Cowboys StoryLine: No-Fun Monday

Talking about what occurred in Carolina wasn’t easy, just like trying to figure out to fix this defense. But the opinions varied on how to turn it around.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
The following.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
He is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and
the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. Cowboys This is Cowboys Storyline,
presented by Gillette, the official shave of the Dallas Cowboys.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Here's Nick Eatman.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
What's up. Welcome to Cowboys Storyline. It's Monday, October thirteenth.
I'm Nick Eatman, and let's talk about the Cowboys Panthers.
It's a bad one. It was not a good one.
There's no other way to really say it. Cowboys fall
thirty to twenty seven at the final play of the game.
The defense, unfortunately, the defense kind of does what it does.

(00:50):
And that's that's the bad part of this thing after
six games, is that that really was no different than
what we've seen. Thought maybe it might be better based
off of the opponent. And when I say the opponent,
I'm talking about the quarterback Bryce Young, who was, you know,
statistically the worst quarterback in the league going into the game,

(01:13):
and uh and he allowed him to be comfortable enough
and run the ball with Rico Dawdle, and you know,
he told you what he was going to do. They
said they were going to run it, and they did,
and they kept doing it. And it was six yards
and seven yards and eight yards and fourteen yards and
six yards and they just drove down and won the game.
So wasted a great opportunity for the Cowboys offense. Offense

(01:36):
played well, not well enough because they had their issues
at the worst times, and Cowboys fall thirty to twenty seven.
They are now two three in one of Coross. All right,
let's go to the phone. Calls Dylan, Northport, Florida. What's
up in it?

Speaker 4 (01:52):
How's it going?

Speaker 5 (01:53):
Bro?

Speaker 1 (01:53):
Good? How are you?

Speaker 4 (01:55):
Hey? Hey, I'm good.

Speaker 6 (01:56):
I'm good.

Speaker 4 (01:56):
So first thing, first, shout out to Joe from Lincoln Park.
I was talking from on Twitter. I wanted to shout out,
just like Lincoln Park once said, I've become so numb
to this defense. The defensive Sailors is not shocking really
at this point, it's almost expected, you know, they're imploding.
And I think that it's getting to the point, not
that it's going to make a difference, but I think

(02:18):
a move probably is coming at some point here. Maybe
on this DC, maybe you get some improvement with like
moving White Cotton.

Speaker 6 (02:27):
Up as the interim.

Speaker 4 (02:27):
But if you're firing coaches mid season, that's not indicative
of success. That's just trying to not lose a locker
room typically, So I don't really expect much much to
change in the defense. And I see a lot of
talk about trades, but I don't this team is more
than one player away. Go trade for a big, big
time d that's gonna cost your first round pick. Plus

(02:48):
you're not going to have a big difference on defense.
This thing's not it's not solvable. There's not a light
at the end of the tunnel for this season unfortunately.
Because is what it is, Bro, I mean, that's all.
It is, what it is.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
Thank you for the call, not the one I wanted
to to start the show, but that's the way it is.
That's the reality, and you know it is. It is
six games. I'm glad there are eleven more, but you know,
that's that's kind of where where we stand, uh, Dylan.
I don't agree with you on all of those points,

(03:20):
but some of them are you know, are are the case,
and you know, but you can fix things. I mean
you can. If your offense wasn't good then then then
this is not gonna not gonna be a good situation.
But you can you because your offense is good and
they're going to be even better here in this week.

(03:43):
And you know, when you get some of these guys back,
then then you can fix it. And I'm not saying
it's it's going to be a top ten dev You
don't need a top ten defense. So that's why I
disagree with you that that the defense can get better.
And if the defense gets a little bit better, you know,
I mean, I mean, think about that, if the defense

(04:04):
got just one inch better, you know, every game they
they didn't give up this touchdown or this field goal.
You know, this touchdown was actually turned to a field goal,
you could make the case that they beat the Giants
in regulation, they beat the Packers in regulation, they win
this game, you know what I mean. So so that's

(04:25):
why I'm not gonna sit here and say like that
that's not salagable. Well, because because it can be. You
can get better, and if you get better combined with
this offense, then then they can win some games. But
but they got to get a lot better on defense,
and that's just not what we're seeing right now. Chris
and Saratoga Springs.

Speaker 7 (04:43):
Hey, Nick, how are you good?

Speaker 6 (04:46):
Defense? You're right, they got to get better, no doubt
about it. I mean it starts a little bit in
the offseason. You know, I was a big believer in
Drake reen Long getting him in here, and we went
with Sanborne and Marie instead. And I think we're struggling
right now in the middle for sure. I mean, I
know we're gonna get help with Demo comes back. It's
going to be a huge help with him coming back.

(05:07):
But our linebackers aren't playing great. My main concern guessterday
about that game, and you can comment on is fourth
and three and Bland's playing six seven yards off the
ball for that easy completion. Can you please tell me
why we would be playing a defense like that on
fourth and three. It just just doesn't make any sense

(05:29):
to me at all on that call. So if you
can just touch on that part of it, I would
appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (05:35):
Okay, thanks, And I can't I mean, thanks for the call,
but I can't because you know, simple maths as if
you're seven yards off the ball and you know only
need it's four, fourth and four, but then you know
it's going to be close to get up there and
make the play. Who cares if he goes twenty, let

(05:55):
him go, Let him go twenty yards. See if your
quarterback can complete it to him twenty yards on the field,
he's averaging five. That's the worst part going into this
game that Bryce Young was averaging five point eight yards
per reception, which was the worst in the league for
starting quarterbacks, and in this game he was eight eight

(06:17):
point five or so, which you know that that's a
that's a respectable number. And so you know, and that's
the thing. Mean, his quarterback rating was seventy nine point
nine and then this game was like one fourteen. So
you know, that's that's the problem that we're seeing, is
we're seeing this defense make quarterbacks look way better than

(06:38):
they are justin fields even looked way back. I mean,
look what he did last you know, yesterday against against Denver.
But he didn't you know, he didn't play great against
the Cowboys, but he put up some numbers there late.
Caleb Williams playing way better than he has all season
when he was with the Cowboys. Russell Wilson didn't even
a starter. He turns back the clock on Une scores
thirty seven points. I mean, so it's it's bad. I mean,

(07:02):
there's no doubt about it. And and and to lose
to that team, you know, in the fashion that they did. Uh,
it's it shows that that they have to figure out
what what those what those changes are going to be. Uh,
whether there be scheme changes, whether whether they're personnel changes,
coaching change, whatever they are, you need to do and
you need to do a couple of them. You need

(07:22):
to do a lot of them. And you don't have
a lot of time. You got you gotta get this going.
I mean, Washington's come to town. Washington's you know, maybe
they're not as good as they were last year, who knows,
but they're still pretty good and they still got you know,
Jayden Daniels is healthy and dan Quinn wants to come
here and win. So there's no doubt about it. It's
gonna it's not gonna be easy. All right, let's go
j R. Evandale Arizona j R.

Speaker 8 (07:42):
Good morning. Next how you're doing all right? Good? So
I can start with some happy news. Uh, Saturday was
my daughter's birthday, my youngest daughter, and she got engaged
on the same day. So what happened about that? Got
a new son in law coming in the family. Saturday,
it was a great day, and then there was Sunday.

(08:05):
I just think. I mean, when you sit there and
talking about the defense, you know it's what everyone's going
to be talking about. I just don't think you can.
I think that me looking at the scheme, I understand
what the scheme is. I see what you're trying to do.
I just don't think you have the players to play
what he wants to play, if that makes any sense.
I mean, Diggs has always been a man's a man

(08:26):
corner and Alabama when they switched him to corner, save
them plays man to man and that's where Duran Bland
is the best. I don't think those guys can do that.
Donovan Wilson is a box safety. You can't ask Donovan
Wilson to cover and make decisions. He wants to think.
He wants to jump that crosser, he wants to go
make an interception, he wants to go hit somebody, and

(08:48):
guys are running by him. But you can't just change
all these people. So eber Flues has to adjust what
he's doing. And that's my opinion. But I want to
know when does Schottenheimer I go down there and tell
him stop the run, do whatever you got to do
to stop the run. I didn't see them load the boss.

(09:09):
I didn't see him run, buts and they just kept
doing the same thing over and over. So I think
Eba Flues has to very quickly just rinse and clean
out what he's got doing and try to run a
different kind of defense. And now as the offense goes.
I love brock Hoffmin and TJ. Bass, but I think

(09:30):
you saw yesterday going against Brown and Ashawn Robinson. That's
why they're backups. I thought they got man handled. I
thought they got bullied, and a running game just got
stuffed right right at the beginning.

Speaker 1 (09:44):
All right, thanks for that, Thanks for the call, J.
I appreciate that. Let's let's keep it, keep it going.
You're right about the offensive line. Those guys did get
man handled. I think we saw why Carolina didn't want
to let go of Derek Brown. It's a pretty good player.
And if that's rumors are true and reports are true
that you know, Brown was the guy the Cowboys were

(10:05):
looking at if there was going to be a trade
to Carolina for Micah. Derek Brown was the one and
the Carolina didn't want to do that. So and we
kind of see, we kind of see why. But yeah,
I mean they they missed Booker. I mean, Booker gives
them strength. Even though he's a rookie, he still gives
them this interior strength that I certainly could have been
used yesterday. And you know, I was kind of on

(10:29):
the fence with with Hoffman and bb Still I still
am a little bit that they coaches know that they
know who's a better player, and so they they That's
why Bbe has won the job now two years in
a row. So uh, he obviously is I mean, I
don't see I don't see that a lot. But as
far as the big difference there, but man, yesterday was
was a challenge. They just couldn't They just couldn't run

(10:49):
it at all. And that's for the defense and even
Flus and what you said, I agree that you know.
To me, I've always been told the best coaches are
the ones that fit the their scheme around the players.
They don't necessarily fit the player into the scheme. And
that's the big difference here. You're trying to fit the
player of Digs and Bland and Wilson into your scheme

(11:14):
and it can't work that way. It's not working that way.
You're gonna have to fix a scheme and create one
that goes around these guys. And that's and you know,
if you know some of the analytics that I saw
that they blitzed five times yesterday. Five. I mean I'm blitzing.

(11:34):
I'm blitzing three or four times on a series with
this defensive line and and these corners and and and
safety is the way that they're playing. I'm blitzing all
the time. I mean, what do you do to a
short quarterback? How about make them shorter? You can make
them shorter if when you collapse the pocket on him,
he becomes short. I mean everybody does. He can't see
over the line, especially when it's getting closer and closer

(11:57):
that way. So I would have blitzed way more than that.
And when you saw him get a little rattled, the
ball went everywhere. It went in completed, when in the
stands it went, I mean, he got rid of the football.
They didn't make him do that enough. I thought that
was a very very bad way of attacking that offense.
And I'm gonna tell you this, if any quarterback in

(12:20):
running back are both trying to get to two hundred yards,
that's not a good offense. And your defense should be
able to capitalize with that. If Rico's trying to get
two hundred rushing yards and Bryce Jones also trying to
get two hundred passing yards, maybe should take the running
part away and see if this guy can beat you,
because they shouldn't be equal like that, all right, Josh

(12:42):
and Princeton?

Speaker 9 (12:44):
Hey, what's going on?

Speaker 4 (12:45):
Nick?

Speaker 1 (12:45):
How are you?

Speaker 10 (12:46):
I'm doing good.

Speaker 9 (12:47):
Haven't been able to call the last few weeks, traveling
and work stuff. But in spite of what happened yesterday,
I've been wanting to call him and say and give
back his props and his flock hours for being prepared
this season and the way he's looked. I've been a
critic of that.

Speaker 10 (13:06):
You know, when he hasn't looked so good. So I
want to do, you know, be fair and give him
credit when credit is due. I know mostly everybody is
gonna talk about the defense today and how bad they look.
I won't spend too much time on it. But if
the offense.

Speaker 9 (13:22):
Has to be perfect in score every.

Speaker 10 (13:25):
Time they get the ball, I just don't see how
we can win many games.

Speaker 7 (13:29):
And that's all I got, all right, and they won't.

Speaker 1 (13:32):
They won't then win many games if you have to
do that every time, like your offense is not going
to be perfect. I say that, you know, I did
go to the Arkansas and Notre Dame game and their
offense was perfect in the first half. That was scored
every time, and so it's very similar. I'm dealing with

(13:52):
the same type of teams on Saturday and Sunday. Then
it's not it's not fun when because you do feel
that way, you feel like your offense has to be
perfect and so uh, and they weren't. You know, the
biggest drive of the game, Cowboy's biggest drive of the
game that that defense finally gets a stop down there
forces a punt, you in great field position, and Manda,

(14:12):
this does this team miss Turpin? I mean, seriously, Turpin's
an All Pro. He's been an All Pro and he
is an All Pro. He's All Pro return man for
the last three games now with him being out or
has it been two games? Uh, but two games feels
like three. But there's so many opportunities to get these

(14:33):
returns and and and nothing's happening, and you know, like
you just you just know that he can make a big,
big difference and so hopefully he'll be back this week.
But But my point is the offense gets the ball
and and I really believe that Schottenheimer when he got
the football, I guess it was with eight minutes to go,

(14:55):
maybe nine, when they got the ball back. I think
that he thought that, you know, maybe maybe would run
a little clock here, and they didn't, you know, I mean,
they got the ball eight eighteen to go, and they're like,
all right, we're at the worth. They're at their own
forty six yard line, you know, with eight eighteen to go,

(15:18):
and I mean, you need and you got the wind,
so you're looking you're looking for a field goal. I mean,
you're looking for a touchdown here obviously, but you're you're
trying to bleed some clock. And I think that's what
went into a short pass to Javante for minus five
short pass the Javante for minus seven US twelve yards
right off the bat, with this magnificent field position the

(15:39):
forty six yard line with eight eighteen to go, you
turned it into a third and twenty two at your
own thirty four and you have four yard pass the
lipke and you punted to the Carolina fourteen yard line.
That's that's the game, you know, it's the game. And
also the times you're down there in the red zone
twice down inside the red zone after a big play

(16:01):
by Pickings gets you down there and you mess around
and you kick field goals, and so those field goals
ended up, you know, losing you to the game, those
field goals and then that that drive. So you know, yeah,
I hate to say the offense lost the game, but
I'm just saying, in the situation that is, you know,
the way it is, they have to score more, and
they have to score almost every single time. All right,

(16:23):
Michael and Utah's next.

Speaker 11 (16:26):
Hey Nick, how are you doing to day? Hey Michael
oh Man, this is uh, this is frustrating. I feel
like it's definitely a personal problem, but I think it's
also a coaching problem coming from the standpoint of I mean,
we're hearing the same thing out of shot and Hammer
almost every single week, saying, oh, well, we need to
do better and we'll fix that, and I feel like

(16:47):
we're just running into the same problems. You think something
like this is fixable with our defense as bad as
it is, and then our offense not doing what it
needs to do versus a team like the Panthers, Like
I feel like we should have won by twenty points.

Speaker 1 (17:04):
Yeah, well I don't know about twenty points. I mean,
I you know, I thought it was gonna be a
tougher game, but I did think that that the Cowboys
could have won, And then watching it, I thought that
they should have won. I mean, I just that's that's
what that's so bad about this is that you know,
when the games are are like close like that, usually

(17:25):
the better quarterback is gonna win you the game, you know.
And that's and that's the thing, and and that did
not happen in this case at all, And so that
that's that's another frustrating aspect of it.

Speaker 11 (17:38):
All right, Well, I'll just lead off with this. Are
we gonna make any trades? Or are we gonna run
with this team? And do you think it is fixable
with what we have on the roster getting everybody back
with injuries? And yeah, where do we go from here?

Speaker 1 (17:50):
All right? All right? Thank you, thank you for the call.
I say it several times already, I've said about the trade.
I mean, I think if there's a trade that were
works beyond this year, then then go ahead and do it.
I wouldn't make you know, I'm not trading for somebody
with that's going to be a free agent at the
end of the year. And if you do that, if

(18:10):
you know, if you if you make that kind of move,
then you're not talking about a first round pick. I
mean you're talking about a you know, fourth round, fifth
or something like that, you know, for a guy that's
just just renting at this point and the season's already
you know, six games into it. So uh, you know,
if if you were to get a guy like that,
then then you know, you're then you're you're trying to

(18:31):
maybe put a band aid on it and see if
there's a situation of somebody that that can help you.
And and that's why, you know, I'm not trying to
to to say, oh glass half half full here, let's
let's just throw out the facts. Okay, this is this
is what you have. You have an offense that can
put up a lot of points. Okay, they can put
up a lot of points, especially if they were getting

(18:52):
some help on defense, getting short fields and and maybe
a turnover or two every now and again, a sack
force fumble like when that happens, you know, then they
can they can take advantage of it. They did get
an interception and the Coupboys went and scored, So give
them credit for that part. But but that's it. But
I'm just saying, you know, this defense is going to

(19:14):
struggle the offense though, the thing about the offense is
is that they are capable of scoring points. And so
when you ask questions of can they fix this thing,
I don't. I don't need them to start, you know,
going from averaging thirty points allowed to ten, You don't.
I don't need that. I mean, we really don't. You
need a couple stops. You need to get off the field.

(19:36):
Turn that touchdown into a field goal, turn that field
goal into a punt. I mean things like that, and
and and that is a scheme fix here and there.
Imagine imagine what taking ten points off the board for
a game would be. I'll just do it seven points
off the board, you know. And and that's that's where
that's where you are. This team, this offense can go

(19:58):
score with anyone, but you got to you gotta give
them some stops and give them some opportunities. You know
that that Chicago game, well the reason why that they
didn't get I mean, Cowboys were down there several times
through a couple of interceptions there late. They also had
a ten minute drive. The Bears had ten minute drive.
Cowboys just couldn't get off the field. You know, one time,
two times, three times, get off the field. That could

(20:19):
change everything. Let's go to break here real quick on
Cowboys Storyline'll be right back.

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All Right, let's go back to the phone lines here.

(22:33):
We've got Travis. He's in San Antonio. Travis, what's up?

Speaker 15 (22:37):
Good morning, Nick.

Speaker 1 (22:37):
How are you doing?

Speaker 16 (22:39):
That?

Speaker 15 (22:39):
Could be better?

Speaker 5 (22:40):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (22:40):
Are we all good? Yeah?

Speaker 15 (22:43):
But I just wanted to say a couple of things
real quick, Like you said you've already been talking about.
I think this is an all hands on deck situation
for the defense. Like we're way past like having hurt
feelings here at this point. I don't know if Dylan,
you know, Dylan was talking about promoting white cotton. I
don't know, promote white cotton, sorens and get with the guys,
Say do you guys want to play? If it's a
man a man press, you know, people will say they're

(23:03):
going to get beat anyways, Like I'm cool. Then they're
just going to get beat faster and we get the
ball back to our offense. That's what they were doing
at the end of the game when they were trying
to let them score. So you just got to think
you got it all hands on deck. I think Nick,
there's a buyingbacker in the Bayou that played for a
quarterback that or for a coach that we used to
have that you know would probably be a Day three pick,
that he would be a rental Nick, but he would

(23:24):
certainly help because he'd be a dude in the middle
of this defense. And then, lastly to the two plays
you were just referring to. I was disappointed in those
two lateral screenplays or sideways plays just because of what
Shotty Hid said about it's about players over plays. And
my only issue with it, Nick was Pickens had been
Pickens and Ferguson had been chewing them up all day

(23:45):
and I just my thought, processing those two possessions of
those two plays, I'm going to Pickens three times in
a row if I have to right and make them
stop it. I don't think they could. So that was
my disappointment there.

Speaker 7 (23:56):
Just just want to see what you thought, all right, Bro,
thank you.

Speaker 1 (23:59):
I I totally agree with that that part there. Again,
about that drive, I kind of feel like he was
trying to slow play it. But yeah, at that point
in the game, I think he got to go with
with what's working, and what was working was was Pickens.
I mean, they couldn't they couldn't cover them, and it
was everything that's been the most oppressive part about Pickens

(24:20):
is that he's he's run so many different types of routes. Slants,
slant for a touchdown, about that, I mean, just just
slant for a first down, but just beat all the
angles from the other defenders and go and score touchdown.
Thirty four yards thirty four yards slant for a touchdown.
That's like Jerry Rice. That's what I think of is

(24:43):
I think if Jerry Rice catching a slant and then
just taking it right up the middle for a touchdown.
So that type of play, and then like the comeback route,
where then he's just gonna spin and go and spin
and hurdle and jump and do all kinds of things.
I mean, he just has so many different types of routes. Yeah,
I mean I think that they could have done that

(25:04):
and that, and that drive and and and and then
you know, and obviously in hindsight they should have. But
nothing to Javonte was working. I mean nothing, even the
little dump off passes. I mean he was getting hit
and and tackled there, and I mean he just there
was no yards after the catch with him. It was
a complete opposite of what we had seen before against

(25:25):
the Jets. Had really all season. I mean all season,
we hadn't seen that type of running from him, and
it's pretty unfortunate when you look at the Miles Sanders injury.
Now Miles is out for the season. They put him
on season ending I r because he's gonna he's gonna
need I think a knee surgery. So Jayden Blue hasn't

(25:47):
really shown anything yet, so you kind of wanted to
have a little bit of help for him. And Miles
Sanders had been that guy, had been the best one,
and a lot of people wanted to see Blue. You've
seen him twice. Now you can't be in pres just yet. No,
he's a rookie. He's going to get better, but I
mean he needs to play and needs to kind of
get in the mix. We know he's got some speed
to him, so we'll see, well, we'll see what he

(26:10):
does there, and you know, if they've got any other options,
but for now, you know, it's it's Gravante's show, and
and and yesterday they just couldn't really lean on him.
That was that was unfortunate. All right. Gabe is in Knoxville, Tennessee. Gabe,
what's up?

Speaker 7 (26:25):
Hey?

Speaker 17 (26:26):
Not much rough Monday, And I'm sure feeling disappointed like
everybody is.

Speaker 1 (26:32):
Yeah, but.

Speaker 17 (26:36):
You know, I think there's obviously good things to take
from this team, even on the defensive side. We've got
good players. It's just disappointing how it feels disappointing how
they're being used. I guess, yeah, we got guys. I

(26:58):
was listening to one of five point three that this
morning and they were kind of saying, how Donovan Wilson,
which is bad, just overall bad. I thought, yeah, he
had some he had some good he had some good plays.
I thought, you know, it was when he was close
to a line of scrimmage. It was when he was
working in the flat, or when he was covering lower

(27:21):
as soon as they made him cover you know, the
middle third of the field or do that sort of
cover defense, that's.

Speaker 7 (27:31):
When he.

Speaker 1 (27:32):
Yeah, he's an interesting player. He's because he'll he'll make
some some really good plays for both teams. And so
that's that's the problem with with him. I I still
don't know if if every if there's a coordinator out
there that knows exactly how to play him the best way,
because you know, he's one of those it's like one

(27:55):
of those basketball players that's just a mismatch every time.
On this end, he's a mismatch because he can do
that in this and score. But down here he's maybe tougher,
you know what I mean, He's that type of guy.
Where do you play If you played him at linebacker,
they'd run at him all the time and he probably
couldn't hold up all the time. You put him in
the deep part of it, he's just going to give
up plays, you know. I mean, I hate to make

(28:16):
this comparis. It's a lot like Roy Williams actually back
in the day at safety. You know what, Where do
you play him the right spot? Because he can make plays,
just not always consistently right.

Speaker 17 (28:29):
So it feels like it comes down to, I like,
I don't know, manage your players, better put them in
the situations that.

Speaker 7 (28:38):
They're going to do best. Yeah, you know, And it doesn't.

Speaker 17 (28:40):
Feel like he's done that. It doesn't feel like he's
making the adjustments he needs to.

Speaker 8 (28:45):
It makes you know, I miss I.

Speaker 17 (28:47):
Miss Wade Phillips. When's the when's the last time we
had a defensive coordinator? I feel like where.

Speaker 7 (28:55):
We were just Dan Quinn, Yeah, Dan Glinn, right, I
mean he was the guy.

Speaker 1 (29:03):
That you were like, oh my god, he's gonna leave
and take a coaching job, like he didn't take it,
so you know it's it's.

Speaker 17 (29:08):
But even Dan Klint had issues too though. Yeah it
started off great when the pass rush is working well,
he has Michael Parsons. But then if the pass rush
wasn't getting home well then And I know a lot
of it has to do with the players too. Sometimes
they're just not executing well, they're not doing their job.

Speaker 1 (29:25):
But I'm just gonna I'm not gonna try to argue
with you, but I'm just saying, let's just point this
point out too. Wade Phillips, Right, did he have a guy?
I mean, did he have a pass rusher because I
kind of thought he did in demarkets where I mean,
I feel like Dan Quinn kind of had a pass
rusher in Michael Parsons. And that's the thing, right, And
this guy does not have a pass rusher. He does

(29:45):
not have anybody that can rush the past consistently. And
I am not saying, hey, it's okay, eber flu, No,
it's not. It hasn't been good. It hasn't been good enough.
We know that everybody likes Matt everyone that's known to
me while here the first time. Everyone likes this guy
and I'm included, and that's what makes this thing tough.
But if we're gonna be fair and just compare other ones,

(30:07):
just know the biggest issue is that do not have
a pass rusher, and they don't. They don't generate pass rush,
they don't blitz, they don't do anything to make the
quarterback uncomfortable. And these two, these guys are too good
Hunter Renfro. Those guys are just too good to find
an open spot and say, boom, there it is. I mean,
it's just you. It's too long. These guys have way

(30:29):
too long. Absolutely, all right, all right, all right, thank you, Gabe,
appreciate that. Let's go to Bryce. He's in Burlston, Texas. Bryce, Hey, Nick,
how are you good?

Speaker 7 (30:40):
How are you good?

Speaker 8 (30:42):
So?

Speaker 18 (30:42):
I have actually a couple questions for you. So my
first question of force is on the defense. Obviously, it's
very frustrating watching what we're seeing this season. Do you
think Jerry should use one of those number one draft
picks to go get a pass rusher? Just because I
think right now, well we don't have an identity and

(31:03):
with playing man's zone, going back and forth. These players
are just not clicking. They don't have the IQ to
play zone in my opinion. And you know, Trayvon Diggs,
he's wanting to play man more often, but in order
to play man consistently, you have to have a legitimate
pass rusher, right. And then my second question is with Pickens,

(31:25):
don't doing so good because in the past we didn't
have a second wide receiver that would step out when
CD or number one would go out. Would you resign
him like right now before obviously the market hits.

Speaker 1 (31:40):
Well, we talked about this a little bit last week
and that question has come up a little bit. And
you know, don't forget Pickens's agent is in the same
group as Mike's agent with athletes first, and so you're
not gonna sneak anything by anyone. Now you're gonna have
to pay for market. And you're gonna have to pay
for what he's doing. I mean, because the agent's gonna

(32:03):
project out his season. So he hasn't he's had a
touchdown now what five weeks in a row or four
weeks in a row or something. He's got six touchdowns
through six games, So they're gonna probably put that as
a seventeen touchdown season. So you know what, what kind
of contract is that. I don't I don't think you're
gonna get a steal that go for it. I'd like
to resign them, be great, but I think you're gonna

(32:24):
have to definitely pay for it, and as it stands
right now, you're paying for top dollar. I mean I
even thought about that on the way home. I thought,
I wonder if they might consider franchising him, you know,
just just to see that that could be the case,
because he has been he's been better than he's.

Speaker 5 (32:40):
Ever play at dow Yep.

Speaker 1 (32:44):
Well, it's the best quarterback he's he's probably had consistently
too and and correct. Yeah, so it's a great situation.
I bet he would love to be here. But you know,
he's he's playing like he's on a contract year and
he's he's been great because the best situation for him
has happened. Not only has he got to play some
on the opposite side of CD, but he's also got

(33:06):
to be the number one guy. And by the number one,
he looks every bit the part of a number one receiver.

Speaker 18 (33:12):
Awesome, sounds great, Bright, Well, thank.

Speaker 1 (33:15):
You appreciate it. And the first thanks for your call.
Your first question, you know, we we have talked about
it several times, you know, and without really throwing out names,
I mean, do you go get a pass rusher? Do
you trade one of your picks to go get a guy?
I mean, it's got to be the perfect situation, like
like honestly, like Green like Green Bay, that's what they had.

(33:35):
You know, you need a younger pass rusher who's still
going to be around for a while, and they already
know that it's not gonna work out where at their
at their team, their initial team, it's just not gonna work,
So let's move on and maybe get something for them.
I mean, how many scenarios like that are there? I mean,
obviously there was one with the Cowboys and they had
to pay top dollar for it, so you're obviously not

(33:57):
gonna get that kind of guy. But is there another
guy that that are you already know is not going
to re sign with his team and and that they
can trade him and it's not going to be a
huge hit on their on their cap. I mean, there's
probably some guys out there, but man, it's got to
be somebody that can make a difference. If not, then
don't don't do it. Go get your younger draft pick

(34:18):
and whatever position and do that. I mean, this got
to be a proven player, and most teams like to
hang on to those, you know, but we're watching it
that it's happened here, so we know it can't happen
Rich in California. Rich.

Speaker 4 (34:33):
Hey, Nick, how's going good are you?

Speaker 19 (34:36):
But you know how I'm feeling today.

Speaker 6 (34:37):
I'm still feeling blue.

Speaker 1 (34:38):
Sure, yeah, well, and I.

Speaker 19 (34:40):
Say that because to the point you made on our
running back situation. Yes, Sanders went out, but we need
to get Blue going north and south, not east and west.
And you can see the success that paulard a dad.
He hasn't done too bad out there. You see what
Dwell has done not too bad. So again, we can't

(35:01):
give up on a guy on two games. And again
we need to start going north to south the same
way we're doing with pickings, same way we were doing
with persons. We can get Blu that way we'll be
all right.

Speaker 1 (35:11):
Yeah, yeah, I'd like to see him a little bit more.
I mean I think we all would, because you know
he's got speed. I mean, you know, if he gets
into the open field, you know he can he can
be dangerous. I mean, you know, this guy played like
four snaps in the preseason, did not get to play
a lot. He was hurt and then he just wasn't
ready to play. And so he's practiced some and it

(35:33):
sounds like he's practicing well, but it's not game situation now.
He did have a nice kickoff return going north, like
you said, and against the Jets, that was a good return. Again,
I'd like to see him back there with Turpin, but
that means he's gonna probably have to block some and

(35:54):
and and if Turpin and if they kick it to Blue,
then Turpet's gonna have to block some. I don't know
if you really want that either, but I do think
that he just needs to keep playing and he just
needs to break one, you know, like just kind of
you and I don't mean eighty yards, I just mean
ten yards, fifteen twenty yards A run like that kind

(36:15):
of give him the confidence that he needs that. All
backs need that, all players need that at all positions.
So he's going to get that opportunity. I mean, that's
just there's no doubt about it. He's going to definitely
get in there. All right, let's go to Brian in
Kansas City.

Speaker 20 (36:31):
Morning, sir, how are you, oh Man tough? First thing
I said to Chris Man that sucked.

Speaker 1 (36:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 20 (36:40):
Well, so here's where I'm missed at with the defense.
If you look at our defensive backfield, our starters, and
I know Hooker is not in right now, but just
to bear with me one second. Yeah, if you take
those four guys, they're all on their second Cowboys contracts.
Other coaches and their schemes have gotten the best out

(37:02):
of them to the point that they've all been re
signed by the Cowboys. This scheme doesn't fit those guys
at all. And I know, like I said, I know
Hooker's not there right now, but it's very obvious that
that's it's not a talent issue in the backfield. Now
in the front seven, I think it's wholeheartedly a talent issue.

(37:27):
Our line. We don't even have one one good linebacker
right now, you know, not based on their play so far.
And Demo's one guy. I mean, you know, he's probably
going to be better than anybody we got, but he's
only one guy. You know, we don't have anybody else
to pair him up with. Ye he does come back.

(37:48):
And then in the front line, I don't know for sure.
I don't know a lot about why. That's not why
they're not generating any pressure at all except for the
Jets game. And I wanted to just throw this out there,
get your opinion with pickings. I think he's playing himself
out of Dallas. He's too good. He's already too good

(38:09):
for us to pay. He's going to get top dollar.
Do you think we'll get a third round comp? I
know it's possible to get a third round comp. I
don't know how that works if he plays like this
and he's not going to have the same stats because
CD's coming back, but based on how he's playing, he's
going to get a top tier contract. Do you think
we'll get a third round.

Speaker 17 (38:29):
Pick coming back out of that?

Speaker 20 (38:30):
And maybe it's a break even rental? And I'll hang
up and listen to that one man.

Speaker 1 (38:34):
Yeah, a lot of stuff there, Brian. You know when
you go in to your defensive back stuff. You know.
The question that I have is, and I think I
asked this last week and just kind of said it
out loud, but are we sure that Hooker and Bland
and Diggs and Donovan Wilson are we sure that this

(38:58):
isn't who they've always been. They just got covered up
by by Micah Parsons.

Speaker 7 (39:03):
You know.

Speaker 1 (39:04):
That's that's where the Micah Parsons. That's why I'm recreating
the diaper, you know, or two point oh diaper two
point oh? Maybe it is Micah. He covered up a
lot of stuff. Are we sure that these guys weren't
weren't that way? I mean, I'd like to think that
they they're they're great on their own, But what my
point is, without a consistent pass rush, and he gave

(39:26):
you a consistent pass rush, without that, would we have
ever seen the play that we saw from them. So
I think what I'm saying is is maybe maybe it
is needed to go get a pass rusher. Maybe that
that's what you have to do to save yourself. And
it's got maybe a couple of guys. And I don't
know if anyone's ever going to play their way out

(39:48):
of Dallas or out of out of any kind of
you know, any situation, any team. If you keep playing
the way like you play, I don't know why you
would ever. I mean, we've already seen it one since
the Cowboys traded away an outstanding player. Now that now
that they miss him dearly. I don't know if you're
playing like this, figure it out. I know you signed CD,

(40:10):
but we figured figure it out because because that's that's
where you are. You have an offense that that can
put up a lot of points. So uh, maybe maybe
it is something worth worth keeping. I just don't know
if I believe that he's playing so good that you
can't keep him. He's playing that good, figure it out,
because I don't know if the Cowboys are in the
business of letting these franchise type players go again. Let's

(40:33):
go to break real quick and then come back and
get a couple more calls. We'll be right back after this.

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Speaker 21 (41:08):
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Speaker 3 (41:44):
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Speaker 1 (41:54):
This segment is presented by Yetti. Officially licensed Yetti Cowboys
gear is now available at Stadium pro Shops, concession and
on Yetti dot com. All right, let's try to get
a couple more calls. And it's been a tough, tough
monday here on Cowboys storyline has to be expected. What
happens when you lose a game like that? That just
didn't feel like that was one the Cowboys should have lost,

(42:14):
but they did, and they did because they got out
played out, hit out, our physical all that still didn't
feel like they were going to lose the game. So
that's what's kind of crazy about it, all right, Robbie
and Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Speaker 5 (42:28):
Hey, I'm drinking out of my Yettie cup right now,
the one that's this Cowboys storyline.

Speaker 7 (42:32):
Nice, all right, Yeah, that's yeah, man, I love it.

Speaker 5 (42:37):
So you know, we always talk about how crappy things
get when we lose, and it does. It sucks, man,
But you know what, it was still a damn good game, man.
I mean except for our defense, but but that offense,
they played their hearts out. I mean, I like what
you said. And RJ said the same damn thing in
the fourth quarter. He was like, Dad, why didn't they
throw it to the pickens? And I agree with what

(43:01):
you said. You know, they're doing one to the side,
one to the side, and the little thing to lip key.

Speaker 18 (43:06):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (43:07):
But but it was still a great game, most of
it really. You got interception and I know I'm a homer, man,
but I enjoy the ride. I like to watch the game,
and it was fun with my kid, and maybe that's
why I'm na join it more. But yeah, boy, I
sure like to see us win at the end, you
know what I.

Speaker 8 (43:24):
Mean, Nick, It would have made it.

Speaker 5 (43:26):
Quite a bit better. But maybe there's still hope at
the end of the thing. I wish I was like
Dylan or you are, you know smart like to me, guys,
I just don't even know what we can do to
get better with the coaching. Is that the players I'm
talking defense obviously, yeah, who knows man, pass rush, safety, middle, linebacker,

(43:47):
all of them. All right, you tell me what you
think we can fix it, and I listen, All.

Speaker 1 (43:54):
Well, I appreciate it. I mean, I wish I had
the answers to but I mean, for me, it just
feels like the quarterbacks are way too comfortable and and
and I'm okay giving up what you have to give
up to blitz. Like I'm okay with that. I mean
because I think I think my guys can get there,

(44:17):
you know, and go back to the No. No, I'm sorry.
I think that they can cover, is what I'm trying
to say. You can blitz, but I think that they'll
cover long enough. You don't have to cover forever when
you're when you're blitzing, you know, we go back to
that Philly game. In week one, the defense looked they
couldn't stop anyone early. Then then they kind of figured
it out. And if you remember, Diggs was blitzing off

(44:38):
the edge, Bland blitzed. I mean, they just showed different
things to Jalen Hurts that we hadn't seen, and they
got a field goal in the second half. Now the
offense couldn't score because they didn't have they didn't you know,
there was adjustments made by Philly as well, and they
fumbled inside the ten. But but my point was is

(44:59):
in that game, we saw all different things that didn't
make Jalen hurt so comfortable, and I just I'm not
seeing that. I'm not seeing that here at all from
the what they're doing with Carolina. Let's get this last
caller in Michael in Ohi, California.

Speaker 22 (45:13):
Hey, how's it going?

Speaker 1 (45:14):
Hey, how are you?

Speaker 22 (45:16):
I'm living a dream dream?

Speaker 20 (45:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 22 (45:21):
I called in last week and I feel like I
shot myself in the foot by mentioning shot. He's coaching
up the injuries and whatnot, and then you know, here
we go and have kind of a dud. But I
wanted to try to be very kind of positive question
and positive here.

Speaker 5 (45:42):
I don't know why.

Speaker 22 (45:43):
I assume you have the Lanner Thomas doc about him
and his brother. Basically, I know it was about the
whole game, but I just wanted to give a shout
out because that was pretty awesome and I know it's
a good piece of film. When my wife is excited
to watch something football related, that was pretty cool. Yeah.
And then I want to throw out there because we're
talking a lot about the coaches, how much do you

(46:03):
think our DBS are missing Al Harris right now? Because
nothing against the guy that we have right now, but
I feel like there's just been a shift. Obviously the
changing coordinators, you're gonna have a shift, but even just
with the way that the guys are playing in their positions.
And then I guess to end on a positive note,

(46:24):
I do feel like if there's anything to take away
from what's been a really huge roller coaster right it's
that we got a lot of young guys and you're
going to have a bit of a roller coaster as
they're learning. Like when you look at the linebacker corps,
the most senior guy I think is what Kenneth Murray,
and he's in his fourth year and he's in a
new system now, so there's a lot of learning, and

(46:47):
I guess that they should be able to handle simple
schemes and whatnot, but.

Speaker 8 (46:51):
I don't know.

Speaker 22 (46:52):
I guess each week I'm trying to care, not care,
but react less to the outcome and look more for,
you know, what can hopefully be a growth opportunity for
each of the guys, and hopefully by the end of
the season we have an identity considering that's going to
be the biggest concern right now, and then you know,
see what they can do and not to write the
whole year off, but then seo, we can do a
year two and I'll hang up and see what.

Speaker 1 (47:13):
You think you're ta Nicole, Thank you, Michael. I mean
you're right. I mean there is a lot of games left.
And that's kind of goes back to the very first
caller of the show, Dylan, you know, and you can
definitely tell the frustration there on his voice. A lot
of a lot of you guys about, you know, how
do you fix this? They've seen six games, like it's

(47:34):
not getting fixed and it's not going to get fixed
or whatever. Which my point is that you know, I've
seen I've seen teams that can kind of turn things
around as far as is turned turn around, you know,
a couple of things on on on just one side
of the ball, and that's that's what That's why I

(47:54):
have some hope that it's not lost because the offense
is so good. The offense is good, and they are
scoring enough points to win games. I mean, even twenty
seven points is enough to win a game. They should
have scored more, but it's still enough to win a game.
You just need this defense to chip in a lot

(48:15):
more than they've done. And that's just getting off the
field a couple more times. Give me a couple more
stops a game, and that I think could give the
offense even more field position to go and do what
they're gonna do. So that's why I still have some
hope here because I do think you've got something great
going on offense, and it's been just as bad on

(48:38):
the other side on the defense. So if that part
can get fixed and cleaned up just a little bit,
then I still think there's hope that you're gonna be
in every game. That's one thing. We know you're gonna
be in every one of these things. So as the
running back said, buckle up and not just in this game,
but for the entire season, because that's the kind of season.
It's gonna be all right, tough Monday, but you guys
did a great job. Appreciate that. I'll do it again

(49:00):
tomorrow for Chris Beamer, Nick Eatman See Tomorrow Cowboys storyline.

Speaker 2 (49:04):
This has been a production of Dallascowboys dot Com and
the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.