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This He's Talking Cowboys, springing live from the Dallas Cowboys World head Hours at.
The Star in Frisco, dot Tisondow and now your hosts Isaiah Standback, Nick Harris, John Mashoda, and Kyle Yeomans.
It's a Thursday edition of Talking Cowboys presented by a Black Rifle Coffee Company, live from the Star in Frisco, Texas and the SWBC studios, alongside Isaiah Standback, John Matchoda, Nick Harris, Chris Beam in the back.
I'm Kyle Yomans. Gentlemen. How are we doing today?
Doing pretty good? Okay, good playing?
Can't complain John, I was telling you guys before the show stair, I got bit by some fire ants the other day. Left my phone at home today. Oh yeah, so I got to after this, I gotta go run home and get it before the mcarthy Press camera too far from here.
So that's good, But I was, I don't even know how.
I'm on my phone all the time. I don't know how. I just got out of my car and I realized I didn't have it on me.
This would be the one moment like crazy breaking news having.
Yeah, exactly exactly.
John's just gonna be like, can I borrow your laptop?
I got the laptop baked, then okay I need to go to that.
I can.
Yeah, I'm going on sitting next to aunt Man.
Ant Man and who's the wasp?
Don't look at me? Don't look at me?
Oh Man, Good Thursday. I mean, it feels like it's it's a turn of the page. We've we've turned the page. Usually we do that on Wednesday. But I think the excitement is starting to come back for from Cowboys Nation to to get ready and try and put that bad taste out of your mouth from last week and and do so against the Patriots this week. Cowboys were on the practice field yesterday, we were in the locker room. Felt like Nick and John, both of you guys were in there as well.
I mean, it felt like there was a good vibe. It really did.
It didn't feel like a vibe of okay, disappointment or anger. It felt like, all right, it's time to move on and get looking forward.
Yeah, especially when you talk to the defense, you know, they've been very adamant about this being a one off type of bad performance and you know that they're going to rebound. This is not their standard. In fact, we were talking to jay Ron Curse and somebody had asked he really is and somebody had asked him. They were like, do you feel like a lot of things that Arizona had success with on Sundays is gonna be something that
New England tries to do again this upcoming Sunday? And he was basically like, I hope they do, because we're not going to play the same as we did last Sunday. So I hope that they try to play the same things because we're gonna stop it. So it definitely looks like this defense has put it behind them. Even talking to Michael Parsons yesterday, very much the same feelings. I asked him, how do you kind of put a bad
performance like that behind you and move forward? And he gave a pretty good quote just about you know, being able to take one game at a time and being able to you know, rebound from this and put it in the past. So I'm excited about this game because both of these teams have something to prove going into Week four. You know, we kind of talked about it being as must win as it could be in Week four yesterday, I think it's more so a prove it
game for these two teams. You know, New England's coming in one and two have the possibility of falling to one in three, and they talked about coming into the season that you know there's still a playoff spot available for them, that even with the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins in this division, that they can they can compete in this division and get a playoff spot. And then on the other side, for the Cowboys, if they lose this game, all of a sudden, we're looking at five hundred going
into San Francisco. So a really tough opportunity for Dallas if they come out with a loss here. So it's a prove it game for both of these programs.
Yeah.
So if you said about the defense, that was my biggest takeaway from the locker room, just because of the fact that I feel like if covering this particular team something goes wrong on the defense, I would say that there's three key guys that I want to talk to, and that would be to Marcus Lawrence, jay Ron Curse, and Mike am I leaving anybody else.
That's pretty accurate.
They're usually the ones that are well one, they're in a position that they make major impact on the field, so also what they're saying, they can also back it up. You know, sometimes you cover teams at some of their you know, some of the backups might be some of the better talkers. That doesn't mean you can't get good stuff from them, but I feel like those three are kind of the voice of that defense. And I got
the same takeaways as Nick was saying. I think that was the biggest overall thing from the locker room yesterday, just because today will be probably a lot more red zone talk and offense because we get CD and DAK. But thinking of press conference as in player availability and all that stuff, if you get a chance, go watch
Bill Belichick, I guess today talk about the Cowboys. He opens his press conference with just like we're gonna start with Dallas and then just just so monotone the all the way through names almost every single player on that starter, and when it's done, it's five minutes. And so the five minute mark is what it took before he took his first question, which and a lot of the questions
he takes. His answers are very short, but it is funny how he will do those long like the best one by far if you just look up Bill Belichick
long snapper. Yeah, it was just someone asked him a random question a few years back, and he just breaks down all of the reasons why you know, they're specialist on teams and and and all these all these different special teams things that you can tell he genuinely enjoys that part of the game where a lot of people, especially where where the NFL is going now, where they're taking a lot of that out of the game with rules and things like that. But I don't know, that's
just funny. If you get a chance, go look that up. I tweeted it out as a full quote, and a lot of people were upset that I didn't break it up in the paragraphs, but I couldn't. I maxed out what was allowed in the tweet. So yeah, five minutes, five minute answer. On his breakdown on the couch.
He talked about every single player. He mentioned Brandon Aubrey, how he missed his first kick. He mentioned Jordan like he knew everything about everybody, he may as well be on the beat.
So I threw that out and lo and behold, I did not. I tweeted it out because it's one of those where like you click on the more and it puts the whole quote out there, and I'm not even thinking a lot of people are gonna read it. I'm tweeting it out from just the look at how crazy this is type thing, and lo and behold, you know people are reading it. People to start firing back one after another. You know, he didn't mention, you know, he didn't mention. You know, he didn't mention dac dac d
act d act act. I'm just like, oh my lord, I didn't even know. I didn't look at that closely to you even look at something like that. But that's there are some people out there and the magnifying glass out and we're just dissecting that whole thing. What do we got here? Who did he leave off?
You know?
So he does that like almost every week, Isaiah, right, like he builds up the opponent in his press conferences publicly. But there's there's yeah, there you go the but there's also like an intimidation factor with it too.
I mean that's kind of what it is.
You look at it and you see, okay, oh wow, he said these nice things about the Cowboys. That's great, and then everybody's like, oh gosh, he said these nice things about the Cowboys like that, What is the mental game the chess match that's going on with Bill Belichick when he does that.
Yeah, he doesn't care to do the first of all, right, second.
Of all, he doesn't feel as if he needs to disclose any information that's going to put him at a disadvantage whatsoever. That whatsoever. So he is the master of that, and that goes across the board. That's the expectation when you're in that locker room that you don't speak out about what you're He makes Adam in our meetings when I was out there, to not disclose anything, like you'd be as black as possible. Yeah, black and white, just
as black as possible. Like, don't disclose anything, keep everything tight. It's not for them to know, Like what do they need to know for. That's really his outlook on it. He's not trying to he's not trying to be a jerk. He's just trying to protect his team, like that's his number one goal. His number one priority is to make sure that they're in the best position to win ball games and disclosing information that he has internally to the outside does not do that.
One of the other things that he does that's pretty outstanding on their on their website is he gets his Isaiah on after games and breaks down one offensive play, one defensive play, and when special teams play. And that is really good, especially after in the previous years when they've played the Cowboys. Like to your point, you can tell, like in front of reporters that's probably not his thing
that he loves. But when he's doing the breaking down the play stuff, he puts a lot of interesting things
out there. And just using one as an example, there was it might have been against the Cowboys, but just how he broke down how they punted the ball one time because where the sun was ending at so he knew that if you could put it somewhere here, Like just the fact that he had out like, no, no, we punted it that way because you could tell in the stadium the sun was starting to get over there, and I was just like wow, Like just the breaking down the things like that that I'm sure a lot
of coaches say, but just to hear him break it down like that, and as Bill Belichick and you're expecting him to be the guy that kind of like Greg Popovitch, isn't gonna say much, but I'm tell you when he gets in his element, like it's it's great stuff.
Mad genius.
Yeah, I magine genius.
What's what are some of the other news and notes to look forward to?
Yeah, I got a few things coming out of practice yesterday. And again these are tweets via John Mashoda. That's a great looking at the Cowboys who did not practice yesterday. All three offensive linemen were working with the rehab group. We only saw two of them during the media portion, but all three did participate with the rehab group. Tyler Biottish still dealing with his hamstring, Zach Martin with his ankle,
and Tyron Smith with his knee. I feel like there's kind of some growing confidence that at least one of them come back on Sunday, and I would have to assume that at least one of them come back on Sunday. And then Ceedee Lamb and DeMarcus Lawrence did not practice for rest non injury related reasons, and then Truemedia Doga was limited with his elbow that he's been battling since the Jets game.
If you had since you're thinking maybe one of those guys comes back, if you had to put your finger on it, which one do you think is?
I just don't feel like Zach Martin misses back to back games. That feels very uncharacteristic. Unless it's a worse injury than we expected, that would be my bet, just because he's mister iron Man.
Do you think there's a chance that you go without Beaddish and without Tyron?
The thing is, if you go without Beyadis, you're in an interesting position because you've already used all three of brock Hoffman's elevations, which means you're gonna either have to put Sean Harlowe in there, who the Cowboys picked up right after training camp, right before the season from the Giants practice squad, or Billy Price, who they picked up literally yesterday. So it's going to be a very fresh face.
And they're playing center, which we've we've come to learn in this offense is becoming very important position to play. I Beatis is probably the most important one going into Sunday that needs to play. I think that's it's very crucial for him to be lining up at Center on Sunday.
What do you think about that and the possibilities up front?
It's not good. It's not a good week for that. It's just not a good week for that. These guys the defensive line of solid, they they go balls to the wall. It's not a good week to not have any of those guys. You need all five. It doesn't sound like you're going to have that. So game plan
is going to be very important. And not that it wasn't already going to need to be important, but now if you're not going to have all five of your starters that you're intending to have, you got some stuff to figure out because these guys are going to be challenging for sure.
I agree with Nick on the Zach Martin part of it, yet I do think that he would be the most likely. At least we got to see Zach and Tyler on the cords. We didn't even see Tyron Smith at all, so I thought that that was kind of an interesting
sign there. And then also Mike McCarthy was asked about the potential of working Tyler Smith at some left tackle because of possibly not having Tyron Smith, and he didn't want to answer that, so that makes me think that, yeah, maybe he will get some work over there Tyron Smith, I mean Tyler Smith, sorry at left tackle, but still, yeah, that middle of the offensive line, especially with what they have at defensive tackle, that seems kind of scary for
this particular game and the mad scientist on the other side of the ball coaching that's probably not great.
No, not at all.
Are you surprised on the fact that Tyler Smith did not bump out the tackle last week in the midst of everything happening on the interior? Are you surprised by that or is that something that you feel like is a really an emphasis from this coaching staff you want to keep him at guard.
I'm not surprised because of the context of the situation, the fact that Tyron Smith went down just twenty four hours before the game started. They didn't get him any reps at left tackle. Probably, and y'all would have to correct me if maybe something happened at training camp. I can't recall Tyler Smith taking a rep at left tackle since since last season, so you wouldn't want to throw him in the fire like that in a game situation.
So go ahead and Leudy Doga, who's been taking those reps at left tackle and Oxnard and sometimes in practice as well. Let him go ahead and throw in a left tackle, Let Tyler Smith go at left guard and then figure it out next week. Well now it's next week, so maybe they're figuring it out. Yeah.
I think maybe there were a few at OTA's or mini camp before they like kind of made it like, hey, now we're going to go with this going into camp, started training camp. Yeah, no physicality right I started training camp. I don't think that he has.
I do remember Tyler Smith taking some left tackle reps at OTA's that does ring a bell.
But outside of since they got to ox Neard till now, I don't remember him. And from the portion that was over pinentially does. I didn't see him over there either.
And they've preached versatility the staff since they've been here, and Mike McCarthy specifically, so they're they're going to play him at left tackle if they feel like they need to. It's not going to be like a, well, you know he's doing better at left Carlo's just keep him there while he's no. If they need it, they're gonna throw him out.
There for this particular matchup. What do you think they would need him more at left guard, left tackle or does it matter.
I don't think it really matters. I think holistically, you need a unit that's gonna work together. I don't I'm not out a fan of throwing him out there, put him on a yo yo. We need your tackle, we need drack Guarden. They did that last year. He went above and beyond the call of duty last year to fill that void for them. They opted not to address some things. So now kind of finding themselves in a situation again.
Yeah, I'm interested to see going into this week, one who's healthy period and two where Tyler Smith ends up, Because if if Tyron's healthy, then I mean, of course
you're gonna put him at left tackle. But if he's out for an extended period of time or maybe longer than we even anticipate from this standpoint, then maybe you do end up having Tyler Smith bounce out to the left tackle spot and kind of get right back on that yo yo that he had last year, back and forth between left tackle and left guard.
Any other news and.
Notes, Yeah, So obviously the big headline this week is that Ezekiel Elliott is making his return to Dallas. He'll play his first game, not only against the Cowboys, but back in at and T Stadium. He was asked yesterday on a conference call with the Cowboys beat Riders, was there any contract talks with the Cowboys after your release? You know what were those like? He said, there were minimum contract talks after he was released. Here's the quote.
Business is business. Anyone who gets released or gets cut, it's going to be tough mentally, but life is life. It is what it is. It was on me to get back on the horse. You can't let negatives weigh you down. You got to take a negative and turn it into a positive. And that's what I'm working to do.
So I think we all kind of expected the fact that maybe there were quote unquote minimum contract talks with the Cowboys, but I'm sure it was a situation where Jerry was like, look, man, if you want to return, this is your number, and then Zeke kind of went out and see it so if he could find a bigger number, and he did so I found that interesting from the call yesterday.
Yeah, Zeke always going to present some storylines when you played against former players or former friends of yours. I guess from time at different spots did it ever stick in your head whenever you were going up against those guys.
No, it's like a family reunion. I mean, it's you compete against these guys in training camp. You can you know, whether you're competing against them on another team. It's all competition, you know. You just you know, you go out there, you give it your best, You have fun, you talk, smack, and hope that nobody gets hurt. And that's really the situation, regardless if they're on another team or not. That's just the outcome. You know, you want to go out there,
have a good time. You want to hit him in the mouth, talk mess to him. I got you, you know, put it on film, have a little have a little uh what's the word. I'm looking for little bragging rights. And then after that, you know, you just hopefully everybody just walks away healthy and you can go on switch jerseys, do all the other stuff out of the game, and I'll talk to you later.
We'll link up in off season type of deal.
Who Getsi's jersey?
Hollard No, definitely, Dak, Yeah, I think yeah, that's got.
To be Actually, second would probably be Mica. I just I'm looking forward to them going against each other because there was just a lot of times a training camp where that's I feel like, I feel like Micah's rookie year, he was playing more linebacker, and I felt like in training camp that's where you really got to see his speed during his rookie season, because you'd see how quickly he'd close on Zeke on some runs. And of course,
you know they're the training game. They're not tackling to the ground or anything, but they've been in those situations many at times and joking back and forth with each other. I remember on some of those practices that reporters were allowed to be at, so I know that they've had those behind the scenes. Then there's that whole you know,
Ohio State Penn State thing. So those two I want to see the most because they they have somewhat similar personalities too, where I really feel like they they know how to they're superstars with the Cowboys, and they knew how to like kind of they became faces franchise type
guys to like that, big personalities and things. So those two particularly, I'm looking to see if they there's any situations where they get a chance to you know, kind of you know, hit each other or you know, Zeke puts his head down like you know, tries to leap over. I don't think he'll do that.
I started to put in a hat because he's actually weren't the same number of jersey that I had when I played in New England.
Mmm, you wore that fifteen.
I started with nine because I was playing. I came in as a quarterback. But as soon as I start entering the game as a receiver, the leagues and a memo to the team and said, hey, even though you have him listened as a quarterback, if he's going in the game as a receiver, you have to give him at least a quarterback number. So I had just switched to fifteen, so I was still be on the quarterback you know list and turns on the depth chart.
But when I went in the game, I had to have a two digit number as a receiver.
Okay, this is something Roger Goodell came after you. That's the story here.
Pretty sure he didn't do that.
This is something he's in a personal letter to your address.
So like in my closet, I have two different jerseys. I have nine and I have fifteen from New England.
This is something that maybe only I'm interested in, but I'm always fascinated by this. What do you do with all of your old gear, like your old jersey's, helmets, stuff like that. Do you have it like out or do you keep it in the closet or I mean you ever look at the stuff or you just kind of throw it away to the side.
I'm gonna check the box type of guy person. I mean, I played football, but I never identify myself as a football player. So you know, I've talked to Kyle about this. Achievements for me are just things that are along the journey. So I'm not one to keep admiring stuff from the past, you know, like my jerseys are in my closet, my helmets are just sitting up on a bookshelf. You know, ring is just put away, you know, I mean, I just don't look at that stuff.
That often personally.
Where you ever get anything from a former teammate, like a jersey or something like that, or from an opponent or anything like that, you know a lot of guys put them up and you know they're sports rooms things like that.
We ever, my house isn't that big, so the jerseys that I have acquired, those are sitting in the closet.
We're gonna come much the game once Sunday. In your Sports last thing, really really quickly, you were talking about Mica and Zeke. You're excited about that matchup. We did ask Michael yesterday about Zeke and he said, I feel like Zeke's coming for me. He used to tell me, you're lucky I'm not out there. I'd really get you. So he has an opportunity to go get him this week.
It's gonna be fun. I'm excited to see what fifteen has in store. I'm excited to see what this offense does for the Cowboys to rebound against this Patriots defense.
And he may not display the helmets or.
The trophies or the Super Bowl ring, but you better believe that analyst in me is right from the center in that house.
It's as soon as you walk in the door.
It is sitting right there, and he's going to give you an Emmy award winning and ANALOS device. He's going to give you an award winning analysis when we come back. As we preview the Patriots defense in the Cowboys offense on QB Vision.
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Your Black Rifle Coffee with us each morning nine am Central Time. All right, Isaiah, your former team, your former head coach, the defensive mind that is Bill Belichick. What should we look for in the scouting report for the Patriots defense?
Well, first of all, I think everybody knows that Coach Belichick changes up his scheme weekly, like literally weekly. I mean, they might have something that they do majority of the time, they might have tendencies, but they are going to literally change their defense according to who they are playing and what they feel is most threatening. No different than offensively, They're going to try to attack you where your weakest, and they're going to try to expose that defensively. Coach
Belichick's gonna do the same exact thing. Regardless of what his title is, he's going to be the one called the shots on that he wants to play single high. This is a single high team, especially if they don't feel.
Threatened by your pass.
So when as you look at some of their most recent games, their game plan against the Jets is totally different against than their game plan against Miami to completely. I mean, you turn to field one, it couldn't as different in any different than it was Miami. They went three safeties across the top.
I was just going to say they have three high against firing mean, is it to account for the speed that they have.
It's not the only account for the speed, But Miami a lot of times their routes that they get open or over the middle crossing routes. So by having a three high safety, their game plan against Miami specifically was to take away that crosser. So whether they were taking those safeties and pumping them back and dropping the middle safety down to a cover two look, or whether they're taking those three safeties, dropping them down into a cover
three look and putting that safety over the top. Either way, they were able to negate the over routes by waddle by Tyreek hill. They so they were able to get the speed and negate the routes that have hurt other teams a lot of the overs, and so instead of having to pass pass coverage across you know, and responsibilities, they have guys literally sitting in those holes. So Miami had to adjust to start running a lot more West Coast type offense. They started running a lot of shorter routes.
Right.
So Dallas's offense actually works really well against New England because when they do go single high, they play off. They don't like to play a lot of press right. They like that it's a bend but don't break. It's always been Bill Belichick's way. He'd rather keep you in front of him than allow you over the top. So he'll play single high cover three, but he'll play his guys off about seven yards. Okay, So in terms of the West Coast offense, you're able to get a lot
of your passes in right. The quick outs, the hitches, the flaars, all those kinds of things that they have been doing primarily in this offense to date. Those things should be open unless Belichick changes up and decides to press those guys up. He has an availability to do that. Obviously, with Christian Gonzalez playing the way that he's playing, it's his homecoming. I'm sure he'll have opportunity to come up and play a lot more press depending on who it
is that he's going up against. Brandon Cooks has not been utilizing the way to threaten any defenses down the way to date. That's actually something that we'll talk about in I think film room or a special edition on one of those you do, yeah, winner, but there's an opportunit. I think this offense is set up to do well passing wise. If you are if you are patient, if you're patient, if you try to take your shots, well,
we've seen Gonzalez make guys pay. If you try to take your shots and you're not safe about where you put the ball at, Peppers will knock your face off, right, So they have guys out there that can make some plays in the secondary. In terms of the defensive front, they got some dudes. They got some freaking dudes. Obviously, to one of everybody knows most about is Matthew Judon. He's absolute dog. Believe he has four sacts coming into this game, more than anybody on our team right now.
And he is a complete problem.
He is pretty he doesn't have a lot.
Of versatility in terms of his style of rushing, but it's effective. It's effective. He wants to get up the field. If you have a short edge, he's gonna take it. If you try to get and try to stay high up on him, he's going to spin back. But they do a really good job of constricting the whole right Dietrich wise, obviously, he's another Dallas guy from out here. I don't know what high school we went to, but Dietrich's out there as well. He does a good job
of just just constricting the whole high effort. Guy's long arms, really just pushing a pushing the pocket back, and really just making it hard for guys to get outside the pocket, whether that be the quarterback, whether that'd be running backs. There's not a lot of running lanes, so running the ball is difficult against these guys because they are so disciplined. They're not gonna they're not gonna be playing peekaboo. They're
not gonna be they're not gonna choose wrong. They're gonna grab you, They're gonna drive you directly back to the quarterback. They're gonna try to restrict those those running lanes, and then it really does make it hard for you to just get out now behind those guys.
I was gonna say, Dietrich Wise went to Hebren as well, So that was that was the local park product.
I'm gonna go back to something that you said right at the beginning.
For sure you were you were talking about three high looks in the way that they play. They don't like the press correct against the West Coast offense, at least that's what you've seen on film.
They're backing up.
They're not playing press or playing off but against the West Coast offense, something that works.
Effectively is the press absolutely disrupt timing.
I foresee that happen. You think they I foresee that happen. I think they.
I think they go single high because they know that Dallas needs to get the run going. Okay, So you go single high because why because you're able to have set another safety in the box. So you have eight guys in the box. Now if you're not threatened by anything going deep, which they Dallas really hasn't shown much of that except for a couple of players by CD. Then all of a sudden, I'm gonname up and put my hands on you. All right, I have a big corner,
a big rookie that can run with guys. He's fast, he's a fourth four guy, fourth three four four guy that can run. He's long, lanky, he's gonna disrupt your timing. The press disrupts your ability to run your outs. It disrupts your ability to be able to run your slamts. Right, and so I could take away a lot of things that you do that require timing, to Tyles's point, but
also I have run support. So if I now can negate Tony Pollard, which is probably one of your obviously you're your one or two greatest threats, then what do I do. Now I'm able to start taking away a lot of things you do. Right, So, if I could have eight guys in a box, take away Tony Poller, because my defensive line, they're gonna have outside containment, they're gonna force everything back inside. My linebackers are freaking huge.
Bentley number eight, well, he's a dog, complete dog. I like him in the running game out in space not so much. But in terms of their interior interior d linemen in their front seven, their run defense is pretty dog on good, but if you can get behind them in that second on that second tier, they don't do well in space. They'll try to bring Peppers down. Peppers isn't the greatest and coverage as well, but they'll hit you. They will hit you. So you have to make sure
that you possess the ball. You got the ball location has to be on point because they're not going to take risks. They're not going to take the risk that will allow for most of the time for you to have those big plays. So in a nutshell, you have to you have to be really patient against these guys.
You have to be really disciplined.
Coach McCarthy's gonna have to be really methodical in the way and that he approaches the game. He's been doing so to date, I think, so I don't think that's a problem. I think that was more of a killing more issue in terms of him not wanting to be patient within this offense. But when you're running seventy five eighty plays a game, you have patience, right, you have patience. So I'm looking forward to seeing this battle, but it is going to be that it's gonna be a batter.
As you start talking about the office a lineman and how who may or may not be here. That doesn't make me feel good. It does not made me feel good because you look across his line and there's not too many guys that are just absolutely just dominant guys that you have to be concerned about. But they're all high effort, they're all disciplined, they all do their job very well. They just don't get the recognition of a lot of other teams.
The thing I'm most interested in on this side of the ball this matchup is that so Bill Belichick is known for always taking away like whatever your best thing is, and right now watching the Dallas Cowboys on offense, I think it's pretty clear the best thing they have is cd Lamb. And you add that in with the fact of what ced Lamb did the last time they played the Patriots. How do you think they try and take Is it just simple as oh, Christian Gonzalez is going
to follow him? Or how do you think they try and limit what Cede Lamb does.
Be honest with you, I think they may have Christian Zalez following.
This is crazy because I had the same exact question he I'm just waiting for you like I was sitting there looking at John. You know that question.
No, really, I really believe that.
I believe so if I'm projecting in terms of what I've leave Coach Belichick is gonna do. I think he's gonna go single high safety. I think he's gonna come up and press. He's gonna put his hands on everybody. Bee Cooks has been negated to running short routes right
the time. Be Cooks has been having to convert all of his rous versus two high safety, so they might roll coverage to him just to take him out of the game, take out the possibility to throw on the ball his way, and then come up in press CD because now I'm going to force Dak to be accurate.
I'm gonna force Dak to be accurate down the field.
That's if I'm Coach Belichick and what I've seen on film and what he's done, I'm gonna come up and put hands on I'm gonna disrupt your timing. Dak has not held the ball much beyond two and a half seconds. When he has held the ball past two and a half seconds, bad things happen. Right, So if I can, if I can play to that strength as much as possible, come up, put my hands on you. Let Judon go crazy, because especially if you have a tackle that's not true
starting tackle, why wouldn't I let him go crazy? And then they bring pressure with with Judeon, they bring pressure with with Bentley.
I like key On White as well. That's a That's another one they got that's just been really active off the edge. They got some guys.
I just remember Christian Barrymore was a guy that when the draft was around, I remember it was a guy that talking about a lot just because that was this is pre Mazi, like, oh, this could be a guy that the Cowboys could get to potentially help in the middle of their defense. And I haven't watched them super close, but I mean it sounds like he's living up to you know, the high draft status he had coming out of his Alabama wasn't it. I don't remember who was it,
Christian Barrymore, Barimore Barimore, Yeah, from family tackle. So yeah, that's another one that I just think when I think of these Bill Belichick defense, I usually think of them being pretty good in the middle of that defensive line always big.
Yeah, they're always big on the interior, and they always have guys on the outside that have good size that could constrict and rush, right, That's what they just want to They just want to take this little bubble and just close it in. That's all they want to do. That's just want to take a big bubble and just close it in, right and make a hard to breathe
for quarterbacks. And I think they're really going to test Dek Dek has not been forced to put the ball down to I think they are going to say, all right, have you fixed your issues.
From last year? You know he only has one so far. Have you fixed that?
Let's see, all right, you've been real comfortable sitting back there at throwing throwing little five yard six yard routes.
Let's see what happens when you try to put it down a field.
It goes back to what you were saying a second ago, where this is a team that doesn't get the same type of pet pub as it used to whenever they were in the middle of the Patriots dynasties. This defense is still nasty. Yes, this defense is a possible top five defense in all the NFL.
You think so asolutely?
Yeah, I think they're right there, if not borderline.
So either way, they've It goes back to what we've always talked about the Dallas defense. Playmakers at every level, and you see defenses like that every once in a while. But it's not only just the playmakers at every level, it's the depth and the rotation that they have. And that's kind of like what Nick was just talking about. You have multiple guys that can rotate in and have some success.
I'm most nervous about the.
Way that the offensive line holds up against this front. That's where I'm the majority of the concern. I think you're still going to get separation with CD.
I think Brandon Cooks finds a way to get separation.
I think you can even use Michael Gallup a couple of times in this in this matchup specifically, But in terms of blocking the front seven from New England, that's where I have pause and I'm legitimately concerned.
Yeah, I just I think that coach McCarthy's going to be tested more this week than he has all season, and in the regards that he's gonna have to open up the playbook, he's not going to be able to keep the same style of offense against these guys.
He's just not.
I did find it interesting thing I'm talking about opening up the playbook. How when there's these big leads and you're blown out the two New York teams, that's when you get a lot more of the you know, Cavante, Turpin, dude's fun. And then when it's a tight game, No, no, no, no, no no, no, guys, we're not doing that.
You know what I'm saying, Like, well, I mean he tried so last week against the Cardinals, coach McCarthy tried to open it up a little bit. He tried it force, He tried to get the ball to beat Cooks. He tried to get the thing down the field, but it just wasn't time. Yeah, there wasn't. There was not time.
So it's not that he's not trying to. Is that he's cut in a deal pickle because he's like, well, especially this week, I can't run my I'm most likely not going to be able to run my quick game the way I want to because of what most likely what Belichick's going to present in terms of press, in terms of guys being in the box and not a lot of throwing windows. So but I also don't have the time to sit back there with Dak and throw
the rock. So now if I don't get my running game going, I can't get I can't get Dak on the move, I can't get guys on the over routes.
Like what am I going to do?
You have to be able to drop back and just throw the ball as well beyond ten yards, and that's what I'm interested to see how he's going to incorporate that.
And that's what they did really well whenever they went up to New England a couple of years ago. I mean, Dak was really able to push the ball downfield Ceedee Lamb had a huge game. We all remember the touchdown end of that game, of course, but I would love to see some of that reintegrated, especially after what we've seen the first three weeks and everything's been so you know, dipping dunk. I want to see fifteen twenty yards downfield.
I need to see that action. And I feel like that's what you're going to have to do after this game.
Correct, that was such a play and just how everything that happened there because that game and everything was just taken off for the Cowboys on that play. It's a great play, but it's also the one where Dak treads his calf, and it was like even after he came back, it was just never quite like it was as it
was going up that season. Sort to your point yesterday when you're talking about the Joe Burrow the calf thing and all that, like it is interesting because of course, like Dak's never gonna tell us, you know, week twelve, you know, you know, the calf still bothered me a little bit from the New England game, you know, so you're never really knowing that, but just their play was
never the same after that. If you, okay, Dak aside, if you could just pick one player from the Cowboys that you say, hey, if they play their best game, the Cowboys would be good shape with this one. Who would you say? I mean, obviously I think Dak would be never one. But outside of Dak, is there you know, a wide receiver or offensive lineman or is it Collard?
I think I think it's Pollard.
Yeah, I think they have to find a way as tough as that matchup is going to be. I mean, I'm really trying to stress this defensive line because I could say names all day long, but people aren't. They're gonna recognize because the roles that they fulfill for New England. They don't have the big name guys outside of Juda. They just don't. But they do a damn good job of their responsibilities. They are well coached that I do know.
They're well coached, and I think if you can't get Tony Pollard going, you're gonna find yourself in a rough spot against these guys. You know, because Coach Belichick can get in his bag, and he has a bag. He has a freaking bag, a deep bag. I mean, you're talking about somebody. You were just talking about it earlier in the segment about you know, his film study and
how he's breaking things down. Listen, this is a guy who sleeps at the stadium sometimes, like legitimately sleeps, like has a cot in his office, like he does not sleep. Especially when they're wanting to trust me, he's he's gonna be in his bag. He's gonna present that he's not gonna do it just because though he's gonna wait until you're in a situation that you have to do something, and now he's gonna be ah got you. So you
have to keep him on his heels. You know, they're gonna be and they're gonna They're gonna give a little bit, but run the ball. You have to be able to move these guys off the ball. If you can't move them off the ball.
It was during this segment last week whenever you were outlining the Cardinals defense and what they did from changing coverages and the disguising of coverages. So because of that, there was a lot of pre snap post snap film watching this week from a lot of Cowboys fans out there. When we come back, I want to talk about Dak Prescott.
Where is the pressure on Dak? How does he look at this pre snap post snap kind of like what he did last week, and how does it change moving forward against this Patriots defense When we come back with more talking Cowboys right after this.
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To Talking Cowboys.
Back here on Talking Cowboys presented by Black Rifle Coffee Company. This segment has brought to you by Quaker Oats, a super trusted superfood. Quaker Oats the official oatmeal sponsor of the Dallas Cowboys.
You want to know something I learned about Isaiah standback today.
I learned about it this morning.
I got here a little bit early, got some breakfast and I kind of we get a chance.
Of guess you wouldn't guess it.
Speaking of super trusted superfoods, Isaiah's never had an avocado in his life.
I could have guessed that.
I haven't. Even right off the dome, I haven't either.
You've never had an avocado.
I've had gualk. But like, I'm not a hugequalk guy, Like I'll eat it if it's there, but.
I have not.
So he's there, he's not. I'm not.
I've had it once. I'm not a fan. And you know what really made me not a fan of it is that it was at a party and so after like a few hours, like just the way when it was sitting out the way it looked, I was like, I'll never eat that again. Like it just I don't know, BWk roast to me, Like I don't know, it doesn't really have a huge, huge taste, but it just is one. I've got a huge Yeah, yeah.
Exact party animal. John Machow.
He said he was at the party for so long that the clock turned brown.
That's what happened.
Rough night, Rough night, Miller lights.
Guys doing up there in Detroit, and man, yeah, I'm Okay.
I don't know if I have ever thought that deeply about an avocado in my life, But I love av I love guacam only.
It's great.
My wife loves them, but she she could eat anything. I have a little kid taste.
But do you really chicken fingers and fries?
When I used to eat chicken?
Yeah, yeah, when you used to that's fair. You're a shrimp guy now though.
Right, yeah, you know what, I'm about to start eating everything? No, ky, what breaking news? Wait what I have to go to Africa after the season. The other time about I just went beans?
Please?
Yeah?
When is that?
Send me a chicken?
Been a minute? Been a minute since the last time I did something with a raising canes M.
I don't think when was that? I think that that might be my Number one on my list of things that I can't.
Live without is chicken.
Yeah, the food groups, Yeah, and figuring out food like pretty much right there with I mean steak is is might? I don't know, But there's just so many different things that I don't know. Chicken, yeah, I couldn't give up chicken.
A lot you can do.
Wow, that is crazy.
So grilling.
I've been eating some of the stuff in a while, Jo, But I'm about to about.
He's just now started eating fish again. He was complete vegetarian up until like this training.
Camp for a while.
That didn't change the way you felt or anything after. Like obviously playing in the NFL, and I would think that. I don't know, actually, now that I think about it, are there guys that are vegetarians in the NFL.
There's one on the team. I forget who, Gosh, keep talking.
I just think of and I don't know. For me for NFL, I always think of like protein. It's almost like in a way, like you know how a lot of these offensive linemen like Joe Thomas and some of these guys, right after they retire, like yeah, they slimmer right down. So I'm like, I'm just thinking because I think Tyrone might be like that where he has to eat so much to keep it on, you know, because
he just burns a lot of calories like that. So I always think of, and I'm sure there's a lot of protein in your diet and that, but I'm just thinking of to keep that on to play in the NFL, because I always just think you have to have like an body armor, you know, on you a lot of different.
Ways to get protein. Yeah, okay, lot different ways of your.
Prosent interesting, that's the conversation I nick still searching.
I mean I can see it in basketball and based on something, but NFL. I always think of that these guys are just just eating as much as they possibly can if you burn so many calories and you're working out and all that.
But now, don't get it wrong. He still eats a ton.
Yeah, he still eats.
A lot, but just not not meat.
Okay, not yet.
Anyways, whenever he's going to go climb out kill him and Jarrow. That is not the conversation I thought we were going to have in this You.
Brought it up. No I did. It's my fault, but.
I'm interested, all right, Dak Prescott, you talked about pre snap post snap reads last week against Arizona.
How will the Patriots challenge him in that same level?
They just rotate late.
It's not they don't do complicated things defensively, they at least not from the standpoint from the quarterback. I don't think that he's going to be confused as to what the defense is presenting. I just think it comes down to execution. I mean, you're not going to catch For the most part, you and these guys are still humans, right, They're just very dis point. They're going to be where they're supposed to be, doing what they're supposed to do. So you know, the defense is that that caused your
concepts some issues. You got to choose right. You got to choose right. You're not gonna for the chances of you catching somebody out of place are slim to none, just because of how disciplined these guys are, and that obviously comes from their coach. But he just has to be just be smart, Just be smart with the ball, don't take don't take risks. You know, this isn't a team that you could take risk against. You know you don't want to do that. Keep them on their heels,
make the right decision, and again be patient. He coach Belichick banks on you getting impatient. That's he He waits for you to make that one mistake.
This is you are. I think the New England in general has been that way for a while. As we talked about the Brady.
Versus Belichick thing, Like defensively, New England has always been the team where he's like, just don't make a mistake against these guys, just.
Just work your way down the field. They'll give, they'll give, they'll give.
Right, you can take your shots, but just don't make that one mistake because as soon as you make that one, Mista, I.
Mean everything he's saying right here, and I think it's because I'm almost positive it happened in Arizona because we're just at that stadium, and it just makes me think of like everything he just described, even on that last segment. Two, it's really that that Patriots Seahawks Super Bowl. How it's like, yeah, the lead, you go downfield, God on the field, and I mean they're just maull and I mean you're just like, oh, Seahawks are gonna win this game. It's like boom, they
get right on the goal. I know, probably should have given to Marshall Nations, but but yeah, but like you said, and then and then it's a guy like a Malcolm Butler where it's like we know Malcolm Butler's name, now, who knew his name before that play? I'll even I'll even say that there's some video of Tom Brady after the game, like way to go, Malcolm. I was like, does Tom even really know Malcolm that? Like?
But not.
I mean obviously does now, but uh, it was just one of those things where I will never forget that game because I was like, this is typical Belichick. They're gonna make this play at the goal line by somebody that you really don't know that well, and it's gonna won them a Super Bowl like that. It's just crazy.
If you're on the field playing in New England, Yeah, he trusts you. It's just I don't care who who else knows your name. If you're on the field playing in New England, he trusts you. Because if you don't know what you're doing and you don't do it consistently, you're not going.
To be on the field. Yeah. Period, point Blake.
It's so interesting to think about the ins and the outs of the Belichick led franchise and what he's done.
I mean, he's a legend for a reason.
But it also presents a challenge even when they are one and two and this obviously isn't the same talent that they've had on that team and in that franchise for quite some time, but they're still going to bring a lot of.
Those same challenges. Like John was saying, like.
It reminds us of the Super Bowl Patriots.
This isn't that team by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a team that's going to present some of those same principles and some of those same challenges to the Cowboys and make it happen. So did you ever find the name?
I didn't. I found out justin Fields as vegetarian. That's all I found. I thought it was Jonathan Hankins, but it's not Jonathan Hankins.
I think that'd been interesting.
Somebody like that. That's just like you wouldn't have.
A massive human Yeah, but there's a couple of documentaries that were talking about.
Would it be Osa.
No, No, I don't think so.
We're just gonna start asking everyone in the locker room, yeah, are you vegetarian?
You know, with the way everything's going though, with everything Isaiah said and knowing that Belichick background, and I'm sure the guys are getting hammered with that all week long, coming off that ugly performance against the Cardinals. I mean, I would just be stunned that if they were did I mean I was stunned watching about to say yeah, yeah, but if they put back to back games like that, I mean, that's that It's just time to panic a little bit, right.
I think this is going to be the most physically challenging game that Dallas has had. Obviously we're talking about the cerebral aspect of it, but in terms of physicality, this team is built to beat you up. So that's how his teams are. I mean, Hero Nasha, the strength coach for the Dallas Cowboys. Now that's where I met him at I met him out in New England and I never ever lift the weights like that in my life. And I based upon their personnality they have. They're still
that way. Their linebackers are six to two two and fifty pounds. Their d lineman or two ninety, you know, three hundred.
Across the board.
Like this is a physically demanding team. They want to hit you. Peppers is at the at the third level, walking him the way his way down. He's a big safety. You got Bentley who's walking down there, like these guys want to hit you in the mouth, you know. Ditrich Wise doesn't stop. He's just the most the lankiest, biggest dude you've ever seen in your life. His arms go down to his ankles and he just has a motor that's just out of his world where it's like a size twenty seven shoes.
Some stupid right just just doesn't stop.
Man, you know, like that's just their way defensively, and that's how they're going to approach it. So hopefully the office line can figure it out because physically it's going to be a blow bath.
Yeah.
The man, I'm excited for this matchup. I really am, because I'm excited to see a Cowboys rebound.
Like that's what I think is.
Going to happen.
Like you said, if it doesn't happen, then I think it's panic mode a little bit.
Where do you have the cap off?
So yeah, so where the button is cover off, the cap is off, is your hand hovering, so your hands on your.
I think it's I'm looking at it.
Oh you're looking at it.
I'd be like on my phone like okay, so we're sitting next to it.
Yeah, just but but you would be able to get there quick.
If you need it to uh yeah like captain open.
Yeah.
So if it doesn't go the way you want to, like as your phone going down at that point and both eyes are going.
To do but it depends how bad it gets. Oh gotch you Okay because let's look at it. If they lose this game down to two and two, traveling to San Francisco Sunday after a really physical game, after a really physical game.
Yeah, this is back to back physicality.
And you got to take two road trips out west to against two really good offenses.
All right, well Cowboys, Uh, we will be back tomorrow.
Nick is gonna give us three under.
The radar players in this matchup that will make a difference on either side of the ball.
So we'll have that tomorrow.
Plus we'll have our picks as well.
We'll give an update to the standings and how that went last week for US four in studio. But that does it for us here on this Thursday for Chris B and Isaiah standback, John Machoda, Nick Harris, I, Kyle Yoman saying.
So long from the Star in Frisco.
We'll see you tomorrow with some more talking Cowboys.
This has been a production of Dallascowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.