Player's Lounge: Help on the Way?

former Dallas Cowboys players. They were safeties and their times here in the Silver and Blue. Talking about Danny McCray and Barry Church. We have one full week of NFL football played in this COVID pandemic, so congratulations to the league forgetting it done. We had two games wrap up yesterday from Monday Night Football. The Steelers take out the New York Giants in game one, and then the second game, the Denver Broncos hosted the Tennessee Titans, with the Titans

ending up winning that game sixteen fourteen. All right, very week one. What do you think and what you think about the Monday Night games? Last game? Well, first of all, I'm gonna start out with this New York, this New York game that they had out there. You know, I thought our offensive line looked bad a little bit during that Week one loss against the Rams, But I mean we're nowhere near as treacherous as that New York or

New York Giants offensive line. Look. I mean, eleven out of sixteen carries for Tae Kwon Barkley, he was hit in the backfield. He didn't even get a chance to get to the line of scrimmage to see what he can do. I mean, so that just gives me a more positive light towards this Dallas officive line because New York looked horrendous. And Danny Dimes, I mean, he had his flashing moments. I feel like Jason Garrett called a pretty good game. He kept to steal his off balance.

For the most part, it was just the mistakes made by Danny Dimes towards you know they were They had a nineteen play drive and then they got down to the red zone. All he had to do was throw the ball away. There was no one open. Yet. He made a rookie mistake in his second year, and probably that was a turning point of the game. So if I'm in my outlook of that first game, it just it goes down to the offensive line play again in the trenches. It just looked horrendous. Yeah, same here, uh

from last night. I'll tell you this, Pittsburgh is on our schedule and their defense ain't nothing to play with. I'm telling you, if you're not ready to play and you haven't schemed up ways to slow this defensive line down this front seventh, they will eat you alive. So we learned a little bit from them. Um, Like you said, Danny Downs made a huge mistake at at that nineteen play drive which was which was it just killed? Um?

I honestly thought it was a good game. I feel bad for sake one because if they don't block this season, he won't have many good stats. His games will look very similar to those. He'll be lining up at the ex receiver soon just so they can so they can get them some getting the ball in his hands because the offensive line is not blocking on the run. Um.

But I thought it was a good game. Shout out to Big Band for coming back, uh, you know, showing showing that he still can do it, and Juju showing that if he if he has a quarterback, then he can still make plays. He doesn't need Ab. So it was good to see see those two connect and big being get out there and make some play. Hey, and I know I don't say this much, but man, man shout out to Toledo. Man. You see the young cat out there, I say, Johnson, the wide receiver out there.

I mean he looked like a young ab out there, quick as lightning. So they shout out to Toledo man. They produced sakes and wide receivers. You know. Just I was. I was nervous for him, man, because he started off run though. Church. He started off, He started off real rough. I was like, man, here we go again. He ended up he ended up pulling it out. Though he ended it up pulling it out all right. For those of you who don't know, Bury Church played football for the

Toledo Rockets. He doesn't ever talk about his Alba Art love admiration that Danny does for LSU or I do for USC Pembroke. So why is that Church? You never you never really broke it down. Pullos man. I'm gonna break it down, you know, for the listeners man, because Toledo. You know, like I went there. I played safety, strictly safety my first two years. Man, I was a freshman All American, all the first team, All MAC, all that good stuff. And then my junior year they decide to

move me to this hybrid linebacker position. It just blew my mind. I mean, I felt like I was playing great as safety and then they moved me to this hybrid linebacker position. For my last two years, still made all MAC and all that stuff, but it was just frustrating, man, Just just frustrating situation there. But you know, shout out to Toledo, man, they do want to hide out there. So so you've made at the coaching staff, not the university. Yeah, I'm mad that coaches that, and the coaches have not

there anymore. So I gotta started showing some more love to Toledo. But yeah, they didn't be dirty, man, they didn't me wrong. You know what, Church, I look at it this way, despite the adversity, look at what you've done out of it. I mean, maybe it I'm not saying it's a good case, but maybe if it was different, who knows how it would have worked out for you. Because you came to a situation with the Cowboys where you were able to make the team as an undrafted

free agent. You ended up becoming a starter, and then you got that big time, that big time deal out of Jacksonville. So if you're drafted, maybe you don't you know, maybe it got you. I don't know, man, just it just it just worked out, right, just worked out. This is true. This is very true. I mean ended up working out in my favor. So I guess I can't be too mad. I just know at the time I was pretty hot, and I figured that's the reason I

didn't get drafted. So but it ended up ended up working out, like you said, you know, I just it just took me a while to get over it. That's all all right. That Tennessee Denver game, the once brilliance of Stephen Gatskovski is gone. And it makes me think one more time to how Bill Belichick truly understands how to get rid of a football player a year two early. Because the miss kicks almost cost the Titans the football game,

but they end up winning it sixteen to fourteen. That that's what my big takeaway out of watching that as a Tennessee's got to get themselves a kicker if they want to go as far as they did last year, and they were one game away from the super Bowl last season, losing they actually championship game to the Kansas City Chiefs. Danny, your thoughts on that man? That game came on so late. I forgot that it was yesterday. Yeah, it was, it was. It was. It was tough man

to see that guy missed those kicks. But I'll tell you what, the coach still put it on him at the end and showed him that he had confidence in him to win the game. And he came out there and he made the field goal. I tell Derek, Henry is still a monster. He's going to be a problem for the whole NFL and especially in that division. So as long as they have him, they still have a chance to win that division and be a contender in the playoffs. Yeah. I can feel for Gustkowski right there.

I mean you could just see the frustration in his eyes, his body language after those miss kicks. I mean, he was able to go out there and redeem itself for the game winner. But you just gotta feel for a guy like that. And I'm with you Knui on this point. I mean, it goes to show you the genius of Bill Bill Belichick, because right now he's looking really smart. I mean, he got rid of Gustkowski, he went out

there and Shanka Potamus everything. Then he got rid of Tom Brady, who he had a decent game, but he didn't look like the Tom Brady of old. And then he went and got on a flyer with Cam Newton for you know, Vet minimum. And he looks like a genius the way he's out there doing it right now. So kudos to Bill Belichick on that one. Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Here we go with Bill Belichick. Okay, would you rather would you

rather have? I listen, and though we take out they went to the Super Bowl last year and all this, would you rather have Cam Newton or Jimmy G on your team? Right now? Cam Newton? Because they definitely because Bill Belichick definitely wanted Jimmy G. That was the air apparent, right so you know, he could have been stuck with Jimmy G and Cam Newton could have been somewhere else. So as much as he does know, I think this worked out for him. In that case, it's still worth doubt.

I couldn't see that bottom lines, It still worked out. And for Bill Belichick. You think about nine too Boll appearances and six six Super Bowl wins, it has worked out for very much in his favor. So, um, you got to get Bill the benefit of the doubt. Absolutely, you look at these things, are you gonna miss on something? Sure, everybody misses, but he's clearly hit on more than anyone that I've seen in my years of covering football. And I covered Bill Belichick when I was in Cleveland before

when the Browns ended up leaving town here. So you could have never told me he would have the kind of success that he's had and that he's going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame at that time, and they had a really good staff and we can all look look back now of how many great players and coaches were there with the Cleveland Browns during that era. He knows what he's doing, and I definitely was with him most of the time. Here's one thing that I

took away, especially if you're Cowboy fans. All right, listen up, Okay, everybody on the players line right now, listen up. The Cowboys face the NFC West, and they faced the AFC North this year. Those teams and those divisions right now look really good. Obviously, we saw what the Rams have. Okay, the Rams brought that running game back and if they can run, that's gonna help make Jared Golf a lot better. Seattle ended up taking Atlanta to the woodshed that that

score could have been worse than what it was. Russell Wilson Thorne four touchdown passes there. Then you look over the AFC North and then the Cowboys got to go to Baltimore. They get Pittsburgh at home. We saw roethlisbergers, the three touchdown passes, the dominant defense they had in

Baltimore just took Cleveland apart in that football game. So you know, there's there's a couple of teams right there on the schedule for the Cowboys that they got to really pay attention to because it's not going to be easy trying to get to the ten wins. And I said, the Cowboys are gonna get to so a lot of work when you look at those divisions there. But it's still weak one. Okay, it's still week one. The Cowboys

are like a whole lot of half the league. Okay, taking an l and despite as bad as we felt, they looked at times. They still lost by three points, So that's the bright side of things. Let's dive into the injuries here, gentlemen. Jerry Jones on one or five three the fans saying that the Cowboys are going to address their injuries within house. So cam Irvin was Gotamaniscu's gonna miss two to four weeks, got Lake Vanderesh with a collarbone injury, broke collarbone, he's gonna miss probably six

to eight weeks. Then he got tight at Blake jar went out for the year. Danny, how do you feel about Jerry saying, Hey, we're gonna look in house and try and fill these positions, not gonna go look outside first. I mean, I mean, I mean it's smart because the guys you know in house have been guys who've been through the system, and they're familiar with the coaches and the plays and the schemes, and you know, did the

weeks go by fast? Right? We're coming up on Wednesday where you're already inputting stuff, so it is more difficult to go outside and look for a guy who can step up and play this week. But I think at the end of the day, the people who are filling in for the long term in this season, which for the LV'ST position, I think it'll be a season long thing.

I think they will have to go outside and find somebody to fill that position outside of you know what they have now, because I don't see his season long replacement in the locker room currently. Yeah, for me, it makes me extremely nervous that he's talking about, you know, just bringing in the in house guys to help replace these dis unit. Now, if there was a healthy Sean Lee, then I would say, okay, you know, the linebacker positions

should be just fine. But with Lve going down, do they assume I assume that they're gonna put Joe Thomas in there. And nothing against Joe Thomas. I think he's explosive, he's fast, and he can run sideline the sideline, But I just don't see him as an every day or every down backer just banging in there in the trenches. I see him more as maybe at nickel or dime type backer or a cover situations. So we'll see what

goes on in that situation. And as far as the tight end goes with Blake Jarwin going down, Dalton Schultz, Yes, they say he had a pretty impressive camp out there. But the way he performed in Week one, dropping those passes, I just don't think he's the answer at tight end, so we have to who have to usk keep looking for that one. But and as far as right tackle, I mean Brandon or Still who was in there for

Lyle Collins. We know Lyle's gonna come back, maybe any these next couple of weeks, But still he grated out as I believe one of the worst, if not the worst, offensive are starting offensive linemen this week a Biro football focus. So I don't think we can go in house and find these solutions, but we're gonna have to try this Week two's coming around soon. Well, listen to my bad say bringing up the pro football focus. I think Zach Martin was on that list too, for Yeah, for people

who didn't perform very well. So listen, they can hold out, you know what I'm saying for a few weeks and get LC back and with the tight end, I know I would listen, it's Tuesday. I was hard on Monday, you know, on the defense and the old line and tight end. I think that what happened with Schultz is he was thrust into a position and he didn't think he was gonna have to be in right, and I think, you know, the lights may have been too bright for him.

But I think this week he'll settle down and he'll show us why they said he has such a great training camp. So I'm gonna give him another chance this week. You know, I'm an lightening up and uh, you know, try to feel, you know, a little bit more positive about the Cowboys going forward. Yesterday was just super frustrating. Danny, stay with me right here, because this is where you guys come in and help our help the folks who tune into the players lunch. How do the Cowboys coaching staff?

How does the coaching staff and even the teammates, how do they get steal In Shultz to raise this game up? Because you need these guys this week, So how do you get them better? Well? What Church can tell you that? You know? So I give you from my experience. Right So, when the year that we keep going back to, when everybody got hurt, when me and Church were playing, I was stressed into a position of you know, having to go play starting safety. Well, you know we're not able

to be on the field as long. Uh, you know, with the new CBA. So what happens is when you go out there and you're practice, the ones get most of the important reps. Then the twos get a couple of reps, and if you're three, you really don't get any game reps, right, so most of your stuff comes

from film. So a lot of times when when guys go down and then you put a guy who's second string into that position where he hadn't got as many reps as the starters got, so some of the stuff may look a little new to him and he didn't get that experience. And you see that happened with don't shows. I know it happened to me, right, So I think this week it'll just be a little bit different. I think he'll he'll he'll get a little bit more focused, a little bit more attention from the coaches, and I

think he'll be able to pick up his play. But it's it's tough, you know, being in being a second team or third team and coming in and having to fill that starting role when you hadn't really got as many reps as the starters. Yeah, and for me, I think, um, I think the situation with still is I just think the coaches have to instill that confidence in him. Um, I feel like you know when they watched him, when they break down the film, Yes, he's made some mistakes

and he gave up a sack towards the end. But I I think as a coach, you should just go in there and just be raided him and just kind of push him down, like, man, you gotta play better than this. You gotta step your game up. Because he is a young player, he's a rookie and he's trying to figure out the game as he goes as a starter. He didn't think he was gonna have to be thrust into this lineup this early in the season. So I just think the coaching staff can just instill that confidence

in them. Let them let him know that, Hey, we know what you can do out there. There's a reason you're you're thrust into this position right now, and you're a starter. We believe in you, we trusting you. Just get that confidence going in him, and I think he'll be able to play a lot better and awfully also if you just let him know that, hey, we're gonna send help your way. We're gonna have people chipping, we're gonna have the running backs chipping. For you on the

way up for their their patterns or whatever. I just think that the coaching staffs needs to just get this confidence going in this young man, and I think he'll perform a lot better. They're gonna they're gonna send us some help. Hopefully the rest of the old line is getting killed. If the rest of the old line getting is playing like that, there's no way help coming for

him because they need to show up the inside. So hopefully the rest of the old line can perform up up up to par and then they can send that help over that tune, because like we talked about last week, make him tell you that heat unneath the help start the game over by helping him. And we didn't do that. Cowboys take all the Atlanta Falcons Sunday at Jerry World at season ticket single season say single tickets on sale yesterday, So go ahead get over there because fans can go

to the game. We've got a lot more to dive into here on the players, lads. We'll dive into Dak Prescott's deal, Jaylen Smith, he's getting dogged out here. What does Jerry Jones had to say about Layton Vanderesh. Let's dive into that Ezekiel workload the fourth down call Lee got a lot to get We got a lot of stuff to get to. I'm NEWE Scrugs. That's Barry Church. Also Danny mccraig. This is the Players Lounge, brought to you by Hotels dot Com. Well either Cowboys fans with

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at Home pickup and delivery today. I'm Jay Novachek, former tight end for the Dallas Cowboys. Back in the day, I was the guy who always got the tough yards and that's why I run with John Deer today. In fact, I have a John Deer three zero twenty five E tractor that can handle any yard work I need to do, even the tough yards way out back. So if you have one acre or a thousand, John Deer has the equipment that's just right for you. Visit a John Deer dealer today and run with us. We are the official

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SWBC Mortgage Virtual Home Studios. I'm new re Scruggs, joined by Barry Church and Danny mccraige. Both those guys played

safety with the Cowboys. I'm just merely a reporter who talks about them, all right, Late Layton vander esh he's gonna miss six to eight weeks with a colic bown injury and his rookie Erisensational, ended up making the Pro Bowl last year, missed seven games dealing with a subinal injury, and Jerry Jones was asked on his weekly radio show on one oh five three The Fan his thoughts on the possibility that Laton Vanderesh is injury is injury that he had a year and a half year ago, nowhere,

a year ago that was not an injury prone type injury. Now, he plays what I call a space collision position. Those are linebackers, safety's, tight ends, fullbacks. Those guys collide in space. You have injury at those positions of that nature. But still it was so rare or so specific to the position he was in when he did it. And I don't add that talking about his initial neck injury. I don't add that to anything. And I don't think any

more vulnerable one way or the other. The idea of having the injury that he's got right now is just mad luck. We've seen it and you do see it in football. I think he'll come back from it. No, I don't think he's injury prone. I think he plays a tough physical position and he's going to have injury that he deals with, all right. That is Jerry Jones on one or five three, the fan of Dallas Cowboys flagship radio station, Danny mccraig. Is it just bad luck? Yeah?

I don't think this makes some injury prone. Uh, you know, I think that he plays the position where you need really you know, your neck in your shoulders, and he just had bad luck to me last year and when when he injured his neck the first time. And I think that that's just going to be a lingering issue for for for him and um in his body parts that are above the shoulders, right, so his neck and all that stuff that he uses to shock and uh and control people who are trying to come block him.

I think that that's going to hold him back for the remainder of his career. So I think that that six to eight week thing maybe for the rest of the season, unfortunately, because like we said previously, you don't want to play with neck injuries and you don't want to come back too soon because they could end your career. And we had a guy, Davante Holloman who experienced that. So you know, I just hope they take their time with him and let him really get healthy before he

comes back. Yeah, for me, that's a it's a tough question. I don't see him as being injury prone just because of the injuries that he has to saying that neck and that collarbone. I mean, he plays a very demanding position where you're constantly banging against you know, three hundred pound offensive linemen and trying to shed them off you and hitting two hundred and thirty pound running backs coming

through the through the whole full steam. So I wouldn't say he's injury prone, but I will say he just lacks door ability. Maybe maybe that's a better way to put it. Because if you're playing that position, that linebacker, I mean you gotta be thirty. I mean you're gonna be banging pretty much every single place. So to have those soft tissue injuries and that collarbone and the neck, I mean, that's that's just not a good sign. Those

are injuries, like mccrai said, that can linger along. And if you're a linebacker in this National Football League, you're gonna be banging every single place. So to have a neck issue or to have a collarbone issue, yeah, it might heal up in a couple of weeks. But all you're gonna do is get right back on those field and bang and bang and bang some more. It ain't like you're a corner or a safety where you might

hit you know, every once every five plays. I mean, if a linebacker're hitting every place, So I just think I don't think he's injury prone. I just think he has to maybe do some more work on the soft tissue injuries, get more adorable because going out there in this Mike Nolan system, he's going to be pretty much banging every play. So he just gotta get more adorable to last dro off the season. So, so how does

a player get more durable? With Sean Lee, who's already on injured reserve from it's the first three games for the Cowboys. This is the story of Sean Lee's whole career is not being available and having a deal with injuries. So if Lake Vanders, she's not injury prone and it's bad luck, what will we call Sean Lee and what what the Cowboys have gone and dealt with with him? When he plays, he's good. He doesn't play a lot

all the time. Yeah, And I think I think Vander has just kind of falling into that same type of type of mole. When they're on the field, when they're healthy, they're top five linebackers out there. It's just when they don't play, I mean, they just don't enough, you know, like we said. But I'm with Vanders as far as his durability and that soft tissue injuries. For me, I'm not a professional or anything like that, but I just

think it has to do with flexibility. Man, if you're if you're out there stiff, really stiff, I mean, you're gonna pull more things. You're gonna have more soft tissue injuries. So maybe it's a fact that he has to work more on his flexibility than going out there and working on trying to strengthen things up. Just trying to work on your flexibility and at me, I'll help you last a little bit longer. Well, I'm gonna go, I'll say that.

So I kind of categorize these two is is pretty different, just because Sean Lee hasn't really had those like an injury like l Vee has, Right, I think the neck and the college like breaking bones and messing up your spinal card is a little different than you know, pull pulling a hamstring repeatedly or messing up your acl especially playing a linebacker position. I just think it's really different. Now. I think it's unfortunate that his first real injury for

the Cowboys happened to be a neck injury. You you would rather see something in the lower body with a you know, you don't want to see any But if it's hamstring or acl or something like that, I think that's just the outlook for that as a little better. But a neck injury for a linebacker, especially a mike, a guy who's coming and taking on blocks almost every play, is it's just tough to overcome. And uh, you know it.

You can't really help like a broken colibone, right, you can't train it during the off season to make your calibone stronger. So it's it's just difficult form. Okay, let's let's dive into the other linebacker spot. Because when we were talking about guys that we needed to, you know, have big twenty twenties, I said it was the linebackers.

I included in both Layton Vanderesh and Jalen Smith. Sol Lake Vanderesh one game into this is already gonna miss some significant time for the Cowboys, and Jalen Smith is a guy that I felt like, for some reason, I've seen a couple of folks, Charles Robinson of Y'allhoo Sports and then Michael Gelkin of the Dallas Were News. They really piled on high on Jalen Smith, and then they talked about the Pro Football Focus Great, which gave him

a grade of twenty nine point five. Mike Nolan, defensive coordinator, was asked yesterday by the media to assess Jalen Smith's play. Here's Mike Milan ten tackles, and I wouldn't. I would say this. I thought Jalen played well. I thought he played with great energy. He had some plays in the games, as many of us did last night. There were plays we'd like to have back, But all in all, I

thought he did a good job. He had to step back into the play caller role that he hadn't done this training camp, but that's not a hard thing for him. He's a natural leader as it is anyway. But I thought that a couple of the plays caught him, as you know, might I would say this, the screen maybe caught him a time or two. They had a play designed specifically for the position he was at. I don't know that it was for Jalen, but the position that was going to occupy that position, It was going to

cover the running back. They had a little screen where they they sent the center out real fast to go block the guy. Um and uh, you know, he happened to be the one covering the player at the time. So, like I said, I don't know that that was intended for Jayleen because anyone that was out there was going to have a blocker on h himself to cover the running back. But all in all, I thought he played

played a good game. Mike McCarthy, the head coach of the Cowboys, also said he thought Jaylen Smith played well. So Barry Church, Danny mccraig, defensive players that you are you assessed number fifty four on Sunday night. Uh yeah, with my assessment on well, first, I just think Mike Nolan is you know, he's just being a coach. I think he was downplaying it. I mean we've we've seen the media pretty much piled on Jalen Smith, so I just think the coach was just, you know, downplaying and naked.

So he's not because he needed he know he need He knows he needs Jayleen Smith out there to step it up, especially with Elvie down and and Sean Lee out, he needs him to step it up. So he didn't want to keep piling it on saying how bad he played. But do I think he put do? I think jay and Smith played a good game. The other night. No, not at all. I mean, as we've seen it many times, there was miss tackles out there in coverage, he seemed

pretty much lost. And when they were play action and doing those bootlegs, I mean he was all over the field. He was in the wrong sense of the way. So I didn't think he played very well at all. He needs to step his game up a little bit because with them, like I said, with the missing of Sean Lee and Lve, they're gonna need him to step up, especially against that run game. So hopefully Jealen Smith can

can step his game up this next week against Atlanta. Uh. Yes, the same here, But I mean for me, it was the entire defense, so it really it really isn't say much. I didn't expect him to be great in coverage, but I didn't expect him to be running side out of the sideline and then making big hits. I did see him make a big a few big collisions, but no real real standout plays like like like I expected Um and Louis. As as we talk about this, I started thinking,

I'm like, man, what's up with us in linebackers? Right? So if you think about this, we drafted Seawan Lee h when I was there, and he already had injury problems. We drafted Bruce Carter, who already had injury problems. We drafted Jaylen Smith, and we already had who already had injury problems. And now we have lv who has a neck problem. We just hadn't been hidden on linebackers for a while. I'll say this, um, we we have seen the weaknesses of Jayleen Smith. Okay, we've seen it, despite

the fact that he made the Pro Bowl. And while that's a great order for Jalen and anyone makes it, the Pro Bowl is not what it used to be. But I'll say this, the defensive line did him no favors. The defensive line was getting blown back. I mean, what you were hoping to have this year was a defensive lineman could occupy some blockers so Layton vander esh, Sean Lee and and Jayleen Smith could roam and get to

the football. But when the offensive lind Is for the Ams has taken apart the Cowboys d line, that just already put you behind the eight ball. With Jalen Smith, I'm not making any excuses of them at all, but these are reasons of why the Cowboys look so bad. They've got to fix this again, that's the bottom line. They've got to fix this. And how they do this, I don't know where they go to Luke Gifford and put Louke Gifford out there. You're gonna roll more with

Joe Thomas me. I don't know what they're gonna do in terms of trying to make this thing work until you can hopefully get Sean Lee back. But Jalen was one of many guys on Sunday defensively that you that you you would put on the milk cart and say, hey, where are you? You know, Tank Lawrence missing, where are you? So I just felt for some reason there were people in the media who just wanted to put it all on Jalen Smith to say, like, hey man, you lost

the game. No. Fifty four was not alone out there and not having his best defensive performance. The Cowboys got beat up on the defensive line and it just went on from there in my opinion, and how that thing went, yeah, that was topped the bottom. That was that was coaching,

and that was that was the players. It definitely wasn't just on fifty four, you know, like you said, the d line was getting getting pushed back, and they had linemen in their face, so linebackers were making contact with the running back four yards passed the line of scrimmage already, so they really didn't have a chance. I wouldn't blame this on the linebackers at all. I just think it was top down. You know our scheme. We got out

schemed and we got outplayed. We have Jerry Jones with comments about Don Terry Poe, the first Dallas Cowboy to ever kneel during the national anthem, and also some breaking news from the world of social injustice. Let's get you that after this break right here all the Dallas Cowboys players lounge brought to you by hotels dot com. Hey, they're Cowboys fans with Tight Cleaners at home pickup and delivery.

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multiple floor plans, and unparalleled conveniences. Twelve Dallas Cowboys Way is where elite living meets exclusive access. Leasing is available now. Book a virtual or in person tour at twelve Cowboys Way dot com. Noe Scruggs, longtime Cowboys reporter, joined by former Dallas Cowboys players Danny McCray and Barry church So for the national anthem at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California. There was a first. A Dallas Cowboy has never taken

a knee during the national anthem. While over a half dozen players for the Rams decided to take a knee, there was just one Cowboy who did it. That was Don Terry Poe. Here is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who in the past had said he would kick off any player off his team who did not respect the flag, but said before this season he was show grace. Here's Jerry on Don Terry Poe. Neely. I thought they are players.

I thought they gave it the sensitivity. Uh, they showed respect to pose decision uh there and uh I think they certainly did as close. I hope it was apparent to everybody air fans they did show a sensitivity to our fans as a team. Uh. But also as I hope to ask in a very sensitive way, uh, that the situation have help that we hope comes. All in all, I thought our team was a very real, very januine and the way it approached him, all right, that's Cowboys.

That's Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Don Terry Poe taking a knee. Now, Don Terry po and so many players who took a knee are out there lead picking up where Colin Kaepernick who originally took a knee with the San Francisco forty nine ers, and he first out on the bench and then he was convinced by former Green Beret Nate Boyer to take a knee. And Colin Kaepernick's whole message was there were too many people who were African American dying at the hands of police, that there

was injustice going on. And one of the names that people have spoken about many times is Brianna Taylor. Well today in Louisville, Kentucky, breaking news, there was a press conference held by Mayor Greg Fisher announcing that Brianna Taylor's family will receive a twelve million dollars settlement. In addition, significant police reforms will be implemented in the city of Louisville.

Brianna Taylor died in March after police officers executed a no knock warrant in her apartment and they shot her eight times. Other things is coming out of this news conference is commanding officers must approve search warrants, incentives for police officers who live in a city, improve relationships with the community and social workers to help with mental health calls.

And also the mayor said that the twelve million dollars settlement does not acknowledge wrongdoing or fault in Brianna Taylor's death. And Ben Crump, the attorney for the for the family, says that the twelve million dollars is the largest wrongful death settlement ever paid for a black woman killed by police in America. So that is the latest on that situation. So many times when we watched the NBA Games, the w NBA Games, Brianna Taylor has been very adamant on

T shirts. I thought I think Sean Payton of the Saints had it on the face mask he wore at the Superdome over the weekend. So twelve million dollars does not bring back Brianna Taylor to her family, But I did want to at least bring that news out there because this has been um. Something has linked sports um with social injustice. Here with Brianna Taylor, gentlemen, I'll see at the floor to you go ahead, d mac Uh. Yeah.

So so twelve million and no wrong doing, huh uh. Listen, the price tag on life is is very steep, and twelve million the uncovered. I'm sure the family is still looking for justice for the daughter, the sister, you know, the niece, and I really hope they get it right. And they said it in the presson meeting that this is only the beginning. It's a step in the right direction. But uh, you know, they have to be held accountable.

And I'm glad that, you know, people were able to bring attention to this enough to where they were able to get a settlement of that amount. But I hope, you know, they keep pushing for justice, and I hope that they reach it and they get it. Yeah, you know, you know, like you said, twelve I'm sure that family would give all twelve million dollars back just to have her, you know, back with their family. But um, I mean, it's just it's just unfortunate, even when they say, you know,

no wrongdoing, I mean, she's just shot eight times. I mean, it's it's very unfortunate. And I mean, I hope the family still is looking for justice from those police officers. It's just it's it's hard to even put words into describe, you know, how frustrating it is. But um, hopefully it's

a step in the right direction. And with these police performs and teaching these these officers, you know, hopefully they just make it to where you just can't come up and say, hey, I just want to be a police officer. I want to just I want to do the training and get in there now. I think that hopefully they make it to where you have to be experienced or you have to have some type of long term training before you become a police officer because you give power

and with a gun to the wrong person. I mean, we've seen what it happened countless time. So hopefully justice is just I don't know, it's it's it's tough. That's a tough decision. Naomi Osaka, who won the US Women's opening tennis she had also wore a mask with Brianna Taylor's name on it. So million does not bring her back, but it's a part of helping the family get some

closure and get some justice. So when people criticize the Cowboys and a player like Don Terry Poe, this is why a guy like Don Terry Poe is legally to bring awareness to this issue. To say that Brianna Taylor at her home was shot eight times by police. This is not right and this has to be fixed in America because so many times we are looking at these things happening to black people. That's what the players are trying to address in several sports. So I just want

to make sure we got that. That's the latest that has just happened within the hour, the news of Brianna Taylor's family getting a twelve million dollars settlement from the city of Louisville, Kentucky. They have not admitted any wrongdoing or fault for her loss of life. I want to get back here, Yes, what did so the Cowboys do any demonstrations before the game or was it you know done Terry Poe a coomi and then you know they saw the national anthem and then we kicked off. I

wasn't able to see the pregame. That's what I saw. What's interesting that And I asked Clarence Hill because there was a phone call, I should say, a media conference call before the season where they had Tyrone Crawford and Clarence Hill. The Star Telegram was asking questions about, you know, social justice and what Basically he was saying, what are the Cowboys going to do? Because we'd seen several teams starting to do some things, and Tyrone got a little

test you with Clarence. He said, yeah, I want to talk to you offline, you know, he said, I want to talk to you because he felt like Clarence was really kind of going hard on the Cowboys. But Tyrone Crawford said that they were going to do something and it was going to be powerful. So we did not see any week one. I am wondering does this happen at at and T Stadium against the Atlanta Falcons. I do wonder because the only person we saw who did

anything was done Terry Poe. Jacques Taylor wrote a column about it over at The Undefeated on ESPN dot com, so check that out if you have not seen that at all, about how Don Terry Poe was basically out there by himself, and certain teammates had even told Don Terry for we didn't want you to be out there all along. But Poe, who said during training camp he was going to take a knee er in the national anthem,

ended up doing it. Danny, but he see it in flip flop like Baker Mayfield wants to go and got tough. Uh that that that that was, you know and they lost. Shout whatever the Baker Mayfield. I thought it was very interesting because a lot of teams did a lot of different things and as powerful as they wanted to make it, or Soto as they wanted to make it, they went out there and they did something to note. It was.

I think it was a Seahawks versus the Falcons who before for the first kickoff that both teams took a knee and they kicked the ball through the end zone. You know, they came up with something. You know, if you're not gonna do nothing, that's fine. But I believe we heard them say that they were and they didn't. A shout out to Poe for sticking to his word and standing up or taking a knee of what he believes in. We'll see, we'll see if they do on Sunday.

That's that's because I chat with players yesterday and I asked him, I said, did you have a conversation with Tyron Crawford And he said no, they had not, So something to keep an eye out on Jason Locke and Ford writes for CBS Sports, and he did a pretty interesting column talking about Dak Prescott's deal and how things fell apart. I just read some of this here and get you guys reaction. So they had an agreement, basically, they came to an agreement Dak Prescott's agent, Todd France,

and the Cowboys. It was five years for thirty five million years, so totally one seventy five. But the sticking point, according to Locke and Ford's reporting is Dak side said no franchise tag at the end of the deal. Which you can do that, okay, where you can simply say, hey, look, I'll sign this deal, but you have to agree that you will not you do not have the ability to put the franchise tag on me at the end. The Cowboys refused to do that and that ended up scuttlebutting

the deal here for the Cowboys. And oh, by the way, since they didn't get that deal done for Dak at thirty five, see Patrick Mahomes got his contract done, DESHAUNP. Watson just got his deal done for forty million dollars a year, and the Baltimore Ravens very soon are gonna have to go ahead and take care of Lamar Jackson. They probably will do that this offseason. So the Cowboys basically falling further and further behind the eight ball when it comes to having any type of negotiation or any

leverage with Dak Prescott. Next year, Dak's gonna get thirty eight million dollars on the franchise tag here. So the Cowboys, according to several different sources that were unnamed in this Jason Locke and story said, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys messed this thing up by not signing Dak Prescott and they misread the quarterback market. Ferry Church your thoughts that you just heard about that, Yeah, I agree with this article. I mean, like you said, they had the agreement in place.

I mean, he agreed to the five years. All he didn't want was a franchise at the end of that five years, and I mean, who knows what's going to happen throughout those five years. I mean, you know, hope he would have stayed healthy, but who knows if the Cowboys even wanted to franch would even want the franchise him after five years. I think they should have just got that deal done. Had him on the books and

it's a done deal, but they didn't. And now the franchise was at thirty one point seven this year, I believe, and then next year, if he has another good season, it's gonna be at thirty eight. So that'll be around forty million guaranteed for seventy million guaranteed through the first two years. When Patrick Mahomes, I believe, if the article was right, it was only going to get sixty three

million for his first three years. So I mean the guaranteed money for dag first and two franchises is already over the Mahomes deal. So I think they made a mistake here. And like you said, Deshaun Washton got his for a roughly forty million dollars a year. I think if they do do a long term deal in the future, it's going to cost him between forty two and forty

three million dollars a year. And that's an extra what eight million dollars right there that they could have signed, you know, a backup dude or somebody like that in another position that's not as pricey as a quarterback. So I think they made a mistake, but I think they'll get him done long term eventually whole week because I'm definitely opposite. This is to me, this is all going downhill for Dak being a Cowboy. I'm starting to see the uh, you know, this could end up working out

for the Cowboys. And this is only based off what happened Week one. If this continues for the entire season, I am not paying this dude forty million dollars on the franchise tax for next year. You could possibly see Dak out of here and us going to make a move for somebody like a Rod or something. I told you that this is and I'm going to stick with it. This is a played out year for Dak, and I

think they see it that way. If he doesn't, if he doesn't produce with all these weapons around him and get them to where they believe they should be, then we could see a quarter of Dallas Cowboys team without Dak Prescott on the next season. You think a Rod's gonna come and join McCarthy again, Well, yeah, I listen, I say, I say, I say a raw, but I really mean they could just go in a different direction

at quarterback. But I say just because he's probably up there upset because they drafted his backup already, Danny, I'm gonna shock you. Okay, I'm gonna shock you. Danny. I'm starting to believe you, man, I really am, because because if if you're, if you're okay, you read this article and you start talking about the kind of numbers. First off, Todd Franz was already going hard on him, and they spoke about how this thing got personal. You're gonna get

to that point in time. If you're the Cowboys, you start to look at where this cap is and you simply say, if we have all these weapons, and if he's not taking us to thirteen wins and we're going deep in the playoffs, they may decide, look, we can win with Andy Dalton. We can go get some coy. Look how many quarterbacks didn't have jobs this offseason who were starters, Andy Dalton, Jameis Winston. They could decide to go in a different direction. This still is America's team.

And if you're a free agent quarterback right now, and Jerry Jones and company say to you, look, there's a Ze Elliot, he's Ceedee Lamb, here's a Marii Cooper, here's Michael Gallup. We'll go try and get you a tight end and hopefully Blake Jarber can come back here. There's gonna be some people who say, you know, I'll take some of that here. So while Todd France may want to break the bank here, if you're the cowboys, as this thing keeps going further and further, man, as days

go by, what Danny's saying here is real. They paid Tony Romo a nice chunk of money before Tony Romo was the guy, but they had faith in him, and then they re uped him again. They didn't do that here, and at some point in time they're gonna simply say, you know what, we'll go somewhere else. Because I'm telling you, man, I hate to admit it. Danny's making more and more sense. And along the way here, you know who's been right about this stuff, Danny, Thank you, so y'all telling me so,

y'all telling me. After one week, y'all gonna sit there and say, hey, you know, there's Jamis Winston's out there thirty interceptions, and you're the Jamis Winston's take us out there, and then and then knew you said, Andy, don't I mean, who else are y'all gonna get That's why I'm like, you're talking about going to get these free agents? What free agents? What do we yea? Yeah, go ahead, go ahead?

So so you so if the Cowboys going eight and eight, you're paying that thirty amlia next year, what else is out there? It'll be something less than thirty eight Andy Dawling Jamis win from some rookie in college. You're not gonna have a hyper to get one of the fields or Lawrence. You go out, you go, you go at eight eight. Anyway, why would you pay thirty a million dollars for a quarterback? You're not gonna win. It's already problem. I don't know where else you're gonna go. I just

don't know where else you're gonna go. Church, Church. First off, when I was at camp and I saw Andy with these weapons in this offense, Andy looked fun. When Andy had weapons in Cincinnati, they were going to the playoffs now, and they do when they got there the same thing we did. He wanted to get he run a playoff. Here, Church, understand what I'm saying here. I'm not telling you that I believe Andy is better than that. What I'm simply saying here is as these numbers are going to wear

this article that Jason Locke and for a row. If this is where Todd France is that Todd France is going to want more than Deshaun Watson a forty million if you're talking about having to give him a forty two million dollars a year contract. The Cowboys, I believe they're going to get to that point where they say, you know, we'll go ahead and look at the other option. Even though Andy Dalton is not as good as Dak Prescott, he does know our system, our guys have worked with him.

We can get Andy on a one year deal. They can do that and then draft somebody. I'm just telling you, man, the more this thing keeps going further and not getting done, you have to start to introduce the fact that they can start to say, let's look at play and B because it's going to save us a heck of a

lot of money here. That's like you're saying, well, all this talent we have on this roster, all this built up talent, you're gonna tell me you'd rather go with Andy Dalton U and draft somebody to rebuild with all this talent you got around them, And they just signed Doc Prescott, is that what you're saying what I'm saying, Okay, Danny,

understand what I'm saying. I know, I know, I know, I know where the agent is trying to go with this thing where the agent is gonna sit up here and say, Okay, I think my guys better than Deshaun Watson. If Watson got forty, I want forty one, I want forty two, and Jerry says, no, I don't want to pay that, and then you're talk about on a four year deal and no, by the way, don't franchise tag me. I don't see the Cowboys going for If they didn't go for this, I don't know how they're gonna sit

up here keep going to forty and forty two. Because when you read when you read the column, Locking for a wrote, he says, the Cowboys have continually missed the mark on this, that they have messed up along the way, and at some point in time, how long do you keep digging this hole? And you just say, you know what, that we love you, but we're not going to pay this price. We'll take a quarterback who's not as good as you, but it's not going to cost us the same.

We still feel like we have a whole lot of talent around here and we'll go there. I'm telling you what Danny is saying is starting to make more and more sense to me. Despite what the fact that Stephen and Jerry Jones say we want to sign that we loved they told us at all offseason and they didn't get a deal done. This thing has become personal. It was personal last September, according to several reports that they Jerry thought he had to deal done with Todd Franz

and it didn't work out. So when Danny says, hey, if this team is just a five hundred team or just a little bit above five hundred, is it worth it to you to pay forty forty two million dollars and not be able to go out here and fill out the rest of your roster because they missed the boat on this church. That's not crazy at all to say they could decide we'll go with an and adult. Okay, Okay, that's why I don't think. I mean, I said my piece, So I think you just stuck on the Andy Dalton Park.

It'll be somebody else out there. It'll be a deal to be made for a different quarterback, even if it's not Andy Dalton. Like, once the season's over, a lot of things have changed, and I think some guys will be, uh will come available for them to get if if if we have to go down that road, and this is all predicated if they if they go eight and eight or nine and seven, this all predicated is they don't go to at least at least win the playoff game. Okay, right,

you know Cam Newton can be available. I mean there's gonna be some guys now. And okay, this also comes into the fact you've got a quarterback guy who's worked with two good quarterbacks are gonna go a Hall of Fame one day, and Mike McCarthy. So this is where you go back and you put it on your head coach, hey man, make this guy better. The same way you go to a John Gruten, you go to Sean McBain, and you said, hey, look, you're supposed to be the

quarterback guru. Guy, go go ahead and make a guy better. But as this goes along, Church, I'm no longer just gonna sit up here and say, hey, Jones family said they're gonna get it done. They're gonna get it done. They haven't gotten it done. And in the past I could always rely upon and say, hey, they always get their person. Well, guess what, that's not the case anymore. So it would be crazy to not talk about play at B, which is will allow Dak Prescott to go

and find someone else. Now here's one question, Church, and you got to answer this for me. Do you feel like Dak Prescott is a franchise quarterback? When I talk franchise quarterback, I'm talking Aaron Rodgers, I'm talking Drew Brees. Do you feel he's in that category? I mean it's it's a little much to say he's you know, Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees right now, but quarterback? Oh okay, yes,

without a question. So we talk about Lark Jackson, Mahomes, Deshaan Watson, you feel he's in that class without a question. I mean, look at look at their Look what they've done so far in the league. I mean they both won the division, I believe two times. They're both one and two in the playoffs. It's not like DeShawn Watson is just hands and feet above Dak Prescott. I mean they've done pretty much the same thing throughout their beginnings. Of their career. I mean, so with all the question,

I'm putting Dak Prescott up there with Watson. Okay, yes, and I agree with you. Now, guess what the price tag for that is going to be? Over forty million dollars now, because that's what the agent's gonna be looking for. He's gonna be looking for over forty million dollars. He's gonna want more than what Deshaun Watson is getting paid here. So are you cowboys? Okay, if you're the cowboys, are you ready to pay that amount? They weren't ready to do it at thirty five mill right now. They couldn't

get a deal done there. So now the price tags going up. So that's where church or church Church, That's where McCray is trying to tell you. As the price head goes up, they may decide to say, you know, well, we're gonna we're gonna cast the chips in. We'll let it go. Don't sit around here think that's not an option. I think it's what I'm saying. I understand what he's saying. I understand what he's saying. I'm just saying it would

be a mistake for the Cowboys to do that. That's what my opinion is on that it would be a mistake for them to pass up on Dak to go look somewhere else. I just I just think that would be a mistake. All Right, this is going to be a decision. They have to get into uh and and look, if he ends up balling out crazy, then yeah you write the check. But if it doesn't happen that way, you definitely have to have the conversation. So so we say ball out crazy, but what is like, what is

not balling out crazy? Like do we consider him just he has to he has to win a playoff game for him to get that check, or doesn't matter what, it doesn't matter what the playoffs. If he balls regular season, he'll get that check. Like what are we saying is the determining factors for him to get into getting last year doesn't cut it? Last year last year's performance does not cut it, even though he was not statistically no, okay,

no stat stats are included. That stats are you can't play like trash in your defense carrier, which won't happen this season, But but you gotta put up something and you gotta lead your team to a playoff run. You got everything around you. They can't. They can't give you anymore. Okay. So two thousand two, eighteen twenty eighteen, Dac when he went to the player I had decent numbers, went to the won the division, they won the wild card game, they lost the divisional. Would that be enough to get

in paid. I still don't know about that. Yeah, it's it's I'm telling you man, it's going to be interesting because when you talk about paying this kind of money, you're going to lose a player to who you cannot afford to sign. And when you make this kind of money, Hall of Fame writer Rick Gods someone has told me this. He said, when we meaning a team, when we pay you this money, this means you have to carry a

whole lot of the load. So you may not get that extra receiver, you may not have that extra d lum because we're putting it on you to carry the load. And that's why Rick always talks about a guy like Aaron Rodgers. Aaron can carry the team, that Mahomes can carry the team. And that question. I can tell you some people, some people at the Star wonder if Dak

is that guy. They're they're question marks about it. So if you're Dak Prescott this year, you need to answer some more of those questions, knowing your agent is coming not just for the bag, He's coming for the big bag. He's coming for the bigger than the Shan Watson bag. And if you're Jerry, as you keep messing this thing up and not paying the guy, the prices go up more and more. At some point in time, Jerry's got to ask himself, as any businessman does, what about the

return on investment? What about the ROI? And that's going to be the question that the cowboys have to answer. So far, they've told us they're not sold on him. All I go by is what I see is what Bill Parcells used to say, and what I see, and Danny is convincing me more and more. What we see is they're not sold to the point that they're ready to write that chet. They were sold on Tony Romo twice and giving him contracts. They're not sold on Dak Prescott.

So you said it, but you just said it. The ROI. They already got the r They're good, they got over the four Brown, they got everything they needed out of day. You're talking about return on the investment, they were an investment is astronomical, all right, So so you're gonna jump back in and and and pay more fun. I used to go get out of the same man I made. I made my bread off him. M m yeah. We all along, my bad. Yeah, we late, we late, My bad,

We're late. We're going along. We were taking up Chris, Chris Beam's time. You got something else to do now, our producer Chris all right for We're Dandy mccrai for Fairy Church. I'm new resprays. We appreciate you checking out the players Lone brought to you by Hotels dot Com right here on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.