Player's Lounge: Dak and the Contract

Man will have zero part in the game. Is the Cowboys face Seattle and KNWI scrugs, longtime Cowboys reporter, and we marked the return of our man Danny, Daddy, Daddy, Matt, Danny and Ride welcomed in a bay be a girl this week. He took some days off. I wanted him to take the rest of the week off, but he's got things handled right now, so he's gonna come back and spend forty five minutes with us. Here the players launch a bought to you by Hotels dot Com. So, um,

take me through the experience. Man, man, it was it was crazy, right, so we uh, you know, late at night and then you know, she started feeling it. So I was like, all right, So I was I was being the doula, you know, keeping the time of the contractions and stuff. With the COVID going on, we can't really have one come in, so you know, I'm starting to get nervous. So we get to the hospital quickly. You know, the contractions were coming fast, and then we

got to the hospital and it slowed down. We ended up being in there for about fifteen sixteen hours before the little little princess came out, so you know, gained a new respect for the wife and women who give birth. Mans. It's amazing, but it's you have to be really strong to be able to do that. And you know, seeing seeing her come out, it was like nothing I've ever experienced. Man. So it's just it's just been great. You know, no sleep the first night that we got home, but you

know that's to be expected. So that nap I just took got me ready for the players lounge today. All right, So tell me when you drove home, did you drive under the speed limit or at the speedit I was. I was definitely driving under the speed limit one specifically because the hospital is right off of Dallas North Tollway, so I almost thought about just riding the feet are all the way home, but you know, we were hungry,

so we wanted to get something to eat. Sau. I was like, you know, I'm gonna drive just a little bit under and uh, you know, make it there safely. And I think I found myself doing that day too as well when we went to the pediatrician. Just drive a little slow and you know then you know, as as the longer I went, you know, the faster, the faster I went, I got a little bit more comfortable. But yes, it's one of those protective feelings. Yes, And

that's always you know, with those questions. I kind of wait to ask guys, all right, when you drove home, how did you drive? This says thirty five, you're about twenty eight, twenty nine, or you're that guy on the road everyone hates because when you're taking that bundle of joy, Hold man, you're not speeding. You're just trying to Hey, I'm just trying to make sure everything's good. Don't want to hit a bump. I want the baby to become

and tell that's good. I'm glad you. I'm glad you got that same experience because I had the same way three times, three times, I did it. Let me tell you something. Listen. So when I was younger, I used to see all these the vans and the long SUVs with the baby on board stickers at the back. I like sought myself in that. When I was going slow, I was like, man, I don't want to seem like I'm just some dude just just cruising along holding the traffic, So I might have to give you one of those

baby on board stickers. So everybody knows that's the reason why I'm going slow. Good for you, man, good good for you. Protect that bundle of joy, and welcome to the Dad Club. We are in our s WBC Mortgage Home studios today and normally I'm I'm texting you a bunch of topics and where I want to go and how I want to how to flow of the show, and we're doing the same thing. But today I said, no, I'm not even sending anything in because I know where I'm going for a segment. And look, you and I

in church. We've gone round and round talking about dak in the contract, and one of the things that continues to frustrate me is when it comes to dak in the contract, how they're seemingly is this moving target of what he has to or not doesn't have to do that. People are wanting Dak Prescott to earn his money in a sport where people at his position are not paid by what they've done. They're not They're paid by the marketplace. Okay,

make sure I understand it one more time. Now people are saying, well, he has to go on a super bowler, Go do this, Go do that, then prove yourself to get paid. That's not how it works. Okay, And I'm gonna give you a couple of examples of ware that hasn't worked or has not applied to him. Danny, I want you to just take a small guess in eleven years, how much money Matthew Stafford Detroit Lions is. Just take

a staff Man. I would say somewhere in the two fifty three hundred range, two hundred and twenty six point one million dollars from Matthew Stafford now win his twelfth season with one Pro Bowl and not one playoff victory, not a one. So then I looked at Sam Bradford. Nobody's stolen more money for the National Football League than Sam Bradford, former number one pick in highs Pet Trophy, Gonta Olaholm. In nine seasons, he made one hundred and

thirty million dollars. Alex Smith Alex Smith former number one overall pick, one hundred eighty nine point seven million dollars, and Kirk Cousins now in his ninth NFL season for one hundred and forty point six million dollars in contracts. Of what they've given Kirk Cousins, who just got his first playoff win last season, and if anybody saw him play last week or the first two weeks in the National Football League, you would say, boy, he should give

some of this money back. I am consistently a person who's on the player's side. Get what you can while you can. The National Football League is a one casualty industry. When you leave this game, there is something on you that is hurting. Okay, so these guys got paid, fine, they got their money. But when you come to Doc Prescott and you've got a whole legion of people out here trying to say he must earn this, and according for you to get this guy, you got to go

out and show this no, you don't. This is a league that has shown you that we don't care, we're gonna pay you. I've just given you a list of guys here and Sam Bradford, Alex Smith, Kirk Cousins, these guys are They're just dudes. They're just multiple talents. Yes, multiple contracts, okay, multiple contracts on third and four, you know,

third contracts. And I remember them. I remember they paid saying Bradford was twenty five million when he went to Arizona, and then he ended up tearing as they sail, but everybody knew saying Bradford was down before then. They paid a twenty five meal to go there. And kirk Cousins did the franchise tag twice and then got paid a

fully guaranteed contract pretty much in Minnesota. So it wasn't even a struggle for them to get money, you know, on the open market, right, you know, kirk Cousins had trouble with Washington, but once he hit the open market, he was paid. Mark Sanches got a second contract, okay, Mark Chanches. And never during Mark Sanchez's time did you think that he was the engine driving the Jets so that they were winning because of the quarterback. They were

truly protecting the quarterback and running the football. There. So David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, who I've known a long time, no my twenty years here in the Dallas Fort Worth market, and I liked David Moore. But what David Moore wrote today made me say, wow, really, so this is what they bit more robe, he says. Dak Prescott's only a few days removed from becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than four hundred yards and rush for three touchdowns in a game.

Every single yard was violence. Prescott let a come back that saw the Cowboys overcome a fifteen point deficit in the final eight minutes to win. The question now for the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week is simple, what is next? How do you top that performance? Go out and beat Russell Wilson in Seattle. That's all life is a quarterback of a high profile guy. It isn't fair. It generates even more scrutiny when you pass the point roughly of nineteen months of trying to strike in a

court with the franchise on a long term deal. In can't If you want to be paid among the best at the position, go out and beat the best at the position. No one is better at the moment than Russell Wilson. So that's what David Moore robe. And my problem with this again, this is not how quarterbacks you're paid in this league. You're telling you're saying once again, hey Dak, you have to do this in order to get paid when we need to Oh, by the way,

look at this offensive line is bad. This defensive line gives you nothing. This defense is not good. It's it's more than just the quarterback. When we're talking about trying to win games. Dac Prescott, in my mind, has earned a contract from the Cowboys. Danny and I don't get this man. Go ahead, so listen that that has definitely earned his money, right and they I think they try to give him something that he didn't want and he had the right to decline it because I think he's

worth more. What happens is, you know, the people that write these articles should go listen to what Lamar Jackson said when they're trying to pit like him versus Mahomes in the game, offense doesn't play against offense, all right, Lamar Jackson will not be thrown against Patrick Mahomes. He will not be trying to complete a pass against him, in the same way with Patrick Mahomes trying to complete the pass against Lamar Jackson. That's not the game. So you can say he got to go auhead and beat

Russell Wilson. Are you saying that his stats have to be better? Are you saying that the Cowboys have to win the game, because, like you said, we have problems on defense. This is a this is a defense offense, a special team's game, right, this is the optimal the sport where teamwork is optimal. Right, you have to beat You have to have teamwork to get out there and win. So this isn't all on that that can go out there and play a hell of a game and our

DEFENSEI go out there and play trash. And then they'll be talking about how the back didn't win the game and he can't win whatever, blah blah blah, and none of that would be accurate. So you know, those are just people talking and trying to get some get some stuff across to try to you know, paying the reason for why that hasn't getting paid and why he will if he does win. But that's not what it is because this is a team game and you know how that plays and if we win, to lose has nothing

to do with his contract going forward in my opinion. Okay, so so I go back. I want to read this one more time. If you want to be paid among the best of the position, go out and beat the best app the position. No one is better at the moment than Russell Wilson. I'm gonna throw out this date in case people forgotten. All right, and I wrote a game yesterday. Here it is January fifth, twenty twenty. The Cowboys, led by Dak Prescott ended up beating Russell Wilson and

Seattle little playoff game twenty two. Does that not count? I mean, how many times when people have beaten up Dak Prescott well with a playoff game? Go do this? I mean, it's it's the never ending moving target for number four. And that's what I don't understand. Why listen to market all the time? If if that, I promise you listen, because this is why it's hard to listen

to people who write that type of stuff. Because I promise you, if that goes out and have has a horrible game, but our defense somehow scores to two touchdowns and the kick return that comes out and score a touchdown and we win by six. But Dak has a horrible game. They won't credit that to that. They'll be like, what Dak played like, he played like garbage. But they won the game. So he still has a proven that they had to get paid. Right. That's stuff. That's stuff.

Doesn't work. It doesn't work. It doesn't work. And and I say it's four times I liked David Moore. David almost really good at his job. Okay, he's really good

at his job. We just have different takes on this situation here, and I'm starting to realize more and more when it comes to media and Dallas full Worth that I'm really on a different side with some of these guys and how they are evaluating Dak Prescott and how you judge the quarterback market, I said many times right here on the Players Lounge, brought to you by Hotels dot Com. Quarterbacks are like houses in Beverly Hills. There is no liquidation sign. The price is the price. It

only goes up. It's what it is. I lived in Los Angeles. I used to drive around Beverly Hills a lot, and you know what, I didn't see any you know, reduced signs all these houses, these houses were what they were. A baby you want if there was a sign right there, you called, you made it just what it was is Beverly Hills, and quarterbacks are Beverly Hills. And the Cowboys have done a bad job in terms of trying to get this contract done. This thing should have been done

last year. Okay, if people have written that that the Cowboys miss time this and they misjudged this thing. But this whole premise that Dak Prescott has to earn his dollars or that this win is gonna therefore show you that he deserves to be paid, now, I think that's ludicrous. Now. A person I do respect when it comes to the

quarterback market and their football acumen is Rick Gossell. He is a media member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and one of the things he consistently says is, if you're a franchise quarterback, what you need to do is elevate the players around you that you need your quarterback to make other dudes all right, boom Scotty Miller. All right. I know Scotty Miller was, but now he's playing with Tom Brady. You've seen the guy like Scotty Miller makes place.

Chris Hogan was the guy in Buffalo. I didn't know who he was. He goes out of New England. Next thing I know, I see Chris Hogan catching passes in the Super Bowl from Tom Brady. I mean Tom Brady was able to elevate players when he played. Last week, I saw Dak Prescott elevating guys. Dalton Schultz was a guy out about you, Danny. After after that, after the Ram game, I was done with Daltons. I mean getting rid of this guy, okay, because Blake Jarwin gets hurt.

Dalts dropping easy past on this guy's and what do we see, career high and catches caught a touchdown pass. That to me is a part of elevating players. And I'm starting to see Jack do more and more of that. He's improving his game because I go back to the two Super Bowls. I went to that Seattle was at and there were so many people who were saying, Russell Wilson's not a franchise guy. They're Carrie and Russell Wills

and people were hard on him. Pete Prisco, one of my friends at CBS sports dot com, you shall have my all my old NBC sports radio show. We would go round and round about Russell. He's like, Russell's not a Francise quarterback. Now he's finally saying it two years in. But I just shake my heads, like, what are you guys watching? And why is it certain quarterbacks have to go ahead and prove the standard above here? And then other dudes get these passes and they say, well, he's

got this, he's got that. I'm telling you, Danny, it's hard for me. It is hard for me when I see this stuff written a guys like Dak Prescott, and I just shake my head because it's not a standard that's held to everybody else. I want to read you what I got on Twitter, and this comes from a guy named Art. He says, I'm a big Stafford fan. He never had a running game or defense. I also think CJ is the greatest rite receiver ever created, but

his supporting staff was garbage. I think Stafford was wasted. Wow, it's excuses. What are you talking about? Cool old man? This dude if he if he's the greatest receiver ever ever created, and you have one of the top quarterbacks, you know, getting paid that way that their game was not that bad. They've won games, they've been to the playoffs. You know, he just he just didn't win. So if you're just gonna make those shoes for the guy, I

think that's crazy. I do want to preface this by saying, you know, I'm off for Dak and Dalton Shultz and all that stuff and whatever, but I still feel the same as I felt last week. You know, after we beat Atlanta that we won the game, and credit to the Cowboys for being able to do so, but we weren't playing Atlanta, all right, So you know, we went

through this. We went through some similar last year where we struggled against teams that we should have beat, that we shouldn't have blown out, And to me, last week was one of those games. But the difference was we were able to come back and win a game that we should have won. It dominated from the beginning. So I'm still looking for big things for us moving forward. I don't want to take anything away from us, but

you know, history shows what Atlanta is. Week one showed what Atlanta was, and we went out there, you know, in the second half, and did what we were supposed to do versus Atlanta. So I'm looking forward to seeing this next game where it's something where we might be considered an underdog, and we go out there and we performed like we're supposed to from beginning to end, and

you know, and get us a win. I'll count your point here, and I hate that it's going to sound very homeristic, but but I think this is also just a legitimate This could be legitimate when I said, and you haven't played in the National falling, I think you'll agree with this. Over the course of sixteen games during a season, you're gonna need to win one that you

probably didn't necessarily deserve to win. That's normally the case on teams who end up having playoff season that hey, you know what, we snuck our foot out of the bear trap of this week. But that is what you have to do over the course of the season. Win some games that maybe you didn't have your best effort and maybe the other team outplayed, but you found a way to do it. And I go back to this thing again of who we choose to praise and who

we choose to condemn. There are many times where I would watch the Patriots play a game against Miami, especially down to Miami, when they do with that that that that that weather, which is especially human for the Patriots in that second part of the season, or they're going to play Buffalo up there in that snow, and the Patriots would end up winning a close game, not playing their best, but they ended up winning the game. Bill

Walsh of San Francisco forty nine ers. They played in a notoriously weak NFC West where they would go and face the Atlanta Falcons. They face the Saints and they being a slobber knocker and just kind of barely beat you know, eke it out with a Joe montana um, you know, last second drive, but they were able to win those games. You're not gonna play sixteen perfect ones. If you win ten games, letting games, you're not. They're not all going to be pretty. So you need to

get an ugly win in here. And huge difference was hus difference because you know, we talked about you talked about New England going to Miami. My huge thing with with with us in Atlanta was not so much the players. It was the coaching right. Players go out there and players fumble, players drop passes. Those things happen. This is the National Football League, the highest paid players go out there and make mistakes. Where I'm talking about from a

you know, strictly coaching stands stands point. We had a game when we went out there and we and we craped the bed coaching wise, and our talent came out there, you know, and and helped us overcome that. When you get into a sixteen game season, those are not the things that you could do right or your talent and overcomes with stuff. But if you continue to have those type of coaching mistakes and coaching errors, you will not win no matter how good your talent, especially against the

most talented teams. I'll tell you, we were lucky to be playing the Atlanta found us when we got that hopefully we got that coaching style and those coaching errors from being off a year out of the way, So, you know, lucky for us, and we played Atlanta and we did pull it out thanks to the talent that we have around and Dak Prescott raising this game and

helping us come back and overcoming that. But I just think those are a little different from from us from New England playing Miami because those games are always tough, you know, because they just Miami just plays New England tough for us. It wasn't even like that. It was this was total, total, totally opposite. It was our coaching was getting us in so much trouble that we just had to keep clawing out of getting out of there.

It was a long time since I've ever seen two coaching staffs equally horrible at the same time, like I did um with the Falcons and Dan Quinn and Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys. We've got to take a break when we come back. There is a player that is getting lit up on social media, and I want to defend the player who was not asked the question, but merely was asked a question about something someone else said

and he co signed on it. That's next. Players Lounge brought to you by Hotels dot Com right here on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. Hey, they're Cowboys fans with Ty Cleaners at home pickup and delivery. Cleaning your clothes has never been more convenient. Simply sign up at your local store, set out your dirty clothes, and one of our Ty Cleaners professionals will come directly to your home for a totally contactless experience. Your clean garments will be

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com slash SA Stadium for details. This is the Players Lounge on a football Friday in new restricts, A long time Cowboy Boys reporter, and we're joined by Danny mcraie,

former Dallas Cowboys safety. Our other running buddy, Barry Church is off today, so let me dive into something that was a topic for Mike McCarthy, the head coach, and that was being asked about the defense and Mike Knowles defensive coordinate and he was basically asked, you're given guys too much because you're trying to install a new defense, trying to run some three four concepts and four three concepts.

These guys are pretty much used to a four three And Mike mccarthur will make sure to read this right. He says, you cut the volume back when he talked talked about simplifying the defenses his time is a head coach. When guys are having issues and missing the sims, you cut the volume back. So Jaylen Smith was asked about

that and he said yes. And here's another quote from Jaylen Smith and when he was spoke to the media, he says, I believe it's important that each and every player knows in and out what they have to do, and with the smaller playbook, it gives us a better opportunity to do that. Jaylen Smith is getting lit up on social media for saying that people. Oh he can't handle it. Oh he didn't know what to do. Oh,

Jayalen needs to study more. Danny, you spoke about the Cowboys defense and having a whole lot in the playbook from the time you got to the Cowboys and there was the lockout and Rob Ryan was the head coach. So please remind listeners and viewers what you said. Yeah, so, you know, when when Rob Ryan was first hired as a defensive coordinator, it was the year of the lockout, so we didn't have any offseason and we had to

report straight to training camp. Right. So Rob Ryan has this this very complex defense with a lot of players, a lot of different blizzers, a lot of players playing different positions, and he tried to install the same thing, and you know, credit to him, he tried to do what he could. He had never, you know, experienced having to do that during the lockout, but you know he figured his players could pick it up. And when you saw us out there on the field, the first thing

that you said was, man, miscommunication. These guys look, you know, they don't know what they're doing, and you know they're forgotten that we hadn't had much time to input this stuff, and Rob kind of forgot that too. So as we moved throughout the season, we did try to cut back and run a few different things, but you know, for us. It was just, you know, too little, too late. So, like I said, I said the same thing about about fossil Um, I'm sorry Mike Nolan. I said the same

thing about Mike Nolan. You know that hopefully he comes in and he's able to input his defense, but he takes it slow, especially having all these young players and draft picks that will be playing, and he just puts it in, you know, slowly, so these guys can focus

and know where they're supposed to be at. And it looks like he did not do that, and I don't I don't take anything away from Jayalen for saying what he said, because if that's the way it is, that's the way it is, right because you know you're gonna get on him when you see him out of position and missing plays. So it's it's his right to defend itself and say, hey, look, it's fine. You know that we have all this stuff in, but you know some

guys aren't picking it up. And I think it'll be best for us if we cut back and let us play fast with our ears, pent back and go make the players like we usually make, because when you have players out there overthinking, that's the worst thing you could do, especially on defense, because that'll get you beat all day. And I think you know, we've been seeing some of that,

you know, on the field defensively. Everson Griffin told the media that he prefers to play with a three point stands that he wants to go ahead and play with his hand down, that he basically likes playing in the four three. That's what he knows. Tank Moritz is another four three guy. Then, and to ask guys to try and make this switch here without an ota, without a meeting camp, without a full training camp, that's a challenge here.

And so the question starts to become is Mike Nolan going to decide that, hey, I'd better do what these guys know how to do and then slowly bringing my system. I go back to when Bill Parcells was here. Bill Parcells takes over, he's a four three defensive guy. When two Super Bowls running the four three defense. That arguably the greatest linebacker ever in Lawrence Taylor. But when he came to the Cowboys, Mike Zimmer was a defensive his

defensive coordinator. They ran a four to three and then as he went into his second year, they started transitioning into a three four, drafting three four linebackers and making that change. But even he didn't come in here and try and switch it in one year. It's like, let's do what we know how to do. And then he was able to switch it and get things more into

what he wanted. And to me, Mike Nolan, especially with as you said, you know, a shortened offseason, you have to really try and do what these guys do best because right now two games in, this defense has got a lot of issues. You're not good up front. Okay, you're not good up friend, let me run some of these numbers here for you. Danny two sacks, seven quarterback hits, fourteen quarterback pressures and that is tied for twentieth in

the league when it comes to pressures. There. When you look at their run defense here, they are twenty first in the NFL. Atlanta ran thirty three times against this team for one hundred and nine yards, and then you had the Rams run against the Cowboys four thirty three times over one hundred and fifty one hundred and fifty nine yards. So you're not good up front. And if you're not good up front, and that's what they talked about Hey, we're gonna be real good up front and

let these linebackers roam free. No, Jayleen Smith is not doing what we thought he would do, because right up front, they're not any good. So it's more than just pointing it at fifty four and thinking, hey man, you stink you're the whole problem. There's a lot of problems on

this defense. Two games into this, well, listen, if you listen, we had Will McClay on here, right, And if you don't want to put any stock into what we're saying or what the players are saying, Will McClay came in and straight said, you know, I asked them, you know what, you know what's going on the defense. How can we

get better? He said, Hey, we have some guys, you know on the defensive lines that have been playing in a four to three and they've been one gap in their entire career, and now they have the two gap. This is how Crawford's telling Will this right, So he's adjusting and trying to get used to playing playing a two gap system. So Will McClay come up, came on here and said the same thing that Jaalen said, the

same thing that McCarthy said. As far as our players are trying to learn something new and you know, and learn a new system. So if you're not taking any stock, putting any stock into what we're saying, put some stock in what Will is saying, because you have to listen to somebody and this is the whole the whole band is saying the same thing. So yeah, you know, minimize the playbook. Put these guys in positions to where they're running fast and they're not thinking. Put one or two

blitzes in. You know, put a put a put a blitz into where wherever the team runs. Whenever they run a certain formation, you always blitz that formation. Do something as simple as that, and then build on it. Right, because we want we should be creating more pressure too. We should not be as lost as as we are, you know, considering what Jalen said, like so it's a way for him to minimize the defense and still be effective and not be vanilla, you know, like like like

we were in previous years. He can still get this done, and that's why they get paid the big bucks. You know. He has to come out here and create a different game plan and he has to fit it to the players, fit the system to the players. Those are Those are what the great coaches doing. That's what the great coaches do for the teams to win, in their players to perform at the highest level. Yeah, and I'm not sitting here saying that Jalen is playing perfect and he has

no room from proving. What I am saying is fans that are making it seem as though fifty four is the biggest problem here. No. And if I'm going to call a player out and say, look, I need more from you, it's number ninety. If DeMarcus Lawrence is getting to the quarterback, then this whole defense is a different deal because you didn't bringing Alden Smith and Everson Griffin to be the guy. You brought them in to help

the guy in this old D line. Also, we look at don Terry Poe, who Jerry Jones said today was playing well. A lot of people have a disagreement with their Tristan Hill. These guys have got to be better at plugging up the run, Danny. When you're running thirty three times in the football game as an offense, that's that's telling you what they're They're saying, we feel like we can attack you, and that's what both teams did. The Rams did it in Game one. They were effective.

The Falcons tried to do it, not as effective. And I'm gonna tell you this week, you better believe Brian Schottenheimer's gonna take Chris Carson and Carlos high and run right at the Cowboys here. So I expect another thirty point I just thirty point, but a thirty carry day for a team against the Cowboys. You'd be crazy not to try and put this. Put your team out here to run and keep this Cowboys defense on the field as long as you can. They're playing over thirty minutes

a game. That's how you've beaten the Cowboys a past few seasons, Danny is win the time of possession and wear out their defense. Yeah, listen, as we said, you know, once you put something bad on tape, the other teams around the league that you're playing, they're going to try to do the same thing. Right we put we put that on tape that we're we're we're susceptible to the run against what our offense, I mean on our defensive

line and our linebackers. And Atlanta saw that tape and they said, hey, we probably can do the same thing. So let's focus on trying to do that now. They weren't as successful as a team before, but they had some success at some points, you know, the floor of the game kind of change that form. So Seattle will

will definitely do the same thing. I also want to touch on this right because I heard you guys talking about Everson Griffin and de Marcus Lawrence, and for any of the fans out there people listening, whoever run a forty yard dash or seeing somebody running forty yard dash at the combine, you see that they can take off in a three point stands right. They practice this, you know, over and over again so they can run as fast

as they could. You have some guys that you know that are in the three to four right, so they they're able to do the run their you know, their forty yard dash from a stand up position. When when coaches come in and they try to coach the Marcus where they're not gonna try to get him to go from what he does best, which is standing up and rushing to putting his hand in the dirt, right, and if he complains about it, he's going to be standing

up again. The same thing with our defensive line every time you watch the Marcus Lawrence, he has his hand in the dirt and he's able to create his leverage and his pressure from from that rushing position. So now when you put them in a different position, of course you're going to see see a little, you know, a little a little something off of the same thing ever since Griffins. So they just need to get back to

what they do best. And the coach, like I said, they have to be able to create this scheme and adapt it to what their players are able to do. Because you're paying these guys too much money to try to force them to do something they're not good at. So let them get back to what they do best, and I think you will see some big change in production if you do so. All right, let's take another break here on the flip side. Alden Smith has some words for Cowboys fans about this defense, and we'll give

you our predictions for Seahawks and Cowboys. I knew he scrugs, a long time Cowboys reporter. Key is Danny McCray, former Dallas Cowboys safety. This is the Players Launch, brought you by hotels dot Com since eighteen sixty five. Stets and hats are American Maid with pride right here in Texas and stets And it's proud to be on the field with America's team. Want to show your Texas and Team pride too, You can by purchasing your own stepson. You can look just like how the flag guys do on

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Got Danny mccraie, former Cowboys safety. Barry Church, former Cowboys safety, is off today, all right, Tank Lawrence is still dealing with the knee issue. Danny. Basically, they're telling us are gonna be a game time decision on him and then Tyrant Smith. According to Mike McCarthy, who missed last week because of a stinger, he's making progress, which also means we're going to have to see what the available ability

is on game day. So I expect those decisions to get made then about when they do what they do. Alden Smith was asked about this defense. Aldon Smith got a sack in Game one against the Rams. Cowboys have two sacks overall, Smith with one of them, Everson Griff Them with the other, and he said, quote, I feel like the coaches have made it fairly simple. I think everyone needs to chill out. This is the third game coming up. We didn't have too much of an offseason,

we didn't have a preseason. I know every week we're gonna get better, Danny. What do you say to what Alden Smith came out and told the media today. Yeah, I mean, like I said, I think it makes sense or half of it. Anyway. It's the fact that they didn't have much of an offseason, and you know, to him, the defense could be simple. He he's a vet, right, so he's been through different schemes. He's he's learned systems before. So for him, it may be, you know, it may

be simple enough. But for some of those younger guys that we have out there. We have a young safety, we got a young linebacker, we got young corners, right, it's not as simple simple for them, right, So I think that they can't get better, you know, as the year goes on and those guys, you know, they get rid of those you know. You know, all rookies go through go through a phase of like trying to pick up the speed and the systems and things that they

do different from college to the NFL. So you know, it's it's a learning curve for them, you know, and you know, unfortunately, this is this is the season they're we're in where we didn't have much time to learn, so they're going to pick it up as they go. So I don't think it's any reason for us to panic, you know, as far as for them being able to perform better and learn the scheme. You know, the biggest thing to panic about his injuries, and that's happened all

over the league. So you know, you just got to be able to plug and play, and that's difficult when you have a system to where some people maybe maybe think already that it's too difficult. The Cowboys, I'll go back to say something we continue to say on the show. The Cowboys offense has to take care of the defense here. This defense isn't good enough to survive shootouts. I will

give the defense credit. Last week against Atlanta from the standpoint of the offense put them in some horrendous positions and they were holding the falcons to fit some field goals on fake punting some of the fubbles here. I thought they did a decent job of that. The Cowboys have to win the time of possession battle. Okay, this is two games in a row where they've not done that. And I already talked about the numbers. When you talk about rushing the football, when the team's running the ball,

thirty three times against you. That shows you that they're they're being more aggressive and they're taking it too. But the Cowboys front offensive standpoint can help this team by running the ball. Church you and you McCrae. You guys were at playing for the Cowboys when you went up to Seattle and DeMarco Murray had a game of games and it was a twenty fourteen and Seattle never had the ball. And I remember because I was at that game and Seattle and afterwards people people said to see,

you know, Pete Carroll, what happened? He said, we never had the ball, and the Cowboys had the ball. They ran it. Tony Romo did an excellent job with play actually passing me. He was one of the best game plans that Jason Garrett, Scott Lena had had, ever had ever come up with. They need to do a lot

of that. And to me, not only is it giving the ball to Zeke to run it, but I also believe it's throwing the balls, you know, throwing some screen, some wheel routes and using your best offensive player and making the Seahawks have to defend him. We know the Seattle passed. He's terrible. There's their thirty second in the league. But if you're running it with Zeke Danny and if you're able to get him out in that passing game, that that's gonna make it even easier to try and

hit Amari Cooper, CD Lamb and Michael Galler. Yeah, most definitely. So you know, knew we unfortunately, you know, I had gone to Chicago that year when they were able to put that put that season together and get you know, and get those guys running. But I did see them when they came to Chicago and they definitely ran that game plan on us. It was keep the ball away from us, which they didn't really need to, but you know, they controlled the clock, they ran it, and you know,

and they beat us pretty badly. So you know, I think that is the recipes for success for us. And getting Zeke involved early, having him start the game with a couple of carriers and unlike we did last week, I think will be huge. And I think getting us into some third and shorts to be it passing it to Zeke, getting into Schultz or just you know, creating creating some third and threes with some with some hitch routes. Whatever.

She was on the outside will help us tremendously, right, because that gives you the option to a run on third down or pass on third down, or and that opens up play action as well. And when you can when you can have all those options open to you, that's when that's when you had an opportunity to make some big plays. And then you know, control the clock and move methodically down the field, you know, and keep

our defense on the sideline. So I think if we play that way, we can we can definitely get a W. But we have to stick to it and uh and try to make that happen when we get out there. You know, things change once you get out there on the field and things don't go your way. I go back to a stat that I said yesterday with Church that's talking about winning first down. Here's a number. The Seattle defense allows six point eight yards per attempt on

first down, which is twenty seventh in the league. In the Dallas offense is averaging six point six yards on first down, which is seventh in the league. And that's where I think about, Hey, what could you do by throwing the ball out here and getting Ezekiel Elliott in space. Yes, Bobby Wagner is a fantastic linebacker. You could argue maybe the best linebacker in the National Football League. And we know kJ Wright is an awesome player. But if I'm the Cowboys, I'm going to say I got an awesome

player here too. Let's see my guy against your guy here, and I think Ezekiel Ellick can win his fair share. And if the Cowboys Danny can win this first down battle, I think I have an excellent opportunity to win the game. Speaking of winning the game, Danny, what is your prediction as the Cowboys or a four and a half point underdog in Seattle? You know what, a lot of times last year I picked, I picked us to win and we lost. This year, I picked us to win and

we lost. Then I picked us to lose and we won. So, uh, for the sake of us, you know, proving me wrong, I'm gonna say we should be at three point underdog and we'll probably we'll probably fall to Seattle thirty or to twenty seven, you know, on a late field goal with you know, Russell's kind of driving down there at the end of the game and giving their kicker a chance to beat us. You know, hopefully hopefully that changes. But if I'm just being honest with myself about what

I've seen last week, Um, that's that. That that's my pick. Okay, So McCray thirty to twenty seven, Seahawks winning. Barry Church gave us his pick for the game. He's got Seattle winning thirty one to twenty four, got Seattle with a seven point win, and I am going to go thirty five thirty Seattle wins. I don't know. I'm still worried about the Cowboys' ability to control the line of scribbage

on both sides of the football. Here, Tyran Smith possibly not playing again, and even if Tyring comes back, you never know what these next stingers. He could play a couple of plays and it happens, or at any point in time he could suffer another stinger. So Lell Collins is not going to be there at right tackle. So you're the offensive line overall, it's been an issue. Connor Williams one of the guard spots. He's been an issue. The offensive line has not been the strength that we

thought thought it would be. They haven't shown that they can win the time of possession. So as bad as Seattle's defense is, I'm gonna go ahead. And say the Cowboys end up losing this game and they can start to get healthy in October, starting with Cleveland coming to town October fourth. But before the season started, when I was going through my little win loss tracker, I had the Seahawks winning this football game and I don't think there'll be any shame and a Cowboys loss of five

points at all. This is two teams that could end up meeting again in the playoffs. Because I actually have Seattle winning this division. I think they're gonna be a really good football team. Day. Yeah, I think Seattle's Seattle is gonna be good. It's a it's a good test for us, you know, you know, to kind of phase off what we did last week, because I know everybody's

riding high with the biggest comeback and happy. But I think us playing a good quality team, you know, will show us a lot about where we are and if we're getting better throughout the season, you know, Like I said, I hope we got some of those coaching things fixed and we're able, like if we lose this game. Let us lose this game, because we got outplayed. Our players went out there in fault, but we just didn't have

it to have it that day. Don't let it be because we made some silly mistakes coaching wise, and you know, and we come back here on Monday and we say, what the heck were we doing again for the second time in the row. So you know, I'm going for the Cowboys. But like I said, my honest feeling is is that's where we are and hopefully, hopefully I'm proving wrong, and hopefully our defense could get out there and uh,

you know, and create some pressure. It's gonna be difficult because that that scrambling quarterback is It's something very difficult for a d line and linebackers to stop. But I think if we if we can get that done, I think we'll be all right. Keep keep Russell in the pocket, you know, don't let them run around and create those extended plays. And I think we give us give ourselves a chance on defense. And DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett

are playing very well. Cheat to a Woosian, one of the Cowboys starting corners is out with a hamstring injury. Anthony Brown, another one of the Cowboys quarterbacks starting on injured reserve, and Trayvon Boyk and the rookie on her back had a shoulder injury earlier this week. So the Cowboys secondary has got some misues and some things that they've got to work on as well, which is once again why I picked Seattle, just looking at what the Cowboys have. They got to get some things cleaned up.

But as I said, you start looking at schedule in October, I think that's a point where it gets schedule gets a little bit easier and the Cowboys starting to get some guys back, and then you start to see where they are. That is the Player's Lounge, brought to you by Hotels dot Com. Also got to thank the folks over the Bows for the headphones here Danny McCrae. Man have a bunch of had a bunch of fun getting back with you. Man. Enjoyed that baby this weekend, and

we'll chat on Monday. Okay. That is. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.