Player's Lounge: It's A New Day

McCray and Barry Church. All Right, the Cowboys showed fight, they showed some guts. They lose to the Steelers, but it was all the way down to the last second of the football game before it was decided. Cowboys lose twenty four to nineteen. And let's go ahead and get this on out the way. Barry Church seems to think that that, you know, he really was, you know, so close that he wants his kudos here. So let's give it to Barry here. Church had it twenty four to

fourteen Steelers. I had it thirty eight thirteen. Pittsburgh DMAC had a forty two to ten um Steels. So go ahead, Barry, go ahead, and kind of victory lap because you got to spread, right man. I mean, look, I'm not gonna gloat too much on this beautiful monday. Um. You know, the you know, the breeze is falling out there, the sun's out. You know. I wish I would have got on the golf course today. This was a perfect golf course day. But it was it was a little hectic

morning in the church household. We had to go to places and get passports and all this other stuff. So we're moving and shaking a little bit this morning. But you know, it's a beautiful day. It's a beautiful day. And knew you bring up no stra domins. You know, I wasn't gonna say nothing. I was just gonna, you know, let the show go. But but since you brought you know, since you brought up my superpowers I have, you know, I had to take it to the spread because usually,

you know, I just guess the win losses. That's where my powers end. But you know, mccraig and the captain of the Haters Club knew we over there, they always you know, talking about no, the spread, the spread, the spread. I was all right, you know what, let me go ahead and take my powers to the spread. So I did it. You know, I had to do what I had to do. I knew what was going to happen in this game. I knew that the quarterback was going to be able to lead us to a close game.

Now I had it wrong. I thought Cooper Rush was gonna be the guy to lead us to a close game, but it ended up being Garrett Gilbert. And I wish we had the playback of last week because what I said, And you guys both laughed at me. Y'all just said, I'll just dude's crazy. But I said, the only way the Dallas Cowboys would have a chance is if they spread these guys out all over the field and let the quarterback throw the ball down the field, throw a

vertical and attack the secondary. Everybody laugh, Man, they can't block that front. Man, you're crazy. They're gonna get this stray. You're talking about throwing the ball. I just said, okay, all right, you know we'll see what happens, and glow and behold. Gary Gilbert went out there, executed the game playing, executed the game plan precisely. I gotta get kudos to my boy came more because he he came he came to he came to play the other day. He dialed

it up nicely. He had a nice balance of running past. But overall, I mean it was it was. It was a day for no Stredamas. You know, That's all I got to say. Are you done? Are you done that? How long did that go? Are you done? Let you're talking about See, I wasn't even gonna bring it up. I was not gonna go ahead. I was gonna sit here and just say, you know what, let me knock

it up. But you do you have your no Paan Newy Yes, right, So so that handy dad out so to that, to that, to that horrible record that church has because since he's no Stredamins, just add a one to the to the to the win column and see if I didn't say anywhere near five hundred. But then I did not just put him anywhere. Knew he did? I say six and ten at the end of the season,

Did you say six and ten? Let me go back to the November nobber when we when we did, when we did the reset, I believe I went six and ten and y'all laughed at my record, and I gave y'all the winds that we're gonna get. I gave y'all the winds we're gonna hit, and y'all thought about y'alls out there laughed at me. I'm telling you it's coming. I'm still laughing, Yared, Gilbert's coming. I'm still laughing. Gilbert, it's coming, laughing, double g, double g. He's coming. Man.

Just just wait on it, just wait on it. Knew it, knew it, knew it. Remember remember remember remember as Church is talking, what he specifically said was the only way that we go six and ten is if Andy Dalton is starting, if Gared Gilbert or Cooper Russ or any of those other guys out there, then the betters off. That is exactly what I can't say. I said, I

was wrong about it, QUB. I said that at the beginning, at the beginning of my the beginning of my little speech, I said, you know, I was wrong about the cute. I said, I was wrong. But you know that Gilbert great keeps coming through. That's good old Guilbert. So you're coming through, So you're changing. So you're changing your bet now, so you're changing, You're changing the whole, the whole thing. Because it's just like I understanding six and ten. I'm

just saying six and ten. That's all I'm saying. That's all I'm saying. It's six and ten, good old Gilbert coming through the Man Texas. He's coming through. It's six and ten for for for Church, four and twelve for d Mac. I'm sitting here at three and thirteen. Now, um, Barry, you did put a qualifier on all these, on all on the six wins, and so now is the qualifier off? Okay, it's a qualifier. Let me all right, I'm gonna tell

ya what it's at right now. I got the feeling, you know, Gilbert is gonna go out there the rest of it. Say you can't take this away from him, Nate, if they go out there. Look, I know what I said about Andy Dalton, and I said, Andy Dunk gave us a bet. But that's before. That's before I sat there and looked at Gilbert the other day. That's before I sat Gilbert. I told you I was wrong before this last season, this message. He was out there on the topic, all one topic. I backpedal and said, hey,

I was wrong about the quarterback. That was it? Okay, Church, Church, Church, Wait, my bad New Church your backpedal. You reversed on the kool a That that's a straight back pedal, all right. I went from seven to nine to six and ten. You started off the whole season with me and you saying that the kool aid and knew we need to get off the kool aid and don't make no sense. And then you backpedal, and then you sipped the kool aid.

That was what happened. Me and Big Mike. Me and Big Mike sat down and had a conversation, and you know what. From that conversation, I said, you know what, we got a chance, and now we're gonna go. We're gonna go six and ten. I don't know if it's gonna win a division. I might be wrong about that, but they're gonna go six and ten. So that's another backped because I'm supposed to win it. I man, this guy, he just trying to switch. It's a new day. It's a new day, all right, it's a new day. Let

me get Let me get my number three jersey. Ready. Man, we did lose. It never felt so good to lose and so good to be wrong. So I'm gonna take that I was right about Gary Gilbert I did not have confidence that Kelly Moore would come out and get some quick passes out there and get everything started the way he did. I don't I wouldn't say that he you know, aired it out and threw it down the field as much as Shirt said, but he got him rolling with some quick passes. He was able to hit

the tight end. He was able to hit Amari Cooper that got the ball into his hands, and you saw the impact of what was going on when you did that. Zeke came out there. They fooled us a little bit and making us thing that he wasn't gonna play, and you know, he came out there and did what he had to do. Tony Poler showed up, the defense showed up. These guys came out there and they played hard. And I told you that you could eliminate a lot of mistakes by by giving one percent effort, and they were

able to do that. So I was wrong. I am happy about being wrong, and I'm not crowning us. You know, the NFC each chance based off this game, because I still have some thoughts about what happened with the Steelers, but I am happy that this is how we're going into the bye week and it's it's it's weird to say that after a loss, but the way that this season is going, I'll take it. Church. I give you some breath news. You're ready for it. You're ready for it.

It's on Garrett Gilbert. It's about Garrett Gilbert. Okay, you're ready. I'm waiting for it. Stephen Jonal said today on one d five three one five three to Fame on his radio show Andy Dawn's gonna start. Here we go, Man, here we go. Man, you got the man? I tell you what. Man, Look, so you got this is another qualifier? Is this is another qual This ain't no more qualifiers? Man, this ain't no more qualifies. I can't believe. Now you tell me. So if Andy Dalton starts, then all bets off.

So no NFC Championship, No. Six and teen. Nah No, I'm saying with it. I'm staying with it because you say that backpedal too much. You know, I'm saying I'm staying with it. But man, man, you know I hate the question. You know the top, But man, I'm telling you what. You gotta ride that way. Man, did you see when my boy was going out there? Gilbert was out there. From snap one, it seemed like he just had the confidence and just the command of this offense. I mean, we see it. I'm not I'm not saying

he's Dak Prescott. Let's not pump the break. I'm not saying he's that sounds like, but the way he sounds like. But the way he was playing, But the way he was playing, it seemed like he was elevating the rest of his guys out there. I mean, his ball placement, it was only for the receivers out there, except for that last play when he got hitting, you know, the

ball flew up in the air and Fitzpatrick Fictick. But other than that, man, the guy was I feel like he had the confidence and he passed the eye test. When we when we was talking about the Nucci the other day, I mean, that's night and day. That is

night and day. We talked about the Duchie having more career passes in a real game, all that stuff, but that that, I mean, whatever my boy did down there and with the Orlando Apoleums or whatever they are, we're down there in the aff, it must have got him ready because he came in there and he looked good. He looked polished. I just can't believe they're they're going back to the red rifle. But I got I gotta

stick with the ship, man. I gotta go down. I gotta go down with the ship if it's going down now. Gilbert was twenty one thirty eight two hundred forty three yards, one touchdown, one interception with a QBR of sixty two point three m. This is why the way I broke it down last night on NBC five here in Dallas Fort Worth, on my TV show, I said, Andy Dalton will get the start, as he should, but but this

is November. Come December, as you start to see where this thing goes when they are out of it, then you need to be playing Garrett Gilbert because I feel like Garrett Gilbert is the guy who can be on this team in twenty twenty one. I believe Andy Dalton will find himself a job somewhere as a starter in the league, and that'll be you know, he'll be He'll he won't be here. But I do think that Garrett Gilbert showed you enough yesterday that he needs some more time.

You need to look at him again and decide whether or not you want to lock this guy up as a backup quarterback here for you know, a two to three year contract and get him at a million million five. That to me makes the most sense of how I see this going. Because look, the Jones family has said multiple times on their radio show they are still in this, and they are still in this now. I think they're going to win a division. I do not, but I

don't own the team. They do, and that's their thought process. So they're gonna go with Andy Dalton. But as soon as this thing is over, I think you gotta go play Garrett Gilbert and see exactly see see some more of what you've got. You definitely do it. I mean I feel like, you know, I feel like well Gilbert did out there. I mean he put his audition tape out there, he put his resume out there. I mean, this was for him, This was an opportunity of a lifetime.

I mean, you get to come in here and you're starting for the Dallas Cowboys. Look, I mean, you have nothing else to lose. You're already in there, We're down to our fourth quarterback. You know, all you have is is upside. You go out there, you play a good game, you put your resume out there, you say, you look at the Cowboys and say, hey, you don't need to go out there and get you a backup quarterback. You already have what you need in the organization, organization in

me right here. And he went out there, and I think he played good enough to prove that. Now, like you, you're right new, I think we need to see maybe a game or two more before we go ahead and give him the job as a backup next year. But for me, overall, I think he played pretty good. And if it's not here with the Cowboys, his audition tape, his resume can go out there to all the other thirty one NFL teams out there who's in need of a backup quarterback. So for me, I think he did

his self justice last night on Sunday night. Listen, listen, I know, I listen. I know we're already to crown Gilbert. And he went out there and he looked much better than the NU she did. And like I said, I was happy to see it, but I just can't. I'm not gonna give him like I feel like we're giving him the MVP of the game, and the MVP of

the game was the defense. Like by far, they came out and they and they stopped Pittsburgh and they and they gave these guys a chance, you know, to make those plays throughout the game, like the game could have could have been out of hand killing Moore came through and he controlled the clock. They went on long drives. The defense came out there and they made plays and oh guess what, My MVP of the team, mister Goodwin, leading the special teams went out there and plays made

some plays that really changed the game. Special teams was was all noticed this time, and it was for positive reason, not negative. So if you look at this entire game, this was a full team win, special teams, defense and offense. Gary Gilber, he did exactly what he needed to do

to keep us in the game. But in order for us to you know, do what Church says and win the division and six and ten, we have to play a complete game every single game, because we lost and we played almost perfectly in every every phase of the game. So it's gonna be a long role for us. But we could continue to do that and be perfect everywhere, then we have a chance to do what Church said. But I mean, that's that's that's difficult to do. Yeah, and I know we're gonna he said, full team win, Danny.

I know you didn't meet it that way, but yes, it was a full team. Oh yeah, listen, yeah, you're right, You're right. I feel like we want I don't know if that's why I said, I've never felt so good after a loss. It feels like we won something. And whoever says there's no such thing as a moral victory, they were absolutely wrong. World victories exist, and we just got one. And we just got one. Nate Newton said on Hanging with the Boys, he was addedly against these

moral victories. He doesn't buy into it. He doesn't believe it. And Nate Newton comes from that Jimmy Johnson school, which produced two Super Bowl championships, and what Jimmy left, they ended up winning a third with everything he built here. So I'll go go ahead inside with Nate Newton. Look how far, Look how far the bar? Look how far the bar has fallen? We're sitting up. I mean, look, look, I'm in the prost lost as well. But look, Dallas boy,

that's my boy, Nate and everything. But man, he's wrong on this one. I don't care what he got to say. We gotta ride this momentum. I mean, we gotta take it whichever way we can, if it's in a losing effort. But we ended up being competitive and being respectable against the number one team in the NFL. I'll take that. Man, Take that momentum and rat for the next week. Man, Church, Church, How are you guys sitting around here? I mean, this

is what they're paid to do. Jerry Jones is laid out some very good dollars to people like Take Lords who had a good game yesterday, Tyrone Crawford, who had a good game yesterday. I mean, this is what you're supposed to do. You're not supposed to allow a team to come into your house and beat you down. You're supposed to compete. You're supposed to do what they did. Oh hold on, yeah, no, no, no, it come out.

Knew it KNEWI hold on, you're talking about you're talking about going you're talking about going against one of the number one teams in the NFL and we on a fourth stream quarterback with a makeshift offensive line and the defense that nobody thought could stop anybody, and they came out there and did exactly that, And you like, yeah, this is what they paid to do. We've been watching what they were supposed to be paid to do for

the entire season and it hadn't been getting done. So now when they actually remember this, the defense played well against well enough against Washington, they played well enough against a Philly, and now that they are trending in the right direction of getting better, I'm taking this. Keep making those steps. Get you a quarterback in there and play against somebody who's not undefeated, and I think if you could. But no, I don't, I don't. I don't know about that.

Like I said, it was, it was one hundred percent effort. Look at there, Well what he but you rying act like y'all going to Chucky Cheese and celebrate. That's what I don't get. That's the thing. It ain't that, you know what I'm saying. I'm just I'm I was just excited because you know, no Shre Diamonds had came back. That's that. I was more exciting about Nore Diamonds. But we're gonna we're gonna pump the brakes a little bit

on the boys. You know. It was definitely it was a loss, but it was tell you something I don't let me tell you something I don't. I don't think this makes any sense. All right. We've been coming on this show every week with feeling it absolutely horrible about everything, seeing effort and seeing how we're getting blown out all this stuff, and then when you have something positive, all being in a loss when we were driving on the last player the game to score and that type of

loss happens to you. With what we've been seeing previously, this is a positive thing. We did not win the game, but if you're looking for something to move forward, like you're looking for guys who're trying to save their jobs special teams coach, defensive coordinator and all that stuff, this is something positive where you could cut on the film and you can say, hey, look, fellas, we are able

to compete with any team. If we come out here and we don't make it make those mistakes and we play up to our ability, we can play with these guys. This is something that you can turn on the tape and you can have some confidence when you go into the next weeks of the season versus coming out here and getting beat by sixty and you're like, hey man, look let's throw the tape away, all right, you got

some stuff you can cut on right now. And you got some stuff you can cut on right now going into the bye week, and you say, if we fix this, this, that, and that, we got a chance to really be competitive for the rest of the season. Yeah, we got a chance. Well check check out hanging. I told y'all with what Nate Newton was saying today, it's along the line to what you said, McRae. But at the end he says, I'm not going to celebrate moral victories. We've got to

take a break. Okay, We've got to take a break when we come back. There was one play in the game that people kept talking about over and over again, and it's been on all of our shows here on Dallas Cowboys dot Com about the fourth and one where Mike McCarthy signed to kick a field goal instead of going for it. Let's dive into that next on the Players Lads, he's Danny mccrean, he's buried Church on Neuiskrugs

and this is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. Hey, they're Cowboys fans with Ty Cleaners at home pickup and delivery. Cleaning your clothes has never been more convenient. Simply sign up at your local store, set out your dirty clothes, and one of our tight Cleaners professionals will come directly to your home for a totally contactless experience. Your clean garments will be returned promptly the next scheduled delivery day.

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We're back in the tasty treat that's sweeping airwaves and taste buds. It's new Doctor Pepper and Cream Soda. Let's take a listen, Doctor pet Cream sodas he a new combone. Let's music to my years. Okay, Doctor at the time, Music to my ears and mouth, New Doctor Pepper and Cream Soda. Delash. Just do back back to the players loud, Hey everybody. The Cowboys will be back at home at at and T Stadium on Thanksgiving Day to take on the Washington football team. Tickets start at eighty nine dollars

and they're on sale now. Get yours today at Dallas Cowboys dot Com slash tickets. The Washington football team lost at home to the Giants yesterday. Alex Smith comes off the bench and he fills in for Kyle Allen, who suffered a broken ankle. He's going to miss the rest of the year. And what was telling about Ron Rivera today when he spoke to the media, he says they need to find a franchise quarterback. That basically tells me all I need to know that the Dwayne Haskins era

is done. It's finished, it's over. He's not going back to Haskins. He'll play this thing out with Alex Smith. Yeah, it's a rap for my boy Haskins out there. I mean when when they decided to go with Kyle Allen, I mean they didn't just you know, bench Haskin. They throw him up under the bench and I don't even know if he came back next week to the game. So I mean it's it's rough out here for him right now. I mean, that's got to be a big

time confidence below. You went from a first round I believe he was a top ten pick and supposed to be the franchise guy to what a year later, he's you know, he stirred on the depth chart behind the guy who battled back from having a broken leg. So, I mean, it's it's tough right now for my boy Haskins. But we'll see. Maybe he'll get up out of Washington and turn into a better quarterback. But who knows. Let me tell you something. What Haskins right, The word I

don't askins is you know, the guy was lazy. He wasn't doing what he's supposed to do as as as the supposed franchise quarterback putting in that type of work. And when when when the coach gives you that confidence and they put their job on the line by putting you out there, and that's the type of stuff that you get them in return by them being able to figure it out and see that you're not studying and picking this stuff and that's the reason why you're not

picking this stuff up. Yeah, they gotta put you far back like that, man, because you didn't respect the positions that they have, so they don't have to respect respect the position that they tried to give you. So you know, you lost the respect of the coaching staff. So I mean it should be the end of the Dwayne Haskins era. There, let me back up what you just said there, Danny McCray here on the players Line spotty by Hotels dot Com.

Your head coach is out here getting cancer treatment. He's putting his life on the line to be out here at coach football for anybody to sit around here and say, hey, Alex Smith is the first quarterback in the building and not you, Dwayne Haskins. That's not good. So I hit up a buddy of mine who covers the team, and I said, he almost. I said, so Ron has no time for Haskins anymore? He says, Nope, pretty obvious. Then I hit him back, I said, almost, sounds like he's

offended by Haskins. Is his work ethic? That back? And hits back. He says he doesn't listen, thinks criticism is hate out. Okay, that's that you're out man. That's that younger mentality man to it. Just you know, these younger players coming in the league now, they's you know, feeling entitled, like, yeah, I was a first round pixel. You know, I deserve every type of chance I need to get and this is my team I'm eating. If you got to earn the respect of your teammates, your coaches, and it's not

just what you do on the field, man. So that's just the mentality that this younger generation has. Now, Yeah, that's the type of attitude you can have if you out there baller, if you out there singing it up. No, no, serve because because they got they got, they got like specific stuff that they could point out for reasons why that you may be sucking, even if that's not the reason, like they have to assume that that's what it is.

So you know, you get, you put that stuff out there on film, and you put that stuff out there, you know, for people to see that you're not really working hard, and you kind of got you know, what was coming to you. So that's that's the latest from Washington. The next Cowboys home getting Cowboys are on They by next week, then after the bye week they head up two minutesota. You are checking out the players laubaty by Hotels dot com and we scrugs, longtime Cowboys reporter, joined

by former Cowboys players Danny McCrae and Barry Church. We are our SWBC Mortgage Virtual home Studios. So a big topic of conversation happened at near the end of the third quarter, not two seventeen left. Cowboys have a fourth and one at the twenty two of the Steelers and Mike McCarthy decides to kick a field goal. They make the field goal, they go up nineteen to nine. I had no issues with that call. At all. One of the things that I said is, look, this is an

offensive line. This is not even the offensive line you thought you were going to have. Sixty minutes before the football game. You had your rookie center Tyler Padish go out with a hamstring injury, and Stephen Jones says he's going to miss a couple of weeks. So you got an offensive line that I'm sorry, it's not the dudes you've come to know and love with the Cowboys. You got one guy out here who's a ball, who's a legitimate pro or that is your right tackle, Zach Martin.

So when he said, man, I'm gonna go ahead and kicking, I had no problems with it because I looked at the offensive line and said, who, dom I. If I'm going to bet right now, who am I going to bet on the Steelers D line or the Cowboys old line, I'd be I'd be going with the Cowboys. I mean, I'd be going with the Steelers D line to stop me. So I had no problems with the kicking that field goal. Mccraig, what do you say, Yeah, I mean I thought it

made sense. I mean, you, if you look at the other side of you know what you were going against. You see why out there, and then you see Hayward who was who was having it having a time with our offensive line. So I think it may sense you go about two scores. I mean, why not, Like you're playing to win the game. Your defense is playing okay, so you get them a chance to go out there, you know, and make some stops. I don't have any

problem with it. This is not one of the instances where I would say that Mike McCarthy made a bad cult of decision. I thought it was I thought it was cool either way. Yeah for me. I look, we were talking about this in the in the studio before the post game show, and we kind of talked about this same thing. You know, would you have gone for it or would you have kick the field goal? For me,

you know, I thought it was a good call. But if I was on the sidelines coach, and if no Shore Damas was out there, I would have went for it. I mean, look, I understand, you know, your defense was playing decent or pretty good against the against the Steelers, and you can add points to add to that lead and and all that good stuff. But to me, I think you gotta go with you're all pro running back and you go right behind your all pro guard and Zach Martin and you try to salt this game away.

I mean, look, you know, at the end of the day, was he wrong for the call. No, But I would have tried to salt it away going behind, going behind Zach Martin because look, even if you have a ten point leading the fourth, I mean, you're not playing against Danny Diames back there at the quarterback. You're going against Ben Roethlisberger, and this guy we've known can heat up at any time with that explosive offense. So for me, I would have tried to solve the game away. But

I can understand why I kicked the field goal. Now. Now I'm gonna throw this out here because I've heard several people come back and hey, you got Zack Martin. I think they weren't gonna maybe throw cam Hey way out there, so you think they were gonna say, hey, look, we think they're gonna run behind this dude, let's load up right here, because we don't believe they're gonn run behind Carter Williams. Oh No. First of all, Carnor Williams

had one of the worst games I've ever seen. But we'll get We'll get the Williams here in the So on your fourth game play, you say, run behind Zach, And I'm telling you, if the Steelers are gonna sit up here and say yeah, they're gonna run, we're gonna go ahead, and let's figure out a way to to to plug up this whole long seventy. But this is where we think they're gonna go. We think they're gonna go over here to the right, not to the left. And and so I'm just saying I think the Steelers

would have stopped that thing. That's when you gotta have belief in your players. I mean, you gotta all pro guard right there. You got all pro running back. We know he hasn't been, but he did. He believed in his kicker, in his defense. He believed in his kicker and his defense. And you know, and his defense defense had earned that at this point in time of the game too. They had earned that. They had they had

earned that. But but you're also going against Ben Roethlisberger too, Like you got a chance to salt this thing away. I just don't think you get a chance. And it wasn't gonna be salt to the way. That's the thing. It would not assaulted the way put it. It would

have put it out there. Though. The only thing I say for you, Church, is because Ben Roethlisberger, Ben Roethlisberger is out there and I and I and you know, as much praise as I gave our defense, I think one of the worst things that happened was us stopping the run because, uh, you know, our pass defense was put on notice last night again, Claypool was dropping all

type of passes. Ben Roethlisberger was a little bit off, but when he came down to it, uh, and they really need to throw the ball, it was like they couldn't miss. Uh. So I feel you, Church, you know, saying that Ben Roethlisberger was back there. You just had to watch the defense and seen the performance to say, at some point in time, be Ben Roethlisberger and Claypool and all those guys, they were going to start connecting. So I can feel that, but I would still go

up two scores. And you know what, you know, I'll give it to y'all because you know what you would have had. And I'm sure we'll get We'll get to this after the break. But I'm sure we would have had a stop right there hadn't it been for some of the dumbest penalties I've ever seen that live. But I'm sure we'll get We'll get to that after breaks.

Stay there exactly right, because as much grief as people will give him McCarthy about the fourth and one, I'll tell you where I felt the game got away and how Ben Roethlisberger and company got on a roll. Will do that next on the players Line Boty by Hotels dot com. Right here on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio each game day. You know what that means. First, gobob prep steak Pepper Runnion. Steak Pepper Runnion. Next, a counter clockwise lap around the rule. Now the lucky grease stained

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joined by Barry Church and Danny mccraig. So, gentlemen, let's go back here. We were talking about the fourth and one where McCarthy decides to go up by two possessions and kick a field goal, making it nineteen to nine, so the Steelers get the football back. There is a third and ten at the Pittsburgh forty five yard line. Actually yes, and the Cowboys stop. But then there's a penalty on Jalen Smith here and boom there you go. Next thing, you know, they end up going down the

field and getting a touchdown. And remember the other play they had fumble. They had a fumble and then Jalen got a called for penalty there that led to point. So Jalen's two penalties in this football game basically cost the Cowboys ten points. They led to ten. You're getting off the feel on third down, getting off the feeld on third down, and then you had then you had the hands in the face. Then you had vanderest with the stupid play. But but your defense. Yeah, here's the

guys that that Mike McCarthy said. You know what d you guys from playing well? Is kick this and let's see where we go. You'r d and two guys that you were counting on here, one guy you just paid sixty three million dollars. Another guy you made a first round pick. Out of these two guys had plays in this football game which helped the Steelers. That was the one thing you couldn't do. You couldn't help them. The Cowboys d helped them despite doing all they could here.

And that's why a guy like Nate knew it was about no moral victories because here the Cowboys still like his shooting themselves in the foot. We didn't even got to the turnovers that the offense created in this football game. Yeah, this was this was a brutal one for me. I mean,

you had them going. It seemed like Mike McCarthy had made the right call, but kicking the field goal and relying on his defense, and it seemed like he did the right thing because his defense had showed up and like you said, on that third down, they had got him off the field. But it's it's about situational awareness and where you are on the field. Man, you gotta realize what down and distance is. My guy went in there, Willie Nilly, throwing his hands up trying to block the past.

I get it, you're putting that effort in there, but you just gotta understand where you are and you gotta see everything around you. He hit him in the head with the hands to the face or whatever. It was rough in the pastor that extended to play, and you gotta know the rules. I mean, you're not a rookie out here. You're a veteran, you're a captain that you're a captain of this defense, supposed to be the leader, and then you get a cheap you know, pass an

inference call. But you gotta know the rules. He was past five yards. You can't put your hands on a on a receiver. After that, you give him a chuck trying to reroute him or something, and he ends up going down. It's costful, super costful for your defense and your team. And if you want to go out there and beat these you know, number one ranked teams and all that other stuff, you gotta play a perfect game. You gotta play a sound game. You gotta play a

smart game. And that's just something that we didn't do on the defensive side of the ball. McCray, I'll let you hit that LPE one because that was that was just as dumb as this Jaylen Smith penalties. Yeah, listen and listen. I understand the frustration with the whole Jay

the Smith thing. Uh, sometimes those things happen, right, So some of some of the best pass rushers and all that, some are running there and you know, and they're giving effort, and you know sometimes that the hand hits the face masks and you know, they protecting the quarterback these days, sometimes that type of stuff happened out. You know at the time, the timing was horrible, but I mean, I'm not I'm not gonna kill Jay Leon Smith for that. And it's rerout penalty. You know, he was maybe a

yard or so too far. You know, Claypool was off balance and he fell and you know he drew the penalty. It was, it was. It was a bad thing to do, but I'm not gonna kill him for that. What either, he was trying to to reroute the receiver to help out the secondary. You know he shouldn't he shouldn't have done it, but I'm not gonna kill him for that. I don't really just think it was that dumb and now, compared to LVS, I did not understand that at all.

You tackle the dude and he's trying to get you off of them, you already know that you're pushing your weight on him and you're not getting off him as quickly as you need to. And he felt disrespected. The dude pushed you and you pushed him in the helmet. It don't like it don't make no sense. It wasn't It wasn't as bad as the dude from Chicago, but it was it was almost as costly. Like you guys are rolling at this point and then all of the stuff you start racking up penalties. This was not an

effort penalty like Jayals Smiths. This was not a technique penally like Jalen Smiths. This was just a dumb penalty. And that's why I think that one was worse than Jalen's as far as decision making. It just it's something that you could have one hundred percent avoided and it didn't have anything to do with the action will play on the field. So I think that that one was

worse than the two that Jalen did. But like you said in this press conference, he does have to come in and take accountability for it because he's not coached up to do those type of things. Yeah, it was a mistake. You were playing harder and you and you made a mistake and you just got on it. You can't help a team like the Steelers out, and in the fourth quarter the Cowboys helped them. That's how the Steelers ended up scoring fifteen points and getting to win.

I also want to flip it back over here to the offense. The offense is still out here committing more turnovers than anyone in the National Football League. You had a fumble by CD Lamb, and then you had the Cowboys in the red zone and Garrett Gilbert throws a interception to meet to meet a Fitzpatrick in the back of the end zone and you simply can't do that. And you can say, well, maybe this was on Kelly Moore.

Run the football, take the points. But then again I laugh at that a little bit because I heard some people talking about that as well, saying, you know what, you got to protect quarterback, don't sit around here and let him throw the ball. Well, if you're going to go for it on fourth and one and you want to be aggressive, what's the same. What's the difference here? I mean, if you try to be aggressive, you'll be aggresive. They try to be conservative, then they try to be aggressive.

So so there you go. But the problem for Gilbert, and this is a young guy making his first start, and you can't really beat him up. But your job is to try to make sure you secure an opportunity to kick a field goal. If they kick that field goal, then that final possession is not about a touchdown. The final possessions about trying to get Greg's rline and arrange to kick a field goal, and who knows, maybe they

end up winning that game. But at the same time, I come back to this, that's why the Steelers are under feed it why the Cowboys are two and seven. These are the reasons you don't do the things you need to do the other team does, and that's how that's how winning and losing is dictated the national football You're completely right offensively. I mean, look, we had it right there and we and we gave the game away.

I mean, look at the last time we played turnover free football on the offensive side of the ball was Week one against the Los Angeles Rams, and that was the only game that we were kind of in in besides this game. That's the only game we were really in. And we were playing turnover free football for a while until you know, cdee Lamb you know, costed up and even then we were still in the game until that

last turnover with Meka fix Patrick. So as as as a team that's not you know, their minus all they're all pros, their minus this and that and all these injuries. For the most part, you're gonna have to play perfect game and turning the ball over is not going to help that, and we ended up giving us one a

way to Pittsburgh. Yeah, that it was tough because, like I said, you know all three phases at one point they were playing, they were playing outstanding, and they were doing everything they needed to do to keep us in the game. Albeit, like I said, if this was the game for us to be the big time team Philly, I mean, the Stillers coming in here, you know, an undefeated record, trying to avoid a letdown and all that stuff and all that planning took. This was the time

for us to do it, and we did. Like I said, we played well, and I'm giving it the moral victory, but the fact that we could have actually won the game, it doesn't hurt as much as those ones in the past. But like I said, I'm optimistic now because I know that we can actually play better even with the guys that we have out there on the field. As long as Kelling calls the game, calls a good game, special

teams good game, and defense good game. As long as they called good games and put these guys in position to make plays. We have a chance to go out there and at least at least do something to you know, to stay competitive. It sounds like you're moving towards the six and ten round. Man, are you coming over here with your boy? No? No, no, absolutely absolutely not, because

this is this is one game. This is one game up the season where where we have been able to say that, you know, all three phases, you know, for the most part, played played played well. You know, I said, we still gave gave away two turnovers, you know, ceedee lamb, you know, and in the pick at the end. But you know, outside of that, these guys played. They played outstanding, really and uh, I don't see that happening week and hinding week out, but I hope it does. But uh,

you know that it's tough. It's tough to duplicate that, especially, you know, I'm sure they had a little little bit extra going in there, knowing that they were playing against the Steelers undefeated team and they had had the chance to knock those guys off. They won't be doing that every week. I will say that, speaking speak speaking of somebody that played out of their mind. Um nevill Gallimore. I don't know if you guys. I mean watch that. But he played an amazing game in that defensive line.

I mean, I see like that that that pole done. Terry Poe was like a cloud over. He just was. It was like a stopper for for Nevil Gallimore, just keeping them under wraps. But now that he's gone, they shipped him on up out of here. Nevill Gallimore played a heck of a game and he was going against arguably one of the top centers in the National Football League and Marquis Bouncy, and he was throwing him around

like a ragdall out there. So if we can continue to get that effort from Neville Gallimore, maybe winning more of his one on ones out there, opening things up for d Law and the rest of the boys. I didn't think I'd ever say that somebody else beside d Law he lying, But I mean he played. He played a phenomenal game out there, and hopefully he can keep that going for the rest of the season. Randy Gregory too, But tell me this, are you are you about to take the MVP from my dude, CJ after one game?

Because na, no, no, CJ. CJ has been playing lights out special teams wise, this whole season. We saw it. Not only did he take that return back, but I mean he was making gunner plays out there left and right. So I mean CJ to me is still the MVP man. Galimore had that hit on Ben Roethlisberger that ended up, Yeah, he had to go to the locker room because his knee. His knee had took a lick out there. So Gallimore was showing the fight that you want, Randy Gregory showing

the fight that you want. But Church six and ten is not going to happen as long as the Cowboys keep going into these football games and giving the ball away. I mean, you just simply cannot do this. And nobody in the NFL right now gives it away more than the Cowboys. And also I'll flip onto this. Yesterday that game between the Steelers and the Cowboys, it came down to the red zone. The Steelers converted two of three,

Dallas was over two. And my boy Nate always has that saying the more field goals you kick, the more opportunities you're going to have to lose. And the Cowboys have got to start getting those red zone conversions and just stop giving the football away. And if that doesn't happen.

They can't beat Minnesota. You're not gonna be able to beat Baltimore or Cincinnati or other teams on your schedule because you're allowing teams to hang in there and you're giving teams possessions, and you just can't do that in this league, especially when your football team is down the significant Pro Bowl players like the Cowboys offer. You know, you're all right about that. I will say we do have to do a better job of taking care of

the football. I mean, we know defensively we're not going to go out there and take the ball away all like that, so as an offense, we gotta take better care of it. And you're also right about the red zone. I mean, we're walking too many times we've gotten to that red zone and we're walking away with field goals instead of touchdowns. And against teams like Pittsburgh, you can't do that. You're gonna have to go up there and match touchdowns for touchdowns. But I will say this, offensively,

we were better on third down. I believe we were eight of seventeen, so almost fifty percent on third down, which is a good number. That means that we're extending these drives and keeping our defense off the field. So if we can keep doing that, hopefully these red zone numbers turn around and hey, you never know, six and ten, it's looking like it's on the horizon. It's right over there.

It's reachable. It's reachable. I'm telling I'm gonna repeat. I'm gonna repeat this, and I'm gonna repeat this for the entirety of the season. There are two people on the field that you have to get the ball in their hands. I'm sure you guys know this by now. One of them is named of Mary Cooper and one number his name is Ezekiel Elliot. Get the ball in their hands the whole I think, the whole game play. Everything changed. When you can get the ball in nineteens hands. The

defense has to play different. And when they see that he's involved, he actually goes out there and makes plays, opens it up for other people. And I see that they put him in the slide, got him a good matchup that he wanted and get you know, and Gilbert delivered a good ball. And once I saw that, I figured that we had a chance to do something offensively. And I hope they continue to do so, because when

you don't have them involved. Our offense is anning. Let let me ask you a quick question, real quick question, real quick. I know we got short on time there, But do y'all believe that Tony Pollard earned the right to scrape a couple carries off of Ezekiel Elliot's work level? No, I don't. I think. I think, I think, I think.

See this is what happens, right, because if if you look at any team that plays, you can see watch the Minnesota Vikings and then Dalwin Cooker going there and get stuffed on second down, and that Madison to come in and break off a twelve yard run. That does not mean that Madison is better than Dalvin cook Sometimes the play just doesn't open up like that. Poler did exactly what he was supposed to do, and it's and it's uh when he got the opportunity to. But he

not Ezekiel Elliott, you know. So, I mean, I would continue to do the same thing that they've been doing. But I want to see Ezekiel Elloby feature much more than I want to see Tony Pollo. I agree with what you said, McCray. I'll add this, I know, doctor, I haven't had a chance to ask Ezekil Elliot this, But I do wonder could there be some effects from having COVID nineteen. Could there be because we're seeing a

guy who's not performing at the level we thought. I'm looking at Cam Newton once Cam Newton had come back from from COVID nineteen. I'm not seeing a player perform at the level we thought. And you just hear average citizens tell you how it affects them. Well, how the heck is it affecting professional athletes and you're trying to go out here and compete in the NFL at the highest level. I wonder. I'm no doctor, I just do wonder because we've seen the Ziegel Elliott play at a

much better rate. There are times where we're seeing him block and guys are blasting Zeke. That's not the guy that we've seen in the National Football League this year. Just my just he looked faster yesterday, even with the hamstring thing. Sometimes I thought he was Tony Paula out there. He looked, he looked quicker, he looked faster, him like

he was hitting the holes. And maybe it was the way that they were spreading them out and it was a little easier for them to read, but he didn't look like he was injury yesterday, so I mean, hopefully the bye week helps him. They pick it up coming in playing against Minnesota and keep this up, all right, gentlemen. Um, So, according to the bossman, Derek Eagleton, the head Omega in charge, we are not going to do this show with each

other the rest of the week. So we're going through how many how many days are we doing the show this week? Now? This church, it's just Tuesday Wednesday. I think it's just day Wednesday. Yeah, yeah, okay. So the players lounge on the next two days will be with Jess See Holly and Everson Walls. Somebody please help good Luck his internet ever sit out here talking and say he can't hear nobody hes to go go ahead and talk,

So somebody help Everson with the Internet. Jesse, Jesse's gonna come in here and tell me how good his ribs are that he makes in a crock pot versus real. So, so that's what the players lives will be over the next two days. Where can where can everybody find you? Two guys, which shows will you be? I'll be, Um, I believe I'm on the break. Um. Derek's main show,

I believe. So I'll be on there at eleven thirty, I believe, and right after that I'll be on Hanging with the Boys with Shannon, Robert and bar Okay, all right, so I'm definitely tune in to his Players lounges over. That's gonna be funny. Y'all. Be nice, Be nice, our producer, we appreciate you, Chris Bean, Jesse, Jesse, Jesse, Holly at Everson Walls tomorrow. Danny McCray buried Church on Barious Shows.

So so hang with us. We'll be back together on Monday. Okay, So next Monday, we'll be back here on the Players Lost see tomorrow two thirty. Everybody, have a great day. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.