September 15, 2025 • 55 mins
Ed Werder's authoritative voice on all things Dallas Cowboys brings three decades of perspective to our deep dive into the franchise's most pressing issues. The veteran reporter, who began covering America's Team in 1989, doesn't mince words about the controversial Micah Parsons trade: "Almost nothing the Cowboys can do can justify trading Micah Parsons." Werder compares this move to the historic Herschel Walker deal but notes a crucial difference—Parsons is entering his prime at 26, while Walker was further along in his career.
The conversation shifts to a fascinating exploration of Jerry Jones' true motivations. Does the owner define success as Super Bowl victories or simply keeping the Cowboys at the center of the NFL conversation? Warder suggests the latter might be true, noting that while Jones claims he'd "write any check" for another championship, he refuses to make the one sacrifice that might matter most—relinquishing his general manager role. "He'll never do that," Warder states definitively.
We dive into the Netflix docuseries "America's Team," where Werder features prominently, sharing firsthand accounts of the dynasty years. He reveals the inside story of how he broke the news of Jimmy Johnson's firing after Jones personally told him, "I'm going to fire that MF-er." Thirty years later, the Jones-Johnson relationship remains fractured, with neither man having fully moved past their bitter split. Werder also provides sobering insights into Troy Aikman's playing career, revealing the quarterback suffered so many concussions he sometimes couldn't remember playing entire games—a stark reminder of how NFL player safety has evolved.
For Cowboys fans wondering what to expect this season, Werder offers a measured assessment of the team's prospects without Parsons, projecting around nine wins given their challenging schedule. His encyclopedic knowledge of the franchise brings historical context to current challenges, delivered with the candor and insight that has made him a trusted voice in sports journalism for decades.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Almost nothing the Cowboys can do can justify
trading Micah Parsons.
They would have to go out likethey did in the Herschel Walker
trade and get Emmitt Smith outof that deal, get Russell
Maryland, kevin Smith, darrenWoodson, those type of players
out of this trade.
And I just don't see thathappening because, primarily,
jimmy Johnson's no longer hereto make those picks.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Strong take from Ed.
And it's Thanksgiving Day, awayfrom our families.
We get on our bus and there'sjust a big tin thing full of
fried chicken.
Nothing, just fried chicken.
I thought maybe even a roomwith some turkey in it.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
No, I'm blaming Jerry Well.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Jerry's in charge, jerry's very hands on.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
He didn't have time to check on your chicken, does?
Jerry Jones is in charge,jerry's very hands on.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
He doesn't have time to check on your chicken.
Does Jerry Jones define successas a Super Bowl win or the
Cowboys being the most talkedabout relevant team in the NFL?
Because I think you could makean argument it's the latter.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
He always says you can't imagine the size of the
check I would write to winanother Super Bowl.
And my answer to that what ifwhat's required to win a Super
Bowl is you relinquishing thegeneral manager's title and
responsibility and hiringsomeone to do that?
He'll never do that.
Speaker 5 (01:19):
The Try that in a Small town podcast begins now
all right, we're back.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
This is a drive out in a small town podcast.
Give it to me.
It's like christmas, can't waitI love this guy tk kaylo thrash
.
Yeah, it's gonna be fun todayand do and, uh, do it's football
season right.
Fun today and do, and do it'sfootball season, right?
Yes, and so because of thatTully was just talking about it
we have been friends with EdWarder for a long time.
(01:51):
If you don't know the name, edWarder, you should.
Long-time Cowboys reporter,journalist, been on ESPN since
90-something.
He is all things football andhe is definitely all things
definitive cowboys.
Really great guy and just asuper human being.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
He comes out to shows , hang out, we talk some
football.
He loves music, loves thesongwriting process, always asks
about it and he's just one ofthose guys that you like having
around.
He's just really appreciative,and we like talking football and
he indulges us in our I knowhe's great and he is a super fan
of songwriting, like he.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
That's like.
I remember talking to him.
He was just fascinated with theprocess and I wonder, maybe
because of his craft too?
He's a storyteller.
You know, old print style, youhave to tell a story, yeah, and
so I think he appreciates thatcraft.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
Uh, he's he's gonna be fun, but I wish we could come
up with songs as quick as hecomes up with his oh gosh three
or four minute answer to everyquestion, or when he's you know,
when he's live on tv.
Could you imagine having towrite a song live?
He, he's sharp, he says he.
I think he thinks you know we,we can come up with that stuff
in three minutes.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Right, some of them take.
Plus, he's probably.
You know about his job is thateverybody probably sees what he
writes and hardly anybody seesthe other 500 songs you write.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
They don't hear those .
Speaker 3 (03:17):
That's true.
Interesting 500 percentage forsure.
Speaker 6 (03:20):
His success ratio is a lot higher yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
And we're going to definitely ask him about.
I don't know, have you guyswatched the Netflix docu-series?
So good, just started it.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
I'm on episode six.
Speaker 6 (03:33):
I'm on episode two.
I thought it was just adocumentary and I was going to
knock it out this morning.
Yeah, but it's not.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
It's fascinating.
Speaker 6 (03:41):
I'm going to finish it.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Fascinating it really is.
I mean I love like I found likeNetflix, a lot of those great
sports things go on there, likethe comeback of the Red Sox
thing and this thing with theCowboys.
I just I love that.
I mean I love those, yeah,Especially going back, because
what I loved about it was, backin those days, of course, no
social media, so you heard someof those stories, but then you
(04:06):
and then you didn't hear some ofthose stories.
That's what I mean.
Like you didn't a lot of that.
You just it's on to the game orit's on in the next week and
it's a it's in the newspapercycle or I don't know, it's just
kind of cool to look at it nowyeah, ed's featured all over
that thing really funny.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
You know he's part of breaking the biggest story in
sports, um, which is kind of afunny story.
We'll let him tell that.
I'm thinking of that.
They were talking about thewhite house.
Have you gotten to that?
Speaker 4 (04:29):
uh-uh oh boy, not there, I'm not talking about the
one in dc either.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
No trouble, right I?
Speaker 1 (04:35):
did that michael ervin had.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
It was right next to the complex, yes, basically
where they had their partieswhat would they call that
complex?
Speaker 4 (04:42):
what was it called?
The white house no, no, the onethat was next to you, oh Valley
, ranch Valley.
Ranch yeah yeah, valley Ranch.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, I have seen that I mean that's just rock and
roll, that could just survivesocial media that's just rock
and roll.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
No, that's not making it past the DMs.
Let's not waste any more time.
We got to get.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Ed on here to talk about this stuff.
This is going to be fun.
Ed, thanks for being here, bud.
Thank you brother.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Hey, thanks for the invitation.
I appreciate it.
Hey, anything going on inCowboys world?
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Nothing right?
No, I mean they're just gettingready to open their season
against the defending Super Bowlchampion Eagles, just kind of
making a few minor personnelmoves here and there to deal
with the end of the roster.
Maybe get some guys on specialteams up but uh yeah, I mean
other than micah parsons beingtraded, that's it yeah, hey.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
So just so you know this, this will probably air in
about a week, so we'll probablybe a game in when this does air,
but we can't not talk about it.
I'm sure you've talked about itad nauseum down there, but we
haven't give us your thoughts onthe michael parsons trade.
Are you, uh, are you rippingthem?
Are you okay with it?
Speaker 1 (05:53):
well, I came here in 1989 to cover the cowboys, the
first year that jerry jonesowned the franchise.
It's when they made made theHershel Walker trade, which was
a bigger trade than this.
That being said, I cannotrecall, in all that time, jerry
Jones and the Cowboys making amore consequential trade in
(06:18):
terms of moving on from a greatplayer early in his career at a
position of huge importance likethis.
Like Herschel Walker was older,he played in the USFL.
You know he wasn't really justbeginning his prime years as a
running back, like Micah Parsonsseems to be now at age 26 and
(06:41):
being one of the elite passrushers in all of football.
And I don't think it's asconsequential because the
Cowboys didn't get as much back.
They got three first roundpicks and players from the
Vikings for Herschel.
And the biggest thing likeultimately, this trade is going
to be judged on not only whetheryou know Micah Parsons fulfills
his.
You know he's on a hall of fametrajectory.
(07:04):
If he finishes his career asthat kind of player, a
transcendent player, andtransforms the Packers into a
Super Bowl champion, then almostnothing the Cowboys can do can
justify trading Micah Parsons.
They would have to go out likethey did in the Herschel Walker
trade and get Emmitt Smith outof that deal, get Russell
(07:24):
Maryland, kevin Smith, darrenWoodson, those type of players
out of this trade.
And I just don't see thathappening because, primarily,
jimmy Johnson's no longer hereto make those picks.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Strong take from Ed.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
God, ed, I just love hearing your voice and there's
so much we want to talk about,but we'll get back to that.
But I just want to.
You know we met you a few yearsago.
You came out to a couple showsBig music fan.
We love having you out.
First and foremost.
You know you're a great fan anda great friend to us, so thanks
for coming out and supportingus.
But every football season, meand Kurt, we're like we got to
(08:06):
check in with Ed and when theParsons trade happened, like I
said, we have to get Ed on nowthe trade and then and then the
really great Netflix cowboyspecial, the series that you're
on a lot, which I think that'sfantastic and you're amazing in
it.
But so I'll go back to theParsons thing real quick.
(08:27):
So the vibe in Dallas.
It has to be very unpopular, Iwould think it feels like it is.
There's a lot of question marksaround it.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
A week later, the fan base seems to have turned its
attention toward the beginningof the season.
It's interesting because of thedynamic that the fan base has
really turned against JerryJones and the Jones family.
They're tired of 30 years ofnot getting to the NFC
Championship game much less theSuper Bowl to the NFC
(09:04):
Championship game much less theSuper Bowl.
They've had these three teamsduring the Mike McCarthy
coaching era where they won 12straight games, 12 games three
years in a row and did nothingin the playoffs the only team in
history to win that many gamesand not at least reach a
championship game.
And so the fan base is reallyconflicted here because they
hate what the front office hasdone.
(09:24):
They don't like Jerry Jonesbeing the general manager and at
the same time they're notreally that into Micah Parsons
either, because while he's beena great player again, they've
achieved nothing in thepostseason since he's been here,
and it's almost like they viewhim as sort of the defensive
(09:44):
equivalent of Dak Prescott,right?
A guy who puts up dominantnumbers at his individual
position during the regularseason and then can't elevate
his game in the postseasonagainst the better teams in the
league and in the playoffs whenit really matters.
And so I think fans are sort oftorn as to, you know, how they
(10:06):
feel about this whole thing,other than I think they're ready
to just move on from it andplay the games Now.
I think not having Micah Parsonsgreatly compromises what this
team is capable of this season.
They're already starting, youknow, as the third-best team in
their own division because theother two teams, two of the
other teams Philadelphia, whichwon the Super Bowl, in
Washington, which has JadenDaniels they went on to play the
(10:28):
NFC Championship game last year.
So the Cowboys are clearlystarting the season third in
their division, with or withoutParsons, and you know they
didn't have a great season.
They were horrible last year ondefense, even with Parsons.
Which does that mean they'regoing to be worse this year?
Speaker 3 (10:45):
or does that mean they're going to be worse this
year?
Or does that justify what Jerrydid?
Ed, you're like Yoda.
You're like football, DallasYoda.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
That's fair.
Hey, telly mentioned thedocuseries, america's Team, and
there's a bunch that we want toask you about that.
But the one thing that I wantto start with, I was thinking
about us.
You know we've all been to likea bunch of number one parties
for songwriters and when you dothese parties, all the writers
get a chance to speak and thensomebody says something how the
(11:16):
song was created.
And you kind of look over andgo that ain't how it was.
And I was wondering if youwatch that docuseries and you
see it all play out andeverybody's take and somebody
says, oh, this is how it went.
You're like I don't remember it.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
That way, was there any?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
moments like that.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Well, first of all, you mentioned songwriting, and
you know I'm amazed by thebrilliance of songwriting.
I don't know how, by thebrilliance of songwriters.
Go on.
I don't know how.
As you've seen, it takes mefour minutes to answer the most
basic question and you guys tellsomebody's entire life story in
three minutes or less most ofthe time.
(11:56):
So I think what you guys do istruly amazing.
I'll never forget that one ofthe times I came out to the show
was out in Frisco, texas, and Iwalked in.
I'd just been laid off by ESPNin 2017.
And Jason says to me what the Fis ESPN thinking.
So I appreciated that.
And then you guys alsointroduced me to Banana Ball.
(12:18):
Like I didn't know anythingabout the Savannah Bananas until
I saw you guys at BackstageDallas watching it while waiting
for the show to start.
But anyway, yes.
So the documentary it wasinteresting.
I'm glad I was a part of it.
I used language.
I would probably prefer not beassociated with me, but I used
(12:39):
the F-bomb, quoting Jerrydirectly, which I thought was
important.
I tried to use the abbreviation, but the Netflix people just
weren't having it.
They insisted that I say theword, and so I did.
But one of my motivations fordoing it was I'd been told by
the producers that on the nightwhen I was in the bar and Jerry
(13:03):
stopped me and insisted ontelling me he was going to fire
Jimmy Johnson repeatedly, and itled to the end of their
partnership within a week thatJerry was claiming that some of
the things we used in that storyin the newspaper 30 years ago
was off the record material, andso I felt it was important to
be there to testify, sort of addmy testimony and make sure that
(13:27):
part of the story wasaccurately told.
I think for the most parteverything was accurately told.
I think it's just sointeresting that all these years
later, you know Jimmy Johnsonstill hasn't gotten over Jerry
saying 500 guys could coach thisteam and win, and Jerry hasn't
gotten over that Jimmy deniedhim any credit for rehearsal
walker training.
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Speaker 2 (15:06):
Let's go back to you talking about how great we are
as songwriters.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Yeah, that was really hard to find those people to
throw beer on your show.
Speaker 6 (15:17):
Hey, go ahead, galo.
Oh, I was just curious.
You know, like on thesongwriting front, like have you
ever pursued that or fooledaround with it?
Are you just interested inwriting or just appreciate the
craft?
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Yeah, I just, I totally respect the craft.
I would love to know thesecrets to it, if there is any
such thing.
But the thing that amazes methe most, beyond what I already
said about how you can condensesomebody's life story into three
verses, is how you, in mostcases, from my understanding you
(15:50):
actually do the music first andthen put put the lyrics
together, which I can't imagine.
Speaker 6 (15:56):
How you do that well, I mean, there's really no rhyme
or reason, I just like to belike tully and just get a guitar
and jump around.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
I was interested in music.
That happens to my parents, mywhat?
My parents got me a guitar oneyear for christmas and I looked
at it and I'm like uh, dad, I'm,I'm left-handed.
And so he, this is a guitar forright-hmas.
And I looked at it and I'm likeuh, dad, I'm, I'm left-handed
and so he.
This is a guitar forright-hander, so he just takes
it and turns it around the otherway.
There you go, problem wow,that's awesome hey, um.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
So as I watched that uh docuseries, this kept coming
to my mind and I thought thisbefore, but as I'm watching it,
I can't stop thinking about it.
Does jerry jones define successas a super bowl win or the
(16:47):
cowboys being the most talkedabout relevant team in the nfl?
Because I think you could makean argument.
It's the latter.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Right.
I think it's interesting thatin this documentary and many
times before and certainly Iexpect him to say it again going
forward he always says youcan't imagine the size of the
check I would write to winanother Super Bowl.
And my answer to that, like Ithink some of the players in
that period would say but whatif that's not what's required to
win a Super Bowl?
What if what's required to wina Super Bowl is you
(17:21):
relinquishing the generalmanager's title and
responsibility and hiringsomeone to do that?
He'll never do that.
I don't think it's accurate forhim to say I'd do anything to
win another Super Bowl, becausehe clearly won't.
He might spend a lot of moneyto win another Super Bowl, but
he won't give up being thegeneral manager.
(17:42):
He told us at the end of lastseason, following a game, that
people asked me when I boughtthe franchise did I buy this as
an investment?
Did I buy it for something toleave for my kids?
And he said no, I bought it forthe job opportunity it
presented for me.
In other words, I'm going to bethe lifetime general manager
(18:06):
and the results of myperformance have nothing to do
with it.
Everybody else in theorganization is judged on their
performance, except for thegeneral manager and anybody else
named Jones.
But I do think that Jerry likesbeing prominent in the
headlines and he said hey, whenit gets quiet around here, when
it's dull, I like to stir it upand that's what he does and
that's why there's a documentarylike this.
(18:27):
Most franchises would never wantthis done, but he loves that,
do.
I think he wants to win.
Yeah, I think he's committed towinning to a point, to the
point I just said I think he'dpay anything.
I think he'll make any move hethinks would be in the interest
of winning, although I think hejust made one that contradicts
that statement, and partlybecause I think he got personal
(18:48):
about it and let his money getmad.
But I think he's committed.
I think he wants to win anothersuper bowl.
He's 82, he doesn't really havetime to waste.
But you would never know thatbased on the results of the way
this team is played when he toldat a party that night, I meant
I meant to ask you earlier.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Uh, when he, when he told you he was gonna gonna fire
jimmy, did you think he wasjoking at first, like like, did
I just hear that right?
Or did like when he first saidthat, or did you know that?
Speaker 2 (19:15):
holy shit, he's serious and, ed, this is to let
people know this is the biggestsports story it really could be
of all time in the NFL.
This was a massive, massivestory.
But, amwatali, did you thinkthat that was a joke?
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Well, so to put it in some kind of context here, the
cowboys had won back-to-backsuper bowls.
They were a prominent risingyoung team that seemed capable
of winning several more, or atleast contending, uh, for
several more super bowl titles.
They'd already won two in a row, and there are we had.
(19:51):
We had seen some indicationsthat there was some level of
jealousy between the two.
You know, jerry got really madwhen the week they were going
the final week of the 92 seasonthey were I guess it was the 92
season they were going to playthe Giants to try and win the
division on the last day of theseason.
(20:11):
They were going to play theGiants to try and win the
division on the last day of theseason and Jimmy was asked about
Jacksonville, wayne Weaver, thenew owner of the expansion team
, being interested inpotentially hiring Jimmy, and
Jimmy said he would be intriguedand Jerry thought that was an
obvious public indication ofdisloyalty and so I went up to.
(20:32):
Jerry that next time I saw Jerrywas at the game that day and I
went up to Jerry in the pressbox and I said, jerry, I know
what you said.
I know that you're upset aboutthis, but what if Jimmy won you
another Super Bowl?
Would you maybe then relent andlet him out of his contract?
And Jerry said what if he wonme another Super Bowl?
What if I won him another SuperBowl?
And so you combine all of thatwith you're walking out of the
(20:55):
bar at the owner's meetings andJerry grabs you by the pants leg
and says don't leave now.
And I say, why not?
He says you're going to missthe story of the year.
What's the story of the year?
I'm going to fire that MF andJimmy Johnson Come on.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Ed, You've got to say the word.
You've got to say the word.
Ed, you've got to say the word,You've got to say the word Ed.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
No, I think you have higher standards.
By appearances.
To the contrary, I've heard youhave higher standards and so no
, I mean the intensity withwhich he said it.
He said it repeatedly.
It was really the only point hewas trying to make.
My biggest concern was there'stwo other writers here who are
just here because a free beerhasn't run out and I've got to
(21:36):
get rid of them to protect thestory.
But I did think that this wouldblow over and that Jimmy left
the meetings, put it on therecord for us so we could report
it, and then left the meetingsfor emphasis and just kind of
wanted Jerry to twist in thewind for a while.
But I went to Emmett Smith'sfootball camp in Pensacola it
was my next assignment threedays later and when I saw Jimmy
(21:57):
at the airport that day he wasmadder than when he got in his
Corvette and left the owner'smeetings.
Speaker 6 (22:02):
Man, that's interesting when you said that
there are two other reportersthere and they were hearing the
same thing and you're like, allright, I got to get rid of these
guys so you can have the story.
It's the same thing with us,like to these guys, so you can
have the story.
It's the same thing with withus, like if we're at a party or
a bar or anybody, and somebody'shaving a normal conversation
and they're generally not even asongwriter they'll just say
something and you'll think, ohgod, I hope nobody else
recognizes that it's a hit ideaI love that idea and you're just
(22:25):
kind of looking around.
You're putting your phone realquick.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
You know that's funny so yeah, so then switcher comes
in which is a completelydifferent vibe from Jimmy, but
watching the documentary itseemed like all the players
really liked playing for him.
Is that the case?
Was that it around there?
They seemed to really love him.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Well, jerry made the statement that offended Jimmy
and said 500 coaches could winSuper Bowls with this team and
its talent.
And so, almost to prove thepoint, he didn't go and hire the
next most likely guy to win aSuper Bowl, he went and hired
the guy who was least likelyamong that 500.
Right, he hires Barry Switzer,who's been retired from Oklahoma
(23:14):
for five years.
You know he's totally happywith life in Norman, oklahoma.
Being retired.
Had never had any ambition oncoaching in the NFL, much less
inheriting a two-time Super Bowlwinning team.
But ultimately it was like toogood an opportunity and the
thing Switzer has said to me ishey, you've got to give me
(23:35):
credit, at least I didn't screwit up.
Somebody else might havescrewed it up.
I didn't screw it up, and thisyou know, jerry.
Jimmy was very hard on theplayers and some of those guys,
like Troy and Emmett Michael,you know, early in their careers
they experienced three and 13and one and 15.
And so they only knew one wayto win and it was Jimmy's way.
(23:57):
And so I would say the playerswho were not ultra-competitive,
who weren't driven, who didn'thave the greatest work ethics,
those guys embraced Switzer andthe easier lifestyle he provided
on the practice fields.
He wasn't as demanding but itbothered guys like Aikman.
(24:18):
Aikman then felt like now Ican't just be the starting
quarterback.
Now I've got to assume the roleJimmy had here as a head coach
and I've got to be the guy whokicks everybody's ass.
I've got to be the guy whoholds everybody to the standard.
That created problems.
He had played for Switzer,switzer recruitment to Oklahoma
everybody's ass.
And I've got to be the guy whoholds everybody to the standard
and that created problems.
He had played with Switzer forSwitzer.
Switzer recruited him toOklahoma.
(24:39):
I mean he broke his leg againstMiami and Switzer actually
helped him get to UCLA calledTerry Donahue.
So Aikman had a very favorableopinion of Switzer and told us
hey, you guys are going to likethis guy.
And we did.
He was great headlines, he wasquite a character.
But Troy was surprised, I thinkin a short space of time, with
(25:01):
just how much Barry had lost hiscompetitive edge in those five
years.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
You know you mentioned Troy and we're lucky
enough to know him a little bit,but it was fascinating watching
his part in this docuseries.
And one of the things I didn'tknow was, I guess what after the
third season when he got hurtand the cowboys went on that run
, they got into the playoffs.
He could have started, butjimmy chose steve berline
(25:27):
instead that he asked his agentto explore a trade.
I actually don't and didn'tremember that.
Was that a big deal?
Did it go very far, or can youtalk?
And the relationship he hadwith jimmy was fascinating, I
thought, and how they finallygot to a point where they
(25:48):
understood each other.
But I didn't remember the traderequest.
Had that ever become public?
Speaker 1 (25:55):
it wasn't really widely reported um early in his
career and I thought, if youasked me which you didn't um,
but I'm going to tell youbecause that's how I do it um,
the.
The storyline to me that wasn'trepresented by this documentary
that should have been and Ithink Jerry Jones has made this
point too in some interviews isthe Steve Walsh acquisition.
(26:18):
Remember, the Cowboys draftedTroy Aikman first overall in
April and a few weeks later camethe supplemental draft and
Jerry reached out to Troy andsaid, hey, troy, we might
exercise a pick in this draft,we might draft a quarterback, we
might take Tim Rosenbaugh fromWashington State, and Aikman was
(26:39):
fine with that.
And Jerry said, for the purposeof trading and Troy was fine
with that, but he wasn't finewith being told that and have
him draft Steve Walsh who hadjust won a national championship
for Jimmy Johnson and so manyof the Miami coaches he brought
with him to Dallas.
And so Troy felt, you know, helost trust in those two right
(26:59):
almost from the start.
And then to have thatexperience with, you know, steve
Berline where, hey, we'refinally competitive, I get hurt.
I assume I'm getting my jobback when I'm healthy because
I'm the franchise quarterbackand they stay with Steve Berline
yeah, I think those two thingsreally eroded whatever trust
(27:19):
there was.
And you know, I think at thetime Jimmy wasn't convinced Troy
Ackerman was going to be aSuper Bowl winning quarterback.
I mean, he never believed,until he actually saw him do it,
that he was going to be a DanMarino-like figure in the nfl
among quarterbacks, notstatistically, but in terms of
being a dominant player whocould challenge for
(27:40):
championships, you know, on anannual basis, which he proved
capable of I mean, speaking ofacheman, one thing that stood
out in that the hits that hetook, oh my god, and like
playing through that you forget,like that era of football, I
mean watching it, you know, likeman, he got just crushed and
just kept rolling.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Doesn't remember the game, you know, which I thought
was really crazy, just to thinkabout that.
Like what did he say?
Nine concussions, was it morethan that?
It was more than that.
I think it was like in theteens, maybe.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
And I, what did he say?
Nine concussions, was it morethan that?
It was more than that.
I think it was like in theteens maybe.
I think the public perception isthat Troy retired because of
the accumulation of theconcussions and that sometimes
he would be twice concussed witha single hit.
He'd get hit and he'd beconcussed.
Then because of the injuryhistory he would sort of black
out momentarily and couldn'tprotect himself when he hit the
ground and so then he mightsuffer another brain injury
(28:39):
hitting the ground.
But Troy will tell you that itwas really his back that drove
him out of the game when it didthat and Jerry Jerry's personnel
move.
But yeah, I think people forgetthat.
In the 93 game and I remember hegot hurt, concussed he got hit
by Dana Stubblefield insomething he described as not
(29:02):
looking terribly violent and youknow, bernie Kosar actually
came in and finished the game asthe backup quarterback.
Aikman went to the hospital.
They had to black out hisentire room.
Back, aikman went to thehospital.
They had to black out hisentire room and he described, as
you said, going back the nextday and watching the game on
(29:23):
tape.
Didn't remember playing in thegame at all, all he remembered
was the pregame fight, and so mythought was well, that year
there wasn't an extra weekbetween the Super Bowl and
championship game.
Under today's concussionprotocols, I'm almost sure
Aikman would not have beenallowed to play in that second
Super Bowl and championship game.
Under today's concussionprotocols, I'm almost sure
Aikman would not have beenallowed to play in that second
Super Bowl in Atlanta when theybeat.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Buffalo.
It's crazy and I tell you this,that guy, we did a benefit
thing at his house in Dallas.
We went down with Aldean anddid like an acoustic setup.
In his garage In his garage.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
You know what I remember about that.
I didn't get invited.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
You were on the list but we go in and Troy's so great
anyway.
But I remember we showed upearly and I'm just like walking
through the house, I'm likeexploring his house and I look
through the glass and he's inhis gym working out and I'm like
that dude, I tell you whatcould play.
He looks like he could playright now.
(30:18):
I mean he was working out.
I'm like man that isintimidating.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
I mean I have not seen biceps that big since mine.
He's in the best shape of hislife right now.
Yeah, he would tell you he's inthe best shape of his life
right now, at what?
56 or or whatever it is.
I mean I know he goes on theseexotic vacations and goes with
friends and stuff and it, ifthey go out on a boat or
whatever, it frustrates themthat they all have to go to dock
because acheman has to spendtwo hours working out super nice
(30:46):
guy yep hey, ed this fascinatesme.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
you're like this incredibly accomplished
journalist, reporter, insider,you've been doing it.
How many years have you beendoing it?
Speaker 1 (31:00):
I graduated from college in 1982, and I've been
doing it full-time ever since Iwas writing for my college paper
, my local hometown paper beforethat Wow.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
So talk about this, because obviously the world has
changed.
The way people digest news isdifferent.
It used to be.
I mean, you're a news reporter.
You used to write for thenewspaper.
That doesn't help people gatherinformation anymore.
You've got to be on TV, you'vegot to be a social media
presence.
How has that been for youtrying to reinvent what you do
(31:34):
and stay relevant in those terms?
Speaker 1 (31:38):
Well, I had the good fortune to have a nice know
career as a print reporter.
Uh, I covered the cowboys forthe dallas morning news for five
years and that was during thatperiod of time we've talked
about, when they were.
This documentary was basicallyshot, the essence of it when
they had all those great teamsand characters and um.
And then I switched totelevision and went to espn for
(31:59):
26 years.
So I was fortunate to have acareer in television as well as
print.
And yet, and I'm still, I'mstill covering the team on a
part-time basis during theseason for a local ABC affiliate
in Dallas and I'm fortunate tohave that opportunity.
But yeah, it is differentbecause you know, back when I
was a writer, it didn't matterwhat I knew, as long as I knew
(32:22):
whatever there was to know by 10o'clock at night, right, Like
there wasn't, nobody was goingto beat me at two in the
afternoon or three in theafternoon or two.
You know 205.
But now, like you're on theclock all the time and everybody
, there's always been a sensewhen you're covering the Cowboys
with most teams is, hey, it'sjust the local beat guys for the
most part With the Cowboys it'slike everybody thinks they
(32:43):
cover the Cowboys.
Every journalist in America andsome internationally think they
cover the Cowboys beat.
Sometimes there are people whoaren't even credentialed to
games.
They don't go to practices,they never talk to the players.
The fact that people don'tnecessarily distinguish between
(33:04):
the credibility of those peopleand the people who are out there
every day and are out thereeven periodically, like I am, is
frustrating.
The fact that they put allmedia together and don't look at
who's accurate and who's notaccurate is frustrating.
But yeah, it's a totallydifferent thing now where
somebody can break news anyminute of the day and it might
(33:25):
be the biggest story in sportsfor five minutes and then there
might be a bigger story somehow.
I didn't know the Micah Parsonsthing was going to happen at 4
o'clock.
I found out on social mediabasically after I'd finished
getting a shower, thinking I wasdone for the day.
Yeah, it's a whole differentworld now.
I can't imagine what it wouldhave been like if there was
(33:47):
social media back in the 90swhen the you know Cowboy players
were getting arrested andhaving the.
White House escapades.
That Michael Irvin describedthe White House.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
That was.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
the amazing thing to me too, was they got this guy,
dennis Pedini, who was kind oftheir fixer.
They described him as a fixerbut they called him the
inch-high private eye.
He was a short guy and he wasthe guy who got them out of all
kinds of jamming with the copsand so forth.
But you know, obviouslyeventually that didn't work out
(34:18):
so well for Michael Irvin andEric Williams and some other
players.
Speaker 6 (34:22):
Man, we need a fixer.
Yeah, that'd be great Ed.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
We need a fixer.
Yeah, that'd be great Ed.
I'm a college guy.
I'm a college.
We didn't have pro sports inAlabama.
I'm from Birmingham.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
You don't have college sports there either
anymore.
Speaker 4 (34:38):
It's all pro now.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
Sorry, neil, I love you, it's all pro.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
Yeah right, Do you think Saban's ever crossed Jerry
Jones' mind?
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Probably not as a head coaching candidate.
We've seen Jerry really preferspeople he's really familiar
with and comfortable with, and Idon't think he'd be comfortable
with Saban because Saban wouldtake too much attention, demand
too much authority and diminishJerry's role in a way that he
(35:12):
would prefer to avoid, if at allpossible.
Speaker 6 (35:15):
What about sideline reporters?
So I'd read where it's like 20%of sideline reporters are
female, but that's not what Isee.
It seems like it's a lot morethan that.
Do you think, over the courseof time, that they will almost
be all female?
Speaker 1 (35:32):
It kind of seems like that's the domain that they've
conquered or been provided.
There's a lot of good ones.
There are some that I don'tthink are so great.
I've done sideline reportingfor Westwood One.
I did it for Monday NightFootball for a few years and
there's a real art to you knowtalking to players before a game
(35:56):
and getting interestinganecdotes and relevant
information and then being ableto react quickly to an injury,
to get it updated, put it incontext and get it back to the
play-by-play guy before the nextplay starts.
There's an art to doing that.
Not everybody does it well, butthere are a lot of people who
(36:19):
do it exceptionally well.
Yeah, I agree with you, itseems like a lot more than 20%.
Speaker 6 (36:24):
Yeah, and maybe it's because it's easier for you know
an attractive female to getaccess to the coach or the
players or an injury report thanit is a guy.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Well, the thing, that's great about being a
sideline reporter for one of thebroadcast entities is you get
access to a number of peopleprivately in the production
meetings, right, and so that's ahuge benefit.
Now some people I know makecalls on their own or set up
(36:59):
interviews at the stadium or onthe phone the week before
through PR or through their ownrelationships with guys, and the
most ambitious do all thosethings to try to acquire as much
good information as possible,not knowing how much of any of
it will ever be used.
But yeah, I think there aresome who do it journalistically.
(37:21):
Well, I don't think it's greatwhen some of them say, oh, I
didn't get the coach, so I justmade up the report.
I think that does a disserviceto everybody in our profession
print, radio, TV, regardless ofwhat your role is, we don't make
things up ever.
If you don't have anything, sayyou don't have anything.
(37:43):
I told the Westwood One peoplemultiple times hey, I don't have
anything.
Say you don't have anything.
I told the Westwood One peoplemultiple times hey, I don't have
anything on this, so they dealwith it.
But to say you made things upand embellish things, I think,
Boy, it'd be real dangerous.
Speaker 4 (37:55):
It'd be real dangerous if songwriters got
that job, wouldn't it?
We'd be making up shit all thetime.
Speaker 3 (38:01):
I always love it.
I always love it at halftime.
And the poor coaches and andthe reporters where are they
getting these questions from?
You know they're, they're,they're down, you know, by 20
points, 21 points.
And reporters like, what do yougot to do to win?
And the coaches, you can seethem just steaming.
You know like, and they'restuck there and it's like, yeah,
(38:24):
like I mean, do we really needto do that?
To the coaches, I mean, letthem coach the game.
What do you want to dodifferently?
What should you do differently?
Well, I don't know.
They ran for 300 yards andstopped the run.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
That's the, that's the networks building that into
their deals.
Right they're.
They're trying to show they getunique access to the people who
are making the decisions.
Even on game day, even in themiddle of a game, there's almost
never any relevant informationexchanged.
If you're, if you're fortunate,you ask a good question to get,
get somebody who's engagedenough to trust you in that time
(39:00):
frame, which is difficult thenyou might get an interesting
update on an injury or ifthey're making a position change
at quarterback or somethinglike that.
But for the most part it'sminutiae and it's of no real
benefit to the viewer.
It's just look at us, we getaccess to this guy.
Speaker 2 (39:19):
Hey, neil brought up college football and just
because you're in Texasas, wehave to ask how did uh arch
manning conversation go in texas, uh, over the last day or two?
Speaker 1 (39:33):
uh well, I think arch manning has.
He and uh, caitlin deborah havesort of been been acquitted by
what?
Happened to Bill Belichick lastnight.
The focus on those two guysended last night when Bill
(39:54):
Belichick was getting what somany feel like he deserved, and
I watched some of that.
I was at the game when Ireported for ESPN when TCU and.
Sonny Dyches coached againstDeion Sanders in his first FBS
game and they lost.
It was a high-scoring game.
They lost by three.
So I always blame Sonny Dychesfor what Deion Sanders became
that year the celebrity that hebecame at.
(40:16):
Colorado that year and, yeah,last night I was wondering at
the end of the game.
I wonder how many Super BowlsSonny Dyches would have won if
he had gone to the NFL, if BillBelichick won six.
Speaker 3 (40:29):
Yikes Ed.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
I always said, hey, this is off the record right,
it's just us.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
Just us Nobody watches this podcast.
Speaker 4 (40:41):
I always thought the Cowboys they never drafted
enough Bama players over theyears.
They never did.
And I thought Derek Lassick gota roll A roll into the deal.
Derek Lassick, yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
They have Trayvon Diggs, Tyler Booker Still not
enough.
Speaker 6 (40:59):
I don't think those numbers are going to improve
this year, based on the one-weekperformance.
Speaker 4 (41:03):
We're not talking about the game Saturday, we're
talking about them.
I'm talking about years past.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
Ed, we know you've got to run, but give us a
Cowboys regular season winprojection.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
Well, they have a first-time head coach in Brian
Schottenheimer who's deservingof this opportunity.
They've got to win early, notonly for a player buy-in to
Schottenheimer trying to createthis different culture.
And you know he wants to be Dak, to be under center, he wants
to be able to run the football,he wants to be physical.
And you know the back half ofthe schedule is virtually
(41:42):
impossible.
I mean they play four gamesagainst the Eagles and
Commanders combined, the twoteams that played in the NFC
Championship game last year.
Then they play the AFC West,which had three teams in the
playoffs last year, and the NFCCentral or NFC North, which sent
three teams to the playoffslast year.
(42:02):
So they have a reallychallenging schedule.
Even if they were a really goodteam, it'd be tough to win 10
or 11 games.
I think the over-under getsinteresting at nine with the
Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
All right, I love it you guys got anything else.
Speaker 1 (42:18):
They just think it's seven and a half.
So do with that what you will.
Yeah, I'm taking the under.
Speaker 3 (42:23):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
Ed, we really.
I mean, thank you so much.
That sounds like a really badseason for me to come.
Speaker 3 (42:32):
Sorry, yeah, you're, you're the best.
So, seriously, we love havingyou out to shows, we love
talking to you, always text usand check in on us and you're
such a great friend to us andtaking the time out on probably
the busiest part of the year foryou, ramp ramping up to the nfl
season.
Absolutely, we love you,appreciate you all the best of
the family and you know, pleasecome out and see us again soon,
(42:54):
man, we we miss you, so you'rethe best time you're willing.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
100 miles, I'll be there, and if you send the
private jet there's, there's nolimit deal.
Speaker 6 (43:04):
We're still working, thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1 (43:06):
Thanks for your friendship, Thanks for all the
great opportunities to watch youguys do what you do so well and
better than anybody else.
Really appreciate your music.
You know it hits me in theheart a lot Fly over states when
I'm sitting on the plane goingto wherever I'm going, man, that
gets me.
Speaker 6 (43:23):
That's that guy right there.
Speaker 4 (43:29):
Well done, sir.
Thank you, sir, thank you.
Speaker 2 (43:31):
Love you.
Thanks, buddy, Thanks Ed.
Football is back, dude.
Football is back and Ed wasawesome.
He delivered all the goods thatI was hoping he would.
Speaker 3 (43:41):
Could have went on for a long time, but he's busy A
lot of stuff going on in Dallas.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
Oh my gosh.
And just so people know we'reactually recording this right
before the season opener for theCowboys.
So yeah, he's a little busy.
That's a layer in about a week.
Speaker 3 (43:57):
What is your favorite storyline of this season so far
Of the NFL season?
Speaker 4 (44:02):
Yeah, there's a lot, they'll get to us later, taylor
yeah that's okay, we'll get backto you, taylor.
Speaker 6 (44:12):
I'm just going to cuddle my Alabama football.
We're coming with that BecauseI don't know what the storyline
is.
I'm just curious, you've got.
Speaker 3 (44:16):
Parsons, which is going to be hard not to.
That could turn Green Bay into.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
It just fascinates me how the Cowboys are so relevant
and yet they're just not good.
They're okay to be relevant,which kind of made me ask that
thing about Jerry, because Idon't think he actually cares if
they win a Super Bowl.
He says he does, but how do youhire these coaches or keep
these coaches or trade away yourbest players?
Speaker 3 (44:45):
I actually think.
Speaker 2 (44:46):
I disagree with that.
Speaker 3 (44:48):
I think he wants to win, so bad it kills him.
I just think he also thinks heknows the only way to do it, and
which is what which is his way,whether that means back in the
day with the hersel walker thing, or whether it means not
getting there with parsons.
He, he really believes that hisway is the way but it's been.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
I know they say it's been 30 years since they've won,
so it's obviously his way isnot working.
Speaker 6 (45:16):
Yeah, and if you've changed head coaches and players
and everything you know, atsome point you know you might
look and say, well, hey, couldbe me.
Speaker 2 (45:25):
When you're on your eighth marriage.
Sometimes you should go, hmm.
Speaker 6 (45:29):
It's possibly I have some flaws it's possibly me, you
know, but to be the GM and theowner and everything I think you
know.
Obviously he loves the Cowboysand liked the story from the old
to you know as soon as he didthat and got the $100 million
you know for that.
Speaker 1 (45:44):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 6 (45:46):
I know exactly what I'm going to spend it on, you
know, which is impressive.
So I think he loves the Cowboysand he wanted to, you know, do
everything and make it a familybusiness.
He said he was bound anddetermined.
He says this will be a familybusiness, or he wasn't going to
do it, you know.
So he got all his kids involvedand everything.
So I think for him to let go ofit would almost be like a death
in the family, for him to letgo of that part of control.
(46:06):
But I also know, just as awitness you know, being close to
an artist, or so you know, oncethey get to a point where
they're not just the artist butthey want to be the artist and
they're writing the songs, theyalso want to produce, they want
to engineer, they want to pickup a different instrument.
(46:27):
Maybe the fiddle player pick itup and say, hey, no, do it like
this.
Or maybe pick up a bass intheir own hand and say, no, I
want it to sound like this.
And to me, in witnessing that,it was kind of like, oh, that's
not good, because you can't be,great at everything.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
And when does that transformation take place, like
with an artist or in the JerryJones thing, but relating it to
music, yeah, what makes?
Is it just to their head?
Is it ego or what is?
Speaker 4 (46:53):
I don't know every bit of its ego.
It always has been.
It's ego has always been thedestruction of a corporation or
a career always yeah, or notbeing able to communicate.
Speaker 6 (47:05):
You know what, what they want, so much so that you
have to pick it up andphysically well, they don't play
an instrument that's not yourinstrument.
Speaker 4 (47:11):
They don't listen to other creative minds.
They think they're the onlycreative mind in the room.
Speaker 6 (47:16):
Yeah, that's when it gets dangerous.
Speaker 4 (47:19):
And that's when it starts going downhill.
Speaker 6 (47:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (47:22):
And then there's dissension.
All that.
It's just like a snowballeffect.
Speaker 6 (47:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (47:27):
Of.
Well, I guess he thinks youknow.
I guess he knows what he'stalking about.
I won't say anything anymore.
Speaker 3 (47:37):
Yeah, I got to tell you not to interrupt, but just
talking about that really makesme think about Aldean and how
he's never changed that onewhere they're making a record.
He knows his role is in there.
He's very comfortable with it.
Speaker 4 (47:52):
Listen, we don't need to build his ego up on this
show.
No, I'm just saying but it is,but he doesn't, he does not, but
it is.
Speaker 3 (47:56):
It is rare, though, because we've been in a lot of
situations producing peoplewhere it's like, wow, you're
really going to tell us what todo.
Okay, yeah, we're making arecord with Jason, we're even
producing with him.
He likes it when people havetheir lane because he knows that
(48:18):
that's their lane and theyprobably know more about that
lane.
Speaker 2 (48:20):
That's part of any good business.
I think all of our points butit disappears.
Speaker 3 (48:28):
That part of it disappears, a lot in it and with
him it hasn't which I.
Which part what disappears?
Well, just just the the, thepart of like letting people do
their lot and it, and with himit hasn't which I which part?
Speaker 6 (48:33):
what disappears?
Speaker 3 (48:34):
what well, just just the the, the part of like
letting people do their thingand trusting them once you're in
charge, a lot of people.
Speaker 4 (48:40):
Once they're in charge, they go I'm in charge of
everything, yeah, and then allof a sudden, they're an expert
on everything.
Well, it's like it happens to alot of people.
Speaker 6 (48:49):
That's why I now agree.
That's why I like what we'retalking about on break is that's
why I love co-writing, you know, because I don't have to try to
get good at something I'm notgood at.
I just co-write with otherpeople that are already gifted
in that area.
I don't have to worry about it,and then you just you focus on
what makes you know that, thatyou feel like you're gifted at,
spend your time getting betterat that and people you trust in
(49:11):
that scenario too, because youmight think something is right.
Speaker 2 (49:15):
But if Neo goes, no, it's this, you go.
All right, I trust you.
Speaker 4 (49:21):
No, I'll say no, what about this?
I won't say no, it's this, butyou know what?
Speaker 2 (49:26):
I'm saying is that if you collaborate and work with
people that you trust, yourelinquish some of your ego
because you also trust them toknow best as well.
Speaker 4 (49:38):
Yeah, yeah, good point 100% you think we should
go talk to Jerry Jones, shouldwe have him on I?
Speaker 2 (49:45):
would love to have Jerry on.
He is fascinating and he hassucceeded in making the Cowboys
the most talked-about team ever.
Speaker 3 (49:54):
I have a question for him what you got?
So with Aldean, we playedhalftime there 2006.
Speaker 2 (50:03):
It was a long time ago.
Speaker 3 (50:04):
We played Hicktown, played halftime Thanksgiving Day
, met Jerry Really nice.
Remember that he came down onthe field.
Speaker 4 (50:10):
It was awesome.
He seems like a really gooddude though.
Speaker 3 (50:12):
Amazing, so we do our performance.
He came down on the field.
He seems like a really gooddude though.
Amazing, so we do ourperformance.
We had an amazing time and weget back to the bus and it's
Thanksgiving Day.
My question to Jerry Jones onthis podcast.
Speaker 2 (50:21):
I know what you're going to say.
Speaker 3 (50:23):
Thanksgiving Day, away from our families, we get
on our bus and there was just abig tin thing full of fried
chicken.
Nothing, just fried chicken.
No, not even a.
Speaker 4 (50:39):
No green beans, no mashed potatoes, no turkey no
turkey.
Speaker 3 (50:48):
I'm thinking to myself damn, this is the Dallas
Cowboys man.
It was like a catering thing offried chicken with no sides.
Speaker 6 (50:53):
How old was he at this time?
Speaker 3 (50:54):
This was his old six, so do the math.
I'm bad at it.
Speaker 4 (50:58):
Maybe, his vision was failing and he thought the
chicken was a turkey, the billit was the halftime, it was just
us, it was just y'all yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:04):
I mean, I thought maybe even a room with some
turkey in it, but it shut usback to the bus.
I'm like wow.
Speaker 2 (51:10):
It was an odd choice.
They should have just wentsomething completely different.
You know hamburgers.
Speaker 3 (51:14):
Burgers Right, right, right, but fried chickens.
Speaker 4 (51:17):
You can't blame that on Jerry.
It's one of the minions, noblaming Jerry.
Well, Jerry's in charge.
Speaker 2 (51:22):
Jerry's very hands-on .
Speaker 4 (51:23):
He's not checking on the chicken.
He's just not going to do it hedoesn't have time to check on
his chicken.
Speaker 3 (51:36):
He doesn't.
I just thought that'd be theday.
Yeah, that's a good shirt.
Speaker 2 (51:39):
Check on your chicken .
Speaker 3 (51:39):
I just figured that'd be the easiest day for any of
that stuff.
Just turkey, no matter whereyou are, turkey, yeah, anyway,
that's my question, jerry, ifyou're listening to the Try that
podcast, what were you?
Speaker 6 (51:50):
thinking about you.
And what were you thinkingabout?
Speaker 3 (51:53):
You know what?
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (51:54):
Yes, what were you thinking, jerry?
Speaker 3 (51:57):
Anyway, all right.
Speaker 2 (51:58):
Okay, anything else.
Speaker 6 (52:03):
Should we wrap this thing up, I think?
Speaker 2 (52:04):
we wrap it.
That was pretty fun.
Speaker 6 (52:05):
It was fun, you know, I really liked him.
He's so knowledgeable in justhearing him talk about all the
players that he was.
Every time he says a name like,oh yeah, I remember that player
, but he's just spitting themoff.
Speaker 4 (52:16):
He knows that stuff inside and out.
I couldn't remember any of thatstuff, even if I wrote it down.
I wouldn't remember I couldn't,and studied it for a week.
I couldn't remember all this.
Speaker 3 (52:26):
And when you hang out with him, he doesn't just like
talk to hear himself talk, Likewe'll ask him something and
he'll spit out the answer andthat's it.
It's like he's not like namedropping or he's just telling
these incredible stories.
Yeah, and you're like tell usmore, ed it's like.
Speaker 4 (52:42):
it's like what I and I told him that the cowboys
didn't draft enough alabamaplayers and he rattled off like
yeah, he did and did and yourpoint was valid.
Speaker 6 (52:54):
You know, they said there probably should have been
more, based on all theincredible players that have
come through.
Speaker 2 (52:59):
Right, but the fact that he knew the Alabama players
, he knew them, he knew them.
He just rattled them off.
He didn't even think hewouldn't let you win that point.
Speaker 6 (53:06):
No, I wouldn't no.
Speaker 2 (53:07):
That's awesome.
We love him, and his wife, jill, is awesome as well.
Let's thank Patriot Mobile.
Yes, let's also thankeSpacescom.
Hey, we need to tell eSpaces,though.
It's a little warm in here.
We would like a little bitcooler.
Our vent is not working.
Speaker 4 (53:23):
I'll talk to Purtle.
Speaker 3 (53:25):
Trying to sweat us out he watches right.
Speaker 2 (53:28):
Does he watch this thing?
Yeah, Purtle has to watch.
Speaker 4 (53:30):
It's his building.
Speaker 2 (53:31):
It's his building.
Well, get us a little airconditioning.
I think, since we have a uniquedeal, I don't know if we
complain too much Little thingslike that.
But we do love the studio.
It's great.
Maybe just some airconditioning.
Speaker 3 (53:46):
I'll talk to.
Speaker 4 (53:46):
Perto Original glory.
I'll play him around the house.
Speaker 3 (53:49):
The OG, the OG, the OG OG and the OG the.
Speaker 2 (53:50):
OG the.
Speaker 5 (53:51):
OG OG.
Speaker 2 (53:52):
And they were the OG.
They were the first one that'sbeen with us and, of course,
we're very appreciative of them.
If you're watching on YouTube,leave us a comment, leave us a
review, give us five stars,download the episode.
Follow us on X.
Follow us on Insta at Try thatPodcast.
What other social platforms Arewe on?
(54:13):
Facebook?
The old talk Are we on Facebook?
We're on the talk.
Speaker 3 (54:16):
Only fans.
Speaker 6 (54:16):
Gotta be on the talk, only fans.
Speaker 3 (54:19):
Jim's only fans account.
Speaker 2 (54:20):
I think we're on only fans.
We on Facebook.
Speaker 6 (54:23):
Yeah, I think we're on MySpace.
We are on Facebook.
Facebook, yeah, you're right,not MySpace.
We're on Facebook.
Speaker 2 (54:28):
So go, follow, follow us.
We want to thank all you guysfor listening.
As always, happy footballseason.
Go Long Tully, go Vols Cheers.
Look at this and there we go.
This is the Try that in a SmallTown Podcast.
Thanks for listening.
Almost nothing the Cowboys can do can justify
trading Micah Parsons.
They would have to go out likethey did in the Herschel Walker
trade and get Emmitt Smith outof that deal, get Russell
Maryland, kevin Smith, darrenWoodson, those type of players
out of this trade.
And I just don't see thathappening because, primarily,
jimmy Johnson's no longer hereto make those picks.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Strong take from Ed.
And it's Thanksgiving Day, awayfrom our families.
We get on our bus and there'sjust a big tin thing full of
fried chicken.
Nothing, just fried chicken.
I thought maybe even a roomwith some turkey in it.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
No, I'm blaming Jerry Well.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Jerry's in charge, jerry's very hands on.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
He didn't have time to check on your chicken, does?
Jerry Jones is in charge,jerry's very hands on.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
He doesn't have time to check on your chicken.
Does Jerry Jones define successas a Super Bowl win or the
Cowboys being the most talkedabout relevant team in the NFL?
Because I think you could makean argument it's the latter.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
He always says you can't imagine the size of the
check I would write to winanother Super Bowl.
And my answer to that what ifwhat's required to win a Super
Bowl is you relinquishing thegeneral manager's title and
responsibility and hiringsomeone to do that?
He'll never do that.
Speaker 5 (01:19):
The Try that in a Small town podcast begins now
all right, we're back.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
This is a drive out in a small town podcast.
Give it to me.
It's like christmas, can't waitI love this guy tk kaylo thrash
.
Yeah, it's gonna be fun todayand do and, uh, do it's football
season right.
Fun today and do, and do it'sfootball season, right?
Yes, and so because of thatTully was just talking about it
we have been friends with EdWarder for a long time.
(01:51):
If you don't know the name, edWarder, you should.
Long-time Cowboys reporter,journalist, been on ESPN since
90-something.
He is all things football andhe is definitely all things
definitive cowboys.
Really great guy and just asuper human being.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
He comes out to shows , hang out, we talk some
football.
He loves music, loves thesongwriting process, always asks
about it and he's just one ofthose guys that you like having
around.
He's just really appreciative,and we like talking football and
he indulges us in our I knowhe's great and he is a super fan
of songwriting, like he.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
That's like.
I remember talking to him.
He was just fascinated with theprocess and I wonder, maybe
because of his craft too?
He's a storyteller.
You know, old print style, youhave to tell a story, yeah, and
so I think he appreciates thatcraft.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
Uh, he's he's gonna be fun, but I wish we could come
up with songs as quick as hecomes up with his oh gosh three
or four minute answer to everyquestion, or when he's you know,
when he's live on tv.
Could you imagine having towrite a song live?
He, he's sharp, he says he.
I think he thinks you know we,we can come up with that stuff
in three minutes.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Right, some of them take.
Plus, he's probably.
You know about his job is thateverybody probably sees what he
writes and hardly anybody seesthe other 500 songs you write.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
They don't hear those .
Speaker 3 (03:17):
That's true.
Interesting 500 percentage forsure.
Speaker 6 (03:20):
His success ratio is a lot higher yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
And we're going to definitely ask him about.
I don't know, have you guyswatched the Netflix docu-series?
So good, just started it.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
I'm on episode six.
Speaker 6 (03:33):
I'm on episode two.
I thought it was just adocumentary and I was going to
knock it out this morning.
Yeah, but it's not.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
It's fascinating.
Speaker 6 (03:41):
I'm going to finish it.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Fascinating it really is.
I mean I love like I found likeNetflix, a lot of those great
sports things go on there, likethe comeback of the Red Sox
thing and this thing with theCowboys.
I just I love that.
I mean I love those, yeah,Especially going back, because
what I loved about it was, backin those days, of course, no
social media, so you heard someof those stories, but then you
(04:06):
and then you didn't hear some ofthose stories.
That's what I mean.
Like you didn't a lot of that.
You just it's on to the game orit's on in the next week and
it's a it's in the newspapercycle or I don't know, it's just
kind of cool to look at it nowyeah, ed's featured all over
that thing really funny.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
You know he's part of breaking the biggest story in
sports, um, which is kind of afunny story.
We'll let him tell that.
I'm thinking of that.
They were talking about thewhite house.
Have you gotten to that?
Speaker 4 (04:29):
uh-uh oh boy, not there, I'm not talking about the
one in dc either.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
No trouble, right I?
Speaker 1 (04:35):
did that michael ervin had.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
It was right next to the complex, yes, basically
where they had their partieswhat would they call that
complex?
Speaker 4 (04:42):
what was it called?
The white house no, no, the onethat was next to you, oh Valley
, ranch Valley.
Ranch yeah yeah, valley Ranch.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, I have seen that I mean that's just rock and
roll, that could just survivesocial media that's just rock
and roll.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
No, that's not making it past the DMs.
Let's not waste any more time.
We got to get.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Ed on here to talk about this stuff.
This is going to be fun.
Ed, thanks for being here, bud.
Thank you brother.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Hey, thanks for the invitation.
I appreciate it.
Hey, anything going on inCowboys world?
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Nothing right?
No, I mean they're just gettingready to open their season
against the defending Super Bowlchampion Eagles, just kind of
making a few minor personnelmoves here and there to deal
with the end of the roster.
Maybe get some guys on specialteams up but uh yeah, I mean
other than micah parsons beingtraded, that's it yeah, hey.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
So just so you know this, this will probably air in
about a week, so we'll probablybe a game in when this does air,
but we can't not talk about it.
I'm sure you've talked about itad nauseum down there, but we
haven't give us your thoughts onthe michael parsons trade.
Are you, uh, are you rippingthem?
Are you okay with it?
Speaker 1 (05:53):
well, I came here in 1989 to cover the cowboys, the
first year that jerry jonesowned the franchise.
It's when they made made theHershel Walker trade, which was
a bigger trade than this.
That being said, I cannotrecall, in all that time, jerry
Jones and the Cowboys making amore consequential trade in
(06:18):
terms of moving on from a greatplayer early in his career at a
position of huge importance likethis.
Like Herschel Walker was older,he played in the USFL.
You know he wasn't really justbeginning his prime years as a
running back, like Micah Parsonsseems to be now at age 26 and
(06:41):
being one of the elite passrushers in all of football.
And I don't think it's asconsequential because the
Cowboys didn't get as much back.
They got three first roundpicks and players from the
Vikings for Herschel.
And the biggest thing likeultimately, this trade is going
to be judged on not only whetheryou know Micah Parsons fulfills
his.
You know he's on a hall of fametrajectory.
(07:04):
If he finishes his career asthat kind of player, a
transcendent player, andtransforms the Packers into a
Super Bowl champion, then almostnothing the Cowboys can do can
justify trading Micah Parsons.
They would have to go out likethey did in the Herschel Walker
trade and get Emmitt Smith outof that deal, get Russell
(07:24):
Maryland, kevin Smith, darrenWoodson, those type of players
out of this trade.
And I just don't see thathappening because, primarily,
jimmy Johnson's no longer hereto make those picks.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Strong take from Ed.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
God, ed, I just love hearing your voice and there's
so much we want to talk about,but we'll get back to that.
But I just want to.
You know we met you a few yearsago.
You came out to a couple showsBig music fan.
We love having you out.
First and foremost.
You know you're a great fan anda great friend to us, so thanks
for coming out and supportingus.
But every football season, meand Kurt, we're like we got to
(08:06):
check in with Ed and when theParsons trade happened, like I
said, we have to get Ed on nowthe trade and then and then the
really great Netflix cowboyspecial, the series that you're
on a lot, which I think that'sfantastic and you're amazing in
it.
But so I'll go back to theParsons thing real quick.
(08:27):
So the vibe in Dallas.
It has to be very unpopular, Iwould think it feels like it is.
There's a lot of question marksaround it.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
A week later, the fan base seems to have turned its
attention toward the beginningof the season.
It's interesting because of thedynamic that the fan base has
really turned against JerryJones and the Jones family.
They're tired of 30 years ofnot getting to the NFC
Championship game much less theSuper Bowl to the NFC
(09:04):
Championship game much less theSuper Bowl.
They've had these three teamsduring the Mike McCarthy
coaching era where they won 12straight games, 12 games three
years in a row and did nothingin the playoffs the only team in
history to win that many gamesand not at least reach a
championship game.
And so the fan base is reallyconflicted here because they
hate what the front office hasdone.
(09:24):
They don't like Jerry Jonesbeing the general manager and at
the same time they're notreally that into Micah Parsons
either, because while he's beena great player again, they've
achieved nothing in thepostseason since he's been here,
and it's almost like they viewhim as sort of the defensive
(09:44):
equivalent of Dak Prescott,right?
A guy who puts up dominantnumbers at his individual
position during the regularseason and then can't elevate
his game in the postseasonagainst the better teams in the
league and in the playoffs whenit really matters.
And so I think fans are sort oftorn as to, you know, how they
(10:06):
feel about this whole thing,other than I think they're ready
to just move on from it andplay the games Now.
I think not having Micah Parsonsgreatly compromises what this
team is capable of this season.
They're already starting, youknow, as the third-best team in
their own division because theother two teams, two of the
other teams Philadelphia, whichwon the Super Bowl, in
Washington, which has JadenDaniels they went on to play the
(10:28):
NFC Championship game last year.
So the Cowboys are clearlystarting the season third in
their division, with or withoutParsons, and you know they
didn't have a great season.
They were horrible last year ondefense, even with Parsons.
Which does that mean they'regoing to be worse this year?
Speaker 3 (10:45):
or does that mean they're going to be worse this
year?
Or does that justify what Jerrydid?
Ed, you're like Yoda.
You're like football, DallasYoda.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
That's fair.
Hey, telly mentioned thedocuseries, america's Team, and
there's a bunch that we want toask you about that.
But the one thing that I wantto start with, I was thinking
about us.
You know we've all been to likea bunch of number one parties
for songwriters and when you dothese parties, all the writers
get a chance to speak and thensomebody says something how the
(11:16):
song was created.
And you kind of look over andgo that ain't how it was.
And I was wondering if youwatch that docuseries and you
see it all play out andeverybody's take and somebody
says, oh, this is how it went.
You're like I don't remember it.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
That way, was there any?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
moments like that.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Well, first of all, you mentioned songwriting, and
you know I'm amazed by thebrilliance of songwriting.
I don't know how, by thebrilliance of songwriters.
Go on.
I don't know how.
As you've seen, it takes mefour minutes to answer the most
basic question and you guys tellsomebody's entire life story in
three minutes or less most ofthe time.
(11:56):
So I think what you guys do istruly amazing.
I'll never forget that one ofthe times I came out to the show
was out in Frisco, texas, and Iwalked in.
I'd just been laid off by ESPNin 2017.
And Jason says to me what the Fis ESPN thinking.
So I appreciated that.
And then you guys alsointroduced me to Banana Ball.
(12:18):
Like I didn't know anythingabout the Savannah Bananas until
I saw you guys at BackstageDallas watching it while waiting
for the show to start.
But anyway, yes.
So the documentary it wasinteresting.
I'm glad I was a part of it.
I used language.
I would probably prefer not beassociated with me, but I used
(12:39):
the F-bomb, quoting Jerrydirectly, which I thought was
important.
I tried to use the abbreviation, but the Netflix people just
weren't having it.
They insisted that I say theword, and so I did.
But one of my motivations fordoing it was I'd been told by
the producers that on the nightwhen I was in the bar and Jerry
(13:03):
stopped me and insisted ontelling me he was going to fire
Jimmy Johnson repeatedly, and itled to the end of their
partnership within a week thatJerry was claiming that some of
the things we used in that storyin the newspaper 30 years ago
was off the record material, andso I felt it was important to
be there to testify, sort of addmy testimony and make sure that
(13:27):
part of the story wasaccurately told.
I think for the most parteverything was accurately told.
I think it's just sointeresting that all these years
later, you know Jimmy Johnsonstill hasn't gotten over Jerry
saying 500 guys could coach thisteam and win, and Jerry hasn't
gotten over that Jimmy deniedhim any credit for rehearsal
walker training.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
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Speaker 4 (13:53):
You know I've been drinking this every songwriting
session today.
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And they're just not making great beer, they're
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Speaker 2 (15:06):
Let's go back to you talking about how great we are
as songwriters.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Yeah, that was really hard to find those people to
throw beer on your show.
Speaker 6 (15:17):
Hey, go ahead, galo.
Oh, I was just curious.
You know, like on thesongwriting front, like have you
ever pursued that or fooledaround with it?
Are you just interested inwriting or just appreciate the
craft?
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Yeah, I just, I totally respect the craft.
I would love to know thesecrets to it, if there is any
such thing.
But the thing that amazes methe most, beyond what I already
said about how you can condensesomebody's life story into three
verses, is how you, in mostcases, from my understanding you
(15:50):
actually do the music first andthen put put the lyrics
together, which I can't imagine.
Speaker 6 (15:56):
How you do that well, I mean, there's really no rhyme
or reason, I just like to belike tully and just get a guitar
and jump around.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
I was interested in music.
That happens to my parents, mywhat?
My parents got me a guitar oneyear for christmas and I looked
at it and I'm like uh, dad, I'm,I'm left-handed.
And so he, this is a guitar forright-hmas.
And I looked at it and I'm likeuh, dad, I'm, I'm left-handed
and so he.
This is a guitar forright-hander, so he just takes
it and turns it around the otherway.
There you go, problem wow,that's awesome hey, um.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
So as I watched that uh docuseries, this kept coming
to my mind and I thought thisbefore, but as I'm watching it,
I can't stop thinking about it.
Does jerry jones define successas a super bowl win or the
(16:47):
cowboys being the most talkedabout relevant team in the nfl?
Because I think you could makean argument.
It's the latter.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Right.
I think it's interesting thatin this documentary and many
times before and certainly Iexpect him to say it again going
forward he always says youcan't imagine the size of the
check I would write to winanother Super Bowl.
And my answer to that, like Ithink some of the players in
that period would say but whatif that's not what's required to
win a Super Bowl?
What if what's required to wina Super Bowl is you
(17:21):
relinquishing the generalmanager's title and
responsibility and hiringsomeone to do that?
He'll never do that.
I don't think it's accurate forhim to say I'd do anything to
win another Super Bowl, becausehe clearly won't.
He might spend a lot of moneyto win another Super Bowl, but
he won't give up being thegeneral manager.
(17:42):
He told us at the end of lastseason, following a game, that
people asked me when I boughtthe franchise did I buy this as
an investment?
Did I buy it for something toleave for my kids?
And he said no, I bought it forthe job opportunity it
presented for me.
In other words, I'm going to bethe lifetime general manager
(18:06):
and the results of myperformance have nothing to do
with it.
Everybody else in theorganization is judged on their
performance, except for thegeneral manager and anybody else
named Jones.
But I do think that Jerry likesbeing prominent in the
headlines and he said hey, whenit gets quiet around here, when
it's dull, I like to stir it upand that's what he does and
that's why there's a documentarylike this.
(18:27):
Most franchises would never wantthis done, but he loves that,
do.
I think he wants to win.
Yeah, I think he's committed towinning to a point, to the
point I just said I think he'dpay anything.
I think he'll make any move hethinks would be in the interest
of winning, although I think hejust made one that contradicts
that statement, and partlybecause I think he got personal
(18:48):
about it and let his money getmad.
But I think he's committed.
I think he wants to win anothersuper bowl.
He's 82, he doesn't really havetime to waste.
But you would never know thatbased on the results of the way
this team is played when he toldat a party that night, I meant
I meant to ask you earlier.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Uh, when he, when he told you he was gonna gonna fire
jimmy, did you think he wasjoking at first, like like, did
I just hear that right?
Or did like when he first saidthat, or did you know that?
Speaker 2 (19:15):
holy shit, he's serious and, ed, this is to let
people know this is the biggestsports story it really could be
of all time in the NFL.
This was a massive, massivestory.
But, amwatali, did you thinkthat that was a joke?
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Well, so to put it in some kind of context here, the
cowboys had won back-to-backsuper bowls.
They were a prominent risingyoung team that seemed capable
of winning several more, or atleast contending, uh, for
several more super bowl titles.
They'd already won two in a row, and there are we had.
(19:51):
We had seen some indicationsthat there was some level of
jealousy between the two.
You know, jerry got really madwhen the week they were going
the final week of the 92 seasonthey were I guess it was the 92
season they were going to playthe Giants to try and win the
division on the last day of theseason.
(20:11):
They were going to play theGiants to try and win the
division on the last day of theseason and Jimmy was asked about
Jacksonville, wayne Weaver, thenew owner of the expansion team
, being interested inpotentially hiring Jimmy, and
Jimmy said he would be intriguedand Jerry thought that was an
obvious public indication ofdisloyalty and so I went up to.
(20:32):
Jerry that next time I saw Jerrywas at the game that day and I
went up to Jerry in the pressbox and I said, jerry, I know
what you said.
I know that you're upset aboutthis, but what if Jimmy won you
another Super Bowl?
Would you maybe then relent andlet him out of his contract?
And Jerry said what if he wonme another Super Bowl?
What if I won him another SuperBowl?
And so you combine all of thatwith you're walking out of the
(20:55):
bar at the owner's meetings andJerry grabs you by the pants leg
and says don't leave now.
And I say, why not?
He says you're going to missthe story of the year.
What's the story of the year?
I'm going to fire that MF andJimmy Johnson Come on.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Ed, You've got to say the word.
You've got to say the word.
Ed, you've got to say the word,You've got to say the word Ed.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
No, I think you have higher standards.
By appearances.
To the contrary, I've heard youhave higher standards and so no
, I mean the intensity withwhich he said it.
He said it repeatedly.
It was really the only point hewas trying to make.
My biggest concern was there'stwo other writers here who are
just here because a free beerhasn't run out and I've got to
(21:36):
get rid of them to protect thestory.
But I did think that this wouldblow over and that Jimmy left
the meetings, put it on therecord for us so we could report
it, and then left the meetingsfor emphasis and just kind of
wanted Jerry to twist in thewind for a while.
But I went to Emmett Smith'sfootball camp in Pensacola it
was my next assignment threedays later and when I saw Jimmy
(21:57):
at the airport that day he wasmadder than when he got in his
Corvette and left the owner'smeetings.
Speaker 6 (22:02):
Man, that's interesting when you said that
there are two other reportersthere and they were hearing the
same thing and you're like, allright, I got to get rid of these
guys so you can have the story.
It's the same thing with us,like to these guys, so you can
have the story.
It's the same thing with withus, like if we're at a party or
a bar or anybody, and somebody'shaving a normal conversation
and they're generally not even asongwriter they'll just say
something and you'll think, ohgod, I hope nobody else
recognizes that it's a hit ideaI love that idea and you're just
(22:25):
kind of looking around.
You're putting your phone realquick.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
You know that's funny so yeah, so then switcher comes
in which is a completelydifferent vibe from Jimmy, but
watching the documentary itseemed like all the players
really liked playing for him.
Is that the case?
Was that it around there?
They seemed to really love him.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Well, jerry made the statement that offended Jimmy
and said 500 coaches could winSuper Bowls with this team and
its talent.
And so, almost to prove thepoint, he didn't go and hire the
next most likely guy to win aSuper Bowl, he went and hired
the guy who was least likelyamong that 500.
Right, he hires Barry Switzer,who's been retired from Oklahoma
(23:14):
for five years.
You know he's totally happywith life in Norman, oklahoma.
Being retired.
Had never had any ambition oncoaching in the NFL, much less
inheriting a two-time Super Bowlwinning team.
But ultimately it was like toogood an opportunity and the
thing Switzer has said to me ishey, you've got to give me
(23:35):
credit, at least I didn't screwit up.
Somebody else might havescrewed it up.
I didn't screw it up, and thisyou know, jerry.
Jimmy was very hard on theplayers and some of those guys,
like Troy and Emmett Michael,you know, early in their careers
they experienced three and 13and one and 15.
And so they only knew one wayto win and it was Jimmy's way.
(23:57):
And so I would say the playerswho were not ultra-competitive,
who weren't driven, who didn'thave the greatest work ethics,
those guys embraced Switzer andthe easier lifestyle he provided
on the practice fields.
He wasn't as demanding but itbothered guys like Aikman.
(24:18):
Aikman then felt like now Ican't just be the starting
quarterback.
Now I've got to assume the roleJimmy had here as a head coach
and I've got to be the guy whokicks everybody's ass.
I've got to be the guy whoholds everybody to the standard.
That created problems.
He had played for Switzer,switzer recruitment to Oklahoma
everybody's ass.
And I've got to be the guy whoholds everybody to the standard
and that created problems.
He had played with Switzer forSwitzer.
Switzer recruited him toOklahoma.
(24:39):
I mean he broke his leg againstMiami and Switzer actually
helped him get to UCLA calledTerry Donahue.
So Aikman had a very favorableopinion of Switzer and told us
hey, you guys are going to likethis guy.
And we did.
He was great headlines, he wasquite a character.
But Troy was surprised, I thinkin a short space of time, with
(25:01):
just how much Barry had lost hiscompetitive edge in those five
years.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
You know you mentioned Troy and we're lucky
enough to know him a little bit,but it was fascinating watching
his part in this docuseries.
And one of the things I didn'tknow was, I guess what after the
third season when he got hurtand the cowboys went on that run
, they got into the playoffs.
He could have started, butjimmy chose steve berline
(25:27):
instead that he asked his agentto explore a trade.
I actually don't and didn'tremember that.
Was that a big deal?
Did it go very far, or can youtalk?
And the relationship he hadwith jimmy was fascinating, I
thought, and how they finallygot to a point where they
(25:48):
understood each other.
But I didn't remember the traderequest.
Had that ever become public?
Speaker 1 (25:55):
it wasn't really widely reported um early in his
career and I thought, if youasked me which you didn't um,
but I'm going to tell youbecause that's how I do it um,
the.
The storyline to me that wasn'trepresented by this documentary
that should have been and Ithink Jerry Jones has made this
point too in some interviews isthe Steve Walsh acquisition.
(26:18):
Remember, the Cowboys draftedTroy Aikman first overall in
April and a few weeks later camethe supplemental draft and
Jerry reached out to Troy andsaid, hey, troy, we might
exercise a pick in this draft,we might draft a quarterback, we
might take Tim Rosenbaugh fromWashington State, and Aikman was
(26:39):
fine with that.
And Jerry said, for the purposeof trading and Troy was fine
with that, but he wasn't finewith being told that and have
him draft Steve Walsh who hadjust won a national championship
for Jimmy Johnson and so manyof the Miami coaches he brought
with him to Dallas.
And so Troy felt, you know, helost trust in those two right
(26:59):
almost from the start.
And then to have thatexperience with, you know, steve
Berline where, hey, we'refinally competitive, I get hurt.
I assume I'm getting my jobback when I'm healthy because
I'm the franchise quarterbackand they stay with Steve Berline
yeah, I think those two thingsreally eroded whatever trust
(27:19):
there was.
And you know, I think at thetime Jimmy wasn't convinced Troy
Ackerman was going to be aSuper Bowl winning quarterback.
I mean, he never believed,until he actually saw him do it,
that he was going to be a DanMarino-like figure in the nfl
among quarterbacks, notstatistically, but in terms of
being a dominant player whocould challenge for
(27:40):
championships, you know, on anannual basis, which he proved
capable of I mean, speaking ofacheman, one thing that stood
out in that the hits that hetook, oh my god, and like
playing through that you forget,like that era of football, I
mean watching it, you know, likeman, he got just crushed and
just kept rolling.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Doesn't remember the game, you know, which I thought
was really crazy, just to thinkabout that.
Like what did he say?
Nine concussions, was it morethan that?
It was more than that.
I think it was like in theteens, maybe.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
And I, what did he say?
Nine concussions, was it morethan that?
It was more than that.
I think it was like in theteens maybe.
I think the public perception isthat Troy retired because of
the accumulation of theconcussions and that sometimes
he would be twice concussed witha single hit.
He'd get hit and he'd beconcussed.
Then because of the injuryhistory he would sort of black
out momentarily and couldn'tprotect himself when he hit the
ground and so then he mightsuffer another brain injury
(28:39):
hitting the ground.
But Troy will tell you that itwas really his back that drove
him out of the game when it didthat and Jerry Jerry's personnel
move.
But yeah, I think people forgetthat.
In the 93 game and I remember hegot hurt, concussed he got hit
by Dana Stubblefield insomething he described as not
(29:02):
looking terribly violent and youknow, bernie Kosar actually
came in and finished the game asthe backup quarterback.
Aikman went to the hospital.
They had to black out hisentire room.
Back, aikman went to thehospital.
They had to black out hisentire room and he described, as
you said, going back the nextday and watching the game on
(29:23):
tape.
Didn't remember playing in thegame at all, all he remembered
was the pregame fight, and so mythought was well, that year
there wasn't an extra weekbetween the Super Bowl and
championship game.
Under today's concussionprotocols, I'm almost sure
Aikman would not have beenallowed to play in that second
Super Bowl and championship game.
Under today's concussionprotocols, I'm almost sure
Aikman would not have beenallowed to play in that second
Super Bowl in Atlanta when theybeat.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Buffalo.
It's crazy and I tell you this,that guy, we did a benefit
thing at his house in Dallas.
We went down with Aldean anddid like an acoustic setup.
In his garage In his garage.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
You know what I remember about that.
I didn't get invited.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
You were on the list but we go in and Troy's so great
anyway.
But I remember we showed upearly and I'm just like walking
through the house, I'm likeexploring his house and I look
through the glass and he's inhis gym working out and I'm like
that dude, I tell you whatcould play.
He looks like he could playright now.
(30:18):
I mean he was working out.
I'm like man that isintimidating.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
I mean I have not seen biceps that big since mine.
He's in the best shape of hislife right now.
Yeah, he would tell you he's inthe best shape of his life
right now, at what?
56 or or whatever it is.
I mean I know he goes on theseexotic vacations and goes with
friends and stuff and it, ifthey go out on a boat or
whatever, it frustrates themthat they all have to go to dock
because acheman has to spendtwo hours working out super nice
(30:46):
guy yep hey, ed this fascinatesme.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
you're like this incredibly accomplished
journalist, reporter, insider,you've been doing it.
How many years have you beendoing it?
Speaker 1 (31:00):
I graduated from college in 1982, and I've been
doing it full-time ever since Iwas writing for my college paper
, my local hometown paper beforethat Wow.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
So talk about this, because obviously the world has
changed.
The way people digest news isdifferent.
It used to be.
I mean, you're a news reporter.
You used to write for thenewspaper.
That doesn't help people gatherinformation anymore.
You've got to be on TV, you'vegot to be a social media
presence.
How has that been for youtrying to reinvent what you do
(31:34):
and stay relevant in those terms?
Speaker 1 (31:38):
Well, I had the good fortune to have a nice know
career as a print reporter.
Uh, I covered the cowboys forthe dallas morning news for five
years and that was during thatperiod of time we've talked
about, when they were.
This documentary was basicallyshot, the essence of it when
they had all those great teamsand characters and um.
And then I switched totelevision and went to espn for
(31:59):
26 years.
So I was fortunate to have acareer in television as well as
print.
And yet, and I'm still, I'mstill covering the team on a
part-time basis during theseason for a local ABC affiliate
in Dallas and I'm fortunate tohave that opportunity.
But yeah, it is differentbecause you know, back when I
was a writer, it didn't matterwhat I knew, as long as I knew
(32:22):
whatever there was to know by 10o'clock at night, right, Like
there wasn't, nobody was goingto beat me at two in the
afternoon or three in theafternoon or two.
You know 205.
But now, like you're on theclock all the time and everybody
, there's always been a sensewhen you're covering the Cowboys
with most teams is, hey, it'sjust the local beat guys for the
most part With the Cowboys it'slike everybody thinks they
(32:43):
cover the Cowboys.
Every journalist in America andsome internationally think they
cover the Cowboys beat.
Sometimes there are people whoaren't even credentialed to
games.
They don't go to practices,they never talk to the players.
The fact that people don'tnecessarily distinguish between
(33:04):
the credibility of those peopleand the people who are out there
every day and are out thereeven periodically, like I am, is
frustrating.
The fact that they put allmedia together and don't look at
who's accurate and who's notaccurate is frustrating.
But yeah, it's a totallydifferent thing now where
somebody can break news anyminute of the day and it might
(33:25):
be the biggest story in sportsfor five minutes and then there
might be a bigger story somehow.
I didn't know the Micah Parsonsthing was going to happen at 4
o'clock.
I found out on social mediabasically after I'd finished
getting a shower, thinking I wasdone for the day.
Yeah, it's a whole differentworld now.
I can't imagine what it wouldhave been like if there was
(33:47):
social media back in the 90swhen the you know Cowboy players
were getting arrested andhaving the.
White House escapades.
That Michael Irvin describedthe White House.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
That was.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
the amazing thing to me too, was they got this guy,
dennis Pedini, who was kind oftheir fixer.
They described him as a fixerbut they called him the
inch-high private eye.
He was a short guy and he wasthe guy who got them out of all
kinds of jamming with the copsand so forth.
But you know, obviouslyeventually that didn't work out
(34:18):
so well for Michael Irvin andEric Williams and some other
players.
Speaker 6 (34:22):
Man, we need a fixer.
Yeah, that'd be great Ed.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
We need a fixer.
Yeah, that'd be great Ed.
I'm a college guy.
I'm a college.
We didn't have pro sports inAlabama.
I'm from Birmingham.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
You don't have college sports there either
anymore.
Speaker 4 (34:38):
It's all pro now.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
Sorry, neil, I love you, it's all pro.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
Yeah right, Do you think Saban's ever crossed Jerry
Jones' mind?
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Probably not as a head coaching candidate.
We've seen Jerry really preferspeople he's really familiar
with and comfortable with, and Idon't think he'd be comfortable
with Saban because Saban wouldtake too much attention, demand
too much authority and diminishJerry's role in a way that he
(35:12):
would prefer to avoid, if at allpossible.
Speaker 6 (35:15):
What about sideline reporters?
So I'd read where it's like 20%of sideline reporters are
female, but that's not what Isee.
It seems like it's a lot morethan that.
Do you think, over the courseof time, that they will almost
be all female?
Speaker 1 (35:32):
It kind of seems like that's the domain that they've
conquered or been provided.
There's a lot of good ones.
There are some that I don'tthink are so great.
I've done sideline reportingfor Westwood One.
I did it for Monday NightFootball for a few years and
there's a real art to you knowtalking to players before a game
(35:56):
and getting interestinganecdotes and relevant
information and then being ableto react quickly to an injury,
to get it updated, put it incontext and get it back to the
play-by-play guy before the nextplay starts.
There's an art to doing that.
Not everybody does it well, butthere are a lot of people who
(36:19):
do it exceptionally well.
Yeah, I agree with you, itseems like a lot more than 20%.
Speaker 6 (36:24):
Yeah, and maybe it's because it's easier for you know
an attractive female to getaccess to the coach or the
players or an injury report thanit is a guy.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Well, the thing, that's great about being a
sideline reporter for one of thebroadcast entities is you get
access to a number of peopleprivately in the production
meetings, right, and so that's ahuge benefit.
Now some people I know makecalls on their own or set up
(36:59):
interviews at the stadium or onthe phone the week before
through PR or through their ownrelationships with guys, and the
most ambitious do all thosethings to try to acquire as much
good information as possible,not knowing how much of any of
it will ever be used.
But yeah, I think there aresome who do it journalistically.
(37:21):
Well, I don't think it's greatwhen some of them say, oh, I
didn't get the coach, so I justmade up the report.
I think that does a disserviceto everybody in our profession
print, radio, TV, regardless ofwhat your role is, we don't make
things up ever.
If you don't have anything, sayyou don't have anything.
(37:43):
I told the Westwood One peoplemultiple times hey, I don't have
anything.
Say you don't have anything.
I told the Westwood One peoplemultiple times hey, I don't have
anything on this, so they dealwith it.
But to say you made things upand embellish things, I think,
Boy, it'd be real dangerous.
Speaker 4 (37:55):
It'd be real dangerous if songwriters got
that job, wouldn't it?
We'd be making up shit all thetime.
Speaker 3 (38:01):
I always love it.
I always love it at halftime.
And the poor coaches and andthe reporters where are they
getting these questions from?
You know they're, they're,they're down, you know, by 20
points, 21 points.
And reporters like, what do yougot to do to win?
And the coaches, you can seethem just steaming.
You know like, and they'restuck there and it's like, yeah,
(38:24):
like I mean, do we really needto do that?
To the coaches, I mean, letthem coach the game.
What do you want to dodifferently?
What should you do differently?
Well, I don't know.
They ran for 300 yards andstopped the run.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
That's the, that's the networks building that into
their deals.
Right they're.
They're trying to show they getunique access to the people who
are making the decisions.
Even on game day, even in themiddle of a game, there's almost
never any relevant informationexchanged.
If you're, if you're fortunate,you ask a good question to get,
get somebody who's engagedenough to trust you in that time
(39:00):
frame, which is difficult thenyou might get an interesting
update on an injury or ifthey're making a position change
at quarterback or somethinglike that.
But for the most part it'sminutiae and it's of no real
benefit to the viewer.
It's just look at us, we getaccess to this guy.
Speaker 2 (39:19):
Hey, neil brought up college football and just
because you're in Texasas, wehave to ask how did uh arch
manning conversation go in texas, uh, over the last day or two?
Speaker 1 (39:33):
uh well, I think arch manning has.
He and uh, caitlin deborah havesort of been been acquitted by
what?
Happened to Bill Belichick lastnight.
The focus on those two guysended last night when Bill
(39:54):
Belichick was getting what somany feel like he deserved, and
I watched some of that.
I was at the game when Ireported for ESPN when TCU and.
Sonny Dyches coached againstDeion Sanders in his first FBS
game and they lost.
It was a high-scoring game.
They lost by three.
So I always blame Sonny Dychesfor what Deion Sanders became
that year the celebrity that hebecame at.
(40:16):
Colorado that year and, yeah,last night I was wondering at
the end of the game.
I wonder how many Super BowlsSonny Dyches would have won if
he had gone to the NFL, if BillBelichick won six.
Speaker 3 (40:29):
Yikes Ed.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
I always said, hey, this is off the record right,
it's just us.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
Just us Nobody watches this podcast.
Speaker 4 (40:41):
I always thought the Cowboys they never drafted
enough Bama players over theyears.
They never did.
And I thought Derek Lassick gota roll A roll into the deal.
Derek Lassick, yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
They have Trayvon Diggs, Tyler Booker Still not
enough.
Speaker 6 (40:59):
I don't think those numbers are going to improve
this year, based on the one-weekperformance.
Speaker 4 (41:03):
We're not talking about the game Saturday, we're
talking about them.
I'm talking about years past.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
Ed, we know you've got to run, but give us a
Cowboys regular season winprojection.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
Well, they have a first-time head coach in Brian
Schottenheimer who's deservingof this opportunity.
They've got to win early, notonly for a player buy-in to
Schottenheimer trying to createthis different culture.
And you know he wants to be Dak, to be under center, he wants
to be able to run the football,he wants to be physical.
And you know the back half ofthe schedule is virtually
(41:42):
impossible.
I mean they play four gamesagainst the Eagles and
Commanders combined, the twoteams that played in the NFC
Championship game last year.
Then they play the AFC West,which had three teams in the
playoffs last year, and the NFCCentral or NFC North, which sent
three teams to the playoffslast year.
(42:02):
So they have a reallychallenging schedule.
Even if they were a really goodteam, it'd be tough to win 10
or 11 games.
I think the over-under getsinteresting at nine with the
Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
All right, I love it you guys got anything else.
Speaker 1 (42:18):
They just think it's seven and a half.
So do with that what you will.
Yeah, I'm taking the under.
Speaker 3 (42:23):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
Ed, we really.
I mean, thank you so much.
That sounds like a really badseason for me to come.
Speaker 3 (42:32):
Sorry, yeah, you're, you're the best.
So, seriously, we love havingyou out to shows, we love
talking to you, always text usand check in on us and you're
such a great friend to us andtaking the time out on probably
the busiest part of the year foryou, ramp ramping up to the nfl
season.
Absolutely, we love you,appreciate you all the best of
the family and you know, pleasecome out and see us again soon,
(42:54):
man, we we miss you, so you'rethe best time you're willing.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
100 miles, I'll be there, and if you send the
private jet there's, there's nolimit deal.
Speaker 6 (43:04):
We're still working, thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1 (43:06):
Thanks for your friendship, Thanks for all the
great opportunities to watch youguys do what you do so well and
better than anybody else.
Really appreciate your music.
You know it hits me in theheart a lot Fly over states when
I'm sitting on the plane goingto wherever I'm going, man, that
gets me.
Speaker 6 (43:23):
That's that guy right there.
Speaker 4 (43:29):
Well done, sir.
Thank you, sir, thank you.
Speaker 2 (43:31):
Love you.
Thanks, buddy, Thanks Ed.
Football is back, dude.
Football is back and Ed wasawesome.
He delivered all the goods thatI was hoping he would.
Speaker 3 (43:41):
Could have went on for a long time, but he's busy A
lot of stuff going on in Dallas.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
Oh my gosh.
And just so people know we'reactually recording this right
before the season opener for theCowboys.
So yeah, he's a little busy.
That's a layer in about a week.
Speaker 3 (43:57):
What is your favorite storyline of this season so far
Of the NFL season?
Speaker 4 (44:02):
Yeah, there's a lot, they'll get to us later, taylor
yeah that's okay, we'll get backto you, taylor.
Speaker 6 (44:12):
I'm just going to cuddle my Alabama football.
We're coming with that BecauseI don't know what the storyline
is.
I'm just curious, you've got.
Speaker 3 (44:16):
Parsons, which is going to be hard not to.
That could turn Green Bay into.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
It just fascinates me how the Cowboys are so relevant
and yet they're just not good.
They're okay to be relevant,which kind of made me ask that
thing about Jerry, because Idon't think he actually cares if
they win a Super Bowl.
He says he does, but how do youhire these coaches or keep
these coaches or trade away yourbest players?
Speaker 3 (44:45):
I actually think.
Speaker 2 (44:46):
I disagree with that.
Speaker 3 (44:48):
I think he wants to win, so bad it kills him.
I just think he also thinks heknows the only way to do it, and
which is what which is his way,whether that means back in the
day with the hersel walker thing, or whether it means not
getting there with parsons.
He, he really believes that hisway is the way but it's been.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
I know they say it's been 30 years since they've won,
so it's obviously his way isnot working.
Speaker 6 (45:16):
Yeah, and if you've changed head coaches and players
and everything you know, atsome point you know you might
look and say, well, hey, couldbe me.
Speaker 2 (45:25):
When you're on your eighth marriage.
Sometimes you should go, hmm.
Speaker 6 (45:29):
It's possibly I have some flaws it's possibly me, you
know, but to be the GM and theowner and everything I think you
know.
Obviously he loves the Cowboysand liked the story from the old
to you know as soon as he didthat and got the $100 million
you know for that.
Speaker 1 (45:44):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 6 (45:46):
I know exactly what I'm going to spend it on, you
know, which is impressive.
So I think he loves the Cowboysand he wanted to, you know, do
everything and make it a familybusiness.
He said he was bound anddetermined.
He says this will be a familybusiness, or he wasn't going to
do it, you know.
So he got all his kids involvedand everything.
So I think for him to let go ofit would almost be like a death
in the family, for him to letgo of that part of control.
(46:06):
But I also know, just as awitness you know, being close to
an artist, or so you know, oncethey get to a point where
they're not just the artist butthey want to be the artist and
they're writing the songs, theyalso want to produce, they want
to engineer, they want to pickup a different instrument.
(46:27):
Maybe the fiddle player pick itup and say, hey, no, do it like
this.
Or maybe pick up a bass intheir own hand and say, no, I
want it to sound like this.
And to me, in witnessing that,it was kind of like, oh, that's
not good, because you can't be,great at everything.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
And when does that transformation take place, like
with an artist or in the JerryJones thing, but relating it to
music, yeah, what makes?
Is it just to their head?
Is it ego or what is?
Speaker 4 (46:53):
I don't know every bit of its ego.
It always has been.
It's ego has always been thedestruction of a corporation or
a career always yeah, or notbeing able to communicate.
Speaker 6 (47:05):
You know what, what they want, so much so that you
have to pick it up andphysically well, they don't play
an instrument that's not yourinstrument.
Speaker 4 (47:11):
They don't listen to other creative minds.
They think they're the onlycreative mind in the room.
Speaker 6 (47:16):
Yeah, that's when it gets dangerous.
Speaker 4 (47:19):
And that's when it starts going downhill.
Speaker 6 (47:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (47:22):
And then there's dissension.
All that.
It's just like a snowballeffect.
Speaker 6 (47:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (47:27):
Of.
Well, I guess he thinks youknow.
I guess he knows what he'stalking about.
I won't say anything anymore.
Speaker 3 (47:37):
Yeah, I got to tell you not to interrupt, but just
talking about that really makesme think about Aldean and how
he's never changed that onewhere they're making a record.
He knows his role is in there.
He's very comfortable with it.
Speaker 4 (47:52):
Listen, we don't need to build his ego up on this
show.
No, I'm just saying but it is,but he doesn't, he does not, but
it is.
Speaker 3 (47:56):
It is rare, though, because we've been in a lot of
situations producing peoplewhere it's like, wow, you're
really going to tell us what todo.
Okay, yeah, we're making arecord with Jason, we're even
producing with him.
He likes it when people havetheir lane because he knows that
(48:18):
that's their lane and theyprobably know more about that
lane.
Speaker 2 (48:20):
That's part of any good business.
I think all of our points butit disappears.
Speaker 3 (48:28):
That part of it disappears, a lot in it and with
him it hasn't which I.
Which part what disappears?
Well, just just the the, thepart of like letting people do
their lot and it, and with himit hasn't which I which part?
Speaker 6 (48:33):
what disappears?
Speaker 3 (48:34):
what well, just just the the, the part of like
letting people do their thingand trusting them once you're in
charge, a lot of people.
Speaker 4 (48:40):
Once they're in charge, they go I'm in charge of
everything, yeah, and then allof a sudden, they're an expert
on everything.
Well, it's like it happens to alot of people.
Speaker 6 (48:49):
That's why I now agree.
That's why I like what we'retalking about on break is that's
why I love co-writing, you know, because I don't have to try to
get good at something I'm notgood at.
I just co-write with otherpeople that are already gifted
in that area.
I don't have to worry about it,and then you just you focus on
what makes you know that, thatyou feel like you're gifted at,
spend your time getting betterat that and people you trust in
(49:11):
that scenario too, because youmight think something is right.
Speaker 2 (49:15):
But if Neo goes, no, it's this, you go.
All right, I trust you.
Speaker 4 (49:21):
No, I'll say no, what about this?
I won't say no, it's this, butyou know what?
Speaker 2 (49:26):
I'm saying is that if you collaborate and work with
people that you trust, yourelinquish some of your ego
because you also trust them toknow best as well.
Speaker 4 (49:38):
Yeah, yeah, good point 100% you think we should
go talk to Jerry Jones, shouldwe have him on I?
Speaker 2 (49:45):
would love to have Jerry on.
He is fascinating and he hassucceeded in making the Cowboys
the most talked-about team ever.
Speaker 3 (49:54):
I have a question for him what you got?
So with Aldean, we playedhalftime there 2006.
Speaker 2 (50:03):
It was a long time ago.
Speaker 3 (50:04):
We played Hicktown, played halftime Thanksgiving Day
, met Jerry Really nice.
Remember that he came down onthe field.
Speaker 4 (50:10):
It was awesome.
He seems like a really gooddude though.
Speaker 3 (50:12):
Amazing, so we do our performance.
He came down on the field.
He seems like a really gooddude though.
Amazing, so we do ourperformance.
We had an amazing time and weget back to the bus and it's
Thanksgiving Day.
My question to Jerry Jones onthis podcast.
Speaker 2 (50:21):
I know what you're going to say.
Speaker 3 (50:23):
Thanksgiving Day, away from our families, we get
on our bus and there was just abig tin thing full of fried
chicken.
Nothing, just fried chicken.
No, not even a.
Speaker 4 (50:39):
No green beans, no mashed potatoes, no turkey no
turkey.
Speaker 3 (50:48):
I'm thinking to myself damn, this is the Dallas
Cowboys man.
It was like a catering thing offried chicken with no sides.
Speaker 6 (50:53):
How old was he at this time?
Speaker 3 (50:54):
This was his old six, so do the math.
I'm bad at it.
Speaker 4 (50:58):
Maybe, his vision was failing and he thought the
chicken was a turkey, the billit was the halftime, it was just
us, it was just y'all yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:04):
I mean, I thought maybe even a room with some
turkey in it, but it shut usback to the bus.
I'm like wow.
Speaker 2 (51:10):
It was an odd choice.
They should have just wentsomething completely different.
You know hamburgers.
Speaker 3 (51:14):
Burgers Right, right, right, but fried chickens.
Speaker 4 (51:17):
You can't blame that on Jerry.
It's one of the minions, noblaming Jerry.
Well, Jerry's in charge.
Speaker 2 (51:22):
Jerry's very hands-on .
Speaker 4 (51:23):
He's not checking on the chicken.
He's just not going to do it hedoesn't have time to check on
his chicken.
Speaker 3 (51:36):
He doesn't.
I just thought that'd be theday.
Yeah, that's a good shirt.
Speaker 2 (51:39):
Check on your chicken .
Speaker 3 (51:39):
I just figured that'd be the easiest day for any of
that stuff.
Just turkey, no matter whereyou are, turkey, yeah, anyway,
that's my question, jerry, ifyou're listening to the Try that
podcast, what were you?
Speaker 6 (51:50):
thinking about you.
And what were you thinkingabout?
Speaker 3 (51:53):
You know what?
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (51:54):
Yes, what were you thinking, jerry?
Speaker 3 (51:57):
Anyway, all right.
Speaker 2 (51:58):
Okay, anything else.
Speaker 6 (52:03):
Should we wrap this thing up, I think?
Speaker 2 (52:04):
we wrap it.
That was pretty fun.
Speaker 6 (52:05):
It was fun, you know, I really liked him.
He's so knowledgeable in justhearing him talk about all the
players that he was.
Every time he says a name like,oh yeah, I remember that player
, but he's just spitting themoff.
Speaker 4 (52:16):
He knows that stuff inside and out.
I couldn't remember any of thatstuff, even if I wrote it down.
I wouldn't remember I couldn't,and studied it for a week.
I couldn't remember all this.
Speaker 3 (52:26):
And when you hang out with him, he doesn't just like
talk to hear himself talk, Likewe'll ask him something and
he'll spit out the answer andthat's it.
It's like he's not like namedropping or he's just telling
these incredible stories.
Yeah, and you're like tell usmore, ed it's like.
Speaker 4 (52:42):
it's like what I and I told him that the cowboys
didn't draft enough alabamaplayers and he rattled off like
yeah, he did and did and yourpoint was valid.
Speaker 6 (52:54):
You know, they said there probably should have been
more, based on all theincredible players that have
come through.
Speaker 2 (52:59):
Right, but the fact that he knew the Alabama players
, he knew them, he knew them.
He just rattled them off.
He didn't even think hewouldn't let you win that point.
Speaker 6 (53:06):
No, I wouldn't no.
Speaker 2 (53:07):
That's awesome.
We love him, and his wife, jill, is awesome as well.
Let's thank Patriot Mobile.
Yes, let's also thankeSpacescom.
Hey, we need to tell eSpaces,though.
It's a little warm in here.
We would like a little bitcooler.
Our vent is not working.
Speaker 4 (53:23):
I'll talk to Purtle.
Speaker 3 (53:25):
Trying to sweat us out he watches right.
Speaker 2 (53:28):
Does he watch this thing?
Yeah, Purtle has to watch.
Speaker 4 (53:30):
It's his building.
Speaker 2 (53:31):
It's his building.
Well, get us a little airconditioning.
I think, since we have a uniquedeal, I don't know if we
complain too much Little thingslike that.
But we do love the studio.
It's great.
Maybe just some airconditioning.
Speaker 3 (53:46):
I'll talk to.
Speaker 4 (53:46):
Perto Original glory.
I'll play him around the house.
Speaker 3 (53:49):
The OG, the OG, the OG OG and the OG the.
Speaker 2 (53:50):
OG the.
Speaker 5 (53:51):
OG OG.
Speaker 2 (53:52):
And they were the OG.
They were the first one that'sbeen with us and, of course,
we're very appreciative of them.
If you're watching on YouTube,leave us a comment, leave us a
review, give us five stars,download the episode.
Follow us on X.
Follow us on Insta at Try thatPodcast.
What other social platforms Arewe on?
(54:13):
Facebook?
The old talk Are we on Facebook?
We're on the talk.
Speaker 3 (54:16):
Only fans.
Speaker 6 (54:16):
Gotta be on the talk, only fans.
Speaker 3 (54:19):
Jim's only fans account.
Speaker 2 (54:20):
I think we're on only fans.
We on Facebook.
Speaker 6 (54:23):
Yeah, I think we're on MySpace.
We are on Facebook.
Facebook, yeah, you're right,not MySpace.
We're on Facebook.
Speaker 2 (54:28):
So go, follow, follow us.
We want to thank all you guysfor listening.
As always, happy footballseason.
Go Long Tully, go Vols Cheers.
Look at this and there we go.
This is the Try that in a SmallTown Podcast.
Thanks for listening.
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