Talkin' Cowboys: Questions Before Camp?

winding up here for the off season program. Three day minicamp here at the Star starting up today Tuesday through Thursday, and then the players are off and we are kind of off as a group. Definitely is a show after this week wraps up. Rob Phillips hosting for Bill Jones. He'll probably join us here pretty soon. Temporarily. Yeah, temporarily. I'll get out. He'll kick me out of the chair soon. Mickey Spagnola, Brian brought us Kike Garrison producing next door.

Good morning, gentlemen, traffic. He got stuck in traffic. It's a long way from South wake Well. There's a lot of land mines along the way. Construction. Well I heard this, how about this one for a good one? This morning on I thirty five coming south oh through Denton. Okay, it was a thirty minute backup because of rocks on the road. Sure, so when he fit, some truck just dumped the rocks that they were going landscaping with. I don't know, what do you think, Brian? Cowboys? Cowboys? Cowboys?

Time lost? There's a lot of red lights out too, there are there are? Mick, All right, let's roll. You have electricity. I'm good, I'm good on our crusity. Cowboys good good? Are you trying to derail the show or are you trying to let people know why Bill's not here? He's fine, he's fine. He'll be here in a minute. But I don't know if we'll talk football by the time he gets here. Let's get to it, all right, Final Mini Camp. We've seen nine OTAs. We've seen three, well,

we've seen three. They've had nine OTAs over three weeks, yes, three per week. What's your biggest takeaway from what they've accomplished so far? And knowing that they're not in pads and knowing that they're still in installation and all that stuff. What have you seen that you like, maybe something that you still need to see when you get to docks

near um. I think I'll stick with my answer that I've had for the last two weeks, and I think they've improved their team speed and I think it's pretty obvious offense defense guys that can do things on special teams, and I think that's a step in the in the right direction. So from an overall standpoint, not having seen anything but a helmet on, nobody's been tackled or blocked to the ground or anything. I think that's the one

thing that stood out to me. As Sanjay Law said told us last week, this is one of the wide receivers coach, one of the toughest competitions he's seen. And he's been in the league twelve years, mostly as a receiver's coach, and he said, quote, there's speed all over the place, and that's his position. But not only not just the wide receiver. Look at running back. Look how

well the tight ends run. Look at some of the new guys they added on defense, the Carrie hiders and guys that can move, and even you know what they did with the defensive backs. The guys they've added, you know, Donovan Wilson's a safety, but he runs like a corner to me, so I think the team speed overall. If once you can continue run that fast when you're getting hit or you're supposed to hit U then I think

that's a that's a great improvement. They've gone from receiver by committee to be one of the greatest groups he's ever coached. How about that? That shows you how far off they were. Yeah, I mean that's it. It shows you the addition that you know, with what they've done with like Mickey's talking about with Cooper during the season, Randall Cobb. Randall Cobb to me looks like he's been with Dak Prescott for three years now, the way they're kind of connecting. I noticed the ball with him going

down the field. You know it's it's some underneath stuff, but it's down the field. Throws too, Randall Cobb, he has that ability to get down the field and you can see him down the field. You can see him down the field. I that's that's been the most impressive

thing that I've noticed. I think the thing that takeaway that I have I think they're I think they have to be nervous and this is I don't mean to be wet blanket guy, but just my observation as as a former personnel man, I would be nervous about this. I would be nervous about all the depth and competition that I've created, but I'm not sure about my backup quarterbacks. I haven't seen one of them really take the bull

by the horns. And that's where I think when we get to Oxnard and every day and practices and meetings and games, that we will see hopefully that one of these guys emerges. I think backup quarterback is a very underrated part of your team. But just think about it again, this organization has been very fortunate last several last three years to play with a indestructible quarterback. He plays a game of physical style. He gets hit, he runs around,

he delivers, blows themselves. He's tough inside the five yard line running. But I think this one of those spots that can derail your team quickly, more quickly than anything. And I think that if there was a concern that I have going in is who is going to be

my backup quarterback? Because I don't want this to be something where I've planned and done all these wonderful things to get this roster in a good shape, but then not be able to have somebody And is it one of these guys or is it we're going to have to spend some money on a veteran guy to be a caretaker as they progressed through this season. Your point's well taken, because excuse me, can they, with their numbers and with the depth they have across the roster keep

three quarterbacks? And if they only keep two, you know they kept two in the past, going back a decade or so, when Romo was the quarterback they had, they had one backup right, correct me if I'm wrong, and

it was Kittna. They were veteran guys that they were they were comfortable with that had done it in the league, Kittena, Kyle Orton, Brandon Whedon And so would you be comfortable going with just one young guy behind Dak and I, Mick, I kind of look at it a little bit like the running back all this talk we had leading up to the draft. You know what happens if something happens to Zeke? Well, Zeke never misses a snap, but what

if something does? Yeah, you got don't you have to look at the same to the same prison as Dak even though he's never missed a snap dude injury. I don't think the problem is you've kind of boxed yourself into a corner at this point. I mean, what's out there all right? And now, having said that, there's gonna be more out there at some point with the quarterbacks that were drafted, so it's teams are gonna cut somebody

that Connor Cook got let go yesterday. I think that's a guy and I know that, yeah, that's a guy that got That's a guy that they liked it. And actually, if you look at their draft board, they had Connor Cook above Dak Prescott on their draft. They were trying to get them right. There's a list of a small list of guys leading up to the fourth round. There'll be some other guys get cut along the way. But again, you know, oh xfl XFLFL. I love that song, though,

kent that excuse me? Yeah? You know the thing about though to your point, Robert, I think that when you look at running back, it's an easier position to plug in and player and play. Sure. I think that you know, the the James Connors of the world, and people like that that have stepped in and played for a big time run. Is it the same. I'm not going to sit here and blow smoke up your rear and act like it is. That's not That's not what I'm trying to do here. I just think that you're better equipped

to you know, I feel like that. Yeah, Okay, let's let's see, Paula, let's see where. Let's see. Jackson's been the guy all the practices that we've watched. You know, Jackson has been kind of a forgotten guy. And if you talk to Jackson in the locker room, which everybody in this room has, he'll tell you. He goes, hey, this is the best I've felt. So is it? Is it the most ideal situation? Can you can you get by with having receivers and DAK and a backup running back?

I think you might be better equipped to handle that than you are having to play with a backup quarterback that you really don't know. I have more questions, This is crazy. I have more questions about the quarterback that I do the running back, just because I think I think you could plug and play well. Yeah, and there's also opportunity to play another back. You can spell seek within the offense. You can't sit Dak Prescott down. And to your point, how many Pro Bowl running backs this

year were third, fourth round or later. I think Philip Lindsay was undrafted. I mean absolutely, you can find guys in the day two or three. It's not perfect. It's not perfect, but it's the one position where you feel like you can play a guy that has no experience and make it work. You know, if you have the offensive line, if you have the receivers, if you have the quarterback to be able to move the team the way that Dak Prescott can. So do you want to see what these guys do or do you want to

bring in somebody right away? I start training camps. I'm willing to. I'm willing and I'm not gonna say rule the dice because it's not a dice role. It's just a straight evaluation. I'm gonna say, Okay, I'm gonna look at this. I'm gonna look at three. You know, they're gonna have plenty of games to play. The preseason games they got four of them. Ye, it's got some good competition they're going to play. You know, the San Francisco

defense will be better uh, playing the Rams. You know, the Rams always give their defense their rosters better, so you will see these guys compete against good defenses and to be able to evaluate from there. And I'm okay with I'm okay with the mccounts, you know, or that type of player. But to be honest with you, again,

Kaepernick's a whole nother thing. But I'm just saying that to me, I'm willing to give Mike White and Cooper Rush an opportunity in workouts to prove to me that they can be the number two guy and and be if something were to happen that I feel good enough like, Okay, this is who we're gonna go play with, and this is how we're going to win games and have that plan.

Because the last time we went through this and they brought somebody in right mid stream, right, I don't want to hear the bs about well, he wasn't here, he didn't know the system. Who was the guy? Who was the guy that they brought in midstream? Oh? Why are you staring at me? I was tried. I was trying to buy myself some time to think of his name. The guy they brought in from New England castle or two. That's a euphemism for it. The guy sucks that, you know,

he is not wrong about that. You laugh, I know, but delivery was great. No, no, no, no, but he's not wrong. I mean, you gotta want to hear that, you know, I don't want to hear well normally, Yeah, is he playing? Let me ask you that, Vicky if and I mean this in all sinceria, I'm not trying to, but do you feel like they need to bring a guy? Do you feel like they need a well McCown now even well, because if you say you're gonna bring a count in, that just tells me that you don't think

that Cooper Rush or Mike White can play. I think I think at this point, since you've rode this train this far, you got to kind of see it through a little bit more sure. And then if it's a veteran guy, you know, if you got the right guy, and obviously you're not bringing in Nick Foles, right, but you would hope. Yeah, he should be able to adapt. If he can still play right, if he can play better than these young guys, then he should be able to by There's some questions if Nick Foles could play,

Remember that week's seventeen game against Dallas good luck. Yeah it was. It was, didn't Peterson say? Get ready? Yeah, you know the thing once they get to the playoffs and if they were to make a move for a veteran quarterback back up. And let's let's also remember when he got to the playoffs that first game to score fifteen points. Yeah, it took a goal line stop basically to get him get one down because he recovered a botched fumble at the one yard line. Yeah, well this

is an aside. But they, to me it was coaching. I mean, they made him comfortable. They they implemented some zone read stuff and it got him rolling a little bit. Rams did a great job with their guy. That guy looked like if it was one more year for that guy, he might have not golf might not. But but yeah, Mickey's points, Well, man, I I just kind of I don't.

I don't want to be the wet blanket guy. But there's so many there's so many good positive things about this roster that in so many nice little battles and things that you could you could focus on. And if if the football gods smile on him through training camp and and and go through without serious problems, then you know it'll be it'll be fun to see. But if you if you ask me, what's my biggest concern just evaluation going in, that would be the one position that

I would worry about the most. Well, to Mickey's point, they did try Castle. They tried Sanchez still out there, but it didn't. It didn't leave him out there too. It didn't work, and so and it worked with Dak, and so they're trying to use this philosophy of develop behind him. They got to see if it works. As of three weeks ago, they said what we heard basically was these guys need to work. Dak needs reps. Right, let's just let them. We don't need a fourth guy

right now. Right, Well, the gods have just smiled on us too. Did you guys need showers? Back to quarterback. I put in the mail bag last week that I always thought he had a little something there, would you? Would you? And then sixteen we had him ahead of ahead of Prescott going into training camp. See that's what I'm saying, you know, if you were to mean yourself, but you know, but but showers make He made some places,

been making a couple of plays here and there. You know, he's the guys I'm saying, he's been you know, he's been on the same plan as the injured guys, as those veteran guys where he practices two times and sits out. One told me he should be good to go for day one a camp. That's the goal. See now full go. He has to feel like that, you know what, he's out of practice, squad availability. How long can you stay

on the prods? Is he done? He's done, he's he's like, he's back now he is, he's he is a he's a red shirt senior and he's what if you graduate, do you get another year? Yeah, he's a graduate transfer. He's not in the transfer portal either. But you know it's yeah, you can't. But if you needed a fourth quarterback at camp, that'd be hard to jerk him around like that, wouldn't it and send him back. You know, Kellen Moore is you're and John Kittney he's fourth and

fifth quarterbacks. But if you think about you think about here, that's never happened, right there's fourth, third, and six right there. That's a tough transition back to QB though, don't you think, well, he's the fourth guy. Yeah. I mean he again, he's out of he's out of his you know what, to do him a favor that maybe he can get on with another team or maybe make this team. Just let him. We're having Jamille Showers talk. We're and cowboys. You're in trouble.

If that's your savior, that's all. No. No, I was just saying though about a guy that that if you were, if you were honestly looking for a guy, if you said okay instead of bringing somebody in, you know, and you and you want the other two to get all the reps. That's that's how That's what I'm talking about. I'm gonna give you the rains bill. But we were discussing, No, you can you can keep no you know, did you have a flat tire? No? I had to traffic issues.

I mean, it was a stalemate on one twenty one North this morning, a stalemates. It was a parking lot there, yep, at Carlton Parkway at one twenty one. You can go check it if you'd like. Bicky how he will. It's amazing, though, how one little traffic accident can stop one lane on it destroys everybody's morning. I mean, there are so many people late for work this morning, so you leave early. I left it ways hour early. Best step ever. I

knew I could. I knew it was covering. But what you get once you get to that point, it's going to take just as long going around Cowboy? Oh god? All right, back on the road. So what about you? Huh? What was what I told you last week? Speed? Okay? Stuck out to me. What do you have? Ro? I actually don't know the question, but no, it's good, good, good. We were discussing what's what's a takeaway from from OTA's And now we get into minicamp here, which is pretty

much the same structure as we've seen, also a different name. Yeah, pretty much? What else? And for three days straight that we get to actually watch what do you need to see? Still, when they get to Oxnard and Brian said, backup quarterback based on what we've seen so far, and one more thing. I want to ask you about that and I'll answer your question. But yeah, better Mike White what he's he's the younger guy. Have you seen more from him? That's the problem? No, No, you have no, I haven't. I

haven't seen no improvement. And so I haven't seen very He looks very similar to Mike White that last year. I was hopeful that he would go out there and pitch it around and move the team. It was. To be honest, I was glad to see Jason Garrett. The last time we got to watch practice. Jason Garrett basically pulled the huddle back and said, hey, you're in charge of this. You know, you're the one that running this, You're the quarterback. Step up and be the quarter you know.

He got on him a little bit and I and I was like, thank god, you know, somebody waked this kid up, because if you watched him playing great opportunity sitting in he does. He does. And that's what worries me a little bit. That Mike White that was, you know, Western Kentucky Mike White is not the same Mike White that I'm seeing here with the Dallas Cowboys, and that that and I gave him last year. I understand that, but I'm kind of seeing some of the same things

that I saw with Mike White last year. Those are the concerns with coming out of that system in college. You know, you just really don't know for sure or what you've got and whether it's Mike White, whether it's whoever, it might be going back since since that offense came into the college football. You just don't know what you have, right for sure. You know, it is the hardest position to evaluate, and I'll stay on that track, Mickey, Okay,

my answer is maybe kind of obvious. Dak Prescott, this is to me the best stretch of OTA's now four years now with him four offseasons that I've seen him have in terms of you know, we got a question yesterday about accuracy, just his command. I get that it's not totally live, but he just seems extremely comfortable. He has been accurate at all levels of the field. We've seen him make throws deep, intermediate, short, There's just a comfort level that you see, and I wonder how much

of it is just a more stable receiving corps. That's what I wonder, you know, because I just made the list, you know, last year. I mean, these guys were vying not only to make the team, but to be top targets for him. Postez Deante Thompson, Tavon Austin, Michael Gallup, Alan Hearns. He didn't know any of these guys, Plus he had three four tight ends that really hadn't done much in the league other than Jeff Swain. It's just

a better, more experienced group. And now he's also got time on task with a Pro Bowl receiver that they got at mid season last year, not not it's been

night and day for sure. And how much do you think it helps him even and Brian when you look when he's able to study his receivers and what they're comfortable doing, Like he's got an Amari Cooper and he's got four years worth of NFL stuff on tape from him that he can actually look at him and see and how that translates even to practice and North Randall Cobb coming in here. I think it's just it increases

his confidence level with these guys. Plus he's now got a full year working with Michael Gallup and and that's my big takeaway too what I've seen, it looks like he is playing with a confidence and too, well, those guys know what they're doing, that they got a year under their belt, and you know that the receiver is going to be in a certain spot. That's what I'm played half the season last year with two tight ends who hadn't played in the National Football League. No thanks

about that, that's right, And then Rico and everybody goes silent. Yeah, I'm just saying, look at and yeah, look who you were playing last year at this time without Cooper. Yeah. Well, they just they consciously went with that receiver by committee last offseason and then the went and thinks surprised them basically around draft time. I don't know if they really thought he was gonna hang it up and then he did. Can I ask the question of the group, why do

you think they went receiver by committee? What? What do you think Do you think that there was so much confidence in Dak that Dad could make these receivers or is it like well, just like Rob said, he needs SI to be the other way. Well, at the time,

I'll just jump out. At the time, you know, you didn't know Travis Frederick was going to miss the season, right, And I think you might have felt like, all right, we got a strong offensive line, We've got Zeke, we've got pieces around him, we're gonna run the ball, we're gonna pound it, and we can somebody will emerge, you know. I think they got put in that position because of

the delay on the Dez decision. You know, because it was mid April before they made the decision to release Dez, and so your pass free agency, and so you had no other alternative at that point but to go receiver

by committee. I mean, they flirted with Sammy Watkins, you know, and and and maybe they would have made the They probably would have cut ties with Dez if they had gotten the deal done with Watkins if they wanted, you know, if they which could have been in March, and then you would have had a number one receiver basically, you know, and you wouldn't have But I get I think the bigger question is why was there the delay on the Dez decision, you know, and which which I think made

it by by making it mid April. What's out there now? You gotta go receiver by committee now, So you think that you're saying this the the lack of movement on Dez was the reason why they went by committee. I want to believe that they thought that Dak was going to be able to carry that group. That's kind of where I think that. Yeah, and then you brought up the offensive line, the running back. They didn't expect about the tide end and but it they didn't have enough

pieces in place. Okay, when we got to the season open, has end Witten both or the first couple of games name mean and don't include Beasley in there? The starting two wide receivers. Let's carry it over. We're five minutes later. I don't give you time to think. Yeah, because you can't think about it. And yeah, that's your point. That's right, that's your point. Yeah, and Bill Jones will jump back in the driver's share. Next on talking Cowboys their new apartments. Big,

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America's team. Find steps and hats in the Pro Shop or at Stetson dot com. Today, back to talking cowboys. We're talking cowboys. We were talking NBA Finals during the break, but we don't need to carry that over to talking cowboys because about hockey. This nella, Yeah, you get games

seven on Wednesday night in Boston. Cowboys and the Rangers are in Boston and they twitcher game at three o'clock on Wednesday, so that everybody I can go to the By the way, the last time the Stars won the Stanley Cup, the only time the Stars wup was twenty years ago. This week's and the Rangers were in Boston because I was in Boston that week when they did it. But we're talking Cowboys and it's mini camps and it is the first day of the mini camp to Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,

and then it's about us. Well, it's right at a six week break before the start of training camp in Oxnard, California on July twenty fifth, which is a Thursday. The Cowboys will be flying out to Oxnard, so it'll be six weeks to the day. Task a real quick question. Yeah, I'll try and make it quick. If if you knew, this six week period always makes me worried. I appreciate

the time that we can go and do things. Hold your breath exactly, if would you as covering this team, would you rather have the vacation time on the front end, for example, like a post draft, and then start the OTAs in mini camps, to where you only have like a two week break or one week break before training camp before we have to go. I wonder if the coaches would like that. Are you asking me from a personal standpoint or if I was a coach, I carry both.

If you like carry both, I just as I'm again my experience, I would I would personally rather have the break after the draft. If you told me we could start, I would take the month of May off. There you go. I'm totally on board with that because because the way it's set up now, and it's nice for us to have this time coming up but in May. But as a team, exactly, you're not starting over when you get to camp, but you're not grinding like you've been for

ten weeks's straight. And then these guys, these guys are technically on vacation obviously gonna train on their own. But are they well, I mean and someone will, Yeah, they will, someone will, but but it's not the same. It's not the same to me. I would I would rather see

the players get more of a break. I think. I think if you had them, if you gave them more of a break after the season, an extra month after the season, and then started your workouts and things like that, like Mickey set after mate, they started June first, whatever, and then take all the way of all June and then all of July two weeks before training, Yes, six weeks. Go six weeks of these OTAs or me or working

out whatever you want to do. And then when you get okay, we're going to report July twenty fifth, Okay, we'll give them off, you know, break on July sixteenth, and we've got ten days off and then boom, everybody's back. But then you don't lose that everything that you've gained. These guys are a great athlete. It's no question. I mean, you can't be a bad athlete and play in this league. I'm just saying that I think you're susceptible to injury. Taking the six weeks off and then showing up for

a camp where you go hammer down, you know. And that's where I think that's why they have to take it easy the fact at the beginning of question. Otherwise you could just transition right in, Yeah, you've done all this work to get in shape, and then you say, okay, six weeks weeks. What would you do prior to May? Nothing? What about because basically the way it is right it is right now the organized offseason stuff starts April fifteenth. It goes until basically June fifteenth, so it's a two

month period the right. So how about doing the April two weeks whatever it might be, three weeks leading up to the to May first, take May off, then do June you know, to where. But the only problem with that is then you're spending all of June getting guys in shape. Where you did it from the beginning of April, Yeah, all the way through until four start football. But with six weeks off, Now do they come back in perfect show? No, they don't. And that's why I don't think they should

have that long of a break. I wonder what the players. Oh, I'm sure they love it. I would think the play, I think the players. I think the players if you gave them more time off after the season would probably appreciate it more because what you're doing is if you got him, if you brought him in June and worked them through July, you're getting them in that mindset. Okay, we got to do this every day, every day, every day.

But I think if you gave them more time on the front end to recover, I think they would be I think they would be a lot they'd be happier about that. It's kind of like, uh, teachers out there, whatever, you know, you get in you're off in the summertime, and you basically have two months off in the summertime. Well, I'm already hearing teacher friends of mine say they're two weeks into their summer vacation and they're board. Yeah, you know, And for like players, all right, yeah, yeah, I got

six weeks day. My wife's not she she needs a break from the fourth she's goods. But for the players, all right, like you say, six weeks is a long time. So it's all that work that they put in for the last two months. I mean, you take some discipline. I'm trying to heart too, maintain that and more so smart if they're smart two weeks before they leave for training camp. They're back here working out, doing work lifting, so that when you get the training camp, it's not

like you lost everything. I'm just trying to prevent injury. Yeah, but I think it also applies to your point, Bill, even more so with the rookies, because they get the rookie camp, they come in for three weeks, four weeks. There's gone here. They keep the rookies here though. You remember that. Yeah, they get like a week. Yeah, yeah they don't yeah, fourth July and the rehab guys getting maybe a week. Yeah yeah, rehab guys, and there's a

bunch of them. Sure they're gonna be here, that's true. Yeah, I'm just it's a good thought. I'm just trying to get them. I'm trying to get the perfect camp of my team being in shape and us not missing any practice time so when we get into the season, because they give them enough breaks during training camp. Have you guys looked at the schedule, that's a day off three No, we're going to the Western Sizzler on July thirty. First,

I've already got that day playing on emails. Yes, stay by beating heart, don't, don't, don't, don't exactly starting wide receivers not named Beast. Oh, yeah, that was Thompson and Herns. Yes, and then there was a third in there that wasn't Beasley. The next week or the next two weeks, did you still get in there, Terrence Williams three, and you asked what went wrong with the committee? Yeah, the top three guys at the beginning of the season might not be

here to start this year. You know. I applaud them for for realizing that that wasn't going to work. And it took It took a team that was willing to move on from a star player that was going to do it their way, and it took a first round pick, and you had to have a lot of things go that way. But I admire them for not sitting there and saying, no, we can ride this out. We would just ride this out, it would get better, because it

wasn't didn't and what was wanting to get better. It was really interesting about it, too, make if you break it down even more, and I know we're live on the air, but those those snaps on offense the first few games they were it was a true committee, like they were pretty evenly distributed. It wasn't like it was this hard rotation of three four guys. It wasn't until Austin got hurt Um and really they got Cooper and Terence Williams got hurt. They get Cooper and then they

kind of stabilized that group. Gallup starts, he starts playing more, and I think it made dak way more comfortably. I think I think the thing with Williams, I think that the Dui thing was what got him put to pasture. That was off season, right, but then he had Yeah, but but I think it was kind of like he was having some issues and but was he really hurt? It was an r ui. Yeah, writing the influence. I'm just saying that to me that it's just it was. It was very. It was very. It was very. It

was a train wreck, it really was. It was a It was just a it was a bad miss evaluation. And I always always tell people though that if you can't evaluate your own team, then you're not ever going to be any good. And I think they evaluated their situation. Now, I think I know they evaluate with their situation. They had to do something so so so then look at

last offseason. Okay, they went through the whole month of March and free agency, and it wasn't until April thirteenth they released Dez and then where you're harping on that one today, but no, no, I'm just saying it's an anniversary or something. No, no, no. And then Witton surprised them yea. And then Terrence Williams. So there's who had had his had his deal in May. I was wrong about Terence Wam. So that was over a month long period.

They they're made own their own decision on Dez. Witton made his decision, Terrence made his choice, and you're down who were your three primary receivers over the last half decade. Right then, by the way, you get to late August, Travis Frederick learns he's going to be out probably the

entire season, winds up being out the entire season. You got a rookie left guard, and the offensive line was not the offensive line that we've come to know until probably midseason when they make the coaching change, and then they got better. So the only thing they had done a wide receiver was signed Hearns and Thompson like two weeks into and Thompson has struggled to and he's been a journeyman throughout his career anyway, and he's trying to

hook on with something. I can't remember where he is now, but he's someplace. But so didn't work. So just look at this team and this offense now compared to a year ago or after the Frederick injury or the Frederick gay and bare syndrome going into last year, I mean, how much more confidence should Deck Prescott? Yeah? Or how much more? Yeah? Like a whole lot. Yeah, they were confidence in him, but how about confidence? Does he have

confidence in the offensive coordinator? There's the other thing. Yeah, there's that's something new hummick. Yeah, but the second half of the season, he completed seventy percent of his passion did I'm not going to get off of that. Sure Cooper showed up, No, no, no question, like nine games the last eight seventy percent completion percentage of the last eight games, which adds to his confidence level going into this year. Absolutely. So. I don't think there's been this

dramatic turnaround in his ability to throw the football. I think the dramatic turnaround is who he's throwing the football too. So far looks accurate. No, yeah, I'm not taking anything away from the ball. First three years but I don't know. I think he looks he's looks so sharp in these practices. Yeah, no, he has no absolutely, but it helps that he he knows who he's thrown to. Yeah, him or Kitta, Who's who's made Who's made that? If you talk about if you had to say, wow, he looks. We know he

looks physically different. I could see that you watch him. He's a good one. Guy looked in the baseball uniform, looked like a baseball player out there at that the Dirk celebrity and he's on that point. He's one that I remember training camp last year. He told me that he had put on weight at the end of the after the previous season. He had gotten up there a good way. Sure, yeah, he had gotten back down the training camp and look like he does right now. I

mean he looked. But I'd love it when I see Dak Prescott looking like he looks right. He does look fit. I mean he does, but his and let's not also forget that he's been working with those dudes out in is it Arizona, California. The quarterback, Oh, the Tom House Goose guys and stuff like that. Yeah, got that in month of March. See I'm trying. I'm trying to think if it's if if Kitna or Dak that we've seen we've seen improvement, not only physically, but we've seen better accuracy.

When he misses, it's not the sweaty ball that goes flying and fluttering over people's heads. If he misses, it's maybe a six inches four inches, that kind of thing. They've talked a lot of footwork k Has and Dak Garrett, are you seeing that? You're seeing subtle things. You're seeing a guy that sits in the pocket and looks like he's ready to throw, not a guy that you know.

And maybe when you get like Mickey's saying, you get Travis Frederick back, you know, you get you know, you get Collins back, you get you know, a year now of Connor Williams. I mean Connor Williams to me physically looks good too. So you know, maybe with all that

upfront and maybe his confidence. But I'm wondering this little transformation, is that the contract is that the pressure is that the is that the quarterback himself is that John K. Kittna you know, you know he talked last week about the benefits of working out whatever that quarterback it is Tom tom House. What wasn't Tom House, wasn't something There was somebody else that was involved in two other guys.

Maybe it was I think House. And he talked about how they worked on techniques on how you have to have your arm slot or whatever angle when when you got a Tom Shawshaw, Yeah, you gotta throw from different arm angles. You can't always be sitting in the pocket with your arm here going here. Sometimes you're moving, you're here, he goes, And I learned about that and to how to get my feet set better when I'm not perfect in the pocket, and he thought that improved his accuracy.

It was interesting to hear him go on and on about that. Might as well give full credit to the Tomshaw Performance Enhancement Camp at ESPN wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World. There's your right and non paid advertising And isn't that where he talked about bringing the guys in there and working with it dideah. And what's what's important too, is what he they teach him. It aligns with Kidnap. It's not like it's something totally vastly

different Kidnas. Attention to detail guy, Yeah, Jim coach. There's a lot of things that he's going through with these quarterbacks. I'll tell you what. You know who he did wonders with his own son. Yeah, I kicking throw it? Did you why? I've seen him throw it? Yeah? When when when they needed another quarterback and they were running those routes with the wide receivers, He's stepping in there and throwing it. He never misses him. Nah, he's and I've

seen him out there working with him. I knew it. He's a college kid, right, yeah's eligibility is he's still playing? Where is he that good? I don't know. I'll look it up. I'll look it up. I thought it was a small school. I thought he was a small school guy too, like and then he was trying guys only eight thousand people. It's a small school FBS or whatever? What do you call the Division one Double A? Now

if DS, that's where kid Is has been. Yeah? Uh is it Jordan Kidna Colorado State Poeblo, Colorado Pueblo, Yeah, Bilad it is. It's Colorado. Pill is an investigative reporter. That's right. Don't don't sell him. Junior college, Colorado State, Pueblo. That's what it says here, I think, yeah, that's not Colorado State. I didn't say Colorado State State University. He's not the Rams. That's like Texas A and m Kingsville. That's right there. You go Texas which has produced in NFL.

How are you doing? What are you doing over there? Cowboys? But says going to Tennessee or has committed to Tennessee. Okay, well now you need high school class of twenty twenty. This Jordan just up the road, which is switched Jalen Kitten. Ja, it's a different kid. Yeah, there's a couple of kid and I knew Jordan. J Yeah, Jordan. No one of them can really throw it. When you go out there today.

The Minican you see the guy that looks like he's a he's a ball boy and he's got his hat on backwards and he's throwing strike after strike after strike. That's him, whatever his name is. And to my point about TCU, Jordan Kitt went to TCU and red shirted his first year before transferring to Cisco Junior College and then Colorado State Pueblo. Yes, so there you go, there we go. There's time for Carrett. Yet, who's the head coach there another kid. No, No, I'm kidding, all right.

So we've taken care of the wide. So did we get bills? Take on what stood out? I I just fed off a Rob Phillips and Deck Deck is the one that I've and then the otherwise. It's overall depth on the team. That's a good one. When you look at the defense and what's going on in that defensive line. We need to save some defensive problems. We come back the line back and let's do that. Let's talk defense, all right, and we come back here on talking cowboys. It can be hard to find the right reese for

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stuff and just give him the free stuff. And you know what, it comes in a very pretty black box with a signature Jack Black on it. All right, very good, so you don't even have to wrap it. It's such a pretty black watch. That was that car you behind this morning? Exactly? I think I was. I was caught in traffic caused by a mickey collision reading a spot on the highway. That's a drop from Kent. Let's go, let's go defense. You want to play some defense now? Yeah,

Brian brought us, brought it up. Where would you like to go on the Cowboys defense? As we this is sort of like it's a mini camp, even though mini camp is just now starting as you are listening to this, perhaps it is after the mini camp is over, and it's almost like it's a training camp preview too. So we're wrapping up the offseason today. Can you name any of the starters on defense that are actually out there? Two of them? Garrison is on his game, is in

season form, like we've seen with Mallie Collins. By the way, the practices that we've got to watch. Maybe it's something to do with drafting somebody in the second round. Maybe it's a contracting two good feet. Yeah, let's just get through the bags a couple of times before bones start to break. But you know, I like what I've seen with Mallie Collins. I love what I've seen with Sean Lee running around out there. Ye you know, you know what I think? Does anybody talk to Sean Lee? I

asked this question Mickey did you ask him? You know what they used to keep Sean Lee and Bubble rap like Sean Lee and I need to ask him this and maybe ask him this question. I think Sean Lee went told him and said, I need to play. Yes, I just need to play. This is my last year. I just need to play. But he's on the practice off practice schedule. But Benny camp. But but he could be where they practice him one time or no time. Did he do much in OTA's last year after liked

to camp? Yeah, I seeing him running and he was rapping camp. I don't think he did uh teamwork? Yeah, yeah, he's running with the twos. He's out there running with you know, Kyle Quero and those guys. I think, I think and I need to ask him this and maybe one of us will ask of this. But I think he went and told him. He's like, I need to practice. I mean, I just need you just need to put me out there. I don't, I mean, and and so far, so good for him, and I think that maybe will

be the plan. He'll have an off day. I'm sure the camp the veterans roll through, the Wittons, the leads, the offensive lineman, guys, all you know, do what they have to do. But I think Sean Lee just said, hey, the hell with it. You know what, I haven't played, and I haven't played in three years. Basically, I mean, I need to go, but I just need to go practice. Even with all it with his injuries, the only time he had a season ending injury was the ACL which

was in the OTA's in twenty fourteen. Okay, where where it was an offseason deal where you get hurt, okay, and he's lost for the year. Okay, um things, and the other stuff is it's you know, hamstring type stuff. You know that's There's been other injuries besides that they're

broken bones or whatever. But uh, here lately it's been more it's kind of like Adrian Beltrey with the Rangers, where you get up there pushing your mid thirties whatever, and you know he's he's wound so tight, you know, and his play and his role is probably going to be slightly different, right Sam linebacker, He's not probably gonna be asked to play fifty sixty snaps anymore unless somebody gets Unless somebody gets hurt, and then he's on the nickel, which he has been on during OTAs talk now I

do know this. Talking to Rod Marinelli, he's he's excited about having Shawn Lee on the field, so they need him on the field. So maybe maybe maybe it won't be as much. Maybe maybe we talked about maybe because it was Damien Wilson, and you say, well, we don't want really want to put Damien Wilson out there. Sean Lee's a little different animal. Yeah, yeah, Sean Lee. It's like, ah, guy, go on the field and make plays. You know. Now, it's thinking, well, maybe we don't have to play as

much of certain things. And you played at three man line. I've brought it up before. You were not wrong about it. You can keep three and one extra dB the bride Marinoy. He confirmed that, right, He confirmed it. You're absolutely right because he would confirms Wilson a lot to try to blitz, and I bet Shaun Lee's a little bit better at that. Sean Lee will be a blitzer. Jalen Smith will be

a blitzer. Position of concern of starters, of starters on defense, on defense, on defense position, I want I want to see what happens at right defensive end. If Quinn is a seventy percent guy on the field, or is he a rotation guy? And if he's a rotation guy, then who's the guy at right defensive end? Because we haven't seen Heidner hair of Tyrone Crawford not at all, not at all. And I think he was in that Wednesday group that VET guys, you know, and we've been seeing

Wednesday practices in OTAs. But we saw Wednesday last week, but we see him, didn't see him last week, but we know what he can do, right, But who's who? Who's the guy there? Though? Is it Quinn? And is Quinn the Quinn? Who do you think he is? Do you think Crawford would start at right defensive end? He would would? I think that's the game plan. Yeah, But if you get you get, you get Randy Gregory back.

I'm kicking Crawford back inside. I'd like to see my starting corners right now, and you're just not gonna see Byron Bengas, you know that's me Byron Jones point. You know, I think he said he wants to get back some time in camp. They're trying to get him to week one and what Cheeto has a hip deal right now he's dealing with. So I thought it was a hamstring Uh, Jones was the hip, right he had hips? Or yeah? So yeah, Jones is only working on the chords and

stuff though too. That's a good song. And I think they're I mean, they're hopeful for game one, yeah, but it's not a sure thing. Who is not the sure thing? Is? Is Lawrence a sure thing? Left end? I think so or Jones a sure thing? They're holdback. What we've been told is they're hopeful on both for week one. Now is it a guarantee for both? I don't know about that. I think it's more closer to Lawrence from what I've

been told. Okay, but also don't expect to see him in any preseason game, right, yeah, right, because just get him to think about it. So you're not gonna play the fourth. If you're gonna play, you're probably not the first because you probably won't be ready. Is he going to Hawaii? Is he going to Hawaii? I'm sure he is sitting on the the beach, But doesn't mean he's gonna play, you know, last year. And here's the other here's the other point. So if if you did play

him in a preseason game, how many snaps? Ten? Yeah, ten snaps gonna make the difference between him being ready for the openers. This is the age old argument with Emmett Smith and Zeke at the running back position. But he practices so hard at training camp he does. I mean, you don't need him to play as hard as he practices at training camp. That's where. And he's running pretty hard. Yeah he is, fatter fact, he was out there yesterday running. Yeah.

So I'm with you, Rob, I'm with you on the corners and Mickey, I you make a great point about the right end because right now we're seeing Anthony Brown, Jordan Lewis and C. J. Goodwin on the nickel. You are surely right about that, So you know you're not we're not seeing the full depth chart. And maybe you know as we get deeper in here, alumba, alumba, yea, Jack and so Cheeto's gonna be fine. I'm just saying I haven't seen the starting group right now. You did

early before he pulled his hamship. I haven't seen Byron Jones and I him till week one. That was my concern, was the right corner. That was my That was my I mean, how it's Byron Jones is tough. I mean they've been playing Anthony Brown in place of Byron Jones. Yes, yeah, yes, so I guess the question is, if Byron Jones is not ready to go Week one, how confident are you with the replacement Brown or Lewis. What happens is how confident are you with who goes into the slot, Because

it's gonna be Jordan Lewis. It's gonna Lewis. Yeah. They've been moving Goodwin right, Yep. Goodwin's been getting work at right corner at Rock, but that was after Cheetah went out. Yeah, Goodwin got work. But I like to see more of Jordan Lewis. But that being said, I want Byron Jones healthy, and I mean he was the best corner by far on this team last year. So they're trying to get this Michael Jackson ready. By the way, yes, said Nicol. They're put him at slot, playing him at outside. I

you know, you know the position. It's not going to change. And everybody was up in arms about it. Safety safety, Yeah, yeah, and you know what it's that's what's gonna be. I think, and and and if and if the if the if Mickey's friend Wilson makes his Donovan Wilson makes his team. It's because he put Cavon Fraser on the street. I don't see them carrying five safeties. I really don't. That's just me. I I don't know how they do that. But if I but that's the position to me that

it's not going to change. Michael Jackson's got some safety size about it. First time I saw him on fell Play street, safety looked like a safety to meet too. It was that's a long safety the defense. But I think I brought it up last week, and I can't remember if I did it after we finished, Well, what was that trail away? You just did? You? You? Y'all? Okay? With the kicker? I knew. I think he did break it up last week. He did bring it up last week. That's the one thing. Are you? You want to see

more Casey Redfern. I don't know if it's what's that headlining in the red Fern? I don't know one of my favorite childhood books. What thing I know? When practice starts, I am going to pay attention. I'm sorry, folks, if you're there, an Oxnard, I'm not going to shake your hand. I've got to go watch kickers work out now. The only I mean just you know the kid faded a little at the end. He's not a kid. He was twenty seven years old, Nicky, just throwing that dirt you're

talking about, ma Her. Yes, he's going to turn thirty November twenty first, thirty, as Adam en Atterry just keeps It's not like it's not like he's at the end of his prime. Here, here's another thing to consider this is this is George Bland. No, I didn't mean thirty as old. What did you mean? Then? I just meant I didn't think he was dirty? What was that reaction? What I do? This is the first time in his career he's been in the same place two years in

a row. Yeah, he's always hop scotch trying to find it job. Sure, so now how much does that help him that he gets a full offseason conditioning um pressure of having to make kicks, because obviously they'll get rid of you if you don't make kicks. To have a backup plane, and I'm not sure what the backup plan would be because this I think they consider Redfern he's as more of a punter than he is a place kicker. Yep. Kind of the same thing we had the same to

talk about this guy last year. So if they're that concerned, No, I didn't say they were, But if they were, don't you think they would have a kicker in here? I think they they should at least think about who they would turn to. Well, you know, there's six weeks between now and the start of training camp, and maybe there's

a kicker out there. I'll tell you one thing. Maybe that's if Steve Hoffman was here, he'd go down to the home depot and he'd have a workout at the stadium and you'd have an all pro kicker the next day. That was in which Lightbulbs debut. Yeah, hey, listen, I'm I'm looking at paynt and have you ever made a field gold in the NFL? We got like a minute left, Jason Barrett's coming up at ten thirty five. No difference between the kicker and the backup quarterback. That's because they're

just not out there all over that. That's true. I can't go down to Texico and get one. Make you we gotta leave. You can keep talking if you'd like see an OX star. Guys. The case has been about of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys football Club