Player's Lounge: Hard Knocks & Mojo Moments

Players Lounge bought you by Hotels dot Com. New We Scruggs, longtime Cowboys reporter, joined by two four Dallas Cowboys safeties, Barry Church and Danny mc cray. And yes, we've got to hit up hard knocks as HBO's outstanding series made its debut of the Cowboys Episode one last night on HBO.

The Mojo moment was the thing that I was glad they got inside to understand show us what Mike McCarthy was talking about with the Austin powers and everything that went into it, because while I was at camp in Oxnard, you heard it, you didn't kind of know what it was. He explained it a little bit, but it was better to see exactly how it all unfolded. So, gentlemen, right out of the gate, I'm gonna start with you, Danny McCrae, what was your thought to the way Mike McCarthy was

portrayed in Hard Knocks? Okay? I thought she's about to ask about the Mojo moment because not sure if it hit the way that he thought it was as I watched it. But you know, listen, whatever whatever you need to do to get your team hype and helped them understand the situation that you're trying to put them in to make them better, well, you know, whatever you gotta do, you gotta do it. I mean, this is what I said was going to happen to coach McCarthy once he

got on this TV show. It was going to show that he is not really doing much if really, the only thing you could say that he did on that show was come up with the Mojo moment. Other than that, it showed that him and Dak might not be as cool as they should be right now. They showed the Special Teams Coach More having more of a personality with his players. They showed Jerry and then the rest of it was the dak in a Zeke show. So it just you know, hopefully in the next couple of weeks

we see a little bit more of Big Mike. But uh, that one, you know, it really didn't didn't show much. Yeah, to me, it kind of came off. The mojo moment came off as it's just kind of gimmicky, just a little gimmicky. Um. I mean we saw, you know, last Hard Knocks when when Gruton was up there talking about you know, knock if you hear him, or knock on

wood or something like that. Tallest players. So to me that that mojo moment, it was it was kind of gimmicky, but real quickly, let me ask you when they when they go to this mojo moment, it's like, you know, this little situational thing. Is it like a stretch of three plays, is it like a full series or they're doing like a two minute drill or or a red zone you know, red zone drill or something like that. Like how does each mojo moment you know, break down on the field or is it just a one off?

Like all right, it's it's awesome, powers time, it's mojo, It's mojo. Get your mojo whatever. Ready, let's go on this field for this one play, Like, like, how does that break down as far as that mojo moment that that sequence of events. Yeah, he'll tell you exactly the situation and how much time it is and where the

ball is going to be. So you have to go through that um One of them that I that they showed last night was where the offense had to get you have eighteen seconds left or whatnot, but you had to get the ball in the end zone and Garrett Gilbert couldn't get it done. Another mojo moment, de Nucci ended up throwing one in the end zone and and

CD Lamb caught it in the offense one. So so they were they've been trying to have competitive situations throughout camp where the offensive defense are going back at it and the defense is fair. Fair to me, the defense when I was out there, got the better of the offensive overall. But there were a couple of these times in these mojo moments, in these final um seconds that the offense ended up looking good. So that was kind of what you saw last night that you know, Gilbert

couldn't get it done. But it's tough and you guys know from a defensive standpoint, it's tough when you know, you know, let's say I'm Michael Parsons gets there, or a defensive lineman gets there, but all of a sudden, the quarterback can spin out and still throw a ball in the end zone and make a you know, make a play. But yeah, he's trying to do something different. I used to hate when when they used to do that with Romo, that we'd be a two minute drill.

You know, deep ware get off the edge easily, easily could have sacked the quarterback, but they didn't blow a whistle. And then Romo gets a little pass off and you know, the offense celebrate. It's just to get their confidence up. But I'm like, man, that place should have been dead. That's the thing. That's the reason I hate two minute drill is when you're doing camp and it gets the offense because it's always catered into we got to stop, it's over. It should be over, coaches, No, no, no, no,

we still got time. We got time for another sequence, we got time for It's always cater to let the offense win. But overall, when when it came to that hard knocks, NUIs Danny to y'all, who who in that first episode besides McCarthy, who stuck out the most as a player when you were looking at I know it was the Dock and the Zeke Show, But has anybody anybody else kind of stuck out to you when you were watching that Hard Knocks, I say, you know, most

of the other part of the show focused on Michael Parsons. Hum. He's a high energy guy. You can tell he really loves the game of football. He's kind of all over the place, kind of like most rookies are right now. So I can kind of understand the conversation that we had a few shows ago where they were saying, we

just we're gonna tone it down a little bit. We're gonna like get you into one position and let you focus on playing football and playing fast so you don't have to worry about should I should I hammer or should I spill? Should I force them inside? Should I force him outside? Just get out there and just play fast like you did. That made you, you know, the first round pick, which is interesting. I will say this

so long because this mojole moment, I can't let it die. Okay, No, I don't think many coaches you know, whatever, they may do it a different way, but nobody's reinventing the will, right the mojo moment Church, But we know is got to have a situation, all right. It's the same thing we used to do when JG was here, And but I think his was more sporadic because you would have a guy to have a situation, you know, four or five times a practice. Hey man, look it's time for

d Ware to go up against Tyrn Smith. And you would see that like day in the day out, just randomly, like, oh no, if we're gonna stop everything, we want to see one on one, got to have it who his dad's gonna go against as a cornerback, Just to kind of build up that this is a competition. Everything is a competition, and we're here to compete. So it's not reinventing the will. So you know the fact that he came up with something to make it seem a little different,

you know, more power to him. It's just us as players, just how we're looking at it, you know. But if it works for him and his team, then that's that's great. Okay, Danny, Let's just get straight to it. Thumbs upper, thumb down on the mojo moment, the name thumbs down. I gotta go thumbs down on the name, but I'm not in that locker room. They had a whole conversation about it. You know, I do love Austin Powers. I just don't

think it fits. The mojo moment to me is like if you got mojo, that means you got some swag. It doesn't really translate into a swag moment. It's true, got to have it, Like what are we gonna do? This is a situational moment, But you know, if it sticks, it sticks. Well, well, let me ask both of y'all this question real quick from from what y'all saw from McCarthy. You know, through the first episode of that Hard Knocks, do y'all think this guy can be a good motivator

of men? I mean, I know, you know, Garrett kind of got that. That label is he can't motivate his guys to go out there and win. And he has a stack team, but you know, nobody wants to play for him. Do you see McCarthy being that great motivator, that guy that can get the most out of each and every player? Nui, Danny, anybody you know knew he not gonna answer that question. I'll start, I will, I will start right here. I am not sold on Mike McCarthy. Okay,

last year, I gotta see it. I'm just not sold. Now. Mike McCarthy is able to carry in something that most coach in the National Football League cannot carry into a locker room, is a Super Bowl ring on his finger. But my question with Mike McCarthy has been seriously this. Green Bay identified him as the problem with their organization. They fired him. They've gone twenty six and six without him, and played an NFSC championship game twice, and Aaron Robers

won another MVP. So how much of it was Mike and how much of it is you got number twelve now? I thought he brought up a really good point on hard Knocks. He says it takes seventy seven guys to win a Super Bowl, at least it did for him with a Green Bay. And I remember even during that Super Bowl game, they were losing dudes. I think they lost Woodson during that game of Donald Driver. So Mike McCarthy,

he had found a way to utilize several people. He had Ryan Grant, who was running really good that year. I remember him in some fantasy leagues, but he was doing a really good job. They lost him. They went through a bunch of running backs. So Mike McCarthy has been able to build a championship team. But it's one of those things where, hey, look, somebody can have a good record, but can you can you continue to make

good records? You know, you have to hit home, you know, but it's a whole lot of thing to be a hit hit artist, you know. You know, can you be Stevie Wonder who's been good year after year after year, decade after decade. Are you like Belichick who's been good year after year, Tom Landry same thing? Or it's Mike McCarthy, a guy who just had one great run in him, such as Rick Carlisle had with the Dallas Mavericks. That's

been my question with Mike McCarthy right now. I can't sit up here and tell you that I'm sold on Mike McCarthy to be in the guy. In fact, I asked Jerry Jones that very question when I interviewed him Sunday, the first Sunday at training camp. Do you have the right guy? Because I said the same thing, hackers when twenty six and six without this dude, So what am I supposed to say? And Jerry says he's sold sold, and he said he's not gonna count last year. That's

Jerry's whole thing. He's not counting last year. I'm sorry, Cowboy fans are accounting last year. Six and ten? Okay, hany one that six and ten bull Jade. And you got to see, you know, because if you look at it his career with the Packers, I mean, he had two Hall of Fame quarterbacks throughout his whole tenure with the with the Packers, I mean he had Brett Favre and then he had Aaron Rodgers and he was able to amass one Super Bowl out of that. But you

got a thing. I mean, they say, he's, you know, this great play caller, his offensive mind, he's a genius out there, and we've yet to see that as well because he has Kellen Moore, you know, calling all the shots out there. So I want to see this season and we've got to see it this season. Is what type of coaches McCarthy is He Is he a coach that can can motivate his teammate or can motivate his players, even though the lesser players to play, you know, beyond there,

beyond their skill set. Can he be that type of coach or is he the type of coach that you know, hey, he's along for the ride. I mean he has a loaded team right now with the Dallas Cowboys and he has to simply manage them in the right direction. Do you think he can be that that motivator, that manager of this team to get them to play to the peak of their abilities. I don't think we're gonna have

to see that from Mike McCarthy. Um. I think you don't have that issue on offense because of the players that you have, and we know the type of leader that Dak is and we know that everybody's gonna follow him. They're gonna follow Zeke. You kind of got a receiving corps that they know what to do right. You have a Marii Cooper leading leading that bunch. You don't see them getting any issues and they're productive. And then on special teams, we know that that that fossil is a motivator.

He's going to motivate his guys to get out there and play. He's gonna come up with creative things to make sure that they feel like they're a part of the game and making those plays. And I'm gonna call this man just like uh like like you called himself my man DQ, my man DQ. Dan Quinn seems like he has the guys fired up and ready to get in their tackle, make their be on their assignments, make

plays on the ball. As NEWI said, if you've been watching training camp, the defensive being has been getting the best of the offense. And so I don't think when you look at it, you have to see McCarthy being the motivator of men, because these guys in their position and coaches, their coordinators are going to have them ready to play when it comes game time anyway, So I don't know if you're gonna see it, well, you know, the Super Bowl Trophy. It's heavier than just pointing that

to your point. I love what you said about Dan Quinn because you see it in these practices. You see it while they were out there and Ox started, and even in the preseason game that these guys, these players, these guys on the defensive side of the ball, they seem to believe in Quinn. They seem to believe in what he has going for him. You see these guys, they're fired up. There's not a lot of coverage busts

out there now. I don't know if you know he's implementing his whole defense yet or they're just dealing with the super basics right now, but you haven't seen any coverage busts out there. These guys are flying around to the ball. And one difference I've seen. I know it's early, I know we only got a short sample size, but from that Steelers game, you saw those guys swarm into the ball. There wasn't just you know, one guy trying to make all the players or one guy tackling in

an open field. There was one, two, three, four different hats to the ball at a time. And I feel like that's what you gotta have on a defense, is that swarming mentality. I think last year we had it was just too many one on ones. There was just too many open fields just one on ones. And that to me, as we both know that's one of the hardest things to do in football is to tackle somebody

in the open field. So I'll do to your point saying that Dan McQuinn eat or dan quinn mc quinn has definitely got the belief of these young boys, and they're rolling. All right. We gotta take we gotta take a break. There's one player that I almost feel has been forgotten about, and we should not forget about this player because this player has played a key role before for the Dallas Cowboys. I'll tell you who it is. Danny mccraie. Will sit up here, pooh pooor I can

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T Stadium in this season. A limited number of single games standing room only tickets are on sale. Now get yours at Dallas Cowboys dot com slash tickets. You're in the players loue, he scrugs. Long time Cowboys report to joined by two former Dallas Cowboys safeties, Buried Church and Danny McCrae. Now Amari Cooper has been activated off the physically unable to perform lists. He will be seeing some practice time. Number nineteen who are talking about is Dallas

Cowboys number one wide receiver. See look at a disrespect man? Who this man to the Cowboys from the Raiders, And I say this man saved Jason Garrett's job. Save Jason Garrett's job took the Cowboys to the playoffs, but people have forgotten about that. But not me, baby, not me. I'm there with you, Coop, the man pulling about the game. Yeah about fourth and five? Okay, all right, go ahead, And what was you about to say? What are you about to say about my boy? I'm good. It's good

to know, Danny McCrae. Some trains run on time. I bring up Cooper here comes to negativity trains. But that's okay, that's okay. Coop understands what was it. Cooper understands what it was going on, and that's why he said he's about to have the best season of his career. He is about to go ahead and get He about to go out here and get his game on. And so nineteen and eighty eight are going to have the potential, in my opinion, the potential to have some big seasons

for the Cowboys. Look potential. I'm with you on that one. I think, you know, definitely a CD. I think for Shaw CD throughout this camp and you'll see the early part of the season, I think CD will solidify himself as being that number one option for Dak Prescott as far as the passing game is concerned. But what I'm what I'm seeing though, is you know, it's a lot of you know, CD Lamb and Amari Cooper. We're gonna do this, We're gonna do that. We're gonna destroy the game,

gonna be the best duo. We're gonna be the best duo in the National Football League. But I thought this was a trio. I thought this was the receiving crew that's gonna all go over a thousand yards. Nobody can stop us. Won't be amazing. People seem to forgot about Gallup. And it's not just people his own teammates seem to have forgotten about can't. I don't. I don't think that's the case, man, because because because this, this, this is what happens. This is what we know about about Gallup. Okay,

there is a certain certain type of ball. No, yeah, yeah, just your just your thing a little bit. There's a certain type of ball that h that Michael Gallup usually makes a spectaclar play on, and that is the deep ball, usually on the sideline, not up through scene. Ceedee Lamb is usually doesn't run those routes, and Mark Cooper usually isn't running those routes. When you need a deep ball, got to have it, it's Michael Gallups. So you're saying

he's a one trick pony. No, No, I'm just saying he's not gonna be forgotten about it because we're gonna be in situations where we need to have that deep guy to have it passed, and Michael Gallop is going to be the guy to go make that part. Do you think do you think this will affect the room overall? Though? Like if if ceedee, Lamb's getting first five games, ceede, Lamb's got fifty targets, a Mark Cooper got sixty targets, and then you know he's sitting over there with Gallop

in a contract year. I might add in a contract year with you know, fifteen targets here there. You don't think that will affect the round. I think it will affect the room, But I think that this is what makes that a great leader, and I don't think that

he will allow that to become an issue. And I don't see Michael Gallup only getting you know, fifteen twenty catches while the rest of these guys are making those type of plays because we know defenses are going to figure out who they need to focus on, and then Michael Gallop will get more opportunities. He may not get talked about that way. He's just gonna have to make those plays to bring his name back into the fall. What you think NEWI Hey, look, my weekend got Pat

Donney over the NBC five called Michael Gallop elite. He said the cat was at three elite receivers. And my first thought is, look, I like Michael a lot. I think he's a fun guy to talk to, But there's no way in the world we can call Michael Gallup elite. Elite means that you are the best of the best, and here's a guy who's a number three target on

his own team. And if we start talking about touches with Ezekiel Elliot, he's even further down the list because they were running a whole lot of screen game here. So I expect to see Ezekiel Elliott heavily involved in the passing game. We've seen Blake Jarwin out there making some nice catches, and Dalton Schultz has been a guy

that these backup quarterbacks have really relied upon him. So I just don't know how much juice and how many balls are gonna be out there for Michael Gallant when you need a play you just thought the cee lamb and he's catching him. Amari Cooper is still a guy Dak Prescott trusts, and I think that matters, And I don't think we talk about that enough. Nineteen is a

dude that he's been trusting with. So you take nineteen eighty eight, two guys he can trust, you play twenty one and the way you need to do and get him some touches here. I don't see how Gallup is really going to be able to get these balls that

he wants to. When people talk about this guy's gonna sign some deal next year for a thirteen or fourteen million dollars and he's gonna be a number one somewhere, How are you going to be a number one somewhere when you can't even get to be really be at two If both guys are healthy in this offense and you're probably the fourth or fifth option depending on who

you play and how this game plan is going. Yeah, and to me, it's gonna come down to whether Gallup is the ultimate you know, team guy, whether he's you know it's in a contract year, he has an opportunity to make that Dennis Shrewder before he got that up, he got an opportunity to make those those big bucks. So yeah, I had to throw that shooter in there. I had to do it. It was one of the biggest gaffs I think I've ever seen when it came to negotiating and making money. You pass up eighty four,

you're left with five. But anyways, Gallup, I think I think if he listens out to to to the media people like if he listens to guys like us out here, I think it's gonna start getting to him and I think it might affect the room. But you know, hey, we'll see where it goes. Money money changes minds a lot. I think he's gonna be fine. He's not a number one receiver, definitely not. Not not at this point of

his career. He's not. If he makes some improvements and and he he's able to get some more balls thrown as way, he makes some more spectacular catches than maybe. But I think he just needs to settle into the road that he's been playing. Ceedee Lamb was the first round pick last year. He came on the scene. He got he got, he got a lot of a lot

of looks. Mary Cooper is going to give a lot of looks, and Gallup is going to get the spectacular plays, and they're going to give him the opportunity to go down there and make those thirty and forty yard catches. We'll see, we shall see. I'll give you an example. I'll give you an example of a great trio. And you guys may remember it. A guy named Jake Reid who's a North Texas resident. Jake Reid played on some

great Vikings teams with Randy Moss and Chris Carter. Jake was a really good football player, but he just wasn't those two guys. And obviously he's not those two guys, because those two guys are Hall of famers. I'm not calling Cooper, not calling Lamb hall of famers, but I believe that you're talking about guys who are a step above Michael Gallant. And I think Michael Gallant maybe an

a different off in someplace. Maybe he can become a one, but I just don't see him getting a thousand yards or having to be this big option like they're talking about here. Twenty one looks good fellas Okay, he really does look good. And the screen game I saw. If this offensive line is healthy and there, and if they can get this screen game out there, and then some of the routes they have him running, twenty one is gonna be something to deal with. Okay, that's where I

just don't see gout getting getting his love. They put him on him cover to me, you guys, so that's nice. You know they're trying. They're trying to make them feel good, but there's just too many mouths to feed. If this offense is doing everything that we believe it can be and live up to, I mean, don't tell you right now. Blake Jarwin looks nice. He looks nice, and for some reason there's no animosity or in between he and Dalta

Schultz at all their buddies. They're trying to push each other here, and Dalta's Schultz is not trying to sit up here. Just give this thing away to Blake Jarwin. He's look good as too. So you're killing Moore man. You've got options. We ain't even talk about twenty Pollard here, guys, not even talked about Stop it, Neui, stop it. He does not need too many options Okay, we already talked

about what Listen, we talked about this before. Dak had to show the string, go into these first games, run the ball, and then you know, let these other options feed off whatever Zeke does. He don't need too many things, too many people to focus on. Hey man, let's get jar one. Let's make sure we take care of shows because he did do something for us last year. Oh yeah, we gotta fit Tony Pollitt and then somewhere and also don't let Michael Galli get too upsets, so make sure

let's not let's not do that. Okay, you said twenty one looks great. Focus the offensive around twenty one each Dak back into it, and Coop and UH and and CD will get their touches. And then you know, Michael gallup when we need that that we got that third and twenty toust the ball, tom My man, Michael galler Man,

let him go out there for the play. Look, I think we can all agree that it's a good problem for the Cowboys that have all these you know, options, and that you know, it's gonna be hard for defenses to match up with them because they have so many miss match nightmares out there. Tight end wherever she running back, you call it, they got the mismatch forward. But I want to pivot a little bit, just a little bit right here, because knew what you were there at practice,

You were there when the Rams came to town. How did the big hog Molly's up front? How did those giants in the trenches? How did they look out there against a vaunted Rams rush? I mean, you got Aaron Donald, you got Lennon Floyd out there. If you got some guys that can get after the pass rushing or can get after the quarterback. So to me, how did those big boys look once the Rams got Oh? I did see that it was a great takedown on Aaron Donald. Yeah,

he had good for him. But if you continue to look at it, Aaron Donald jumped on him real quick afterwards. And if his boys ain't hop in, I don't know. But you know, how did they look out there to do? Yeah? They look okay? So so Church, you're telling on yourself because clearly you didn't watch any of my reporting. I want you to explain to the to the audience. I was, I was. I was at the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Canton, Ohio sad today and Sunday for for

for for the speeches. So I didn't see what I can't see. So here's what I did say though, And this was absolutely the craziest thing and why Jerry Jones is truly the man. So at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Stadium, they had a whole locker room they converted into the Cowboys Club full of food, all you can drink, TVs solfas. So I'm sitting next to Clarence

Hill and Jerry Jones. Jerry Jones somehow had the feed of the scrimmage piped into the locker room where we're watching this at this Cowboys Club waiting on Cliff Harris and Jimmy Johnson and get their speeches. And so we're just asking Jerry about stuff we're seeing and it isn't I mean, first off, I'm like, how in the world did Jerry get this thing pumped in here? But he did. So we watched it from there, and Jerry candidate made a play out there. He was big on him, saw

a little bit of the fight. Um, Jerry didn't comment on that at all. And and so I didn't get to see the scrimmage to ask you answer your question. But Jerry. Jerry was a fan of what he saw a little bit that he saw there by the way that Matthew Stafford could sling it, My gosh, that kid's got an arm. Yeah, and we had back Yeah after watching the backup quarterbacks that I saw an ox star when that went down to see Matthew Staffords, it was just like, oh, oh, my gosh, like that, that's a

wicked throat. So I didn't. I did not get to see how how they stacked up against the Rams. So I didn't because I was hanging next to Jerry and uh enjoying, uh, enjoying everything at the Cowboys Club before we walked out there and uh watched some speeches. It was good stuff. Man. Was that rollo with Jerry is a good thing? Was that was that McDonald's on U hard nuts last night? Was he eating the McDonald's saying would you when he was in his office with a mcgriddle?

Oh not No, that was something from the hotel hotel, all right, that's what I said. Somebody told me it was. I don't know. Well, the way you did watch you know, like the rest of like the rest of us, you did watch the Hall of Fame game you did. You didn't get a chance to go see the Hall of Fame game, So I gotta I gotta know what your what's your early thoughts on one are first round draft

picked Parsons? And two what you think about those backup quarterbacks that uh we talked about here on the Players Lounge last week? So let me let me know your thoughts on those. One, Michael Parsons was drafted too low, Okay, I can't believe they are eleven football players better than Michael Parsons. In fact, he told me said I should have gone top five. So that's my first take on Michael Parsons. I think if you're a Cowboy fan, you're going to be happy if this kid stays healthy. He

has the desire, the right frame of mind sets. Kind of talking to him in cd Land, these are two guys who both really want to be very good in their careers. And as far as the Hall of Fame game goes with the quarterbacks, I'll just maintain what I said before right now on the players round too, the backup quarterback for this football team is not on this roster. In my opinion, many y'all gonna do that, Dan, let

me hear what you think about exactly? We had three points. Okay, my man, your man Double G had he had a decent drive and the other than that it was nothing. It was nothing. I don't I don't like what I saw. And if they're you know, knocking on wood, this is just whatever. If Dak has to miss any time, I am not confident in what we have as the backup right now to be able to hold it together until

he until he returns. Well before I go in on Double G here, what do you think about Parsons and his ability out there for a couple of series, we did see him at the Hall of Fan game. Man, it's crazy because it's gonna sound like it's a knock on Jalen. But I was like, this is what I thought when Jalen returned to his former self how he was in college. I was like, this is this is how Jalen's gonna look. Right. The dude looks fast, does he looks agile. He looks like he can get around blocks.

He's running past guys who are trying to block him. He's chasing down, giving effort on every play, and he's just high energy. Dude. The dude looks if he figures it out and he knows where he's supposed to be when he's supposed to be there, and he's able to play fast and free, Oh he's gonna be nice. Somebody's spot is getting taken, and somebody's spot is getting taken for sure, you count that out. Somebody's off the field

for sure. Well, my thoughts on on on Parsons man like, Look, if this guy can stay healthy through seventeen games, if he can stay healthy, I think the sky's limit for this kid. I mean you can even though we have a small sample size so far of him. He flashed, he popped off the tape. I mean you can you can feel his speed on the game film, and he sideline the sideline. He was just there, and so I think, you know, even though it's early, it's really early, you know,

small sample size. I do think this guy can be special, and I do think that he can be a huge reason to why you know, this cowboy's defense makes a turnaround in twenty one. But back to my boy Double G. All Right, y'all was over here talking all types of stuff about Double G. Last last last time we were on the players, and I was still were still talking, still talking about and I was with y'all a little

bit because it was nervous. I heard the reports out of practice, and I was a little bit nervous for him. But like I said, man, this guy is a gamer, all right. Some guys show up the practice and they practice well. Some guys come up to the game and they just play well in the game. And I think DOUBLEG is one of those gamers. I mean, we saw what he was able to do against the Steelers, the undefeated Steelers at the time. And look, I mean that's

all we got right now. Double G as the Steelers and in this preseason game, and y'all can't tell me through this preseason game, nui, Danny, y'all can't tell me Double G didn't look like he had some pocket presents back there. He was putting the ball where only his receivers could catch it, and he was letting them run with it afterwards. It was the Hall of Fame game, yes, and he was playing with who he could play with.

The guy was out well. I mean, if he's out back on the quarterback, then he should have been looking great. If he looks like that behind that offensive line, just imagine Zach Martin Tyren Smith like l Collins zeke in the backfield, that's what that's re receiver. That's what me and new He telling you, Bro, we don't want to imagine that that tenfolds which but if it were to happen, Double can do a stay back there. He has a game. I remember when when Dak was having his contracts talk,

contract talks. Uh, my man Church was over here kind of putting it out there that that Double G might be able to step in and and and then he went down to justin fields. But you knew Double G. You have some real confidence and Double G just like you had in the Nucci before you saw y'all saw the Duci out there that even here getting brought up on the show right now, Double he is a game. I'm telling you this guy's a game. I'm not saying

he's not a gamer. We just saying knew he. Like I agree with Newy our backup quarterback who we need to depend on if something goes wrong, it's not on the roster and that includes Double GN. What you think, NW, what you think? Yeah, the Nuci is getting cut so and let you know that right now he's gonna get cut and maybe maybe they bring it back on the practice squad at this point time. Unless Cooper Rush turns around, he'll get cut too. And I think they'll keep two quarterbacks.

They'll keep Dak and they'll kick. They'll kick. Garrett Gilbert and Will McClay will be out there looking. But that's just how I see, just based off one preseason game and and and what I've seen so far. So we'll see. Um. Looky, I'm sorry, man, I know you like I know you like Garret Gilbert. I like he's a nice guy, a nice guy. It's a nice young man. But you know, I'm sorry, man, I'm sorry. I mean all like to quote the great Bill Parcels. All I can go by is what I see. I saw three points at the

Hall of Fame. I was falling asleep in the fourth quarter. Okay, I was falling asleep the press box in the fourth Quarterback. Wait, there's some coffee here because this is a super snoozer. Hey, we gotta take another break when we come back. I want to I want you guys to tell me what I saw. Okay, what I saw between Dan Quinn, Mike McCarthy and a player walking after practice. What does it

really mean. I want you guys to tell me because your former professional football players went, a head coach and a coordinator decide they want to spend time with you after practice walking up and down the field. We'll do that next right here, play signs bunch about Hotels dot com on Dascowboys dot Com Radio. At Smoothie King, we are blending goodness to fuel your greatness. Every blend is crafted to help you achieve your health and fitness goals.

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Way first twenty twenty one. Restrictions aplenty See dealer for details. Now let's get to work. Back to the players loud all right, Newey scrugs here forward and two former Das Cowboys safety's Barry Church Danny McCrae. Right here we are the Players launched by to you by Hotels dot com. Get the ultimate fan experience where the ultimate Cowboys fan joined Dallas Cowboys United presented by Globe Life or just twenty bucks. Join now and get your fan pack, exclusive

access to training camp, benefits and more. Visit Dallas Cowboys dot com s Lastly United for details and to join today. So, guys, we've talked about this on the Players Lounge the last time and I want to come back to it. After a practice, I see Dan Quinn and Mike McCarthy walking with Micah Parsons. They walk all the way down the

football field. They stopped talked for a little bit. They walk all the way back, then we see him playing major minutes in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game and he was wearing the Green dot call and plays. Then they ended up taking them out after they felt like they saw enough of him because Mike McCarthy said, Hey, I wanted to get guys some playing time and Kenton, but at the same time, he wanted to make sure they had some juice to get ready for that Rams

scrimmage on Saturday. So fellas based on that walk, based on what you've seen so far, what kind of plans do you think the Cowboys have from Micah Parsons at linebacker? They have the usual, the usual plans for their high first round pick. I remember, I believe was it it was Mo Clayborne who came in, and you know, they

had two solidified starters that were here already. Those starters were the upset and they were making sure putting in all the extra time that they could to make sure that Mogat caught up to speed so he was ready to play in that first regular season game. So it feels very similar, very similar to that, and that's why I believe that somebody's spot is going to get taken. I don't believe that he's going to be taking a lot of Randy Gregory's reps over rushing off the edge.

So it's gonna be vander Esh or it's gonna be Jalen Smith who's losing out on some of those nickel reps. Yeah, and I'm right there with you on that. When you see you know, the defensive corder, not the position coach, not the linebacker, the defensive coordinator, you know, walking them with the first round pick up and down the field after practice as if I'm in you know, Vanderesh, or if I'm in Smiths shoes, I'm sitting there like all right, man,

one of us is up out of here. Or because they I don't think they got in the room to keep all three and even if they do, somebody's reps is getting taken. I mean you already seen it the writings on the wall when they were in that preseason game. You know, all three of them want to feel that at some point, but then sometimes it was just you know, Vanderesh and Parsons, and then sometimes it was just Smith and um Parsons. So he's eating into regardless of whatever happens.

Whatever whatever happens is far but weak one he's eating into somebody's reps, whether it be Gregory off the edge one of these linebackers. And if he keeps making plays and being around the ball like we saw in that in that Steelers preseason game, I mean he might take them off, you know. So it's gonna definitely gonna be tough.

But if I'm looking at that and seeing him walk up and down the field with the coach and they're doing everything that they can to make this guy special and make this guy be able to be on the field as much as he can. So that's that's what that's what that is. That's all that is. And watch the relationship between Dan Quinn and Michael Parsons versus a relationship you see between Mike McCarthy and Dak right. But dan Quinn calls Michael Parson, Hey, man, come to the phone.

Hey who is this? He this DQ? Yeah, you know, I'm saying, you know what you're doing wrong? Yeah, I gotta play outside. All right, that's cool. Now we don't let you go back in the game and you're gonna chill out peace, phone up. That was good. So you know that they're they're getting close and he has their respect for dan Quinn knowing that he's going to put him in the right position, and he trusts that when the season comes, dan Quinn is gonna get him out

there on the field. We know this, all right, so I'm expecting to see big things out of him, you know. Unfortunately, you know, at the at the cost of somebody else's Ribs professional football festival. Well so you guys had brought up Dennis Shrewder who was with the Lads, and he turned down an eighty four million dollar contract during the season, And I just simply want to say this, While that was dumb and yes, that was bad, that is not

the worst contract turned down I've ever seen. A couple of years ago, there was a kid that the Mavericks traded for from Philadelphia who was I think the third pickover on the draft a few years before, named Nerlands Noel. Now by the time they got Newlands Nowell, here's the guy who was a big disappointment. He never averaged a double double at all. And Mark Kuban, against the advice of his own people, offered him seventy two million dollars maybe a seventy three, and Norland said no, he wanted

a max deal. And I'm thinking to myself, way, you've never averaged a double double in anything in your NBA career, and somebody's offering you seventy three million. You're about to hold out because you want more, and wait, here's more food. Came to training camp out of shape, came to training camp out of shape, turning out seventy three million dollars, and so they made him play it out. First of all, he fired his agent because he thought that the agent

should have got him a backs contract. So he fired the agent, picked up Lebron's guy. Lebron's guy called the Maps and they were like, yeah, man, we're not about to pay him anymore. We've come to our senses. He played out the year. In the next season, he signed a two year contract, which was basically one plus one with a player option with the Oklahoma City for two

million dollars. I mean, you hate to see it, and it's just like, man, I don't understand, I don't understand like these But then again, I so you can see like you got your like shrewder. He's seeing some of his peers making hundreds of millions of dollars and he's like, well, I'm as good as him, or I'm as good as Chris Paul. I can I can go out there and get you know, just as much money as they do, and you end up fumbling an eighty four million dollar bag.

Like I don't understand it. You need the right in your ear telling you the truth about what you are here, what your work right, Because if you're telling yourself, then you think you Chris Paul, You think that you Steph Curry, that you find to get two hundred meals. You know what I'm saying. If you're just if you're the only person around that can tell you something that that you know that has some validity, I will say, this is

another shocking thing that I saw. I'm not even sure how long a good has happened, but my man, uh, Joe Looney goes to New York. He's there for one day, you know. He I think they had to run sprints or something, you know what they got out there and he's like, look, let me tell you something. My body, my body is not gonna let me perform at that, you know, at the at the rate that I that I thought it was so peace Joe was about. I was like, oh man, I ain't signed up for none

of this be a backup anyways. Nah, I'm about of here, man, And I tell y'all, the grass is not always greater side like the Cowboy everybody thinks, you know, and everything's just like the Dallas Cowboys organization, and I'm telling you, I'm here to tell you it is not all right. It is nowhere near the level that the Dallas Cowboys organization is. So be wearing all those young free agents out there, y'all cats, the grass is always not greener.

On the other side, I'm seking that I can second bet and I broke my ass right back right, Coach, you got something, whatever you gott I'll take it to get me out of here. Well, keep your mind. It was like maybe three or four giants, who quick, man, I'm good about not about this life, man, not about this life. So um, that's that's kind of funny because apparently they still have yet to give out the number seventy three with the Cowboys, so maybe maybe Joe could unretire,

I don't know, make some type of trade something. Anyway, it was it was hilarious to to see that the Giants and Joe Judge out here running guys off and who knows what kind of you're they're gonna have, because well, let me ask a question real quick, what makes y'all think, Well, what y'all think makes these players, these veteran players. You're already in the camp, you already did OTA's mini camp,

You're in the training camp right now. What makes you think, Well, what makes those players think all right, well I'm gonna wait all the way into the last minute to retire. Like you don't think they had these thoughts you know in OTAs in mini camp, Like I wonder what you know goes through their thoughts to where at training camp

they're just like, you know what, it's over. Yeah, I don't know why why Joe would do that, because I know that him and j G would have had to have some type of conversation to get him to come in. And my thing is, no matter who it is, JG or not, I'm just like, hey, man, you agree to this as a a man's and say, hey, this is what I want to do. I'm gonna come in and

this is what I agree to for one day. Yeah, you know, like one day I see you're having a bad season, you know, like my boy was my man, say man, I ain't going back out at the bad time, you know, like I'm staying in the locker room, you know. But he went through the season and he was having whatever thoughts or whatever. My land Joe was there for twenty four hours. It wasn't like he was there, you know, through all OTA's mini camp and then you know how

I got that long break before camp. He was with his family and he was like, you know what, I just can't do it now. He was he was just there for one day. Just don't come on. Yeah, I don't understand that at all, man, at all. All right, here's my thought, and this is just my thought that Jason convinced him. You know, he's been talking to him and talking to him and talked to him and then convinced him and he went up there and he got

a taste of him. Now I'm gonna go right on back here to grape Vine, Texas and uh lived the rest of my life. I'm good. I don't need this. And I remember talking to Bart Scott once. Bart told me the reason he didn't go back and play. At the end, he said, man, they were offering a million, two million dollars and he said, after taxes for everything that I gotta put my body through. Is it worth that? He said, no, it's not. It's like, you know, my

body's worth more than a half million dollars. Yeah, and you know, and then or a million when you consider just everything else. And he talked about I have to move to a different place. My family's not going to be here and around me, and he just at the end of the day, for him, he said it wasn't going to be worth the cost. And if a team wanted to meet his number to come play, he said he drew it. Team never met his number, so he decided to retire and he got into broadcasting. That was

just a smart move. I mean, like like you said, after you go through to everybody looks at that that that big number that jumps out all. He signed a one year from you know, three million dollars or something like that after taxes, depending on where you're playing. That let's just say you're playing in New York Man after the taxes, and you know, after you got to pay taxes in each place you play in, and agent fees and all that and probabe costs of living and on

us stuff, it dwindles extremely fast. So you know, I definitely can can believe when these older guys move on at the last you know, last couple of years of their career and they start thinking, you know, is it is it worth? You know, they say three million, but it's really gonna be around one point five one point one?

Is it really worth putting my body, you know, through six months of hell for that and leaving my family because a lot of these cats got you know, kids, and kids start in school and you're missing out a lot of that. So I guess that also has to go into it with these veteran guys. But I always never understood, you know, why go in at the last minute and then just retire right before the season. Never understood it for me. Well, But I also go into this, and you guys know it well because now you both

have children. Is when you're away from your family, all the things that you put on your wife to handle, that's true. And if you've got small kids, that's a lot. And if you're someplace you really don't want to be. And if you're doing any in like Barry, you had secure the bag. So if you secure the bag, then that's where you decide to say, man, is it really worth it. And that's where bart was. Barted secure the bag from the jet. So it was kind of thinging, man,

I don't have to do it for this. And I don't know about you, Barry, but you know, for a guy like bart he thought about, hey, how many more hits to my putting all my body and how much of the how many of those hits could result into some longer term damage for my health and safety, and he just felt for that money it wasn't worth it. Maybe you felt the same way when you just signed there. Yeah, I'm right there with bart On that one. I had offers from Seattle, offers from Washington once I was done

with the Jacksonville. But when you start thinking about it and you know you gotta move, like you said, you gotta move, and after taxes and all that stuff, and then your body, your body's talking to you as well. I mean there's days I get out of bed and for no reason, my toes are hurting, my ankles are hurt, and I'm like, man, what, And then you get to the practice facility and you're like, how am I gonna

get through this practice? Like one of my my body is hurting and it talks to you after a while, and then that's when a lot of guys, you know, say, you know what, money ain't even worth it. I'm gonna go ahead and call it a career. And then there's some guys that go ahead and keep playing. And then next thing, you know, those guys, you know, as they get older, they have health problems. So definitely got to look out for your body. That's the number one thing

when you're doing this NFL thing as a career. Man, it's definitely a tough, tough career. Hey, that's the players Lounge. We appreciate everybody being patient with us as we had our mojo moments try to make this thing go. But we got it done. We got it done thanks to everybody here Dallas Cowboys dot Com behind the scenes and making sure that this thing works for us. Danny Barry, let's do it again here, everybody else, keep all watching all the great podcasts right here at Dallas Cowboys dot

Com Radio. Take care. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.