Player's Lounge: Rookies vs Vets

and Danny mccraig. Gentlemen, how are we doing on this hunt day? Man? Doing good? Doing good? Man? The sun's out, it's a little cold, but you know overall, you know it's it's it's it's a beautiful day, man, So nothing can go wrong today, beautiful day. All right, okay, nothing nothing can go wrong? All right, nostrada Okay, I feel you. It's a good day for me too. Man. We made it through halfway through another week. It's a blessing to

still be here. So I'm excited to get into what we're gonna talk about today because I know the church is gonna say something crazy make us laugh, and then we're gonna have to be so with some crazy rational now. So I'm excited for today, Hey, December sixteenth, which means we're getting closer and closer to the end of twenty twenty, and I think we'll all be good if we can get ahead and get to twenty twenty one. The Cowboys

will face the forty nine Ers on Sunday. That game was supposed to be on NBC's Sunday Night Football, but it got flexed out, so it is a noon football. Forty nine Ers are favorite by three points. In this game. The Cowboys could get some reinforcements back, Okay, so yeah, one of the problems for the Cowboys has been that defensive backfield whole year long. The man who leads the

team and interceptions, rookie Travad Digs could be back. Cheeto Woozier's off COVID nineteen, so I expect Cheeto to play, and Donovan Wilson, the safety he's back in practice, we expect him to play. So Barry Church, your thoughts on some reinforcements coming in here to deal with Brandon I Youth and those forty nine receivers. Man, you know what, hey,

we need all the help we can get. I mean, look, I was proud of what the secondary did last week against the Bengals, but like we all said, man, it was the Bengals and they were down to Brandon Island out there. But the secondary did fight and they scratched and they showed some competitives out there. So I definitely it was happy what I saw from them last week, But we need the reinforcements now. If we get to the individual players. If I'm Trayvon Day's personally, if I'm

Trayvon this, I'm not coming back. I'm saying, look, man, this season is over with right now. I didn't put good tape on there. Yes, I had some ups and downs. I got beat but it's my rookie year and all people keep talking about it just fighting his ability out there. He leads the team interceptions. I think he's still leads a team in pass deflections like four or five. So if I'm him, I'm like, look, man, I had I

had a solid rookie season. I'm gonna go ahead and rest up and get back and get ready for this for this next upcoming season. Now, cheto Woozy. On the other hand, he gotta come back. He has got to come back, and he has got to put good tape out there, because right now he's entering free agency with some of the worst tape out of scene at a corner position. When he came back from from his hamstring a couple of weeks back, he looked like he was running in sand. Out there. Everybody and their mom was

running past this kid, and he put on bad tape. Now, going into free agency, that's the one thing you do not want to do at all. You don't want to put any other bad doubt and any other franchise out there that hey, this kid might not be able to cover or he's too slow to be out there and covering. So for me, if I'm Cheeto, I had to come out in these last three games, I gotta put good tape out there or else, man, he might be looking

like a minimum contract type. Dude. Listen, listen. From the player's perspective, sounds amazing, But from a coaching the perspective, dig's gotta be out there. I would I probably wouldn't put Cheeto out there. But you just pay Anthony Brown, so you're pretty sure he's gonna be on the roster

next season. You need to see what your what your defensive backfield looks like, what type of potential they have, See if they've been able to learn anything, and see if they can learn anything over these next three games. You have to you have to you have to see that to know like what you have going into the next year. Cheeto, you know he's most likely out of here. But me me as a GM and as a head coach, I want to know what I have when I want to see these guys make a little progression over the

last three weeks against some live actions. So these guys need to be out there plan. Let me ask this question. I'll start with you mcraye. If you're digs, do you want to go against some other rookie receiver see Brandon I first round wide receiver next week, Jalen rag or the Eagles comes into town. It does it become a personal thing where you know, you seeing the guy in your rookie class and you want to prove something to him.

And I asked that because I read the book Three Ring Circus, and whenever there was somebody in Kobe Bryant's rookie class, he always wanted to prove a point to them. So I'm just asking that question. Does that go through Dbe's minds at all? Well, listen, listen. Kobe is one of a kind guys. So I won't go into too Digs's mind and you know, and say who he really wants to compete against. I'll tell you this, I'm pretty sure that he wants to continue to get better as

we saw him do as the season progressed. Right, So, we saw him fighting, then we saw him getting beat a couple of times when we were impressed with how he never gave up, and he made some hustle plays and then they'll start turning into interceptions. So in his mind, he's like, I was just starting to get better. I

was just starting to get rolling. I want to get out there and finish this all, you know, and show these guys what I can really do, hopefully finish the season off with a few more interceptions in big plays. So in his mind, I think, I think that's what he's thinking. He's getting better and he wants to continue to show that and lead leave off on a season

on a good note. Yeah, I guess I'm old, and I guess you know I'm the vetting the in here because I would have been if if I'm Tafon Days, my thought press us would have been like, well, just like what I told y'all earlier, hold on, man, I had a solid I had a solid rookie campaign. Everybody's kind of putting me on this pedal stores one of the guys that can that can be a future star out there. I'm not risking it by going out there and putting any bad tape out there so y'all can

have me labeled like cho Woozier out here. There's just no way that I would go out there and do that. I would just rest into that next twenty twenty one year. But hey, hey, that's just me. But I wouldn't as a coach though. As a coach, get yeah, if I'm Mike Nolan, I'm like, Yo, you gotta get out there. I need you out there. I need everybody. I need everybody on deck. I'm trying to save my job. I need everybody on deck. So if I'm Mike Nolan, I'm for sure telling him, hey, you gotta get out there.

But if I'm Diggs, nah Man, I'm chilling. I did what I could these first these first couple of games, I'm gonna go ahead and relax. But to the point that Nui talked about as far as DBS, I'm going out there against rookies. My mindset when I was out there as a safety, I was more I got to

outplay the other safety out there. So if we're going against you know, the Seattle Seahawks when they had Earl and Cam Chancellor or another good safety out there, I wouldn't I wouldn't focus myself on, you know, being able to outplay the offense. They would be. Let me go out there and I'll play those all their safeties and let them know, hey, I'm in the same realm a y'all. Did I make just as much as an impact as y'all did. So that was just my thought press us

going into the game against other safeties with timent. Well, this rookie receiver, Brandon Ayu is the real deal. He's a very good wide receiver with bad quarterback play, which also is impressive to me because Nick Mullins and c. J. Bath struggled, and even Jimmy Garoppolo when he's been out there this year, he struggled. And so I look at that young man. I just say, wow, what could he do if he had somebody that could actually get him

to football on a regular basis. He could have some more chemistry with this rookie receiving class here has been very impressive. And I feel bad for Jalen reagor kid over at the Philadelphia because the media and the fans are on him because they're like, why do we take you? Like we could have had to we had Brandon Ay. I mean, Philadelphia folks are cold, man. Look at everybody else that came after you, but we're stuck. It wouldn't I mean, it wouldn't have helped the way Carson Winson

is playing. It don't matter who out there receiver, they're not getting the ball to none of them. Dude. He got he got some serviceable guys out there who could make some plays. But the way we've seen Carson Wentz play, he lost his job last two weeks ago and he's still not going to be starting this week. So he wouldn't have been able to get anything done. With some of those type receivers, they would have been wasted their

first year. So I'm glad my boy, Justin Jefferson did not end up in phillyd a tremendous campaign with the Minnesota Vikings and how well did that work out. Stefan Diggs is in Buffalo. He's helped Josh Allen their NFC. She said, AFC East champions. They're going to the playoffs.

Minnesota unloaded the contract, got themselves a number one pick, and then get they get George Jefferson, who looks like he can do everything Diggs is done and does it as a cheaper into That's one of the few times when you look at the team and just say, man, that was a really good move, because a lot of times when you lose a guy like that do you never get close to replacing himself. Minnesota ended up doing. Okay, there, Church, you asked a question when we were bouncing our topics here, Um,

who are some defensive players? If you're the Cowboys, you don't bring back who are free agents? So I'll let you go first on this unless you want me to, because I've got a name of a guy I would bring back. Okay, an upcoming defense worth keeping, a guy would bring the go ahead? Now he got it, Okay, here it is Aldon Smith at thirty one years old. He is second on the team in splash plays behind Tank Lords with twenty four He's played six hundred and

fifty two snaps. Um for a guy who hadn't played in five years, I thought he looked well and I'd like to see what he could do next year coming off this year, especially having a whole all season getting his body ready. Um, but I start to look at the numbers here. Okay, let's look at the money. You're gonna have twenty four million dollars get off the cap.

Tyron Crawford's nine millions gone, Sean Lee's four point five million is gone, Everson Griffins six million is gone, and Gerald McCoy's four point five million dollars gonna said, twenty four million dollars out the duel. If you give him a two two three year contract maybe two, and you're paying him Tyron Crawford's money nine million a year or eight million a year, I have no problem with that. Being on the other side of Tank Lawrens, especially not

knowing because the draft is in April. I got to get this thing done, most likely in March. I would like to keep someone in the building at defensive end, and we could say Randy Gregory. But I'm not ready to trust Randy Gregory one hundred percent there just yet. So I would bring Alden Smith back. That's the free agent defensive player I bring back. I got a couple of questions on that. On that one one, you said he has twenty four splash plays. What are we considering

splash plays here? That's a great question. I just ready to stay frank it all day. That's good. I was I was hoping you would ask that because I was writing down about But but it looks good. It looks like it's like I will rush win, right, you know, it looks good. It looks good, and he's number two behind tanks. Oh bad a little overall if we get look, I'm with bringing analytics Smith back. Analytics who who wait? Oh, pro Football Focus is run back Collinsworth, right, he is

a part. But this I'm not sure that this came for Pro Football Focus. So so I'm not sure. Okay, okay, okay, all right, Well I'll say this. I'm with bringing Alden Smith back on on a on a very teen friendly deal. And I don't consider you know, tying Crawford's nine meal. I don't know if that's very team friendly, especially when you got, like you said, Randy Gregory right there in the wings, who these past couple of weeks has come along and he's come along and he's starting to get

things rolling. And like you said, with Alden Smith getting a full offseason, maybe he would become better. I'm sure what Randy Gregory as well. If he get a full I'll see him under his belt without anything going on. I think he would be better as well. And I think he would be that complimentary piece um to DeMarcus Lawrence that we would need. So overall, I don't know. Just the price would have to be right for me to be able to bring back Aldon Smith. It had

to be extreme. Give me an I would say around I was, I would say around four or five five being the tops. I pay five a year for Aldon Smith. Right now, he just has besides that scooping score, he just he just doesn't hasn't done anything since the first couple of weeks. And okay, now let's just put it out here. You're saying give him Sean Lee money, and yes, and look at okay, and Sean Lee this year as a linebacker is barely played. I'm sorry if I'm Alden Smith.

I'll go to the market before I take four or five. I mean, as a pass running he should. And that's what I think he'll end up doing. I think he'll hit the market, and I think somebody will pay him probably up upwards of ten million to go out there and b a d N for them. I just don't I think that's a little bit too expensive for a guy like that, who I feel is probably a rotational piece in a down cap. I mean, remember the CAP's going down. Do you think he's gonna get ten millions

cap goes down? It somebo guy who's who's had his past issues, who's had his past issue. Yea. I was going to say, both of y'all, both of y'all allow here acting like Randy Gregory and all the Smith have really proved to y'all that for the next few years they're going to be on a straight, narrow No, I'm not giving all the Smith no three year deal for the nine million dollars because he made it through one COVID nineteen season where we was on lockdown the entire time. No,

you can't just push them something to the side. It's a it's a it's a good thing that he hasn't that he hasn't gotten into any trouble this year, but that is still a big thing hanging over him and Randy Gregory's head. Are they able to be out there on the field? Can you depend on these guys to stay available? Same thing I said about Tyren Smith. It's nothing against how they play the game, but are they

going to be available? Do you trust all the Smith enough to give him a three year deal and depend on him to be your right defensive endor? Danny? I can I give you a retort to that? Absolutely? Isn't this isn't this the organization that is out here giving out second, third, four chances. I mean, if you're talking about organ, who's gonna trust him? Jerry, Who's gonna roll

the dome? On who that worked out for? I think the last the last guy we tried that went was Randy Gregory, and then before that it was Greg Hardy. I mean how many times we're gonna try to say and it's the same position, like this is last chance you? Okay, that's all I'm saying this last chance you man? Lando McClain, Yeah, yeah, I'm just saying you mean Alonzo Spellman, I mean, I go, I go down the list. But I'm just saying this is chance. So when you say who's gonna do it,

the cowboys are gonna know. I'm just saying you, you as a GM, is that something that you are doing. You trust what you've seen from Altar Smith so much on the field that sure that you're able to say, you know what, he played well enough for me to say, even if he does fall off just a little bit or get into some trouble, it's worth the risk, and I'll give him three years, not with nine million dollars

year twenty seven million dollars. Now, now, can I let me Now, let me just throw this out here with the caveat of what I suggested. Your contract is going to be set up in a way almost just like Greg's Erlin's contract. Okay, I'm gonna set it up in this way in which I can get out of it.

And that's something that I believe is more than fair for the team and the player is, hey, look we'll pay you, but because of what's happened in the past, we have to have some insurance and protection for ourselves. It's almost like the general mccoi contract. Now they put some things in because he had that knee issue or whatever the leg issue he had. They put some insurance in me. Hey, if you heard it, then did we get out of it? And they were able to get

out of the contract. So Danny, you're right. You know, I'm not sitting here saying, hey, it's a guaranteed contract. But but what I am going to do is pay you. But at the same time, I'm going to pay you with protect actions um for myself because of the past. Listen, I'm looking. I'm looking at the defensive end, the edge rusher list here for upcoming free agents, and I'm seeing names like Olivier Vernon. I'm seeing Trent Murphy, I'm seeing

Pronell McPhee, I'm seeing Matthew june On. I'm seeing all these names, and I'm going to make a run at some of these guys before before I think about picking up all the smith Somebody on that list is looking for a one year, team friendly deal so they can play it out. Somebody on that list is looking for one of those, and I think we can get one. Okay, Now,

let me let me ask this. Okay, we just I'm gonna push you a little bit more than if you are trying to sign Dak Prescott, can you afford to pay the price tag it may cost you to get one of these free agent defensive ends because they're not going to be cheap. I'm we need to go with my approach. That's why we need to go with my when it comes to that. I've been trying to tell y'all, man, this this is listen. This is the same thing, all right. It's somebody like like Jadavian Clowney set out there and

he ended up getting lucky. It's one of these guys on this list. It's going to be sitting out there because teams aren't going to be willing to pay whatever price tag. They think they're all work and you can scoop in and pay them a team friendly deal. The list is long. It's I see about thirty forty dudes on this list. All right, somebody is going to be available for you to go bring in, have a conversation

with and see if it really fits. Not like you did every since Griffin, have a real conversation with the defensive coordinated and see if this really fits with something that you want to do. I would take that look first before I thought about giving an Order Smith a three year deal. Nothing against him, but I just haven't forgotten about the pass the same way I haven't forgot about the pass with Randy Gregor. Okay, so Danny, who would you have? So who would you pick? Who would

you pick? D Mac not bad? Now he might bad? I need to cut you off my back. No, no, no, man, that you know what. It's really tough. I would really have to go watch some film monic because I don't want to pick them just off the name. But I know that these guys have been able to make some serious plays and they're proven players and they haven't been they haven't had any off the field issues. They are

available for you for sixteen games throughout the season. Well, then the issue is with these guys, and if their agents are smart, they're gonna be pushing to get these guys signed in March. With a guy like Everson Griffin, Look how long you waited. So if you want to play that waiting game, sit out free agency, you know, go through the draft and then hope, you know, come training cantime that you can get a deal on some guys. Then they could do that. That's something they could do.

It'll be very interesting to see how the Cowboys approaching because they want to rebuild this defense. Are they willing to wait to try and get that part? Hey, let's take a break here. We've got a whole list of topics we still need to get to. Back to back wins on this team is Zeke on the Training by Darren Woodson goes out to the Cowboys. Let's do it right here on The players are brought to you by Hotels dot Com on Dallas Cowboys out Come Radio. Hey,

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and look for Starview under the tab stadium. All right, we are back here on the Players Lounge, brought to you by Hotels dot Com. I'm new Scrugs, longtime Cowboys reporter, joined by Barry Church and Danny muld create, two former Dallas Cowboys safeties. Cowboys getting ready to face San Francisco forty nine ers this week. The Cowboys have not had back to back wins this season at all. I did a little digging and I sent you guys this note. I wanted to look at Mike McCarthy since he's a

head coach right here, no back to back wins? I said, when's the last time McCarthy had back to back wins as a head coach? Remember he sat out all of twenty nineteen. In twenty eighteen, he did not have a back to back win, and he was fired after going four set having in one, so twelve games gone. So then I went back to twenty seventeen, and he did have back to back wins. He had two of them. It was December tenth, a win over Cleveland, and December third,

a win over Tampa Bay. Both of those wins were in overtime. That Cleveland team with oh and sixteen. That Bucks team went five and eleven. Gentlemen, let me who was his quarterback? Who's this quarterback during that time? It's a good question, hunt I don't Huntley was that the guy? So wait, wait, wait for that whole time, Aaron Rodgers was not his quarterback. Oh no, he was in there. He slid in there. Okay, Okay, I'm just so yeah,

Aaron Rodgers get back. I don't know. I don't know, yah and so and so the question I would I would ask you, guys, is consistently people will say, hey, a player has lost a step or a player doesn't have what they used to. Could we say the same thing about coaches, that coaches can cannot be as good as you? Because I remember, and you guys are too young for this. I remember in nineteen eighty eight when Tom Landry with three thirteen people said game passed to

buy Remember what Chuck nod? Towards the end, people say, you know what, Chuck No, can't do it anymore. They said things about Don Shula. We're looking at Mike McCarthy here at his last three games. Man, here, it's a losing record. Can this guy be losing it a little bit? And that's despite the fact Jerry said he's coming back. That's fun. But I'm just wondering. I'm just asking the question. Because we say it about players all the time, can

we say the same thing about coaches? Church? Church Listen, you gonna understand this. While I'm laughing so hard when knew he brought this question up, I'm just gonna say this name, and I'm gonna see if y'all get a little chuckle out of you. Monty Kiffin does do your loser stuff? Do you loser stuff? Can the game pass you by? Absolutely? You write about that, bro? Yes, man, that the game evolved, It continues to evolve. Man. We got we got different type of quarterbacks playing, We got

a different type of defense needs to be run. We got different type of special teams stuffing going on. Yes, the game eVols. You can lose a step, but if you go sitting in the bar and you and you do analytics, then then you shouldn't lose a step. So I mean, you know at this point is what it is. We'll just see. Hey, man, I ain't gonna let y'all sit here and pile up on my boy Big Mike

like that. Man. Look, he had an off year. Man, he lost his QB one, he lost all his offensive linemen, and his boy, his best friend, one of one of his boys, Mike Nolan, who he thought was gonna come in here and improve the defense, ended up not doing anything as far as being a part of this defense. So look, I gotta give him a pass for this one year. Is it possible that the game can pass you back? One course it is. We saw we saw it.

We saw it with Kiffin, We saw with if even the coaches in the same room with kiffing her like, man, this dude doesn't know what he's talking about. So the game can pass you by. But I'm not ready to say that yet about Mike. Man. I can't do Big Mike like that, know it? No? It did you just read off something all the way goes all the way back in twenty seventeen, Church and talked about one off here yea twenty what was his record? But what was his record that that year? Though I understand he's four

seven one, four seventy one. They got the bhurt he was in twenty eighteen, he was four seventy one. And yeah, and I'm looking here at that last season okay, by the way for four seventy one, and they fired him after they got beat at home by the Arizona Cardinals twenty to seventeen, who was quarterbacked by Josh Rosen that day. Josh Rosen was eleven to twenty six for one hundred and forty nine yards. David Johnson was a leading rusher

for twenty carries in sixty nine yards. So listen, let me let me break this down for Church, right, let me break this down for Church, because I don't want Church to feel like I don't want to feel like that. For me. It's like me going in on Big Mike.

I'm gonna give it to you like this, Church, So what do you think, you know, how you watch Hard Knocks and all those TV shows to where they go, you know, back into the to the meeting rooms and you listen to the coaches talk about the players, and you had always been one of those guys who say, man, I wonder what they'd be saying about us. And in the back of that room back there, right when guys were starting to get cut, guys are starting to get released.

I can guarantee you these conversations that we are having right now, they are being had about players in the locker room around every around every team in the league. So the coaches can get the same stuff too. It ain't nothing against Mike. We're just going we just went back against his record saying he ain't want to back to back games this twenty seventeen he got to the Cowboys, and we do have all these issues. But right now we're sitting there four wins, and even when Dak was playing,

we was sitting that to it three. So I mean, you know, something's got to give. He is having a rough year. He's going to give another shot at it, but for this year. I'm just talking about this year. This is this is what I see from him and when he got to the Cowboys. But we go ahead, go ahead, and they go ahead. When we talk about analytics, they start to take together, Hey what have you done here?

Here here? And they started putting it together to spit out a number and and that, and I first Babe Laufenberg, who's the analyst for Cowboys Radio Dallas Cowboys Radio. He's the first person that brought together like, hey, this is what Mike. Mike's record is, you know, over the past two or three years, and and every you know, it's just it's tough. And you start going back and you look,

I mean, it's just tough. So when we go back to back to back, wins Bury, we got to go to twenty seventeen and it was against a team they went oh and sixteen, coached by Hugh Jackson got fired. And then it was against a five and eleven Tampa Bay team coached by Dirt Cotter, who's since been fired. Just saying I mean, I understand it. But but if we look at all the other first year coaches with their new team this year, I mean, he he hasn't done that bad. I mean, yeah, it's not where the

expectations were where we thought coming into the year. We thought this was a playoff caliber team, could be a Super Bowl caliboy team. It just hasn't panned out that way. But when you put him against all the other teams that have, you know, new coaches for their first year, he hasn't done that bad. I think he deserves another year ago at least another goal. Oh, let's go all right, he hasn't done that bad. His record is not that bad.

Cleveland's first year head coach Kevin Stefanski is nine and four. He came into AT and T Stadium and beat the breaks off the Cowboys and rushed for three hundred and seven yards with a second and third string running back. Okay, uh you first year The other first year head coach, Ron Rivera, he's got cancer. His team is six and seven and they beat the Cowboys twice. Other first year head coach Joe jug five and eight. Mike McCarthy did

beat him. But the Giants right now have an opportunity to win the division and they yeah for first year head coach and he fired. He fired Mark Colombo during the year and they got better. Mark Colombo making a difference. Listen here, listen, knew it, knew it. Listen, don't let Church fool you. It ain't about the records, bro, It's about what you watch when no, listen, it's about what you head coach. There we go, there you go, they go to me. It's about what you see when you

when you watch the team, what's around the team. You think about the issues that we've talked about around this team since Mike McCarthy has got here. Outside of the record, the fact that we are last in the division, all right, outside of that, we are last Indie, worst division in

the National Football League, we last, all right. Outside of that, we sit on this show and talked about anonymous were sitting on this show and talked about players coming out here, talking about you don't got to hostle the whole game. They are here smashing watermellons from mo Eva. They out here, like we talked about the were talked about it, and that game won that game. Listen, we talked about we listen.

I'm just I'm just listening. We've talked about a special team's coach possibly calling his own players and not letting the head coach. No. We talked about We've talked about a head coach who brought in a defensive coordinator who hasn't produced at all, and and and possibly continuing to have this guy as his defensive coordinator moving forward, and when you look at the decisions that are being made from the top coming down, that that is what plays

the bigger part in it for me. All Right, everything else happened. We lasted the division, but how did we look going into last place? It has been so many issues from from day one. I mean there's a lot of issues. You guys are there's a lot of issues. And I'm not saying this whole thing is it's strawberries

and cherries and everything's going great. It's not. But I think this guy deserves one more goal around mentioning it and overall us and overreacha if if if you're looking at records right now, first year head coaches overall, I mean he's only two games back. It's two games back there, that's it, only two six and seven besides the Browns, because I mean it looks the Fancy's got an amazing job over there and they're balling right now. So besides the Browns, I mean, he's right there with all the

first head year head coaches. He's right there. Eight four and nine, four and nine. Don't let don't don't don't let Church out of Twitter. People trying to get on us talking about what we said Mike McCarthy shouldn't come back next year. That ain't what we said. Year record trying as bad as everyone else's. That's all I'm saying.

Those other those other three head coaches, two of the three go be in the playoffs, Okay, two or three go being the playoffs, and the other one will just four forgot my rule because Matt rules for my bat Matt Rule, Oh, Matt Rule. Okay, and you know what that rules team, Matt Rules team has performed a lot better. I'll tell you what I tell you what give me Matt Rule. Matt Rule has done a better head coaching job than Mike McCarthy has. Okay, the same record. That

ain't all about the record. Say it ain't about the record. That's all You've been suspected to be one of the worst teams in league. Carolina supeosed to be one of the worst teams in the league. Okay, one of the worst. They beat Arizona. They beat the breaks off Arizona. Arizona came, beat the breaks off the stop stop it, we gotta take a break here. So they beat Arizona. So that means he's doing a better job than McCarthy. He is got the same record. They got the same church. Church, Church,

you take Church. They had their quarterback whin, they got their offensive line. What whatever, you're taking this break, Church, I'm gonna take your break, so you have to stop taking these als. Okay, I'm gonna take this breaks. I just don't believe y'all. Matt rules McCarthy. That's what I'm saying it. That's blasphem, that ain't it. Let's just talking crazy. Darren Woodson has some words about the Dallas Cowboys defense. Let's let's hear from the Cowboys ring about a legend.

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If you're going to the game, it's noon, Okay, it's not Sunday night anymore. That game has been flexed out, so you're gonna have to change around your plans. Go ahead and make sure you do that now. Forty nine three point favorites by the way, in this football game. Okay, it's a rough season for the Dallas Cowboys. It's been a rough year for Barry Church, who made a bet with Danny McCray about the Cowboys if you went in the NFCC now owes hidding Nick and Sam's because the

slim chance of that happening. Darren Woodson, who won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, recently said this about the team, and I want to get your take on this. I'll start with you, mccraig. Here's what Darren had to say. The way they play it makes the competitor in you cringe. It was my job to hit people, to punish quarterbacks, to have my teammates back. But these guys, I don't know. They're helping up runners, giving love taps on helmets after

the game. Sure, it's a brotherhood, but between the lines, where's the animosity. We just don't see anger in this defense is veins. We see tackling like they're playing flag football. That's why all season they have been gashed. He goes on to say, our old special teams coach Joe Avazano ud say, sometimes you eat the bears. Sometimes the Bear eats you at safety. You might not always win the physical battle, but make no mistake, isn't a physical football.

This isn't the football physical football team. If you're out man, you have to win the mental battles. You don't do either of those. You get run over on one play, that blowing a signent the next. That's where the bear gets you. With this team, there's just too many mental errors, just too much hero ball. Mccraig your thoughts. I'm gonna keep this on short. I talked about this earlier when I told you about how they looked against the Rams when they were trying to defend the run they were

taking on all the blocks five yards deep. You've seen them taking the run of the blow and that continue for the rest of the season. And I have I have my guests for the two guys to hear talking. He's talking about it in those first two statements of playing flag football and helping guys up and pattering him on the helmet. I'm going with number twenty five and

I'm going with Jayles Smith. I gotta I have to have it in my mind that he watched those games and he's seen that stuff happen and he's really talking to them, but he just didn't want to say their names because he's still going be around him. But those are the two guys I think that he's talking about. Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree one hundred percent with my boy Woody out here. I mean, when it comes to this defense, he hit the head. He hit the nail

right on the head with this one. I mean, I agree with him when he says they're playing too much hero ball. And we saw that the instant, specially as I can't even speak right now, but we saw that when they played Cincinnati, when Jalen hopped out of that hole to try to go fill some other hole in the running back ran right through where he was supposed to be. That's called hero ball. That's not taking your

responsibility serious. And you're over there trying to do someone else's job, trying to make every play, and you can't do that. You gotta hold everyone accountable and you gotta trust that your other team out out there is going to do his job. When you spin out of holes and you hop out of holes trying to make other plays and trying to be instinctful like that, you're just creating more problems for your defense, and we've seen too

many instances of that so far this season. So I gotta agree with Woody on this one when he says they're they're just playing hero ball and they're playing flag football out there, and that's just not a winning formula when you want this where you want this defense to be. I forgot about that spin move. I forgot about to spend. Yeah, I do, but I remember the hero ball that got us in trouble against Baltimore where l V going the

wrong way as well. He knew his assignment and he still try to go track down something that wasn't his job. So I mean, like I said, Darren Wilson was watching the same game we're watching, and he's been critical of these guys. And you know, if anybody deserves to be critical of the Cowboys defense is him because he's he stood out there, He's earned it. He's a three times Super Bowl champion, So if it's coming from him, it's

something to it, all right. Church raised another question here that that we need to get into here on the players line, and that is should the Cowboys bring Andy Dalton back next year as a quarterback with this team. I'll let you go ahead into that church. Since you raised, I'm gonna let y'all already know where I stand on this. Exactly where I stand on this, So go ahead, ba y'all, y'all, that's exactly where I stand on this. I know you you.

They should let him go, and then they should have double G come back in here and be the second quarterback, and then the Ducie should still be third. All right, So if you're talking, I should be the third three quarterback. Are you gonna bring in Justin Fields? You? Oh? Yeah,

Justin Justin Fields will be a thirteen quarterback. No all seriousness, and in all seriousness, I think they should bring Andy Dalton back next year so they can have a serviceable guy one because as we sit here and as we talk about each week, we have no idea what's gonna happen with Dak Prescott. So you are going to need a veteran guy out there. You do not want to go into the off season with just Gilbert being your quarter of Gilbert and the duty being the quarterbacks on

your roster. So bring Andy Dalton back. Make sure you have a guy that's serviceable because you'll be fixing your offensive line and hopefully next year they'll be able to do something more. But yes, Andy Dalton should be back next year. Well one, go ahead, go ahead and do go ahead, I'll finish it up. I don't personally, I don't see Andy Dalton back here because I think there will be jobs starting jobs that Andy Dalton can possibly

compete with four across this league. Just looking at teams that could be in need of a quarterback or have some quarterback job competitions next year in New England, San Francisco, Jacksonville, Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, New Orleans, Sampa Bay. Just a few teams that could and if i'm Andy Dalton that come back here. They signed Dak Prescott to a long term deal. I know what I'm at. I'm sitting here as a guy who's just holding a clipboard. Also, it costs you three million

dollars this year to sign Andy Dalton. He's about to hit some incentives that could take him up to four to five million dollars. If you signed Dak Prescott to this deal. If the Cowboys go out and make the kind of changes that we believe they will to fix their defense, I don't know if you can invest three million dollars and a guy who may not play in terms of your backup. That's where I think that Garrett Gilbert and Ben de Nucci are going to come and

to play here. Dak Prescott's deal here because Deshaun Watson got forty million, I'm asking for forty million minimum. If I'm Dak Prescott's agent, Todd France. It's just not gonna be a lot of money left around. So I just don't think they gonna have the luxury to pay the quarterback the way they have it passed. Go ahead, Church, Yeah, I think you're completely right about that. That's why I think Andy Dalton won't be back next year is because you know, I think he'll be looking to have a

job to start somewhere. I think his initial thing coming down here was, you know, I'm gonna take a year off, I'm gonna get my body right, and I'll just be this backup quarterback. And it didn't happen that way. He ended up getting thrust into the fire and he's played okay throughout this season. But I think he's gonna look for an opportunity to either get a starting job or at least compete for a starting job. And another reason you said is because you know the pay to pay.

It will be just a little bit too much to pay a backup quarterback the money that I think he's gonna want this off season. But I'm not gonna sit here and let d mac disrespect DOUBLEG like that. All right, serviceable? We saw what happened when DOUBLEG was able to come in here against Pittsburgh, one of the best defenses in the National Football LAG. He was more than serviceable. He took them all the way down to the wire. And now, look, I think DOUBLEG will be a lot cheaper, and I

think he'd be the better. She has a backup going up next year, whether it be a backup to Dak Prescott or whether it be a backup to one of these young quarterbacks in the draft. Either way, I think we should bring Double G back as a backup. Let Andy Dalton go ahead and do what he does. Hello, So so you based us off Pittsburgh. Now have you

watched Pittsburgh the last few weeks. That's the only opted game, the only opportunity they gave him, the opportunity they gave say, I know, ys, the second you're talking before that Dallas game, That's all I heard was Pittsburgh defense been to do this, Pittsburgh is about to do that. Now we're talking about all did you see? Now? Listen, listen, we thought Pittsburgh was something that they're not and they've been short for the last few weeks. And like I'm I'm not saying

two weeks don't take away the whole season. No, listen, I'm not listening. I'm not saying that double double G is bad. I think he went out there and he did a good job in one game. And I say this about Andy Dalton, Andy dont they started for nobody next year? Y'all can say what y'all want to, Okay, I don't listen. If you are a GM and you're looking for a starting quarterback and you end up with Andy Dalton, you have made a mistake. He should be a backup quarterback. That is what he should be, and

he should be here and being a backup quarterback. How much you pay shop how much you play Sean leaders year to not play? All right, Well, you can pay Andy Dalton three You can find a way to pay Andy dump three million dollars to be the backup quarterback. And who knows? We thought Andy Daltons gonna get no pt this year. He's starting. Dak Prescott has been out since the beginning of the season, so you never know

what's gonna happen. The game of football is one of those sports to where you have no idea what's going on. And they are lucky to have Andy Dalton as a back of quarterback this year, even though Church thinks double G would be better. Lucky Jackson Jacksonville tried to get Andy Dalton in this past offseason with COVID. Andy said he didn't want to make the move with his family.

Jay Gruten's just former coordinator Cincinnati. They had Mike Glennon out there starting Gardner Gardner Mint you bench, and I believe they're gonna go for a quarterback as well. So this, you know, does Jacksonville want to invest in Andy Dalton, pay him? You know, let's say they want to pay him starter money of you know, twelve fifteen million for one season and knowing that, you know they're gonna bring in someone else. If you're Andy Dalton, you've got an

opportunity to make that kind of cash. And you got to coordinated whose offense. You know, I think you're gonna have to think about it. You know, if Bill Belichick and the Patriots, that was another team that was linked to him, if they come and offer this guy, you know, ten plus million dollars, and even if you don't guarantee the starting job, I think you got to think about that. If you're Andy Dalton versus sitting around here with the Cowboys and't trying to take around here in three, four

or five million bucks. I do believe in this quarterback star of league that this guy can get paid this kind of money. I mean, remember the Bears game. Mike Glennon eighteen million dollars wouldn't either. So it's not gonna be crazy to say Andy Dalton is not gonna be able to go get a job the GM. Still there

is that GM still working for the Bears. Yes, he'll be fired right, still, right, let's ryan past got there in twenty twenty fifteen when I came back to the Cowboys, I can guarantee you he's on his last strike, all right, So we'll see, we'll see and listen. Another bet, Andy Dalton will not be starting for nobody next year. He will not be starting for the Patriots. He would not be starting for the Jacksonville Jaguars and I'm willing to put something on it. You are you willing to go

for another bet? Neuis are you talking about five rifle? It is sixteen after it's sixteen after we are over our time producer. He has to take care of and get to so for Danny Craig, thank you so much for checking out The playoff Loud just brought to you by Hotels dot com or Dallas Cowboys dot Com. Take care everyone. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.