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This is the Players Lounge, broadcasting live from Dallas Cowboys World headquarters at the Star. Now your hosts Barry Church, Hecma Harrison, and Newie Scruggs.
Yo.
Here we are Dallas Cowboys Players Lounge coming to you from the SWBC podcast studio, the site of the Dallas Cowboys International Headquarters here in Frisco, Texas.
Heck Ma Harrison is here in the building.
Barry Church, Sir, mister Internationals Toledo Rocket Hall of Fas.
City, Toledo.
You see what we did to the SEC. I'ma pay you know, I'm gonna pay them forty two dollars. Man stopped four that two dollars. I got you, I got you a new instruction. I want I want you to understand it.
These are the lies we tell ourselves right here for Bury Church talking about paying a.
Booster dudes hated dude.
I've been around, I've been around and put this man in the Hall of Fame and not a dollar has gone to the school an il you know, church fund going on as much bag ashd Con game they hooked me up.
He did.
There should be a bury Church endowed scholarship. That sounds good, you know, a safety something, you know, a great player Toledo every year should be getting me Buryed Church endowed scholarship. But they talk about it too, but they can't even get the forty two dollars for the Booster Club for my man.
I'm gonna hook him up, man, I'm telling, and then you get up and you tease the people like that, I'm.
Gonna hook him up. Past dues and everything.
The Rockets did beat up on Mississippi.
Steven tapped it so so so there you go, Cowboy fans, Ravens coming to town with the number one offense offense in the league and the number seven rushing attack in the league.
And the news got worse to day.
Sweet Jesus, why give us the bad news.
Mozzie Smith.
Mozzie Smith left the field walking with trainer Jim Mauer. We don't know exactly what happened and why we don't We don't know.
That's all we know is Mozzie walking off the field.
Cowboy beat writers out there tweeting about it will dive into a more media mash of coming up at three o'clock. So that's the issue. The other issue is Jordan Phillips wrist is going to go.
On I R.
That's at least four right at the very least.
So yeah, man, yeah, here comes Lamar Jackson r POS. Here comes King Henry roll Tide coming in here.
Yeah that's ugly.
Now, yeah, that's ugly because you're talking about the spine and defense, the middle of your defense, which for the past couple of years has been the weak spot of this Dallas Cowboys defense. And look, it's not like, you know, those guys on the inside were world beaters.
I mean, we all understand that. But man, you're talking about depth.
If Mozie is not able to go, you already got you know, Phillips on ir who you're gonna slide in there? What beef do you have Pauls that is gonna be able to withstand what King Henry and this Baltimore team is going to be able to do on the inside.
You know what we got at well today, y'ah in trouble.
You're in trouble.
If we got if I gotta call Joe, we did sign Collins Watkins today. Colins Watkinson in the building. He's added to the fifty three, not the practice squad, however, that maneuvers around. But you do bring in a guy knowing that you are losing Jordan Phillips to I R.
It's concerning.
It's concerning not only the way that you looked in the Saints game, but then as new he just stated, you have the number one offense with oh, by the way, one of the best beasts of running backs that is going to be on the field with you on Sunday.
I mean, it's concerning.
And the thing about the performance that you had against the Saints, you gave up one hundred and ninety yards on the ground. You know that a team like Baltimore is going to get on track by running the ball. They're gonna They're not gonna set their attention towards throwing to flowers or doing any of that. They're gonna feed their running back and try and get their running back get their running game back on the tracks as well.
You look at a coach in Harball who has been fundamentally believed the defense in the running game, and that's something that they've always been able to bring to every city that they go to. And as we know, defenses and running games do travel, and so I think that our defense, if it has never been a get right game for a defense, this one is it. Because you
gotta find a way to generate stops. And oh, by the way, as we're talking about Derrick Henry, they got a guy over there in Lamar Jackson that is a change agent in football and one of those guys that you gotta scheme up for to try and stop.
And I will say this when it comes to the Baltimore in Dallas' defense.
When you look at Dallas's.
Defense, the backs that they kind of usually struggle against are those quick, hit the whole like a you know, like a lightning bolt type of backs. One thing about Derrick Henry is he's not that hit the hole with the you know, like a lightning boat. He's kind of those labor through here. But once he gets going, now it's kind of hard to stop him. He's like the juggernaut.
But if you can get to him at that line of scrimmage, if you can stop his momentum before he gets going, he's a back that you can kind of corral a little bit. And I've seen the Dallas Cowboys defense have success against those bigger, physical laboring type backs. So that's one thing I will say. But if you don't got the guys on the inside to at least make those holes money, and you're giving him holes that we saw Kamar run through.
I mean he kissed the baby. It might be curtains, so.
Heck refreshment memory. Carlos Watkins, we've seen him before.
Yes, we have not fantastic twenty one to twenty two, those are not fantastic years to talk about.
I mean, I like how you do it set it up.
We've seen Carlos before.
And where was Carlos located last before the Cowboys just recently got him commanders? Was he on a on a practice squad?
I mean, at this point, I don't think you can get Jones in a trade from Kansas City. You're not gonna get Aaron Donalds. So when I say that, I wasn't trying to wow you with the fact that we have Carlos Watkins.
You're bringing the facts. Yeah, this is not a slam on you at all. You're bringing the facts. I'm just trying to make sure that you know, we remember the last time we saw Carlos it was.
Oh hey, yeah, we're good. They we're good.
This is I mean, look, hey, it was concerning. It was concerning before you had Carlos Watkins. And I think again for this defense, no matter what they're thinking, koz Zimmer has been through the ringer of these last couple of days because everybody's questioning him, his tenure in the NFL, his defense.
What is he dated? Is he out did all all that stuff.
And I think once you start those those whispers about a coach that's been in this game, that's had some success, that's got a dig on his skin a little bit, and his guys are responsible for that. He fell on his sword. He said it was you know, it was what I was calling. It wasn't on the guy's effort. The guys were saying, hell no, it was our effort. So look, we will see on Sunday, because you know, you have a team in front of you that has
one of the best. And I'm not talking about Henry I'm talking about Lamar Jackson.
That's a weapon. That's a weapon.
So Carlos Watkins, by the way, wearing number ninety two by Jersey, Yeah.
Playing this week, playing this week, righties, young man?
Yeah yeah, yeah.
So I mean remember those ten snaps I was talking about for lyn Vald Joseph. Remember remember those Joseph snaps I was telling you about third times as well Shot Phillips. Yeah, Joseph, And you're doing wat I mean who else is?
I mean really nowhere else where you can go right now?
Hey, teams are not giving up their good D the their D twos, their D three is. They're not giving up their tackles, They're not giving up their centers. They're not giving up any of those guys. The enforcer, he's the enforcer.
Gator Roll. We shouldn't know who you're talking about.
That.
We noticed that.
Who Gator Roll, he's doing this thing.
Just man, look that some hard times right back, hard times here on.
This D line and Gator Road. I mean, here we are.
It's week three, guys, yes, sir, something we are the Players Lounge Podcast, brought you by Aristocrat Gaming. We have been speaking about this since the season ended. Okay, you've got issues stopping the run and we didn't see it in the draft. You didn't see it in free agency. They tried to make a couple moves here at at the end of camp, bringing in some bodies, but as you talked about Church.
You guys are old on the street for a reason.
And after the Saints ate you up for one hundred and ninety yards, we see more issues. This is a team in Baltimore. It's gonna come here and punch you in the mouth.
They have to.
They are zero and too. They're going to punch you in the mouth. And right now my concern for this football team HECMA is we watched them at home their last two games at home get punched in the mouth, and they've laid down and they've taken it. Yea, At what point in time do these guys stand up here and fight back. This is an embarrassing moment. Is one where this is where the old players got to come back here? Man, You know, and I know Charles Haley wear people.
Out, We've seen it before, but somebody's got to sit up here in this is some embarrassing stuff here.
Man. You know, you know, you know the old guys and your uncle Joe Green, you and the old guys come back, man. You know, they bring their families and everything. Man, they don't want to come back here and come get embarrassed.
Come out here and watch this.
If I got to spend all my time and you know, because you know, going to a game, man the hours and taken all the coting, can come out here and just get a beat up and the game is over by that before halftime.
I don't want to see that.
This isn't they need to show Vegas already has the braven favorite in this game.
Cowboys need to respond.
As they should. And those are the things that that locker room can't. They gotta they gotta block all of that out because this is this is a gut check time. You know, for lack of better words, this is must win whatever, it's a gut check game. And put it on the put it on the.
As well man.
Put it on coach Mike McCarthy, because I think what people have really had a gripe with him is his team's being ready in those moments. You didn't feel like they were ready last year doing the playoffs, some of the biggest games where they were coming up against some high, you know, heightened opponents, and they didn't show up. I mean, yeah, we can show up versus the five hundred, the little below five hundreds, and we could flex our muscles, but in order to get to that next step get over
the hump. As people say, you're going to have to beat some of these upper echelon teams. Now the tape is out. Yeah, the tape is out. And I don't care what neighborhood you grew up in. If you're with a guy that's always getting picked on, the bully, do on. They didn't even have to know you to come and pick on you, right, And so every team that comes to at and T Stadium think that they can do the same thing that the Saints did, that the forty nine ers did, that Green Bay did, because it's an
equation that works each and every time. And so to speak to what you're saying, it's on the coaching staff. You guys got to be ready. I don't care what bus you got to get on to get out here. Once you got to get on the first bus, the second bus, but you better be ready when.
You get to the stadium.
I'll give you some of that, But I'm still the same guy that gave McCarthy credit because they went against went out there against Cleveland and they ended up getting it done. But you know, if we could jump and do podcasts and we can sign new contracts, and we can do all these things.
This is the play. This is still player's lead. This is about dudes.
And Barry, you speak to him.
You know, Coach can sit up here and give you the plan all day long. You gotta go out here and execute it. But most of Mike McCarthy and Mike Zimmer, they're not standing there on that field getting beating them out and taking it.
Yep.
And he can't walk out there and do it for you. I mean, this is some time, and Michael, they're running at you. Bruh, what you're gonna do?
Running that? You getting blocked up?
And Camargo still the pin. He goes slide the ball across the bot. I mean, you guys gonna take that.
I remember one time, and this is baseball, but got picked the home run, and but show Walts was the manager and he just looked down the bitch. He just looked at him, looked back and he said, you know he ain't seen oracks. Oh you okay with this? He just leaned back, look at his players. Real simple, you guys are okay with this dude hitting a home run, having a party out here. I'm just gonna sit back and see what you guys do. Yeah, And to me
while yes coaching, getting your guys ready. At some point in time, these dudes have to stand up here, just like you talk about getting bullied and picked on. You can tell you mom and daddy all day long, but you're the one that got to go to school. When do you stand up and say, hey, man, no, I remember Jimmy Johnson when he was here, you're too young for this.
Jimmy Johnson talked.
About sit this for that, and Jimmy Johnson talked about them having to take on uh, taking on Washington. You know, when you're facing a big bully, what do you do. You gotta really gotta hit him with everything and the out go ahead and beat these dudes up. Jimmy got him ready, but they had to go out there and they had to go execute it. And that was that ninety two season. They ended up winning Super Bowl. Some point time, you got a man up. You have to
be an active participant in your own rescue. Mike McCarthy can't save you.
You in the.
Water, drowning, Grab a stick, swim to this show. Do what you can tell somebody else in the room. You coming with me. We're getting this done. But right now we're watching do do something, bebout boombox, do something, find out the boom bottle. But like you said, I'm a flaw since I go across the end zone. They're taking it, man, and here come the Ravens at zero and two. And you know what they you know what they're gonna do. You know what they're gonna do.
So let me ask you this, and I agree with you that the sense of I call it a gut check situation. For the players, Micha McCarthy is on. I don't know the hours, minutes, and seconds that he's gonna be here, but he can't stand to have another embarrassment like this at home. And that's that's what I'm speaking to. Michael's gonna be here, Okay, Michael's gonna be here. Trayvon Diggs is gonna be here these that's happening to these guys. I'm talking about the coaches that are on month. They
got a couple of months in this deal. So you have got to get this thing under control. You can't have guy show up to the stadium and think they're just gonna roll their helmets out there and gods are gonna lay down.
That's not gonna happen.
And that's why I put the onus there on the coaches as well, because if you don't get these guys ready and they lose something that somebody else scored another forty burger at home.
I bear raight, mi raight, But it goes exactly what you said. You gotta go out there and you gotta punch the bully in the mouth. Sometimes we saw example after example of this defense going out there, even.
In offenses as well. If you look at that offensive.
Line, it's the one on one opportunities. That's all that football comes down to. In my opinion. I mean, you just scheme everything up. You can get your players with opportunities to go out there and make big plays. You can scheme you know, Michael Parson's being able to loop around and get to the quarterback back the end of the day, he's got to win some type.
Of one on one out there to make that scheme come alive.
When you looked out there on that defensive side of the football, and that's because I played that sass, that's the side I'm gonna talk.
To, there was no wins. People were veil.
Crow to the offensive lineman out there, not getting off of blocks. There was a stat out there that said Alvin Kamara had one hundred and thirty eight yards total.
Before he even got touch.
Like if you add up everything before he reached contact, it was one hundred and thirty eight yards like that. That that to me is embarrassing. And like you said, he gets into the in so he's leaning up against the railer. This is easy to me. That's what it made it look like to me. And now it's embarrassing. And you you heard the players. They talked about it. Man, we can't let this happen. It's a punch in mouth. We gotta retaliate, we gotta respond. But there's only so
much you can scheme. You gotta go out there and you gotta get the job done. As players, somebody got to step up and they gotta get the job done. And so far this year they were able to do it against a lackluster Cleveland team that you pointed out without those two tackles. I mean compromise. It was a compromise, you know we did. We kind of glossed over there,
but that was compromising. Now the Saints team that nobody had respect for, I know I didn't going into this game and going into the season, and they came and embarrassed you at your own front and your own home place.
And that's the second one in the row. You're talking about home games.
Because Green Bay came into the same thing. And it's not like it's just one phase of the football game. We were able to run and throw the football with ease. You gotta be able to go out there and win your one on one opportunities. It comes down to the player scheme. Everything you want to but at the end of the day, those one on one opportunities you got to take advantage of.
That's what's scary about this game. That's what's scary about it because if you get embarrassed the same way again, if you get embarrassed the same way, if King Henry is, if Derrick Henry is leaning up against the you know
got it. If Lamar Jackson does has those big eighty yard crazy runs that you know Lamar Jackson is able to have, it's look, it's going to be demoralizing and not only is a fan base, but as a team to see that continuously happen and you not be able to do anything about it, and nobody has any backbone to stop it. Nobody stands up and says, look, got this on us. We got to go do something about it. Did you see that on the sideline?
I didn't.
Y'all was looking for it. I didn't see it. I didn't see that one guy that was saying, look.
Radley, the truth.
Something was here in twenty ten. Look uncle Wade, who's out? I messed with Uncle Wade heavy. That was my guy players coach. But there was all these so many embarrassing games you can take. You. I don't know if you was there, but you was covered the squad. We went up to Green Bay that that Monday.
There was a Monday night game, so no, it was Sunday night games, Sunday the National everybody saw you TV. I mean, there was just so many butt kickings you can take to where at the end of the day it was like we got to make a change.
Quit team, quit team, quit on it. I was playing at half time after the rookie playing that it was bad.
There was only so many times you could take those punches in the mouth before something's gotta happen.
All right, let's get our break in here. You know, Dak Prescott is one to o against the Baltimore Ravens. There you go, it was twenty sixteen.
That's good news.
Twenty sixteen was elected President. Ray lewis right. It's it's been a minute, but hey, I was right. I tried. I tried to bring some some good news here.
Let's look at a couple of matchups between the Ravens and the Cowboys.
Heck, Maharrison's gonna bring Heck come bring the feel good Nicks.
Right here, I will.
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To the Players Lounge.
This segment of the Players Lounge was brought to you by Yetti, official cooler and Drinkwaar of the Dallas Cowboys.
All right, heck.
Maherrison, thank you very much.
Players Louds brought to you by Aristocrat Gaming Berry church Ford Dallas Cowboys Savings here on Luis Scruggs. Since twoenty twenty one. The Cowboys are twelve and two the week following a loss that is a eight fifty seven winning percentage in the weeks following a loss that is tied with the Buffalo Bills for the best in the NFL over the last three plus seasons. So Mike McCarthy has
a bounce back factor very well. This is going to be a challenge because here's a team coming in here that's zero and two that a lot of people like myself thought we'll go to win the division. I actually had this team in the Super Bowl. They lost at home to the Raiders and Gardner Minshew. That was embarrassing. They lost their first game on Thursday night to the Kansas City Chiefs. You fall the oh to three, you about to be in some trouble here. Cowboys do not
want to fall the O and two at home. You're gonna be in some trouble if you can't win these home games here. So this is going to become a battle of wills and a battle of character here. Dak Prescott has played against the Ravens. He was twenty seven to thirty six four three hundred and one yards and three touchdowns as a rookie. That's the last time he played against Baltimore. I was twenty sixteen. He did not
play against the Ravens in twenty twenty. That was because of the ankle injury that he suffered early in the season. So this is Dak's second time facing these Ravens. All right, heck, ma Harrison, I know you start to study just a little bit here with some of the matchups.
Yeah, I have, and I think that the Baltimore Ravens are still surprising that they're O and two Kansas City game. As we all watched that one as a banner was lifted in Kansas City. That was a close ball game. But I think you you started to see that the Lamar Jackson still has a bunch of talent on his roster, but they lost a lot. They lost fifteen players last year to free agency and a lot of the big
part of that came from their offensive line. They're struggling in that department with the losses that they have, but you talk about who they do have and for me, and there's something that you pointed out, and we've talked a lot about safeties, and I'm kind of leading you in to this. They have a guy by the name of Isaiah likely from the coast of Carolina, and I'm gonna tell you, like a fourth round draft pick. Then it just amazes me how barry they miss on guys.
I mean, he's a guy that's taking the fourth round that clearly should have been drafted higher. Just a very talented dude. I mean, route runner has hands and for our safeties, I think Dunban. Wilson's kryptonite is a a is a guy that can rout him up and a tight and a tight end that can route him up.
Yes, and we saw We've.
Talked about this with Kittle and then some of those other matchups, but that's just a longer line of scrimmage. One of those guys in the box that could come downhill. I love him in that capacity. What we've seen also from our linebacker is that is they're a lot better now with the way these guys run, but we haven't seen them. We see them up against Joku. Joko got hurt, went out. But I think this is a bigger test
for them. And not only I mentioned in Isaiah likely they also have the all everything Mark Andrews take and they have paid him a grip. So Mark Andrews is going to be a part of that as well. The other thing that I want to say, and I wanted to get your feedback on, is how you scheme as a defense for Lamar Jackson, Because in my thought, Barry is if you go man cover zero in any situation versus Lamar, and you bliss en and you miss. So so you know that I know that, So the for
the defense. I'm trying to come up with this with a plan that says, look, this is how you stop this team because number one is obviously stopped to run. But I'm just telling you how they can also hurt you in the passing.
Yeah, the Cowboys, in my opinion, they're in a little bit of a pickle right now, a little bit of a pickle when you talk about these matchups, because to me, Isaiah Likely is probably one of the hardest matchups as far as a tight end in the National Football League. You put a linebacker on hem gonna outrun him. You put a safety on him, he's gonna he's gonna route him up. And if you use your resources to put a corner or nickel on them, let's just say they
put you know, Jordan Lewis, he's too small. He's too small for a guy like Isaiah Likely. And that's one of the guys that when everything breaks down, Lamar Jackson starts scrambling around back there. That's who he's looking for to add lib and make a play. So, to me, Isaiah Likely is gonna be a tough, tough matchup for this Dallas Cowboys defense. Now, when you talk about trying to contain a guy like Lamar Jackson.
Yes, that's the that's the key.
Right there, and it is gonna be tough because you know, we gotta get We've got a lot of guys out there with natural ability, natural speed, but you gotta be able to keep him in the bus. Now, I understand that's a lot easier said than done, because this guy makes the fools out of a lot of people in the phone booth. All right, So I understand it's gonna be a lot easier said than done. But this is the type of game where, like Anthony Hitchin said, you
can't have hero ball. You can't have guys over there and say I'm gonna go out here and make the play. I'm gonna do this and that to make the play, you gotta trust your teammates on the inside but on the outside to be able to do their job. Like, if it's your job to contain and you see Lamar sitting there, don't try to go underneath and make a play because he's gonna make.
You look foolish. You gotta trust that old DIGGI Zoo. You gotta trust that d law.
These interior players and the other guys on the outside are gonna do their job and when it comes to you, you gotta make it. But to me, if you go out there and you try to blitz this guy, because Kansas City had some success blitzing Lamar Jackson, but I'm not so sure we have the guys on the second level to be able to match up with that. If he does get through that blitz, and we've seen it time and time again, if you miss him on that.
Blitz, he's gonna make you pay.
Man.
So to me, this defense is in a bit of a little pickle right here. But you do have that one chess piece. You do have overshown out there, and he's shown the ability to go sideline the sideline and be able to keep up with some of these guys in the National Football League. Is that a tall task for a guy coming in basically his first year. Of
course it is, because Lamar Jackson is that guy. But you got a chess piece there that you can at least spy on him and make things difficult for him to where if he just jumps out the jumps out the window, he just can't get loose. He Man, you got a guy and overshown that has the speed that's at least going to be able to make him go sideline the sideline and not downfield and where he could just run straight through your defense. So to me, you gotta look use over shown last week he only had
what eighteen some snaps out there. This is the game where he's got to play because I think he's your chess piece, he's your speed piece on that second level that can at least contend with a Lamar jacks Let me just say this, Max Crosby had a hell of a game. He was at two sacks in that game. He was just ruptive off the edge. He was a big time matchup problem for them. Ronnie Staley is going
to have his hands full with Michael Parsons. And this is one of those games where all the whispers about Micah's out, Uh he plays when he wants to, where's he gonna You know, he has to show up And I mean you've seen there's there's a road map here for the success that teams have had against Lamar Jackson, and a guy like Max Crosby showed you last week that man, if you if you stay aggressive out on the edge, Mac Trisby obviously from the fighting Chris Bean
Colinville Heritage High School here uh in in the state of Texas.
But man, he was a beast out there and we need that kind of effort to.
Helping his team.
Harassed in the quarterback, Yeah yeah, yeah, And this is a big.
Game and they did that to him at home and so the one needs to me two sacks.
Eight Hutchinson four and a half sacks. Miles Garrett was said, t J.
Yeah, there's a trend. There's a trend. Where's where's Waldo? But here's what you what you were just talking about as far as Lamar Jackson stressing your defense because he's a perpetual scramble drill and.
That's the hardest thing in the second.
You have to stay stuck your man for longer than you want to and even if you actually have the perfect defense, can't stop a guy like Lamar Jackson. And I mean, I love that you spoke to that, because I don't think that people even understand how hard that is to stay at attention for four quarters like that with a guy that you know that at any moment he could change the dynamic of this game.
And when he starts getting back there, and he's doing these scramble jills left and right. It's hard enough to cover ride receiver concepts when they're.
Running the actual route.
Imagine if you give a guy extra three to four seconds to just add lib out there. I mean we see it all the time with Kansas City and Travis Kelce like, guys will have him locked up and then here comes this boy Mahomes running around. Next thing you know, he's looking this way, turning that way. It's impossible to cover. That's why Russian cover works so much well together. And like your boy says all the time, you can't the
secondary can't do nothing. If that defensive line ain't working and they're not then after job, the back does not work without the front. And if Lamar Jackson got all day back there and those guys start adding living in the secondary.
I don't care who you have prime out there, I don't care.
It's hard to cover people that long in the national football these guys are just too good.
You gotta make Lamar Jackson a pocket pasture.
You want him throwing the ball forty times in Kansas City had him throwing it forty.
Times, and the Ravens ran a great bunch in that game.
And by the way, we make sure we don't forget he came back in that game and it looked like Likely caught the touchdown pass that could have tied it up, and then he had like like a thw thumb toe just right there, you're a Kirk toe. Didn't get it done that light between. If Likely and Andrews are both hitting and your d line is not able to help your line back, you can get up. King Henry right, there's this is a challenge, man, this is a serious challenge.
And we're going and learn a lot about the Dallas.
Cowboys this weekend. Yeah, with at and T Stateium. Now what do you made of Yeah? And that's what the challenge is is. Now we're in a league all of a sudden now loves the running game, you know, and what are teams presenting each and every week? They are coming to your stadium and if you cannot stop it, they're just going to continue to pour it on you. And the Cowboys literally right now are the poster child for that team that cannot stop the run. And then
we're talking about something. Running backs are so in.
Vogue, you know.
Now all of a sudden the running game is like, oh my god, you know, look at what we can do. And I just feel like Zimmer has been a guy that's been in the league long enough that he's seen every type of scheme. This Shanahan scheme, it's an old scheme. He didn't create something new, he just revamped something old, and so I look forward to what he does, the adjustment that he makes. Whatever it is, man, it's gonna be on full display on Sunday.
Let's talk about that Cowboy run game. Let's talk about that next with Heck Maharrison Barry Church of New he Scruggs. This is the Players Lounge, brought to you by a Risk Gaming on Dallas Cowboys dot com.
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All Right, Sunday three, twenty five is the kickoff against the Baltimore Ravens at at and T Stadium. All Right, but service announcement. Okay, the Rangers final game is Sunday. Get to your get there early if you go into the Cowboy game because you know, fan appreciation, getting last time you see the world champion Rangers, because it's their last time as world champions playing this year because they will not be making the playoffs.
Get their early baby.
It's feast of famine out there.
Is their early parking is you know?
And if you how do you feel about that?
I mean, they were riding the high as as a team winning the World Series and this year just did not go.
So the man I was there, I was there.
No no, no, I'm saying no, no, I'm saying.
And I say that I don't care. I don't care about twenty thirteen. Don't care.
I don't care if this is a bad season. Heck, all I know is that ride and what they did last year.
That stuff. There's a couple of things that you just remember.
Coupling teams.
I'll never forget that ride that they went on. I'll never forget the twenty eleven rides that the Mavericks went on and watching it and seeing the whole thing the next year for both of them. But nah, I'm the organization. Unlike the Mavericks, the Rangers organization, in my mind, did everything that they needed to do to try to repeat and go out here and do it again just didn't happen. It didn't happen. Guys were injured from the time they had. It was a mix of both. You know, Corey Seeger
wasn't healthy. I mean, just you had Evan Carter, who played such a big role last year as a rookie, as an outfielder.
He was hurt.
Just a lot of stuff didn't go their way, but management put the money into it.
It's not like the players when I loaf and everything. It just didn't go your way.
It's so hard, and that's one thing that I have such respect for for the teams that have repeated throughout sports history. It is hard just to do it once, but you do it again, you climb the mountain and everybody knows that's the standard. You're that team, and you can do it again.
It's hard.
Bruce Wunch, he's never repeated, and he's won the World Series four times. I mean, he never even made the playoffs next year. I mean, his teams have a falloff. But having been there in twenty eleven when the Rangers were won out away from winning the World Series twice and then to watch them win it. It didn't matter. They could have been the worst team in baseball. It had been all good.
It had been all good because they raised the banner.
And when you win a championship, man, it is it is outstanding. If the Cowboys ever won a Super Bowl again under Jerry and they went and won three games next year, you know what I say? Okay, fine, because when you get to that mountain top like that hack, especially for the fans, and then to watch some of the long suffering staffers, Man, that was a fun thing for me because I saw guys who were still with a team that were there at twenty eleven, just saw
the letdown. I was really happy for them. I felt bad for Adrian Beltray, Ian Kinsler and Michael Young because they were on the field at Arizona and they stood back just first of all, what great leaders. They're like, hey man, we weren't a part of this. This wasn't our team. I'm going to stay back. When I tried to interview, I'm like, nope, no, you talk to them. I wasn't a part of this. Had my shot, didn't
get it done. But they were happy for them. And then you know, two of the guys worked for the organizations, so they were gonna get rings anyway. But no, man, they go out there Sunday, they don't get it done.
Fine, yeah, I'm good with it.
And I think the emotional part of you is obviously like, hell yeah, they got it done. And you watched the parade, you were a part of it. And then some teams in the off season after they win a championship, they go through wholesale changes where they you know, you know, get guys off of the roster. It seemed like to me that the Rangers were trying to get better, you know,
the in the off season as well. And so look, that's why you look at the Kansas City Chiefs and what they're doing in their pursuit for a third and how you know a team is building and with the in the salary era, to be able to continue to play at a high level like that, it's it's really impressive, and I think it's a lot. It's a lot harder than the casual fan gives it to reaching that to reaching that mountaintop, to be able to win that championship.
It is made.
Against you in the NFL. It's not made for you to sustain it. They've made rules to try to hurt you. But this is you know, first off, when you have generational talent like a Patrick Lomees, you can tell Tyree Hill thanks and we can go win without you. I always tell people, look at the running backs. They've gone through all these different teams that made.
The Super Bowl. And Andy's an exceptional coach. You know, he's going into the.
Pro Football Hall of Fame and you've got it outstanding quarterback and they management is giving them what they need.
Chris Jones, Steve spa.
You know, they they they don't put assistant coaches in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is an area I think they really need to correct.
Some guys are going to be head coaches.
But you talk about what with Steve Spagnola has done as a defensive coordinator, and people forget when Bill Belichick's undefeated Giants team lost Spagnolo, that was Spagnolo getting that done.
Always had great personnel, guys that can rush the passer, and right now here Jones is probably I mean, it's a delight if you like, you know, trench warfare, you like that kind of football. When you see a guy that side doing what he's doing and moving around on that defensive line, and people don't give that. Last year as Kansas City, the Chiefs team enough credit for having the number one defense and having the kind of leaders
that they had on that side of the ball. There was an ugly point in the season where they said, this is the worst statistical year that they had offensively. It was because the defense carried him. And here we are talking about defense and a defense potentially being able to carry you at certain points during the season.
And I don't know about y'all.
After last week, I don't have any hope have left in that department to think that that's the kind of balance that we can have as a team.
So, speaking of hopium, I'll give you a sliver. What if they could figure out how to run the ball? And we brought up the name Dalvin Cook. We don't know what they're going to do, but we saw what they rolled out there last week.
It was unsuccessful, that wasn't it.
So maybe trying Dalvin Cook against his former team because he played for Baltimore last year, played in the playoff game, maybe that is something they've got to figure out something as a coaching staff, how do you get this run game going, because if Baltimore is out here running and putting up numbers that they have had one hundred and fifty yards last week you had like a bucks seventy or something plus against Kansas City, your defense is going to be worn out. You can't go out here with
a three and out drive. You can't have a drive that last, you know, two seventeen. I mean, you're going to have to figure out how to run the ball, protect to protect.
Can't just take kickfield goals either, you know, you gotta go score for score with them.
And those are some of the things that changes it up.
I mean, look, you know this is what everybody knows that it's evaluated the tape on Baltimore.
They're gonna run the ball.
And if your defense cannot be steady enough to not allow those long sustaining clock draining, it drives. And those are the things like when you look up, it's like, damn, they've had the ball for eight minutes quarter, you know, the whole quarter they take it up, and then not only that, they've gone down and they've scored, and then you get the ball back and it's a three and out and it just it just starts all over again,
and that's why. Look, when you look at the numbers on Baltimore, they are great in so many areas, but then they are really.
Bad in other areas.
So as we know they're gonna run on us, they know we're gonna pass on them. And so that's that's where I think the swing comes in this game. Where people can whether it's hopingum or not, you can you can feel like, look, we got seed. You saw what Devontae Adams did last week versus versus the Ravens. So in steps our offense to to take advantage of that defense. And when it comes to our offense, and y'all, I know, we love Ma McCarthy and he's the heck of a play caller on what he does.
But there's things that they got to get better at. You know, we talk about this running attack, they got to get better at it. Do we have the juice to be able to do that, I'm not so sure. Even with the Dialbin Cook, I'm not so sure. But one area that they've got to improve on if they want to be able to beat these good teams is the red zone. I mean, we looked at it the first two games one for four in the red zone.
You're not gonna win these games. You'll beat Cleveland with no tackles off, You'll beat Cleveland, but you're not gonna beat these good teams.
Going zero for three in the red zone. Kick the field goals with Brandon Aubrey.
That Bd Aubrey, get me wrong, that's last year's that's the thing.
You can't do it. You gotta cash it when you get down there. That's a must. Where's hell Boogie when you need them?
Bring out where pro Bo? Bring out Bookie out. We need to Pro Bowl, we need to pro bom.
You bring him out something some gotta happ bring him out, bringing out what you're doing.
So far it has not been has not. It has not, It don't look like it will.
Hey, we got a Pro Bowl on the line. I'm which I hope you go out there and give yourself.
Just remember Cee Lamb's first four games last year. We're not Pro Bowl games. It took him a minute to get you did. So maybe that's what Mike needs. Maybe Mike has to just kind of stumble into this thing. And you don't have like the l Boogie package, Like what is it?
Something gotta ain't nobody getting open. Outside of nobody's getting open, you know it is you torpor Mad a hell of a catch, but he was, he was locked up.
He was.
He made a hell of a catch though, But other than that, who's getting open?
And that's why you hope that Ferguson can come back and be healthy. And I mean, even with that knee sprain and Bruce, how elusive is he going to be?
How mobile is he going to be?
I don't know, but I know that Dak was missing a piece of that offense last week, and that was something that was something that was off and if it was just that they didn't have Ferguson, Ferguson is a big part of this offense.
All right, guys, let's continue with tomorrow.
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