Player's Lounge: Who's Better Than Zeke?

play for the Dallas Cowboys. Barry Churches taking the day all four day working for Nostre Damas, So it's just dmc and I ride with you for the next forty five minutes getting you ready for Cowboys and Vikings, which will be Sunday and US Bank Stadium in minip Minnesota. Danny, if you played up there at that new Minnesota stadium, I have not. I have not gotten a chance to go up there, so you know it looks like I won't.

But seeing it on TV, it looks amazing. I heard you talking about it and you said it's like a Do you say a many Jerry's World or is it comfarable to say that it's Uh, it's on the same level as an att stadium. No, not at all, not because I mean, first off, the size, and that's a lot of things. And I'm sure you've noticed once you start going to these other stadiums the size of Jerry World so much bigger, and people who were making these

new stadiums based off Jerry World, they're they're smaller. I mean, Minnesota just doesn't have that that seating capacity that they have up there for for the Cowboys, which seats you know, ninety thousand and can can increase, you know, do one hundred thousand if Jerry wants it too. So the size of it right out of the gates, one thing I noticed it is like, hey, it's not as big, but you know, the models are the same, and the way they tried to build it, and of course you know

they use the same arch check. But it is it is a very nice arena. I never got to go to um the the old Metrodome, but uh, us US Bank Stadium. It's it's a nice place up there in Minnesota. And actually it was the first year it was open. The Cowboys played a Thursday night game up there on NBC and that was that was when we we went up there, we we did some live shots inside on a Wednesday night and then we ended up going to the game on on Thursday. So it's a good atmosphere

that got that got good fans up there. Obviously in COVID everything is different, but um it is. I would put it on your bucket list of places that you want to go see a football game when uh, when when COVID goes away here Danny look, so I will say that I probably do. I will create a bucket list for places that I want to go, especially like football experiences, but most of them will be college stadiums first. Uh, you know, I want to go to the Big House.

I heard it's crazy there. Um it was at Michigan Ohio State. I want to. I want to go compare Clemson's Death Valley to LSU's Death Valley, just so I can, you know, satisfy myself and say that ours is better. But then then maybe I'll throw Minnesota on there. But I mean it looks great. Um and with these new stadiums, to me, I just wonder like what's next. So when when Jerry first built his it was like, man, that's crazy. How is anybody gonna gonna wint up this one. And

then you start seeing these new stadiums go up. And then I'm hearing about so Far Stadium, and I heard that is the next level, the screen that they have there, the way it's all set up with the landscaping, green erie outside, and and and I heard that as the next level or from Jerry. So now I'm wondering, how, how, how somebody's gonna want up that, and what will we be looking at in the next ten to fifteen years

at these NFL stadiums. That was one thing I hated about us not being able to go and travel this year because I was headed out to that that that game, first one of the year, the Rams and Cowboys a Sofi Stadium and Jerry Jones, I don't know if you ever ever heard the story, but Jerry had said that the NFL many years ago came to him to sit and said, if you're willing to sell the Cowboys, we will give you the La market. We want you to be the guy to do LA and Jerry said no. Jerry.

By the way, I was born in Elsa, Gundo got the key to the city before the Cowboys ended up playing Super Bowl twenty seven and beating the Buffalo bills. So he didn't do it. But Stan Cronky obviously had the blessing from Jerry because I don't know if you remember or not, but Cronkey was trying to move to LA from Saint Louis and then you had Dean Spanos and Mark Davis working together on a Carson project in

Los Angeles. So it was it was two competing stadiums trying to get to LA, and Jerry maneuvered it so Stan Cronky could get it. And Cronky also got the RAM I mean got not only can to get the rams from from St. Louis to LA, but he also Jerry helped engineered to the charge went up to Sofi Stadium and then he helped the Raiders get over to the Las Vegas. So Jerry truly is a deal you know, a deal maker, and Cronky, you know, obviously looked at

what Jerry World was and built at next level. And Jerry has been very adamant saying that that's what he wanted. That LA needed to be big, it needed to be great, um, it needed to be a show stopping stadium. And obviously you know it is because they're gonna have the Olympics in Los Angeles and they're gonna have this Sofi Stadium and everything that Jerry Ruld has got they're gonna have over there Sofi Stadium. So um, that's that is now

the bar, Danny Sofi Stadium is the bar. And I don't know who's gonna topic because Stan Cronky built that with private funds. There was no funding from from California. Californians don't build stadiums like they do in other places like Texas, like cd Rticton. Hey, here's a half billion dollars. They don't do that in Los Angeles, man, they don't. The Staples that was built with private money. It's it's it's a lot of it's a lot of money out there.

There's a lot of big players out there that are looking to get into the NFL, and I'm sure they can find some private funding to try to go next level. I'm not sure what city it will be in, but I can guarantee you that there's somebody out there looking right now saying you know, I'm looking to buy an NFL team. They're getting the group together and they're looking at so far stadium and saying, hey, this is the bar and we want to do us next. We want to be known as the guys or the group who

created the best NFL stadium. So I'm sure it's coming. Not sure how many years from now it's going to be, but you know, ten to fifteen years from now, we'll be saying so far stadium was its second tier and somebody will be creating something that we never could imagine before.

What I wonder is will that be somewhere internationally? Could somebody do something, you know over in Europe where they go and do something we've never seen before, and then that becomes something that we copy, and maybe it's based off soccer that they come up with some type of incredible way to do a stadium. Now, Mark Cuban talk to me one time about building another stadium and that he wanted to have the stadium on top of a building, like I had this huge building and then out on

top of it there's you know, there's the arena. So maybe that's maybe maybe it's something like that, But you're right, there's gonna be a new innovation somewhere. It's just a matter of who does it. But um, that's that's why Jerry is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Um, what he did in terms of innovating in the National Football League and also making making people money. He taught other NFL owners how to make money, and they're all in the stadium game. Uh, that's that was what Jerry

did differently than everyone else. People forget that when Jerry bought the Cowboys, he also had to buy a Texas stadium, and people thought he was dumb to do that. They were like, you don't want to be in the stadium game. You just want to run a football team. And now every owner wants to own the stadium. They don't want the city to own it and just lease it from the city. They want to own the stadium and put events there. And you're seeing what the Texas Rangers did.

Texas Rangers, they had a rodeo last week. Well, who's gonna get ready to have a rodeo? Jerry's get ready to have rodeo. Everybody's copying what he what Jerry's doing, and that's that's what makes him a Hall of Famer in terms of he changed the way we look at professional football, the way we see professional football. That's what

Jerry helped do. Yeah, he's definitely a game changer man, and he putting his stamp on it and just listening to you know, he has legends for the giants up there in New York, he has connections in LA he has connections all over the place. And if you want to get something done, I think most guys and most teams know that Jerry is the ear that you that you need to be getting into because he had he has the key to a lot of places. And if

he doesn't, he knows somebody that does. And he has an idea that can make your make your stadium, your team, or your pocketbook go to the next level. So he's that guy man. He has that title. He earned it and he deserves it. Here's my last thing on that um. As you know, I used to work in Cleveland and and Art Modell was the owner of the Browns, and I was there also when they left and when they

went to Baltimore ended up firing Bill Belichick. Out a fantastic conversation once with mister Modell, and he was great to me. Art was great to me. Art did not like Jerry at all. He thought that Jerry was too big for his bridges and that Jerry only cared about himself and didn't care about the league because Art was a very old school owner and he thought of Jerry as a new school owner. And Art had to end

up selling his team. He couldn't afford it. He could not afford it, which is crazy when you think about it today. What what NFL owners is going in debt that he has to sell a team. Had Art Modell embraced Jerry Jones, he probably would have never had to leave Cleveland and he would have been in the Pro

Football Hall of Fame. But his resistance to Jerry and the way Jerry was trying to do business in new business in the National Football League ended up being a part of his demise where he left Cleveland, hated in Cleveland, went to Baltimore, did end up winning a Super Bowl, but had to sell it to Steve b. Shotti because he simply couldn't afford it anymore, and he ended up passing away. And he'll ever get in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That that that's kind That's my story

of Art Modell not listening to Jerry. So Art Modell is Blockbuster and Jerry Jones is Netflix. In that in that scenario, Hull, I'm gonna trying to teach you to, you know, to to elevate your game and and go with the new wave, and you kind of just want to stay in the old way. And then all of a sudden, you know, you no longer existing as far as being in a having a team and being an NFL owner. That's tough, man, because a lot of people can't see that vision and it's no fault of their own.

They're just not able to see things, uh, the way that some other people are. And when you bring somebody an idea like that, if your mind is stuck where it is, then you know you don't have a capacity to see the same vision and innovative idea that somebody like Jerry Jones will bring along, and you just don't think it's possible. And then sometimes you're right, sometimes you're wrong. In this case, he was very wrong, And that's just

how it goes sometimes. Yeah, And in the shame of it, I mean that Danny the sham Art Modell is a good guy. I mean, he was a good guy who loved pro football. But I was a fan of Art and I know a lot of people hate to hear that, especially those those in the Cleveland Northeast Ohio area. He had a good heart, but this was one where he did not want to listen to the new ideas and

was holding to the old guard ways. And you have to change the world that you have to adapt, you have to adapt, and he didn't do it, and by the time he did, it was too late. He couldn't get his stadium built and he left. And anyway, it was just it was for me. I thought it was sad because he could have had a better ending for himself.

Speaking of Jerry Jones, he has his radio show on Fridays as well, ten thirty on one oh five three The Fan and Danny was an interesting thing where he came out and said that, and this about Zeke Elliott quote, he's our best football player, He's our best one. Do you agree Zeke Elliott the best player on the Dallas

copitols I do. I've never lost faith in Zeke. I know that some of the circumstances around the team right now may make his performance look subpar, but I mean, the guy fumble right, and some of the holes aren't open like they used to be. I also said that

he looked a little quicker in his last game. I mean, I take into account everything Zeke has done previously, lead the league in Russian, you know, being out when he was facing suspension, coming back every week, not knowing if he was going to be able to play or not, and still going out there and being able to perform.

And then you come into this year and all of a sudden, it starts off a little shaky, as the entire team has started off a little shaky, and people start to get off a Zeke a little bit, and that's just not me. I think he's still the best player.

I think if you if you use him the way that he is supposed to be used, run the ball with him, focus the game around him, and then you know, get him involved in the past the game just a little bit, don't try to do all that extra stuff using him like Kamar and having him run all these special routes, do what he's great at, and and he can change the game, you know, for us in a positive way. And then nineteen is number two right now

because that is out. But yeah, Zeke is our guy, and I think that the game should revolve around him, and I think that's our best chance they're winning any games this season. If especially, if you want to do what Church said, and you know we'll go six and ten and lead the division to make the playoffs. If you're not gonna do it on Zeke's back, you're not gonna do it at all. So Ezekiel right now is eleventh in the National Football League and rushing, he's averaging

a career low three point eight. He's got five touchdowns on one hundred and fifty attemphs. And it's interesting that we bring up Zeke Elliott because the Cowboys are facing Dalvin Cook on Sunday of the Vikings, and Dalvin Cook, a guy who drafted the second round out of Florida State, is number one in the league and rushing right now, and we pull up his numbers right here. Cook nine hundred and fifty four yards on one hundred and seventy

four attempts with twelve touchdowns. He averages five point two average in the NFL this year. That's number two when it comes to average. Here's my thing, and I'm gonna piggyback off what you said because you and I are in the same thing here. If Ezekiel Elliott was used in the fashion of Dalvin Cook, this wouldn't even have to be a question because we would already know the answer. And for me, it's very frustrating to watch Jerry Jones commit ninety million dollars to a player that the coaching

staff is underutilizing. This is just crazy. I've seen teams that were bad and their old lines suspect, but had great running backs who could turn their seasons around. Ladamian Tomlinson was that guy with the Chargers. Remember when Drew Brees and LT got there. The Charges were struggling, give it to give it to LT, and next thing you know, the Charger has become a very good football team. And Emmett was the same way. And Nate Newton openly talks about that. He said, hey man, I was just an

okay player that Emmett came. Next thing you know, I'm a Pro Bowl guard. Zeke's special And it's frustrating to me to see a guy not be used when he's special and and you decided to pay them. It makes zero sense to me of why this guy is got just one hundred and fifty carries and a guy like Cook is sitting up here with a buck seventy four and the Vikings as they went through their losing streak. Okay, how do we change it around? Well, dog on it.

We talked about it yesterday. And the last three games all right, Chicago thirty three rushing attempts, thirty six passes, Detroit thirty four rushing attempts, twenty passes, against Green Bay thirty four rushing attempts, fourteen passes. So in their past three games that they've won, one hundred and one attempts rushing the ball seventy passing. They've decided we're gonna we're going to win behind Dalvin Cook, and we're going to play defense. And you and I've talked about this too, Danny,

you got a bad defense. How do you help out your bad defense? Run the ball, chew up the clock? Why is it? Why is it? Why did they make it harder than it needs to be. I don't listen. And this is why I've been on killing more so so so bad this season. I don't understand how you can have a guy like Zeke. And Kellen mool was here when Zeke was able to get some of this stuff done. He was watching Zeke performing the way that

he did. And then you get into the season and you look at this guy twenty one who everybody at one point was like, hey, if Zeke is not on the field, then we might not have a chance to win it. But as soon as Zeke comes back, then we have a chance to do everything that we set our mind to, as far as being division champs, super Bowl champs, making deep runs, doing all that. Kelly Moore

was here to see that. He was here when Jason Garrett, he was here watching all this stuff, and then all of a sudden, Jason Garrett leaves and then you forget that you have this guy here. I don't understand how Jerry has let them forget, especially since he did write the ninety million dollars check. And this goes to show you know, this is like permeate through the whole team. Right, Like I said, you have a one hundred million dollars

receiver who we feel the same about. Now you have a ninety million dollars running back who we feel the same about. That's one hundred and ninety million dollars that's being underutilized. And I'm the owner. I'm going in there and saying, hey, man, especially where we're at as a team. Now we need to be focusing our game plan around one hundred and million dollars. Check that out wrote these two guys, and we know that they can still perform. You've seen it when of Mark Cooper has the ball

in his hands, he's he's called touchdowns. He's still you know, he's not the bottom of the league. Even though that we have some of these some of our quarterback and old line issues, He's still able to make these plays and you can see the flashes of that when he catches the ball. Same with Ze. Yes, he's fumbled, running backs fumbled before this, he hasn't been a fumbling guy. Still focus on him and give him a shot because

he's carried you for so many years. Give him that same respect that you gave him last in the previous season, and I guarantee you he'll show you that he still has it. But for some reason, we may be you know, you know, all success in the draft may be holding us back, you know, with too many weapons, with the CD Lamb and the Michael Gallup and trying to focus on polar and do do too many things. I think we've lost track of what we should be trying to do.

The win, which is focused on twenty one and nineteen when we come back. So we got to take a break here on the player's lounge, brought to you by Hotels dot Com. Why this should be the shortest football game the Cowboys have played all season long. We'll do that next right here on Dallas Cowboys Radio. They're Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. Hey, they're Cowboys fans. With Ty Cleaners at Home pickup and Delivery, cleaning your clothes has

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so you're Oilers fan. Listen Honestly, man, I wasn't. I was not in the football when I was younger. I started playing just because my friends were playing. I was into wrestling, uh you know, Stone Call and the Rock and all that. So I wasn't really watching a lot of football. So I won't even say that I knew who the olders were until maybe middle school and they were leaving. And they were even leaving or gone at

that time. Okay, that's my next question. Were they even around because they had left and there was that hole of football for a while. Because I grew up as a huge Dallas Cowboy fan because my dad was stationed at Fort Hood and so when we moved there, that's when I first heard about the Cowboys. And so my whole life and my whole wardrobe was about the Cowboys. So when Christmas time came, you know, all right, if you're gonna have to buy me some clothes for Christmas,

I wanted to be some cowboy clothes. I was that guy who had the blue cowboy jersey because everybody had the white one. Everybody had the white twelve and the white thirty three. I wanted the blue thirty three because that way I showed you I was a real cowboy fan, because I had the blue doorset thirty three. And that was back when they used to have the blue jerseys they seemingly could never win in So that that was my thing. Man, the cowboy lunchbox, had the cowboy backpack,

had the cowboy raincoat. I mean, that was my whole thing, man, Cowboys, Cowboys. For reading that, that pro shot AV just made me

kind of reminisced about itself. It's funny that you say that, because as much as I don't remember about being involved in football and liking football that much to where I watched the NFL somebody in my family did, because I want to say, two or three months ago, my mom sitting me a picture with the Dion Sanders blue Dallas Cowboys jersey on and I'm gonna send it to you

once we get off the show. And I looked at it, I was like, I have no recollection of that, no recollection of liking the Cowboys having a favorite player on the team. So I'm assuming that my dad and one of my uncle's got to be dressed in that and tried to get me involved in it, but that blue one, I had one as well. There you go, there you go. Okay. So here's my belief on why Sunday's Cowboys Vikings game should be the quickest game the Cowboys played this year.

Both teams have quarterbacks with question marks and Kirk Cousins and Andy Dalton. We know Minnesota wants to run the football. Kelln Moore should be trying to run the football as well for the Dallas Cowboys. So if both teams are running the football, then the clock should be running and that should make this a quick football game. Danny, because to me, this is the way for the cow If they want to win, the way is through twenty one.

Get twenty one going, make teams, especially a defense like Minnesota, make them commit to putting people in the box and then try to go hit nineteen, then try to hit Michael Gallop on a deep ball. I mean, this is the formula that has won many a game for them. Go back to that thing, Jerry Jones said on his radio show today. They're improving, dog on it. Get that

run game going, and let's see what the Cowboys can do. Yeah, listen, and to that extent, I can guarantee you from the start of the game, no matter how we line up, we're gonna have eight in the box, all right. They're going to force our quarterback, whoever's playing quarterback at whatever time, to try to beat us with their arm. The thing in the past, and I'm gonna keep harping on this is when Jason Garrett was here, and when we were focused on running the ball to some points, it didn't

matter how many guys you had in the box. They knew that when they lined up against us, they could put eight in the boxes, nine in the box. We were going to run power, we were going to run stretch, we were going to run draw, we were gonna run trap, We're gonna run it at you and you were gonna have to stop it. And guess who was the leading

Russia in the league Ezekiel Elliott. So now I don't want us to get away from saying hey, just because they put eight nine guys in the box, that automatically forces us to have to throw the ball, because that is the plan as it is now. As an offensive coordinator in the league in twenty twenty, you have to figure out creative ways to find those those numbers that are working in your favor for you to run it to the left of the right. Don't get scared because

nine guys in the box. Give it to the ninety million dollar guy, and if he gets two yards on first, two yards on second, do not abandon the runs. Stick to it, stick throughout the whole game. And I think that we still have a chance. And like you said, if we do that, it'll be a short game. Although that Washington game was very short. I remember it being over before three o'clock. So if it isn't any faster than that, I hope it's in our favor. Now, the

folks who enjoy analytics. They'll all tell you, you know, you guys runs throwing league and you need to pass the balls. It's all about passing football. I go back and look at and you can say, oh, you're just being an old school, old head guy. But the Cowboys have won five championships. And if you look at those five championships, they did two things, Danny. They ran the football the first one two POL six with Duwayne Thomas, Super twelve, you had Robert Newhouse, and you had Tony Dorset,

and then in the nineties it was Emmitt Smith. But they ran the football and they played outstanding defense. There's no reason why you can't win with that strategy. In today's football, you can still throw the football, but dog gone it, get out here and start running it. Minnesota has turned their season around by doing that. Cleveland this year. Cleveland no longer looks like the Browns because they run the football. And this is with them using a number

one pick overall on Baker Mayfield. And I think they've been smart enough to realize while Baker may have been the number one pick, he's not an elite quarterback. But if they run the football and play sound defense, you can be in a lot of football games. It was a Bill Parcels recipe. Man, it was a recipe for Bill Parcells, and this guy's in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I'm not saying you can't ever throw the ball, but dog gone it running it is still effective in

this league. Look, look, all you gotta do is look at the eye to just watch a game. If you watch the game last night, Seattle was able to win that game because all of a sudden, Carlos High was able to start breaking off some big runs. He took a little pressure off of Russell Wilson. If you look at when Church was in Jacksonville, their quarterback play was not outstanding. They've won games by playing defense and running the football with Leonard Fournette. This is a thing that

you could do to win. Nobody is going to go out and say that Jacksonville that year was going to be a top nice team with Blake Borders as the quarterback. But once you watch them play, you said, these guys are playing defense, they're focusing on the run, and they're not putting their defense in bad situations. They're playing the field position game. And they went to the NFC Championship

it is, you can do it. The teams that focus on the run, especially in the winter months in December, because the running game usually travels and it helps you in the playoffs. The teams that are able to do that, those are the teams that win. Which is why you see the Super Bowl champions go out and draft the running back in the first round because they know that they need a running game. It is not dead. You still needed to win these games. And I think that's

what we meet. The focus on you made me go and immediately just look up the highlights in the statistics of last night. So the Seahawks ended up rushing the ball thirty one times for one hundred and sixty five yards average five point three yards of rush. They attempted twenty eight passes in that football game, and they come away twenty one winners, and more importantly, they came away in first place in the division right now. So I'm a believer that it works. But I also I go

back this with Pete Carroll. You know, Pete Carroll's the guy who's always believed in running the football. When he had Marshaw Lynch when he was at USC as great as they had with Harte Heisman Trophy winners Matt Leiner and Carson Carson Palmer. They always ran the football there at USC and had a Highsman Trophy winning Reggie Bush had Lindell White. I mean they ran the ball. You can accomplish both. You can still pass it and run it. But dog on it. Dallas Cowboys. Give me some runs

on Sunday. That's what I want to runs. If you're not listening, listen, you're right, and I'm glad that you use Pete Carroll as an example. A guy that always focused on running and his teams won games by running the ball. His one failure was the one time when he decided he was going to pass the ball instead of running. This. This is this should be an example for us. Run the ball. You're going to fill. When you don't, that's why you sit in last place in

the division because you haven't. You haven't been able to focus on running the ball. He Carroll's example. He's a running guy. He should focus on running the ball. Take the ball out of quarterback hands and you get two Super Bowls. Instead, you throw it, they pick it, you lose. Now, let me let me ask this question, especially since you played and you played for a couple of differ franchises. Is this, you know, the people who want to run

the football. Is this mainly a defensive type of mindset here? Because Pete Carroll's background is d defense. We mentioned Bill Parcel's his background is defense, Bill Belichick. You know, even though they've had Tom Brady, they've always complimented the run there very well. In New England. He's a defensive He's a defensive guy. That is that, you know, you know Mike Zimmer, Okay, Zim's that he's a defensive guy here. So is that Is that a part of it here

in your mind? I think to some extent. But I remember when the Eagles had Chip Kelly and everybody thought that that the up Temple offense was just focused on all passes. They ran the ball very well. You know, they focused on running the ball, even though that they tried to speed the game up. And and Andy Reid I told you they went in drafted they running back in the first round because they know that they needed

to improve their running game. Even though that they're able to throw it all over the place, the running game is still a focal point and they know that there'll be a better team if they're able to do that. So I think to some extent, yeah, because you know, I guess when you run the ball and you're able to protect them and play that field position game, you you always give your team a chance by playing good defense. But this should be something that's around the league to

where you focus on running. You hear every commentator come on and say, if a team is able to run the ball, then they're able to control it and they always have a chance to win the game. And all

offensive coordinators know that. Sometimes I think they just lose it a little bit trying to get too creative and you know, and use all the weapons that they have, and they lose lose track of what they really should be doing, which is controlling the clock and keep me a defense off the field and keeping their offense off the field as well. Now I'll bring up three offensive guys who have shown through the years they will run the football, and running the football is a major part

of what they do. You look at John Gruden with the Raiders, m Kyle Shannahan with the forty nine ers, and Sean McVay with the Rams. These guys all run the football. I mean when Todd Gurley was at his best. Absolutely, you saw Jerry Golf and the Rams really at their best. And we saw what I was able to do last year with the running game almost. I mean, if you think about it, go back to what you said. You said,

Pete Carroll loss the Super Bowls, try to pass. I mean, Kyle Shanahan had lost two Super Bowls trying to pass with the forty nine ers last year with the Atlanta Falcons instead of running the football. Um so, so there is there is still room that you can do both. And I'm just I'm just a big proponent of the run game. I've been hammering at home here today on the players lounging, and I don't I don't want to apologize for it. We got to take another break here.

Nostre Damas struck again last night. He's not here, but that doesn't mean we can't talk about his pick last night between the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals. And we make our pick for Cowboys vikings as well right here all the players Lounge, Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio each game day. You know what that meetings first, Cubob Prepper, Steak Pepper running and Steake Pepper running next a counter Clark Ways lamp around the rule. Now the lucky, grease

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life not laundry. Visit ty Cleaners dot Com or your local store to sign up for Tight Cleaners at Home pickup and delivery Today. To the Players Loud Players lands on Football Friday. Here the Cowboys are back at and T Stadium when they will host Washington on Thanksgiving Day. Tickets are starting at eighty nine dollars in their on sale now get yours today at Dallas Cowboys dot com slash tickets. If you've never going to a Cowboy game

on Thanksgiving Day, I highly recommended. I recommend it. It's pretty cool. So what was that Thanksgiving Day game? Like you for the For you McCrae, it was it was crazy, man, because it's one of those things where it's a tradition, so the team takes it, takes it very serious. And we also usually get to wear a different color jersey. It's not like the only time of the year usually to where we will wear a blue jersey or some type of special color rus type type of things. So

that always made it made it great. And then you're able to have your whole family come down watch the game and then go eat Thanksgiving dinner with them after. So so for the Cowboys, the tradition of being able to play on Thanksgiving is huge. I will tell you that I played on Thanksgiving when I went to Chicago. I think we played against the Lions, and although it was still the tradition, it was very different than how it was treated when when you're hear in Dallas, it's

it's it's a very big thing here. You see, we got a special halftime show every year for the Thingsgiving game, there's always some special production going on because it really means a lot to the to the Dallas Cowboys organization. So it was always great to play on Thanksgiven here. So how different was it when you're playing for the Bears because that game's up there at Ford Field for Detroits. Detroit has the first game every year, the Cowboys have

the second game. It starts so early up there in Detroit. Yeah, you know, you know what the thing is, you know, when when I was with the Bears, I learned I learned that lesson very quickly that uh, you know, those problem time games don't come as much as they do when you're with the Cowboys. So by that time I had gotten used to playing at twelve, like I said, And it was different. We had to play on the road with the Cowboys. We always were able to play

at home. We always got the special treatment, you know, if we had away game and we got we got to play late. So it was it was it was very different to get home, you know, at five pm, and then not have any family there and the production not be as big as it was. So it just it just didn't feel as special as it felt when when I was in Dallas. All Right Players Lounge brought to him Monday through Friday two thirty Newly Scrugs along

with Danny McCray. Barry Church is all. Barry Church likes to call himself No stre Damas because he says he makes really good picks. So for the Thursday night we rolled out our picks. So I got it here. McCray, you went with Seattle to win thirty five thirty one. I went with Seattle to win twenty eight twenty five. Nostre Damas went Arizona twenty seven twenty one, and Seattle won the game twenty eight twenty one. So another l another l for I sit here now. I watched these

games and I'm actively rooting. Did watch Barry get me? I've actually rooted, and I had Christian Kirk on my fantasy team. I'm like, hey, man kept some passes but lose, just because I wanted to be able to just rub this in churches bas again, even though he's not here. I don't know. I don't know how he's making these picks, and I don't know what's going on with his noster domins powers, but he's off. He's been off all season, and I think he's just he's picking, making these picks

based on the emotion. He's not really using the full power of nostre domins, or he's a fraud. I don't understand. When he gets back on the show, he's going to have to explain the process, what voice he's hearing, or he's gonna have to give me something to legitimize, you know, his reason and for making some of these picks, because

they don't make any sense. Arizona going into Seattle yesterday, it was it was right for the for the easy pick of Seattle being able to get that win, especially coming off a loss, like it just made all the sense for them to go out there and win that game. And he's somehow had them losing by seven only score seventeen points. Like, I don't understand what Church has going on. His picks makes no sense. And that's why I don't think we're going to win the NFC East because he

picked us to win the NFC East. And if I'm if I'm a batman, I'm going again what Barry Church says, All right, so let's let's dive into this and make our Cowboys Vikings prediction for Sunday. Vikings are seven and a half point favorite. Barry came in and he gave us his before he left, so he's got Dallas winning seventeen to thirteen. By the way, owner Jerry Jones said on one O five three The Fan Today on this Friday radio show that the Cowboys are getting better. He

says they are a better football team right now. They're coming off a bye week and before the bye day they fought the Steelers down to the final second. I am going to say Minnesota wins this twenty three to thirteen. And I'm simply picking the Vikings because they run the football. They're fifth in the league and rushing. Dalvin Cooker is number one in the league and rushing, and the Cowboys are gonna have to show me that they can stop the run. Cowboys are thirty first against the run, so

they gotta show me they can stop the run. And even when you do that, Kirk Cousins is going to have that ability to hit that rookie Justin Jefferson or his favorite target, Adam Feeling. And we know the Cowboys secondary still has some issues. Trayvon Diggs. The rookies out Cheetah, Wuzier's in Cheetoh's missed a whole lot of time. So that's why I'm picking Minnesota to defend the home turf and beat the Cowboys for a second straight season. Then yeah,

and I'm with you on that one. I'm going twenty seven and nineteen. I think that Greg de leg is going to get a lot of work this game. I think he'll be kicking a lot of field goals and somehow it'll come down to a last possession where the Cowboys have to score in this case also will get

a two point conversion and we'll get stopped. I don't think we'll be able to stop that wn Cook for the whole game, and I you know, and like we saw against the Steelers, if we are able to stop the run, then it's going to expose our secondary and you'll see Justine Jefferson and Alan Feeland get involved and somehow be able to come up with some big players, especially with Cheeto coming off and it's being his first game and Diggs being out, and you know, the way

that the defense is played previously in the season, we know that they're wrong and giving up some big plays and some passing touchdowns, So you know what all that being said, I see them putting up twenty at twenty seven and us trying to come back and score at the end of the game. But I picked up Greg the leg on my fantasy team, so I need him to kick a lot of field goals fifty yards, you

know what would be best for me. Some other targets that I could see being sneaky for for Kirk Cousins, Um Tighten, Kyle Rudolph, IRV Smith if he ends up back not sure about his status he missed the last game. And then of course BC Johnson. So you've got a couple of targets that Minnesota has that if you know that they're you know, did the Cowboys if they're not

checking them, Um could be a problem here. And I'm no doctor, but I do have a concern about guys who get COVID and some of the performances that they've had this year. Cam Newton came back from COVID and Cam Newton does not look like Cam Newton at all, And I don't know, I want to say put it all on COVID. Obviously he's in a Newton offense with New England. They don't have that. They don't have good weapons. I mean, it's an issue there in New England. They've

got some offensive line issues as well there. But we're gonna see Andy Dalton make his first appearance coming back from a nasty concussion and COVID nineteen. I think that if Andy struggles a little bit, to me, that wouldn't be surprising, because he's coming back from some stuff here, man, you know, not just being just your timing is all, but you're coming back from a concussion and Lord knows

what COVID has done to him. We still don't know the after effects for guys who were dealing with COVID nineteen. So I would just have a little bit of grace about how Andy Dalton performs in this moneth. Yeah, you know, I don't know the effects of COVID, but I do expect him to be rusty one because he didn't get much time before he ended up getting hurt. So now he's still coming in with not much time and starting

the game against Minnesota. So it's not like he's had a whole offseason to get this thing number this belt. He's still pretty fresh coming coming off the bitch filling there for that, so I expect them to build a little rusty and then you add the COVID on there, and then you know that at certain times Minnesota can play some defense. So I do expect this to be a little shaky at least at the beginning, which is why we should focus on having twenty one run the ball.

And you watch Minnesota, That's all I want to say. You watch Minnesota play the differently. Like you named all those other weapons that they may have, and I look at it as being the same as us. We have other weapons that we may be able to use, but they focus on feeling first. I mean cook Cook first, feeling second, and then Jefferson third. They are able to focus on those guys and we should We should do that.

We should focus on twenty one first and then nineteen and then move on to see thee lamb or gallop. And we're able to do that. I think that you will see a different game from us. But until we do that, man, we're gonna be in trouble. Yeah, so it's gonna be interesting to see NBA free Ac is getting ready to roll today. And did you see Gordon Hayward decided he did not want the thirty four million

dollars from the Boston Celtics. And I just wonder what's being said in NFL locker rooms if they know they're doing their Friday practices and getting ready to play that hey man doing in Boston who's been an old KA player since his injuries, decided he didn't want the guarantee thirty four million dollars from the Celtics and he's going to become a free agent. It's a little listen, I guarantee you it's a little jealousy going on in there's

some guys saying, look, I played the wrong sport. And you'll see a lot of these NFL players and they and they say it jokingly. I'm going to have my son pick up a baseball, a tennis racket, a soccer ball and getting into some of these sports where these guys are getting paid a lot more to risk their bodies a lot less. And you should start believing that

these guys will be doing that. You'll see a lot of these NFL guys and their sons will not be playing football, they'll be playing baseball, they'll be running track, they'll be doing everything outside of this to where they can make some money without putting their body at risk and have it be a little bit more worth it. So let me ask this. We just saw Kyler Murray last night, and Kyler Murray since coming into the National

Football League has been outstanding number one overall pick. But before the draft, Kyler was taking tenth overall by the Oakland A's and giving a significant contract, and he agreed to it, but then decided to give the money back and go play football. I'm one of those has always just said it's wow. The amount of money that you can make in baseball is so much. I mean it's not even close. You know, right out of the gate, they're guaranteed contracts. You know, Mookie Betts the richest contract

in baseball the Dodgers recently signed this year. It's well over three hundred million dollars. You know, you're not seeing any NFL players like a three hundred million dollars contract. I mean, it's great and as much money as quarterbacks get. You know, Aaron Rodgers din't get a three hundred million dollars contract. I mean, I just think of that all day along, Like Kyler, you could have been paid for life. It's still been good. I mean he's he's an outstanding athlete.

He could have been a fantastic baseball player as well. Listen, listen, I'll tell you this. If you look at that, it's usually the quarterbacks who are passing up on those on those MLB deals. It's not it's not guys that's playing safety and cornerback and all those other positions. Because those quarterbacks know usually they're going in the first round. Saidy're getting twenty at thirty there, they're getting some more endorsements somewhere to give him, get him maybe another twenty and

thirty and then that second contract for Kyler. If he's looking at it correctly, he could say, look, Pat ma Owns got five hundred, so you know, if I do what I need to do, I can make some of that baseball money. But that is a quarterback type of thing. The people that are playing other positions, they're not looking at it the same way. And I think you'll see see a receiver or defensive back going out there and taking that money from the MLB and saying good bout

in the football field. I'll give you another guy, Jamis Winston. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers. Jamie's pitched at Florida State, he was a relief pitcher and James this year. I believe he's making one point five million dollars with Seattle. I mean at Seattle, but with the Saints he's their third quarterback. They just announced that Taysom Hill's going to start against Atlanta this week, not Jameis Winston, who came in off the bench and fielding for Drew Brees. So

Jamis is making basically for quarterback money peanuts. Do you know relievers are making four five million dollars in Major League Baseball? You know, I'll talk about you know, hey, Man may come in on the seventh and seventh is you're inning, Jamie. Jamie's gonna have that kind of career. It spent fifteen years, sixteen years man not getting an ect. He could have had a long career. Doesn't work out. But as an athlete, I'm sure Jamis is a little uset.

But that Saint's offense is going to look a lot like the Florida offense with Tim Tebow going forward until Drew gets back. Yes, yes, you are correct. All right, Hey, that's the players lounge for Friday. Here. Enjoy the game, everybody. We will talk on Monday. Will we hope to have Buried Church back for Danny McCrae. I have new rescrubs. Take care everybody. This has been Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club