February 24, 2025 • 58 mins
Bill and Mickey covering a whole lot of ground, from their thoughts on the new coaching staff after last week’s interviews to Zack Martin’s impending retirement, including cap ramifications and what might happen at right guard. Then thoughts on the NFL Combine opening this week.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com
and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Cowboys.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
This is Mick Shot screaming live on Dallascowboys dot Com
and the official Dallas Cowboys at now Here are Bill Jones,
Everson Wolves, and Mickey Spagnola.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
And it is a Monday here inside the SWBC podcast studio,
and all my things are starting to shake in the
National Football League. This is Mick Shots, brought to you
by Miller Lite without Everson Walls. He's on assignment today.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
So I figured out where he's at.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Oh did you yes?
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Where the HBCU Draft combine?
Speaker 5 (00:52):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
This week?
Speaker 4 (00:54):
And they played the game on Saturday.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
All right, that's funny because Everson just tells us last
Monday that I'm not going to be here next Monday, right,
and didn't tell us why. We didn't pry.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Because I always say business however, secret government.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
So you made it your mission the last week. Okay,
let's figure out wherever.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
So I'm assuming because they have practices, and I'm they
bring guys like him there to help.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Out, that's right, Not just to help out, not just
to run the practice, but to tutor some of these
young Draft prospects. And speaking of combines, the NFL scouting
combine is underway in Indianapolis, and Mickey.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
It's out here. It is.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
It's a fancy green note it's.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
The big green notebook there it is.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
He didn't buy that at Walmart.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
This is where we find five star prospects in the
NFL Draft fight and we've been doing it for twenty
years now. It goes back to the old Cowboy Channel
when Mickey and I discovered DeMarcus Ware and Marcus Spears.
The Cowboys had two first round draft picks in two
thousand and five. And for the loyal, long time listeners
(02:15):
to originally Talking Cowboys, this is the original Talking Cowboys,
by the way, and now mix shots. You know that
in two thousand and five, we not only talked to
the high school coach of Marcus Spears at Southern lab
and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but also the high school coach
and I think the college coach of DeMarcus Ware. This
(02:36):
is where we told you the Cowboys are picking DeMarcus
Ware and Marcus Spears in the first round of that
two thousand and.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Five and we got them in the right order.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
That's right. Unlike Bill Parcells. They got it.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
They must have been listening to us, right.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
That's where it basically all started for me twenty years ago,
diving deep into the draft. Wow, you know, And what
it coincided with was I've thought about this, Why has
the draft become such as Parcels would put it, such
a cottage industry? And it really I think started with
(03:14):
the advent of YouTube and for fans to be able
to easily access video of all these players in college.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Oh yeah, you know, and where.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
You could spend hours just looking at And it's gotten
obviously over the course of twenty years, much more advanced
than what it was in two thousand and five. But
I really think that is where the NFL draft, the
interest in the NFL draft just skyrocketed, is because of
the easy access to videos of these players.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
And then I think the NFL made a really good
decision to move.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
The draft around.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Yeah, different places.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
It was here.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
Twenty whatever year it was, it would have been vander.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Esh's twenty nineteen rookie year.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
I think twenty eighteen, yeah, okay, But moving it around
like that in different spots you engage more fans from
different places.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Yeah, I think but that's once it got to draft day.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
But yeah, it's when it's the whole combine and all
that stuff. And obviously, and it was about that time
that the NFL network got started. In fact, I think
the Cowboys channel it was actually the precursor to the
NFL network. You know what happened They couldn't and the
Cowboys channel was on Comcast.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Cable and twenty four hours.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Twenty four hours in fact, we used to do during
the Cowboys season, we would do an hour long sports
center type Cowboys show Monday through Friday from our little
closet at Valley Ranch. And it was after that the
NFL network was born. In the the teams had to
(05:00):
do away with well, the one team that had its
own cable TV channel, the Cowboys had to do away
with the Cowboys chann I.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
Remember that year somewhere we were on the road and
so they had told us, or I guess it would
have been the next year that the NFL basically went
to the owners and said, look, there's no sense having
a TV channel competing with the other channel you already own.
So we would appreciate if you didn't.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Have, especially as widely viewed as the Cowboys.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Channel was.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
So we were in the middle of the season when
that happened. So it happened the next year and Jerry saw.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Me, I don't know where we were. We were on
a road.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
Game and he said, you know, he goes, when we
get this this this stadium thing settled, We're going to
get this this channel back.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
I don't care. What that said never came back, well,
not TV, you know what.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
It came back as what you're doing right now came
back as podcast and basically you've got twenty four hour
access to all the Cowboys information that you want through
the podcast.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
And now with all our cameras in here, right, we're
back on TV.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Go's right, all right?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
So much to get to since we last convened, In fact,
last Tuesday, which was the last time we got together
after the President's Day holiday, the Cowboys coaches were all
assembled for the media to talk to and so we
got to get your take on what came out of that.
And then we had the breaking news on Thursday where
(06:38):
Zach Martin made it official informing the Cowboys that he
is calling it a Hall of Fame career, and I
think he worded it that way when he went into Jerry.
I've decided to call it a Hall of Fame career.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Yeah, I think I've done enough since trying.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
And then now we fast forward to this week and
we got the combine going on this week, and we're
two weeks from today. It's basically the start of NFL
free agency.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
So I've got two of my tablets here full of
stuff everything that's going on. So I guess we should
start with the coaches questions that they made.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
As a group.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
And I know I haven't coached a game yet, right,
but a very personable group of coaches.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Very easy interviews.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
And when I started listening to everybody and how they
put this staff together, I got a feeling that there
was And I said this to Schottenheimer. Now he didn't
do an interview, but I caught him off to the
side and I said, there seems to be on this
(08:05):
staff heavy emphasis on the offensive line and being able
to run the football.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
And he goes, I think that's fair.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
And if you look at the number of guys that
are or have been coordinators offensive coordinators not just him,
but not necessarily in the NFL, but between Clayton Adams,
Connor Riley, they added Ken Dorsey, who had been an
(08:38):
offensive coordinator in Cleveland and Buffalo. There's a lot of
guys that have had their hands into coordinating the offense
to help him out. But if you look at Clayton Adams,
so they named him the offensive coordinator, but he's an
offensive line coach, right And when he was asked, will
(09:00):
you have a hand in helping out on the offensive line,
and I don't think his word was absolutely, but yeah,
of course. And then Connor Riley had coached in college
twenty two years. He had been a coordinator, but he's
an offensive line coach. They've got an assistant offensive line
(09:23):
coach also on the staff with Ramon Chingyong, and there
just seems to be and then an off running backs coach.
It just seems like running the football is going to
be a priority. And if you look at Schottenheimer's history
(09:43):
as a coordinator, he's had good running teams with the
Jets and Seattle for sure. So as I was talking
to the running back the running back coach, I said
Derek Foster, Derek Foster that it looks like a priority.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
He goes, it is and it will be.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
And I said, now all you need is a running
back and he laughed, but yeah, it's I don't know
if that made an impression on you, but it made
an impression on me.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
No doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
And in fact, as we've talked about, you know, Schottenheimer's
team with the Jets, I mean, they made it to
the AFC Championship game with the number one ranked rushing
offense in the league back when he was the offensive
coordinator there and Mark Sanchez was a rookie quarterback coming
into the league right and then when he had Russell
Wilson with Seattle, they were also the number one rushing
(10:43):
offense in the league with the Seahawks. It is interesting
as you look at the which is a very small
stable of running backs on this roster right now, and
literally induced Vaughan Hunter Lepke if you want to count
him as a as a running back to go along
(11:03):
with him being a fullback and an HVAC type Malik
Davis and that's it.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
And so it's an open season, open market for running
backs starting in free agency two weeks from today or
maybe even prior to two weeks from today. If because
they've got one that they can go ahead and negotiate
with right now in Rico Dawdle and we'll see what happens.
Speaker 4 (11:29):
And it sounded like from what Stephen Jones said at
the combine on Sunday where the competition committee was already meeting,
that Rico sounds like one of their priorities to resign,
along with Jordan Lewis and OsO Diggi Zoo, who may
(11:50):
be the hardest one to try to resign, but maybe
the top priority since they don't have many are hardly
any defensive tackles under contract.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
Mazzie Smith and maybe there was somebody on.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
The practice squad Justin Rodgers Okay, it was back.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Okay, Justin Rodgers the seventh round pick last year, and
then he came back at the end of the season.
And Denzel Dackson is the other one who is on
the roster.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
So and Osa had a really good season. And I
think that I don't know that they do a franchise
tag on him. It's twenty three million, but they can
do a transition tag, so at least you reserve the
right of first refusal if somebody else.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
It's rarely used. Teams don't normally use transition tags, but
sometimes it can be used. Effectively the issue that the
Cowboys and the transition tag. It's a little less money
than what a franchise tag would be.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
But you don't get any compensation.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
And who's the guy, and you can match whatever offer
that player might get on the open market. The problem
for the Cowboys is from a salary cap standpoint, if
you're gonna have Michael Parsons playing on his fifth year
option at around twenty four million dollars a year, and
obviously you know all the other salaries that are taking
(13:24):
up from the high dollar players on the team, can
you afford a even a plus twenty million dollar a
year transition tag on a on a defensive tackle.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
And that's why that's why it's you try to do
a long term deal where the guy gets his money
up front, but you can spread it out and it
won't cost as much every year.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
The interesting thing as far as you we just talk
running backs and we talk defensive lineman defensive tackles, and
if you listen to the so called experts on this
dret the deepest positions in this draft might be running
backs and defensive linemen.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
Right, And so you know you can't get both in
the first round. But you got to figure out if
I get this here, there are enough guys at that
other position in the second and third round to help
me out.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
So yeah, that's the stuff that.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
We'll talk about going forward in decisions the Cowboys made.
But and the one person I can't believe I forgot this.
I think we talked about it last week, the secondary coach,
David Overstreet. Yep, I forgot that he had played in Missouri. Yeah,
(14:46):
he was a two time All Big twelve.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
And that's his connection with Ibraflus, right, because the Eberflus
was the defensive cordon over Street played.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
For him, and he had them with the Bear Yeah,
he's with the Bears.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Also, maybe with the Colts too.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
But I I and I think when he was playing
with Missouri, I didn't realize it was David Overstreet's son
running back or the running back from Oklahoma who ended
up He was from East Texas Big Sandy, Big Sandy,
(15:23):
Lovey Smith's hometown and ended up first round.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
David Overstreak would have been high school teammates with Lovey Smith.
I'm pretty sure back in the because he played at
Oklahoma in the late seventies, he was part of maybe
a year or two younger than Lovey, but they would
have cross paths in Big Sandy for sure.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
And in the same backfield at Oklahoma with Billy Simms.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
And Kenny King and Thomas Lott.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
And Thomas Lott right, which should have come up on
It was Saturday. The ticket did their ticket stock. They
had Switzer as a guest, which is another uh segment
I need to go. He was he was unfiltered as.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
Always in person.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Uh oh yeah, yeah, he was there that they must
have talked to him for an hour, it seemed like.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
And he had story he had stories going with different
antennas off of it that he never got back to
the final part of the stories.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
He was amazing.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
But yeah, I and I talked over street and I
forgot to point out that, you know, it's like, oh,
we got some Missouri connections here.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
But anyway, and.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
He believed he went to Samuel High School.
Speaker 4 (16:42):
Yes, he did, so, he grew up in Pleasant Grove,
he said, Uh. And he has a yearly uh camp
here for uh some of the underprivileged type players kids
and uh it's uh, I think he said, July June
twenty first, Okay, and he's got to find a spot
(17:04):
because ever he was having I think he was having
it at the stadium, maybe at Samuel High School and
it's under construction. So he said, I got to find
a new place. And we were sitting there talking, I go,
there's two fields right behind it, there's transportation available.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Yes, that'd be fun, that'd be a good way of
doing it. Yeah. But otherwise on the defensive staff, Aaron
white Cotton is another guy that I'm interested in who
was with the Jets defensive line coach, and he's got
a history. Of course, he was with Robert Solo with
(17:42):
the Jets, and he was also with Solo with San Francisco,
and so we won't get into names per se. But
when you're looking at potential free agent types with a lot,
whether it's White Cotton or any other the Chicago guys
that become available, guys that these coaches have a history with,
(18:06):
who will come at an economical price range. I expect
the Cowboys to be, well, they can't be less active
or as inactive as they were last year in free agency,
but they got to do something in free agency this year.
But it's going to be those low tiered better and
there's going to be a whole bunch across the league,
(18:28):
these veteran free agents that are signing for less than
two million dollars a year.
Speaker 4 (18:32):
Right, and you know, and they did a decent job.
You know, no one gives them credit. Eric Kendricks was
a hell of a free agent signing, right, and for
basically what you've just said. I think it was like
May three and a half three million, something like that.
And so, and they tried to get the nose tackle
(18:55):
that ended up going to Seattle Jonathan Hankins Ankins, and
everybody said, how could they let him get away?
Speaker 3 (19:02):
They offered him a contract.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
I was told he wanted to go to Seattle because
the defensive line coaches getting hired there as the defensive coordinator,
and he felt like it goes to what you just said.
Sometimes these guys decision is to go with a coach
they're familiar with and have some insurance that they're going
to get a chance to play.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
And real quickly, I was just looking up Jonathan Hankins
last year with Seattle, seventeen games, eight starts. He had decent.
It was the same type season he's been having. He
had thirty tackles, and you know, he was a big
run stuffer in the middle of their defense at thirty
(19:48):
two years old. And as it turns out, the Cowboys
had to you know, they brought they wait till training
camp to make moves to try to enhance their defensive line.
The criticisms that Mike McCarthy had late in the season
is if we're going to bring in guys, you'd like
to have him here throughout the off season program.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
Right right, And so so yeah, we'll see that how
that turns out. But you know, with with a defensive
stat Matt Eber Eberflows was able to bring in guys
he knew for that staff. So yeah, and everybody was,
(20:30):
you know, really high after talking to him, and I said, yeah,
this is great until you lose a game. You know,
you get smacked in the mouth and it's.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Like, okay, how's everybody doing.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
And among the guys that he brought in from Chicago,
Andre Curtis the past game coordinator, secondary coach, Dave Borganzi
linebackers coach, and you mentioned David Overstreet as well as
secondary coach.
Speaker 5 (20:54):
So.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
You know, and Nick Sorenson the spell teams coach. He's
he's quite a talker and there's another guy. He was
a defensive.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Courton last year with San Francisco.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Right, and so he's been a special teams player. They
brought back Carlos Polk, who had been here as a
special team's assistant.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
A couple of years ago.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
So I think they've done a pretty good job putting
this staff together. And there's a lot of it is
who knew who right, and and the thing with Clayton Adams,
the connection that Schottenheimer had with Clayton Adams. He was
(21:41):
at Colorado when Mike McIntyre, the Cowboys' former defensive secondary coach,
maybe right, he was the head coach at Colorado. Schottenheimer
knew McIntyre and so he got he kept hearing from
McIntyre that this Clayton Adams is pretty good.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Now I'm sitting there trying to think, Okay, where would
Schottenheimer and McIntyre of cross pads And I'm gonna have
to go look through both backgrounds on them and figure
out where they But it could be they didn't. They
never worked together. There is a possibility that guys connect
with each other right outside of being on the same
(22:23):
staff together.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
I remember my McIntyre coach.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Tire you know what.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
Schottenheimer lives in Nashville. McIntyre's father was a head coach
of Xanderbilt. He grew up in Nashville and Bill was there,
that's right, So I bet it's a Nashville connection on
Odd McIntyre. I love Mike McIntyre. It's you know, when
he was here and then he went on to Duke
(22:50):
and then San Jose State and that's where Clayton Adams
was first on his staff at San Jose State and
then followed him to Colorado.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
Yeah, there was a lot of connection. So it wasn't
like they were just putting their hand in the hat
and drawing a name out right. There was always some
sort of connection or somebody vouching for these guys and
how good they were all.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
Right, And we didn't even mention Junior Adams, the wide
receivers coach who has a great reputation as a college
receivers coach and now making the step into the NFL.
In fact, Cooper Cup just swears by him, said he
no coach in his career had more of an impact
on him than Junior Adams when he was at Eastern Washington.
Speaker 4 (23:35):
And there's nothing wrong with bringing some fresh ideas.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
I love the energy because there's a mix of experience
and youth on this staff. And as it relates to
the draft, where you've got guys who have as recently
as two months ago coached in college and they're very
familiar with the players, either they they themselves coached, or
(24:00):
they went up against or they tried to recruit the
exactly and not only out of high school, but out
of the porch. We know how much the coaches are
involved in the draft process here, and so that can
be big and just communication and plus they as you
mentioned off the top, they all seem to be really
good communicators. Yeah, and have a want to to let
(24:22):
the scouting staff know this is what I'm looking for
in a player and so forth.
Speaker 4 (24:26):
You know, when I asked people their impression of the
coaching staff, and you just mentioned the word, they said energy.
It's like, hey, we're here to prove ourselves and these
guys are. Not to say the other staff wasn't fired up,
but a lot of energy and emotion on this staff.
And one person told me when I asked about Schottenheimer
(24:49):
and one of the other's assistants what they knew about
them or what they felt that they did best, and
the word was teacher.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
So and I think that's a big part of it,
is being able to connect with the players.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
Right, Yeah, so so having to put together almost an
entirely new staff, it looks like at this point they've
done a pretty good job.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
All Right, We're gonna talk Zach Martin when we come
back here on mix shots in just a moment.
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Speaker 4 (27:26):
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Speaker 2 (28:00):
My phone is about to blow up. My daughters are
going to start saying, Dad, can you get us Monster
Jam tickets for my grandsons? They get involved in that.
Oh okay, the noise, Oh it's they've got monster talks
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Speaker 3 (28:20):
Mickey, have you ever been? No, it's a blast. Really,
that's great.
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Speaker 3 (28:30):
Probably not going to go this weekend. I do have plans.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Uh, yeah, I can't miss theater. Okay, okay, all right,
Before we talk Zach Martin, A little item that's making
news is the interview that I think David Moore did
with Stephen Jones at the Combine. I was in the
(28:56):
Morning News this morning and as now making the rounds
on social media that it looks like Cowboys moving on
from Trey Lance, but they are Steven Jones indicating that
they have thoughts of drafting a quarterback.
Speaker 4 (29:17):
And obviously they were going to do that. I would
imagine even if, well even if they keep or try
to resign Cooper Rush, you need another.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
And I think the quote on Cooper Rush is obviously,
if you're paying the starter what the Cowboys are paying
Dak Prescott, the money is tight as far as signing
a veteran free agent. They love Cooper and it's just
we're just gonna have to see where where the market
goes on Cooper.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Rush market value.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
And you know, and I think when teams understand the
importance of having a backup quarterback that can at least
hold down the fort if you lose your starter, and
who knows, somebody may look at him and say, well,
if we don't get somebody in the draft, we like,
maybe he's our starter until someone else is developed or
(30:11):
comes along. So yeah, market Valley is gonna decide a
lot of things for the Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
And when you look at this draft and so what
we're talking about here is a third day quarterback you
would imagine, but when you now it's not out of
the question, and you can make some moves whatever, pick
up an extra draft pick, and if there's somebody that
you like in the third round, whatever, because when you
(30:39):
look at Dax contract, you need someone you would love
to have a situation like what Detroit had this year
where they had Jared Goff, they had drafted Hinton Hooker
and Hooker never gets on the field, but he is
a developmental quarterback that you have spent a second day
(31:00):
draft pick on. And then it got to the end
of the season and Detroit was like, you know what
if our quarterback goes down in the playoffs. I don't
know that we want to throw this young guy in there,
and so they signed Teddy Bridgewater late this season.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
But you would love to have.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Someone who you're grooming to be the eventual replacement once
your starter gets up there in years and gets even
retirement age.
Speaker 4 (31:25):
But if you think that was the Cowboys philosophy when
they drafted Dak Prescott, right, yeah, that's right. They had
Kellen Moore as the veteran backup and it's like, Okay,
maybe this guy can developed to be the backup to
Tony Romo and then lo and behold.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
Everybody gets hurt and Dak Prescott. So you're and what
was he?
Speaker 2 (31:45):
He was the number one thirty five pick in the
draft in the fourth round, so I think their second
fourth round behind Charles Tappan. And so that is the
area you're probably looking at. And when you look at
this this quarterback draft, there could be someone like that
in the fourth round. So we'll see.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
And you've got basically two quarterback coaches with Ken Dorsey
also to help out, so that that certainly, you know.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
I would I would think they're somebody.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
They are in the market, just like it running back,
they're in the market for a veteran backup quarterback as
well as if it's not crack brush right and a veteran,
I'm talking about a guy that's not making much money,
right yeah, or needs a job all right, So Zach Martin,
I don't think any of us were surprised with the announcement,
(32:40):
and the Cowboys not caught off guard. But it you
knew it was going to come eventually. Just the way
things played out last season, it seemed obvious. And then
after his Zach Martin's ankle surgery, he wanted to give
it time just to make sure. But apparently he went
into Jerry's office on Thursday and said it's time.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
And the Cowboys had braced for this when they restructured
his contract last year to save some cap money and
push it down the road. And one of the things
that I think got overlooked when they restructured his contract
(33:22):
is they added a couple voided years, but the voidable
year for this year he had a one point two
million dollar base salary. So they did that because while
he has basically told them he wants to retire, nothing's official.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
And what the Cowboys are going to do.
Speaker 4 (33:45):
Is release him once the league year starts and make
him a June one cut. That gives them the opportunity
to spread out the dead money that would take place
in one year if he just retired and left. So
(34:08):
his debt money's going to be significant. It's a total
over two years of twenty six million dollars. So I
think they take a nine around a nine year, a
nine million dollar hit this year and the rest next year.
So they were kind of preparing.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
For this now according to over the cap. Now you
tell me whether I'm reading this correct.
Speaker 4 (34:30):
I know they've got it nine million in nine.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Million and then and then in Okay, so what they
have is nine point four million in twenty twenty five.
This is with Zach Martin being a post Une first cut,
nine point four million again in twenty twenty six, four
point four million in twenty seven, and three point twenty
five million in twenty eight.
Speaker 4 (34:52):
That's that all comes seven next year, goes seventeen million
next year next year.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
That's the way it was explained to me. Okay.
Speaker 4 (34:59):
So so yeah, so you know when when everybody says that, well,
the Cowboys don't know how to manage their cap, well,
when you restructure bonuses to keep your guys. That money
gets spread down the road, and when they leave or
the contracts up, you still got to account for the
(35:20):
pro ration.
Speaker 3 (35:21):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (35:22):
And the same thing's going to take place with DeMarcus
Lawrence if he's not here or if he decides to
also retire, although he kind of intimated to me that
he wants to still.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Play, and then let me correct myself on that. You're
exactly right, and it says it on the over the
cap website as well. The cap number, right is the
cap number actually as a post June first cut is
ten point six five million for this year and then
it's seventeen point oh six million for next year.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Yeah, so it costs.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
So now if you don't designate him a June first
cut and it is twenty twenty six point four to six.
Speaker 3 (36:06):
Million, yeah, I rounded it off.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
So yeah, so I think, you know, good for him.
A lot of guys when their careers are done, they
either are told they're done or you have an injury
that ends it. He's been able to make his own
decision like this is what I want to do. He's
played eleven years at an awfully high level, married three kids.
(36:34):
I think he's very satisfied for what he did. And
I got an opportunity to talk to Jason Garrett. And
if you guys remember Jason when he took over as
head coach, realized that the one thing they needed to do,
and this kind of corresponds with what's going on now,
(36:57):
they needed to rebuild the offensive line. In one year
twenty ten, they got old and expensive and they had
to start moving on for guys. So if you remember
twenty eleven, ninth picking the draft, they take Tyron.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
Smith, could be an announcement from him coming soon.
Speaker 4 (37:16):
Yeah, yeah, because he's probably close to the end. In
twenty thirteen, they traded down. They got Travis Frederick, your
starting center, and also to go along with the trade down,
you got a starting wide receiver, Terrence Williams.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
That same year.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
And then twenty fourteen, and this is the part that
everybody does it everybody remembers that, Oh, Johnny Manziel was there. Well,
Jason reminded me that they were looking for defense in
that draft. The first guy they were looking at was,
by the way, Anthony Barr, linebacker out of Ucla. He
(37:56):
went number eleven to Minnesota. Their next guy they were
looking at was Aaron Donald. He went number thirteen to
the Rams, and then they were all prepared at sixteen
to take Ryan Shazier out of Ohio State, the linebacker,
and at fifteen Pittsburgh took him. And so now they're
(38:18):
at sixteen, and it was like what to do?
Speaker 3 (38:21):
What to do?
Speaker 4 (38:22):
And Jason basically said, there was a blinking light out there.
Zach Martin. Zach Martin. Zach Martin was the kind of
the quote, he told me. And so after that brief
conversation about Johnny Manziel, they decided that this guy, he said,
there was a consensus in the room that you couldn't
(38:44):
pass up Zach Martin, and they rebuilt that offensive line.
And I've got a SoundBite here from Jason when I
asked him, what, how do you describe the makeup of
Zach Martin who ended up playing eleven years for the Cowboys,
nine Pro Bowl or Pro Bowls, And here's what he
(39:07):
had to say.
Speaker 5 (39:08):
The last thing memory I will always have of Zach
Martin is we've driven the ball down the field a
mix of run and paths. We get down in their clothes,
we run it in with Zeke Elliott, you know, right
behind him and just his look when he comes running
off the field, and the smile that he has on
his face, and the love that he has for the
(39:29):
game and playing and his teammates and all of that
was just remarkable to me. And and and you know,
I saw it so much, this look that he had, like, God,
I absolutely love playing football and and so for me,
that was such a distinguishing trait for him. And and
and trust me, we tried to build our team with
(39:50):
guys who are absolutely like that, passionate about the game,
work hard, all the stuff. You know. He used to
hear me talk about the right kind of guy, that's
what we're looking for, and he just embodied that.
Speaker 4 (40:04):
Jason Garrett on Zach Martin, and I thought that pretty
much summed it up, because you know, if you remember
even during the week or after games, when you interviewed
Zach Martin, he had this look in his eyes, right,
and it's like very intentional he did.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
He just loved playing football.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
Now, the lasting memory I will have of not only
Zach Martin, but Tyrone Smith and for that matter, Travis
Frederick is a Cowboys training camp and they would all
walk on the field together.
Speaker 4 (40:41):
And it was like Okay, it was like the charge
of the light brigade, right, all three together, Uh huh. Yeah,
I had to be intimidating for the opponent when you
have those three walking in together. And it was a
pretty good offensive line that they added the next year
Leale Collins, who ended up being, because of circumstances, a
(41:04):
free agent signing, and they rebuilt that offensive line and
what happened They were able to run the football right,
and was it important? And Jason said, did you watch
the Super Bowl?
Speaker 2 (41:20):
Right? It's still important.
Speaker 4 (41:21):
It's still important, old school football, right, And then he
had Ron Leary also on that offense.
Speaker 3 (41:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:27):
Line in twenty sixteen and Doug free was was the
right tackle going back to the early time when they
first came and.
Speaker 4 (41:38):
Ended up being a holdover from that line ended up
getting pretty you know, flows Al Adams got a little
bit in age.
Speaker 3 (41:47):
Kozier was there, koz are how's are yeah? So yeah?
But yeah, what a career? What a career?
Speaker 2 (41:56):
Put it Here's this puts it in perspective. There are
three Cowboys in the history of the organization who were
named First team All Pro seven times in their career.
And those three, two of them are first ballot Hall
of Famers, right, Bob Lilly and Randy White, and Zach
(42:17):
Martin is the third one.
Speaker 4 (42:18):
And the only offensive lineman they had with more than
nine Pro Bowls was Larry Allen with ten. He had
more than rayphiel Wright. And then I think the next
guys were like Nate Newton, John Nylan that had six
Pro Bowls.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
And I asked it eleven time Pro bowler Jason Whitten
about Zach Martin and the first words out of his
mouth maybe the best teammate I ever had, which tells
you a lot about Zach Martin.
Speaker 4 (42:51):
And you know the other thing is, and I don't
know if the thought was in the Cowboys mind. He
was their nomine need for the NFL Walter Payton Man
the Year Award, and he made it.
Speaker 3 (43:06):
To the Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
YEP. I don't know that that that you get to that,
but I guarantee you that they knew that this was
likely the end. Yeah, So all right, we got much
more mix shots coming at you in just a moment.
Speaker 10 (43:30):
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Speaker 6 (44:57):
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Demit Shuts.
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Speaker 3 (46:00):
Download the apps now to join. I need to start
putting commas and period.
Speaker 2 (46:08):
Okay. Twenty fourteen Draft Jack Martin first round and then
what the Cowboys do in the second round.
Speaker 3 (46:18):
They traded traded up.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
For de Marcus Lawrence. That's pretty good. And that who's
used the third round.
Speaker 3 (46:25):
By the way, who.
Speaker 2 (46:26):
Was running that draft for the first time in his career,
Will McLay. That was his first home. That's first draft
with him in control of it. Twenty fourteen.
Speaker 4 (46:39):
Did we ever point out in one of the shows
that they re signed Will for another five years?
Speaker 3 (46:47):
That was the first big free agent. That's right of
the office.
Speaker 4 (46:50):
Absolutely, all right, So now we'll go, yeah, what are
we doing at guard?
Speaker 3 (46:57):
Well, if we look at what's there now.
Speaker 2 (47:03):
And let me start with this. Yeah, Connor Riley new
offensive line coach coach Cooper bb at Kansas State where
he was in tackle. That's right, and as we all know,
because he practiced shutgun snaps to his mom in his
backyard in Kansas City this summer, this was his first
(47:24):
time playing center. When you hear Connor Riley talking about
Cooper Bebe, did you get any inkling about where he
thinks Cooper Bebe might best fit long term in the NFL?
Speaker 4 (47:39):
He mentioned it's always good to have flexibility, but then
that comes down to if you move him to guard,
then who's your center?
Speaker 2 (47:49):
Because I think actually when they drafted Cooper Bebe in
the third round last April. It was with the idea
that eventually, whether depending on when Zach Martin retires, he
would be plugged in at right guard for Zach Martin.
But in the meantime he's now played center and now
(48:12):
got that position versatility, which puts them in a good spot.
Speaker 4 (48:16):
And I think when the Cowboys look at it, their
other swing backup offensive lineman was Brock Hoffman, who had
played center but could play guard.
Speaker 3 (48:25):
And then you also have TJ. Bass, who is a guard.
Speaker 4 (48:29):
And I think they liked Hoffman better at guard than
they did at center.
Speaker 2 (48:34):
And then is that based on the fact that he
was then filling in at the end of the year
at guard, or were they just did that be of
course there's a different offensive line coach, and or did
they do that because they're just not changing up.
Speaker 4 (48:48):
To positions right, Yeah, exactly. And BB hadn't played guard,
and you got TJ. Bass that got some work at guard,
and then Awesome Richards who had done both as a
backup guard and tackle. And I'm just wondering if they
turned that left tackle job up for competition between Geyiton
(49:11):
and Awesome Richards.
Speaker 3 (49:12):
Okay, I'm just wondering.
Speaker 4 (49:14):
I don't know if it'll take place, but it's a
new staff.
Speaker 3 (49:17):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (49:18):
You alluded to this in the last segment that the
Cowboys are kind of in the same boat, or have
been for the last couple of years, really in the
same boat that they were a little over a decade
ago when they drafted a future Hall of Famer in
Tyron Smith. Then they drafted Travis Frederick and a future
Hall of Famer in Zach Martin. How does this rebuild
(49:42):
It doesn't compare with that. You can't compare it with that.
That was an ald timer. But where are they now
in rebuilding this offensive line? How far along are they think?
And I would throw this out the key on that
is what happens with Tyler Geydon right right. They started
this rebuild actually in twenty twenty two when they drafted
(50:04):
Tyler Smith, who is now after starting at left tackle
by necessity his rookie year, has established himself as perhaps
a perennial Pro Bowl player at left guard.
Speaker 4 (50:16):
And I think that as good as he is, you
had to be happy what BB did at center. I
know Terrence Steele, He's not probably a pro Bowler at
right tackle, but he's kind of entrenched there with a
contract that he has, so you got to decide what's
(50:36):
going on at right guard and left tackle.
Speaker 3 (50:39):
And I think those are two things that they have
to look at this year.
Speaker 4 (50:45):
And you know, in the draft, and I'm going to
beat Nate.
Speaker 3 (50:49):
Newton to say this, but.
Speaker 4 (50:53):
He will be a proponent of taking an offensive lineman
in the first two days and properly prefevably the second
the second day, or at least the first three rounds
to help out and to create some depth if nothing else,
and a guy for the future.
Speaker 3 (51:14):
And again I'll say.
Speaker 4 (51:15):
It like I said when they drafted Tyron Smith or
Tyler Smith, is that I want to tackle that can
play guard and then eventually end up as a tackle.
I think that's the best way to go. And I
think they'll need one of those among all the other things.
And we can do that next week on all the
decisions they have to make that will impact what they
(51:38):
do those first two days of the draft.
Speaker 2 (51:42):
But they really need Guidon to be.
Speaker 3 (51:45):
Yes what they got drafted to.
Speaker 4 (51:47):
And they the coaches talked highly of him, and I
want imagine I think it was Connor Riley pointing out
that and he knew Guidon's background and pointed out that
he just hasn't played that much tackle. What fourteen games
at Oklahoma I think it was, And then on and
(52:08):
off here trying to start as a rookie, got hurt
a couple of times, missed games.
Speaker 2 (52:13):
You just hope you're just not in the same position
that Kansas City obviously is in, right, And they drafted
the guy juan Ye Morris, who started ahead of Tyler
Geidon at Oklahoma.
Speaker 8 (52:27):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (52:27):
And then they also spent a second round draft pick
this past year in twenty twenty four on a left
tackle from BYU who wasn't able to get on the field,
and they wound up having to play their Zach Martin
and Joe Toney out at left tackle in the Super Bowl.
And you saw how that made what happened.
Speaker 4 (52:46):
There, paid the price for not hitting on those draft choices.
And again we got to point out, and I think,
you know this another discussion for another day to get
into it, but when you're they were at twenty and
they traded down to twenty nine, that's a second round
great r right. Everybody looks at well, that's a first
(53:07):
round game. Did you bust on a first round pick? Well,
and he was like the eighth offensive tackle taken right. Yeah,
they were all taken by them, right.
Speaker 2 (53:17):
So now that's why they were in the same boat
when they drafted Tyler Smith where it was the last tier,
you know, the last of that tier, and they hit
on that. Okay, but the.
Speaker 4 (53:28):
Percentages of hitting after probably twenty it goes down.
Speaker 2 (53:33):
But the key on guiding is that potential. Yeah, and
tapping that potential. That's why this is such a big
off season. But it's in the weight room as well.
It's the whole it's getting his body to where he
can play a full seventeen game season plus, because that's
the other concern that I had on him coming out
(53:54):
is that, as you pointed out, in his two years
at Oklahoma, it only played in fourteen games and had
a problem staying on the field, and that surfaced again
this year. Competition committee met in Indianapolis. Stephen Jones a
part of that. You got a couple of notes from that.
Speaker 4 (54:11):
Yeah. Rich McKay, who's the chairman of the Competition Committee,
said that they did discuss moving the touch back on
the kickoffs up to the thirty five yard line because
there had been so many touchbacks kicking the ball into
(54:32):
the end zone. Although the kickoff returns there were three
hundred and thirty two, he pointed out, and it was
a thirty two point eight percent returns and it was
like almost ten percent more than the year before, So
that part of it helped with more returns. And I
(54:54):
thought the other thing pointed out was that they used
the replay assist this year to help immediately for calls.
Speaker 3 (55:02):
On the field.
Speaker 4 (55:04):
Well they're thinking of expanding it to potentially penalties two,
so that was interesting.
Speaker 3 (55:11):
Interesting. The other thing is.
Speaker 4 (55:13):
That they're probably going to be some sort of discussion
on on side kicks on what to do there to
kind of put that back into the game somehow, some way,
you know.
Speaker 2 (55:30):
It seems like it would it should be something where
teams have the option of doing it whenever they want
to do it, I know, And it's like it's kind
of like the two point conversion, but how do you.
Speaker 4 (55:42):
Change where you're at.
Speaker 2 (55:45):
Or you just have to It takes out the element
of surprise, right right and so.
Speaker 4 (55:50):
Oh and by the way, also moving the kickoffs back
to the thirty yard line to try to make it
a little bit more difficult to get touchbacks.
Speaker 2 (56:01):
To move it back to the thirty and in addition,
the touchback rule right out to the thirty five.
Speaker 3 (56:08):
Yeah, my golly, we're going.
Speaker 4 (56:09):
One way or the other words, we're going to get
kick off returns. The other thing that I think brought
up when I talked about the on site thing, there
was a discussion of adjusting the on side kick to
the fourth and fifteen or fourth and twenty conversion.
Speaker 3 (56:29):
So I don't think the owners. I think the owners.
Let's see, that's a little too gunked up. That's my word, gunked.
Speaker 2 (56:42):
And you could just do that in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 3 (56:45):
It didn't go that farre.
Speaker 4 (56:47):
It just said let the UFL experiment with right, see
how that works, sort of like the automated ball and.
Speaker 3 (56:54):
Strike thing and the major experiment.
Speaker 2 (57:01):
All right, got anything else?
Speaker 3 (57:05):
No next week?
Speaker 2 (57:07):
Man, can you imagine how full this green notebook is
going to.
Speaker 4 (57:10):
Be after I'm buying and you get all the numbers,
the real.
Speaker 2 (57:15):
Height and start watching workouts on Thursday. Now that it
is and it's a prime time event now, oh.
Speaker 4 (57:22):
Really though, so better not getting away of any of
our basketball our hockey games. Well, you can record it
our college or college basketball by the way.
Speaker 3 (57:36):
All right, so that does it.
Speaker 2 (57:38):
Everson says he'll be back next week, and we appreciate
you joining us here. Four mix shots brought to you
by Miller Lit. And at the end of the when
I quit talking, Mickey's gonna say go Cowboys.
Speaker 4 (57:53):
We're going to leave that to Chris.
Speaker 2 (57:55):
See you next Monday at eleven.
Speaker 3 (57:58):
Go Go Boys.
Speaker 1 (58:01):
This has been a production of dallascowboys dot Com and
the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com
and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Cowboys.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
This is Mick Shot screaming live on Dallascowboys dot Com
and the official Dallas Cowboys at now Here are Bill Jones,
Everson Wolves, and Mickey Spagnola.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
And it is a Monday here inside the SWBC podcast studio,
and all my things are starting to shake in the
National Football League. This is Mick Shots, brought to you
by Miller Lite without Everson Walls. He's on assignment today.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
So I figured out where he's at.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Oh did you yes?
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Where the HBCU Draft combine?
Speaker 5 (00:52):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
This week?
Speaker 4 (00:54):
And they played the game on Saturday.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
All right, that's funny because Everson just tells us last
Monday that I'm not going to be here next Monday, right,
and didn't tell us why. We didn't pry.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Because I always say business however, secret government.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
So you made it your mission the last week. Okay,
let's figure out wherever.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
So I'm assuming because they have practices, and I'm they
bring guys like him there to help.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Out, that's right, Not just to help out, not just
to run the practice, but to tutor some of these
young Draft prospects. And speaking of combines, the NFL scouting
combine is underway in Indianapolis, and Mickey.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
It's out here. It is.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
It's a fancy green note it's.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
The big green notebook there it is.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
He didn't buy that at Walmart.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
This is where we find five star prospects in the
NFL Draft fight and we've been doing it for twenty
years now. It goes back to the old Cowboy Channel
when Mickey and I discovered DeMarcus Ware and Marcus Spears.
The Cowboys had two first round draft picks in two
thousand and five. And for the loyal, long time listeners
(02:15):
to originally Talking Cowboys, this is the original Talking Cowboys,
by the way, and now mix shots. You know that
in two thousand and five, we not only talked to
the high school coach of Marcus Spears at Southern lab
and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but also the high school coach
and I think the college coach of DeMarcus Ware. This
(02:36):
is where we told you the Cowboys are picking DeMarcus
Ware and Marcus Spears in the first round of that
two thousand and.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Five and we got them in the right order.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
That's right. Unlike Bill Parcells. They got it.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
They must have been listening to us, right.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
That's where it basically all started for me twenty years ago,
diving deep into the draft. Wow, you know, And what
it coincided with was I've thought about this, Why has
the draft become such as Parcels would put it, such
a cottage industry? And it really I think started with
(03:14):
the advent of YouTube and for fans to be able
to easily access video of all these players in college.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Oh yeah, you know, and where.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
You could spend hours just looking at And it's gotten
obviously over the course of twenty years, much more advanced
than what it was in two thousand and five. But
I really think that is where the NFL draft, the
interest in the NFL draft just skyrocketed, is because of
the easy access to videos of these players.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
And then I think the NFL made a really good
decision to move.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
The draft around.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Yeah, different places.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
It was here.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
Twenty whatever year it was, it would have been vander.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Esh's twenty nineteen rookie year.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
I think twenty eighteen, yeah, okay, But moving it around
like that in different spots you engage more fans from
different places.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Yeah, I think but that's once it got to draft day.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
But yeah, it's when it's the whole combine and all
that stuff. And obviously, and it was about that time
that the NFL network got started. In fact, I think
the Cowboys channel it was actually the precursor to the
NFL network. You know what happened They couldn't and the
Cowboys channel was on Comcast.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Cable and twenty four hours.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Twenty four hours in fact, we used to do during
the Cowboys season, we would do an hour long sports
center type Cowboys show Monday through Friday from our little
closet at Valley Ranch. And it was after that the
NFL network was born. In the the teams had to
(05:00):
do away with well, the one team that had its
own cable TV channel, the Cowboys had to do away
with the Cowboys chann I.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
Remember that year somewhere we were on the road and
so they had told us, or I guess it would
have been the next year that the NFL basically went
to the owners and said, look, there's no sense having
a TV channel competing with the other channel you already own.
So we would appreciate if you didn't.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Have, especially as widely viewed as the Cowboys.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Channel was.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
So we were in the middle of the season when
that happened. So it happened the next year and Jerry saw.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Me, I don't know where we were. We were on
a road.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
Game and he said, you know, he goes, when we
get this this this stadium thing settled, We're going to
get this this channel back.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
I don't care. What that said never came back, well,
not TV, you know what.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
It came back as what you're doing right now came
back as podcast and basically you've got twenty four hour
access to all the Cowboys information that you want through
the podcast.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
And now with all our cameras in here, right, we're
back on TV.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Go's right, all right?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
So much to get to since we last convened, In fact,
last Tuesday, which was the last time we got together
after the President's Day holiday, the Cowboys coaches were all
assembled for the media to talk to and so we
got to get your take on what came out of that.
And then we had the breaking news on Thursday where
(06:38):
Zach Martin made it official informing the Cowboys that he
is calling it a Hall of Fame career, and I
think he worded it that way when he went into Jerry.
I've decided to call it a Hall of Fame career.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Yeah, I think I've done enough since trying.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
And then now we fast forward to this week and
we got the combine going on this week, and we're
two weeks from today. It's basically the start of NFL
free agency.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
So I've got two of my tablets here full of
stuff everything that's going on. So I guess we should
start with the coaches questions that they made.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
As a group.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
And I know I haven't coached a game yet, right,
but a very personable group of coaches.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Very easy interviews.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
And when I started listening to everybody and how they
put this staff together, I got a feeling that there
was And I said this to Schottenheimer. Now he didn't
do an interview, but I caught him off to the
side and I said, there seems to be on this
(08:05):
staff heavy emphasis on the offensive line and being able
to run the football.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
And he goes, I think that's fair.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
And if you look at the number of guys that
are or have been coordinators offensive coordinators not just him,
but not necessarily in the NFL, but between Clayton Adams,
Connor Riley, they added Ken Dorsey, who had been an
(08:38):
offensive coordinator in Cleveland and Buffalo. There's a lot of
guys that have had their hands into coordinating the offense
to help him out. But if you look at Clayton Adams,
so they named him the offensive coordinator, but he's an
offensive line coach, right And when he was asked, will
(09:00):
you have a hand in helping out on the offensive line,
and I don't think his word was absolutely, but yeah,
of course. And then Connor Riley had coached in college
twenty two years. He had been a coordinator, but he's
an offensive line coach. They've got an assistant offensive line
(09:23):
coach also on the staff with Ramon Chingyong, and there
just seems to be and then an off running backs coach.
It just seems like running the football is going to
be a priority. And if you look at Schottenheimer's history
(09:43):
as a coordinator, he's had good running teams with the
Jets and Seattle for sure. So as I was talking
to the running back the running back coach, I said
Derek Foster, Derek Foster that it looks like a priority.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
He goes, it is and it will be.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
And I said, now all you need is a running
back and he laughed, but yeah, it's I don't know
if that made an impression on you, but it made
an impression on me.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
No doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
And in fact, as we've talked about, you know, Schottenheimer's
team with the Jets, I mean, they made it to
the AFC Championship game with the number one ranked rushing
offense in the league back when he was the offensive
coordinator there and Mark Sanchez was a rookie quarterback coming
into the league right and then when he had Russell
Wilson with Seattle, they were also the number one rushing
(10:43):
offense in the league with the Seahawks. It is interesting
as you look at the which is a very small
stable of running backs on this roster right now, and
literally induced Vaughan Hunter Lepke if you want to count
him as a as a running back to go along
(11:03):
with him being a fullback and an HVAC type Malik
Davis and that's it.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
And so it's an open season, open market for running
backs starting in free agency two weeks from today or
maybe even prior to two weeks from today. If because
they've got one that they can go ahead and negotiate
with right now in Rico Dawdle and we'll see what happens.
Speaker 4 (11:29):
And it sounded like from what Stephen Jones said at
the combine on Sunday where the competition committee was already meeting,
that Rico sounds like one of their priorities to resign,
along with Jordan Lewis and OsO Diggi Zoo, who may
(11:50):
be the hardest one to try to resign, but maybe
the top priority since they don't have many are hardly
any defensive tackles under contract.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
Mazzie Smith and maybe there was somebody on.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
The practice squad Justin Rodgers Okay, it was back.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Okay, Justin Rodgers the seventh round pick last year, and
then he came back at the end of the season.
And Denzel Dackson is the other one who is on
the roster.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
So and Osa had a really good season. And I
think that I don't know that they do a franchise
tag on him. It's twenty three million, but they can
do a transition tag, so at least you reserve the
right of first refusal if somebody else.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
It's rarely used. Teams don't normally use transition tags, but
sometimes it can be used. Effectively the issue that the
Cowboys and the transition tag. It's a little less money
than what a franchise tag would be.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
But you don't get any compensation.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
And who's the guy, and you can match whatever offer
that player might get on the open market. The problem
for the Cowboys is from a salary cap standpoint, if
you're gonna have Michael Parsons playing on his fifth year
option at around twenty four million dollars a year, and
obviously you know all the other salaries that are taking
(13:24):
up from the high dollar players on the team, can
you afford a even a plus twenty million dollar a
year transition tag on a on a defensive tackle.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
And that's why that's why it's you try to do
a long term deal where the guy gets his money
up front, but you can spread it out and it
won't cost as much every year.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
The interesting thing as far as you we just talk
running backs and we talk defensive lineman defensive tackles, and
if you listen to the so called experts on this
dret the deepest positions in this draft might be running
backs and defensive linemen.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
Right, And so you know you can't get both in
the first round. But you got to figure out if
I get this here, there are enough guys at that
other position in the second and third round to help
me out.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
So yeah, that's the stuff that.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
We'll talk about going forward in decisions the Cowboys made.
But and the one person I can't believe I forgot this.
I think we talked about it last week, the secondary coach,
David Overstreet. Yep, I forgot that he had played in Missouri. Yeah,
(14:46):
he was a two time All Big twelve.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
And that's his connection with Ibraflus, right, because the Eberflus
was the defensive cordon over Street played.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
For him, and he had them with the Bear Yeah,
he's with the Bears.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Also, maybe with the Colts too.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
But I I and I think when he was playing
with Missouri, I didn't realize it was David Overstreet's son
running back or the running back from Oklahoma who ended
up He was from East Texas Big Sandy, Big Sandy,
(15:23):
Lovey Smith's hometown and ended up first round.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
David Overstreak would have been high school teammates with Lovey Smith.
I'm pretty sure back in the because he played at
Oklahoma in the late seventies, he was part of maybe
a year or two younger than Lovey, but they would
have cross paths in Big Sandy for sure.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
And in the same backfield at Oklahoma with Billy Simms.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
And Kenny King and Thomas Lott.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
And Thomas Lott right, which should have come up on
It was Saturday. The ticket did their ticket stock. They
had Switzer as a guest, which is another uh segment
I need to go. He was he was unfiltered as.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
Always in person.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Uh oh yeah, yeah, he was there that they must
have talked to him for an hour, it seemed like.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
And he had story he had stories going with different
antennas off of it that he never got back to
the final part of the stories.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
He was amazing.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
But yeah, I and I talked over street and I
forgot to point out that, you know, it's like, oh,
we got some Missouri connections here.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
But anyway, and.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
He believed he went to Samuel High School.
Speaker 4 (16:42):
Yes, he did, so, he grew up in Pleasant Grove,
he said, Uh. And he has a yearly uh camp
here for uh some of the underprivileged type players kids
and uh it's uh, I think he said, July June
twenty first, Okay, and he's got to find a spot
(17:04):
because ever he was having I think he was having
it at the stadium, maybe at Samuel High School and
it's under construction. So he said, I got to find
a new place. And we were sitting there talking, I go,
there's two fields right behind it, there's transportation available.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Yes, that'd be fun, that'd be a good way of
doing it. Yeah. But otherwise on the defensive staff, Aaron
white Cotton is another guy that I'm interested in who
was with the Jets defensive line coach, and he's got
a history. Of course, he was with Robert Solo with
(17:42):
the Jets, and he was also with Solo with San Francisco,
and so we won't get into names per se. But
when you're looking at potential free agent types with a lot,
whether it's White Cotton or any other the Chicago guys
that become available, guys that these coaches have a history with,
(18:06):
who will come at an economical price range. I expect
the Cowboys to be, well, they can't be less active
or as inactive as they were last year in free agency,
but they got to do something in free agency this year.
But it's going to be those low tiered better and
there's going to be a whole bunch across the league,
(18:28):
these veteran free agents that are signing for less than
two million dollars a year.
Speaker 4 (18:32):
Right, and you know, and they did a decent job.
You know, no one gives them credit. Eric Kendricks was
a hell of a free agent signing, right, and for
basically what you've just said. I think it was like
May three and a half three million, something like that.
And so, and they tried to get the nose tackle
(18:55):
that ended up going to Seattle Jonathan Hankins Ankins, and
everybody said, how could they let him get away?
Speaker 3 (19:02):
They offered him a contract.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
I was told he wanted to go to Seattle because
the defensive line coaches getting hired there as the defensive coordinator,
and he felt like it goes to what you just said.
Sometimes these guys decision is to go with a coach
they're familiar with and have some insurance that they're going
to get a chance to play.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
And real quickly, I was just looking up Jonathan Hankins
last year with Seattle, seventeen games, eight starts. He had decent.
It was the same type season he's been having. He
had thirty tackles, and you know, he was a big
run stuffer in the middle of their defense at thirty
(19:48):
two years old. And as it turns out, the Cowboys
had to you know, they brought they wait till training
camp to make moves to try to enhance their defensive line.
The criticisms that Mike McCarthy had late in the season
is if we're going to bring in guys, you'd like
to have him here throughout the off season program.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
Right right, And so so yeah, we'll see that how
that turns out. But you know, with with a defensive
stat Matt Eber Eberflows was able to bring in guys
he knew for that staff. So yeah, and everybody was,
(20:30):
you know, really high after talking to him, and I said, yeah,
this is great until you lose a game. You know,
you get smacked in the mouth and it's.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Like, okay, how's everybody doing.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
And among the guys that he brought in from Chicago,
Andre Curtis the past game coordinator, secondary coach, Dave Borganzi
linebackers coach, and you mentioned David Overstreet as well as
secondary coach.
Speaker 5 (20:54):
So.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
You know, and Nick Sorenson the spell teams coach. He's
he's quite a talker and there's another guy. He was
a defensive.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Courton last year with San Francisco.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Right, and so he's been a special teams player. They
brought back Carlos Polk, who had been here as a
special team's assistant.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
A couple of years ago.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
So I think they've done a pretty good job putting
this staff together. And there's a lot of it is
who knew who right, and and the thing with Clayton Adams,
the connection that Schottenheimer had with Clayton Adams. He was
(21:41):
at Colorado when Mike McIntyre, the Cowboys' former defensive secondary coach,
maybe right, he was the head coach at Colorado. Schottenheimer
knew McIntyre and so he got he kept hearing from
McIntyre that this Clayton Adams is pretty good.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Now I'm sitting there trying to think, Okay, where would
Schottenheimer and McIntyre of cross pads And I'm gonna have
to go look through both backgrounds on them and figure
out where they But it could be they didn't. They
never worked together. There is a possibility that guys connect
with each other right outside of being on the same
(22:23):
staff together.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
I remember my McIntyre coach.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Tire you know what.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
Schottenheimer lives in Nashville. McIntyre's father was a head coach
of Xanderbilt. He grew up in Nashville and Bill was there,
that's right, So I bet it's a Nashville connection on
Odd McIntyre. I love Mike McIntyre. It's you know, when
he was here and then he went on to Duke
(22:50):
and then San Jose State and that's where Clayton Adams
was first on his staff at San Jose State and
then followed him to Colorado.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
Yeah, there was a lot of connection. So it wasn't
like they were just putting their hand in the hat
and drawing a name out right. There was always some
sort of connection or somebody vouching for these guys and
how good they were all.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
Right, And we didn't even mention Junior Adams, the wide
receivers coach who has a great reputation as a college
receivers coach and now making the step into the NFL.
In fact, Cooper Cup just swears by him, said he
no coach in his career had more of an impact
on him than Junior Adams when he was at Eastern Washington.
Speaker 4 (23:35):
And there's nothing wrong with bringing some fresh ideas.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
I love the energy because there's a mix of experience
and youth on this staff. And as it relates to
the draft, where you've got guys who have as recently
as two months ago coached in college and they're very
familiar with the players, either they they themselves coached, or
(24:00):
they went up against or they tried to recruit the
exactly and not only out of high school, but out
of the porch. We know how much the coaches are
involved in the draft process here, and so that can
be big and just communication and plus they as you
mentioned off the top, they all seem to be really
good communicators. Yeah, and have a want to to let
(24:22):
the scouting staff know this is what I'm looking for
in a player and so forth.
Speaker 4 (24:26):
You know, when I asked people their impression of the
coaching staff, and you just mentioned the word, they said energy.
It's like, hey, we're here to prove ourselves and these
guys are. Not to say the other staff wasn't fired up,
but a lot of energy and emotion on this staff.
And one person told me when I asked about Schottenheimer
(24:49):
and one of the other's assistants what they knew about
them or what they felt that they did best, and
the word was teacher.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
So and I think that's a big part of it,
is being able to connect with the players.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
Right, Yeah, so so having to put together almost an
entirely new staff, it looks like at this point they've
done a pretty good job.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
All Right, We're gonna talk Zach Martin when we come
back here on mix shots in just a moment.
Speaker 6 (25:18):
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(27:08):
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Speaker 4 (27:26):
Mixed shots, the most action packed mortorsports experience in the
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Cheer, scream, and be amazed as massive Monster Jam trucks
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Speaker 2 (28:00):
My phone is about to blow up. My daughters are
going to start saying, Dad, can you get us Monster
Jam tickets for my grandsons? They get involved in that.
Oh okay, the noise, Oh it's they've got monster talks
themselves they play with all the time. Oh, they love it.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
Mickey, have you ever been? No, it's a blast. Really,
that's great.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Oh, it sounds like Producer Supreme has not only been there,
but planning to go again this weekend.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Probably not going to go this weekend. I do have plans.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Uh, yeah, I can't miss theater. Okay, okay, all right,
Before we talk Zach Martin, A little item that's making
news is the interview that I think David Moore did
with Stephen Jones at the Combine. I was in the
(28:56):
Morning News this morning and as now making the rounds
on social media that it looks like Cowboys moving on
from Trey Lance, but they are Steven Jones indicating that
they have thoughts of drafting a quarterback.
Speaker 4 (29:17):
And obviously they were going to do that. I would
imagine even if, well even if they keep or try
to resign Cooper Rush, you need another.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
And I think the quote on Cooper Rush is obviously,
if you're paying the starter what the Cowboys are paying
Dak Prescott, the money is tight as far as signing
a veteran free agent. They love Cooper and it's just
we're just gonna have to see where where the market
goes on Cooper.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Rush market value.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
And you know, and I think when teams understand the
importance of having a backup quarterback that can at least
hold down the fort if you lose your starter, and
who knows, somebody may look at him and say, well,
if we don't get somebody in the draft, we like,
maybe he's our starter until someone else is developed or
(30:11):
comes along. So yeah, market Valley is gonna decide a
lot of things for the Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
And when you look at this draft and so what
we're talking about here is a third day quarterback you
would imagine, but when you now it's not out of
the question, and you can make some moves whatever, pick
up an extra draft pick, and if there's somebody that
you like in the third round, whatever, because when you
(30:39):
look at Dax contract, you need someone you would love
to have a situation like what Detroit had this year
where they had Jared Goff, they had drafted Hinton Hooker
and Hooker never gets on the field, but he is
a developmental quarterback that you have spent a second day
(31:00):
draft pick on. And then it got to the end
of the season and Detroit was like, you know what
if our quarterback goes down in the playoffs. I don't
know that we want to throw this young guy in there,
and so they signed Teddy Bridgewater late this season.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
But you would love to have.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Someone who you're grooming to be the eventual replacement once
your starter gets up there in years and gets even
retirement age.
Speaker 4 (31:25):
But if you think that was the Cowboys philosophy when
they drafted Dak Prescott, right, yeah, that's right. They had
Kellen Moore as the veteran backup and it's like, Okay,
maybe this guy can developed to be the backup to
Tony Romo and then lo and behold.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
Everybody gets hurt and Dak Prescott. So you're and what
was he?
Speaker 2 (31:45):
He was the number one thirty five pick in the
draft in the fourth round, so I think their second
fourth round behind Charles Tappan. And so that is the
area you're probably looking at. And when you look at
this this quarterback draft, there could be someone like that
in the fourth round. So we'll see.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
And you've got basically two quarterback coaches with Ken Dorsey
also to help out, so that that certainly, you know.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
I would I would think they're somebody.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
They are in the market, just like it running back,
they're in the market for a veteran backup quarterback as
well as if it's not crack brush right and a veteran,
I'm talking about a guy that's not making much money,
right yeah, or needs a job all right, So Zach Martin,
I don't think any of us were surprised with the announcement,
(32:40):
and the Cowboys not caught off guard. But it you
knew it was going to come eventually. Just the way
things played out last season, it seemed obvious. And then
after his Zach Martin's ankle surgery, he wanted to give
it time just to make sure. But apparently he went
into Jerry's office on Thursday and said it's time.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
And the Cowboys had braced for this when they restructured
his contract last year to save some cap money and
push it down the road. And one of the things
that I think got overlooked when they restructured his contract
(33:22):
is they added a couple voided years, but the voidable
year for this year he had a one point two
million dollar base salary. So they did that because while
he has basically told them he wants to retire, nothing's official.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
And what the Cowboys are going to do.
Speaker 4 (33:45):
Is release him once the league year starts and make
him a June one cut. That gives them the opportunity
to spread out the dead money that would take place
in one year if he just retired and left. So
(34:08):
his debt money's going to be significant. It's a total
over two years of twenty six million dollars. So I
think they take a nine around a nine year, a
nine million dollar hit this year and the rest next year.
So they were kind of preparing.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
For this now according to over the cap. Now you
tell me whether I'm reading this correct.
Speaker 4 (34:30):
I know they've got it nine million in nine.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Million and then and then in Okay, so what they
have is nine point four million in twenty twenty five.
This is with Zach Martin being a post Une first cut,
nine point four million again in twenty twenty six, four
point four million in twenty seven, and three point twenty
five million in twenty eight.
Speaker 4 (34:52):
That's that all comes seven next year, goes seventeen million
next year next year.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
That's the way it was explained to me. Okay.
Speaker 4 (34:59):
So so yeah, so you know when when everybody says that, well,
the Cowboys don't know how to manage their cap, well,
when you restructure bonuses to keep your guys. That money
gets spread down the road, and when they leave or
the contracts up, you still got to account for the
(35:20):
pro ration.
Speaker 3 (35:21):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (35:22):
And the same thing's going to take place with DeMarcus
Lawrence if he's not here or if he decides to
also retire, although he kind of intimated to me that
he wants to still.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Play, and then let me correct myself on that. You're
exactly right, and it says it on the over the
cap website as well. The cap number, right is the
cap number actually as a post June first cut is
ten point six five million for this year and then
it's seventeen point oh six million for next year.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Yeah, so it costs.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
So now if you don't designate him a June first
cut and it is twenty twenty six point four to six.
Speaker 3 (36:06):
Million, yeah, I rounded it off.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
So yeah, so I think, you know, good for him.
A lot of guys when their careers are done, they
either are told they're done or you have an injury
that ends it. He's been able to make his own
decision like this is what I want to do. He's
played eleven years at an awfully high level, married three kids.
(36:34):
I think he's very satisfied for what he did. And
I got an opportunity to talk to Jason Garrett. And
if you guys remember Jason when he took over as
head coach, realized that the one thing they needed to do,
and this kind of corresponds with what's going on now,
(36:57):
they needed to rebuild the offensive line. In one year
twenty ten, they got old and expensive and they had
to start moving on for guys. So if you remember
twenty eleven, ninth picking the draft, they take Tyron.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
Smith, could be an announcement from him coming soon.
Speaker 4 (37:16):
Yeah, yeah, because he's probably close to the end. In
twenty thirteen, they traded down. They got Travis Frederick, your
starting center, and also to go along with the trade down,
you got a starting wide receiver, Terrence Williams.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
That same year.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
And then twenty fourteen, and this is the part that
everybody does it everybody remembers that, Oh, Johnny Manziel was there. Well,
Jason reminded me that they were looking for defense in
that draft. The first guy they were looking at was,
by the way, Anthony Barr, linebacker out of Ucla. He
(37:56):
went number eleven to Minnesota. Their next guy they were
looking at was Aaron Donald. He went number thirteen to
the Rams, and then they were all prepared at sixteen
to take Ryan Shazier out of Ohio State, the linebacker,
and at fifteen Pittsburgh took him. And so now they're
(38:18):
at sixteen, and it was like what to do?
Speaker 3 (38:21):
What to do?
Speaker 4 (38:22):
And Jason basically said, there was a blinking light out there.
Zach Martin. Zach Martin. Zach Martin was the kind of
the quote, he told me. And so after that brief
conversation about Johnny Manziel, they decided that this guy, he said,
there was a consensus in the room that you couldn't
(38:44):
pass up Zach Martin, and they rebuilt that offensive line.
And I've got a SoundBite here from Jason when I
asked him, what, how do you describe the makeup of
Zach Martin who ended up playing eleven years for the Cowboys,
nine Pro Bowl or Pro Bowls, And here's what he
(39:07):
had to say.
Speaker 5 (39:08):
The last thing memory I will always have of Zach
Martin is we've driven the ball down the field a
mix of run and paths. We get down in their clothes,
we run it in with Zeke Elliott, you know, right
behind him and just his look when he comes running
off the field, and the smile that he has on
his face, and the love that he has for the
(39:29):
game and playing and his teammates and all of that
was just remarkable to me. And and and you know,
I saw it so much, this look that he had, like, God,
I absolutely love playing football and and so for me,
that was such a distinguishing trait for him. And and
and trust me, we tried to build our team with
(39:50):
guys who are absolutely like that, passionate about the game,
work hard, all the stuff. You know. He used to
hear me talk about the right kind of guy, that's
what we're looking for, and he just embodied that.
Speaker 4 (40:04):
Jason Garrett on Zach Martin, and I thought that pretty
much summed it up, because you know, if you remember
even during the week or after games, when you interviewed
Zach Martin, he had this look in his eyes, right,
and it's like very intentional he did.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
He just loved playing football.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
Now, the lasting memory I will have of not only
Zach Martin, but Tyrone Smith and for that matter, Travis
Frederick is a Cowboys training camp and they would all
walk on the field together.
Speaker 4 (40:41):
And it was like Okay, it was like the charge
of the light brigade, right, all three together, Uh huh. Yeah,
I had to be intimidating for the opponent when you
have those three walking in together. And it was a
pretty good offensive line that they added the next year
Leale Collins, who ended up being, because of circumstances, a
(41:04):
free agent signing, and they rebuilt that offensive line and
what happened They were able to run the football right,
and was it important? And Jason said, did you watch
the Super Bowl?
Speaker 2 (41:20):
Right? It's still important.
Speaker 4 (41:21):
It's still important, old school football, right, And then he
had Ron Leary also on that offense.
Speaker 3 (41:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:27):
Line in twenty sixteen and Doug free was was the
right tackle going back to the early time when they
first came and.
Speaker 4 (41:38):
Ended up being a holdover from that line ended up
getting pretty you know, flows Al Adams got a little
bit in age.
Speaker 3 (41:47):
Kozier was there, koz are how's are yeah? So yeah?
But yeah, what a career? What a career?
Speaker 2 (41:56):
Put it Here's this puts it in perspective. There are
three Cowboys in the history of the organization who were
named First team All Pro seven times in their career.
And those three, two of them are first ballot Hall
of Famers, right, Bob Lilly and Randy White, and Zach
(42:17):
Martin is the third one.
Speaker 4 (42:18):
And the only offensive lineman they had with more than
nine Pro Bowls was Larry Allen with ten. He had
more than rayphiel Wright. And then I think the next
guys were like Nate Newton, John Nylan that had six
Pro Bowls.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
And I asked it eleven time Pro bowler Jason Whitten
about Zach Martin and the first words out of his
mouth maybe the best teammate I ever had, which tells
you a lot about Zach Martin.
Speaker 4 (42:51):
And you know the other thing is, and I don't
know if the thought was in the Cowboys mind. He
was their nomine need for the NFL Walter Payton Man
the Year Award, and he made it.
Speaker 3 (43:06):
To the Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
YEP. I don't know that that that you get to that,
but I guarantee you that they knew that this was
likely the end. Yeah, So all right, we got much
more mix shots coming at you in just a moment.
Speaker 10 (43:30):
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X'es and o's with me Everson Walls.
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With Star Sports Tours, you can visit Cowboys Travel dot
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Speaker 6 (44:57):
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Demit Shuts.
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Cowboys Nation.
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Cowboys United, presented by Globe Life is now exclusively in
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the Game.
Speaker 3 (46:00):
Download the apps now to join. I need to start
putting commas and period.
Speaker 2 (46:08):
Okay. Twenty fourteen Draft Jack Martin first round and then
what the Cowboys do in the second round.
Speaker 3 (46:18):
They traded traded up.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
For de Marcus Lawrence. That's pretty good. And that who's
used the third round.
Speaker 3 (46:25):
By the way, who.
Speaker 2 (46:26):
Was running that draft for the first time in his career,
Will McLay. That was his first home. That's first draft
with him in control of it. Twenty fourteen.
Speaker 4 (46:39):
Did we ever point out in one of the shows
that they re signed Will for another five years?
Speaker 3 (46:47):
That was the first big free agent. That's right of
the office.
Speaker 4 (46:50):
Absolutely, all right, So now we'll go, yeah, what are
we doing at guard?
Speaker 3 (46:57):
Well, if we look at what's there now.
Speaker 2 (47:03):
And let me start with this. Yeah, Connor Riley new
offensive line coach coach Cooper bb at Kansas State where
he was in tackle. That's right, and as we all know,
because he practiced shutgun snaps to his mom in his
backyard in Kansas City this summer, this was his first
(47:24):
time playing center. When you hear Connor Riley talking about
Cooper Bebe, did you get any inkling about where he
thinks Cooper Bebe might best fit long term in the NFL?
Speaker 4 (47:39):
He mentioned it's always good to have flexibility, but then
that comes down to if you move him to guard,
then who's your center?
Speaker 2 (47:49):
Because I think actually when they drafted Cooper Bebe in
the third round last April. It was with the idea
that eventually, whether depending on when Zach Martin retires, he
would be plugged in at right guard for Zach Martin.
But in the meantime he's now played center and now
(48:12):
got that position versatility, which puts them in a good spot.
Speaker 4 (48:16):
And I think when the Cowboys look at it, their
other swing backup offensive lineman was Brock Hoffman, who had
played center but could play guard.
Speaker 3 (48:25):
And then you also have TJ. Bass, who is a guard.
Speaker 4 (48:29):
And I think they liked Hoffman better at guard than
they did at center.
Speaker 2 (48:34):
And then is that based on the fact that he
was then filling in at the end of the year
at guard, or were they just did that be of
course there's a different offensive line coach, and or did
they do that because they're just not changing up.
Speaker 4 (48:48):
To positions right, Yeah, exactly. And BB hadn't played guard,
and you got TJ. Bass that got some work at guard,
and then Awesome Richards who had done both as a
backup guard and tackle. And I'm just wondering if they
turned that left tackle job up for competition between Geyiton
(49:11):
and Awesome Richards.
Speaker 3 (49:12):
Okay, I'm just wondering.
Speaker 4 (49:14):
I don't know if it'll take place, but it's a
new staff.
Speaker 3 (49:17):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (49:18):
You alluded to this in the last segment that the
Cowboys are kind of in the same boat, or have
been for the last couple of years, really in the
same boat that they were a little over a decade
ago when they drafted a future Hall of Famer in
Tyron Smith. Then they drafted Travis Frederick and a future
Hall of Famer in Zach Martin. How does this rebuild
(49:42):
It doesn't compare with that. You can't compare it with that.
That was an ald timer. But where are they now
in rebuilding this offensive line? How far along are they think?
And I would throw this out the key on that
is what happens with Tyler Geydon right right. They started
this rebuild actually in twenty twenty two when they drafted
(50:04):
Tyler Smith, who is now after starting at left tackle
by necessity his rookie year, has established himself as perhaps
a perennial Pro Bowl player at left guard.
Speaker 4 (50:16):
And I think that as good as he is, you
had to be happy what BB did at center. I
know Terrence Steele, He's not probably a pro Bowler at
right tackle, but he's kind of entrenched there with a
contract that he has, so you got to decide what's
(50:36):
going on at right guard and left tackle.
Speaker 3 (50:39):
And I think those are two things that they have
to look at this year.
Speaker 4 (50:45):
And you know, in the draft, and I'm going to
beat Nate.
Speaker 3 (50:49):
Newton to say this, but.
Speaker 4 (50:53):
He will be a proponent of taking an offensive lineman
in the first two days and properly prefevably the second
the second day, or at least the first three rounds
to help out and to create some depth if nothing else,
and a guy for the future.
Speaker 3 (51:14):
And again I'll say.
Speaker 4 (51:15):
It like I said when they drafted Tyron Smith or
Tyler Smith, is that I want to tackle that can
play guard and then eventually end up as a tackle.
I think that's the best way to go. And I
think they'll need one of those among all the other things.
And we can do that next week on all the
decisions they have to make that will impact what they
(51:38):
do those first two days of the draft.
Speaker 2 (51:42):
But they really need Guidon to be.
Speaker 3 (51:45):
Yes what they got drafted to.
Speaker 4 (51:47):
And they the coaches talked highly of him, and I
want imagine I think it was Connor Riley pointing out
that and he knew Guidon's background and pointed out that
he just hasn't played that much tackle. What fourteen games
at Oklahoma I think it was, And then on and
(52:08):
off here trying to start as a rookie, got hurt
a couple of times, missed games.
Speaker 2 (52:13):
You just hope you're just not in the same position
that Kansas City obviously is in, right, And they drafted
the guy juan Ye Morris, who started ahead of Tyler
Geidon at Oklahoma.
Speaker 8 (52:27):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (52:27):
And then they also spent a second round draft pick
this past year in twenty twenty four on a left
tackle from BYU who wasn't able to get on the field,
and they wound up having to play their Zach Martin
and Joe Toney out at left tackle in the Super Bowl.
And you saw how that made what happened.
Speaker 4 (52:46):
There, paid the price for not hitting on those draft choices.
And again we got to point out, and I think,
you know this another discussion for another day to get
into it, but when you're they were at twenty and
they traded down to twenty nine, that's a second round
great r right. Everybody looks at well, that's a first
(53:07):
round game. Did you bust on a first round pick? Well,
and he was like the eighth offensive tackle taken right. Yeah,
they were all taken by them, right.
Speaker 2 (53:17):
So now that's why they were in the same boat
when they drafted Tyler Smith where it was the last tier,
you know, the last of that tier, and they hit
on that. Okay, but the.
Speaker 4 (53:28):
Percentages of hitting after probably twenty it goes down.
Speaker 2 (53:33):
But the key on guiding is that potential. Yeah, and
tapping that potential. That's why this is such a big
off season. But it's in the weight room as well.
It's the whole it's getting his body to where he
can play a full seventeen game season plus, because that's
the other concern that I had on him coming out
(53:54):
is that, as you pointed out, in his two years
at Oklahoma, it only played in fourteen games and had
a problem staying on the field, and that surfaced again
this year. Competition committee met in Indianapolis. Stephen Jones a
part of that. You got a couple of notes from that.
Speaker 4 (54:11):
Yeah. Rich McKay, who's the chairman of the Competition Committee,
said that they did discuss moving the touch back on
the kickoffs up to the thirty five yard line because
there had been so many touchbacks kicking the ball into
(54:32):
the end zone. Although the kickoff returns there were three
hundred and thirty two, he pointed out, and it was
a thirty two point eight percent returns and it was
like almost ten percent more than the year before, So
that part of it helped with more returns. And I
(54:54):
thought the other thing pointed out was that they used
the replay assist this year to help immediately for calls.
Speaker 3 (55:02):
On the field.
Speaker 4 (55:04):
Well they're thinking of expanding it to potentially penalties two,
so that was interesting.
Speaker 3 (55:11):
Interesting. The other thing is.
Speaker 4 (55:13):
That they're probably going to be some sort of discussion
on on side kicks on what to do there to
kind of put that back into the game somehow, some way,
you know.
Speaker 2 (55:30):
It seems like it would it should be something where
teams have the option of doing it whenever they want
to do it, I know, And it's like it's kind
of like the two point conversion, but how do you.
Speaker 4 (55:42):
Change where you're at.
Speaker 2 (55:45):
Or you just have to It takes out the element
of surprise, right right and so.
Speaker 4 (55:50):
Oh and by the way, also moving the kickoffs back
to the thirty yard line to try to make it
a little bit more difficult to get touchbacks.
Speaker 2 (56:01):
To move it back to the thirty and in addition,
the touchback rule right out to the thirty five.
Speaker 3 (56:08):
Yeah, my golly, we're going.
Speaker 4 (56:09):
One way or the other words, we're going to get
kick off returns. The other thing that I think brought
up when I talked about the on site thing, there
was a discussion of adjusting the on side kick to
the fourth and fifteen or fourth and twenty conversion.
Speaker 3 (56:29):
So I don't think the owners. I think the owners.
Let's see, that's a little too gunked up. That's my word, gunked.
Speaker 2 (56:42):
And you could just do that in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 3 (56:45):
It didn't go that farre.
Speaker 4 (56:47):
It just said let the UFL experiment with right, see
how that works, sort of like the automated ball and.
Speaker 3 (56:54):
Strike thing and the major experiment.
Speaker 2 (57:01):
All right, got anything else?
Speaker 3 (57:05):
No next week?
Speaker 2 (57:07):
Man, can you imagine how full this green notebook is
going to.
Speaker 4 (57:10):
Be after I'm buying and you get all the numbers,
the real.
Speaker 2 (57:15):
Height and start watching workouts on Thursday. Now that it
is and it's a prime time event now, oh.
Speaker 4 (57:22):
Really though, so better not getting away of any of
our basketball our hockey games. Well, you can record it
our college or college basketball by the way.
Speaker 3 (57:36):
All right, so that does it.
Speaker 2 (57:38):
Everson says he'll be back next week, and we appreciate
you joining us here. Four mix shots brought to you
by Miller Lit. And at the end of the when
I quit talking, Mickey's gonna say go Cowboys.
Speaker 4 (57:53):
We're going to leave that to Chris.
Speaker 2 (57:55):
See you next Monday at eleven.
Speaker 3 (57:58):
Go Go Boys.
Speaker 1 (58:01):
This has been a production of dallascowboys dot Com and
the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
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