The following.
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Cowboys.
This he's Talking Cowboys Straining live from.
The Dallas Cowboys World Head Course at the Star in fris.
Joe past twenty touchdown and now your hosts Isaiah Standback, Patrick Walker, Josh Rodriguez, and Kyle Yeomans.
It's a wonderful Wednesday edition of Talking Cowboys, presented by Black Rifle Coffee Company, live from the Star in Frisco, Texas, in the s WBC studios.
As we welcome you and everybody.
We've got Chris Beam in the back punching the buttons, making us happen having it on air every day. And we've got Pete and Papett, Patrick Nocy Walker, Pat Patrick Walker, got Isaiah.
Stand Back, We've got Josh Rodriguez and Kylie Owmans. Glad you're with us.
Today is our Defensive Preview, as it is of course.
Week one of the NFL season.
We're gonna talk about the Cowboys defense and what they have going up against DeShawn Watson, the Nick Chubbliss Cleveland Browns, and uh one guy at receiver that we know pretty well.
A little bit one kind of familiar.
We're gonna talk about all of that throughout the course of the show. How's everybody doing today? Everybody good?
Fantastically, Yeah, excellent, feeling great, feeling re energized, even though we just did nine podcasts yesterday, you know, to need see.
And that's so we're pulling the curtain back a little bit for Josh.
Josh starts today with us on our show and then immediately hops into the podcast control room behind us with Chris Beam and helps Beam produce post edit I mean, literally every other podcast the rest of the day.
So until people text tweet Derek and like where are the podcasts at? It's like, oh, all nine of them? Where from today?
Is my mixed shots today?
Exactly?
And then Derek, is there a reason?
Is there a reason why you see like pact, you see Derek's contact on your phone pop up, and like you have one ruins my new reactions.
You are the either like oh, I'm.
Doing a great job because he'll call and he'll give you props, like it will happen all the time, or it's like, oh, yes, there's no am I getting called to the principal's office.
That's what we always talk about. It's just pure stress.
And I got in the middle of a movie yesterday I got I got my Derek text in the middle of watching a movie. I was at the theater and I was like, oh, I can't focus on this anymore.
A little bit of anxiety took over there.
For the rest of that movie, you were replaying from his seat.
Laptop like the movie.
Like Wi Fi connections started to fade a little bit because he had the hot spot up in the in the theater projection.
It's like, can you pause it for just one minute?
Just a minute, I promise, so it'll be okay.
Oh man, Well yeah, re energize is what it feels like.
Oh, it feels great, and back to it. I think it's it's.
Even better once you get into a routine and you get the same show every day.
We're here at nine am every day to break it down for you.
But before we get into our preview, let's go to some news and notes with Patrick Nocy Walker.
So yesterday was a couple of transactions one would well both were were more or less expected. Obviously, Villiami Junior for Hoko, former fourth round pick from last year. He was officially released from the Cowboys. Initially during the roster cutdowns, he was waived injured and it was an expectation that that would result in an injury settlement, which is the two side, which is exactly what the two sides came
to terms on. So Fajoko is a free agent and the Cowboys made the official the release of David Dirt and wide receiver. He is out as well. And we didn't speak on this before now, but I want everyone to know who may not know. Al Quadem Muhammad was released late last week. If you remember, he did play well in the preseason. He performed well and you know once he was at it in camp, but also needed to still serve that one game suspension which was coming
due week one. The Cowboys didn't need to carry him. He was on the suspended reserve list, but apparently they chose to move on, which they are more within you know, within the rights to do so. He is a free agent as well. Al Kadem Muhammad is not going to be on the Cowboys' depth chart. I like week two. Yeah, AQM is what I called him. I liked the AQB. We talked about that last week a little bit. Yeah, he showed some promise. He showed promise. It is possible,
but it does. It is kind of a head scratcher in the capacity of if you're wondering if they will bring him back, which is possible, makes you wonder why they release him in the first place when he was not being a hit, When he wasn't a hit to a roster seat at all. So they didn't have to make a decision on him until after week one, but they proactively made that decision. So something kind of went a ride there, it feels like, but I don't have all the details on it, so I won't speculate.
Yeah, he was the response to the Sam Williams injury.
If he was, he was in that Carl Lawson and it was him AQ.
And Boston's on the practice squad, correct, right, So you have one of those guys on the practice squad, you wave Tony, Are there any.
Other practice spot positions open?
They're maxed, so they have the seventeen, which is the sixteen plus you get the IPP exception for Denzel decks and so they're maxed at seventeen.
Would you like to see aqm back?
He had flashes in the preseason, no doubt, but I think they probably see more potential in Karl Lawson.
Yeah, you don't feel that way though.
I definitely don't feel that way at all. I don't think Carl Lawson he did not possess the juice that I was looking for from that particular position. I think he looks like a transformer, for sure.
He's yeah, he lives the all Hotel Lobby team.
It looks like a weight room monster. But from what I saw, he didn't have more than one move. He went upfield, got jammed up. He was either going to get to the quarterback or not. He didn't give it to the quarterback. He didn't seem like he had too much agility and too many, too many other moves in his bag.
And was that not being in shape for football season.
I don't know.
I didn't see any change ups. I was watching them. I was watching them because I was looking at those two I like.
I like AQ.
I think he's one of the few true defensive ends that the Cowboys had in camp this year. That's that's just my opinion. I think Chauncey Golson is not a true d N. I don't think Tyris and We. I think Tyris we is kind.
Of a tweener. Yeah, he's a tweener.
You know.
Obviously you got Micah, obviously you have d Law. But those are the only two that are like true dns. Marshaw Kneeland, everybody's talking about him, He's not a d N to me. He doesn't possess what I considered to be a d M. Maybe in this new Mike Zimmer system, but when you're talking about, hey, I want you to get the quarterback, it's not a guy that you're necessarily gonna look at.
And that's where they're trying to unlock with Marshawn Naland and speaking with Nland over the course of training camp. Obviously he knows the Cowboys. We know that one of his green greenest of flags was his run defense at the edge. So I think him hearing everyone praise that, which is completely fine. He feels like not enough people are talking about his ability to rush the passer.
So there are more than on more than.
One occasion when Kneeland proactively brought up how he was working on unlocking that pass rush ability completely. So to your point, maybe in Zimmer system and working with coach z and Greg Ellis, maybe they'll be able to unlock that as the season goes on. But I will say Nieland did show some good penetration into the opposing pocket over the course of the preseason during his snap, So
there's some progression there. But let's see, like Isaia said, let's see if it gets completely unlocked as early as this year, because they needed as early as this year with Sam out.
Yeah, because you need a guy that's going to stop the run and set the edge, and he's the leader.
Contained is the big thing. I mean, just keep it inside the tackles and you have a mobile quarterback coming. You've got a couple of special teams too.
They're gonna have these guys on the depth chart and they have to be versatile on your on your teams.
Yeah, I don't know if you're going to see Marshaun Eves run down the field at six four to two specialty.
Yeah, exactly.
And both those guys play heavy to me, you know what I mean, like they play heavy absolutely?
Yeah, absolutely, I do agree.
Well, long linky athletic. He mean, if you're going to drop an athlete, that's what you draw up right there.
Well, when we talked about this too, But if that's a conversation.
You don't think John Fossil said or looked at the list and said, Okay, John, uh, you've got Carl Lawson, you've got a QM. Make your decision. Whoever's whoever you want will be on the practice.
I don't think that was his decision. Yeah, if he came down to that, I don't believe that that was his decision. I think if he did have an opportunity to put his finger on somebody, it was Tyros Whet.
I was about to say, I think it was a dialogue.
And if that were the case, and he was saying he being bones Fossil, he was saying, Hey, I want a QM over Carl Lawson for special teams purposes. They probably rebutted and said, we'll give you a Tyros Wheat if you give Mike zimmer Carlawston. So I'm I mean, it's always an open dialogue when you're talking about roster goods.
So, yeah, you gotta play the game. You gotta play the game. It's it's not easy to do.
But again, going back, but going back to this conversation we had yesterday, this is not a d N featured defense, no, correct So as much as we're inside as we're used to these great defensive ends for the Dallas Cowboys over the years, and there still is one obviously in the room, and Michael parsons that he will be utilized and he will eat as usual. That's not the feature of this defense, and obviously we'll get into it today.
These linebackers are the stars of the show. Is the stars of the show.
Any other news in those that come to mind, No, unless I'm missing one, I don't think so.
No, yesterday, because they didn't practice yesterday.
So using that as a segue to today, the Cowboys will return to practice. Today will be and this is how we know we're back, baby.
Today will be.
The first official practice report. We get practice reports effective today, so we will get an official tracker for what's going on with whoever is dealing with any type of ailment. But as it stands.
Now, way too much panic Wednesday, of course, absolute.
You're going to see like Brandon Cooks probably limited and people I thought Brandon Cooks, he's fine.
Marsh On Nealand's gonna have like a toe, he's fine. Who yeah, get ready for that.
But cowboys return to practice today, and they're really going to start ratcheting things up over the next three days, three to four days to get ready for that trip to Cleveland in because there's a lot that awaits them.
Yes, at Cleveland Brown Stadium, Yes there is.
Would you ever be the Bill Belichick of practice reports and just put.
Everybody on there. I'm not disclosing anything that actually need.
Needs to be out there, but that that's how you do it. You muddy the water. You put every single name. Josh has a shoulder, You've got a hip, You've got an ankle, I've got need. Yeah, whatever, it ends up being for people that have them.
But he has an ear, he has one, Yeah, he got.
He's got your playing head, shoulders.
He lost, he lost. It's in his eye. Something's in his eyes. He made a wish.
All right, let's get into that defensive preview, because, like you said, Cleveland has.
A lot to look for.
Before we get into that, too, we got to look at who's gonna play defense. Because the defensive depth chart was released for the first time, the unofficial depth chart.
I'm gonna read off the starters here.
Stop me if there's any shockers, right, these are starters, starters only.
DeMarcus Lawrence Michaeh. Parsons. Nothing right there yet.
I'm gonna skip a name for a second os Di Gizua, Damone Clark, Eric Kendricks, Maris Lea Foul, Trayvon Diggs, Cayln Carson, Jordan Lewis, Donovan Wilson, Malie Cooker.
And the name I skipped was Mazzi Smith.
Any shockers, any surprises, not even the last name.
I think people might be shocked to see of overshown. However, they've been listen listing Lea Foul over overshown since training camp, since the first unofficial training camp.
That hence my no. Yeah, yeah, so it's.
No surprise to us, but it maybe people at home might be surprised.
To see it, and they have been just based on the responses that I've been getting. There's another name, offensively as a starter that has people up in arms, who will talk about that another time. But as far as Lea, the Lea Foul Overshown dynamic, I mean to me, it doesn't matter which one of those two guys you list on paper as the starter. They're both going to play
rotationally and get a healthy amount of snaps. And also keep in mind that Lea foul is versatile, so he'll play Mike Sam and will and in those situations where he's you know, playing in a different spot, then overshown you will see them in sets where both of them on the field at the same time. So again the answer is no for me because I have an expectation for how Mike Zimmer is going to use those two guys,
and it's going to be quite a bit. So who the starter is is a non is a non starter for this conversation.
You said a healthy amount of snaps for both of those guys, What would that be like thirty five forty?
Yeah, give or take? Then that, yeah, give her a take, give.
It because what do we think in probably like eighty to ninety defensive snaps total?
Right, do you.
Think it'll be eighty snaps or I think it's more of a situation. What eighty snaps as a defense? Yeah, I mean Cleveland likes to get up and go No. Sixty they also position to be sixty five.
Yeah, Cleveland, along with the Cowboys, they were one of the best in the league at time of possession as well.
So that they're gonna run the balls, I mean they're going to run the ball.
There will be a lot of defensive reps for the Cowboys in this game to come up because unless the Cowboys can get off the field consistently on thirty third down, yeah, those No.
Let's say let's say max of seventy.
If they're seventy set snaps max, would you say thirty for lea foul, thirty.
For overshown, and then mix in another ten somewhere else.
I think this particular game looking at skill set, and I know Lea File has a lot of speed, but overshown go back and look at his Longhorns tape. This dude is designed to get after mobile quarterbacks, right, so when you're going against a guy like Deshaun Watson, I feel like this is a game that would tilt slightly toward Overshown having a higher snap count before it's all
said and done than Lea File. Now that again, that does not to say Lea File is going to be playing the bench, because he's not, because his speed is going to be needed as well. But I do see this as more more of an overshown game than Lea fel I'm not sure I think they I don't think they know. I don't think it is Week one. This week one, don't and neither is played in this game.
We'll get into the details, I'm sure, but it's gonna be whoever's the most physical this game. Whoever's most physical is gonna be the one who gets regards to who gets to start. Whoever's the most physical.
Physical just right now, based on college to see it, I'm not going out of college.
Okay, what about when he's gone?
When these offensive guards can they pull guards all day long? Three hundred and ten pounds comes around the corner and comes up to the second level.
Who's gonna come meet them? Overshowing did put on some more? Who's gonna come meet them? Put on? That reason?
I want to see it for that reason. I want to see who's gonna come down here. So that's that's what's gonna determine it. Because if you're you're just scraping across the across the formation, you're gonna get thrown out the.
Club Jasey Jeff style. Yeah, fair enough, I like it. I do so.
Official or unofficial depth chart released for the Cowboys going into their Week one matchup.
We'll talk more about the offensive.
Depth chart tomorrow and our offensive preview can't wait.
I did have one surprise though that you did. You didn't mention as far as starters go, Uh, Israel mccuamo, he.
Was moved back to cornerback.
Did you guys see that.
I caught that? Oh in terms of non starters, Yeah, yeah, I.
Like to see that, albeit an unofficial, unofficial, unofficial, unofficial, Right, you gotta keep saying that I'll be an official depth charge. I do love seeing that they're closer to making official what we've seen throughout the course of training camp, which was Israel Mukalma was getting a ton of snaps at the cornerback positions at nickel corner seen throughout his professional career whenever he wasn't as good at safety as he
has been. We have been pleading for is he to be moved back to corner, which is where he thrived at South Carolina.
Yeah? Are you making that face? No reason we light at corner. We are light at corner. He's helping man. Listen. I saw all I needed to see.
I mean, if you all you really need him to do in this defense is especially when you're playing zone, because that's what that's why it's a benefit for him in this defense to play corner because if you guys go back and look at let's not even look at that. Let's just keep it in the cowboys when you're as
long and lanky as he is. And if you're Coach Zimmer, you're asking him if you're playing a cover too, or you're playing a cover two trap, or you're playing any kind of cloud three or anything like that where he's responsible for an area. He's not responsible for a man, but he's responsible just for a space. Go go gadget is who you want out there, because all you're telling him to do is, hey, go disrupt him off the line of scrimmage. Right, I'm not worried about you getting
beat because we have help over the top. So go be aggressive, disrupt him with your size, and then fall back into your zone and let those guys go hunt up.
Front and do what you can do at that point. And the ball, if the ball.
Comes to your area, go go power rangers, go up there and get that thing and bring it back down. So you're not asking him to have the same responsibilities that a dan Quinn did because you're not asking to play man.
Right, agree and is mkwamou is basically mister fantastic with the Marvel reference.
There you.
Fantastic full reference. But the difference is in having him in rotation with the guy like Jordan Lewis. Is that like Isaiah saying is he is excels with his size and his length as a zone cover guy, where Jordan is excels as a man cover guy. So being able to rotate those two guys in knowing that you have an elite zone guy an elite cover guy only works in the favor of Mike Zimmer.
I like it.
I've always wanted Isy to go back and go back to corner. His tape at South Carolina was always impressive. They I get it. I get the experiment, but it was an experiment for a year moving back the corner, see what happens, and then if.
His career takes off and takes off.
He's on the fifty three man roster at this point, which is saying something.
He's tall. I don't think people understand how tall.
I mean.
They listen man six four yeah, and he might be six half. He is an absolute dog.
He will get in the mind of the of the route receiver or whoever the target might be. He's going to talk his talk, and more often than not, he's going to back it up. And you talk about physicality, he's not just this long, lanky guy. He loves to hit as much as he loves to cover. He loves to make his presence felt. And then when you're getting up, when you're looking up at him, he's talking to you
the whole time. So I said before roster cut downs and got the receipt out there on Twitter, I say, you have to find a way to keep Israel Mukuamu on this roster. And they found a way. So kudos to them and moved him back to corner, which is fantastic.
And again they've put him back on the fifty three man active roster.
He should play game days. He should be conversation game days.
The one thing, too, is they just cut a fourth round pick from from more recent draft, from a more recent draft than what they had with.
Eric sixth round Villiami Fojoko fourth round. They like is he mcguamoo enough to keep him around? That's there is a point being made by him being on the roster, and I love it. I love it too. All right.
When we come back here on talking Cowboys, time to dive deep into the Cleveland Browns. What do they bring offensively, what will challenge this Cowboys defense? And how much effect will Amari Cooper have going into week one.
We'll talk about it.
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To the Talking Cowboys. Back here on Talking Cowboys with This portion of the show is.
Brought to you by none other than Quaker Oats, the official oatmeal sponsor of the Dallas Cowboys. Quaker Oats trusted since eighteen seventy seven.
I got a text.
Message from one of the later shows, I won't name which one. They said that they didn't feel like your clean up job yesterday after spilling your oats everywhere, they didn't feel like it was.
Sufficient or adequate. Is that right? Yeah, that's right. Yeah, they felt like there was still some residue left over. That's what we do. We leave our residue around these parts. And we talked coboys. First show. I think I think we're trying to get right.
Oh right, it happens when you go command Hey, watch your phone, watch the phone, Derek's contacts. Good off, jeez, this is ridiculous, guys, it's ridiculous.
This is ridiculous. Welcome.
By the way, if you have your phone out, you can scan.
The QR code and get some quick quake arc qu it's on that side.
It's over there, to isaiahs Tanback's head. Yeah, it's right next to the other side on that side.
It's right there actually, So you didn't just start pointing there every time.
All right? Thanks?
All right, Let's take a look at the Brown's offense. And I'm not gonna lie to you, guys. They don't scare me. They do not scare me. The Browns offensively last year. Here's some of their totals. Uh total yardage sixteenth in the league. Scoring, they were tied for tenth, so not too bad, rushing twelfth, passing nineteenth. They were the twenty ninth ranked team on third down, bottom five in the league in terms of third down efficiency, and they allowed the twenty.
First most I guess what would that be?
They were twenty first in sacks allowed, so they gave up top would would that be twelve? Top twelve amount of sacks in the league last year as an offensive line, So when you look at the offense, I'm not necessarily worried.
Twenty eighth in yards per play.
If I had one thing that I think this Cowboys defense would struggle against it be the run game. Well, they don't have any Nick Chubb to hand the football off to, do you feel like?
And That's where I'm headed. You think Jerome.
Ford is a capable ball carrier enough to challenge the Cowboys' new look run defense.
Ball carrier is interesting because all purpose, he had eleven hundred yards last season and nine point scores. I think we get burnt all the time when it comes to receiving running backs. It gives me a PTSD of Aaron Jones. But I mean even back to darren Sprolls, you know what I mean, Like, anytime there's a shifty running back like that, they kill us. They kill us. So I'm
concerned about that. But also they also brought in Deontay Foreman in uh in the backfield, six foot two hundred and thirty five pound running back from Chicago who only averaged four point two yards per carry last season.
Yeah, uh guy, I wanted on the practice squad.
Exactly, big dude, big dude. So I think the easiest fix here is just don't let them get into the rin zone. You know what I mean, Just don't do it.
How's that sound? Easy fix? Right? Yeah?
Easy, easy peasy Litman squeezy, you don't have Nick Chubb. So there's a massive drop off there. That being said, as the Dallas Cowboys defense, you don't have the freaking luxury to overlook say you don't have the luxury to overlook a running back. You don't have the luxury to look at Jerome Ford and say, oh well, he's not Nick Chubb or Deontae Foreman say oh well he's you know, he's not what he would You don't have the luxury.
You need to go out there and act as if you're playing defense against Nick Chubb because until further notice, there's a huge question mark slapped right in the middle of your defensive line and even the linebackers until we see these games wondering if Mike Zimmer's defense is going to rapidly or rapidly both actually increase the amount ar
should said that decrease the production from opposing running defense. So, Jerome Ford, this is a guy, like you said, eleven hundred plus all purpose yards, nine all purpose touchdowns, eight hundred and thirteen yards, and four rushing touchdowns on the ground,
so he can be effective. So don't go in there, don't go in to Cleveland thinking, you know, you're not seeing Nick Chubb, so you take a take a breath, don't hold that breath, and go do your damn job, because these two guys they can get the job done. And you got to flip that time of posiession. You cannot let Cleveland on the time of possession, especially in their stadium. That doesn't bote well when you also have to con in with the receivers.
I call it taking the air out of the football. Yeah, I mean, you just you don't. You don't. It's almost like trying to just play keep away. You don't want to. You want to, don't want to let.
The other team play the game that they love, especially the number one offense in the league.
Absolutely, and they're gonna do everything they can.
They don't care about that. I mentioned twenty ninth in yards per play or twenty eighth in yards per play last year.
They could not care less.
They will be okay with two and a half yards, three yards, and then they get a first down two and a half three yards, Then they get a second first down right, and then they keep going down the field.
Te position is marching offender exactly. It's another defender and it could play a factor.
They do have some weaponry on the outside, but I mentioned Amari Cooper. They traded for Jerry Judy, which I think is a significant underrated move this offseason across the AFC in general, not just the Cowboys or not just the Browns.
Uh Yeah, I like what I'm bliged j Moore can do.
Yeah, I mean weaponry on the outside, running game as a whole, Isaiah when you look at this team from a film standpoint, And by the way, new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey is now the OC with Cleveland. Which side of it worries you more? The Russian game or the passing game?
Russian game? Yeah, still rushing game, I don't And.
Is that more for the Cowboys?
Are more for what.
They Why would you not attack the Cowboys ability to defend the run until further notice, you're one of as Cleveland. Okay, we're not obviously new OC, New Year all that jazz. Historically speaking, when you play the Cleveland Browns, you know that you have to be able to defend against what the run. The run it was, but I think it's yes, and Nick Chubb is a very talented running back, but I think this game is less about the running back
and more about the offensive line. The offensive line of Cleveland, to me, is a solid unit. Those guys work really well together. They move all the time in terms of pulling guards, pulling tackles. You just if you gonna say this, the Alas Cowboys feature of the defense is what position linebackers? Right, that's feature right now, feature position. Yes, the feature position is linebacker.
Okay, that's vast different.
Yeah in January, right, it tast historically obviously we have to we have to wait and see, right, But historically the Cleveland Browns have done a lot of counters, a lot of counters. For those that don't understand your misdirection counters. Okay, that means pulling guards.
You're going like.
You're handing the ball off one way, you let the guard go to the opposite direction. You can hand the ball off to running back going right behind that big man. And if your linebackers are not aggressive and decisive, there will be a three hundred plus pound man who loves to put guys into the ground and eat pancakes. He will be on your two hundred and thirty pounds linebacker to fifteen twenty with luifowl right in a heartbeat. So
these linebackers have to shoot the gaps. Trust their eyes right, So Kendricks luifoul all these guys you have, when you see it, you see a whole go Oh. The other person in this defense that has to win every single time is the one technique.
Yep.
If the one technique does not control the center, you're in trouble. If you don't win that matchup, you're in trouble. If you get moved the one direction and you allow for him to get his hip turned and get you shifted one direction, you were opening up the red sea. And now you're putting so much pressure on your linebackers.
But if you can get even a stalemate at that position and don't allow that center to be able to work up to the next level, and you when that guard, right guard or left guard decides to vacate their space and that linebacker shoots the hole, you can get these guys down in the backfield. Reason being, if you don't do that, then yeah, it's not Chubb in the backfield, but it is a forward in the backfield, and we know that forwards are built for it tough.
If these guys and these guys, this.
Dude run he was clocked at twenty one miles pour last year.
So that's like, Isaiah, standbackfast. No, I'm twenty two.
But but if you on but if you allow for these guards again, understand this conceptually, guard leaves pools gets up to the second level. If your linebackers don't shoot the gap and stop this thing in the backfield, if your one technique doesn't push the guy back or still make the center, then all of a sudden, he's getting out to the edge. That's running back and there referring to and you have a running back who runs twenty one miles per hour, he gets out on the edge.
Now you're in trouble.
Now you're asking Trayvon to go up and come up and make big hits. Now you're asking your defensive backs to come up there and make plays on guys that they really shouldn't have to be worried about.
But you know what that does.
Then that sets up the play action deepot, that's what it does, because now your corner has to worry about playing with his eyes in the backfield.
And that's a recipe for disaster.
And Isaiah makes all the great points, and I want to point at something that Mary s Leafoul told us after Monday's practice that stuck out to me. I asked him specifically, I said, what is Mike Zimmer's message to the rookie linebackers going into their first game?
Overshown?
And because overshown is the fact over rookie and Lea foul as well, and Lea Foule's quote was he told us to just cut it loose and let me do the thinking.
End quote.
So to Isaiah's point that if that works out as we hope it does, that is the instinctual play of the linebackers, just telling them, hey, this is your assignment.
Now go play football and don't overthink it. But this is going to be.
A massive test for Mazzi Smith and the rebuilt interior defensive line.
So even even if you're.
The jury is out and jury is out on Mazzi Smith right now until further notice. But as the jury is out on Mazzi Smith, it's going to be a test for Mazi and lin Vall, the new dedition, Linval Joseph and oh so we know Os is gonna cook. Os is gonna cook. No question marks on Oaks side. Jordan Phillips, he flashed early in preseason, as early as his first preseason game with no practice.
Right.
So Jordan Phillips olso Diggi zuwell, who we know is gonna cook Mazi and then the newest edition Linval Joseph. Those four guys up front in those trenches, if they can wall that off, force the runs to the outside and the linebackers are in fact being cut loose and playing instinctual for the ball. Now you're going to force not only Deshaun Watson into abandoning the run. Now you're going to force them, the Cleveland Browns into playing your game.
You want them to drop back forty times and throw the ball. That's what you want. They're going to test Kayln Carson.
They are, but I tell you what, if you target him ten times, one of those is going to be an interception.
Right, So you want them getting one dimensional.
And they haven't been one dimensional, or at least, let me say it this way, teams under Ken Dorsey have not been one dimensional whenever it comes to their quarterbacks. He's had some pretty good success with quarterbacks. I'll tell you about that when we come back on the other
side of the break. How can Ken Dorsey the new offensive coordinator in Cleveland help grow DeShawn Watson and helped push him in the right direction, and how the Cowboys can slow him down when we come back with more talking Cowboys.
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To Talking Cowboys.
Back here on Talking Cowboys. This segment is brought to you by Invisi Line, the official smile of the Dallas Cowboys. All smiles here on this wonderful Wednesday. Isaiah stand back, Josh Rodriguez, Patrick No C Walker, Chrispiam in the back.
I'm Kyle Yeomans.
I tease that going into the break. Ken Dorsey a new offensive coordinator for the Browns this season. He was the Bills offensive coordinator from twenty twenty two to twenty twenty three, and previous to that, from twenty thirteen to twenty seventeen, he was the quarterback coach for Cam Newton in Carolina. Through his time in both of those places, Allen led the NFL with two hundred and three offensive touchdowns since twenty nineteen. Newton had over one hundred and
fifty offensive touchdowns in that same span. Twenty thirteen to twenty seventeen, which was fourth in the NFL, and of course he won his MVP award in twenty fifteen, So right now one of the best quarterbacks in the league influenced by Ken Dorsey back then an MVP of top notch player coached up by Ken Dorsey.
Deshaun Watson was one of the worst quarterbacks.
In football last year and it's statistically proven since twenty twenty two. Forty first out of quarterbacks, forty first in completion percentage, thirty eighth in passing guards per game, thirty sixth in passing attempts. His touchdown the interception ratio was fourteen to nine.
It was not good. Oh, brother, brother guy thinks.
But can can Ken Dorsey change that?
Isaiah?
So from your experience from a quarterback coach, Oh see, whatever it may be, No, you cannot fix it.
No, not him. Why is that he lost his velocity?
Deshaun Watson does not no longer from what I've seen on film, no longer possesses the ability to put any zip on the ball. The interceptions that he had last year were because not only just bad decisions, but the ball wasn't going to get there, just flat out now.
Were you seeing that before or during his battle with the shoulder issue that eventually landed him out. Do you think that's a remnant of what he was dealing with last year? And maybe I could come back this year.
I don't know.
We'll see, we'll see, but from what I've seen, they just not there, you know what I mean. And it might be one of the reasons why Mary Cooper wanted to get out of there.
While they were talking trade with possible San Francisco, and.
When Brandon you had an opportunity to leave, he was like, not there. Yeah, going right. So I mean there's there's reasons.
You know, there's underlying factors as to why guys don't want to go places, and you know, that seemed to be one as I watched the film.
So it's just I don't think.
That they're going to be I think they're going to attempt to put the ball down the field. I think he's definitely Condors is definitely going to try to do have the same success that he's had in the past, because.
I hope they do safety. But in order in order to.
Do that right, in order to do that, he's going to pay homage to what the Browns have been. He's going to do that, right, Let's hand the ball off, Let's run the rock. That's you know what, this is what, this is what you guys, your your identity has been for years. Let's continue to do that. But if Dallas can show some resilience there. It's kind of like the old killing Moore. M right, killing Moore is like, well, run the ball. I really don't want to.
He even said, oh it's not ready, Oh it's not working. Great. Just throw the ball forty five fifty times a game.
Fantastic, And I hope that mister Dorsey decides to do that. But Dallas has to make him do that. So I say, take the run away, get him to do what he wants to do anyway, which is throw the ball around, and then make him pay for it because their quarterback cannot pass the ball the way he wants the way he wants.
To did to answer your question, I don't know that. I mean there's a lot of health issues when it comes to Shaun Watson. He hasn't had a healthy season sure so far with the Browns personal issues. Also aside that that was a he's a meme.
Now you know what?
I mean, I think that that's kind of created the narrative that he's like not as good as he was with the Texans, which is understandable. But we kind of saw a glimpse of postseason.
But Isaiah's off camera, it's okay.
Fair enough, fair enough. We saw a glimpse of twenty twenty postseason Deshaun Watson last year in the comeback against the Ravens.
I feel like we saw that.
I think it was the fourth quarter, or maybe it was that second half totally where he had fourteen He went fourteen for fourteen, came back and beat the Ravens last year. That to me was an indication where he's probably not done being Deshaun Watson. But I think, like you said, does it carry over to an entire season. Probably not. But Ken Dorsey, I don't know if you mentioned, but he was fired last season.
For a five ten Yeah.
Yeah, with the Bills, so.
They were still eighth in like yards per game and yards per play, like they were still like a decent level offense. When he got fired last year, it was kind of a weird firing.
Kevin Morgan let go here or not re signed and he had at the top of the league top.
Yeah, it's true.
Yeah, a lot of times, it's fit more than anything.
Yeah, points per game.
From weeks one to ten and twenty twenty three they were eighth, the Bills were, So it's.
Like, who knows, who knows. I think it's kind of up in the air with Watson how he handles it going forward. You know, it's probably a mental game at this point. But again, if he's not throwing any zip on the ball, then that's also physical as well.
For me, it's a couple of things.
Number One, I look at it as the same way I look at the run attack or the run defense.
Cowboys don't have.
The luxury of assuming that Deshaun Watson is not peak Houston Texans. Deshaun Watson, you don't have the luxury. Jordan Love walked in and yeah did Right, don't even have to relive it because you know you were there. So this is the first game after that game. You need to go in there. You need to show Deshaun Watson that you know what time it is.
Right. But I also add that I kind of touched on it. Deshaun Watson.
He ended up on IR last year because of the shoulder issue, right, so this is his first game back, there might be some rust. Okay, So yes, the Cowboys have youth on their defense, linebackers, secondary, But Deshaun Watson.
He's going to need to get thumped.
He's going to need to, you know, make a couple of completions before his confidence gets where it needs to get preaches and reps right. You need to make sure that his first three or four attempts are incomplete, which then gets him overthinking and he's trying to overprocess. And
now going against Mike Zimmer, a cerebral matchup. Now that tends to go to Mike Zimmer, but there is something about his mobility, Deshaun Watson that I wanted to point out because obviously, when you have a mobile quarterback, if you don't contain and you allow them to get out, now you extend coverage windows. And now your secondary that
you're so confident in now has to cover longer. And you're covering longer against Samari Cooper, arguably still your best route runner in the league, Jerry Judy, you're covering against Elijah More for a longer periods of time. Now the stale starts to slide back towards Cleveland as far as offensive production is concerned. But I asked both leave Foul and Overshown specifically, how are they looking to handle the mobility of Deshaun Watson. I'll give you a quick answer
for both of them. Live Foule said, It's always a challenge because there are threat to you in so many ways. We were just preparing for that and keeping that in mind this week. But it's what Overshown said that really stood out to me. He said, We've definitely got some stuff cooked up for those situations. And that's one of my specialties is getting after quarterbacks who like to leave the pocket. I'm looking forward to that. To Marveon, Overshown
wants smoke. Okay, yes, and when you go back, and I know we're talking college tape versus NFL tape, but if you get a situation where there's not that three hundred and fifteen guy, a pound guy who can get a hand on to Marrio on Overshown, if Demo sees Watson exiting that pocket, his lights are gonna come on.
He wants that.
And you have the speed of Overshown, you have the speed of Leophile, you even have the speed of Eric Kendricks. I remember one particular play. This was the scrimmage against the Los Angeles Perhabs. I know exactly where Eric Hendricks absolutely teleported from the mic to that edge.
And so you have like a knife through.
You have so much speed at the linebacker position. That will help you contain a mobile quarterback like Deshaun Watson. Now you keep him in the pocket. And the more you keep him in the pocket, and if you can nullify that run game DeMarcus Lawrence, Michael Parsons, they're coming, Marshaw Kneeland, hopefully he gets involved in that as well.
That's what you want to see.
And those coverage windows get you know, made smaller and smaller Trevon Dick. That helps a guy like Treyvon Diggs who needs to get back in the groove of things. That helps a rookie like Kayln Carson. That helps your you know, your young secondary. So that's the goal, shutting down the run, and that includes shutting down the run of a mobile quarterback in Deshaun Watson. Because you don't want watching to build any confidence. Don't let them build any confidence.
Correct And with all of this being said, all of this being set up, which unit for the Cowboys defense, Which position group is going to be tested the most come someday, It's linebackers.
It's got to be. It's still linebackers.
What do you think I'm gonna say the I'm say defensive line as a whole, but I'm gonna say specifically defensive ends because they're gonna.
Be set the edge content Yeah, yeah, that's big at the edge.
They don't set the edge, then it's on your linebackers.
Yeah.
Well, and Jerome Ford can he can run outside the tackles, so you can go sidelines. So you have not only the mobility of Deshaun Watson, but you've got Jerome Ford.
You got to worry about in that case, you agree with one of the two, I.
Mean both, I mean yeah, I mean it's gonna be a tough, tough battle either way.
It will be.
And and there are parts to this offense that people don't know yet, elements of it because it's a new offensive coordinator. It's not gonna be the same as the rankings that I gave at the end of last year. They're trying to do everything.
They can to turn those numbers in the complete ops.
But you know that also applies to the Cowboys defense. There are elements of this defense true that Browns don't know and haven't seen. They don't know what le can do, what Overshown can do, or Kailing Corson can do. They don't know quite yet. It would want a fully unleashed one. Yea Thomas looks like as or Marquis bell as a safety looks like.
So there there are some things that Brown defense. Yeah, yeah, Dallas, Dallas has I say that to say it works both ways? You know who else has a fast defense? The Cleveland Browns do? They do? They've got some speed. Ja okay on that defense.
J okay that Miles Garrett cat down at and T Stadium one time in his life.
Yeah.
We're gonna talk Cowboys offensive preview tomorrow about how they're gonna try and slow down these guys and who is that surprise starter on the offensive side of the ball in the unofficial first s depth chart of the year. More to come tomorrow nine am Central Time on Dallas Cowboys dot Com for Chris.
Me Isaiah stand Back, Josh Rodriguez.
Patrick nocy Walker, I'm Kyle Yoman saying so long from talking Cowboys.
We'll see you tomorrow.
This has been a production of dallascowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.