The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
Cowboys.
This is the Players Lounge, broadcasting live from Dallas Cowboys World headquarters at the Star. Now your hosts Darry Church, Danny McCrae, Hecma Harrison and new he Scruggs.
Fridays Friday. Friday Friday right here on the players lines. Hi, everybody, Okay? Moving in two eight big time Saturday matchup between the lines. Who are eleven and four NFC Nord champions, the Dallas Cowboys ten and five and they're in the playoffs, still trying to wrap up the NFC North. Jimmy Johnson is going in. This is a game you simply cannot lose. The Vegas Line has the Cowboys winning by six. Hekma explain me, young Verry, why this is a game they cannot lose.
Well, I'm gonna say one, it's because of Jimmy going into the ring.
Just that's just it.
You cannot have an l with Jimmy going into the ring. And just man, for me, I'm just gonna talk from my experience man as a youngster growing up obviously, you know, loving the Cowboys my whole life. They're in the eighties when things got really bad around here, late eighties, it was ugly. Everybody was down, everybody was broke in the Cowboys broke.
Spirit. Yes, so Reagano, it's time ten.
But uh, it came down really to when Jimmy Johnson took over.
It was like a culture shift. It was a culture shift.
At that time because you got a think like you had Mike Tyson, you had, you know, all of these different things coming all at once. Then you had like, um no, the Dame. All of that, like sports entertainment like came to a whole nother level. And Jimmy Johnson was smack dab in the middle of that, especially with those University of Miami teams.
So when he took over.
For the Dallas Cowboys, it was crazy like for everybody and just what he meant, what he meant coming in and the way they got. People respect him and everybody revered him as a as a leader. But just the guys that he brought in. He wasn't bringing the choir
boys to the Cowboys. He you know, Mike was already here, but he Mike was like a partner catalyst for all of that you bring an in it, you bring in Troy, you know, you bring in other guy, Charles Haley's coming in, like all of the guys that were here in this those teams. Man, that really just set things back right
from from where you were before as an organization. And so, Man, I am so happy that this Saturday is happening, but happy for Jerry and Jimmy being able to bury a hatchet for whatever they had going on.
I don't even it don't even.
Matter, just to see two guys put that behind him they won a national championship together, but to see him finally go into the Ring of Honor. And I think that for this team to pull out of victory, Man, it would mean every day, it would mean everything. The Cowboy fans everywhere, that's you know, everybody. I'm a lifelong one man, you know, they love Jimmy. Didn't want to see Jimmy leave.
So no, he can't. He can't lose. Man, cannot lose this Saturday. Barry. I'm old enough to have gone to the Ring of Honor ceremony in Texas Stadium where Tom Landry win Inikes.
And and so here was Jerry had to work, he had to work to get Tom Landry to come come.
Except this workcause Jerry fired. Jerry fired, Jimmy. I mean a little work to get this thing repaired and get it done. And and so this is just a second head coach to get this honor. This does not happen very often. This is something to be at and for those who don't know on the players, like heck Ma Harrison's uncle is the great mean Joe Green, greatest steeler of all time, It's great defensive tackle of all time. Have you ever had an opportunity to go back to
Pittsburgh with him when they've had the old Timers Day? Yes, okay, this will be old timers day because Jimmy's people are coming the players right thirty years You remember that when they walked in there, it was it was like heroes gladiators coming in man chills people looking at that's Frank, you can't and you and if you're a player, you can't go out there and lose on that. If you do that, you know they gonna look at you like me.
You know it.
You don't want Joe Green looking down his nose at you like you've embarrassed me. I'm here, there's there is a sense of and that's what a great organization the Steelers in the cabin, there's a sense of responsibility. You can't come out here and embarrass yourself in front of champions. You can't do that, and they won't do it. So
that's my thing. The Lions are here. But if you're Dak Prescott, your tangle, if you're anybody who has any sense of pride about yourself, you're not about to go out here in front of all these people who put up the banners at the stadium and honor Jimmy Johnson and go get yourself beat you. If you do that, I'm gonna talk about talk about it. If that happens on Monday, I will lose it. Man. No, look, you can't.
You can't, man, you can't when you have greatness that walks in there like that and the people that have built this very thing that you get your check off. This team is the most valuable franchise. It's the most popular franchise. It's also the most hated franchise. But it's built on what those guys.
Is it because of a guy that's going in as far as Jimmy Johnson, And that's what That's what this whole allure hold because if it was like just another player, it had been you know, this was this is it.
You know Jimmy built it. Yeah, Jimmy built this, and yet Jerry's money allowed it to happen, and Jerry's ability to trust Jimmy when he hired he fired Tom Landry for Jimmy. Think about that Hall of Famer Innovader in the National Football League. You fired him because you said this guy at Miami is the guy. He said Jimmy was worth ten for ten heismans. Jimmie was worth inan ten heismans. Yeah, this is this is significant when you talk about the franchise and literally his name has to
be up there. Jimmy was so good he left town. They hired a dude who never coached in the NFL and Barry Switzer, and he won a championship. Yes, the first Cowboys game I watch was was Barry Switzer? How wild is that? First one?
I say seven when they when they played against the steel because he was the head coach when they played again, not even the first game. That was my first game I ever watched. Then remember the Jimmy spots. But you know Detroit and Dan Campbell. You know what he's gonna try to flip it to you. Look, now, they don't respect y'all. They put y'all on this date. You know that we're gonna go in there. We're gonna spoil this day. So they gotta understand this, players that this ain't gonna
be a walk through. This ain't gonna be just this is. This is our homecoming type game. You know, Dan Campbell gonna spend that thing we saw last year Detroit. Detroit had him.
That right last year, a fumble, a goal line fumble away from actually that making that game a lot closer than what it ended up being.
Right, So so Detroit's not gonna come in here scared. They're not gonna come in here we can't beat him. They're gonna come in here with the advent of what you said. Oh you're gonna have a little party up here on this day, and we had you last year. Now we come back here, we're North champions. Let us show you what we can do. You haven't lost all year long after forty games, So yes, damn Campbell's going to have that thing set up there. Aaron Glenn, that
defensive coordinator former Dallas Cowboys. Yeah, yeah, I get it. But if you're the Cowboys, you can you can't let this slip. I mean, you know, Troit men in the booth. I want Troy talking about me. Troy already talky. Yeah, no, they're going to be on you.
And I'm glad that you you say that, because it's not a walk in the park, and by no means is Detroit the homecoming opponent that you schedule. The one thing that worries me about this matchup is that we have one of the youngest teams in the NFL and the average age twenty five on the roster, and so a lot of people don't make mention of that, so
it's not a lot of experience. And and with that, I always have this conversation with my son a lot about being ignorant to history, not knowing the history of things. And you talk to a lot of young people, they just don't know the history of something, so they can't have the same appreciation of it. And I know this is the players lounge, so I'll just notice that, noticing
that the history of it. And I want these guys to take this moment in because it is a big moment for them and maybe even like a past sing of the torch in a way for them, for us as an organization, because this next couple of years of being Cowboys, you want these guys to lay that same foundation. The foundation that I'm talking about is championship level. It's not the expectation here isn't going to the playoffs. The
expectation for the Dallas Cowboys is winning Super Bowls. And that's why people have ridiculed and made fun of the Dallas Cowboys for the last close to thirty years because they haven't sniffed.
Not even been in the town. You hadn't even been.
Close, you know, those years that you've gone through those droughts, And I think it's lasted so much longer than think anybody would have been I know, damn well for me, has lasted a lot longer than I would have expected. But that's the one thing that worries me. It's just the youth and the experience of this team. Do they have that same sort of responsibility for feeling like I'm responsible for the history of this organization.
So you bring up a really good point, and this is where your head coach comes in, and this is also the benefit of your head coach, who spent all the over a dozen years in Green Bay understanding this is not a regular franchise. It's different here, and so I think Mike has done a really nice job in terms of understanding what was Green Bay and also understanding and embracing what is the Dallas Cavils. But that's where your coaching staff comes in. This is where I think
they're lucky. Dak Prescott is the quarterback who grew up a cowboy fan, who has an understanding of what this means. And Dak is a very you know, we know, Dak's a really mature guys, got his master's degree in leadership and organization. So I think they'll be ready to go. But most of them, we spoke about this yesterday. You don't want three straight laws. You can't do that. And
this is a playoff team. And if they're going to, if they want us to believe the things they say will be better, this week, will correct the things and let's see it off. Buffalo. They were better, they said, especially dan Quinn. We got things to clean up. We'll be back. They were better defensively, uh the next week. So this is a week where your favorite at home, had lost at home. Here's a playoff team, another good team coming in here.
DJA and and also this if they if they take an l here. I don't know the you know the math behind it, but you're basically out of winning winning the NFC East. Is that is that correct? Like if Philly wins and they lose this game, you need a whole lot. You got to have all types of you know.
Toddam math all that other stuff.
So this this could be you know, your final opportunity these next two games to lock up the NFC East and we all understand what comes to it with that. Winning the NFC East you get a home playoff game, and we all talked about it for weeks on weeks how different this team is at home versus on the row. So you got, you know, Jimmy going in, You got you know, don't want to go down three games in a row. You got you know, NFC East on the line. So if you need extra motivation getting into this game
as a play, I mean, something's wrong with you. You gotta get it done, and this is the opportunity to do so they gotta be ready for it.
And I don't and that's the thing for me, Barry, for you as a former player, I mean, I think you're speaking to what the heartbeat of the locker room should be, you know, coming into this matchup, because like you said, if you don't win this and then you're not giving yourself an opportunity to even have a home game, which I think that's what we're kind of hanging a hat on, like y'all need a home game, okay, and
maybe some kind of way miraculously that happens. I just feel as though, look, putting all of the pageantry aside, this team has lost two games in a row, two games that I think that coming into it, you felt like those were winnable games based off of where your offense was, especially where your defense is, And then you look at the rest of the schedule, You look at the rest of the league, and you're like, man, Philly lost.
You know, these seems the forty nine ers loss. You missed the opportunity by losing those games because you could have changed your own the number one of them would be number one on overall, and you went up against some really tough opponents. But I just I'm going back to the fact that the Lions or a formidable opponent that you're facing here at home, probably the best that you've seen at home all season. And this is another test for you as a team going into the playoffs.
I just don't want to and I know that you've heard this before as a former Dallas Cowboy, not limping into the playoffs. You know, don't limp into the playoffs. You got an opportunity to get that number one seed, or get that by take advantage of it. Get it because you needed to get an opportunity to be healthy. And we've seen those little knicks start to happen to
our team with health right here at the end. But I think bigger than anything, getting a winning streak going at the end of the season, that could be the catalyst to get you through the rest of this and hopefully get you to the NFC Championship.
This is a team we all right here on the players' lounge agree, is a good team and a physical football team. Yes, I'm on Detroit, Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, I agree. This is a good team coming in here. Show something, yeah, show something. Lost the last two weeks. You ain't got embarrassed against Buffalo, lost close to Miami, win when I mean the next two games should be wins. Now. Obviously, well Washington will be as it always is at the end.
It'll be a determining factor of what is it they want to do and where seatings and things are set. But this is a game you need to win, and if they don't win, Cowboy fans should be upset.
I would know should be upset because when you look at it, like we said, have you lose this game, that's three in a row and we just talked about limping into the playoffs, it's a real thing.
It's a real thing.
You know, people say it's all coach talk, but it's a real thing. If you lose three in a row, that momentum, it's a son of a gun. We all understand that. So getting this victory here because like you said, next week, who knows what the seating, what you're gonna do, resting players, not resting players, who knows what's going on?
This is your.
Final real in my opinion, big time tests as a Dallas because look at the test they've had so far. You know, Philly twice one, San Francisco they lost that test. Good team, good team Buffalo, Miami they lost those two. So this is an opportunity, man, to not only help your team out as far as standing wise, but get that confidence on the right on the right track.
So heck, very just picking up what you said. You stay right here at your spot, you're probably gonna end up five if you stay. That's Tampa. Tampa has won four straight games in a row, and now they get New Orleans at home, and then they end the year against Carolina. So they're playing good football. They are. They
could end up right now, they're eight and seven. They could end up ten and seven on a nice little run at five straight games if they do it against that team, so that it'd be six straight if they finished it up. So so what I thought was, hey, now you're looking at that, Okay, all right, So yeah, they need to go ahead and figure some things out here. And this is the week to do man.
This is the last Friday of the year. Man, I'm not gonna sit in here with the four our thousands. I'm not gonna do it. I would say, not the four our thousands, not today, man, because I think you know, the Cowboys slipped up, but that doesn't make them a bad team. They well, we never said that and I'm not accusing you of saying that. What I'm where I'm going with this is it's time for you to go ahead and put this part of whatever the narrative is.
Y'all sawt y'all can't play on the road, y'all can't do this and that. Okay, y'all don't want to see us either. How many people are saying we don't want to see the Cowboys?
Now? Are they saying that in Tampa?
Are they saying in Tampa we don't want the Cowboys at home? Because Micah and company, Deron Bland is gonna come in here, and that's gonna be a tough that's gonna be a tough opponent for us to go up against at home. I don't hear those rumors. I don't hear those murmurs going around but for the Cowboys, and it's been this way over the last couple of seasons, or we don't want to see the forty nine ers at this point, we don't want to see boy if we just get it just right, man, the only way.
Through this is through it. It's gonna be tough, regardless, it's gonna be man.
Come on, you and I always go back to your experience in the AFC Championship, because I think that's the toughest thing to do, is to get to the point, to be one game away from actually going to the super Bowl. There's so many guys that's played this game that's never even been there, and so for this young team to have an opportunity and realize, man, we got we got everything that we need to get to that point. How many teams are saying we don't want to see
the Cowboys? That's my question because if we're the one saying, oh, man, you know Tampa, Baker Mayfield, they're looking really good right now. They want like three in a row already, do you really want to go to Tampa and see them?
Oh?
Yeah, I want to see them. You want to smoke? I want all to smoke. Yes, I want to see them. They don't want to see us. Gotta have that mentality. What other mentality can you have? Be see? Gotta have what stands in the way it becomes the way? Come on, hit our first break in let's do it. Barry brought up something back that killing them skittles soon today? Hate that sound? Hain't that song? After all this time? After
that one Dennis appointment. Now look at him, boy Danny, you should see you boy man track hell, he's just calling me was sash mind you buy Tostitos the year end the year. Can't get a candies bus from here, right here on the planet sluge.
That's Cowboys that coy read it's the official men's skincare brand of the Dallas Cowboys, Jack Black, and right now Cowboys fans can get fifteen percent off their seventy five dollars order plus because every deal needs a playmaker, your order will include a free five piece skincare set and free shipping. The Jack Black Playmaker is four of Jack's favorites and a full sized intense therapy wipball. Make a play for the playmaker at get Jack Black dot com
slash Cowboys with the code Cowboys vip. That's get Jack Black dot com slash Cowboys with the code Cowboys vip Hi.
I'm Danny mccraig, Dallas Cowboys alumni player here with Smoothie King, and Smoothie King wants to ask you, what's that sound. That's the sound of us magically transforming our Smoothie bows into two new decadent flavors. Dig into a cool iie or pataya bowl, handcrafted with crunchy purely Elizabeth Rinola fresh strawberries and finished with the velvety chocolate hazel nut drizzle. Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or anytime you want a munch. And that's the sound of you making them disappear.
Smoothie bowls now in two new decadent flavors only as Smoothie King, the official smoothie of the Dallas Cowboys.
To kick off the twenty twenty three NFL season, Hugo Boss teamed up with the NFL and Micah Parsons to launch an iconic apparel collection featuring hoodies, crews, T shirts, polos, joggers, and more. The bowld unique apparel of the Boss NFL collection unites football and fashion while reflecting what it truly means to be a boss. Get yours today at NFL shop dot com, slash Hugo Boss, at Hugo Boss dot com and at Boss retail stores hashtag be your own Boss.
There is no eye in Dallas.
There is no eye in the heart, either no eye in Blue Star or in those are for that matter, And there's no eye in how about them Cowboys? Smirnov knows there's no eye in football. Football is a wee thing, an experience that is best enjoyed together with good drinks and good folks.
Home or away.
We rally together, we cry together, and we always rally cry together because there's definitely no eye in Cowboys fans smear enough we do game days. Please drink responsibly.
Back to the Players Lounge, enjoy premiere dining, shopping and experiences from twenty plus restaurant shops and more at the Star District. Check out women's boutique Flee Style of Frisco and enjoy boot Partners of the Dallas Cowboys Luke Casey enjoy New Year's celebrations at Snowbird Cocktail Lounge, Concrete Cowboy and City Works Eatery.
Visit the Stardistrict dot com for the full directory. Thank you, Heck mahars and the Building.
Danny McCrae is what is it Getting ready for a party, Yeah, get ready for a party.
Holiday, holidays don't stop, Baby, Holidays don't start. Barry Church. Heck Maharison of the Restructs The Players Lone brought to you buy Tostito's Going into the Cowboys Game, which is going to be tomorrow Saturday is going to be uh a Troy eight Joe Buck game. So ABC, ESPN has got it. Jimmy Johnson going to ring a Boto. They are going to air the ceremony on ESPN, so you can watch it in full if you are not going out to the game. The game is a sellout. Oh yeah,
it is a sellout. So if you got a ticket, good luck and enjoy this bad boy. So, Russell Wilson's get ready to get cut in Denver. So off. So here's the thing. His money hadn't really kicked in yet. The money is about to kick in for Denver for the extension that they gave its well over twenty million dollars. So so now it's about to kick their cutting. And the big thing there you take from that is you can't miss on these deals down there, your old team Jacksonville.
They got to pick up that fifty year option on Trevor ow. It's gonna be a big numbers, a lot of big numbers, and so so you know what type of deal do you give a guy? So now we're talking about fifty million dollars deals for this quarterback. Yes, yeah, that's going to be at the basement on most Dak Prescott is got to get this contract redone. The cap number is so high. Next you, they've got to redo the contract. So now you're talking about Dak when people
were like, oh my gosh, he's not worth forty. Yes, today's prices, not today's. It is not that Joe went up ten million dollars and only fifty million dollars, so I touched sixty. So you're going to have Dak Prescott fifty. Ceedee Lamb is due for a new deal. Ceedee Lamb is not coming in here trying to take the average price. Ceedee Lamb won't get paid. You've got Michael Parsons, he's got to get paid. He's he's coming up. Tyler Beattish is coming up. Trayvon Diggs already got paid. They actually
got a good deal there. They got a nice deal there.
So as far as Tyler Smith out, Tyler still got yeah years, yeah, two years, okay, okay, yeah, land same thing.
So but but Tyler Smith you're going to get three because he was the first run.
He'll get that fifty. And that's the only reason why I bring up blame is that he doesn't have Yes.
He's two years he's two years away, So yes, paying Dak Prescott. As all these teams who decide to pay their quarterbacks, such as Russell Wilson, you're you're now going to be limited as to what you can do with the rest of your roster. And the Cowboys are at that point in time where they've got to sit around here think about, Okay, what do we do. We've spoken about Michael Gallup, who got paid. Michael Gallup is clearly your number three receiver here. Four it might be Bold, Yeah, Ferguson,
he cooks. You can't keep paying him over ten million dollars?
Can?
You simply cannot do that. It's not justifiable when you look at the economics here. So you've got that Tyler beatis your center is up pro bowler? What are you going to pro bowler? What are you going to pay him? Versus do you decide to say, let's go into the draft or let's bring it free. I mean, these are the kinds of decisions you've got to make here, because when once you pay Dak, and you have to pay him because he's got that high cap number, so you
got to get that number down. So the best way to do it is to go ahead and extend him fifty milis it's going to cost you. It's the going is the going price, and you got to do it. If you're the organization, I think you have to bring that guy back.
And I mean, not only has he had one of his best years you know in the National Football League this year, he's the leader he gets and to me, he's one of the best leaders that I've ever been around. Got to play with him one year and he's one of the best leaders I've ever been around. So you
got to bring a guy back like that. But that's what makes in my opinion, that's what makes this year so important and why you got to get it done this year, because when you look at it, like you just mentioned, down the road, this team might look totally different when you got the you know, Ceedee Lambs of Michael Parsons and the Dacks to pay, you know, the pieces that made this team as good as they are now,
you might not see those guys down the road. So to me, Dak Prescott is a guy that he can make you know, lesser players better than what they go what they call that a multiplier.
He's one of those guys.
Yeah, he's one of those guys to me that you know, you may not have the greatest of options out there, but he can make those guys better than what they are. So in that regard, I've got to make that decision to pay that man. I mean, at least my opinion, you got to pay that man. But it's gonna hurt the rest of your team around you. And that's why this year is so important to get the job done.
We said that when he was coming up on the end of rookie year. He's about to get paid a cantown So but you have to pay it with the friend zone, but you're gonna have to pay. Yeah, we're in agreement. Look, he's coming. I'm imagining when the MVP voting is done, he finishes top five. So I don't think anyone should have an issue giving a contract extension to a quarterback who finished in the MVP race in the top five. This is what the going price is
going to be. Well, we'll see where I settled at it, but it's going to be just look for fifty minutes, I mean, Calimaria, I him make forty six. This is this is what the quarterback market is you now need Will McLay to work a lot of magic. Well.
The uncomfortable part about this conversation is when I think about quarterbacks in the NFL, I think about them as like fortune one hundred companies.
You know, you have your top guys and then on down from there.
Dak has always been somewhere around the top in those numbers. Obviously, last year he gets scrutinized more than any other quarterback because of those turnovers. But I think that what he's shown you throughout the years coming back from jury, just making himself better each and every year. It's hard for me to have a conversation with anybody that says don't pay him. Like it's almost like even in Denver, even with everything that's going on with Russ, I'm saying, for who, for what?
What you're gonna do now?
You know?
And it's like one of those bad relationships. You have ever been in a bad relationship, You know a good one when you're in one. And I think this is a great relationship for the Dallas Cowboys, especially when you have a guy of the status of Dak Prescott. He
represents this organization very well. But I think the thing about Dak now is he's played so nice for so many years, is that he has to go out and win it to put no question whether he should be considered as a fortune one hundred amongst the other quarterbacks that are out there, because when you look at the other guys, the guys that you just mentioned, they don't have super Bowl championships.
They don't have some of these other quarterbacks.
You know, Russ does, he has won long time ago, but the Josh Allens of the world, the Kyla Murrays of the world, they are Herbert Herberts.
They don't. They've never won Super Bowl.
And so at this point when Dak is coming back and you recognize, especially with Micae's contract coming up, CD's contract coming up.
You're gonna have to pay a lot of guys.
And if you miss this, if you kick the can down the road like they did in the past to when it was thirty million dollars and they could have got him at thirty or he was like twenty nine, like Golfin WinCE who was like twenty seven twenty eight, and it was like nah it wait, and then it ended up costing you a lot more than that. This is that opportunity to obviously make it right, but then also signed the other pieces and all the other noise that's associated with Man, you don't need that.
You could go Trey Lanz, you could do that to me? Is this crazy?
That's crazy to me because that's why I say, for who, for what? Who are you going to make this decision on? And I think that Dak is the guy for the Dallas Cowboys going forward until he retires or they get tired of one another.
He is the guy to lead this organization to a Super Bowl. I love what they did with Trey Lance, and I say that from the perspective of any good team should constantly be trying to make sure they are developing someone at that position because we just don't know. In the seventeen game schedule, mean, look how many starting quarterbacks have this time this year? The Jets, just the Jets. I mean, just look at the game. We got all right behind us here in the studio. We got the
Browns and the Jets. I mean, what are they now? All on three? They're all on at least three different four starting quarterbacks. So I just think if you're running an organization today and you're not sitting around here having some young player in the queue that you're trying to work with to say, Okay, you may be you may be next at some point, even if it's a week or two weeks. Look at Minnesota, Minnesota OK thirteen win team last year, Kirk Cousins gets hurt. That thing is
is falling out of the bottom there. So to me, Dak Prescott, yeah he's here, but you need to be having somebody right behind you working there. And I think Mike's done a great job how they worked with Cooper Rush. The Cooper Rush could come in and win some games and they didn't fall off. And Trey Lance needs to be that next guy. But you've got to do that in this league because we just see so many clubs that have been decimated, even the Rams, I mean the Rams.
Stafford's miss time this year. They right, they haven't, you know? So San Francisco is the luckiest group of folks we.
Have no I mean but no, and not that I'm not even be a sarcastic. I have no idea who the backup quarterback for the can't see the Chiefs is.
I don't know them.
I don't have any idea who he is, and I don't care who he is. And you look around the league and I think a lot of people would feel the same way. When you're talking about the upper echelon of quarterbacks. The rules that they've stipulated put in place have protected quarterbacks, and we know it. I mean the chances that's really just really bad luck when you get your quarterback hurt. And that's why when they bought Trey Lances, it was a head scratcher for me because I would
have liked the linebacker. I would have liked the linebackers because I think that Cooper Rush, he'd already shown you that I could be a quality backup. And I think when you look at the teams like Cleveland, you know they have the defense and all that, but then their main guy gets hurt, the backup guy gets hurt, and then you have to go out and get a Joe flackhole that's on the street that fits perfectly to your scheme. That just doesn't happen a lot of times when your
main guy goes down, that's it. You just planning for next year.
To I'm just gonna go down the list here, all right. So in the division, Jalen Hurts been fine. Dak Prescott been fine, but we saw a couple of years ago gets the Giants broke let Washington that's been a mess. Detroit has been able to get by, been able to get by with golf this year. Fine, Minnesota Homeboys down Green Bay. Been lucky with Jordan Love here. Chicago Fields has missed time this year, yes, and probably may not
be there next year. Go down to Tampa Bay. It's been interesting, but Baker Mayfield may end up being the comeback player of the year. Atlanta mess, New Orleans, Derek carrs Carolina on some regrets going on. San Francisco lucky because Jimmy Garoppolo didn't work out. Trey Lands where they came through for Rams. Stafford miss time this year. Uh Seattle Gino missed some time, but also another unsettled situation
with Gino missed time this year. Arizona Kyler Murray came in hurt playing a little bit now so Miami Tua.
You know, boy, he stayed healthy this year, but the last couple of years with him, they've been worried about it every time he takes a hit, every time.
Buffalo you got the horse of Josh Allen. He's held up for the Jets. We've seen that New England, everybody getting five back to nobody hurt. They just Baltimore Lamar Jackson this year. Knock On Wood, but we've seen in the past he's had some issues. Cleveland, we already went through that. Pittsburgh, your quarterback has been bad. And yeah that's Cincinnati. Joe Burrow. You know he's out for the year. Jacksonville, that's that's not good situation right now. He may not
even play this year. Talk about Trevor Lawrence, Eddian Appolis. You spent that first round pick on Richardson. He's out for the year. Houston c J. Stroud, who's having a fantastic year. Looks like he may play this week, but he's missed the past couple of games because of concussion. Tennessee mess mess, but they're going with the dude they drafted here. Kansas City got the unicorn. Patrick Mahomes there, Las Vegas Jimmy g mess us mess your team and
charges we have mess But I think it's hurt. But Herbert is your guy. He's your guy. But just that premiss him in my mind of just developing someone because of them. We don't know, Yes, Herbert's the guy. Joe Burrow is the guy. But man, Cincinnati's done a nice job with that kid, Jake Brown from Washington that they
have developed. And to the point, we're not I'm not expecting him to compete with Joe Burrow at any point in time, but you now have a commodity almost in a sense what we saw Josh Jobs get traded for draftcast.
And so that's my thing of it is because also going back into where McCarthy came from in Green Bay, were Ron Wolf was always drafting guy, so they were able to use a five on Hasselback and move him forward too, and move Mark Burnell and move Brooks, who Mike McCarthy ended up working within the won a game,
the first ever New Orleans playoff game. Down it, I just think if your organization, because of how much capital you can have, were they quarterback to be constantly working with one, and if you cannot use a.
First round pick, even better, even better? No, I mean you bring up a great point. And when you go through the list of those teams and you talk about that's what I'm saying, Like the Fortune one hundred quarterbacks, those guys you almost like put them on a separate list. And I think Dak has shown you his durability over the years, except for like breaking his leg and half, which was a freak accident, he comes right back from it and he's been still just very been durable. I'm
thumbed four games. But then you have a backup in Cooper Rush that you've developed and to be that guy. He feels it nicely and I felt good there. All I'm saying when I bring up the whole Trey Lance thing is that we need We've needed so much more, especially on at the linebacker position, you know.
And that's why and that's why I spot like that, because I thought you already had it.
And so I say, pay Dak whatever they planned, whatever you're planning it on with with with a man Trey, you know whatever. If he's a token for another trade down, I'm okay with that. I don't have no problem at all with that. But the focus has to be on Dak. He's given you everything, He's shown you everything, especially on the field, and man off the field, Walter Payton man in the year, come on, Man's nothing. There's nothing that
you could say about Dak Prescott. If you hating on Dak You're just a hater.
That's it.
That's all it is. And oh, well he had the interceptions. His whole career hadn't been predicated and based off of him throwing interceptions. He has thirty touchdowns seven interceptions this year, and by far he's gonna have one of his best statistical years as far as throwing touchdowns if it all done end tonight.
Basically, I'm a big Bill Walsh believer. And I remember, keep in mind, man at this point time won two Super Bowls with Joe Montana. And he goes around the room to everybody says, hey, guys, we have an opportunity to trade for Steve Young. And he asked everybody you know around the room, that's all his coaches. Everybody raise your hand. Who was a favorite? Nobody raised her hand. And then he said, yeah, he's coming in, just so
you know. And and so there he was using capital despite having an MVP quarterback, has won two Super Bowls. Eventually we saw everybody saw what happened. I'm not saying it trays that guy, but what I want is insurance. I just believe in the insurance because I can do whatever I want to do with it. Remember when Jerry traded a three for the dude down in Houston?
Who was he was with Tom Brady Michigan, Drew Henson, Oh my god, oh god, Imber Houston.
They used six. If Trey Lance ends up starting a couple of preseason games and looks good and can become whatever, somebody thinking you can flip him for more than dog, gonne at flip him. But having him here, let's seeing what he has to me in this league with all these issues. If we see this many issues of teams this year, we gonna see it again next year. It's
not gonna go anywhere with these seventeen games. If Mike McCarthy and Scott and Scott Tolzy can develop Trey lancon to see us if we can see something next year, who knows, Because you've got to what's the easiest way to get a two quarter man? You can trade justin fields right now. If Chicago trades him, he won't get a one, He'll get get a two. If he get a two, trade gonna get you back trade twenty three exactly. He's twenty three years old. So to me, I would
bet on the long play. All right, we gotta get a we gotta break here. We've run out of time. We have been talking about this stuff here, but ultimately back to the whole thing, we all agree that you gotta pay Dak it's gonna get fifty million.
Is still for that same way if he's if he doesn't make a run, has a similar run as he did in the playoffs last year.
Have you got who for what? You got? No option? Okay, think that's the thing. You put yourself in. No option and your option of Trey Lance is not something I'd be willing to bet on right now. Can't do it? Yeah, Berry Church, Aichmherrison, I'm new Scruggs players not just about to give by Tostito's on Dallas Cowboys dot com rady.
To kick off the twenty twenty three NFL season, Hugo Boss teamed up with the NFL and Micah Parsons to launch an iconic apparel collection featuring hoodies, crews, T shirts, polos, joggers, and more. The bold, unique apparel of the Boss NFL collection unites football and fashion while reflecting what it truly means to be a boss. Get yours today at NFL shop dot com. Slash Hugo Boss at Hugo Boss dot com and at Boss retail stores hashtag be your own Boss.
I'm Danny mccraig. That was Cowboys alumni player here with Smoothie King, and Smoothie King wants to ask you, what's that sound. That's the sound of us magically transforming our Smoothie bows into two new decadent flavors. Dig into a cool III or Pataya bowl, handcrafted with crunchy purely Elizabeth Rinola fresh strawberries and finished with the velvety chocolate hazel nut drizzle, perfect for breakfast, lunch, or anytime you want a munch. And that's the sound of you making them disappear.
Smoothie bowls now in two new decadent flavors only as Smoothie King, the official smoothie of the Dallas Cowboys.
It's the official men's skincare brand of the Dallas Cowboys, Jack Black and right now Cowboys fans can get fifteen percent off their seventy five dollars order. Plus because every deal needs a playmaker, your order will include a free five piece skincare set and free shipping. The Jack Black Playmaker is four of Jack's favorites and a full sized intense therapy lipball. Make a play for the playmaker at Getjack Black dot com slash Cowboys with the code Cowboys VIP.
That's get Jack Black dot com slash Cowboys with the code Cowboys VIP.
I'm Dak Prescott, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, and they.
Snapper the fresh guy who looks right, it's not there. He escaped slapt he'll look for.
Just like football, when it comes to crypto, it's important to have a team you can trust. With Blockchain dot Com, I know I'm in good hands. Since twenty eleven, they've been trusted by millions around the world to buy, sell, and trade cryptocurrency.
Rus Scott's gonna run this himself, run it up the middle, and he scores.
Whether you're new to crypto or an active trader, They've got you covered.
What are you waiting for?
Get started at blockchain dot com.
Back to the players Lounge.
Get the coverage you need this football season with Dallas Cowboys cold weather gear. Visit the nearest pro shopper log on two shop dot Dallascowboys dot Com, a futanatics experience and scoring knit hats, hoodies, jackets and more.
Thank you here players, that's about to buy. It's cold in the d. It's gonna walk up tomorrow though, canna be nice to Yeah, Jimmy, it's gonna be a good day tomorrow. Good day. Heck ma, Harrison Bury Church on new Berry. Uh, Barry you you you're gonna be the game. Yeah, I'll be there there hopefully you'll be inside. Yeah. Yeah, to be on the field, and you know we're gonna do the thing for the field. I ain't messing with that cold. You know that, man, don't play around. I
mess with good. I always just see the guys out there them like man, no because because either you know.
Those preseason games and hot scorch no part, no part, and yeah, and I'm saying, don't put Barry out in the heat, y'all start.
That.
John Thompson, man, my whole shir great John Thompson, I ain't messing with it. By the way, get his book. His book is tremendous. It is one of the one of the better books I've ever read. I loved a great man. Got an opportunity to meet him, so that did too.
Man.
It's pretty cool, pretty cool. It was pretty good.
I mean it was.
You too young, you're too yelling. Wow, jeez. His name John Town John Thompson. You ever heard Georgetown bas Oh yeah yeah, big brother with the glasses.
Yeah, okay, that's what about got Yeah he was coach Iverson and autumn dude, Yeah yeah, I got.
I got you his brother, you know, that's that's why. That's are you talking about? Okay, I got you, I got That's my fault. That's my fault. I'm sorry. Heck man, I forget something.
Eight These babies, these babies, laadies, that lady coach, coach, not a love some morning, Patrick.
I gotta remember that the greatest player George around, right, wasn't alive. You're right, right right, coach Iris. That's good. Yeah yeah, but Tombo, he was with Iverson and Philly. That's that's all you gotta remem up. This is when I came. But when you know, was in Philly, had no corn rows under John Tyn. No, he had to fade box, fade the season. Not a lot. That's crazy to him.
All right.
We gotta do the pot pick here, So who do we think will score the first touchdown for either team tomorrow? Church?
You got, I got Montgomery, David got David Montgomery Man, Okay, little gold line punch.
I'm going Tony Pollard, give me Dak Prescott co Dak press taking season leg Yes, Dak using the legs, getting on in there, setting the tone on the shoulder. Baby, when he's seventy seven? Is he Is he your goal? Or does anybody know? We think we think he's he's got a shot. Have you talked to him?
Have not? Man?
Things going down here? You don't talk to him. It's not the mysteries not in it. Something ain't right, man, Mom, save Salmon. You be on the field seven, so y'all been there. We're gonna talk to him. I seeing him in the T shirts. I'm like, Sam Salmon. No, No, he'll be He'll be in a T shirt. He'll be in his warm pants. Okay, he's gonna T shirt with the neck rode this Sam, Sam. When you look at you, hey man, you got to you gotta go by the way. Mariy Cooper did not play last night. No, No, he
did not playing last night. What's up with that? I'm sorry I got so burned up on the Amari Cooper text when he had the two hundred something yards. But we gotta have Tomorra and we gotta have Cedland. No, you could not because Amari Cooper got a new deal from the Browns. Mariy Cooper was not going to still be making twenty million dollars. That's the other thing. It's not still been making twenty million dollars. Okay, it just wasn't gonna happen. They moved on. I personally would have
taken Cooper over Gallop, but that's me. Yeah, it was you know, let that man do what he's doing in Cleveland. But I don't sit around here like people. Oh I could have had these two guys.
No, you had.
These two guys didn't work. So he didn't want to pay the money. He didn't want to keep it there anymore, so he moved on. He was a great player Cleveland. And I'm happy for Cooper, you're doing this thing.
Happy for we gotta get We gotta get this win tomorrow. Fellas, it's a guy to have Gallop over.
Worry about it. You don't not worry about it. The dog they're gonna get shamed if they don't. Michael Irving looking.
Down at you, Jimmy, talk to you, because he definitely be here. He'll definitely be here. He's gonna be in the locker room.
Oh yeah, they might bust up in the locker room at halftime. Yeah, they're gonna be easy. Yeah yeah, no, no, no, you don't want to lose this. This We can't do it. Can't do it. Hey, heck man. Happy New Year, Happy New Years, Young, Happy New Year, everybody watches. Happy New Year, Chris Bean, everybody here Dallas cowboy dot Com. By the way, shout out to your boy Derek Eagleton, have birthday to him yesterday. So yesterday, all right, that's players as We'll
talk to you on Monday. Capoe Nation. I hope your team wins you.
This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.