Talkin' Cowboys: Shutout Summary

at and T Stadium. What a great Christmas that would make for Everybosolutely, Absolutely, it would be a great Christmas. I thought you might have started off with the Dearest Mother entry, but I'm playing oh yeah, no, no, no no. There were some people on There were some people that were writing the dearest mother entries like we were able to survive the Cowboys mother. You know, some people were

pretty creative. They were. He was quick to post right after the game yesterday, but I'm not I'm not going there was Mickey. Did he make it back from Indeed? He did. Okay, so I'm expect his arrival soon. Yes, absolutely, I assume he's probably he's probably involved in some pretty serious banter with the locals. I'm waiting six weeks three, the fans waiting six weeks to go after it. We got we got, we got some dak anger. We got to get out there in the air, you know. Oh yeah,

I can I can only imagine. Yeah. So anyway, um, twenty three nothing yesterday, first time in fifteen The most amazing thing about it, that's the first time in fifteen years that the Cowboys have been shut out in the game is the fact that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick were part of that one. Yeah, back in two thousand and three. Remember that was a Sunday night game, wasn't It wasn't a Sunday night game. Pretty cold at New England and New England, Yeah, I think it may have been, Yeah,

and Cowboys just couldn't move the ball. Well, it was a part of that administration at well thousand and three. Kent and I did that documentary on that season sort of with Parcels. You know, they got shut out twice that year. Tampa Bay got him earlier in the year, didn't they. That was a team that offensively was challenged, challenged, and they made the playoffs. It went ten and six. Ourselves took that garbage that we all got together and

went to the playoffs with it. So I think of all the quarterbacks that the Cowboys went through during that era, the Parcels era, Yeah and um and nobody got shut out. Yeah, there was some there was some bad days. But but yeah, you know what that that game yesterday, I'll tell you what. You know, I know I've had I know, Robin I were kind of laughing out that. I don't know about you, Bill, but people on Twitter were kind of getting on me, like why don't you ever say anything good about the Cowboys?

Why do you always say things about the other team? And I'm kind of like, it's kind of like my job to talk about the other team. But you know, it's when you when you play against an opponent that's a really I mean, that's a good football team that's not making stuff up right there. I mean that offensive line, we talked about their ability for protection. You know, we talked about some of their young defensive players. You know

that that team. Now, the one thing that I did not realize is how well they could have run the football. That That's where I missed the boat in my evaluation. I didn't feel like that, you know, that they were going to be able to dominate up front like they were able to do in this game. You know that it was there was a lot of times where Layton vander esh and Jalen Smith and those guys were having to deal with blue shirts right on top of them.

And that's not usually something that happens to the Cowboys linebackers because the front usually does a pretty good job of keeping them clean and allowing them to run. But man, I'll tell you what that was. That was as impressive as and they got their center Kelly back, Brian Kelly, and he made a huge difference in this football game. Him and well Quenton Nelson. Those guys. We don't have to talk about those cats, even even that right tackle that they have Braden Smith. You know, man, I mean,

they did a great job Braden Smith. If they If Braden Smith wants to get a contract extension, he had to he had to use this as one of his games because he held the Marcus Lawrence and check, you know, and that's for a rookie guy to do that. It's pretty impressive. That offensive line for the Colts was was outstanding run blocking, pass blocking, and to me, the run game was the difference for me, and you brought up

Marlon Mack. They don't run it that much, but he's he came into this game averaging four point seven yards of kerries, so they can run the ball, and Uh and Jalen Smith talked about it afterwards. They just they didn't get the job done in that area, and that's what their defense starts with, that's what Marinelli preaches. And during the five game win streak which is now gone, sixty six yards on the ground allowed per game and they give up one hundred and seventy eight that's by

far a season high. And Luck wasn't sacked either. He had all day, not all day, every play, but he was pretty comfortable back there. And you talked about it during the week. They're patient and take what they get you give them. They'll nickel and dime you if they need too. And he hit a couple of big shots, but they just kind of did what they wanted, you know, And that's just surprising. We don't expect that from this Dallas defense because they have been by far the most

consistent part of this team this year. Kind of know how the Cowboys opponents felt in the two thy sixteen seasons with the domination of an offensive line. Sure, yeah, it's your team. Hello, Mickey, how are you? Good morning. I'm fine. How are you? I'm doing just fine. How was your trip to Indie outside of the three hours that you wish? Oh? Yeah, it was good. Yeah, and got home. Landed at seven oh five. Got off the plane at seven twenty five. I have to wait for

Brad Sham in front of you. Oh, we drove forever. We should have flown a little further right, landed. We had to wait a little bit. Oh really, okay, get his bags together. You know, it was a long taxi. That'll happen on a Sunday night. My friend Keller said, See, this is what happens when the Cowboys losing lose because the guy's up in the control tower. They probably lost a bet. So they made us land on the furthest runway from where we had to live. That's the problem.

That's the problem when the Cowboys aren't playing a primetime game too. When you're playing at noon on Sunday on the road, then you're getting back at seven o'clock at night. It's so busy in the airport at seven o'clock at now charter flight over the morning. Alight, So were they getting on you on the radio this morning? Why why are you late getting in here? Because they had a lot to talk about? Okay, yeah they upset? Are the

masses upset? No? I don't, I don't think so. You know, sometimes you go out and you get your ass beat. And they got beat by a better team. Yeah they have better offensive line, not better defensive line. Yes, yeah, their offensive line dominated. And I think everybody forgets who did the Cowboys have on their offensive line for three quarters? You know, this next man up sounds very great, but when it's next next man up, yeah, you know you're

getting yourself in trouble. Yea. And I thought it showed up in this game for three quarters. That's what I thought it all boiled down to. In retrospect after the game, got on the elliptical, thought it through, and it's all about it was all about the offensive lines in this game. And what and you mentioned they got Ryan Kelly back for Indianapolis. Quinton Nelson's going to be a perennial All Pro. It will be this year, in fact, as a rookie even and didn't you take a perennial All pro off

the Cowboys offensive line. You got two of them already, even Travis Frederick. Obviously we've been dealing with that all season. Then you lose the guy who's been filling in at left guard, and it's it's a sort of a shambles over there. But that doesn't mean that they couldn't have competed all the way down to the wire in that game,

even with the domination of the Colts offensive line. If they make certain plays, don't have a blocked field goal to start the game and give them a short field, and they still could have had a chance of winning the game. But the Colts, to their credit, took command of the game. No. I thought they did a great job Colts. I thought a great game plan. Defensively, flu Is called a great game for them. If you look at what he was able to do kind of create

some opportunities. They put their young linebacker Darius Leonard in some covered situations. He was able to knock a couple of passes down. You know, they were able to get a couple of timely sacks taking advantage of some guys you know, setting at different levels there. They sacked you

on a two man route by the way. The first sack of the game was a two man route and Dalton Schultz is trying to block his guy and Zeke kind of runs into his back and then it throws Dalton Scholtz off and Dak really kind of has to, you know, hast to kind of you know, maneuver around that and all. But yeah, it was it was tough. I mean, that's you know, they they missed some they missed some throws. They had a couple of guys open, and you know that that's what's going to happen. I've

learned this though. When this defense doesn't play very well, they're gonna lose. Well, that's what I've learned about this football team. Yeah, for sure. I mean this defense carries his football team. It's not the offense. Well, because the offense can still make the same mistakes that they do. They were down ten nothing at halftime. Yeah, and I went back and I just because to your point, I

thought the same thing. Cowboys offensively even during the six game winning stream at thirty nine plays in the first three series, right oh yeah. Dominated NFL research said it's the longest a team has held the ball in a first half when scored boring scoring since Green Bay in the season open or last year for over nineteen minutes, almost twenty minutes, and let and won the yardage battle.

You guys spoke about the block field goal. They had yet another goal to go situation where they can't score no points at all because they get stopped on fourth down. I think Zeke technically fumbled. They said it was a fumble, Yeah, but he got hit at the five yard line when it's it did fourth and one at the three didn't matter. They didn't get the fourth down. And then they're driving. They're they're inside the forty before the half and Dak takes a ten yard loss on a sack. Yeah, and

it knocks him out of field goal range. And so I think they had three drives in a row to start the game, ten plus plays, fifteen fourteen plays. Yeah, you get nothing out of it. And that has happened to this team this year, even during the win streak. I looked it up. During the five game winning streak, they averaged twelve first half points even in those games, and they need a little time to get going, and they didn't have that time this game because the Colts offensively.

We talked about what they did. They got a big lead and they kept it. I just never felt like they were going to stop the Colts. Right watch, they scored on six meaningful possessions were leading up to the five minute mark of the fourth quarter. They scored on five of the sixth possession. I think, I think I looked this sep with my masks right that when their first half they averaged of their drives, they averaged four and a half first downs a series. You know, think

about that. I mean, they were just they're just kind of moving along. They're blocking you, they're blocking your front, they're you know, you're trying to do some things. You're not tackling worth a damn. And some tackles missing tackles in that game. I mean, you know, you got some guys that normally tackle pretty well that missed some tackles, you know. And having said all that, they only drove for one touchdown the Colts. It's one that started the

second half. And I sat in my seat when the second half started and I said, this possession is going to decide the game, because if they don't stop them, and it's seventeen to nothing, this team's not capable of coming back. From seventeen to nothing the way they want to play offense, the first touchdown thanks to the block field goal, right, yeah, and with three seconds to go

in the half, it's still even than nothing. Right. So all this notion that they didn't come out and play they were flat, well, somebody was playing, right, because they shut them down until they gave up the field goal. And it's still only ten nothing, right, so you know they wait, wait, am I not right? They shut them down? I don't. I don't following you. What was the score touchdowns? But let's take for in. No, I'm not saying the Cowboys offense the Colts offense. Okay, they scored the touchdowns

on off the block kick. They only have to go forty four yards. But the Colts get the ball back with one fifty three to play in the first half, and they drive it from their own sixteen yard line to the Cowboy twenty five yard line to kick a field goal to make it ten nothing at the half. Okay, it's only ten nothing, it's only ten nothing, but it's still Yeah, they didn't score a touchdown on that drive, but they drove a one hundred and seventy nine yards I got you. I got you, I mean, but it's

still nothing. Every possession of the game. I wrote it down, all their possessions. Where is it. They went forty four yards in eight plays for a touchdown? Yeah, Then they went second quarter sixty three yards and eleven plays and punted. That was the only time they did not score against the Cowboys. Was that the penalty ridden? But what tribe was it when they got all the penalties? Guy, I think it was that one. Yeah, and then it was ended up being third and thirty, I think is what

happened there? Yep, yep. But they hit they hit some huge plays on you in that one. That's right, and okay, So then they go with they get the ball with two minutes left and a half. That was only their third position. They only had the ball three times, three times half. The Cowboys offense was holding the ball for so long, and they went fifty nine yards in twelve plays to kick a field goal. Then they start the third quarter, they go seventy five yards in eight plays

for a touchdown to make it seventeen nothing. Then they get the ball back later in the third quarter, they go sixty three yards in ten plays for a field goal, and then fifty six yards and twelve plays in the fourth quarter and it's twenty three to nothing. I mean, but they were were kicking field, but they're holding the foot. They held the football in the second half more than the Cowboys held the football in the first half. They had the ball for twenty one minutes in six seconds

in the second half of that game. Yeah, but my point is in the first half, when everybody says they didn't show up, nobody said it. They didn't show Oh that's what's well, we're saying that I didn't say, you said it. We're giving Colts credit for what they did. I'm saying. I'm saying that. Folks out there are saying, well, yeah, they didn't show up. They got fat and happy. Well, they were playing, they just weren't playing well enough. The Colts have won seven of the last eight games for

a reason exactly. And and if you if you drop a touchdown pass, okay, if you get a field goal blocked and give them a short field to start, it's like a turnover, right, and you're gonna and you fall behind against a team with that quality offensive line. They're gonna do to you what you like to do to other teams, and you know, we talked about it last week. Brian brought it up. We agreed. Are you a little

worried about the kicker? That kick was low? Yeah, the guy blocked it with his armpit, I'm sorry, and he didn't jump. Yeah it was I mean, he got a little penetration, but still, then you went back and looked at it. Yeah, it was between I thought it was off the right side. It was actually between Sue of Philo and then Lattisur, so it was on the left side actually, yeah, Autry came from here there right side. Yeah, it was on the Cults right side, your left side.

I thought maybe it started from that other side, from the Cowboys right, but it wasn't. It was from the left side. That's because TV didn't show to poor. We really didn't see it, and we really didn't know what was going on. And we know the ball was on the ground and all that, and they were showing like the crowd and stuff like that. It was kind of a crazy sequence there, but yeah, it was. It was Sue of Philo and between him and Latisur there on

that left side. And he never got a chance to redeem himself obviously there was they were at the twenty six late in the game. I thought they might kick the field goal fourth and twelve, But that's not the way Jason Garrett thinks. You know, you think, you go for it, you try to get a touchdown with three minutes and change left and kicking on side and keep this thing extend the game. But you know, well, at that point you're thinking, I mean, it's crazy, but you're

down twenty three nothing. I mean, you're thinking, it's a three score game. You got to do in two point conversion three times, right, And so he went for and I don't want to you know, he did go for it on fourth down five times. He did for five, but he went for it on fourth down. So yeah, So did you like the decision to go four on fourth and one after Ola Wally dropped the pass? You know,

I'm I'm I'm banking on it. That I The interesting thing that happened on that play was they got in thirteen personnel and they tried to run it away from the strength. And what happened on the play was that Marcus Hunt was playing on the left side of of Looney's shoulder on the left side, So what happened was when Looney went for the hard reach to his left. They were running everything trying to get it to go

to the left. Margus Hunt went behind him and then Connor Williams got caught like you see Collins trying to push him to get him over to get in the a gap to take Margus Hunt. But he's he's locked up on Autry and they So what happens is when Hunt swims him and then he's able to redirect, Elliot had nowhere to go. I mean, it was just a clean but it was a great move. It was a great move by Hunt, not only to show I'm in the right gap, now I'm in the left gap and

then redirect. But they just couldn't get him cut off. And you know, again you have a rookie playing right guard and you got to tackle trying to push him to get him into the into the gap, and it doesn't work. That's it. Yeah, absolutely they did. There was no way you got the NFL's leading rusher. Sure you got four fourth and one, you gotta go for it there touchdown about third down. I thought the third down call was actually pretty good. Oh yeah, and he had

he had, he got what he wanted. Out of the play because he's runner run Rico gathers across, he's gonna have he's gonna have Jarwin on the backside coming and they're gonna run a pick that. If he wanted that, they could have done that. You know. I was trying to think, did dat need to float the ball because of the defenders. But Walker was far enough to the inside where if he could kind of put it on the line. What happened olda Wally's feet got or bad.

He almost tripped on the goal. Yeah, he his feet were really bad. And it might have worked if you throw it on him that he catches it cradle wise and just falls in. But he couldn't because they were two defenders there. And well I looked at that Mickey and and and from the end zone copy the defenders Walker being one of them. They were inside enough where I thought I thought initially, I said, Okay, he's got

to float that ball. But it wasn't. It wasn't. When you watch the end zone copy of it, there's a good line of site that he could have. He could have he could have fit that thing because he had separation. He had separation on the safety odom uh, you know Odom was trying to run over and cover and he their separation there and then Walker was trying to get over to make the play, but he just couldn't get in the line of sight. I thought he could have just you know the other wing about old a Wally,

He's been a decent receip he could catch. The guy could catch. He can catch, but he couldn't make his third reception of the season. Yeah, yeah, it's a it's a unique play call because again you're taking advantage of a guy that doesn't get the football all that much, right, but the way didn't even get it. Yeah, but then we wonder why, okay, well why did they have a golden gold problems? Well, they have a cold Beasley drop.

They have an older Wally stumble. They wonder how he did in practice this week on practice and that I bet they caught that one. I bet I bet he caught it. Every time. I wonder, I wonder if it came up the pass because I thought when Dak initially did it that he wanted to run. Yeah, they stopped that right they got to the outside and it was like, okay, now I gotta throw it. It also looked like he might have lost it in the lights. No, he let me ask you this. Guys looked away before he can.

I ask you a question, Mickey and Rob, because you guys are in the stadium. Were they going away from that side of the stadium that has sunlight to it? Were they going into there's a there's an area that's open away from it. They were going away, So he was looking back into like the natural light. Yeah, well that was the window side right, Yeah, going was he going towards the big window side left? They look like the jar one play. He was looking into the sun. Yeah. See,

I was just wondering if he lost it. Sometimes in that gray when you inter that stadium, you can look there's those it's like it's like our stadium. He's got that big glass and I'm thinking, I wonder if he was looking back into and lost the ball in that area again back and look he turned his head. Yeah. Well, I'm just saying I'm just not trying to I'm not

trying to make excuses. I'm just saying there is a part of that stadium that's like at and T where it's wound and you could see and if you look back into it, it might you know, make your vision a little Yeah, I don't know. He should have thrown the ball on the line. Okay, So what about the Jarwin drop because Charles Davis on boll I thought he I thought Jarwin's gonna pull that one down. But but to me it was that's tough. That's the one that was on fourth down that they third down, third down.

I'm sorry that third down he threw it up and then defender or hit him after. Yeah, the ball was in his hands. He couldn't bring it down. Yeah, yeah, couldn't bring it down. Made a hell of a play on that he did. But Charles Davis was the reason I bring it up. Charles Davis, the TV analyst was getting on deck a little bit for floating it. Yeah, for not putting it out in front of a little more. It was a drop, y, okay, and the defensive player

from having to play too. But yeah, yeah, it wasn't a bad pass, no. I I thought the ball hit Jarwin's hands right, and then as he's trying to pull it down like this year, I think it was made the play yeah, last second, the absolutely yeah, and then you you make the you go for it on fourth down and you make the nice conversion and you get a holding call. Yeah, well beastly catch for each Yeah, I mean nothing nothing went right. I mean Dak said it half a dozen times. We never gave ourselves a

chance and that gets and he's right. I mean they they beat themselves in that first half and really it was too late, you know, and then I think the whole analysis. I appreciate Mickey saying this, they got their ass kicked. And I said it on our internet show. I didn't say on our TV show because yeah, you can't say you can't just kind of far off of hey they got their ass kids say that on the TV show, but on Switzer did Yeah, well a lot Switcher's a lot more famous than me. But I mean,

I agree with Mickey. I think this was one of those games where they really they got their ass kicked. They really did. I mean both sides. You think about really what they did. They you know, the Colts took it to The Colts looked like the t was trying to win the division. Dallas, it's like a team Dallas looked like a team that was trying to get to the you know, had one foot in the parking lot. They didn't play with the They didn't play with near

the intensity. Now they quit, No they didn't, but they but the Colts just physically beat them up. I think that. I think that's right there. We could do the whole show and talk about them just getting their ass kicked. And when you could hear the offensive lines, we talked about what the Colts offensive line did. But Cowboys gave up three sacks. But they're also four holding calls on the offensive line a fifth if you include Lattice oars

On on a punt. But um, I mean, and you know, but we had we had Cowboy fans on Twitter tell them and I love you guys, but saying, oh, they're holding every time their offensive line. There's a reason why Luck's only been sacked fifteen times this year. They put on a clinic yesterday they did and in the running game getting to the second level. Oh yeah, on the linebackers, I mean that was teach that what they did yesterday. You got to give them credit. They did a great job.

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john dot com. Forward Slash Cowboys for twenty percent off your first order. Holidays coming up, folks, men and women's Did we wear our Cowboys? Tommy Johns Yesterday Negatory Bill Tommy Johns. Well, I did Tommy Johns the Cowboy one. You didn't wear stripe on there, cowboys downside might have been the problem. Yeah, now if you pack it to take it on that time I wore those, they lost. Oh okay, yeah, you can't wear them. Mickey's like me, I look at him. I'm like no, I love him.

I love him. Had a five game winning streak with the ones I wore. Is that right? Yep? You did wash him, didn't you? That was the next question? Follow up, Bill, let me think only wore him once a week. It wasn't a use. Hang them up and they'll be fine the next And it wasn't a uniform violations. Mom, we're at the camp site, all right. How about we go to the phone call if the phone calls. To kick off this segment, we've got Phil in Louisiana first up

on talking cowboys. Hello, film a build. It's an honor. Could be the number one year, uh A. Briana promised not to try to pick any low hanging fruits. So but my point is this morning, it's not about bashing any particular individual. But eventually I'd like to ask a question about that. But anyway, Uh, you studied players and scouting and and maybe you get into their uh their

their philosophies or their psyche or whatever. But but something happened, Uh maybe before the game, maybe during the game, but something happened where a collective mindset seemed to permeate the offense and the defense, and they both decided, you know that that they were they were they were all gonna most of them were gonna play flat except for Zeke, you know, who gave it as usual. And I was wondering what your thoughts were, are you guys thoughts were

on that? How that? How does a collective mindset manifest itself? You know, not just in the pro teams, but high school, college whatever. You know, when a team that that it's supposed to beat I'm not saying they were they were supposed to beat the coast. They should have or could have, but but something happened to to reduce their their focus

or their desire or something. And the only thing I wanted to say about the offense was that, you know, knowing that that, I think maybe possibly knowing that Zack

Martin was out. And then when Sue Philo goes down, it was like we were going back to the future before Sue Philo came on board and strengthened the push of the offensive line and and dak Uh as great as he was last week, I don't think he's at the point of being able to to to elevate the play of of average players or players that just come in and he Uh, he's gonna get I questioned the tootlage because I saw the look on his face when when, uh, who's the guy kelling Moore walks up to him and

during the game, and it was like I saw this look on his face like I've never seen before, Like he was just like during the headlines almost And I'm just wondering. I questioned if if Martin kell Moore takes the is continuing with the toutelage. Uh, he's gonna eventually the label he's got of making bad decisions or holding the ball too long, He's just gonna stick and it's gonna be with him for a long time. And just wanted your guys thoughts on that. Where do we need

to start, maybe about the collective mindset. Yeah, Mickey told us that he didn't feel like that they they started the game correctly. I mean, they started, you know, the intense scene, so they just didn't finish right. And I agree with him on that. I do. They are now ranked thirty first in red zone efficiency, yeah, and thirty second in goal to go situation, both both under fifty percent. That's what. That's all you need to know right there at thirty eight thirty nine plays and they don't get

any points. That's all you need to know. Has nothing to do with desire or want or anything like that. I just I go back to me. This is pretty simple. This is pretty simple. This was This was Yeah, the Cowboys gave effort. Yeah, it played a better team yesterday. And I know that sounds really simplistic for the the gentleman Louisiana, but but it's but it's the truth. You know, if you go player for player, you would say, okay,

we'll take this guy. You could have this guy. You can there's a lot of you know, a lot of even things offensive lines. I don't think we're even I don't think that was even no quarterback. They clearly won that battle. You won the running back battle. You probably say that Vander esh and Darius Leonard were a wash. Well, you know, but you take the running back battle, but they're running back player too, because their offensive line was better.

Right now. You went into this game probably thinking, you know what, the Cowboys gonna stop the run. Because if it's stopping the run all year, and they're gonna make Andrew Luck have to throw the football, that's the friends for me. That they didn't do that, that's what they do every Shame on me that I had to look at the flip card to find out what Mac's first name was. I thought it was a guy that was playing in Cleveland back in the day that Marty Schottenheimer fumbles.

Kevin Mack. It's way over my head. Mack Mack Marlins out of South Florida. He was averaging he was a good player coming out of college. He was averaging forty eight yards a game. But he was averaging four places. It was forty array game. I care because he can run the ball. They don't run it that much. Well why not? They ran it yesterday? They did. They took advantage of Dallas, and Dallas is supposed to be a pretty good defensive front. They just yesterday they didn't play

like it. But I don't think that you know, the collective mind, you know, I'm not doctor Phil. You know it's hard to you know, you get to ask these players what theyre and I hate that question. Well how are you feeling out there today? I mean where when did they decide? When did they decide not to play the first series of the second half. Yeah, it's like, okay, we're done. Yeody did that? And the outlay when they don't quit for Garrett. I know that they don't quit

on Garrett. I haven't seen, but I don't. I just feel like that the Cults, the Colts in that game yesterday were the war physical team, the team that executed better, and they got the victory because of it. It's pretty simple. I thought. I thought so too. When you get your ass handed to you like that, it's pretty simple. You know. There's not a lot of oh well, what we should have could have? No, you physically couldn't stop the run.

You couldn't get any pressure, you couldn't block their front, you couldn't you couldn't protect your their quarterback, you're running back. Every time he handed them the ball, he came limping off the field. That showed you a little bit about that too. Gave up a block field goal. Yeah, they did everything that everything they had to do to win the game. That's not a that's not a collective thought. That is a that is a it's effort, that's you know,

that's desire. Those are those things and yesterday they were they were better. And when when you have a drop touchdown pass, when you have holding calls that negate first down making plays the what week is this? What week is this in the NFLC fourteen fourteen? Yeah? That how mean that was fifteenth week? Week fifty? Just say, okay, week fifteen. I was trying to get you guys say week fifty. But haven't we kind of talked about the same things about this offense for fifteen weeks. I mean

they last five weeks. It's been a little bit different because they still turned the ball over and winning games. They still were able to make it. They made some plays. You know, yesterday their big time receiver didn't have a great game. Nice reverse though. By the way, if they'd gotten one more block, you might have scored four catches thirty two yards. Okay, Yeah, that's a that's a really that's a bummer. That's a bummer. That's a that's a

that's a committee day. You know Pria Marii Cooper, but you know you you look at but we we've been talking about this offense and a lot of their deficiencies the entire season, you know, and now Rob's Rob's been pointing out to us every week. They're twenty seventh in red zone. They're twenty eight this week. Why god, guys are dropped down to thirty two. That's kind of where this is at with this offense. And it's frustrating for them because they're they know they can move the ball.

Like we mentioned, they have holding penalty, they do it. Sacks, they have sacks. They they they they they dropped the ball in the on the five yard line. You know, they miss throws that. I don't know what kind of throw that was to Alan Hearns, but throw it to the pyline, right, But you know what he did, throw it to the piline. Herns was looking inside the deep pass to the end. Yeah, but but the ball went behind. Yeah, he said he needed to. That's what I'm saying that

Alan Hearns doesn't always win. Alan Herns doesn't win. But Herns was looking inside the the am I we're talking about the same one. Are you talking you might be talking about the one to Noah Brown. No, it was the one to Hearns on the right on the side was incomplete to his left. Yeah, he was looking here, and I'm thinking, well, this was a fade back shoulder fade here and there was room, but there was no you'll see it, Mickey, I did see it. I replayed

it three times. Okay, I don't want to argue with you about that. Well, I'm just saying the ball needed to be out front. He was open. What do you mean out front? Out front towards he could he could have run under the ball where he read the problem that Dak had. Did you see the safety in the middle field? Yes, where was the safety? He wasn't anywhere that was gonna gause a problem. That's what I'm saying.

The safety had turned inside. They were They showed cover two and rotated to three like the same, and he rotated inside. So if he throws the ball, if he throws the ball at the pylon instead of behind, the defender never looked for the ball. Wilson never turned his head for the ball. And if he throws the ball down the field, he runs under it and is in the end zone. But instead he throws it back. He why he would throw it back shoulder in that situation, I have no idea. There was no reason to throw

you throw it back. You're saying the same thing. You're saying, he threw back shoulder, that's what. But you don't throw it back shoulder. If the say you throw it back shoulder, if the safety's driving out of the middle, the safety was nowhere to be found. You throw the ball in the hole. You don't have back shoulder, And that's no, you don't. If you're a receiver, you ought to look for where the ball is. Okay, Dak said he needed to throw it. Well, of course he did. I mean,

he's not gonna say her and screwed up. He should quarter do that. That's the case, you know that. But about the team playing flat, when you don't make plays, when you don't execute um, then it comes it looks like they're flat. You know. It's like in baseball when a team goes up against a pitcher in baseball and it looks like and they don't and the pitchers in control of the game. That's what that game was like yesterday. And it looks it looks like your hitters are flat. Well, no,

they're just being dominated. And then the hitters will say, we had a bad approach, but you left a lot of uh guys on bass stranded in the first half. That's really what, right, Yeah, that's that's this team done. And then you gave up a couple of home runs in the second half, you know, later innings, you know,

and they couldn't overcome it, you know. I mean that's Cole Beasley said, our offense should never go scoreless, we should never be shut out with what we have, and he's right, because they do have talent on I know the offensive line was compromised and has been compromised. But that Oh three team you know you're leading, You're leading receiver that year was your fullback Richie Anderson. They've got weapons on this team and they're frustrated by it because

they're not finishing drives. And that's you can't ask your defense to be dominant every single week. They just played a better team yesterday, the first time in six weeks. They couldn't overcome their own state. That is right, that's exactly right. Before they were making mistakes, they were overcoming. When the defense plays poorly, they're gonna lose games. That's that's that's the m O of this team. That when the defense plays poorly, that's they're gonna lose games. That

that's that's just the way it is. And credit Matt Eberflus for what he's doing with that Colts defense. Absolutely right now, absolutely, yep. Sure is that they've got some good players over there. I mean, they don't have household names. Indianapolis is not a team that you're sitting there, Oh, I'm gonna stop down and watch the Colts, but you should. Andrew Luck he's healthy, he's healthy, they keep him up right. He's got a coach that calls a good game for

They don't play, they don't make stupid mistakes. I want to play that team in the wildcard round or in the second. They might not get in if they don't. Yeah, if they get in the mean Baltimore. Baltimore is holding the last seed there. Yea, they might not get in. That's pretty amazing. Win seven of eight and they might win out and not get in. Right when we come back here on taking Cowboys. Three teams at eight and six in the AFC. Yeah, six, seven and eight man.

Things are bunched up in the wildcard race in the NFC now thanks to those San Francisco forty nine ers yesterday, and we examine what might be down the road for the cowboys if they can take care of business when we come back. I'm talking cowboys. You're like me and you love. I mean, if you have a right thing, then cutting the chord is scary. But then I found out I could switch it DirecTV Now and still get

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SLOR USA dot com. That's USA dot com terms and conditions apply better to talk in Cowboys looking for a Christmas gift, You need to get Jack Black and go to get Jack Black dot com slash Cowboys and you've can get the playmaker for ten dollars with free shipping. And you need to try every one of those four playmakers in there, and you'll be a fan of Jack Black. Go get Jack Black dot com. I certainly hope my daughter Jordan is listening, because that's what I want for Christmas.

That's exactly right. Desperate need of beer. I need m all right now I do. I ran out of TurboWash over the weekend. Face cleanser. Somebody from Jack Black's listening. Help Bill Jones out. Please help Jordan out. Oh Christmas care package? Bill needs Christmas. You'll need some present. That's exactly right. All right, let's go to phone call first and then we'll get into something else. Peyton and Boston,

you're next up here on Talking Cowboys. Hello Peyton. And while in Boston they've lost two December games in a row for the first time in sixteen years. The Patriots have Yeah, I know, actually so this actually paying for Minneapolis. Actually just moved out here. But yeah, you think it's like the end of the world out here with the what's happening to them? But thanks, Bob. No, I'm just kidding. I don't know why I was thinking of Bob, just reason I'm like, yeah, all right, I'm Billy Bob um.

But yeah, I just wanted to say real quick, um for the five game winning streak. I mean this might sound crazy, but like I just felt like it wasn't sustainable. Well now you can say, well they won five in a row, but I mean, if you guys just look at it, like maybe I'm crazy, but I just felt like it was the same thing over and over where it was the offense is awful for the first quarter, awful, the second quarter awful, the third quarter defenses lights out.

First quarter, lights out, second quarter, lights out, third quarter. So then when we're going to the fourth quarter, the offense is either winning the game or down by one possession or a fuel goal, and it's either they flip the switch turn on and they can win the game, or the defense, Uh they keep people on their own. Offense, the sustaining drives, game field mold, the holy time possession.

But when that doesn't work out, like we've seen this last game, but the defense where they can't keep it within one possession of the offense can't do anything, then this team just stands no chance. And I think finally that winning formula quote unquote that we saw this past five weeks, it just it didn't it couldn't keep up. And uh so that's just one point I wanted to make. And then my second point too, has this team beat

a team that has like a standout linebacker? I mean maybe you can see the say the Jaguars, but I mean they just lost the Josh Johnson and the Redskins, so I don't think they qualified. How lost that team too? Did Jacksonville? Right? Yeah, that's not what I'm saying. The Cowboys like Jacksonville, right, I mean, yeah, it's a weird.

Yeah we're dead, Yeah, weird lady like you say rather Yeah, so I don't mean like the Falcons didn't have Deondon Jones Cowboys on that game, which is I feel like whenever they play against a standout linebacker like the same, they don't have a linebacker that scares you. Eagles don't have one. Uh, the Lions don't have one. Panthers that Lutickley they beat you. Lesley Woodyard of the Titans beat you. The guy from Vanderbilt that you like brought us in

the draft on the Texans they beat you. Yeah, I just feel like they just really stut on. I mean, I'm sure this has to do with Joe Looney and no Travis reject So thanks taking my call, guys, it's a good call right there. Yeah, you know what I first got to the end there he even nail on the head. Oh he was good, and he's good. He was kind of going along. I liked it on his first point. You know, I talked about this earlier, and he's right. I mean, it takes the offense a while

to get going in this wind streak. Philly fourteen point fourth quarter, Atlanta sixteen point fourth quarter, last Philly game fourteen and the fourth quarter they didn't have they weren't you know, the game was lost by then. You know, they didn't have a chance to make that late run like they've been doing. And again I speak to it, twelve points a game in the first half the last six games. They're just you know, the offense has got

to get off to faster start. Hey, Mickey's right though, that second half when they got the ball and scored that, right there was the way that they were playing defensively, in the way they were moving the ball offensively. The last two drives the before half and then the touchdown drive. That's really all they needed eight play seventy five yards. Yeah, Town, when they scored. I mean I looked at Nate and I said, you've got to get a stop here, You've got to get a stop, get the ball back, and

down the field we go. And then you're like, okay, seventeen nothing seemed like one hundred to nothing to me the way that game was going. Yeah, no doubt. And once again you see a case where a team get gets a field goal or scores at the end of the first half, gets the ball to start the second half point swing right there, and it's all of a sudden they can dictate and hold the ball for twenty one minutes in the in the second half of the game.

All right. Barry Church was let go by Jacksonville on Friday. He clears waivers today at three o'clock o'clock today, right, which he likely will right with the contract contract right, all right, so when he entersts from the Cowboys. Stephen Jones said on the pregame show that they were gonna look at the film today of him and check it out see how he was playing this year. M if that's take yeah, and take do your due diligence. You

know the player. Um, you know, you've got two starting safeties that I think overall that you know, they feel good about and Cavon Frasier is kind of your special teams guy and back up safety. So do you how you feel about Thompson? That's that's that's the one. I mean.

Is Thompson good enough to where you kind of sitting in a situation where you say, you know, well, you know it was Thompson a kind of a young enough guy that you might want to keep around for next year, Like Barry Church might be a guy that you just you know, you're kind of taking him for the run, you know, unless you can sign Barry Church back, you know, for a veteran minimum kind of a thing. Yeah, but I and I would think that's what it would be

right now. Yeah, No, it absolutely would be. I'm just talking about your next year. Yeah, next year, do you bring Barry Church in and let him compete. I'm I'm interested to see what they get from their him. Like I said, I've got the oportunity. I've got just one more thing I have to look at for Cowboys this morning. I'm gonna take a peek at Barry Church myself. But he had talked to some guys at Jacksonville that was

telling me though that we're a bad team. Barry had some bad games, got blamed for a couple of things, and you know it, when you're a bad team, they're looking for reasons to kind of move on from guys. Not that Barry's a bad guy, but you know, they weren't gonna they were gonna This guy told me, he said, hey, the amount of money that he makes, he most likely was not going to be back next year. And so that's kind of why they they moved on from him as well. I mean, even if they picked him up,

what's he gonna be? You got a backup safety and a special teams player, and at his age, is he really want to play special teams? He might because he's out of a job. Yeah, but I mean that's his role. He's not stepping into the starting lineup, Yeah, Barry. Barry might be when those guys that you get him and he'll and next thing, you know, he's energizing your team with you know, with like he he brings that he does.

He's the one guy that I always thought where when Shaun Lee went down, And that's why I was always kind of arguing with you, Mickey about Earl Thomas because I was always wanting somebody when Shaun Lee went down that would kind of hold the team together defensively, you know, make people accountable. You know, Bury Church will always seem to me to be a guy that would hold people accountable. Maybe they're looking for that type of guy. That's why

they're doing their due diligence here. Maybe they're looking for another guy that can they could come in, play some some downs, play on special teams, be a part of a team that's trying to playoff pill I mean, yeah, I mean obviously this is something if the Cowboys weren't in a playoff push and they wouldn't be yeah, exactly, But this is the type guy that you pick up late in a season that might be able to contribute in some way right in the postseason. Philadelphia did a

great job of that last year. They picked up veteran guys as the season went along, and sure enough, there were points that happened and once they got into the postseason where guy actually contributes in the game. And maybe there wasn't a starting spot for him, but he's a veteran guy that you can count on in certain situations. I think it's a great idea, assuming that he's not hurt. Yeah, well, you know, and how and how he's playing. How he's

playing will be key there. But yeah, Barry Church went to the AFC Championship game last year. Yeah, so if you're talking about a guy that that has that experience that could people could kind of lean on, you know, when they get in here and it gets a little tough and okay, hey we got to stop Russell Wilson today. You know, we gotta we gotta pull this thing together, you know, and so hopefully, you know, I'd like to

see him get an opportunity. I'm kind of interested though, two on on when they they're starting to get they get Tavon Austin back and some of these guys, how they're going to play their inactives? You know. Yeah, that's where I'm he how does he address if? Because here, yeah, let's watch, yeah, let's watch what Cole Beasley. God, we all love Cole Beasley, but the punt return stuff has been nothing. I mean, not that they made a pun

a ton yesterday that one time. Maybe one. Well let me ask you this, why if what if look at your depth at safety? What if you lost one of your starting safeties to an injury going in the playoffs? Oh yeah, yeah, I mean, yeah, no question. Yeah, that's why that's why you're familiarity with Barry. That's why you signed Barry. Sure absolutely, assuming again he checks out as far as the way he's playing. Yeah, but he had to. You've gone all season with You've gone all season without

really any injury issues back there, but in knock on Wood. Yeah, okay, and that's why you got You need that insurance back here because yeah, Cabon Frasier can fill in, sure, but you these are right saying. I think I think from his standpoint, if you were just bringing in an outsider at that point, I think your guys would say, what are you doing right here? This far? With the guys we got, this organization knows the makeup of the player.

Players know Barry Church. Now, not a lot of them, because if you look at it, there's a lot of guys in their second year that are playing that don't know who buried Church is right, and but I think there's enough that do that would say, okay, Churches back. You know, we got we got our guys back. Why do I if he can play? Yeah, why do I think that if Barry Church got in a game that he could make a big play for you any journey because he's he's because in this system and this is

not going to be a transition for him. And if they were to bring him back, it's not at all. Why not play him down around the box and stuff to let him be physical. That's where he kind of was made a living, you know, be let him be that guy. But but but Mickey's right, need to see what that film. Yeah, I think there was a game that he had. It might have been Steel or something. Somebody who was told me there was a game that he was just awful. But you know, well, hey, that's

we'll see what happens. I mean, if you think about it, really the only guys on defense that know him are Lee Crawford, Lawrence Heath, Yeah, marion Elli. But I'm ment of the players because because in the sept those guys are their babies. They drafted guys to replace him in car but you know they would I don't think they wanted to lose. It was a money thing, yeah, the same thing. But good for him he got paid. Yeah, good fefully it was a lot of guaranteed money. Join

us every Friday. It's a little late for that this holiday season for Christmas at the Star, Presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, the most electrifying holiday show of the season includes performances from your favorite Dallas Cowboys Entertainment, the Lighting of the Stars, fifty two foot Christmas tree, special guest, and more. Don't miss the last two shows of twenty eighteen this Friday and Saturday night. Admission and parking are free. Visit the Star in Frisco dot com for details. Are

y'all gonna be out there tomorrow night? Tomorrow night? We got the East Concrete Cowboys, Great Cowboy. Yeah we do. Oh, yes, you lost me on that one. Yeah, we'll be at Concrete Great Cowboys row night. At what time? It's usually six o'clock? Six o'clock? All right? Isn't it just a festive atmosphere out there? Don't you just love blue Christmas tree? Oh? I tell you how much I love blue lights at Christmas. You know what happened? He saw a tweet the other

day when you got your lights up? Did you see that? Congratulations? Grats? Yeah, I didn't mute you yet, but congratulations on that. Did you actually see the Yes, yeah, I heard I heard that. It was whit was the special guest Friday night. Oh that's right, Jason wat went right, Yeah, it'll get Mickey out there lighting him this week. So when are you going to get Jason Witton on our Legend show? That was your job? Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot about that.

You're the one that bumps into him at the grocery. I don't see it. I don't see him at Central Market. Have you lined up the Legends guest this week? I have? I thought you had. You want to go ahead and reveal that, Yes, it's Mike Singletary. Huh, bear down bears about that. Yeah, loved his career with the Cowboys. Yes, he got the notification on his phone that it was

booked and he was, Ah, Micky's very excited. So had mean Joe Green And now we'll have Mike Singletary on Wednesday night the Cowboys like we're the Buccaneers that we don't have any more legends team Legends, That's what I said. It doesn't have to be a former call. Why not? Yeah, it's a Texas Legends. It's a Texas legend right there, A very good Texas legend. Because if it wasn't him, I was going to go after Tim Brown. So Tim Brown,

you're next trophy winner? Right? Oh yeah, I was going to suggest with Drow Wilson and now the general manager one of those new football teams, the indoor team. Is he really? I didn't know that? Yeah, ye, speaking of the one of those new football teams. The Redskins get a victory from Josh Johnson yesterday, ten days ago. He was preparing to play in the new Spring League, the Alliance of American Football for the Memphis Blaze or whatever

they call it. Dennis Thurman and Singletary and single. Yeah, well, Babel to ask him about Singletary lost his quarterback to the Redskins. First win since twenty eleven for Josh Johnson. That doesn't mean he lost him. They don't start till January February. We had our games to keep him around. Now, we had our game cast on checking that score. Yeah, they kicked the winning field goal in Washington as time expired. Here the Cowboys game in Indianapolis. That's how you know

it's just not your day. Nothing's going right. Fight Well, obviously Cowboys had the Redskins lost two. So you happen to see the line score of that game that both teams. Both quarterbacks were the leading rusher for their teams, and Keler and Johnson were both Keler the leader. At one point he had six carries for like sixty two yards. That's what you call a rock fight. And then they had it and then their stats were I think at half one of them had forty nine yards passing, the

other had seventy. You know it's not your day, I trust me. I've lived in those days for like three years. The Eagles go to LA and win. And by the way, as we set the table for the rest of this week and get over the twenty four hour rule is in effect, we get over what happened in Indianapolis. How wide open are the NFC playoffs When you see that the Eagles go to LA and beat the Rams, it could be the sixth seed, right and beat well they

called out of them. Maybe they could be the if you don't find a way to win win these next two games. But I don't want to think about that. It's wide open and in the playoffs in the NFC, it is it is. I mean, so Minnesota's kind of struggling right now. Philadelphia great win by them. That's kind of like a Cowboys against the Saints. Win right, and we'll see what the Saints do tonight against Carolina. Carolina usually plays them pretty well too. Have you watched that

game last night? I watched bits and pieces. Just did you see the one where the guy basically jumped off sides and then they picked up the flag and the official says the defensive player wasn't in the neutral Yeah, I did see that, and then they shows his foot almost hit the ball. But you're but you're right about it. Why. That's why, like Zeke said, you take your medicine. You got blown out and everything's still in front of you. Just put it behind you. Maybe it's maybe it's a lesson.

Absolutely Now you want to take care of business Sunday against Tampa Bay. The NFL is coming down of the last week of the sea. Just remember this, The NFL helps those who help themselves. And on that fought, we will talk at you will help others. Place on Talking Cowboys. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.