Talkin' Cowboys: The Kamara Issue

ever end in the state of Texas? No? Okay, the meteor all your report from Mickey Spagnola to get us started here, and we've got Rob Phillips, We've got Brian brought us and we always love Wednesday because it is time to get ready for this game on Sunday night, the New Orleans Saints. It's installation Day and that's what we're gonna do here on Talking Cowboys. We just heard Jason Garrett around the horn. Anything that it's on your mind as you get started this morning. Mickey, you worried

about Crawford playing this week? Oh, he's not playing, Okay, I don't think he's playing for a couple of weeks. Yeah, that versides evidently it's and it's not the fixed hip, it's the other hip that's been giving him some problems. So yeah, it's nice to see maybe limited back with Austin being back, but they're going to have to figure out again. I didn't mean to go to Austin, but I'll talk about the ends. They're gonna have to figure

out again how they're gonna play that rotation. You know, it's Quinn at least you get to feel good about his situation. But now what's going to go behind Quinn? You know, is it going to be Joe Jackson and Armstronger those guys. But they've got to figure this out. It's a big game for these defensive linemen to have to get after Teddy Bridgewater in this game. Well, and for your interior guys too. That's why I asked about you know, Anton Woods and sounding like he's gonna go today.

That's why I asked about Covington and the press conference because he was a little banged up in the game. Sounds like he's okay, but it could be more of Covington and Tristan Hill in this game too. Trying to deal with what Brian said yesterday, a big, a big powerful Saints offensive line and try to get some push

there and with Crawford. Okay, So is it one of those things where it's like when you've got one you've got a bad knee, and you're favoring that one and then your other one goes Haywire is the same way

with a hill. I think he has this condition. I just think this is naturally, you know, something that has developed in his life where he's had, you know, physically is sometimes the way you're put together might be the way that you know, that's the things you deal with arthritic knees, elbows, shoulders, whatever you have life, you sometimes curveballs. We are not perfectly put together. And the word tear on him I think has been really really you know,

pronounced throughout his career. And he's fought through a lot of things in his like bad shoulders, bad knee, bad hips. You know, he seems to find a way to kind of get there. But this one's clearly got him h you know, taken taken back. That was always the injury I was most worry about because I don't know that it's fixable. He's in his eighth year, and yeah, you get something, you get a condition like that, and you can treat it, but I don't know that you can

fix it. The other injuries they have, they're kind of fixable or you can rehab it and you know how, you know, how do you rehab a hip? Yeah, you know, we kind of need that sucker. We saw it. We saw Byron Jones kind of deal with that. That did fix whatever he had the surgery yer right, and then you know with Crawford, so the fact that it's not the one that he had fixed, it's the other one

that that tells me something maybe. And again I'm not a doctor here, I'm not genetically something not balanced with him there that he's going to have to deal with the rest of his life. And they've been trying to manage him since training camp. I mean, just try to kind of move him along, rehab him, mick, and try to get him ready to play. Obviously it was bothering him that first week. You're right, I don't know if

there's a full timetable for him. I think Stephen Jones said a week or two ago, you know, it could be a little bit. So how long exactly in the meantime, they're, like Brian mentioned, it's Dorance Armstrong. Carrie Hider's a guy that played all over the line. Absolutely they have to Again, well, I think you just look at it the way it

was with Crawford, I mean with Quinn missing. Yeah, you've just traded off Quinn Crawford for Quinn and you're in the same situation you were the first couple of games when Quinn wasn't there, you had to rely on Armstrong, Jackson, Yeah, you know, and those guys. So yeah, I mean, Armstrong played a good bit in that game at right defensive end, and maybe it comes down to you. You You get less rest for DeMarcus Lawrence along with Quinn. Okay, I'm worried

about the nickel the nickel tackle. That's where I kind of feel like that they can do some damage with if Crawford was in there along with Collins, We've seen that kind of be a really good little combination side of two power players. All Right, I'm piecing things together. Here is an offshoot of that. Maybe why they're doing what they're doing with Jaylen Smith now yes, yeah, no questions. So they're trying to attack the pocket with Jalen Smith

is what they're trying to do. But their numbers up front and guys that can put pressure on the on the quarterback from an end position. Jalen Smith is one that looks like he possesses that ability. He helped on the Colins sack they ran. They ran a twist stunt inside and he was one of the one of the posts and so was Lawrence both hard charge inside. It wads everything up inside for the Dolphins and now here comes Collins off the type you know, the tight path

and he's able to get in on the quarterback. Yeah, clearly. So I think, you know, there's been a speculation on Twitter, what you know, what's wrong with Jalen Smith. They look at, you know, one or two plays, and they also look at the snaps that Joe Thomas got and in natural assumption is okay, what's what's going on? Why they don't like what's they're saying. Maybe they're figuring out a different way to use it to offset where they've got to

need up front on the defensive as well. I think in training camp though, we saw them using the linebackers in more pass rush rolls, blitzing Jalen Smith and blitzing him. Even in camp when they're not tackling guys, he's coming in pretty violent. Yeah, So I think they saw where, okay, we can go with a three man line and stand him up and they don't know if he's coming or going. Might feel it's a better fit for him to be on the field all the time, rushing the pass or

than maybe playing in some pass carebag if you're a nickel. Yeah, that's the thing. They've brought Joe Thomas on the field and play nineteen snap nineteen. So they had a plan and what they wanted to do. A matter of fact, we saw it like he was tired. No exactly. I mean to me, if you want to, if you want to, if you want it to meet. Just my evaluation just watching the film, I felt like Jalen Smith had four bad plays. That was it, and you know everybody's only

he doesn't look this, he doesn't you know. And then again the play that he looked the absolute worst on was the handback where it was the trick play where all of a sudden he took an aggressive approach up and then he had to spin in return and that where you know, everybody goes, oh my God, he's back to having dropped foot, you know, right, I mean, and

that was Seriously, that's that's where it's become. So four bad plays out of like forty something snaps, A lot of guys have dropped foot when they have that pitch back. Oh no, that that's what I'm saying. He was aggressively trying to attack down. Healed him, and then he and then he had to spend to go back. And by that time, though, you know, Williams, the receiver had run all the way across the field and they dumped the

ball behind him, and so yeah, it looks bad. You know, there's a couple of plays too where I felt like he didn't really get in position. He overran a play, he had the defensive holding pilling, but what do you do on the next play he caused a fumble after the defensive holding penalty. So you know, to say that, you know that people, I think people are being very critical of this group. And again I will take blame

for this. I will take blame for being for influencing people to say, I feel like this linebacking cores is one of the best in the league. I feel like this this it's the strength of this defense, they're going to find a way. You know, we we're just not seeing the splash play is the ripping the ball out of the guy's hands, you know, on the goal line. That's a splash play. But we'll haven't seen it down

after down after down. And if if that's where people are expecting, and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that you got a new contract extension. We all like to look at the player and say, oh my god, we've paid to Marcus Lawrence. Now look he can't play. Oh look, we've paid Jane Smith. He can't play now. You know when Dak Prescott gets paid,

Oh my god, he can't play now either. It's a different there's but I will take if you want to put that on me for for saying that this was one of the best, as potentially be one of the best linebacking groups in the league, and they're not playing to that level, then in fine point the finger at

me for saying that and maybe raising your expectations. But yeah, can this group play better as a whole, Yeah they can, but they feel like that they're not playing, that they're not capable of playing better, you know, And pointing the finger at at them for that, and I think that's the wrong I think you're on something with the with the splash plays because he and Layton together they don't have any tackles for loss. They have they haven't blown

up plays necessarily. Yeah, but they've made plays. And like I said yesterday, the run defense. I know, these offenses they're playing right now so far have not been dominant offenses, but they've done a better job against the run. I'm really interested to see how they handle Kamara in this game. I mean, you can't ask for a better big offensive line. Yeah, you have to get off some blocks and go. Yeah,

and Jason talked just now about tackling. That's that's line one with this defense, and that's line one really for this matchup on Sunday. Seeing a lot of a lot of Joe Thomas's snaps when when when they were used Jalen Smith as a pass rusher, they had more linebackers on the field. Yeah, so Thomas was playing linebacker while he was kind of technically a pass rusher and making it a four man line instead of a three man line. If you want an evaluation of the linebackers as a whole.

Joe Thomas should be playing ahead of Shawn Lee if you want, if you want a real evaluation of that, you know it because to me, the Shawn Lee, the players you're getting from Shawn Lee are not impacting you the way they need to be. Now again, that's just me looking at looking at If you're gonna play bass, go ahead and put Joe Thomas on the field if that's what you want to do. If you feel like you're gonna get a more physical player, if you're gonna

get a better tackler, what at all? But Sean Lee is the one to me if you say, okay, where is this guy? You know? At the level level is he playing at right now? I don't think you're getting out of Seawan Lee what you expected to get out of Shaan Lee. And they, obviously the coaches thought that because they played him for Smith and they played him for Lee. You know Thomas, you know the player he was in twenty past plays, ten runs, those are those

are the pet plays he defended in this game. So obviously they feel like that in base it's better or Nickel it's better, and that's what they're gonna do. How much do you expect the Saints to be in Nickel as a post base in this offense. I think they want to, you know, I think they want to find ways to get the Cowboys spread out if they can, and then and run Kamara downhill. I think they. I don't think Sean Payton. I don't think Sean Payton really

believes in Dallas has run defense. I don't think he probably feels like my offensive line can get enough push and can create problems. And you know, he's probably looking at Dallas and saying, yeah, maybe they're tackling a little bit better. But he saw that Giant's game. You know, he saw what a big physical back can do to this team. Now that Cowboys did a better job against a big physical back in Week two against Washington. Yeah, but you know, this offensive line is the best offensive

line that they get they've faced this point. It's just it's just that that's what did. They've done a nice job with that. But they're gonna lean on They're going to lean on this running back and they're gonna lean on Thomas for this game because they got to do everything they can to help Bridgewater and keep him out of harm's way. That's why I said yesterday, the nickel back's going to be very important in this game because he's gonna spread them out and get That's why I'm

asking That's why I'm asking the question. Is I'm just looking at snapcounts from last week in Seattle for New Orleans. Yeah, and they they've only got two tight ends on their roster, and it would be Jed Jared Cook and Josh Hill. Ye, Cook had forty four They had fifty eight total offensive snaps. Cook was on the field for forty four snaps and Hill for thirty four snaps. Right, so they were more in their two tight end formation than they were in

the nickels. They might have been worried about the Seattle's pass rest and that and that, and also playing on the road exactly in that environment, they wanted to keep the quarterback. Right now, I'm wondering if they playing at home, they can Bridgewater with a game under his belt now two games total basically now. But but back at home, if maybe they'll take a different approach. I just don't think they're going to ask more of Bridgewater. They're gonna

ask more of Kamara. Yeah, much more can you ask? Well? He he had he touched the ball twenty five times. They may say you're gonna touch at thirty times. No. If if Dallas proves that they can't handle the run and don't tackle well enough, you know, we could have one of those games where you know, where we were several years ago, it felt like they had fifty first downs in the game. I mean short of short of the guys, uh my example here pass catching skills. This

is like trying to track down Barry Sanders. This guy is just all over the place, and he's bigger. He lines up everywhere. He can run, like Garrett said, just now, he can run inside. He's not that scatback type guy. But I but I do. I mean, of course he's going to be heavily featured. But I just wonder, you know, a couple starts in the game in the season now with Bridgewater, do they get him a little bit more involved? Is he a little bit more comfortable? I mean, I

think that's it. I think they have to do a certain degree. You can't just lean on one guy. I'll win a football game. I'll say this, Bridgewater can't win a shootout against Dak Prescott. I don't think he can. Well, they didn't even try throwing the ball down the fields. And when I say down the field, I don't mean like forty yard deep, yeah, I mean the intermediate passes to keep defenses. Honest. There his passes, the majority of them were dump off screens and little short outs. I

mean I think he averaged like five. I have to look it up, anyone. Let me let me ask you this though, guys, So after what you've seen Dallas having to defend balls down the field, should you try to throw the ball down? It's the easiest pass to throw throw it deep because because two things are good, he either catches it or interference or its interference. The bad thing is it gets broken up. Yeah, so I'm taking

my chances with that. That's what I would do with young and not a young but a backup quarterback like that one. How do you think Garrett was was successful on that Thanksgiving Day a game against the Packers. Absolutely, just throw it deep. To Brill's advice, right, let lend Elven go up and catch it, throw it high. Pretty simple. Were you about to guess on Bridgewater's yards perk per attempt six point six point five one hundred and seventy

seven yards passing twenty seven attempts. He was nineteen out of twenty seven. I was gonna say five. I had half of it, and there's the wrong half. And there were times he passed up dump off screens to Camara that could have lowered that even more. Go back and

watch the game. So yeah, I mean it's but I do I think there is something to getting him comfortable to a point where as the season goes along without Breeze, he's there's a little bit more on his plate, and I think I think you could see that in this game. We'll see. Yeah, I'm thinking that Camara's yards after contact might have increased, increased attempt because the ball wasn't traveling

a lot in the air. Right there you go, and probably we expect about the same this week, although it'll be more interesting plan at home for Bridgewater and the Saints elsewhere. As far as injuries are concerned, we get to those. After the break. I heard in my ear, okay, not hearing that. So you were supposed to throw it after the break. We'll get to that in just a moment. Your new apartment's big, such a great deal. It's okay, just okay, what's not right about the subway. Well, I

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Today back to talk in Cowboys. Don't miss your chance to see the Cowboys live at at and T Stadium Sunday, October sixth, one week from Sunday, as they take on the Green Bay Packers. Get your tickets now at Dallas Cowboys dot com. It's the Cowboys and the Saints on Sunday Night this week, and then it's the Packers the following week. It's a three twenty five kickoff for that one, and tickets still available for Aaron Rodgers at AT and T Stadium. Not many tickets available for the Superdome on

Sunday though, Oh really, that's not surprising. I read where the Saints ticket office is sold out, so the only tickets available now or on the secondary market, and they are they there's some website. Did I write it down? It's called like ticket tracker or something for the entire league. And the average price of a ticket for the Saints Cowboys right now is the second highest in the league. I think the Bears. Do the Bears play, Yeah, it's the highest right now, but the average is four thirteen.

And I guess that includes a secondary market. And they said in the lower level tickets are going. There's some maybe for one fifty all the way to twenty five hundred dollars for this game. Be a big night in the quarter on Saturday. Got two for you for twenty five hundred. Where's what's your favorite city to go to? Um? What's your favorite city to go to? And keep in mind whether it's a Sunday night game or a Sunday

noon game. Well, I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what it used to be San Francisco when we stayed in San Francisco and the game was in San Francisco. Um, I always enjoy the trip to Green Bay. Yeah, I do. It's a it's a I like the historic places. It's just like my auto racing life. I like whole old historic tracks. So give me the old historic places to go play football. Soldier Field before they put that thing in the middle of it was a really good place

to college gun accounts since I grew up there. Green Bay is great because you drive, you take the bus through the neighborhoods. Here's an autoparts store. Yeah, most famous arena stadium and Trude on the on the parch waving. They don't have middle Fleet. But you know what for a big city, Philadelphia is a lot of fun. It is. You can hear the eggs hitting the bus. That I mean just the night before the game is fun. And then I don't know, they turn into zombies in the

next day. In the stadium, periscope is asking Kansas City can't see interestreament. We only go on there a couple time. I've only been there once. Yeah, it's a hard place to play. Yeah, I mean as far as stadium, but he said, He said the city, the city, Yeah, just as far as yeah got you, and Mickey quickly said, other than New Orleans. Yeah, you know what's fair Vegas? Saturday night Vegas. No, I'm talking about eating. Okay, okay, look for to Vegas. I'm looking for to bagas. What

do you got? And you got football stuff over here? Well, what about you? You've gone on the road. Well, you know, I have actually never been to Green Bay. I've never been on a Green Bay trip because these days I stay back and like Brian's doing and staying back and doing pregames San Francisco, when we were doing the pregame show,

yeah and you were, you didn't. My favorite week covering the Cowboys ever was the NFC Championship game in nineteen ninety two, and I was sent ahead and I was in San Francisco all week previewing it from and going out to the forty nine ers practice facility, doing stuff from Dwight Clark's restaurant and so forth. That's also my favorite game ever as far as the Cowboys are concerned. That NFC Championship game in ninety two, the next one

in ninety four, we stayed downtown San Francisco. Oh you weren't. I think John Radigan was there. But the ninety two there we had a pregame show, John RADI get an eye from the hotel billing you up right now. Bill was back running the thing at the station. Do you remember Rob. I'm just kidding Ryan, it's a joke. It's a joke. I will say this. There was an earthquake the night before the Yes, the ninety two NFC Championship game, and we were in the in the media of the

hospitality room. Sure you were, absolutely And then I hope they have Chris had good food up there. And then I ate it. Basta pasta. All right, we tease any other questions we teased injury such a show today. Thanks guys for healthy guys, getting guys getting healthy back on the practice field. Yeah, that's the most important thing is you know. The thing is I wanted to be where they have decisions they have to make about their inactives.

You know, last week it was pretty easy. I know, you get six guys that can't play, but I think I think it's worth keeping an eye on for Xavier Woods. Even though Thompson played pretty well for you last week. Any you need Xavier Woods out there there. There's a certain bit of physicality he brings to the game, there's a certain bit of ball hawking, and he brings to the game instincts cover. I mean, if and the Saints are gonna want to work the middle of the field,

that's big. I mean, I'm talked about it in my matchups. You watch Thomas run these routes. Everything is inside, inside, inside, and so you know you need somebody if if those guys, if Byron Jones is holding up on the edge pretty well and allows he's safety. We've seen the safeties get their hands on more footballs the last couple of weeks. Why because the corners, the corners they you know, we've seen now safeties driving on football. Safeties getting their hands

on Jeff heat the last couple of weeks. One hit him in the head, one he was going and four you almost had the interception. Should have had the interception right there. But I'll tell you what though, you know, he it's a it's you know, having Woods out there, I think is really really big, and I think he's gonna They're supposed to practice on a limited basis, so I would think that's a good sign absolutely of him

and Tavon Austin being ready to go. I would imagine since Gifford has missed so much time, he said he would be limited. But I'm thinking he's got at least practice twice two weeks before they put it out. I think it's you're just getting him acclimated again. And absolutely I wonder if so there's there's four inactives right off the bat, then which ones you got Crawford, Woods, Gifford, and Gallows, Gallop and Gallop. Yeah, Gallops another week by. It'd be nice to have Gallop in this game. He

lived these guys up. You know, they won this game last year. I went back and a watch the game just to kind of get an idea, you know, like I was watching Cam Jordan and m Rush and seeing how he was going to do against Lao Collins. You realize the right the left side of that offensive line was flaming Sue of Philo and Joe Luney at center. That's how they won that game with those guys. I mean it was tough. Suefilo was struggling bad. Maybe that's

why they scored thirteen points. Oh well, they had you know, the fumble do you remember the fumble? Do you remember I remember Amari Cooper catching the ball inside and fumbling. Remember they got the ball, they were they were on a drive. The Cowboys were on a drive. I forgot about this way. Yeah. He catches a slant inside on I think it was on Apple and he's running. He gets tackled in the middle of the field and fumbles

the ball. And Dallas was on a drive. So you know, there's some things that happened in that game that you know. I mean, how about the fourth down stop that they made, the goal line stand that they made. You know, there's some good football that's It might be the last time we've seen this defense really play, just shut down. They had Drew Brees just rattled in that game. Yea, and then they're gonna need to rattle Teddy Bridgewater and again in this game. Tank Lawrence was everywhere in that game,

just everywhere. Yeah, and yeah, that's we talked about yesterday. I think that's the best defensive performance I've seen them have in ten years. Yeah. Ryan mcheck better buckle it up this week at right tackle for the Saints. You know they have a big offensive line. Get ready for it. I bet to the Cowboys move their front a lot, trying to keep stay active, stay going. Don't let this front get their hands on You gotta tackle, like you were talking about Rob Gotta tackle in this game. Yeah,

you know, tackle you're probably gonna lose. Well, that guy's hard to tackle. He is hard to tackle. You can tackle well and not tackle him. Yep, that's true. So how much do you think Sean Payton looks at the game last year in terms of putting a game plan together. He probably looks in and says, I shouldn't do this, and I shouldn't do this, and I shouldn't do this. There's some things they probably went into that game feeling like they could be pretty effective at and they did

not execute well at all. But give Dallas a lot of credit. Christopher Shard, Rod Marrine. I had a great game plan and to put to put George Lewis in that situation allow him to play as well as he did. But that that they got, they got bodies to the ball last year in that game, they really did. And the Cowboys offensively did enough, you know, to maintain I mean they Jack Prescott had some great scramble runs that

he made, so yeah. I mean they're they're in a little bit of a situation that Saints you're a little bit of a bind. You know. They here, they come out playing Russell Wilson, who's an active mobile quarterback, the read option stuff, you know, and then you get another dose of read option coming this week at you with some of those plays, and you know, I like, I say, Sean's gonna look in and say, okay, I would I'll call that game differently than I did last year and

try and make this work. Well, the difference is going to be as Kamara is going to be out there. If they got seventy snaps, he's gonna get sixty. He was, he was just kind of an extra player. Last year. They tried to run it with Ingram. Yeah, uh that

that ain't happening this time. And I think when they get you know, you mentioned Jordan Lewis and I don't know that they'll do this, but if you got Kamara back there and they're in they're in their nickel offense with three wide and it's third and say five to whatever, Cowboy's got to go dime and put Lewis in there because he's got to keep an eye not only on Kamara, but the quarterback will pick it off and I mean take off and run too. But yeah, this is a

different situation. I feel like with Breeze not being in the game, Breeze is so good at getting rid of the ball when he reads blitz the swing. This is where Kamara will kill you on the swing pass and stuff like that. It breezes in there, he'll just lob it over the top of the blitz. And then so

with Bridgewater, I'm coming after Bridgewater. I mean, if it means Smith and everybody attacking that that line of scrimmage and making those guys have to hold heck, I would try and blitz him to the point of making Kamara have to stay in and block. You know, That's what I would do. If you could force him to have to not get out and route because he's got to pick up a blitz, that might be a good plan

for them to think about. And this game is you know, because if you could affect Bridgewater, I think because his eye level will come down. I saw him the Rams do it and then he had no form of a running game at all, and when he came in there, and I know he didn't prepare but he's a veteran quarterback. He should have been ready to play in the game. But the Ams came after him and that eye level went down and he wasn't complete and passes, and the Rams did a great job. I mean, the Rams have

got are a really good pass rush. We all know that. But you know the Cowboys can have an effective pass rush too. I'm coming after Bridgewater. I'm taking my chances. I know with Breeze, I think Breeze can burn me on the blitz. I don't think this guy can burn me on the blitz. That's what I'm gonna get to him before he can get rid of the ball. That's my plan. Looking at last year's game, Kamara was actually on the field for thirty six snaps and Ingram for

twenty one. It's the Cowboys, and he touched at nineteen times. Ingram touched it nine times back in the game in December. Yeah, it was more of a true split back then. Yeah, and I'm looking up, what do you I mean, he pretty much played every snap against Seattle last week all but has to maybe nine something like that yet, right, I mean they bury as well, But yeah, Petted, you don't see him too often, right, I think to just you, I think you're going to get a steady diet of

him in this game. Sean Payton is going to say, okay, it's to me. It's gonna be a matter of which defense can keep the other one from running. I know it sounds crazy when you get the Saints and the Cowboys playing a game, but but both teams are going to try and hammer the ball at the other team and see which one of them breaks. That's what I think is going to happen to blitzing running all these

kinds of things. See what the Cowboys have to be careful though, is the way they play their defensive line. What everybody want to get off the ball and get up the field that they better hope that they don't use that against them, and throwing those little swing passes to the outside because you get him out in the in space one on one, it's not a good matchup for the defense, even though you got a spy on him.

So Periscope says, their blitz never gets home. I just told you that that Smith Smith blitzed and again they got they got Collins home for a sack. It does, it does get there? You know you get Sometimes you get these veteran quarterbacks that will get rid of the ball. You start affecting a quarterback, hitting him a bunch in the game, that's just as good. That's just as good as a sack. But sorry, pariscope, that's not right. They brought Smith on a blitz, they got him inside and

they got Collins home on the rush. How much do the Saints miss Sheldon Rankins. I guess there's a chance he could be back this week before next heard, yeah, he's heart had injury. Yeah, but I tell you what, though, they've had this this Malcolm Brown from Texas. Yeah, and then and then the I'm in the butcher. This guy's name David Amata is Animata got a sack last year in the game. You know he beat he beat uh, he beat a sue of Philo. He just overpowered Sue

Philo and went around the corner and got it. Dak On a sack there, and Cam Jordan had a sack in that game too. I think Calboys will be better offensively with the offensive line now, of course, with you know, with Martin in there playing, you know, when you got Frederick in there playing, you know, Connor Williams hopefully, hopefully will improve a little bit more as these things go on. Smith, I told you who was on the left side of that offensive Line's damn lucky they didn't have eight sacks

in that game. You know. That's that's that's the underlooked point of this offense right now, is that Dak isn't getting He's getting pressured some, but he's not getting touched a whole heck of a lot. And I think it is it one sack. He's being able to set his feet and kind of survey the field and go through his reads and do almost to a fault like on his interception last week, but kind of gets what he wants. It's just a different it's a different story this year.

And again, I think that's the key. That's one of the keys for me every week is if can they affect Dak Prescott because if they can't, they're gonna basically do what they've been doing. Yeah, one sack means, by the way, one sack does mean you got home. That's just there you go, and we take it home here on Talking Cowboys when we come back in just a moment. It can be hard to find the right resource for

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right there. That's good. I like that that's a good, good tagline. I swear Mickey must get product. And he doesn't share. He he goes waiting, He goes through so much to do this and he and he doesn't share. What are you getting? Are you? Are you holding back on us? Are you back? Yeah? You are? I just gotta SHAMAI or I gotta send an email yea. Yeah,

he's got that butterface going and smooth. Well, you could talk to Mickey, Thank you, Bill, I always talked to Somebody asked me where that came from, and I can't remember why he said that. It's probably one of those press conferences when you started laughing uncontrollably talked to Mickey or what the context would have been. I couldn't remember at all. Um, where is there something on Coach's film that elicited a chuckle from Brian? Brought us from last

week's game? Jason Witten? Yeah, Jason Witt, it's real quick.

If I can't Yeah, if you go to Scotsy or from the game, it's Witten was on a double team block with with Collins and he and he's got taco and they're driving him in the next week and basically like the play, is over and Witness like still blocking him and like gives him this big shove and like he was trying to like push him over somebody on the ground and it, you know, and it w Witten turned back around and looked at him and said something like, yeah, okay,

you never you know, I need to ask Witten what he said to him. But Taco kind of just kind of doesn't look at him and Wit. I know Witten said something to him because he just two hands shoved him as the play. As the play was, you know, everybody's trying to unpile and Witten is still blocking him down the field, you know. But I have to ask with what he said. No, it made me laugh to watch him do it, because Witten's kind of a chippy guy that way. Maybe maybe he said you, I'm going

to get you some chicken nuggets. Yeah, on the way home. I don't know about yes, yes, yes, that question was asked today by Clarence and the walk off. I missed that chicken nuggets. Oh yeah, it's Dak feeling more comfortable in the huddle. Is he feeling more comfortable now he's talking about chicken nuggets? So was Jason aware of the NFL Films gave it. Garrett gave him a look like,

what the hell are you? What? I figured? As we hear one clip out of a million that he's had last three years, and speaking of that, we have no idea even though he's in the huddle, we have no idea what the context of that is he because it could have been. You know, DA's been pretty comfortable since he took this thing over with all the question. All right, I'm not gonna be with you tomorrow because I've got TV duties. But there is a large game on Thursday night,

Philadelphia plays at green Bay. How big could this game be? From a Cowboys perspective? If the Eagles go into Green Bay and lose, Cowboys win Sunday night, they could have a three game lead on the goals through four weeks. Yeah, we're going at the quarter point of the season, three game league with twelve to go. What's what's the magic number? Yeah? What's the magic number? There? For sure? I believe ten. You know, it's it's interesting they're looking around the league

and just it's only three games. Yeah, but they get to play the Dolphins. They already played the Redskins, right, and then they they haven't played the Giants. I think they that's games coming up. Yeah, so yeah, they might make those games up as well. So I'll have to you know, I think with the Eagles, what do we got going here? We got a bunch of injuries. Yeah, so let's see. Why is the Eagle schedule? What Jaguars? What? You want the Eagle schedule? Yeah, I mean I want

the Eagle schedule. I want to know who they're playing after this, because they got there. They got the Jets on October sixth, Okay, so that's yeah, that's probably a win right there. Then at the Vikings, Okay, that's gonna be difficult. It's not easy to play that Cowboys, and then at the Cowboys, Okay, so yeah, I mean you can then at the bill who are unbeaten right now. Yeah.

To me, this yeah, this is a game that you know, this is a game that they clearly have to go in there and play better and find a way to win. They gave win away the other day. So they're starting to stretch here where four of the next five games are on the road way back. Yeah, they got at Green Bay and then home against the Jets and then at Minnesota at Dallas at Buffalo, Yeah, and then Chicago and New England and Seattle at home, three straight road

at home games. Yeah. So but look at that NFC North, No, I know, I mean, everybody's got a winning record in the YA. That's exactly right. You mean Detroit's doing a much better job in the secondary. Man, they're they're playing pretty well with that, you know. I like them going to Philadelphia and winning the way they did one game at a time. Absolutely absolutely. Well. That's the other thing.

If you go back and look after three weeks last year, and it's it's I looked a couple of days ago, Tampa Bay was up at the top of their Miami I mean, it's it's early. It's so early early, and things turn around, but it does seem like there's more of a division between the halves and the have nots now for to me anyway. Well, but there's always teams that I mean, there are some definite have nots right now, but there's teams that start strong that you wonder can

they keep it up? Can San Francisco keep it exactly so they're not one of them? And New England keep it up? Yeah, I think they can. But you know, this. But you know what, this applies to the Saints too, because I we talk about desperate team theory. I think they're a desperate team until Breeze gets back. I think they can't afford to lose game. They need to tread water until he can get back. And you know, you look at their schedule after this, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Chicago. Yeah,

but the problem is their division. You know, can can they You talk about tread water? You know, are they are? They need to do well, That's what I'm saying. Though Carolina is not playing well, Tampa is not playing well. At Lanta? What are they? I mean they would they look good against you know, maybe Philadelphia is not any good, But they beat Philadelphia home and then go to Indianapolis

and get beat what's Atlanta? If you can get a home win against this, a game that on paper maybe you're not supposed to win, no question, feather in your cap and you can go and get back to what's the line on this game? I don't know if they're not supposed to win it. I think it's three and a half. Saint Dallas is favored by three and a half. I think I don't know. I'm a gambler, But I don't know that line. Green Bay is minus four in this game. Not green Bay to play in New Orleans.

Come on, I dropping dealing with five different things. Okay, well then I'm gonna give you some time off. So so I keep reading about how the Cowboys preseason's over, right because the easy opponents. Sure, New England has beaten and three Pittsburgh and three Miami and oh and three Jets. Yeah, so there, that's why there are seasons over there. Nobody saw Pittsburg. The Cowboys opponents are one and eight, by the way, so they've got a game lead on the Patriots. Right,

all right. That does it for talking Cowboys, and a lot of us will be talking at you again tomorrow. I'm talking Cowboys. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.