Player's Lounge: Messy Conversations

Newy Scruggs, Barry Church, Damontre Moore and Anthony Dorsett discuss latest Dallas Cowboys news and notes on The Player's Lounge.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com
and the Dallas Cowboys Football Clubs. This is the Players Lounge,
broadcasting live from Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters at the Star.
Now your hosts, Barry Church, Anthony dor Set, De Montree

(00:26):
More and Newi Scrugs.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
This is the Players Lounges, brought to you by Aristocrat Gaming,
and we are back here on a Wednesday hump Day.
The Montree Moore, I got it right today, right, Montree More,
Anthony door Set, we are short Newie Scrugs, and we
are short Baron Church. That's what rich people do. They
just can't go and do as they please when they want.

(00:56):
I am Jesse Holly aka Salt and Pepper Poppy running
the show today.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
Fellas, what's up?

Speaker 4 (01:01):
Man?

Speaker 2 (01:02):
What's good on Wednesdays? I normally asked my co hold,
so hanging with the boys, that's how? How is your
mentals and your dentals day? I should always say, so
we're good, you guys having a good, good day, good week?

Speaker 4 (01:13):
The game? Man, I'm doing good. I played my game
Ghost of YETI so I'm excited right now.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
I deal what that is.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
I'm doing good man. The dental I'm up for I'm
up for root now.

Speaker 4 (01:24):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:24):
You anybody ever had one?

Speaker 4 (01:26):
I did? Yes?

Speaker 3 (01:29):
Still, brother, Yeah, the metal was good. It was good, good, good,
good good.

Speaker 4 (01:35):
What about you, brother?

Speaker 2 (01:36):
I'm good man. My dentals is good, my mentors is good.
It's been a good week. I've enjoyed coming to kick
it with you guys this week.

Speaker 3 (01:44):
I really have a little longer man already.

Speaker 5 (01:48):
Can't do that, can't I can't do that, That's the problem.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
No, But I do enjoy coming to kick with you
guys because for one, for me, I get to I
get to change seats, right, because on my show a
lot of times I get to do the bulk of
the talking and stuff like that. And then on this seat.
I do like hosting at times. I do like being
able to sit in this seat. It keeps my mind sharp.

(02:18):
It makes me have to prepare extra because I have
to make sure that I'm able to give out the
things to you guys, right, and so like it always
keeps my mind going. It keeps my mind sharp, It
gives me and and like we all know, in sports,
the more you can.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
Do show your value.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
More I can do. I always tell people listen anybody's replaceable,
but it's gonna take four people to do what I do,
so you MI will just keep the one it is
instead of having to go get four.

Speaker 5 (02:49):
I'm trying to be like your you just got it.
You know you don't give no secrets though he ain't
giving out no layups.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
And he ain't giving out no secrets.

Speaker 4 (03:01):
What do he said? Devil's advocate backed me up now.
He has been tutoring your boy backed me up now,
So I.

Speaker 3 (03:11):
Me up a little bit.

Speaker 4 (03:12):
He gave me that look like you better tell me
I'm I'm like, listen, I am.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
I am an advocate of helping out my people when
I can all I can, because it does me no
good to keep the information to myself. And as many
I want to build a tree, I want to be.
I want to be able to be like man, I
got up here and I help so and so and
so and so and so and so, because you never know.
One day that person might be up here and I
might be like, hey, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (03:40):
I tell you that you see the same people growing up.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, And I want to make sure I'm good going
up and I'm good coming down because somebody might like, yo,
come on in here right quick.

Speaker 6 (03:51):
Ja.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
You were good to me four years ago when I
was on my way up. So yeah, man, all right.
Coach Shottenheimer spoke for the first time today as the
Cowboys are starting to come back and do a little
bit kind of you know, getting back to normalcy, right,
And and I didn't hear it all, but I was

(04:13):
talking to to Chris in the back a little bit.
And you know, this has been on my mind for
a couple of days now because coach Shoddy in his
position head coach that already enteils. That's personnel. That's who's
who's in the game, who's out the game, who's hurt,

(04:33):
who's on the way back. You know, while earlier they
were they were they were working out guys, right, So
you know, are we bringing guys in and we bringing
guys out with the rotation gonna look like offensively defensively,
then I have to worry about being offensive coordinator right
with game and I'm going to be putting in I'm
watching the film on on the Raiders defense. And then
now you know he's been kind of going across the

(04:54):
hall a little bit to the defensive side, trying to
get them back on track, giving an offensive perspective of
how they shit better help run their game. And then
you're dealt with this extremely extremely unique situation, terrible situation.
And then now he has to kind of take the
you know, he wears a visa. He got to take
one visa off as head coach and now put the

(05:16):
other visa on as almost like pseudo dad, right, counselor
to sixty plus players and coaching staff.

Speaker 4 (05:28):
Right.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
And so that that in itself looks like sounds like
it'll wear you down Jamaican, right, you know what I'm saying,
Like it just it just truly it truly wears you down.
And so you know, maybe kind of getting back into
the routine of things, of meetings in practice, the thing
that you're used to, right, the muscle memory of it

(05:52):
all is probably crucial for him and for this football team.
But nonetheless they take on the Vegas Raider saying, you know,
just from a player's perspective, this is the player's lounge.
You know, how how do you help your head coach?

(06:12):
If you're a veteran guy in the locker room, how
do you how do you help your coach? In this
moment of saying coach, we got you over here, Like,
you don't have to worry about this group. You don't
have to worry about that group. Like, how do you
go about that? If you're a veteran playing in the
locker room, how do you go about helping coach Shotthamer
in this moment?

Speaker 5 (06:28):
I mean, and just by what you said first of all,
you know, if if you've got that relationship, and even
if you don't, if you're that vet and you have
that voice, you know, you go let him know, like,
hey man, you know, like anything that I could do
to ease some of this off you right now, and
then don't even worry about We're going to be policing
ourselves amongst ourselves in the locker room and on the field,
because you know, just with everybody, just like you said,

(06:50):
with all those different things he has to worry about
right now, this doesn't fall on him that those words
are there, and losing and losing Marshan and everything else
like that. These guys want to go out there at
the same time, and they want to heal from it too,
and they want to try to try to keep moving
things and keep moving things in the right direction. So
that being said, the focus, of course, is going to
be for the guys to come together and let him know, like, hey, coach,

(07:13):
you know, we got it. We're gonna step up, we're
gonna man up, we're gonna do everything that we can too,
you know. And it's not just about lightning a load
for him. It's just about lightning the load for everybody
we know that, you know. And this goes on to
say winning brings about an environment for all great things
to happen, you know, and of course if you if
you're able to go out there and to come off
of this situation, off this bye week and off of

(07:34):
this the struggling week that they've these two weeks that
they've had and actually go out there and create a
w get a win. I mean, that's gonna do a
number of things for this building as far as with
the record number one, but then just the morale that's
going around and everything else like that, and to lift
the spirits in the building. So you know, just just
just being that vet and just letting him know. But

(07:56):
a lot of times it just goes on without even
having to be said. You know, action speak louder than words,
so you know, just just letting them know you're there
and just going out there and perform is going to
be the biggest thing.

Speaker 4 (08:08):
Yeah. Man. As far as being that VET, I think
about what you said, he taking one hat off. He's
going from coach. But then what you said ad that
title or figuratively speaking that hat is go from being
a father figure for a lot of these guys that
are young that are still into that. But not only

(08:29):
being a father figure, you're going to be a brother
to some of these guys. If you're a true VET
and you've been around the league. I think about guys
that are ten eleven years in Dak Prescott like, you
might not see him as a father figure, but you
might see him as that older big brother that you
talk to. But regardless of what you see, the title
doesn't change what the connection is, and it's family. When

(08:50):
we go over there, we say it's us against the
world and for us to come in there. Sometimes guess what,
it's the head of the family and the dad that
controls everything. But guess what, you got your mom over
here doing this, brother over hear and your son. It's
a job that goes this not just on him, he
says the president, he leaves it, but also that leader
needs help some time, and so you're gonna have your

(09:11):
vets coming in there taking ownerships. You might see some
people coming in here a couple hours earlier, thirty minutes earlier,
a coach howes today, going, are you're good today? Cool?
If you need me to help, that's where your good
vet comes in and say he stumbles on the word
or something like that. He might just suggest after the day,
be like, this is gonna be their first real work day.
If I'm not mistaken. Coming into the building right after

(09:32):
the bye week they had the meetings on Monday, Tuesday
was a break. Wednesday, they might do some running around. Well,
now you're gonna have your good vets that come in
there and say, hey, coach, energy is there. We're ready
for the raiders. Or they're gonna say, hey, coach, locker
room is not there, so how can we pick it up?
And Shoddy being a good players coach coming in here
galvanizing the troop, that's where he's gonna make the adjustment.

(09:52):
So just like we say, the back end gotta help
the front, the front and help the back well that
goes from the top of ownership gotta help the coaches
and the coaches got to help the players to the players,
got to help the janitors, everybody that was in there,
because you got to remember, this is a big thing
that you're dealing with. Like these people, the people that
cook for you every day, that's used to seeing you,
my girl Ms Rachel over there. All these people are families,

(10:15):
So it's not just the players. You have to do
the whole environment. And so it's gonna take everybody.

Speaker 2 (10:20):
Yeah, right now they're back, they're schedul to get back
on the practice field tomorrow. But you know, Koch Shatti
said spoke today, you see guys kind of trickling in
and out throughout the you know, the entire the entire day. Yeah,
it's again, very very unique situation, a very unique set

(10:41):
of circumstances that that guys have to go into this
week and figure out a way, right because you know,
the norm is getting back and playing the game. It's
the practices, the meetings, you know, minus your brother. But
it is that that sometimes is the bubble in which

(11:03):
you prefer to be in because it's so common to you.

Speaker 4 (11:07):
Yes, I mean.

Speaker 5 (11:07):
We're able to compartmentalize so many things as professional athletes
because you have to be hyper focused, you know, but
then at the same time be able to basically multitask
a millions of different things, you know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (11:21):
So it's crazy.

Speaker 5 (11:23):
To sometimes to sit back and to think about, like,
you know, in situations like this, let people know that
we're just not athletes, we are actually human at the
same time, and with the multitudes of things that we
have to deal with on the field, from the play
calling to schemes, to contracts to whatever the case may be, Like,
you still got to live life, and life is happening regardless.

Speaker 2 (11:46):
Yeah it is, it is, and you got something.

Speaker 4 (11:49):
And as life has happened, the one thing, like how
you said, we're so compartmentalized. Like I mentioned that, I
went to the NFL Trust this past weekend and go
do the brain and body thing. But when they talk
to you, they say, man, we've been doing this for
such a long time, some people five plus years, thinking
about your ten year in college, four year, not to

(12:10):
mention little league, you've been doing this over a decade.
Your condition, Like we're creatures of habit and for you
to go in there, what's the one thing we always
hear in football? Next man up? And unfortunately it sounds
really bad. But it's the best thing in this because
you got to try to get back to normalcy as
fast as you can. And so when they go into practice,
when they go out there and work hard, that's going

(12:31):
to feel normal. It's the after effects. It's when you
get tired of practice and you come in there and
that part of even though we're so focused and detail oriented,
that part after that is going to be the hindrance.
And so that's where you feel in your extra time.
And so I wonder how it Shot is going to
implement that him being around guys like Pete Carroll. When

(12:52):
I experienced Pete Carroll, he was one of the best
of attacking the player to he attacked the mindset can
better the player. And with Shoddy being under that coaching tree,
his dad being who he is, I'm really excited to
see how he's going to gavilize this truth pressure bus
pipes for McDonald's. So we'll see there it is all right.

Speaker 2 (13:11):
So what we'll do is, Chris, we'll take we'll take
an early break right here, and then when we come back.
I want to get into the game. I want to
I want to talk about a little bit about Vegas.
I want to talk a little bit about the Cowboys
and for me, looking at the Vegas defense, right, how
do you stop ninety eight? How do you stop Max Crosby?

(13:33):
Everyone wanted them on this team, wanted him to be
traded for he didn't get happened. Now you have to
face him. I want to talk about the game plan
you guys think the Cowboys should come up with to
stop Max Crosby. This is the players lounge. Stay right
here with this will be right back.

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Speaker 3 (16:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (16:24):
This is a players brought to you by christ the
Crack Gaming. I am Jesse Holly. To my radio left
is Themntrey More. To my radio right is Anthony Door Set.
The Cowboys are set for another Monday night football game
prime Time Baby Primetime. The Cowboys will play a couple
of pubble Primetime games will include Thanksgiving in the next

(16:47):
couple of weeks. And I'm lining up this this game again,
we already talked about all the unique circuits that come
along with what this week is and this Vegas football team.
When you are to look at him and break them down,
we always look at the record and see the record first,
and you understand, like that's in the words of the
great Bill Parcels, you are what your record.

Speaker 3 (17:08):
Says you are.

Speaker 2 (17:10):
And then you go when you watch a little bit
of the film and you watch a little bit of
tape and you go, okay, you know two and seven.
But because there is a when you look at what
they do defensively, they're not a bad they're bad defense

(17:31):
than we have, like like right now, they're middle of
the league and you know, a lot of people have
asked for if the Cowboys can just get to the
middle of the pack with that level of offense, then
they will be significantly better. The problem is with the
Raiders that you know, offensively, they didn't think that geno
would be this geno, right, This geno wasn't what Pete

(17:53):
Carolyn Company anticipated him coming over from Seattle. But the
main catalyst on that d defense for the Vegas Raiders
is one number ninety eight, Max Crosby. And so.

Speaker 4 (18:07):
He is.

Speaker 2 (18:08):
And you guys know this, right, I try to tell
fans all the time, is they got iPads now, but
when I was in the league, they had playbooks, right,
And so you get your game plan playbook every single week,
and when you open it up, if you're an offensive player,
you open it up at the top of the first page.
They had the guys that you had to worry about,
I know, defense, same thing. You open yours up there

(18:28):
three guys at the top. You were like, these are
the guy that we gotta focus on and we gotta
watch and we gonna game playing around these dudes. Well,
for the Vegas Raiders, when when Shoddy in that offense
walks into that meeting room, they're gonna open up their
iPads and he's gonna get them the big screen and
the first name that he's going to put up there
in bold letters, and what a picture up there is
going to be Max Crosby. You think about you talk about,

(18:52):
you know, premiere pass rushers and this defensive edge rushers
in general in the league. You think of Miles Garrett,
you think of Michael Parsons, Max Crosby, t J. Watt, right, like,
those are the names that you and then you can
kind of argue about who else you want to put where,
but those four names. And Max is always in that conversation,

(19:15):
both in the run and in the past. He's talented,
He as a motor, he's the leader, he's the heartbeat
of that defensechise the franchise. So when you see the
way that the Cowboys have been playing with their and
he promamarily lines up on the defensive left side, offensive
right side, and we know what that brings. That brings

(19:39):
Terrence Steele or as coach, Schottenheimer and and and Connor
Riley and company have said, we're gonna have some competition
at the right tackle position. So that's either going to
be Nate Thomas or it's gonna be Terrence Steele. How
would you how would you propose that the Cowboys prepare

(19:59):
and try to maintain a guy like Max Crosby.

Speaker 4 (20:03):
Man, it's hard to do that, but he said, he
go get his But it's just about eliminating how much
he gets his, which the best way with your pass
rushers and guys like him or players of his caliber,
running back chips, tight end guys to come over there
playing in off tight end formation. The movement that you

(20:23):
have on the play action pad. That's gonna slow him down.
Having people motion across actually have him thinking, because not
only is he the face of the defense, he does
a lot of thinking. He's almost your general that's over
there calling out the players before you get there. And
for him, it's not that he's the talented or the
most talented as far as having the best get off
or having the a plethora move His best asset is

(20:47):
his effort not being able to die. So when you
say prepared this week, if I'm the coach, I'm going
in there, I'm turning the noise up loud, and I'm
gonna have them doing a lot of Harry up. I
need you to get back on the ball. Try to
make this guy tired, because he's not gonna get tired.
And right now, that's the best way to help your
offensive tackles right now is to have them cardio that
cardio vascular in them ready to go.

Speaker 2 (21:09):
So and I'm gonna get to you in the second idea.
I want to I want to stay here because you
played along the defensive line and they lined up Max.
Like I said, his primary spot is on the left
side over the right tackle. But they line him up
in the middle, line him up on the right side,
they line him up, they line him up everywhere. They
line him up all over that offensive line is in
your experience, do you see line sliding his way, sliding

(21:32):
the whole protection his way wherever he's lined that back
because you know, you can't you can't really chip or
double if he's lined up over over, you know, in
the a gaps or something like that. So so like,
what from a defensive perspective, how how will some offensive line?
So how would the Cowboys offensive line do that when
he moves around?

Speaker 4 (21:48):
If I was the offensive line the coach thinking on
attacking this guy, you don't have to worry about two
bookie INDs. So you don't have to worry about with
this guy and him being the playmaker like that, You're
going to see a lot of full man slides that way.
You're gonna see a lot of run on the motion.
You have Geno Smith back there. That's a mobile quarterback.
So you're gonna kind of tell Gino, hey, you move away.
I mean Dak, I'm sorry, I said Dak. Yes with Dak,

(22:12):
I'm gonna sit there and have Dak moving on the
run with the play action pass, having your emotions going
over there to slow down and just get away from him.
It's not like you have somebody at nose tackle that's
dominant right here. That's a perennial pro bowler. It's just
going right there for him. So that's going to be
the difficulty. But also with that, you're eliminating yourself our

(22:33):
tight end right now. He's bawling right now, and for
us to use him in as a blocker, you're gonna
call on George Pickens CD the running back. Y'all got
to step up. There's gonna be more opportunity. So it's
a double headed sword, but the best way to do
it full slide with one guy on your d line
versus having two or three guys.

Speaker 5 (22:51):
You know, I I being it. I never had to
put my hand in dirt and pay that play that position.
I definitely agree with Trey saying. But another thing that
you got to do too as well. You got to
give an offense a chance to strike him. So you
got to run the ball, all right, and you know,
and then the thing about you know, running the ball
with him, of course, And why I say that, because
of course, you know everybody at home. Offensive pass that

(23:14):
is more so of a catch thing. Offense lineman stepping back,
catching the blocks, trying to you know, keep away from
the quarterback at the point where we're running the ball,
the Cowboys running the ball, that offense lineman gets to
come off the ball and like lay some leather on
somebody across from him. So you definitely want to try
to do that because of course that's going to wear
and tear on him too as well. You get into
some tricky situations, and that's one of the reasons I

(23:34):
think that we haven't seen a lot of the young
backs here because once you start trying to bring backs
in to help with pass protection and things like that,
it doesn't seem like, you know what. I can't speak
for it myself, but you know your backs have to
be good at pass protection where you're leaving them in
all right, And just like you said, with Ferg balling
the way that he's been balling, you don't want to
keep him inside so much as just to help on it.

(23:55):
Help trying to keep a cross away from getting to
the quarterback. So the thing is to be, like I said,
run get the ball out of Dax's hands. As fast
as possible, you know, no more long routes to the materializing.
It's going to take like five four seconds or whatever.
Get that ball out in two seconds however many seconds
you need to get it out and keep trying to
move the ball like that. But like he said, that
dude is a straight hustle guy. He got pass rush

(24:18):
moves and everything else like that. But his will to
win is one of his greatest assets. So you know,
when you play against people like that, it's gonna be
a long day.

Speaker 3 (24:25):
Regardless.

Speaker 2 (24:26):
When you talked about running the ball at Max Crosby
and just running the ball in general. Stat to kind
of go with that, the Cowboys are three to zero
to one when Javonte Williams has one hundred yards from
scrimmage in their own five when he doesn't. So I
think that is also important and critical, you know, you
know in it all now you know the you know
when you when I went back and I was watching

(24:48):
a little bit of the Broncos game that they played,
and they they they fared well against the Broncos. They
held the Bronco I think the ten points, two and
twenty yards. You know, of offense, it's it's It's kind
of a lot of teams have come and played the
Cowboys and looked like world beaters, and then they go
on to the next game after the Cowboys and it
looked like they looked very, very very mundane and average. Right,

(25:12):
But was that, well what we saw against Denver from
this defense? Does that worry you a little bit when
it comes up to the Cowboys office, because it's kind
of been staggering the last couple of weeks.

Speaker 3 (25:25):
You know. I think of like, we're new, he's here.

Speaker 5 (25:28):
We always say certain styles make fights and everything else
like that.

Speaker 3 (25:31):
That's the team.

Speaker 5 (25:32):
They played Chether twice a year every year. Yeah, you know,
they're more than familiar with each other. So when it
comes down to it, I think that that played into
it a little bit at the same time.

Speaker 2 (25:41):
And their team is built like you normally you build
your team guys in your.

Speaker 3 (25:45):
Division exactly right what I'm saying.

Speaker 5 (25:46):
So, so that that was that was definitely a benefit
for the Raiders that night. I think that that was
such a low scoring game. I can't remember what the
score was, but I know, you know, and going into
those games, you know, being yeah, you know, being a
Raider too as well.

Speaker 3 (26:00):
Anytime you had those divisional.

Speaker 5 (26:01):
Games, it didn't matter what was going on, whether it
was Denver, the Chiefs or whoever. Like, those games were
just typically going to be some hard fock games, you know. So,
But do I think that that's that that that's what
we have to look for it from the question was
from from the Raiders or the defense. Yeah, I think
that that's that's that's part of their identity right now,
you know, And that's that's been something that they've been

(26:22):
trying to establish for the last few years there with
the different changes in different head coaches and everything else
like that, the defense can travel. They brought Devin White
in as as a linebacker, and you know, one of
one of one of my former teammates is actually the
secondary coach out there too as well, and I know
how he gets down and how he coaches. So that
defense right now is trying to be, like I guess
you could say, one of the saving graces of that

(26:44):
team if they have one, because you said Gino is
not the geno that we saw the past two years
where he got there.

Speaker 2 (26:50):
Gino said, they wrote me off, but I didn't right
back lost in the.

Speaker 4 (26:56):
Don't do that.

Speaker 2 (26:57):
I'm just saying this. You know, just Gino that's playing
you know right about now, isn't isn't what people thought that,
you know, it would be from the Cowboys. Like, let's
just talk about the Cowboys offensive perspective a little bit here,
because we talked about Max Crosby and stopping Max Crossby.
You know, this offense has been a little bit, like
I said, staggering in the last couple of weeks. It

(27:18):
came out the gates against the Philadelphia Eagles in formidable,
and then they took took off and even with the
absence of CD Lamb, it's still was one of the
best defenses in the entire football league. What are some
of the things they have to do to get back
to that? Was it opponent base? Was it just the

(27:41):
ebb and flow of the season? What are something that
they do to get back to that?

Speaker 3 (27:44):
Real quick before he jumps into it.

Speaker 5 (27:46):
I really think that what happened was with the loss
of CD, the team had to figure out what they
were going to do, right. They didn't know that George
was going to ball out like that, so the balance
seemed like that was gonna be the most the best
thing we could do, and let's make sure we got
some balance. George comes out here and likes this thing
on fire. The next thing, you know, it was like, okay, well,
you know, we got to get CD back into it

(28:06):
too as well. And I don't know if it was
that to change the balance of what the play call
has been, but just like you said, like they've gotten
away from the run, like in such a large amount
that they were doing before, and now I just think
that like they honestly got to try to figure out, Okay,
George can play, CD can play, but we got to
get back to some true balance here.

Speaker 3 (28:26):
And I'm sorry, I just oh, no, you good.

Speaker 4 (28:28):
I mean, honestly, those are my safe sentiments as far
as not necessarily getting back to it, but trust in yourself,
Like stop playing down when they go out there. We've
seen this offense be the best majority of the time,
but we've also seen them play down to their competition,
regardless of what that is. And so I would just say,

(28:50):
get back to playing football, get back to having fun,
Get CD out there doing celebrations with George, get Javonte
getting his touches, moving the ball, running over there, Get
that offense a line ain't too feeling confident like they're
going to get against one guy right now, and just
really trust your football, trust the schematics, and use that pressure.
But the biggest thing right now is you have to

(29:12):
get back to knowing your true identity. Because as much
as we talk about Mass Crosby, we're not talking about
this guy right here. Patrick Graham, the defensive coordinator that
has a lot of respect around there, that was over
there at the Giants for many years and seeing guys
like Dak Prescott, a young CD Lamb. So he has
some familiarity over here, and he's a good defensive coordinator
that can make these adjustments, and so he's gonna want

(29:34):
to use that. He's gonna want to use the momentum
that he has right now coming and playing a good defense.
Pete Carroll being the defensive dominant head coach, me being
around him, I know him the way that he's going
to go in there and talk to them. He's going
to say, hey, gud, forget what the record says, go
in here and look what we just did this last week.
He's going to show them their highlight table, make them
believe in it and eat it and say, hey, defense,

(29:55):
y'all are the backbone right now. So the Cowboys should
be worried about this game, and this can be one
of those trap games that makes me a little nervous
right now.

Speaker 2 (30:03):
All right, so we'll take our last break of the show.
When we come back, I want to get a little messy.

Speaker 4 (30:08):
Ah, yeah, you go, you go.

Speaker 2 (30:11):
I want to get a little messy because you you
spark something that that that has been has a little
bit of a little bit of a smoldering heat to it. Ok,
And so I want to get a little bit messy
and see where there's smoke or smoldering will be an

(30:32):
absolute fire. And if you want to know what that is,
you need to stay right here, come back. What is
after this break? This is the players longe will be
right back.

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Speaker 2 (32:42):
To the players.

Speaker 4 (32:43):
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ad lit, you see the laughter in the backgro good man,
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Speaker 2 (33:30):
This is the Player's Lounges, brought to you by Aristocrat Gaming.
I am Jesse Holly, sitting in for Newie Scruggs. Barry
is somewhere being rich as he as he shook. All right,
when you're rich, you did do rich stuff. I got
Demontree Moore, I got Anthony dor sat And so I
told you, guys, there's been this this smoldering and it's

(33:56):
not caught fire yet, but it's smoldering, okay. And you
made a comment ad and it literally jumped like right
to the forefront of my thinking. And so I'm like,
you know what, what the hell, let's get that messy.
Let's get a little messy. And the comment that you
made was that when Ceedee Lamb went out with the injury,

(34:17):
with the ankle injury that he had against that he
got against the Bears, and he missed those three or
four games. You know, George Pickts really ascended and really
took off and was the focal point of this passing offense.
And some may say that when Ceedee Lamb came back,
that balance or that cohesion or that chemistry was kind
of not what it was before the injury, and that

(34:39):
it may felt like they were kind of, you know,
forcing the ball there. And some people, not Jesse Holly,
but some people have been saying, you know, we need
to focus and make the offensive passing game focused around
George Piketts, not CD Lamb. And so here's something. Here

(35:00):
are some of the numbers. Pickens has a higher catch
percentage yards per catch, His yards per game UH per
game average is more than Lamb. He's also has six
touchdowns to Lamb's touchdown. He has a higher PFF grade.
Uh So, my messy Jesse question to you, a d

(35:22):
to you, Demontrey, should George Pickens become Dak Prescott's new
go to receiver?

Speaker 5 (35:33):
You know, I think that what GP had a favorable
advantage of and don't and don't cancel out what he's done.

Speaker 3 (35:42):
Over previous years.

Speaker 5 (35:44):
But he was not that go to guy, and so
going into a lot of those games, he was not
viewed as a CD Lamb.

Speaker 3 (35:51):
Type receiver prior to those games.

Speaker 5 (35:54):
Okay, so he wasn't he We don't got to double
that dude all the time.

Speaker 4 (35:58):
We don't.

Speaker 5 (35:58):
We don't necessarily got here do a whole lot. We
don't need to worry so much about him right now.
Second game into that that injury with CD, I think
that's where people started to take notice and say, Okay, well,
you know, maybe he is that number one guy. You know,
this league is such a what have you done lately
for me? League that people will tend to forget you know,
exactly who you are and what you're cable of doing.

(36:20):
Long story short to answer the question is should he be?
I think there are games where he definitely should be,
and CD should definitely be. From time to time, when
you have such a two headed monster like that, I
think that you could switch it up and attack him
from all different angles.

Speaker 3 (36:33):
And it doesn't necessarily have to be wrong.

Speaker 5 (36:35):
Or right who that guy is on that particular day,
just as long as somebody is that guy all right
and not going to a place where you can't figure
out how to make one guy or the other the
guy that neither one of them actually get to go
out there and have prolific type numbers that they can have.
So do I think he should be the main go
to guy? I think that it should be game planned.

(36:56):
I think it should be schemed. But I think that yeah,
he definitely should have that option or that benefit every
once in a while. Why why why continue for a
gamesmanship as we'd like to say, continue to make CD
the primary dude every game, all game, you know what
I mean? So, like, I think it would give the
Cowboys a little bit of competitive advantage to be able

(37:18):
to use them both but trick teams and not know
which guy is gonna be able to do it.

Speaker 3 (37:21):
But you got two number one? So why not use
two number one? As we can't?

Speaker 2 (37:25):
Coach Schottenheimer has said when they were asking about not
this week, but a couple of weeks ago, maybe even
at the training camp, and they were talking about the
addition of George Pickers and how he and Cedee Lamb
are working on the offensing, Coach Shottenheimer's you know, he said,
cause the question was about how do you disperse the
ball monks all of these weapons that you now have.

(37:46):
You have Ferd, you have CD, you have George, you
got Javonte, you have you know, a pluthoro of weapons
that you have into this mix. And Coach Schottenheimer he
said that you know. He said, I gotta, I gotta.
I got a big on sheet. His has got rings
on it. So they like they flip. They got flipped,
they flip over. And he was like, well, I got
I got a section that's for CD. And he said

(38:08):
that section has more plays on it. And he said,
I got a section for George Pickens. Now he has
a lot of players on there, but he doesn't have
more plays on there than Ceedee Lamb, and so on
and so forth, and and and so I say to
to what you said.

Speaker 4 (38:22):
You know.

Speaker 2 (38:25):
Jamar Chase in Cincinnati, they get him the ball and Tie.

Speaker 3 (38:33):
Higgins is good.

Speaker 2 (38:34):
Pee Higgins is perfectly fine, could probably be a number
one receiver if he wasn't flanked across that guy. And
for as long as I've been doing this, and Ceedee
Lamb has been the league, especially over the last couple
of years, he's been grouped in with those guys. He's
been grouped in with the Ceedee Lamb, Jamar Chase. Justin Jefferson,

(39:00):
when Tyreek Hill was Tyreek Hill, you could say I'm
a Rod Saint Brown like Ceedee Lamb's name has always
been in that conversation. Never has George Pickens never, never, ever, ever.

Speaker 5 (39:15):
I will say this, all right, CD, has he proved
me wrong? Okay, because as we always say, well not always,
but as we've said in here before, Cowboys talent is
always a little bit overrated from time to time.

Speaker 4 (39:28):
Okay.

Speaker 5 (39:28):
And so that being said, like I didn't I didn't
see CD being what he is today, all right now.
The only argument I can make for George before he
got here, he didn't have Dak Prescott. He didn't have
a scheme like this, He didn't have He just wasn't
on the right team.

Speaker 3 (39:44):
And he wasn't getting.

Speaker 2 (39:47):
To use one of your words, your phrase is my
devil's advocate to that is ceedee Lamb has seventeen hundred
yards over one hundred and thirty five catches, and he
ain't had no George Picks across from him. So he
had and it was we jokingly said here, it was
CD in a bunch of babies. So he was getting
the double teams, he was getting the safety shed you know,

(40:08):
shedding to his side.

Speaker 5 (40:08):
Of this had justin Fields throwing him the ball, and
like Mason Rudolph or somebody like that.

Speaker 2 (40:14):
That's a fair argument. It's a fair argument it's a
fair it's a fair argument. And so I come to you, Trey.
I've presented the question. We've heard one side of it.
You heard my side of it.

Speaker 4 (40:29):
I mean I heard your side. So what do you saying.

Speaker 2 (40:31):
You're saying no, I've been saying I've been saying this
since day one. To me, this is just Jesse Holly,
this is not this is I'm looking the camera. This
is my opinions did not reflect Newie scrugs buried Church
to Montree Moore, Anthony Dorr said, my opinions reflect me,

(40:52):
and I stand on them. They don't have two number
ones here. They got one, and they got a really,
really really good number two. Ceedee Lamb is the number one.
Ceedee Lamb has shown you time and time and Ceedee
Lamb was still out there last year with one arm,

(41:12):
with a backup quarterback, when he could have easily shut
it down when it wasn't playoffs, wasn't even nowhere near
in sight, and he went out there weekend and week out,
what with jay O Tober on the other side, and
and and and and Jake Ferk wasn't on this team.
It was hurt and I don't.

Speaker 5 (41:33):
Know, people shut it down, bro, Like I hear you
say that, like you could have shut it down.

Speaker 4 (41:38):
They shut it.

Speaker 2 (41:39):
People, people, people shut it down.

Speaker 5 (41:41):
But but those aren't the football players that we talked about.

Speaker 4 (41:44):
But it actually is though. It actually a lot of
a lot of guys shut it down. You've seen You've
seen Tyreek Hills.

Speaker 2 (41:51):
And he and he went out there. He went out
there and put up some more good numbers with the
backup quarterback and old opposite receiver. The season was pretty
much cooked, and he just went out there and went
to work every single day. So I've been saying this,
I stand on this, and this is this is I

(42:13):
had a lawful from this. I ain't rolled the fits
about this since training camp. I think George is an
exceptional player.

Speaker 3 (42:21):
I think CD is good. Let me shut up, go ahead,
go ahead.

Speaker 2 (42:24):
I forget said I think I think George is an
exceptional player. I think he has a Niam Lilson, whatever
his name is. He has a particular set of skills
that is really good at Liam Nilsen Ceedee Lamb is
the better overall receiver. To me, I'll give it to you.

Speaker 4 (42:47):
I know I'm just a defensive guy and this and that.
But like you said, you mentioned earlier. What have you
done for me lately? Is the league? It's been the
league since the league has started. You're only good as
your last rep and your last rep. Hear me out
of America, I stand on mine. You can go look
up the film. Chris Bean can talk about it in
the back. But how many times have I been laying

(43:08):
it up, asking questions weekend in week out? When do
we give this to George? And I say that to
say that George right now is the number one. He
has the hot head. Just like in basketball, you don't
get off of the shooters and right now the guy. Yes,
you pay CD to do all this, but if you're
truly believing what you said and what you forced fed
to the media saying this is a one A and

(43:28):
the one not you but CD. This just came out
of CD's mouth. This has came out of shot his mouth.
This just came out of everybody's mouth. But George, George
did nothing but coming here, be quiet, work and putting
the extra effort to say, hey, I'm gonna show y'all
what I am. And now that he has a quarterback,
he's doing all those things. And when I look at

(43:50):
George right now, where he's going with his momentum. He
gives me a young Mike Evans. He's going out there.
He's the guy that's the era up there. He's bringing
the energy. He's going out there blocking people and telling
people six seven like I'm catching a body while doing that.
Like with CD, yes he can catch. Yes, he can
run every route on the tree and you can move

(44:10):
him around. But guess what, you score a touchdown. George
is doing that by far. He's blocking by far, and
he's the energizer. Why would you say, hey man, let
me diminish this because this guy has the big name contract.
Let me diminish this because we're force feeding CD to
be in those conversations. Right now, go with the hot hand.
Get you what was doing because guess what, when George

(44:32):
was your number one, the offense was doing good. When
CD came back and George was still quote unquote getting
fed those numbers and doing that, CD was doing better.
So right now, lead, go with your leading horse.

Speaker 5 (44:45):
You've had you've had an opportunity to watch CD work
for since he's been here.

Speaker 3 (44:49):
And like right here on the field, you ain't had
that with George.

Speaker 5 (44:53):
You haven't seen it, so like, and then what you
what you've seen is you've seen the different opportunities that
CD has got.

Speaker 3 (44:58):
Because you're right here.

Speaker 5 (45:00):
You haven't seen the playbook, the play calls, or anything
like that that George has had or the opportunities that
he's had. So I think that what honestly has to happen.
And I think that you know, like how you said
America's standing over, I think you're a little bit judgmental
right now, based off of what you've been able to
see of one and that of the other.

Speaker 3 (45:16):
You got a whole book of one, but.

Speaker 2 (45:18):
I've watched both. Watch what I watched both.

Speaker 4 (45:21):
Of them not the same.

Speaker 5 (45:22):
You ain't had the day in and day out of George.
You've had him for since training camp, right all right?
And so then George being George, are understanding like I'm
in a new situation this, I'm not the man here,
so I'm sure like he didn't come in with that
type of attitude.

Speaker 2 (45:37):
Now I could watch and tell who's the better rout runner.

Speaker 3 (45:39):
Oh, but yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

Speaker 2 (45:42):
Okay, that's what I'm talking about.

Speaker 5 (45:44):
I'm talking about you can run the routs all day,
but about catching the ball and getting open.

Speaker 3 (45:47):
And like, I don't care.

Speaker 5 (45:48):
I see dudes running routes all day, obstacle courses, these dudes, and.

Speaker 3 (45:51):
I know them routes ain't getting open.

Speaker 5 (45:53):
Now when it comes down to it, the contested catches
and what George has been able to do since he's
been here, he's played like a number one, just like
he's you know what I mean, And so that that
goes on saying. And I'm gonna say this, and i'ma
stand on this. See these numbers or ce these numbers.
He got some awesome numbers. But he's not a Jamar Chase.

Speaker 3 (46:09):
He's not. He's just not and and and Jamar.

Speaker 5 (46:11):
Chase is totally different than me when it comes to
a lot of receivers, you know.

Speaker 3 (46:15):
But he got those numbers and he's right up there
with him.

Speaker 4 (46:17):
All right.

Speaker 5 (46:18):
Now, I'm looking at give give George Pickings the opportunity
minus the CD lamb here, all right and put CD
in Pittsburgh, and let's see what they actually let's compare that,
you know what I mean, And let's let's honestly, let's
let's give George the opportunity to have the opportunities and
CD has had because he hasn't had him since he's
been here or anywhere else.

Speaker 4 (46:38):
Can we take it a step further to I guess
help your case. I agree with what he's saying. But
what is the big thing that everybody go do right
now to check your credibility and how good you are?
Pff pff goes be not you. But I'm saying most people,
when you make these lists and talk about these top receivers,

(46:58):
you go and with PF the way that you judged
America with the PFF, y'all should know you go for
your production to play ratio. If you're looking at that
ratio and what CD has gotten over his overall body
at work. And like you said, ad from what we've
seen in this little bit of George in this year,
like it's all been good, like the I feel like

(47:20):
the potential and the ceiling is a lot higher because
we haven't seen all this. This is his first year
in the offense. This is the first year with a
good quote unquote top five quarterback in the league. So
I think the ceiling is higher for him to where
it's like you said, I've seen CD already for these
Plethorabia is here with dak with the backups and in

(47:41):
the Dallas environment. Let me let me fan that fire
right there. You got Amber, you got the smolder going
over there with George. Why not see what you really have?
So at the end of the year when it comes
that time, are you gonna tag him? Are you really
gonna pay him like a number one? Or is it
going to be a Jamar Chase and the T Higgins
type situation? You don't know right now? Mmm.

Speaker 3 (48:01):
Man, I just say I hear numbers lying. You know
what I'm saying, you feel like, and numbers don't lie.
And CD is very versatile line up.

Speaker 4 (48:10):
I'm sorry, I want to interrupt you.

Speaker 3 (48:13):
CD very versative line up everywhere.

Speaker 5 (48:14):
But George is putting up them numbers from just being
able to line up outside.

Speaker 4 (48:18):
You said, you said numbers don't lie. Well, if numbers
don't lie, he had, you're not gonna make your number
one guy that's leading the team in touchdowns and having
the momentum and stuff like that. If numbers don't lie,
that is that he's clearly the number one right now.

Speaker 2 (48:34):
Because the other number is for there's how many games
that CD Lamb is missed because he.

Speaker 4 (48:39):
Got hurt like you availability is.

Speaker 2 (48:44):
But like like it's not like he was doing this
and CD language is over there not doing anything.

Speaker 3 (48:49):
Hey, so who the George have opposite him?

Speaker 5 (48:51):
When CD wasn't When when CD wasn't there because you said,
you know, CD whatever to put these numbers up where
he ain't had nobody opposite him.

Speaker 3 (48:57):
George went up there and put them numbers where he
ain't nobody didn't either.

Speaker 2 (49:01):
He had he had a he had a running game
that was going and was here last year to and
flor Florin on the other side for when forgot hurt,
Remember forg got hurt last.

Speaker 3 (49:16):
Year, he had to eat who last year that played for?

Speaker 5 (49:19):
Who was the receiver last year that was it was
jeling Tobert Okay.

Speaker 2 (49:24):
The year before that had.

Speaker 3 (49:26):
So I don't know, listen, it's debatable. It's debatable.

Speaker 2 (49:31):
Is anybody wrong, It's all debatable all opinions. It's all opinions,
and and that's the that that is, that's America. We
get to have our own opinions, whether you like them
or not. We get to have them.

Speaker 3 (49:45):
Who the hard cover is if you was a D
all day long.

Speaker 2 (49:50):
All day long as a dB, you would much rather
have to deal with a dude who's only gonna run
three routes four at max than a dude who has
the entire repertoire that you have to deal.

Speaker 5 (50:00):
The only time we get tough is when you honestly
start to move inside. Moving inside makes things a little
bit different. But but this dude has a has a
great ratio of contested catches and field shoulder downfield shoulder
on Georgia does matter city?

Speaker 4 (50:15):
Y'all?

Speaker 2 (50:15):
Y'all forget the contested catches that ceede Lamb's made diving catches.

Speaker 3 (50:18):
Form the matrix had Minniesoda, What have you done for?

Speaker 2 (50:22):
Remember the middle of the matrix one he had in Minnesota.
Remember him going across the mill. There's a ton of them.
There's a ton of them with this year.

Speaker 4 (50:28):
I love when receivers and dvs get.

Speaker 3 (50:30):
That Minnesota catch this year.

Speaker 2 (50:32):
No, you don't, But you're going off of You're going
off of the history of George making the fifty fifty
catches this year.

Speaker 3 (50:38):
I'm talking about the ones he's made since been in
the building.

Speaker 2 (50:40):
Nobody's wrong, are you what I'm saying that?

Speaker 3 (50:42):
All right?

Speaker 2 (50:43):
Liked talking, It's I knew it would flame up some
of the smoke. I lout flame up some of the smoke.
So that's a great thing. And we'll continue to watch them.
And honestly, like and I know this means for everybody
in here, honestly, we hope both of them have spectaculars
because they're hooping and they're bawling. The cowboys offense is
out of this world. So we're just having the conversation

(51:05):
and and and that's what that's what this is the
This is the debate type of thing at the times.
You get if we all agreed all the time, then
what fun would that be? That's fun? But all right, man,
this is the players lounge for Demontre Moore, for Anthony Dorset.
I am Jesse Holly. Hopefully we'll have rich Barry Church
back tomorrow and knew when we be out for the
rest of the week, and I hope that you return

(51:28):
for us to tomorrow because we're gonna have some more
locker room type conversations and I might stroke up a
little bit more messy Jesse, stand on, who're gonna stand on?

Speaker 4 (51:36):
What?

Speaker 2 (51:37):
Tomorrow?

Speaker 4 (51:37):
Man?

Speaker 2 (51:37):
All right, thank you God so much. That's it for us, man,
be out of here. Pace.

Speaker 1 (51:43):
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