Talkin' Cowboys: The Amari Effect

talking cowboys on a Thursday morning. Thursday Night football. Yeah, Thursday Night football is invaded. Well, it's always been in the high school ranks. Of course. We got NFL Thursday Night Football tonight, Miami Dolphins invading our great state to take on the Houston Texans tonight. Texan's playing pretty well right now. They are straight four in a row. That's right. Did they have a roof? They have a roof in southlike they do have an indoor practice facility that the

Cowboys used to practice it. Yes, just like just like ninety percent of the other high schools indoor Texas, they have indoor practice facilities. Rob, how are you doing I'm doing great, doing great. Got one practice left, sort of a long weekend coming up for this team, so you know, it's much needed, I think. But we got to see the new guy yesterday. That was that was interesting, And let's dive into that. You saw the new guy on the practice field inside Ford Center here, what y'all make

of what you're seeing out there? Physically look good? Yeah? I didn't. I didn't think he you know, I know there were some questions about him being overweighted and stuff like that. I didn't look like to me that he is that at all. You know, I didn't see a sluggish looking player. And he'd had some a little bit some prom with some ankles and the concussion thing and all that. But I think just watching him go out there and throw it around a little bit was was

a good site for everybody. Look good in his nineteen jersey, Yeah, fit nice and tight slam Yeah, no problems here, were wearing number nineteen, Keyshawn Johnson, Miles Austin. Yeah, okay, I'm just just happened to have yeah, exactly. Okay. You got Bryce Butler, Miles Austin, Keishawan Johnson with Lance Ransel and Lance Awards about that, both Lance Ransell and Bambi both

war number nineteen, not at the same time. All right, there were there was a punter who wore number nineteen, Danny Villa went away, John Jett, oh, John Jett, and two quarterbacks wore number nineteen, one of them famous in redskin Lord Cowboy, Red Longley and Kevin Sweeney. Kevin Sweeney during the strike day, well, and he was after after that. He plays, He stuck around. Now he got he got the stick. He got stick. He actually got to start

a game because Tex wanted to see him. So everybody that says Jerry says, oh, I gotta see this guy out there. Tech was insistent that they see what Kevin Sweeney can do because they were trawled with him in the strike games. Right, you know what, I'm insistent on seeing what Amari Cooper can do. This current number nineteen. He went out there real quickly and threw like three interceptions in the game. And that was a good coach though. Right,

that was the end of Sweeney. Okay, hopefully Cooper will have a bunch of longer. Well he won't throw any interceptions. I hope. All right, m you did you were you in on the media scrum around his locker. I believe we were, Yeah, Rob and I yeah, you believe you were. I was on the outer boundary of it because if he getting run in there like a crazy man to get up front, you didn't hear very well, where you're a crazy man up front? I was, you know me,

I'm not getting to get too hyped about anything. And he was interesting because he didn't. You know, he doesn't get too hyped about anything. Oh, he had like fifty people around him, and he was just kind of, Okay, what's the big fuss about him? In here to do my job? And you know, it's nice to be here, And he said, who wouldn't be excited. I mean, he's not a super boisterous guy at all, but I got

the sense he kept saying fresh start. I think with what's going on in Oakland, I would imagine this is a good situation to be in a team that's at least in a division race right now, and he's got a chance to be the featured guy. A bunch of guys would like to get out of Oakland about now. Well, John Gree'll let you do. Probably all you gotta do is raise your hand and you'll find a way out. John will move you along. Well, he's the reports are up there that now are out there that you know,

we're not trading anybody else. We're gonna try to be competitive. Sure, but I think the message has already been said. The guys in that locker room don't know if they're staying or going. Oh that's true, and that's a very difficult situation to have to deal with. And he talked about They asked how he found out, and he said, our negotiator came out. I guess it's they're Bruce May's back in the day. Uh. It sounded like it was the guy that takes care of the cap and no, it wasn't.

They went to get him to go to MS. Walsh I think is the guy's name. Anyway, one of the players said they saw the guy walking out and they all looked at each other and goes, oh, here's the grim Reaper. Somebody's leaving. So that's kind of what's happening in Oakland right now. They're pretty aware of what's happening. And it's really when you think about it, we talked about the message to this locker room, it's the reverse here. You know, they're not a one win team right now,

they're three and four. It's not great, but they're saying we're going for it. We're not giving up on the season, and why should they. They're only a game and a half out of the division. But this is the complete polar opposite message being sent from this front office to this locker room. With bringing Cooper in here. You think this is movie. We talk about it helping the offense and helping the evaluation of Dak Prescott, but is it

really more about trying to help the defense? Maybe? I mean, I know, Mickey, guys, everybody's been kind of talking to Rob it and used well have talking about you know that this defense is on championship pace, you know, if you think about it, and when what they've been able to Now they've got some really tough tests coming up Philadelphia, Atlanta. Yeah,

we'll see where this defense is made of. But maybe this is the preemptive strike that Okay, we're playing well enough on defense, so we're gonna have to find a way to score some points. But I think I said this yesterday and I believe it with my whole heart now that that this this is a message those defensive players that hey, you know, the general managers saying, I

haven't given up on you guys. I'm gonna try and help you here, you know, and I'm gonna try and help this quarterback, but more importantly trying to help this defense. You know, these guys could go out there and get some turnovers, get some short fields. I mean, haven't created a whole hell of a lot of turnovers, but they've been able to get some pressures, set a little bit of leakage in the running game the other day. But and that back is rare the way he plays for

old Man. But I you know, I think it's really I think the defense. If you're again a defensive player, you're you're sitting there thinking, all right, he's trying, he's trying to help us, you know, yeah, more so even more than the offense. You bring up a good point about that they're going to be tested defensively in the

second half of this season. But right now, the way they're playing, this is a group that you can take into the playoffs if you get in and have a chance to win games, because you know, if you can hold teams to seventeen points, twenty points, let's playoff football right there, All you need is a little bit more juice offensively. I think that's the way they're looking at it. What if the argument is they're not good enough offensively

in the playoffs? Well, would that be why? Well, they're they're not right now to be a topic, it's not. I mean that starts. What if you you made this move and they're not good enough. I mean, the defense still keeps playing well, but now you realize, okay, they're not good enough. So are you saying that to make a run. To make a run, well, then you like you said yesterday, I think then you have to take a macro view in the offseason of what's wrong with

everything offensively? What do we have to fix? But right now they're going for it. Yeah. No, I applaud him for doing that. You know that. I'm just sitting there thinking Cooper could be a solution to the problem. It may not be the total overall solution. I don't think he comes in and I don't think he looks at himself as well, I'm the savior now I'm going to take care of everything. Well, you better hope he does.

I mean, I know what you're saying, Mickey I just, I just I just would like to see him the targets he gets, make receptions, makes some big plays, kind of keeps some things going. Give you you said the word rob, the word juice. Get this offensive little juice. You know, maybe the other guys around him, we'll start saying, all right, yeah, I get it. This guy. You know, you watch him practice a little yesterday and I'm thinking, all right, this gotta go get the football. I've seen

him do it on tape. Explosive and I know what we saw was routes on air, but you can see it. I mean, you can see the athletic ability. Mick. We watched it for fifteen minutes. He runs so effortless, smooth. It's like he glides down the field like he's sliding right down the field where other guys has got to have a lot of body movement to run. He just he's really smooth and he eats up ground really fast. Yeah and four three six forty coming out of college. Yeah,

and only twenty four years old. I mean, the mistakes that we made with Joey Galloway was an older guy. We gave up the extra pick that was that was stupid on our part. But the thing about, you know, you try and get a guy at least as young and you can kind of grow with a little bit. And Mickey's pointed out the contract and all that stuff to me, you know, and we're gonna do the draft

show later on today. I know Dan Brugin his top thirty two has got one wide receiver, you know, and then it's you know, but people say, hey, well, Bross, maybe they're not gonna take a wide receiver. May they need to take a safety, maybe they need to take

a tight end. I get that, but I just think that if you're gonna go out and try and help this team right now and help this defense, you know this this was the right the right move to make, what you know, And you can point out that they could have taken something else for the first round, sure, but probably not likely. Everything's yeah, everything continued as is. The wide receiver was going to be a priority, absolutely

has to be. There was no question. Yeah, so you know what do you want you want to you want to safety over a wide receiver? I don't think so, you know, not when you were struggling at wide receivers. So yeah, that's kind of a people be focusing on tight ends. Now get ready for that and that's yeah. I'm focused on one before next week. Yeah, get one in here before next week. So yeah, Jeff Swaim is gonna be out like he's going to be out a

couple of weeks for sure. Okay. Yeah. Um, and you got four games in the span of eighteen days, so if you're if they're saying a couple of weeks, it could easily be four games before you know it. What are the Giants? Have they got any excess? Well they don't. I don't know that. They consider Evan Ingram to be Ulvin Ingra will be a lot of fun to have if you could do that, and he really doesn't there. Who's their backup title, Well, they've got They've got Ellison.

Red Ellison is one of them, and he had a deal where he got down on the goal line the other day. Red Ellison and then Scott's Simonson. The guys. If you guys can tell anything about Scott Simonson, I would be amazed. I can't help you there, Yeah I will. The other thing too, sounds like somebody be running for Congress. Yeah,

Scott Simonson, he needs your vote. The other option too, If you wanted to go out and get a receiver if it's not the draft, and you would have had to look at free agency, right and spend a lot of money. Now, you know, down the road, if Cooper's what they expect him to be, you're gonna have to pay him to keep him around. But it's a manageable contract for the next year and a half. And think about and we had a mailback question about this this morning.

I mean, look at all the decisions they have to make on their current roster next year in current terms of DeMarcus Byron Jones. Go ahead, Bill, keep, you can keep. I just I just landed on a tight end. Got you got one? Cole Beasley. They getting rid of players in Oakland. Yeah, and I was going through that last myself. Yeah. Jared Cook, Yeah, Jared Cook would be the one. Yeah, that would be the one you would you would if and he's under he's a free agent next year, Yeah, absolutely,

he's in his last year of his contract. Yeah. But if you look at who the Raiders are starting to tight end, it's Jared Cook, Lee Smith and not the pitcher Lee Smith back in the day, and Derek Carrier, right, So those I mean, those are the three tight ends. I think if you wanted to go get a tight end, you know what this might be interesting is now check the practice squads. Go poach a guy, you know, go Pochman.

And I know that you could say, well, you want to give a pickup for a guy, but a clean way to get a guy that might be a young guy that you kind of liked a little bit, go poach a guy if someone's practice squad, Well, teams try to do it with Jarwin. Yeah last year exactly. Yeah, I think that that if you don't want to give up the pick. But Bill, you mentioned it that that's that's a fair name to mention because Cook is a

guy that people have talked about as well. I'm just kind of yeah, and you're looking at a team that's one in five, one in six, whatever they are, and uh, and he's in the last year of his contract, a veteran guy, you know, his deal was two years, ten million dollars. Got three tight ends. Yeah. No, you're absolutely right though, Mickey, that that might be their thoughts. I mean, they you noticed they got Schultz involved in that game, and maybe they think he's maybe a little bit better

prepared now than he wasn't in training camp. They did draft him for a reason, right, Yeah, so yeah, you just have some inexperience there for sure, a whole lot. So yeah, it's something to consider. How many catches now do the three tight ends have the three that are that are not named Swain not named Swain? Well two maybe Jarwin's got Schultz, Ultrico has two, Schultz has one, and Jarwin has two. Five right total? So five five receptions.

Bill's guy Blake Bell from from jackson Yeah. The build up, right, he just he just signed last week with Jacksonville. Okay, might be a situation you might not get that guy. But that see what I'm I guess what I'm trying to say too is and this was some of the conversations I had over the weekend with some guys. They're they're hunting tight ends, but if you look at really the depth that a lot a lot of teams are just carrying, you know, there's very few teams carrying like

four guys. A lot of teams are just carrying three guys, which would get him down to two. Yeah. So and that's what you and then you have to look at your own roster. I mean there's teams like Cincinnati. Okay, Baltimore's carrying four. Mark Andrews and Hayden Hurst. Those are two guys they drafted. Max Williams was a draft pick in two thousand and five, second round pick, and then Nick Boyle is another guy that they have. So you know, there's very few teams them Cincinnati are both carrying four

tight ends. Uh, the Mami Dolphins are carrying four tight ends. So yeah, you'd have to probably find somebody. That's why I think that maybe you look at some of the practice squad might be a way of trying to to poach a guy. But then again, in is Jarwin not Jarwin? Excuse me, swam not long term? Right? Is that what you're telling me? Well, he's got a sprained MCL and normally those are two to four. And if you look at MALIEK. Collins, he missed three games. So does it

is it worth? It's not. It's not. You shouldn't put him on the on the injured reserve. No, no, you got to carry him. Okay, if you got three tight ends, tight, yeah I don't. There's yeah, Right, they're gonna play with the three they got, right, They're not this is not going to be a guys can just do a little bit of blocking, you know, down the edge. I'm I'll throw out Red Ellison, but only because the type player he is, he's under contract through for a couple more years,

and I'm not saying he's there. You go, is I mean if you had, if you had a tight end that you like somewhere, who could be an h BAC type you know? Yeah, well I will trust me. You know, I can move I can move on from Thompson. I hope his mom's not listening today, you know. Gotta watch out for those gotta watch out for those moms. We're learning the boys. We're learning that on these shows. But well, if his mom would like to call in eight eight, five, five,

two two nine to seven. By the way, we've got an abbreviated show today because Jason Garrett is at ten old five. Yeah, maybe we should promote a Mother's Day and only the mothers can call. Mickey one time trapped me with Keith Smith's mom got about that in London and luckily I said some really nice things and it

was on a show. We were doing a show there at the at the Pub, and Mickey took a question from Keith Smith's mom, and she asked a question about Keith Smith, and you had no idea it was Keith. It was Keith Smith's mom. And I gave a really a glowing scouting report, didn't I Micky about it? I finished his answer with so, missus Smith answer, she made the trip all the way out from she she used to listen to our shows all the time by herself. Yeah, I bet there's a bunch of parents to listen to

this show. Missus if you're listening, Hey, you know, God bless you for calling in and talking about your son. I think. I think so if you're a parent of a cowboy player and give us a call, I tell you what our safety used to his mom and dad. I think listen quite a bit there, uh with uh, Jeff, Jeff Jeff, Yeah, Jeff Heath, Yeah, you know. Uh. And I told when the guys asked me on the fan about it, if he had anybody ever confront you, and

I said, yeah, I ran into Tony Romo's grandfather. Yeah, the Romo side of the family, and uh, he comes up to me and he goes, I listen to what you say. I see what you write about my my grandson, and I'm going, okay, here we go. And this was before he no. I guess he had gotten good by then, and uh, he goes, you know what I like about you? And I go, okay what and he goes, you know, and my my grandson does well? You know you you

say he does well. And when he doesn't do well and he should have his ask do you kick his ass? And I'm going home, Okay, that's fair. I've had discussion with Jerry Jones one day, same thing, not about apparent, but same kind of discussion about where where he says. He goes, hey, you've been kicking my ass pretty good. And I'm like, yes, here he goes, but you're fair about it. So I'm like, oh, thank you. I thought thanks thanks. I thought I was I thought I was

out the door. I thought you guys were down one? All right? Any other position that you would like to see the team add here as we lead end up head up to the trade deadline. By the way, up on Tuesday, you wanted a former Raider, you want another former Raider? Obi Melifono was visiting today free agent safety our second round pick. By the way, yeah, that Cowboys took a look at good ones going on r R probably yeah, and but Goodwin playing corner, right, Thompson's your

other Thompson's your fourth safe. Oh he was the sake. Yeah, Goodwin's the corner. And they're looking for a guy that could potentially They liked Goodwin because he could cover on on as a flyer. That was something they were really really high on him. And there was a couple of times Jacksonville and stuff that I thought he did a pretty good job of of doing exactly that. So, yeah, they're looking for that type of a special teams guy.

Another name remember Teddy Williams. Yeah, yes, he's visiting today as well. Track guy. Remember when he showed up at the Alamodome. He's still playing. Yeah, and he's still playing ten years ago. Turned into a special team that's what he is. He's a special Yeah, he's how many teams five? Six a lot Carolina because he's still playing wide receiver and he get converted. He's just a special teams guy. Really,

he's a corner right yeah, lightning fast. Yeah, he's always been fast, and that's the thing that that's what's kept him around people. How many years he played at Carolina. I mean, it was crazy. How I mean the number of years A couple of years he was I thought it was longer than that. I think twenty sixteen he got there. Yeah, he most recently with the Giants, and they reportedly let him out of his contract to handle

a family issue back in August twenty fifteen to seventeen Carolina. Okay, three years, right, yeah, fifteen sixteen, seventeen, Yeah, yeah, yeah, Giants practice squad this year. He can't be practice squad off season Giants. So can he return kicks or is he still just he's got the guy without the ball, he's got the speed for it. I think, like Brian said, maybe a flyer on special teams. And it was twenty ten. He was here twenty ten and eleven, so nine seasons ago. Yeah. Wow,

I'm looking at him before any anything extra that he's done. No, we were in San Antonio, we were ten, Yeah, and he was a utsa guy, right, yeah, it was a big story. No football background back then, that's right. And then he went to the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football Is that right? That's right. They got Mountain Lions and he was a kid. He was a kick returner for the Sacramento Mountain Lion. So he does have they have they have thirty six career games for this guy.

Thirty six sweep. Yeah, there he's the jet sweep guy, got number twenty seven. Now they run those jet sweeps for you. Did you see that? I did see that. Ye. He's got one fifty one yard reception in his career. So there's his offensive production. Yeah, you're stuck on that Mountain Lions firears like that. Obi Mela fun Wu though a Yukon guy, yeah, and and really a tall, long range kind of a guy. Over sixty three. Yeah. He was a teammate of Byron Jones at at Yukon, and

so he's the thing. The thing. I liked the way that he hit. I liked the way that he came forward. I like the way he finished as a tackler. The problem with him is that he's such a tall guy. And I call it when scouting, they call it leggy. When he has to turn, he really can't turn because it takes him a while for those legs to get him around. And so that's some of the struggle he has. When he could come down hill and hit and all

that he could be physical. He could play around the ball, he can make plays on the ball, but when you had to play when the ball went behind him or over his head, that's where the struggles were. He was a high pick, second round pick by the Raiders because right, yeah, yeah, he is a I mean he is a good looking guy physically, but a like a lot of these tall, tall safeties don't have the ability to turn and really run.

And that's and that that that's one of those factors that you you look at when when you're dealing with those tall safeties like that. But the frame is probably more of a Richard type dB four two twenty four. Clearly. Yeah, he's no, he's a big guy. I mean that's that's he's an impressive looking guy when you stand next to him. About this four four yeah, one fifty one ten yards split, Yeah, everything going, everything going, four verticals, yeah, and then an

eleven eight broad jump. Must be something in the water up there in stores Connecticut, because they all jump, they all jump up there at stores. So yeah, no, this is a this is this is one of those things where you have to kind of sit there and you say, Okay, are they looking at this guy? You know better? Than is it? Is it a better than what they You know,

they have to keep the who is it? Darry and Thompson? Yeah, Thompson was a practice squad, so I need to keep him for three So he's now he has to be here one more week, right, he's got one more game. If you want to make a move, maybe the same game or weeks, because this counts as a week for pay Well, this would be Yeah, I guess this would be the week. Then you can after this week, you could probably trade him out if that's what you want to do, if melofon Wood works out well for you. Though.

I like the guy. I mean he's had some injuries. Yeah, I really limited him last year as a rookie. Yeah, and and even this year. I think they think the Oakland waved him off. Ir Yeah, is he this is third year? Second year? Is it? Second round pick last year year by Oakland? Yeah, so what he I thought he would have played with Byron Jones. I thought he played it. I thought Byron Jones senior year. Then I think so that kind of thing. I think they maybe

one year together. Okay, maybe I'm confusing him with somebody else because I didn't go to the Senior Bowl. Last year's past year. Yeah, well we'll see if you saw you Senior Bowl. Yeah well so two years ago. Okay, we'll see if they signed him. But tell me if I'm wrong. I feel like Will McClay has done. He'll take a look at guys that have been drafted high before. You know, they've had talent, they've been successful somewhere and

just and just take a look. We'll see if he signed. Well, it might be a guy too that's on your board and he's a young guy, right, you know, it's a young player, and you just you know, saying, okay, why can't this guy play? And now you need to figure that out. That's that That goes back to That goes back to Jerry Jones and his relationship with Al Davis.

Al Davis is the same way, Al Davis, you drafted a guy in the you know, first two rounds, All Davis want to take a look at that guy just to see, you know, like, well somebody thought he was a first round player. But what are we missing here? So uh no, no different in here and taking that opportunity. Okay, any other positions that need to be I was trying to think I was trying to think, you know, you really do. We feel like the offensive line has to

play through what they're going through right now. You're not gonna put you're not gonna put Fleming in there or you know, and you're not gonna find somebody that No, I've got what I'm saying that's gonna like jump in and help you. Rob wants you to get to a press conference. Oh. I just looked at the time. Man got five minutes, right, Well, yeah, okay, when do we have to go? Oh, well, you ask the wrong person. He's got to get the stream going, doesn't he. Yeah, okay, Sorry, guys.

Please check a draft show today at one thirty checking it out. Dame Brugler will be on the house. Dave Hellman too. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.