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This is the Player's Lounge, broadcasting live from Dallas Cowboys World headquarters at the Star. Now your hosts, Darry Church, Hecma Harrison, and Newie Scruggs.
It's Victory Monday from the Tajuva Hall of Football here in the US WBC Mortgage Studios, from the Star, home of your Dallas Cowboys. And raise your hand. Raise your hand if you pick the Cowboys to win on Sunday. Oh, only the winners were speaking. Let'll tell ya you know what it is. You're now rocket with the best. I'm heck Ma Harrison alongside the player. E r my man, Barry Church.
Is up there, and I am just merely the player. That's it.
That's listen, man, I'm not gonna hate. I'm not gonna see I'm not gonna do it. It's the first it's the first week of the game. It's the first week to week one week one. So I'm I'm gonna maintain my cool. I'm gonna be humble, as the old people say, umble yourself.
I'm humble myself. Who's but it feels so good. Though.
It feels so good because they hated on us, they doubted us, and man, we came away with this double BC. You know how I always start to show out that I was get ready. I was getting ready to get you before I get before I get to hype. I'm gonna check your mentals. Man, How you doing.
I'm doing amaze, I'm doing amazing you playing golf this weekend, not this weekend.
Not this weekend.
I was with the kids all weekend, so playing that daddy duty role. So no off this weekend. But it was a great time. I mean, whether it's cool and off a little bit out there, so it feels good. You know, the boys got their w even though I was on.
The wrong side of that.
But you know, it's neither here north there feeling great. Heckma, what about yourself?
Man?
And I'm good man, blessed man. The family is good. Everybody's good. You know, it's just all weekend football. Nothing else is happening in my life. In the falls, it's all we do. So this is all we do. All right, We're gonna ride this all the way to the summertime. Man, But this, you know, amazing, man, everything is good in my life, man. But I got to ask you BC and served yesterday about ten o'clock your phone went off, but you was on air when it happened.
Was you was on air yesterday when it happened?
You have to give me your reaction to Jerry Jones basically hijacking the first week held Hi jacked the height of week one by putting the issue, putting putting head to bed on that that contract's contract and putting pin to pad. Tell me how you felt about it. It just did he not get the bag? First and foremost? You talking about a bag? I mean that man got a bag from North Park Mall, Galleria anyway Europe.
Every type of bad you can think of, he got it. Man.
It kudos to that, to that young fellow right there, I mean not young anymore, year eight, but Dak Prescott.
Man, you know he much deserved of it, much deserved of it.
But when you talk about getting ahead week one, you know in.
The National Football League it's week one. Everybody's hyped about this that and the third.
You know, my mass Jerry came through and just hit him with the bombshell. Yeah, by the way, you know we're gonna make Dak Prescott the highest paid football player in National Football League history. Like, that's that's unbelievable. Two hundred and I believe what thirty one guaranteed, the two forty guaranteed. Might as well call it a fully guaranteed contract.
But I mean that that was outstanding. And when it first hit, I was thinking to myself, like, all right, well, that's two of your best offensive players locked in unison for the foreseeable future. I'm talking about Ceedee Lamb and Dak Prescott. So that's that's that's building block one. You got that situated. But when you talk about a guy getting his money, I mean, this is a and that came in fourth round draft pick. You know, came in the building under Tony Romo. People thought, Okay, this is
gonna be a you know, developmental guy. Let's just you know, stash him away here for a little bit. He had to battle with that for that backup role with Jamill Showers for a little bit of during camp, and then that first preseason game in the Coliseum against the Rams. I mean that's pretty much when everybody on the squad at least kind of figured okay, man, we got somebody, right here. He might not play this year, but we got somebody here and then you know the story how
it goes. I mean, Romo gets hurt, he steps in, and he just goes from there on and becomes a player he is today. But you got to get that man signed. And knew he called it from the beginning, it's gonna happen. You know, you never lose an offensive weapon like new he likes to call him, So we knew he was gonna get signed. It wasn't you know
if it was more like a win. And to me, I was thinking, okay, well, if you don't get the number, you thinking you might as well wait till you know free agency so you can hit him over the head for another ten to fifteen. But they came with the number that I believe my man was head in the back of his head because he got every penny and he's definitely worth every penny of it.
You'd love to see it. Man. I thought it was a signing by the boys.
I mean, Barry, I think what you're pointing out is all of the leverage that Dak had going into this into the season, and I think, and I thought, listen, sixty million dollars was probably what he had in his head anyway, and he exceeded what some people thought was. You know, when you saw those Jordan Love fifty five and guys hovering around there, you know that the next step up, guys are trying to take it to sixty
sixty five. And those were the rumors that say, hey, if he makes it too free agency, that's what it's going to be.
To me, I'm just glad.
That you avoid the distraction of having to answer the question about Dak's contract each and every week, and just backing up a little bit, man, when you pointed out what he had to face coming into the league, being a fourth round draft pick and also having to compete just to be on the fifty three and then kind of having that coming out party at the coliseum that you've seen and it's been every year, and just starting at twenty sixteen, when Dak emerging at thirteen to three season,
that you're looking at a guy that you're like, man, he is a leader, he is a baller. Obviously, if you look at the top tier, everybody's going to argue, well, he ain't top five and he's not top this, But what all he does is go out there and ball
give you an opportunity lessen every week, that's all. And so the coming off of what he did last season and on a forty four thousand, five hundred and sixteen thousand yard season, leading the league in touchdowns with thirty six touchdowns and only nine interceptions, that's ball.
Oh, that's a that's a for showballer. You're lying about that.
When you look at Dak Prescott, you've got a guy like you just mentioned, who gets better and better each year.
And that's what you love to see from your quarterback position.
If you look at it, I think it was what two years ago, through a lot of interceptions, you know, pressing, he thought, okay man, maybe he's reached his ceiling.
No, he came back last year and had the best season of his career.
He cut down on his interceptions by six, went from fifteen to nine. He boosted his touchdown ratings for about thirteen like thirteen tales, went from twenty three to thirty six. I mean, this is a guy who's a student of the game and just continues to get better every year. And that's all you can ask for from a quarterback. And he was a homegrown talent. You know they wouldn't drafted this guy in the fourth round, and you know how this organization loves to keep their draft picks.
Barry, since I since I known you, since I met you, all you do is keep it real, all right, And you're very you know you have on this show in particular, you've been critical of back in situations going forward as a teammate and being a guy that's played in the NFL and on several teams. The contract, when you saw it, was it like this is this is where Dak needs to be sixty million dollars a year. Did you say to yourself or the team could have saved some money
or you know what? What was your credit? So what did you think about the contract? Just the details of it and just knowing that he is the highest paid ever in the national football When it first dropped, I'm thinking of man, that's a that's a massive band. Now you got neighbors, you got I was like oha, But I'm sitting there thinking to myself, I saw it enough.
You know, four years, two hundred and forty million, and I'm thinking to myself, man, that's a bag. But let me see what you know what the guarantee Bills is talking about that's the real fine print.
And when I saw two thirty one, I said, oh my.
Goodness, Oh, it was just like oh man.
But that's one thing about the quarterback fraternity that they have in the National Football League. And that's why these guys just continue to get bag after bad because they don't settle for us.
It's not like, Okay, well.
This guy, he may be the best quarterback in the National Football League, but if your time is up and you're a quarterback, oh, I want a number above his, even though you may not be.
As good as that guy is. They're always leveling up.
That way, the quarterbacks that are coming up behind them will be able to get their bag as well. And that's what I love about the quarterback position. But like you said, I mean, this is a guy. When I saw that number, man, it was just like wow, that's what we're in basketball numbers now, we're in soccer numbers now, Like that's who.
Two thirty one guaranteed.
And obviously, just the criticism that I'm here and coming down the line, and we've we've talked about this on the show is playoff performance. Everybody wants to see, like, hey, the numbers need to represent what you do. Also in the playoffs, they don't judge other quarterbacks by that, but they judged that and that's crazy because look a look at ma Manson Jackson, but he became the highest paid with one playoff win.
Herb, that's my guy. You knows my guy.
But he hasn't won anything when it comes to the postseason. But nobody really said nothing when he got his bags. But jack I mean, and that's what I'm saying about dak In to the contrary of what other people have said and what they judge him by. And so coming into this season, obviously game one, you won't see this cowboy offense come out and ball in that first half, they gave you all of that. They looked like him and Ceedee Lamb looked like they hadn't missed any time
with each other. And we're going to get into other parts of the start of the season on offense. But the biggest question marks were surrounding the defense. There was a lot of questions. It was a lot of questions questions and the first question was how is zim going to be different from dan Quinn? And then your estimation and what you saw, how did you evaluate Week one.
For the Cowboys defense? Defensively?
You know, that was one of the best performances you know, we've seen in a Week one because usually when you come out in the regular season, the defense has slightly there's slightly a little bit ahead of you know, offenses out there. You know everybody, it's a moving part offensively, got to know everything. Defense is kind of you're reacting, so you kind of have to step up early on in the season. Then we see offensive catch up whatever
the case may be. But this defense for the Dallas Cowboys, man, they were playing like their hair was on fire. And like you said, there were so many questions going into this game. You know, what can we see from this run defense? You're starting two well one one rookie started, which was Kaitlyn Carson, but you know overshown missed his whole first season, so just basically his first action out there. You know, you're starting these young guys out there. What
can they do you under a new system? You got Kendricks in there, is he still that linebacker that he was Pro Bowl lot?
These are the questions that I had, you know, I was going out there on the list. I'm not sure I don't know what we're gonna see Diggs.
We know what he was, but coming off in acl can he still be that guy on the outside. I mean, there were so many questions in there, and a lot of them got answered in my opinion. And when you look at Cleveland, I was surprised that they went away from the run so early. I mean, that's something that it just kind of boggles my mind. When the Cowboys go getst these teams, they go away from the run
super early. But whatever the case may be, they fell right into that trap that dan Quinn had for this defense last year.
And now Mike Zim's doing the same thing. You get behind, they're gonna sick the dogs after you. And the missile is that what it is now? But the missile? I mean you talk about relentless motor. I mean there was times when he.
Was chipped double team, it didn't matter he was getting He made life so hard for Watson or on Sunday, it was ridiculous. The man was running for his life each and every time Oh diggi Zo would join the party. The Marcus lords turned the clock back like it was twenty eighteen.
That's where I was going. I was. I was. I can't laugh. I was.
I was fibergasted because I thought there would be a better performance offensively for the Cleveland Browns cause we talked about the weapons on the outside, got Cooper, Jerry, Judy, Joeku. This is a physical team. Even though Chubb was hurt, Ford's no slouch in the backfield. That guy back and ball. So I'm sitting there thinking, man like man, eventually Cleveland's
gonna get it rolling. But it just never happened. That past rush was immense and Russian cover was working together because the young pup on the outside the.
Corner killing Carson. Come on, he was playing now, he was playing. He showed no fear when he got up and started, you know, talking to talk.
I said, okay, my man got that confidence roll roll so defensively man, it was, it wasn't showing. And I was impressed because I did not think that's what I was going to see on Sunday.
Well some of the things.
And I asked you that question because I know you had the questions about the linebacker room right away. Kendricks did, as long as he's been in the NFL, and how long are you going to have how effective.
Is he going to be able to be with those years?
And also how would dig Digg's respond to the a cl injury injury. One thing that I saw right off the back that this defense was flying, right. That was the one thing, like he's just sitting there watching it and you're saying, like just doing a comparison between last year and this year, and dan Quinn's defense was flying too,
but the speed on the field was apparent. One of the things you were worried about was the too high safety look okay, and then you saw a lot of times he t tinkered with especially played with watching with I thought they was gonna be back the whole time, right, they moved and he did a lot of maneuver into that. But the one thing that I thought that was so key and then matchup, and I thought the matchup would be more against the safeties than it was the linebackers.
But the linebacker's ability to play in space, that is something that going back years past, especially last year, and I mean, look not to say that Lady Vandersch was not a good linebacker. He was, but just being able to run out of space and being aware conscious keeping the same leverage you saw that a lot from the linebackers yesterday, you know, and then also being able to get out into the flats. Now, my expectation with digs was a little bit different. I thought they would play
more zone with digs than anything. And you saw them change the coverage up a lot, and just the fact that everybody was running to the ball. You saw the pursuit angles that these guys were taking. And I'm like, look, number one, every team that we faced week one, all the way through eighteen, they have ran the ball at us. How effective would we be in stopping the run? And you saw right away nobody's talking about it. Mozzie Smith had a good game. Mozzie Smith had a good game.
He wasn't out there doing the hockey pok no White, That's what I'm saying. You saw Mozzie Smith and this defensive line was holding their position and allowing the linebackers to run. But also Barry pointing out what you said about not only Tank but Micah. How was coach Zimmerman going to use Michael Parsons And to me, he said, I'm not changing the recipe. I'm gonna move you around. I know exactly what kind of player you want to be. And like you said, he was absolutely relentless, but he
was so disruptive that at times. And I'm just going, I'm just just taking a simple size of the first of the first half, twenty three plays, fifty three yards in the total.
That's wild.
That is complete and utter domination. And look, first first week of in the NFL. I understand, I'm not about to jump out the kick yet, I'm on my way, but that to me was the tailtale sign that we needed to see from this defense. That obviously, as you go through the season and you look to the playoffs and now you can't obviously you don't want to go to the next week, but just based off of what we saw last last year, they looked like the attention to detail at stopping the run is there.
Oh, it was there. And when you talk about, you know, the.
Missile the Wazooka, when you talk about how does he get to his game to the next level, because we understand the pass rusher he is, He's a pass rush specialist. That guy gets after the quarterback like none other. But did you see how he was against the run game as well? I mean the guy was penaned trading and making sure that everything wasn't just let me get the quarterback.
Let me get the quarterback, let me affect the game in other ways. He was able.
He was an able and good run defender. Then you look at the interception that Kendricks had. He didn't just belining that straight at the quarterback. He was like, Okay, they left me unblocked for a reason. Let me put the light bobs are turning it in there. Something's going on, quick pass. Let me get my hands up.
Something may happen tip the ball in the air, creating another turnover.
For this defense.
I loved every part of his game there, but as a defense as a whole. Not only were they fast because you saw the speed pop off the tape, but you know how physical those guys were. I mean, they were coming downhill like none other. I mean, and what I love the most, and I know Rob, Mary and Nelly would love this as well, is it wasn't just let me tackle this guy to the ground. When you hit the ground, there was about three or four different hats jumping on you.
Dlaw coming in there giving you something. Kendrick's come and give you. The safety's coming down there and giving you something. The hitting was at an all time high. I love the way they were finishing each and every place. You saw how those Browns players were getting up slow. To man, that stuff hurt.
That's hurt.
Well, you got guys just piling on You ain't just one on one tackles out there. So to me, that was a big aspect defensively, and the communication was key out there.
You didn't see any explosive plays.
Wide receivers weren't running Scott free open deep in the middle of the field. Everything was kept in front of this defense, and that's what you love to see.
That was winning football, right hey, man, and Donovan Wilson made a tackle, I said, but it looked like.
A young barriage. That's up, man. You love it, you love it, you love hey. We got man, We got more coming for you. Man.
But we got to talk about these rookies. The Cowboys started three rookies. Hadn't done that, I believe since twenty twenty started three rookies on opening day.
We'll be right back with more players.
Lounge, are you the twenty twenty four Dallas Cowboys Fan of the Year. The Dallas Cowboys and Captain Morgan are celebrating extraordinary inspiring and original fans. Nominate yourself or the biggest Cowboys fan you know for a chance to be named the twenty twenty four Fan of the Year and win prizes including a trip to Super Bowl fifty nine. Visit Dallascowboys dot com slash Fan of the Year, Go Cowboys.
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and Barry Church. My man Newie Shruggs is making his way back on the airplane from Cleveland.
Being mistaken for our roker. I gotta here.
I know you got a story. God, you know you know you got a story for us. But man, I want to give out a game ball. I want to give out a game ball today for one of three rookies. And now it's gonna be tough. It's gonna be tough. And I and I illustrated like this, I say it like this, all right, for your for your offensive rookies. Your center Cooper bb had never played center. He was hiking the ball to his mom on a lunch break.
I seen, you know. And so he goes from hanging the ball to his mama or lunch break to starting in the NFL versus the number one defense. Okay, then we're gonna go out to the left tackle, Tyler Guiton, rookie never played left tackle before. Okay, gets an opportunity to play left tackle in the NFL. Oh blessings all around. But he's going up against Miles Garrett.
Who was he was defensive player there.
I mean we all defensive player of the year, Miles Garrett first game of the season.
Okay, not much to worry about. That won't keep you up at night, right. But then on the other side.
Kayln Carson, a rookie, now has an opportunity to go up against Jerry Judy and Amari Coop. So with the with the performances that you saw on Sunday, if Barry Church is handing out a game ball, who is Barry Church handing that game ball out to man?
Look, I understand you know the two offensive line, and they were dealing with a lot when you talk about ranking, when you talk about Miles Garrett coming out the edge, the way they move him around, both of those guys BB and Guy and got their fair share of Miles Garrett out there.
But you know, I got to keep it on the defensive side of the football.
You know, I got to keep it on the defensive side of the football, and I gotta go with my man, Carson. I mean, now you're out there, and cornerback is one of the toughest positions in football. I mean, because you understand you got help sometimes, but you're on the island out there.
If you mess up or if something goes over the top of your head, the camera's on you. They zooming in on that to one like this is him. They following you from the play all the way to the sideline like man, even on the bench, you sitting here, they got the camera on you.
Like man, this dude got burnt. But to me, I think he performed extremely well out there. I mean, giving the circumstances you get thrown out there week one, like you said, the weapons.
He was going against Jerry Jude.
Cooper, the boys out there, you going against all stars, and he was able to go out there and not only hold his own, but he held it down. I mean, you look at it. The man was breaking on the football. He was getting contested passes. I think he had two pass breakup. Sure interceptions, you got to come down with that, But overall, man, I was I was surprised, pleasantly surprised by his performance.
Out there filling in for Doron Bland. That's another thing.
You got big shoes to feel. Thern Blend is the definition of a ball hocking corner. So to me, he went out there held his own. You didn't see anything over top of him. He was in position.
You know.
He helped his defense out immensely. So I got to give my game ball because you know, love the defensive side.
Of the ball. Got to give it to Carson.
So I absolutely knew that's where you were going and didn't need to be you know, I knew that you yeah do it. And I'm telling you, I felt like Al Harris was going to have Kayln Carson ready to go, and so if anybody was going to have him prepared and ready to go, it was going to be our hairs.
He knows that.
Look everything all day, all of the potential that Carson had in him, the things that you saw during pregame, during the preseason, and everything you saw from him out in oxen Art, he just continued to just build upon what you had already seen.
On the other side.
Man, for those two offensive linemen, we hadn't seen a lot and there was nothing really positive coming out. I think we talked about Guidon. You guys said it all week. Gidan is gonna get help. They're gonna chip, they're gonna bring tight ends, they're gonna do get him. He's not gonna be man to man and solo in that area with Miles Garrett.
So I want to applaud him for doing the job that he did.
But to me, Cooper BBKA, I'm giving Cooper b b a game ball because number one, the pressure is if Dak doesn't get the snap, we can't do nothing. I mean, you gotta give the guy that starts to party the game ball because he did a good job of one calling out the protections. He's calling out the protections, letting everybody. I mean, he is the quarterback of the offensive line. So he did that. If you pay attention to go back and look at it all twenty two, my man
is getting to the second level. He is moving earth when it comes down to double teams. I mean, look, he was effective in every way.
Uh. And I think when you have a guy.
And we have been for years wanting this kind of playmaker at the center a position since Frederick because and to me, I think that Cooper BB's confidence as it continues to grow as we get through the season. I'm telling you, this is a guy that everybody's going to be like, wow, how could you have seen that he could move from the guard position to the center position. So my game ball that I got, I'm going to my KSE State email. Can action see knew he's not here,
but he would have called me. But I'm going I'm going with BB And I thought from the rookie class, I thought that he really showed his value and you know, give shout out in balls to all of these guys in the job that they did because I thought those play outstanding.
But on the other side, on.
The other side, though, the running back room, which we had questions about the running back room, this is true. Are you still are you still in panic mode over the running back room or did you see flashes from the running back room that made you say, look, I think we'll be okay if we're gonna go with this recipe through the season.
I will say this, I liked, you know, the approach they had in this game with the running backs. I mean, you saw it was a running back room for a running back by committee style the entire game. You know, Zeke had his carriers even deuce sliding there and got a carrier too, did you had, you know, Ceedee Lamb, you know, getting a reverse in there as well.
So yeah, coachs as well.
So I loved how you know, Mike McCarthy understood that he doesn't have that extra dynamic guy it he can just turn around and hand the football too, You're gonna have to sprinkle in things here and there. I think he did a great job calling that and keeping that defense for the Browns, honest, So they couldn't just pin their ears back and get after Dak Prescot because they ran the ball, believe.
Twenty five times. They got a hundred yards sold.
You know, they're averaging about a four clip and to me, that's winning football.
Now.
The question is when he comes to that, Oh, let me get him some more flowers as well. Though, the way they were able to pick up blitzes was outstanding. Whether it's you know, Rico Zeke, those guys did an amazing job picking up the blitzes because you know, Schwartze was sending them from all over the place, and Dak Prescott looked pretty much for the entire day.
A couple you know instances here and there.
But he, you know, looked cool, calm and collected pretty much the entire game. And I had a lot to do with those running backs picking up those blitzeres. So they did an amazing job in that regard as well.
But I'm not sure if this recipe can be sustainable, Like if you can go out there and continuously, you know, rotate these backs in there and clip out a hundred yards, because there's gonna be games when you know that running the attack, you might rush it for twenty five times, but you might only be getting fifty yards as a whole. And are they gonna revert back to what they did last year when that running game isn't working that well, which is throw the football more with Dak Prescott and
rely more on his shoulders. I don't think that's a recipe for success. I think that balance attack is always the best option when you talk about Dallas Cowboys football. But I'm not so sure that this can be sustainable. It was great week one, but we'll see what they do going further on.
Look, when I was looking at the running game, we talked about this all week and we's heading into week one about the balance that the Cowboys had to have in order to stop this Mike Schwartz defense from pinning their ears back and coming after that, you had to be effective and picking up picking up first downs in the running game was what we had to do. You have to move the chain third down, you have to
be big on Thursda down. You had to be able to set to make those linebackers respect play actions all right, and you saw throughout the entire game that was what that was the setting that Mike McCarthy was, he was laying those seeds forward and they had to respect it. Now when it got to the point that they were just like, look, we can't. We got to play our game, and they reverted back into who they are and that's
just we're gonna blitch. You were gonna have to come after you, and we don't believe that there's no way that you can find the open man. And to me, as you talk about those blitz pick ups and packages and that's what I was saying to you about laughed at me, but I was talking about when we let go a Pollard and what we needed from Zeke because you needed that guy to be able to feel that they gap on those double a gaps blitzes. But also you saw when they went cover zero down on their
pass to Cooks. Now, the hell of a play by dak Man that come on. That was just so I think really a lot of times when people are watching football, they don't realize what a pressure cooker moment that is for a quarterback when you're facing cover zero.
Basically exactly when you looked at it, cover zero For those who don't know, it's basically the defense is blitzing one more gap that you can pick up. Like you don't have enough offensive line or backs to block everybody that they had, so one person is going to be free. And in that situation, I mean, you just saw what makes Dak the quarterback he is because he had a
guy number fifty eight. I believe it was Jordan Hicks from the Browns, a linebacker screaming right down his face he can't right through the B gap.
I mean they left, you know, I guess they picked up.
However, they wanted that protection to get picked up, and he happened to be the guy that was Scott Free coming in there. And when you look at the play, Dak buys himself time by backpedaling a little bit, but when he launches that ball into the area ended up being a corner route to the back of pile line for Cooks.
When he threw the ball, Coach wasn't even in his break. Coach was still, you know, looking at the dB, looking at whatever he had to do. He was getting to the top of his route. He wasn't in his break looking back. Nothing like that.
The anticipation and accuracy in which Dak was able to throw that pass, I mean, that was a hell of a pass and the hell of a play overall.
And that to me, just like you said, man, it showed that where Dak is at this point in his career to be able to make that touch pass over the you know, to the corner like that and again get your court catch your wide receiver en route before he even comes out of his break. It takes guys. It takes guys a lifetime. And when you see a guy do that in college, you're like, he's the number one.
One because he absolutely could do it.
And those are like the little things that I think for me when I'm I'm thinking about Mike McCarthy in his offense, the way that he has these guys prepared for moments like that, and just now seeing how cool and calm dak is used to be, and just from my experience, used to be a situation where time out, we need to come back and talk about that. He's able to handle that, you know, make the prognosis on
the fly and then find the open man. But to me, like I see where your questions is are on the running game as far as is this sustainable, But it's also if it's going to be a running back by committee like this, and I'm only asking Zeke ten carries forty yards, two catches nine yards, I'm asking Rico Dada to come in for eight carres for twenty six yards, and we're going to distribute this all the way through the wide receivers, tight ends, l Buggie.
He did that sustainable?
You think z can come in here and give you ten for fifty every every game.
It's hard for me. It's hard for me now to question whether he can't. And it you know, if I think if you're if your offensive line is giving you opportunities like this, and if you watch it all twenty two, Evenrecodell, I have some holds that he could have got through the turf Monthster got him. But still I think it's sustainable because you're gonna you're not facing the number one
defense in the league each and every week. True, And so if I'm not having to face that, then that gives me, gives me the hope, that hope that I can actually mail and hope that I can actually make that happen. And to me, I don't need Zeke to be one hundred and twenty five twenty five yards a game. I think what I'm I'm asking Zike to do is be fresh when his time is called. And that's exactly
what Mike was giving you. He's like, look, every time I put one of these guys in, whatever the rotation is going to be, they're going to be fresh each and every time I put them in.
Ye. And to me, that goes, you know, credit to the coach and staff the road, the way they rotating.
They out coach Cleveland hundred percent in this game.
Because defensively, to me and who I'm out of question Schwartz, he's had, you know, number one defenses and all that, And I understand, but why are you leaving cities single? Like I understand you got faith in your corners, you know, nuse war. Those guys are Pro bowlers and you got, you know.
Faith in your guys. But on your see that they're getting wore out. I told you, what what are you doing? And that's to say, offensively, for the Browns, why are we going away?
The game was what they seven or three? What are we doing? Fortally had twelve carries? It's like what are.
Sean Watson through the football forty five times? To me, that's just I'm like, what a why?
Why are we? What are we thinking here? Like you, your formula is being.
Physical and running the football right the coach, I don't know what happens, but it's just I don't know if they get to q Ford or you know, they got too much faith in what they're they're running here. But man, like you got CD over there, you got a bunch of unproven talent on the other side.
Man, make them beat you, right, you know what I'm saying.
And then offensively, they pulled a Baltimore like last year. We're gonna spread it out and we're gonna throw the stag all over the yard.
That's all right.
You feed writing the head because he gonna send the dogs after you say, we got some brand new for y'all.
We got something.
Coordinators, get the I gotta show him I could do this, man, you better turn around the hand out football office.
How to see the look? How to see the look?
Did CD looked like there was any russ which is wild no to me, And that was surprising to me, Like, you know, after a couple of players, he would you see him him a little tired, but for him to go out there and that connection still be what it is, I mean, the dot it was just dots.
I mean, he was just he was. He looked unguardable. He looked unguardable. And I'm sure it's just gonna get better and better as the season goes on.
But I mean that was ridiculous as well.
And man, we're gonna take another break, but I got to talk some more about this linebacker room. Friday the thirteenth, I'm trying to come up with a good nickname for for Overshawn Man. Friday at thirteen Nama on L Street. I don't know what it is, but Fridays, we're gonna come up with a nickname. Y'all help us with a nickname for Overshawn Man because he definitely deserves one. We'll be right back here on the Players lond To kick off.
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Visit Dallascowboys dot com slash Fan of the Year, Go Cowboys back in action here for the last segment on the Players Lounge, Heck Maharrison alongside Berry Church, Newis Shruggs is in the air, and we'll be back tomorrow, giving y'all all forty five of these minutes today on a victory Monday. So good to be back and then get that dub after so much hate. The offseason will so long, b see all the just the Cowboys not gonna make it to the playoffs.
All the Dak's not.
Worth the man, I'm telling you, y'all facing the number one, facing the number one defense, y'all about to go to Cleveland, gets smacked, we out.
I'm telling you, I had.
That was one from my I thought they was gonna lose. I had the yeah, I had them boys losing this game. See sometimes, man, you just get caught up in the hype.
Man I've been telling your boy, be trying to say, y'all been trying to help you, man, But that's all.
It's a long season, Cowboy Nation. We're gonna win them over.
So linebacker room is something we've been talking about because you've been concerned about it. You really felt this though, Like, man, they bring in Eric Hendricks, and not that you hated on Kendricks. It was just like, look, man, it's a guy that's long into two and how can he impact this room.
Let me tell you what I saw from fifty. Let me hear it.
Fifty was sideline the sideline and he was running like he didn't have anyone on him. The other thing that I loved about this linebacker group that's different from last year. They were taking on blocks coming downhill. I mean, picking these guys off. I saw one tackle I think it was overshone. Overshawn is scraping. He hits the tackle right behind him comes Eric Kendricks underneath and makes the tackle. And I'm telling you, like, that's the beauty of playing defense. Man.
As you know, it's a link in the chain. All things work together, right, And it's like when you start to see a defense working that way, It's like, man, it's hard to stop a defense and guys align the way that the Cowboys was playing the lineman assignment football. But the linebacker room to me looked like it was revamped. It was redone.
Oh yeah, when you look at defenses, I mean, you know that's what hurt this team last year. You know, you had a lot of guys going out there and they were effective, but there was there was times when you know, if you had four so you have contained, and you go on the inside and you lose contained, you know, that's you know, that becomes a whole different ballgame. But what you saw from this defense was, you know, everybody knew the role and what.
The responsibility was.
If you were supposed to go out there and make sure that running back cuts inside of you to where all your helps from him coming from, that's exactly what they did.
There was nobody going in and doing their own thing.
Everybody was kind of like you said, Lincoln Chain, this guy's gonna have the force. He's gonna come in and make a tackle, or he's gonna go ahead and spill and go inside force the back on the outside, and there's gonna be somebody waiting for him, so they were all lockeding step together, and I think that had a lot to do with Kendricks and his communicating abilities out there. He's the quarterback of this defense. That's what I was saying, you know, pretty much all offseason. This is the guy
who's gonna be the quarterback of your defenses. He's able to remain healthy and he can go through the entire seventeen game season or whatever. He's gonna be a big time contributor to what this defense has. Now to me, you got a lot of young pups underneath him. You got Leah File, you got over shown who was outstanding in that game. And that's why I believe they cannot lose Kendricks like he has to be there the entirety of the season, and I hope he is because he's
that quarterback. He got those guys lined up in the right situation to where they weren't doing too much think and it was you know what, you see ball, you go get ball.
They were flying one hundred miles an hour.
And that's what he can do for that defense in there, not only with his play and stopping run making players out there getting interceptions, but lining people up to where all they have to do is I know my responsibility, let me go ahead and get after it.
And that's what he brings to the table. And he had an outstanding the game. Man.
My first thought was, that's a linebacker. Yeah, that's a linebacker. And you saw I mean, he maneuver, moved and did everything and operated as a linebacker. And as Barry Church is letting you know, I mean, and that's why I think it's so good when you get this, get the feedback from the players and guys that have been in the heat of that moment that understand how defense work.
And I think anybody thinking you could just plug and play guys, you know, my key's bell to his credit, I mean, and I'm not trying to hate on them. I'm he did the best he could do. But he was completely out of position. It's a different read, it's a different look being that closer to the line of scrimmage that he's used to seeing from his safety position. And I think a lot of time he was just out over his skis. There's nothing that he could do
about it. But when you see Eric Kendricks in his communication that he's having getting guys, getting guys lined up maneuver of Michael Parsons and telling him what even the communication after bad plays. That kind of leadership you've been craving for. That You're not out there with a guy that's not sure of himself. He's been in the league for a long time. He knows what it takes to
get it done. But on the other side, for me, overshown and this is a guy that, right, I'm going to say this, like you hear things and you see little splashes and you're like, oh, yeah, that's that's that's good. You know, I like that. You know he did.
I No, that stuffed the tape man. Yes he did.
And that and that's when I and that's exactly what I'm talking about. A guy that makes a splash play on the sack that we were just talking about him and Micah running at an angle and then all of a sudden, it just looked like he went in hyperdrive. He did take off. He take off and that kind
and that kind of speed. I just really I think you see it from special players like Micah, but you know everybody else you're looking to see ken they have that kind of I'm coming downhill effect on defense, and he showed that yesterday and.
Not to me.
And it goes back and not to take away from over showing audims as they balled out, but this is to me why.
I couldn't understand the approach to this game.
You got a young line back in there, you got a young core on the inside with Mazie and those young boys, you got kneeling on now side.
Why they are The Browns usually have.
One of the most physical, complex running games International Football League. Guys pulling this way, counters, traps, wearing blocks, you're gonna get it all. Usually when you go against the FANSKI in that you know Brown's offense.
But they went away from it completely and you had two young pupps in there on the inside.
I didn't understand it.
But kudos to the Dallas Cowboys and Zimver being ready for anything and they took advantage of it.
Look, I'm gonna go ahead and say Paul's early, but they came in with the beef package with Livald Joseph and Jordan Phillips, and I'm telling you, in the second half they made life miserable for man. I mean, you got two guys six five, six four, three hundred and thirty five pounds a piece.
Right there.
You know what I'm saying, come in with that beef package he got. He can't do nothing about that. And I'll tell you I loved it. I loved it. And also honorable mention, Honorable mention, Mark Shawn Kneeland. Marshawn Kneeland came out and balled. Hey, the rookie. The rookie came, he did his thingment he didn't lose contain. And this is a game that I was thinking, I'm like, damn, Sam Williams not even playing. Think about the I mean Sam Williams in his development that he's had as an
edge rusher. And guy I said, we didn't even see him at Marshawn Kneeland steps in and he gets those sacks. Man, this guy's like him Osa Diggy Zoo as you said it. Man joined the party. Everybody came out and baughd Jay Lou.
He's gonna he's fisty man. You know he gonna he gonna chop. He gonna chop yep every time. Man surprising. I just can't bad. Look we did, I think we did. I think we're gonna be We're gonna be back. We're gonna be back to tomorrow at two o'clock.
Know you'll be right here. I'll be over there. But no matter what, this is gonna be the.
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