The Downbeat on ninety seven one the Freak who all right? It is Friday, September twenty nine. Good morning, friends, and Mike's roy here, also known as the Dallas Observer Radio Personality of the Year twenty twenty three. Enjoy it because that ends after today. Why I mean, you get to keep the ward but for the whole year. And it's just like the random mentions of it and congrats, that's awesome. We needed something. I don't
think Ben's gonna stop mentioning it. Ben's not. But Ben's trying to get in your pants. That's true. And it's working. It's working working. Danny Bayless hey man man Man was writing some some non AI copy. Okay, good yea. I saw some opening line for the for next year's Dallas Observer of Personality the Year, and Danny Bayliss looking good, very good, and we're hearing he might be a candidate to win a Commy. But that'll
be uh something that we'll be paying attention to. Maybe next week we'll see the best cook, best actor in a commercial a commy to j Jackson's with us today. I'm Kevin. Cowboys played the Patriots Sunday and Ezekiel Elliott's back in town, and I think we should discuss that on a deeper level now. And the most important sorry, yeah, the most important. Yeah, wake up here. Malcolm's new favorite song is Never Never Land. Yeah.
You know what that is, don't you. You should see the head banging and rocking that occurs in the backseat of a toddler strapped in front facing car seat. Dude, do you crank it up for him? Yeah, because he'll tell me loud. He loves metality, loves that song wow, and he knows the words of them crushing the United States for nothing. Since KT being a little down today, this is his favorite sporting event of all time. And my football team just failed to show up last night too. Yeah.
Oh and my baseball team blew it and I stayed up for that day for you, dude, she whiz And uh, there's a chance this Rider Cup is essentially over by the time some people are waking up today, like the whole thing. I mean, if they the Europeans historically dominate this part of play the four balls on the opening day, they do very well with it. They're already up four nothing after the morning play. Yeah, I mean, what's our If they're up six two, all right, it's not
over. If it's six two, six two would be a you'd almost take that after you get smoked for nothing in the morning part. Yeah, like split these afternoons and just get your head right. Yeah, drink some red wine. I don't see a red pasta sauce staying on Scottie Shepherd's hat. But he'll keep an eye on that yet. Maybe more on that a little bit, but maybe not. Just know that it's on and when bad things
you're happening, I might react to it. Coltoss played the Patriots. Well, now they think that the most important thing of intrigue here is that Mikey and I have a Zeke Elliott bet I bet that he won't have another carry of fifteen yards or more in his NFL career. This is before he had even signed at the Patriots. It's a hundred bucks on that, and he got luc for fourteen last week. He's done it fourteen twice this year, right, is that correct? His first card was like nine okay, and
that was more than some I'm expected to see all the year. And then last week he rattled off a fourteen yard or right there do you want I feel like I should get something like double if he does it against the Cowboys. But you need a fair side to that. Yeah, how about if I if we make it, he has a blood work to pay for, don't yeah that fleece him over this bed and a tackle box full of prescriptions he's about to have to to get. Still, how about you make it
it's one hundred dollars? Bet? How about you make it two hundred dollars if he runs for fifteen yards this Sunday and if he doesn't, I will lower the total amount to fifty dollars for the whole bet. I don't think I want to do that, Okay, I mean I'm just giving an exciting opportunity. It's not that it's one of a kind opportunity. Actually, it's a one week thing, and I don't know once in a lifetime, I like a hundred dollars. I feel good about it. You may never have
this opportunity. Do you still feel like you're gonna win this? Who's never gonna run for fifteen yards with the remainder of his career, even though I ran for fourteen last week? Yeah, I don't think he's capable of fifteen. Okay, that's a bit stick around for three for all. I have some thoughts on this. Yeah, oh you gotta go out for ninety nine? No, no, maybe not. Heck he ran for what eighty last week? Right? Oh I'm not on one run? Oh no, breaking
one from that? Yeah, he's gonna break doorsets record. Were you gonna be a thousand dollars Kevin if if Zeke Elliott has a ninety nine yard touchdown run in this game? A thousand arg yes, yeah, yes, oh yeah he can't. He just can't. Didn't. A full fullback had a kick return for a touchdown in the NFL last week. Oh, I don't know. Some white dude was the Commanders. It was like the up man and they're like, no, don't pick it up. And then he got
a number forty seven. There's been a bunch of dumb things that happened in football because there's some bad teams. But yeah, I don't know. I don't know about that. But I want to go back to twenty sixteen. Okay, Romo got hurt in twenty fifteen, collar boner, right, and then he remember he came back around Thanksgiving. That was the Greg Hardy year. He came back around Thanksgiving and it happened again. So they get to twenty sixteen and they go, look, we're going nowhere without unless we have
Romo healthy. And they watch all the players in that year's draft. You go through it all and he number one player on their board was Ezekiel Elliott, running back from Ohio State, and a lot of people say, don't take a running back in the top five. They even asked Tony Romo about it, and Tony He's like, yeah, let's take the running back. He's amazing, like that was all a part of this, and a part of it was he's such a good pass protector that we can run the ball
a lot with him, but also he'll protect Tony Romo. But they decided on the first preseason game of the year, when Tyron Smith wasn't playing, that they would let Romo play, and Romo took off running as are evading pressure and the priests and took off running to try to get a few yards and he gets hit and he gets hurt, and pretty much you go, okay, well, season's over now. And then Dak Prescott, who they drafted in the fourth round with their second pick in the fourth round too.
By the way, they took Charles Tapper first. Charles Knee Tapper, they took him first, and then ended up taken Dak with the second pick in the fourth round. Way back there, and they have one of the most brilliant Cowboys seasons of the last decade outside of the twenty fourteen year. That's it. The point is Zeke was someone they wanted. Now, everyone for years has played this game. They should have taken Jalen Ramsey and then you
could have gotten Derrick Henry at thirty four. Y'all remember they took in the second round that year, right, Jalen Smith was their second round pitch when the rest of the NFL wasn't going to touch him, and wasn't he had some major injury concerns, right, Yeah, he wasn't even able to play. Yeah. I went to the Combine that year. Yeah, and I talked to a doctor for another NFL team, and that doctor goes, there's
no way he won't be on our board. You went to the combine, they sent him, his NFL network sent me and Jeff And that's the most recent time you've spoken to a doctor before it actually was and he was to the doctor was telling me that, hey, man, tight, you know what, fine, I'll tell you about him, but we'll talk about you. I mean, it was kind of amazing though, to talk to that doctor and go he goes because we were like we're hearing the Cowboys kind of
like him. And he was like he goes, Oh god, why he's yeah, yeah, he's not gonna play in the NFL, like he might play for a couple of years, but like really he said that. Yeah. The doctor was being very He's like, he won't be on our board at all. We won't consider him. What was it? Was it drop foot? He hadn't drop foot, We'll drop foot. And then he went in the media. I was asked him what about that brace? And he
was like, a brace? And when we saw the video of you wearing the brace in a hotel earlier today, No, no, no brace. What about the nerves? If you got the nerves, the nerves are doing the nerves are doing its thing. Well, what's that mean, Jalen. Jalen was very evasive. Well, yeah, because he's trying to get money, yes, and get drafted. I understand that it's smart. So the Cowboys get around two, they've taken Zeke already. They got two other guys
on their minds. They might take Emmanuel Ogba's one of them. Kevin Dodd was the other one. Those are the names of the players. Two defensive events. Needed a pass rusher. The Greg Hardy thing in twenty fifteen didn't really work out very well. We need a little help. Let's get a pass rusher. He they took the guys we wanted. Ogbut and do and I remember watching him the Cowboys war room cam. The panic is the hot Dog boys are there on the phone, try to figure it all out,
and they just panic. Pick Jalen Smith, you go forward those Zeke has an amazing year. That team is outstanding. The offensive line still good. Dak does. Dak played a very toned down version of Deck's now one of the more aggressive players in the league, which is great. Back then he was not. And it was just such a great year. And they would have won if Aaron Rodgers didn't do crazy stuff. You know in that playoff game. That's still one of the greatest throws. Oh, it's incredible,
And that's such a backbreaker. And I know everyone here hates Aaron Rodgers for that and assorted other things he did to the Cowboys over the years, but good god, that throw. And legend is that he just called that play in his own like he tuned out McCarthy who was calling the play. Really he wouldn't, just kind of drew it in the dirt real quickly on the turf of he told Jared Koklocky, just do that. I'm gonna go out this way. But I remember thing in no way incompletely you see it.
We all did the same thing because it's like if they can't be complete, and then you see the replay and we all put oh my god, I mean, dude, it was. And then the kick was deep too. You know, like there's a lot of things had to go right there and the point of this. So you get Zeke and then people will still want to do that. Well, you could have got someone some help on defense
and whatever. Zeke was a good pick for the time. I don't know if you need to be picking the top five running back now, but for the time and for the team to protect Tony Romo. Absolutely. I think sometimes people forget that Zeke was not drafted to be a Dallas Cowboy to play with Dak Prescott. That was accident Yeah, Zeke was drafted because they were trying to do something for Tony. And then you go to twenty seventeen and we've got this weekend week out controversy. Is is he going to play or
is the NFL going to have another They're gonna suspend him? And then on Thursday or Fridays, Zeke would get cleared to play because he was doing the whole off the field conduct thing that Roger Goodell was throwing down, and then a court would come in and be like, no, you can't just we don't have any evidence. You can't just suspend him for no reason. What was that? That was a former girlfriend at Ohio State thing? Yes, there was the domestic violence allegation, okay, and you know, I think
the off season after that was the boob grab. I believe going into twenty eighteen, the Saint Patty's Day was on top of like Tarelli's or something. Yeah, stands right, I think it was on stands Maybe it was on the other side. I think it was the side. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Danny was like grabbing a boob on St. Patrick's Day. Huh, who would him off with his head? With his head? Bring me his head. But after that calmed down, there was no more.
He kind of grew up a little bit. Excellent teammate. Everyone freaking loves him, and he had an awesome career. He just you know, because those bigger running backs and he's chunky, you know, they just don't there's there's not a long time for you to play in the league. Like Derek Henry's not chunky. Derrick Henry is a machine. Ziego's a little chunky at times. You're not gonna go that, Like, You're not gonna have
a ten year career as a running back. He can't. Aren't really gonna do that anyways, unless you're Derrick Henry or Adrian Peterson's this is your seventh. For Zick, this is your eight, okay. And when you think a career, yeah, it's not necessarily where he was drafted or the fact that they took him so high in the first round. The knock on Zeke and it's not even his fault, and he should be commended for whatever strategy
had he had to get that dumb contract. Yeah, no, strategically that was great, all of it. I mean, look, everybody rips Zeke or the people that do rip Zeke. It's usually because they feel like he was overpaid. Well, I mean, why are you blaming him for that? Yeah, it wasn't that. Yeah, it was that he's overpaid and that he's running back. It was two things. Yeah, But all he did was not let the team screw him like we know now for a fact,
every team will screw every running back every opportunity they get. Yes, they were way ahead of that. Now. It sucks if you're a cowboy fan and it was bad financially for your team. Yeah, but you can't blame the dude and his agent for seeing the writing on the wall. So also, if you remember that, well, I'll tell you a couple of things. I told Danny the story off the air the other day. So we're at training camp that year. I think I was awake for most of
it. Yeah, this sounds awful. I stayed up. You told him a long training camp football story off the air. Dude, it was great. It sounds awful. You get to asking more questions. He was just jingling his Are you trying to extend my story? Looking at my wife? That sounds terrible. Go ahead, It's better to be a hell of a story. My phone's blowing up, where are you? And your son's asking for you? So we're at training camping at the time. It's the you
know meant the fans. So it's the Cowboys flagship station and they've got exclusive exclusive insider reporter Mike Fisher on the beat, so he's got it all. Buddy of mine sends me a text. He goes, hey, man, just saw Zeke at the airport. He's going to Cabo. Because they'd been like when ze going to show up to camp, there was a storyline. He goes, he's I just saw him, like he's going to He's going to the opposite top. He's going to Cabo. There's Top Damage Group and
this I know this guy really well. And I said okay, and I was like, I'm got to tweet this and just see what happens. No more thought than that, Okay. I think I tweeted something like, hey, I'm not normally the breaking news type, but Zeke's going to Cabo. He's not coming to Cowboys camp something like that. Within an hour, it's like on the Rich Eyes and Show and the Dan Patrick Show and there's like my tweet showing did you know this? No, I don't think this is
pretty great. I get a phone call from Mike Fisher, who's like, hey, what are you hearing? You can't just like report things like that. You have to have a second source. And I said, Mike, I'm not a journalist, buddy like I, but I know what's happening with Zeke and you don't like so give let me get a little shine here, you know, like this is good for me? Was it that? Or were you freaking out, like, dude, he better be going to Cabo.
No. I trusted my dude, and I actually I believed it because I didn't think Zeke was gonna show up the couch all of a sudden you're gonna pay him. I didn't think that was gonna happen. How long that's your tweet? Did someone who's actually reputable confirmed that he is going to Cabo? It took till the end of the day because no one wanted to take me serious, including that jackass Mike Florio, who calls someone at the stations, who's this Covin Turner guy? And I'm like, who are you Florio?
Who no one knows you? Go away, go away. Jane Slaydor, who I love in a door, I love Jane Slayder. She's awesome NFL Network, and she's like starting to like all these reporter types were butt hurt. They were so butt hurt because little Kevy oh scooped them of the Italian media Italiana. That's what they were trying to tell. They were, Yeah, that dude, I remember, Mike Mosquito Moscado, Yeah, came
up to me. It's hell that Kevin. They'll tweet this yet, but they get a second sellar Okay, then much like Ben Rogers, you were vindicated. Hell yeah, I was vindicated. Then that night cowboys were pissed that it had gotten out because they kind of knew, but they were pissed that it had gotten out. And if you remember the week's following that comments, I think it was Stephen Jones who said it, I will, well, we'll, you know, we'll sign the players that want to be here.
And they give Jalen Smith a contract, that's right, a terrible linebacker contract for a guy who can't run. He couldn't run anymore. I mean it was and eventually he gets paid and they start the season and everything's good, and but it was just like, I don't know, it's just like that whole story of getting Zeke the debate because they were gonna consider Joey Bosa or Jalen Ramsey and that probably would have been the right pick, you know.
But the whole plan is when you draft in April or May for Tony Romo, and then Tony who should have never been allowed to play in that preseason game and he's thirty six, Why did he need preseason? He didn't. And then with Tyron not playing runs and breaks his collarbone, just amazing, and it all ends up with Zeke having a great career. He hopped in the bucket. He became kind of the mascot of the Cowboys and two time rushing champ four thousand yards seasons, went to the playoffs four times here
third all time leading rusher in Cowboy history. I think because of the way it ended, a lot of people have a weird taste in the mouth onbs. He can, and he did plenty to get himself in trouble and on front pages for bad news, but all in all, seemingly a pretty good dude. Yeah, good teammate for sure, and you know what, props
because he did a lot for four Oak Cliff. That was the charity it was, and I don't know if enough cowboys do enough for that part of Dallas and seek it out, you know, like the real Dallas and prioritize that. And he spent a lot of time down there giving him stuff and doing a lot for four Oak Cliff, which is pretty underserved. I mean, I think, you know, any charity's good charity, but some of them more flashy. And I think it's kind of awesome that he prioritizes helping
out down there. Yeah, I'll think it's a good warm welcome on Sunday, and I think he definitely will. He's pretty beloved. Yeah, Like I said, what do you fault him for nothing? He really can't, other than maybe some of the off the field after if he legitimately hit a girl, but we don't know. Yeah, for sure, for sure obviously, but as far as as a cowboy, you can't fault him for the
contract. You can't really fault him for the decline in numbers because traditionally that's kind of what running backs do. Of course, you know, it's always a risk to take somebody that high, give them that much money and expect them to have ten twelve year careers at the top of their game for that long that that that duration of time, So what's the rub? You know, reason football for a reason. And his final play as a Cowboy was as at center at center. Name a guy who could do that. That's
a weird legacy, that kind of if the Cowboy. If the blow out the Cowboys and they take a knee at the end, they should put Zeke in itself. They should to snap the ballots to take the knee. So it's still one of my three balls. Just we'll hear those at eight. The three Scorching Hunt Cowboys opinions coming up next. Those sports at seven wide hit the rainyard blood. But what they could They could have a bender of a weekend if they do things right next time. Ninety seven one free