel stepping back into a coordinator role. He doesn't need to if he did not get a head coaching opportunity.
I'd be surprised if he doesn't take a year off here.
I think if he got offered, ord he take it, Yeah, would be a yeah, yeah, I mean it would be a plus, no doubt about it. Outside of Isaiah's point that if you're gonna come in here to misfite people, I'm not saying he's gonna do it.
That's not gonna work, you know.
And and and to your point, like you could lose it before you ever implement what you what you're trying to get across.
And uh.
But again, the thing with him, why I don't think.
He would be like that is because I think he would look at it as only one year, Like I'm just trying to do this for a year. There's gonna be good talent around me. I'm trying to get back into that head coaching cycle next year.
So yes, I mean the thing is, I know I'm probably thinking about this morning a lot of others.
Or maybe not.
This hire is directly tied to your ability to resign Micah.
Why do you say that.
Micah came in under dan Quinn. Dan Quinn's gone, Okay, he loves the Cowboys. I think he loves money more yep, So.
You can't you can't make he can't make any more money than he can from the Cowboys.
Absolutely, so why who could give.
Him more money?
I mean, you're way beyond it goes it goes way beyond down the field though, I'm talking about like the money Deck Prescott makes off the field.
The money you can make.
Off you can't do it anywhere.
Absolutely, I totally agree with you, very aware or something like that. So but you have to love where you work. You have to love where your work, especially as a player. Like, as a player, you gotta love waking up and going and sitting in meeting rooms with somebody every day, and that environment that you're in every day, you have to love that. From a player's perspective, just telling you, guys, and if you don't, life sucks.
Life sucks.
And you know what, I'd rather go take the check for somebody else then to sit around and deal with that every day. I'll find another way or I guess what, I'll just make my money. My money will make money. Well, I'm just I'm just telling you, Like, from the player's perspective, this hire is directly tied to whether or not the position that you're gonna put yourself in to be able
to resign Micah. If it's not an environment that's that's conducive for him to thrive and to love to show up to every day, you're gonna you're gonna take a hit, and you're I'm just telling you, you're going to take a hit. You're running the risk of not bringing him back.
And I understand what you're saying, but I'd also argue that we're seeing a change in the NFL from the NFL you played in. And one of the differences is is.
In the coaching.
And and I'm not just talking about the way that the coach is coach if I'm talking about their longevity. We've seen what Frank Wright, We've seen with Steve Wilkes. It's those days are done where you're like, oh, we got a new head coach. Oh he's gonna be here for three or four years or eleven games, or is it He's gone at the end of the year. Like so you can go sign up with somebody. I think you're getting what you what you want, and then all of a sudden it changes on you too. From what
Michael Parson wants. I find it hard to believe he's gonna find that anywhere else but Dallas.
I mean, honestly, a couple of floors above us. So these interviews going on, it's just pull up a chair for Micah, you know, since.
You gotta build it around him.
I understand where you're coming from. To a certain extent, I don't think the coordinator. I think that it's more pertinent on the coordinator higher being able to use Micah correctly rather than a piece to Micah, right, And I think I think that's probably a bigger, bigger factor you'd have to play in. I don't need a coordinator to be Micah's best friend.
No, no, no, I'm not asking for that.
But I'm saying about like the environment, like a dan Quinn environment, like you you knew what it.
Was going to be, You're going to want to show up.
I want to show up like like I want to talk to you, like I want to have like we're gonna have fun, like we're gonna be turning up on the sideline, like I want that.
To his point though, if if I understand what you're saying, but to his point, if if you're putting me in the best position to have my best year, like if my because you talk about pulling up a chair right now with Micah, if I'm sitting down with any of these dcs, one of the I mean, I think the first thing I'm asking is how you use the Micae parsons.
What you're playing for Mike absolutely, and.
So even if the meetings might not be fun and the prices are fun, if he's putting you in position to where you're getting seventeen eighteen twenty sex he'll deal with all that.
I don't disagree with you, but I just know that environment is a big part of that as well.
It will be a big part of it, and that's part of why this is.
Such a tough decision for the front office.
And maybe they are involving Micah in that process.
But I also that sound Mike McCarthy though too.
I think one of the best things Mike McCarthy's done is with the environment around here. I do think that if you I prefer off the record because you'll get you would get the more truth out of players. I believe off the record you'd get glowing reviews about playing for Mike McCarthy, especially these last three years. The way he takes care of him during the week, their practice schedule, things like that, the way he treats him, the way he schedules.
Meetings, things like that. He's very, very player friendly.
And so I think for what you're saying, I think, top down, he's going to be the one in charge of that, so that DC is not going to be able to go in there and just be no, we're doing all this, because this way you're gonna have to kind of it's gonna Mike is the head coach, so that has the factor.
In, and it does. It certainly does.
All Right, when we come back, we're gonna talk Super Bowl. We're gonna talk about a huge announcement that happened at and T Stadium this past weekend, or as some may call it, in twenty twenty six in Dallas Stadium.
We'll talk about both of.
Those when we come back with the little national storylines on Talking Cowboys right after this.
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To Talking Cowboys. Back here on Talking Cowboys.
This segment is brought to you by Invisi Line, the official smile of the Dallas Cowboys. Of course, Talking Cowboys always brought to you.
We can't get the smile, We get a smile and the smile.
Sorry, sorry, yeah.
There it is Black Rifle Coffee Company, the official copy of the Dallas Cowboys. Isaiah stand Back, John Matchoda, Nick Harris, Chris beyam in the back.
I need a RTD.
I just love how it tickles.
I love it's so funny.
Are you going to I don't know if there's one down here? You drank them all.
I think, Bamer, that's a negative Beamer probably took him out after I exploded one all over the desk here that one time.
Yeah.
I think Derek took it out after that.
Yeah.
Probably no web cream allowed in here either. From the spice challenge.
Eddy Eddie who.
All right?
Uh? Super Bowl Sunday coming up this week. It's the forty nine Ers and the Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
What is the number one thing.
You've learned from how these two teams got here that you could apply to the Dallas Cowboys?
Oh?
Why are you looking at me?
I just felt like you would have an answer that.
Size and physicality. I mean, I think that's probably the biggest thing. Consistent offensive line play, a consistent running game. I I think that's been really huge for both of these teams, especially like you've got Isaiah Pachecko, a seventh round pick, and what he's been able to do in the playoffs specifically, I mean when they need a first down ears three arts, I mean, he gets it done.
You know.
I think that's definitely something that you would look at and you would hope to be able to accomplish. But I think there's more you can learn off of the Lions if you're talking about the Cowboys specifically from a running game standpoint, because they added both of those guys during the offseason, David Montgomery and Jamier Gibbs, and they were able to bring that running game to the forefront
and did what they did. But I think mainly being able to just have size on both sides of the ball, offensive line play, that's the biggest thing for me.
And then some guy named Patrick Mahomes.
That's why it's so tough for me to even compare anything to Kansas City.
It's time.
I mean, if you want me to, oh, what's the kind of how do you get like kannas sty get lucky? I mean seriously, like he covers up so many things. Like you can disagree with me, but I don't know that Isaiah pa Checko has the season he's on right now if he played this year for the Cowboys, you know, I mean he's in the probably not. You know, you play with Mahomes. It opens a lot of things up
for a lot of people. Makes a lot of people. Look, I mean, we're watching I sincerely believe we're watching you know, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Tom Brady in their prime right now, like he is just a one off, so's whole. It's so difficult for me to compare. And Andy Reid deserves a lot of credit obviously, Like it's not like Patrick Mahomes is just going to go out there by himself. But it's so hard to compare anything and be like, well, you got to do this because this is what the
Chiefs do. Okay, well give this team Mahomes and let's see what happens. Like so I look towards San Francisco and it's a lot of stuff that Isaiah said throughout the season about you know, the physicality the defense, being able to stop the run, being able to run the football. I mean, Jerry said it at the Senior Bowl. It's the being able to stop the run and being able to run the football. And it's so basic. That's leather football helmets, you know, that's whatever you know that goes
back as long as the game has been around. So the Niners, when you look at it, it's like so obvious. They're this big, physical team. They've been in your way the last three years. For the Cowboys. The only way I see you've beaten them is getting better at stopping the run or running the football.
Yeah, trenches, Yeah, sending it all year long. Trenches matter, and that's what you've seen in the last four teams that were in the championship games. And that's what you're seeing in the super Bowl.
How you watching the game Sunday? It is a big Super Bowl event, guys.
I'm gonna sit down on the couch like normal and chill.
Why you ignored my event to our super Bowl party? So why you ignored the invite to the.
Super Bowl party?
No, I I'll be chilling, man, I'll be chilling.
Enjoy.
I got bout myself a TV this year, so I'm sitting with your go to food.
I'm not. I don't make like a big event of it. To be honest with you, I really don't.
Know smoke mac and cheese, Nope, nope.
I hate the big I only want to be around like hardcore football. I have no time for anybody that wants talking about the commercials. I would prefer to watch the game by myself over being around a big group people that are want to complain to me about Taylor Swift being shown too much.
I just want to watch.
I literally haven't thought about the game being this week. I legitly, I haven't got that way.
Do you think that is?
I don't know. I really don't know.
I went last year, I've went, I went to a few of the last few ones where I was down there kind of in the environment.
I just feel really detached from it this year, So I don't know.
It's funny I kind of feel the same way.
It may be the fallout of what happened with what happened with the Cowboys as one thing for me, because I mean, we spend all seasons. We started training camp, we start even before training teams, and you're getting into it and you're talking about possibilities, you're talking about growth, you're talking about setups, and then you have it all come crashing down over the matter of two quarters. Ultimately, is what it took to take all of that work
and throw it down. So yeah, I've watched the games. I've gone back and really searched what happened in the NFC and AFC Championship games. But as far as the excitement for an entertainment value of the Super Bowl this year, it's just not there for me. And maybe it's just a byproduct of that, and maybe I just needed a little bit.
Of a break.
I'm interested to hear other reviews are from the people that go to Las Vegas, because the way it's set up, if you've ever been to Vegas, it seems like it's like the perfect spot to host this type of event. And I would think if it got into a regular rotation of just four or five cities, it would certainly be one of those in there.
So I'm interested to.
Hear the feedback because I think up until that point, a lot of people talk a big about New Orleans being a great spot for it. I would completely agree about that, and then obviously I see La being in the mix all the time. But you know, for any of us that have been to that stadium, that stadium
is not within walking distance. That's the thing that makes those events the best, like New Orleans like like, I could see Vegas being indies like that too for the contents Why I love the Indies that the combine staying in India for at least another year. I love when it's like walkable to the stadium, to the hotels, convention center, all that stuff like that. So I bet you the only way that Vegas won't get good reviews is if it's just so overcrowded because it's a first flooding.
The flooding out there too is played a bit of an impact.
And the weather isn't like great weather.
It's I think in the fifties or whatever like that, but it's not, you know, seventies, eighties or whatever like that.
But I do think.
If you were going to the game or you were in Vegas right now, I think you probably feel a little bit different about it.
I think Dallas gets another one, Oh they will, yeah, the stadium.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Yeah, I think we'll getting their Super Bowl.
Yeah, Reunion Arena exactly.
No, and they build a new stadium out this way.
You know something we don't know, but nothing whatever, surprise me. That's five years from now. He's start breaking around. Like in prosper.
Solana Stadium up there.
Imagine what would you do with AT and T Stadium if you move to Cowboys up the Arlington.
Renegades would move play over there and they keep up grading.
Yeah, for real champs.
Jerry Jones talked about that a little bit on Sunday, which I guess can kind of segue into our talking about AT and T Stadium getting nine World Cup games. In twenty twenty six. That's gonna be a huge event. But he talked about he was asked about, do you think there's an opportunity here if you have a good run with these nine games, to have a better pitch first super Bowl next time around, And he said, yeah, we're always trying to get a Super Bowl here.
So the renovations is already starting at AT and T Stadium.
Whenever me and Guy went on Sunday, you can kind of see it already beginning on the outer work of AT and T.
And they're gonna do a lot of work to the suite levels.
As well, chairs covered and like some draping down on the field and stuff.
So yeah, and Jerry Jones said, you know, ten fifteen years after the stadium has been built, you know, we're trying to continue to make it look like the newest thing out there. So I think that's kind of the intention behind getting the World Cup in Arlington as well. We'll kind of see how that plays out, but if it goes well, then you know, that's just another you know,
charity point. I guess you could say onto AT and T Stadium being able to host a Super Bowl, And he compared having nine World Cup games to having nine Super Bowls, So it's it's gonna be big events.
He's not far off. He's really not.
I mean, when you look at the grand scheme of things and specifically what countries would be able to come and play in those games, it's gonna be a big deal. And they're gonna get an opportunity to kind of get a preface of that with the Copa America Games next summer.
But yeah, it's it's gonna to be a big deal.
Well, and it may not be nine Super Bowls, but it might be the four group stage matches that might be four NFC Championship Game calibers, and then you've got the final group stage match, which is going to decide who's going on.
To theout stage.
Be huge, honestly.
Well, the semi final will be the biggest the world.
People coming all over the world. That's the difference. That's the big difference. Like people forget people in America, forget how big soccer is internationally, and DFW is one of the best international airports.
So yeah, semi final is going to be a huge deal.
They get a semi final and I believe three other elimination games. So regardless, they're going to get some big time games.
All of those will be bigger than the Super Bowl, based off of fair revenue, based off of merchandising, both based off of exposure, viewership, all of it.
Yeah, it'll be big time.
I don't know why, but I'm so fascinated about the whole playing surface thing because I am stars and just seeing like the renderings of what it will have to be like, because the grass will have to be built up on top of a thing that will take out like the first two or three rows of AT and T Stadium, And I just find it interesting because of the fact of, like, do we get to a point in the NFL where they require every stadium to have
natural grass? I'm interested to see how. One because obviously for an NFL game you wouldn't have to build it up like that, you could have it on the playing services.
But one, I'm interested to see how the grass holds up.
And then two, is this something that could be sustainable going forward for the NFL because obviously all the players prefer to play on grass. Could that ever change in AT and T Stadium. I can't see it happening, but I'm interested in that whole thing, like, how are you going to have this natural grass here for nine games?
And then how does it hold up?
Because like for Allegiance, I'm pretty sure that when they have college games and other games, I'm pretty sure they play on turf.
So like yesterday when.
They did the media day thing there, I'm pretty sure they had the turf field in, so, like the actual Super Bowl field is outside because it has to be growing then the natural grass and then it like slides in kind of like Arizona Stadium does, where it grows it outside like that, and so sometimes that runs into problems because once you move it inside there can be condensation things like that, and then all of a sudden, if it's slippery and guys are all over the place.
If that's going to be the case, and we'll play on turf type thing, you know, but if it's going to be sustainable, it'd be fascinating to see if this whole thing works out for them, because that's that's gonna be such a big thing for people that don't really like love soccer. It's going to be like, oh my god, like this playing service is terrible. They should never have had it at this stadium. Or that stadium or whatever like that.
That's gonna be a big deal.
Yeah, grass science.
Yeah, that's how we end up on talking grass. I mean cowboys, I mean.
I don't know, they get a better expert in that field than somebody that's in this building right now, Mike McCarthy. Mike McCarthy. Yeah, if you start talking about grass with him, I mean, he can break it all down. He can tell you all different types, what kinds he prefers for, cleats, all those things like that. That's why I mean, he prefers to practice sign grass as much as possible.
So yeah, I tried to come to push the the what's what's the word I'm I'm looking for push the anyway, I try to ask Jerry Jones about how much work will go into the stadium and and his walk off after the World Cup thing, and I was like, how much work is really going to go into being able to fit fee for regulations from a widening standpoint and then putting natural grass down.
He's like, yoh, well, you know it's gonna be a hefty penny. Well, but we could pay the check.
I was like, how much work is going to go into it? He's like it's gonna be a lot of work. And I was like, all right, a year.
Right, But even be a finalist to whole host that last game, I would have I would hope that they had to have a detailed plan that was put out at the big front of whatever committee had to look at it like this is how we can make it work, because that's the thing. Like, as far as I'm concerned, because I'm not a super big soccer fan, but I'm pretty sure soccer's always played on grass, at least big
games like that, Yeah, they prefer playing grassy. And so when you see some of these venues up for it that are technically indoors, you're just kind of like, okay, well that's got to be a stretch for them to be willing to be like, oh yeah, no, no, we'll host it here inside. Like I mean, yeah, that's a big deal.
It is a big deal. We can't wait to see how it really turns out.
And really what the new ounces of this World Cup are gonna look like.
But we do know you guys think you'll go to any games?
Oh heck, yeah, I'm going to games. I've already told my wife.
I was like, we're going to bankrupt to get there, the children.
It happened.
To get all five of us there. It's done.
Yeah, it's sorry, college funds, it's over with. We will be back next Tuesday, eleven am Central Time to be or ten am Central Time to be here on Talking Cowboys, presented by Black Rifle Coffee Company for Chris be Isaiah stand back, John ma Show to Nick Harris, I'm Kyle Yeoman saying so long.
We'll see you next week on Talking Cowboys.
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