May 19, 2026 • 48 mins
Isaiah Stanback, Josh Rodriguez, and Cowboys StoryLine host Nick Eatman react to the Cowboys’ 2026 schedule release, discussing the biggest surprises, a late bye week, lighter December matchups, and the games that could define the season narrative. The crew also debates how long it may take to evaluate the new-look defense and reacts to growing excitement surrounding rookie safety Caleb Downs after praise from Cowboys vets.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com
and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Cowboys. This He's Talking Cowboys, screaming live.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
From the Dallas Cowboys World Course at the Star in Frisco.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Tag Bergerson's got t take any patdown and now.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
Your hosts, Isaiah Standback, Patrick Walker, Josh Rodriguez, and Kyle Yeomans.
Speaker 5 (00:40):
Welcome to Talking Cowboys, presented by Black Rifle Coffee, the
official coffee of the Dallas Cowboys. We are live the
Star in Frisco.
Speaker 6 (00:48):
Here in the s WBC studio.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
I am here with Isaiah Standback. Is I Christopher Bartholomew Beemer.
I'm Josh Rodriguez, and I'm here with one special Guess.
Speaker 7 (01:02):
What I know, the energy on this you gotta bring
it up.
Speaker 6 (01:06):
Who for sure? For the people out there. Nick Eatman
is on the show at freaking night.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
But we got some audience.
Speaker 7 (01:13):
I don't know that was good enough.
Speaker 6 (01:15):
Maybe we have we have a little get a clap
from the back.
Speaker 7 (01:18):
Yeah, I feel like that was Monday night raw like yeah,
you know which, I think that's not No, that's a
lot more excitement to start a show that I gotta
talk to the guy that starts my show up, I
gotta conversation.
Speaker 5 (01:36):
Up on storyline, loch More tame on storyline.
Speaker 7 (01:40):
No, I'm switching it out. Wait, wait till tomorrow. I'm
gonna do something.
Speaker 5 (01:45):
It's always the live for me. You gotta you know,
hit live. We are live, you know, yeah, we are. Anyways,
the schedule is out. It's official schedules out.
Speaker 6 (01:55):
We know what it is.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
Twenty twenty six Dallas Cowboys season schedule. It's on Dallas
Cobies dot com, s lawt schedule dot com. We worked
hard at putting that together for you fellas. I hope
you guys like had it on.
Speaker 7 (02:06):
The fan couple hours early.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
Oh yeah, yeah, oh yeah, they just guessed it. I
don't know, that's weird. They're so good at guessing that. Anyways. Uh,
it's on Dallas Copies dot Com. They had a schedule
release video which performed really well. That was multiple, genuinely,
my fat. We had a lot of videos, yeah, multiple videos,
Oh yeah, multiple videos.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
But yeah, the Tyler's the t i A. That was
one of my favorite. That was pretty dope release videos
that we've had. And then you had on the social front,
you had the all the guys doing all the was
it the.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
Act out Yeah, scenario of things kind of charas interesting, Yeah, situation.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
A great peak behind the bail in terms of guys
personalities though, I thought it was great in terms of
access for the fans to be able to see the personalities.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
And oh, guys, Tyler Smith is a bona fide star.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Jake Fergson, I don't think people knew that about him,
knew they a little crazy.
Speaker 6 (02:52):
He's a little crazy. They might they know that a
little bit maybe.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
So we got the schedule to talk about, lots to discuss,
and I mean, there's so many different benchmarks here on
the schedule that we need to look at. But first
I want to ask you, guys, what is the biggest
surprise of the twenty twenty sixth schedule For you? Nick,
you want to kick us.
Speaker 6 (03:09):
Off, all right?
Speaker 7 (03:11):
For me, it's it's not it's post Brazil that that
was a surprise that you know, you just have to
I mean, you have to play the Bucks on a
Thursday night, right, I mean you can't like not play
the Bucks on Thursday night. I mean not not giving
the Houston at noon after the Baltimore game, Like okay.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
You'd argue that kind of did us a favor there
with Houston noon, with the new Houston game. It's an
away a game, but it's Houston.
Speaker 6 (03:37):
Yeah right.
Speaker 7 (03:38):
I think the Cowboys asked for that, but what they
didn't think was gonna come back. Oh oh yeah, we'll
give you noon Houston because you're gonna have a Thursday
night game against Tampa. That one that just seems like
a tough one, but.
Speaker 5 (03:49):
Against one ruben Bain, that's tough. Oh yeah, a personal
like that's yeah, that hurts.
Speaker 7 (03:56):
Even with Caleb downs, you still are you hurting on
the Ruben Bain was still there? You know, Oh you're staying.
Speaker 6 (04:02):
Trade back?
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Yeah, yeah, trade up a little bit more. I don't know,
I know, I know.
Speaker 7 (04:07):
It's just a me thing.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
I'll leave it alone. Yeah, Isaiah, what was the most
the biggest surprise on the schedule for you?
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Biggest surprise for me is that I will not be
going to Brazil. That's the biggest surprise. No, No, the surprises,
I'm not sure that nothing really stood out to me.
I think that there are I like the way that
the schedules laid out this year. Last year, I feel
like we got a bad deal.
Speaker 5 (04:30):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 6 (04:31):
Last year was a bad deal.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
Especially the latter half of last year still was crazy.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
I feel like this season they put the really on
the heels of the of the Brazil game. To your point, Nick,
that's really the challenging portion what I foresee right right
the current outlook of this season, that's that four game run.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Right.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
You're always looking for those three or four games straight
where it's like, Okay, this is kind of the gauntlet.
Last year with the gauntlet was at the end of
the season. This year it's it's games you know, or
through seven.
Speaker 5 (05:01):
You bring up the gauntlet as a player, As a
former player, was that the first thing you would look
at when a new schedule would be released, you were
looking for that sort of gauntlet.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Or that I was looking at the bye week. The
bye week is always the first thing that I look at.
Speaker 6 (05:11):
What did you weak? Yeah, middle to the end, to
middle to the end.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Because you're you're fresher obviously, you know, coming off of
training camp and all that stuff, right, you want to
get into it and get rolling. The worst thing as
a player to have an early buy because you know
that injuries are going to happen.
Speaker 6 (05:28):
You know that the grind is going to catch up
with you. You know that physically you're going to be exhausted, So.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
You don't want that to You don't want that break early, right,
I want that break as late as possible, because you
know everybody has the foresight of going to the playoffs.
If you have a late bye, now, all of a sudden,
your body has more rest closer to the playoffs versus
having it early and you got to have a twelve
to fourteen game run, you know what I'm saying, where
(05:53):
you have zero breaks. That's not what you want as
a player, and that's not what your body wants. So
getting this bye week towards the back half of the season,
I Week four absolutely awesome, right, I think that is
awesome With four games left, that's huge because then you
take those four games and if say you have to
go to a wildcard and you know you got another
four games, that's an eight game run, right if you
(06:13):
envision yourself going all the way to the super Bowl,
versus if that was what happened on the front end
of the schedule, say Week four, week five, that's a
lot of freaking games straight that your body doesn't get
any rest, right in terms outside of till Thursday night,
you know Thursday night turnarounds where you get a couple more.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
Days and you don't necessarily get to get in a
groove if you have that week four, week five by
I mean you've been resting all of the offseason and
then only four or five weeks of football and then
all of a sudden you're getting under the break and
then not another one until the playoffs. So getting one
this late, I don't know that I've seen that. I
can't tell you the last time a week fourteen by.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
No, that's they did it in like nineteen ninety. I
mean it was way back then.
Speaker 7 (06:53):
But you know, the interesting thing too, is when you
look at right before the bye, you've got Seattle on
a Monday nine from a Thursday game. So going up
against the defending champions, you've got what is that eleven days?
Eleven days from Thanksgiving to that then you get a bye.
The Rams helped me the Rams in the NFC Championship
(07:16):
game or I don't remember who Seattle be to get
to the Rams, right, Okay, so you got the two
best teams from last year and you're going and you're
getting eleven days for the for one of them, and
then the next one you're getting, you know, a bye week,
and so you're getting you know, probably about what is
that about thirteen days? So that's you know, I just
wonder about the fourteen weeks leading leading up to it,
(07:38):
like that is a that is a grind.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
I mean, but I think I don't know, right, but
I would assume that when the coaches receive the schedule
that that plays a part into the grind at training camp, right,
I really do. I believe that when you have that
early buy, you can be a little bit more aggressive
physically in your training camp. And some coaches might not care, right,
(07:59):
But I'm just thinking, if I were to wear a coach,
I'm gonna look at this schedule and say, Okay, I
might want to pull back on a physic calory and
a little bit in training camp because I know we
have a we got a fourteen game run here that
we got coming up, right, We got to be able
to get through the front half of the season. There
is no breaks outside of those the things giving games
and all those things. So that's it management.
Speaker 6 (08:21):
It is what it is, right. It's not old school
football no more.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
It's a new age of ball, right, So these coaches
have to look at load management and getting their players
through the season. You're now understand that I'm not saying
that they should take it easy and all this stuff.
I know the fan's gonna jump to it, but it's
your responsibility as a coach to ensure that your players
are as healthy as can be to get from week
to week and taking into account by week, taking into
(08:44):
account extra days off. Those are all things that are
the responsibility of the head coach and the nutrition staff
and obviously the strength conditioning staff.
Speaker 5 (08:53):
And obviously you only get a certain allotment of the
padded practices. And do you think that is more capped
at training camp because of a late by.
Speaker 7 (09:04):
I don't think so. H. I think that that's the
way that they try to do it anyways. I mean
I don't, I don't. I don't think it has anything
to do with the bye week. I think that that's
kind of the structure. I think the NFLPA has jumped
in on that too, So I don't know if it
has anything to do with it. Your bye could be
in week four could be in week fourteen. You know,
I think that it's very important for them to keep
(09:25):
them off their feet, and it's it's it's not like
it used to be, Like I know, like Nate Newton's
Other World are like, oh my god, you know it.
Speaker 6 (09:33):
Even even you, I mean it was.
Speaker 7 (09:35):
You did have two days back then. So when I
think of training camp and I think of Isaiah, I
always think of this one story of No, it's it's you,
Like you could throw the ball, Like there's no doubt
about a college quarterback. We've seen the seventy five yard
hail Mary, but I remember you. You were doing some
kind of stretches, you were on your knees, and you
(09:58):
were throwing the football. You threw the football from forty
into the net from your knees. I was like, this
guy's not a quarterback.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Stephen McGee. Like, now, now we didn't Steve McGee. Then
who was the backup of seven?
Speaker 6 (10:14):
Bart Barton?
Speaker 7 (10:15):
Uh, no, seventh Brad, not Brad.
Speaker 6 (10:20):
It was Barton.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
I can't remember his first name, bart Barton, Barton, Barton Barton, quarterback.
Speaker 7 (10:25):
Yeah, Romo was the quarterback in seven as the starter.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
He told me to stop throwing a ball in pre practice.
Yeah wow wow, because the coaches did.
Speaker 7 (10:34):
Who's the backup of Oh, seven, it's not pardon, I
don't even know who you're I can look at this part.
Speaker 6 (10:39):
You go ahead. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (10:40):
Anyways, anyway, that's what I think about training camp.
Speaker 6 (10:43):
You.
Speaker 7 (10:43):
I was just thinking you're just throwing the ball, and
they were you were making that transition to receiver.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
But I was a quarterback, and I still think coaches
did not want me that. Like a lot of people
don't know that coaches told me to stop throwing the
ball in pre practice.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Was that Richard Bartell?
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Bartel Bartel, Richard Bartell, I know it was. Bart wasn't
the backup, back up though, I mean like there was.
It was a third and we had Brad Johnson, okay,
y b fourth, Yeah yeah, Brad Johnson for sure. Richard Bartel, Yeah,
I got you. But uh, the day that you signed
with the Patriots and they moved you to quarterback, Belichick
(11:18):
or like, oh god, this.
Speaker 5 (11:21):
Guy is on to something again. It's one of those situations.
At least we're at camp. Like that was the first
time I met you at camp, and it was Nick
explaining to me, like, oh, I because I knew you
from you know, special teams beyond the Cowboys and all that,
but it was Nick explaining the Uh there was a
was it Felix Jones touchdown return where Isaiah with the speed?
Speaker 6 (11:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (11:46):
Unreal, unreal, And and we sat down and watched the
play and then Isaiah walked into the room at the
same time.
Speaker 6 (11:52):
I was like, oh wow, it's dude.
Speaker 5 (11:54):
Yeah, it's it's fascinating. But going back to the schedule
a little bit, I want to get.
Speaker 7 (11:58):
You, uh well, what was your thought?
Speaker 5 (12:01):
What was your biggest surprise? I couldn't believe that green
Bay was so early. I was sitting here, you know,
pounding on the table that like, there's no way that
the Dallas Cowboys get green Bay. Uh, like it was
probably gonna be Thanksgiving, was.
Speaker 7 (12:15):
My You're thinking because of the weather, because of Micah.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
I'm thinking because of Micah, Yeah, like getting back or yeah,
I think that they wanted him on the Dallas schedule
as late as humanly possible, just so that he could
get back from that injury.
Speaker 7 (12:27):
Rising Okay, with that October eighteenth at Green Bay, I'm good.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Yeah, seriously, I mean I mean that, how do you
feel about that five week stretch though?
Speaker 7 (12:39):
How do I feel about the where we're starting Baltimore,
BRAZILA you know, it's funny you say that because I
thought after that seven games, after that first seven games,
going into Arizona.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
And I'm not saying that Arizona game is gonna be easy. No,
those are always weird, but on previous year's success, right,
But I'm just saying those seven just don't be two
and five. I don't think you will be.
Speaker 5 (13:02):
But let's run it down. Baltimore Ravens in Brazil at Houston.
The next week home game against the Bucks again, that's
Thursday night at Green Bay at Philly. Then the Arizona
Cardinals and if you want to, I mean yeah, and
you can lump into the Colts too because they got uh,
they got Indiana Jones out there as well.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
I believe that this schedule defensively, when I look at this,
I see defense popping off the screen. I'm not thinking
about offenses opposing offenses when I think when I look
at this schedule, the defenses pop off, and Baltimore is
not gonna suck on defense. They haven't been great as
of late, but obviously Mentor is coming in. He's gonna
change up. You know what Houston's defense, right, You know
(13:44):
what Todd Bowles defense is right, we know Green Bay's
defense is solid, Philly's defense is always solid. And then okay,
if Arizona, we don't really know who they're gonna be,
but we know Indianapolis's defense that's their calling card as well. Right,
so you're talking about you know, of those you know
from Baltimore or to Indianapolis. I mean there's the forty
nine ers right after that that exactly, I don't even
(14:06):
want to look down there, and you know to see
they freaking revamped their entire defense, right, So, and then
you go Philly Seattle. Right, So the defense, I mean, offense,
you're gonna know who the heck you are? Oh for
you going to get tested really early. I know everybody's
been feeling really secure about the offense and all the
else's The offense is solid, but you you're gonna that's
a gauntlet.
Speaker 6 (14:22):
Now.
Speaker 7 (14:23):
I think, I think, and I hate to say this
because it sounds so bad, but I think the offense
from last year is overrated because it over ranked. Maybe
not so much overrated, yeah, but and I only say
this because you go off of how many yards you
put up, and you put up all these yards because
(14:43):
your defense. Think about that Detroit game. You couldn't stop anyone,
so you had to keep scoring, keep scoring. It wasn't enough, though,
And I say it overrated only because there were times
when the offense wasn't good enough. It just wasn't good enough.
But they did have great numbers a lot of a
lot of points because they needed to. But I don't
know if you necessarily say that they were the elite
(15:06):
elite No, And I think this question marks.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
I think the fact that the offense hasn't changed much
since that time. I think they just pose well for
the chemistry going forward in the next season, because you
want that consistency there, especially the offensive line. I had
a lot of criticism for the offensive line because I
just didn't think they were performing to the same level
that we were all kind of considering. I mean, granted,
Tyler Brooker started really quick, and like you felt good
about that pick, but bbe for a minute there, I
(15:31):
was like, I don't know that we necessarily made the
right decision in starting him over Hoffman, And then that
kind of it felt better halfway through the season. I
think just more consistency with that line together is always good.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
You talked about overrated, right or overvalued or Yeah, what
aspect of this offense do you feel needs to make
the biggest jump, Because there's a lot of tens has
been on defense, right, everybody's going to talking about defense, defense, defense, right,
Christian Parker, the additions, all that stuff to leave the
offense mostly intact.
Speaker 6 (16:03):
What is it that they need to improve on?
Speaker 5 (16:05):
Let me say, red zone play calling?
Speaker 6 (16:06):
I agree.
Speaker 5 (16:07):
That was one thing that I definitely gave Shoddy a
lot of criticians before last year is that I felt
between yeah, in the red zone, it just didn't feel
like there was a lot.
Speaker 6 (16:16):
Of I felt like the system got abandoned.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
Yeah, like the system, yes, yes, and especially running the ball.
That was a big thing for me. It's like just
I mean, you got you down there, he got you
down there, and then you start throwing it. You start
getting cute with play calling.
Speaker 7 (16:30):
I kind of think, you know, you're talking about twenty
in the inside, from twenty to the forty, I'm talking
about the next twenty yards. I don't love that play
calling either. And I feel like Shody's got to figure
out Aubrey a little bit, and not I mean not
figure out Aubrey. We know what he is, but let's
not lean on the fact that he can he can
(16:52):
make a sixty yards show like there's no doubt. Yes
he can make it. But if he misses, you're putting
your defense even worse situation. To me, it's okay to
I mean, just keep playing downhill downhill instead of that.
There were some times where I thought they would take
a sack, didn't need to just saying well, we do
have Aubrey, Yeah he can miss a fifty eight yarder.
Speaker 5 (17:14):
And I think your offense was so good that you
were kind of banking on, like the play makeability of
a George Pickens to get yourself out of a really
bad field position, and they weren't. By doing that, didn't
necessarily play very well to the field position game all season,
you know, like like you said you would go for
a sixty yard kick as opposed to pinning, giving your
(17:35):
defense an advantage and putting their offense back a little bit.
I think some of that is just going to come
to shotty as this season.
Speaker 7 (17:42):
Rule I'm I'm gonna go back and I say this
overrated is a bad word for sure.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Okay, what I'm what I'm saying is is, Okay, offense
is good, don't worry about the offense. Let's fix the defense.
Speaker 6 (17:52):
It's not perfect.
Speaker 7 (17:53):
Offensive wasn't perfect last year and it had to be
and it just wasn't. So that's really why I'm saying.
It's it's not an untouchable thing. It's still the very
best thing you do, and it's still very elite, but
it the defense needs. I think the defense can be better.
The offense numbers will go down and that's a good thing. Yes, yeah,
they won't need to score as much.
Speaker 5 (18:11):
One hundred percent. You want a complete team. We need
to go to break real quick. When we come back,
I want to ask you, guys, what is your measuring
stick on the schedule? All right, we'll be right back
after this.
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To Talking Cowboys.
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Welcome back to Talking Cowboys this summer train where stars
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Speaker 6 (20:56):
Just missed.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
He knows a thing or two.
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He does, He does it great.
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Speaker 7 (21:18):
I'm sure that's kind of he's he was getting after
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He doesn't forget things.
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like you see the way what you're doing with your
businesses and he's doing is like, there's no time to
be lazy, you know. And I'm sure there are players
that aren't as successful and that's probably, but the ones
(22:16):
that really want to.
Speaker 5 (22:17):
Do something and I have that competitive spirit in anything
that yes, right, I mean clearly.
Speaker 7 (22:23):
And don't just fall back on the fact why I'm
a former player. It's like I'm actually, yes, i am,
thank you for opening the door, but now I'm gonna
bust it down, you know, And that's kind of the
way it is.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
He definitely he's done that and he's bread hearted. It
the best, there is the.
Speaker 6 (22:39):
Best, all right?
Speaker 5 (22:40):
Before the break, I teased the game on the schedule
that would be your measuring stick. What is the game
that you're looking forward to that kind of tell you
what the twenty twenty six styles caps are going to be.
Speaker 6 (22:51):
Yeah, I'm going to go with the real game.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
I'm gonna go with Baltimore simply because of the fact
I think you're going to face one of the most
diatnam make players in the NFL at the most important
position in the NFL. You talk about, you talk about
his ability, Lamar Jackson, that is to just create I
think that what they're trying to do offensively now, they
still want to go downhill at you. You know, you
(23:15):
talk about him, you talk about their running game between
him and Derrick Henry, and then you know that defensively
they're going to be completely revamped. Yeah, their organization. When
you think about the Baltimore Ravens, historically, you think about
their defense. You don't think about their offense. You think
about their offense kind of you know, kind of just
floating and floating along and doing enough to get through.
But their defense has always been the dominant portion.
Speaker 5 (23:37):
And I would say last year was pretty much unacceptable
in terms of like their culture and in the.
Speaker 6 (23:43):
Last like three years, their defense has not been great, and.
Speaker 5 (23:46):
Which is why they made a change, A big change,
I mean, one that not a lot of people expected.
And granted, you know, you could be on either side
of it, but I feel like the consensus from Baltimore
is like it was time for a change, and everybody
outside of is like, well, he's a great coach.
Speaker 6 (23:59):
What do you do? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (24:01):
But yeah, then when he goes to the Giants, you're like,
why they let him go? You know, brings like half
his team would I just.
Speaker 7 (24:07):
I always think it's weird because they had a missed
field goal on the final play of the regular season
to make the playoffs, they would have made it. And
it's you know, a shocker that the Craze missed it
is Harvard's still a good coach. I mean, like, like,
you know, they go to the playoffs, maybe they maybe
they win because because you host a game at that point,
(24:28):
you win a game, you go to the division round.
Maybe you win that, maybe you don't. You're still letting
go of the coach all because the guy missed the
field goal. I just think that's weird. But like you said,
there seemed like there was a lot more to it.
But and if the DV needed fresh.
Speaker 5 (24:41):
Oh yeah, I'm sure that was part of it too,
because you know, uh, what is it diminishing returns after
a while, you know, coaching be that good and just
not necessarily have it in that organization organization anymore, and
they're thinking of a different way to go forward. Of course,
the Lamar Jackson's kind of the team is built around him,
and obviously they wanted capitaliz on what they have in him.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
And you're finding out that he was a part of
his head coaching search exactly. Yeah, he had a word
supposedly supposedly he had a word and on who was.
Speaker 6 (25:10):
Going to be the head coach.
Speaker 5 (25:11):
That's one thing that's like, is that coming from Lamar
or you know what? Like is that the front officing like,
oh no, we let him out to say sure? For me,
the measuring stick was Green Bay. Of course, I know
I keep bringing it up, but I mean, if Mike
is healthy by that game, there's unfinished business there. There
was a tie last year. Nobody wanted to see that.
I mean, it's great for headlines and all that, but like,
to me, that is such a business unfinished game that
(25:35):
you can really because the trade talk is still in
the air of like who won the trade and there
literally it was a tie last year and we're still
out a point where it's like we got all of
these players and they have Micah Parsons and he's paid
X amount of dollars and you know, they're getting one
of the best defensive players in the league. Because of this,
to me, all of the drama, the storyline, the cinematic
element of it all is is Green Bay.
Speaker 7 (25:57):
I can't Yeah, I mean I like you of that too.
This is unfinished business. That was the weirdest sound after
the game, just what just happened. It was like it
was like week three of the preseason. Yeah, I don't
even know who won.
Speaker 5 (26:14):
The adrenaline is so high the entire time, and if
that was the way that that game ended, everyone was
just like, you.
Speaker 7 (26:20):
Know, the iron I don't feel good at all in
irony there and this is this is this is next level,
I think, but it probably sorry Jack Sanborn, he didn't
he didn't cover very well at all.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Right, Arguably, arguably.
Speaker 7 (26:37):
He is right up on the defender on that last play,
so much so that the ball hits him in the
back and goes straight down one second left. If he
was back a little bit like he usually was, and
he's back where that ball hits him in the shoulder,
not the back, the shoulder because he's back a little
bit still struggling, ball pops up just a little bit.
(26:59):
Maybe someone tips it zero, you win the game. Jack
Sanborn had to cover that play that one time, he
actually was just a little bit closer, you know, he
wasn't where he normally was, which was back a little bit.
Speaker 5 (27:14):
Honestly, that'd be a good deep blue one day, go
through the whole play. Yeah, at least that's.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
It for me.
Speaker 6 (27:20):
What about you? Nick? For me?
Speaker 7 (27:22):
And I steal this point all the time, and so
I'm sure people have heard me say this, but it
to me, it holds true a lot, and especially this year,
Week two is always a measuring stick for me because
you know, first week of the season, everyone's excited and
you're gonna you're gonna get you know, a lot of emotions,
a lot of excitement there, Cowboys, giants and what happens there. Okay,
(27:44):
say you win the game, great, but then come back
week two, what are you really? How many times have
you seen in week one somebody had a bad or great,
you know game, and then everyone likes to think this
is how they are, and then you come back a
week two it's like, well, wow, they didn't see that coming.
Week two is when things calm down a little bit,
but you still start to see what they are. If
(28:05):
you lost that first game, you better win, especially in
the division. You can't be ohing to and lose to Washington.
And if you win that first game, you know what,
watch stack a win together because the one and one,
two and two, three and two, that's how you get
to Jason Garrettville in the eight and eight or eight
eight and one or Shoddyville two. Let's just be hey,
it is what it is until he changes it. So
(28:25):
I think for to me, week two is always important
of what are you gonna be? Are you gonna be
oh and two? Are you gonna be one and one?
How about me?
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Two?
Speaker 6 (28:33):
And those?
Speaker 7 (28:33):
Especially with that big game you're talking about with Baltimore
in the travels. So I think that this this year,
you say you go get a win against the Giants,
don't come back and ruin it with a loss.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
I like to go back a little bit further. I
know we're talking about measuring stick game. Yeah, every year
historically in training camp, since I've been around my measuring
stick for the team, it always occurs in a joint
practice and as myself and Nate Newton, Yes and I
typically get together on this we historically. I'm not sure
(29:04):
if it's going to happen this year. You might know
more than me, Nigga. We normally practice against the Rams, right,
we normally play against the Rams, but we don't have
them this preseason, so I'm not sure if that happens
whenever we have a joint practice with the Rams. Instantly,
I know exactly where our team is at, right, so
we make all of our all of our you know,
(29:24):
projections in terms of schedule. You know, in terms of
the schedule, and you know what our record is going
to be. And then I don't remember what I said
last year, But and then when we hit that practice,
I'm like, oh, that's when I readjust because we know
exactly where we are compared to a team that is
always in the conversation for going to the Super Bowl.
And if you want to know where you're at as
(29:45):
an organization, when you face a Sean McVay team, both
offensively and defensively, you know where you're at. You know
where your offensive line's at, you know where your pressure
rates at, you know where your guys can cover because
you have Pukinnakua DeVante Adams.
Speaker 6 (29:58):
You knew of your DB's that.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
The day that I recognize that DB's weren't gonna cut
it last year, are the dbs that we currently that
we had last year?
Speaker 6 (30:05):
Yeah, I knew that day. I was like, Ooh, these
boys are catching everything. These guys are opened by two
or three yards on routes, right. I knew that we
couldn't get to the quarterback. I said, that's gonna be
a problem.
Speaker 3 (30:14):
You know, I saw their defensive line a couple years ago,
you know, get after our boys in one on ones.
Speaker 6 (30:18):
I was like, ooh, our offensive line is not as
powerful as we thought.
Speaker 5 (30:22):
And by that same metric last year, when you saw
George Pickens at that same practice and you get to
the Rams, you're like, okay, like we actually have something here.
It's one thing that see players perform well playing against
each other, and at least this offense.
Speaker 7 (30:33):
For schemes last year.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
I mean, you were like, oh wow, this is gonna
be one of the greatest offenses ever of all time
because of the combination of Pickens and Lamb. But when
you saw them go up against the Rams in that
way and still make those plays, you were you felt
really confident about that. I remember my first camp where
I was like, this defense.
Speaker 6 (30:50):
Looks really good.
Speaker 5 (30:50):
You got Leyton Vandersch coming off the edge, and you know,
I was like, this looks really impressive. Until the Rams
came to town and you're like, uh, oh, all right,
I guess I don't know how to look at linebackers here.
This is interesting.
Speaker 7 (31:04):
You know that the joint practice has become the preseason game. Yes,
for the more so than the preseason because they don't play. Yeah,
at least you're gonna see Dak and you're gonna throw
the ball around a little bit. And yeah, they don't
get hit and which is fine, but but you can
see what will see enough. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right
about that. I don't know if if the Chargers are
(31:26):
coming in or the Rams or or I hope so, yeah,
I really do hope so because I think it. I
think it's become a very important thing. And I think
I could say this. I think that they the teams
have have stopped the fights or at least controlled them
a little bit.
Speaker 5 (31:41):
Well, brock Hoffman is on the Steelers now, so.
Speaker 7 (31:44):
Yeah, true.
Speaker 6 (31:45):
But I mean, and I think that's one of the
reasons why.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
The Cowboys are at least, you know Cooshotti, you know,
when he was even underneath McCarthy, why they went with
the Rams, because McVeigh has a way about his team
what's allowed and what's not allowed, right, They have a
way about a lot of it's all about their business. Yeah,
And I think it's a very well respected organization. I
think they're very well coached obviously, and their players understand
it right, and I think that you get really good
(32:09):
work on both sides of the ball and special teams.
Speaker 7 (32:11):
I hope it's the Chargers though, because I still think
you'll get some good work. I think hardball does a
good job scheme wise. But also from a fans standpoint,
I mean Chargers only have like fifty you know fans total. Yeah,
So I mean, are they going.
Speaker 5 (32:24):
To be there in Oxen It would be fun to
see this defensive line against their offensive line.
Speaker 6 (32:28):
Yes, That's why. That's the first thing that came to
my mind.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
Because their team is built like the Monstars, Like they're
just gigantic like. And I know people say, oh, they're
all NFL players. Everybody's not built the same. And certain coaches,
especially the harball side, the Hardballs go about their business
a certain way, and it's in the trenches.
Speaker 5 (32:44):
Now.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
They like their guys six six six six six six
eight on the offensive line, and they like them to
be three hundred and fifty pounds across the board, like,
and they walk in and all you hear is hit
them high, hit them high, hit them.
Speaker 7 (32:56):
I mean that's a good point though about this defensive line.
I mean it, yes, it's I mean over ten is
like the fifth lineman and he looks like you know,
I mean he he looks like a little kid compared
to what these other defense on because every defensive tackle
on this team, it weighs three twenty five massive. They
traded Osa, they let go of Solomon Thomas. They wanted
(33:18):
a different guy.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
I mean, like body types are different. And Obanya, those
are the two backups. Yeah to quinnen and and Kenny
clod little backups.
Speaker 5 (33:28):
Three forty Yeah, Abania is three twenty. I mean these
are big dudes. So we haven't had like that type
of defensive line now time. Obviously they're changing kind of.
Speaker 6 (33:35):
Scheme and call for it. Yeah yeah, but now you
know now so big.
Speaker 7 (33:40):
But you're right, like that matchup against the Chargers, that
would be fun and you know, just to just to
kind of see that. I don't know if they're coming
in or not. I mean, I haven't really heard that.
We haven't gotten that far, but that's one of those things.
They'll they'll trickle out here at some point. But I mean,
you got you know, you got the Seattle. I mean,
everybody's gotta go to Seattle twice right, God, But you
(34:00):
know I was a little surprised.
Speaker 6 (34:01):
By that one.
Speaker 5 (34:02):
Yeah, a little surprised by it.
Speaker 7 (34:03):
Okay, in the preseason, we have to go to.
Speaker 6 (34:05):
Break real quick.
Speaker 5 (34:05):
When we come back, I want to ask in your
career with the Dallas Cowboys, I mean this, you just
celebrate your twenty fifth season.
Speaker 7 (34:12):
Ah, twenty eight, twenty eighty seven.
Speaker 5 (34:14):
Excuse me, congratulations on spring Chicken. Got I got a
question for you that that is exactly about that. We'll
be right back for this, Okay.
Speaker 6 (34:23):
What would you like the power to do?
Speaker 5 (34:25):
Dig deep and ask it. Can you really live so
far from the family you lean on?
Speaker 8 (34:32):
Well?
Speaker 3 (34:33):
Will it broken nose break you?
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Or will it make you?
Speaker 10 (34:38):
Bank of America champions, US Men's national team player Diego Luna,
and everyone who dares to ask what would you like
the power to do? Bank of America Proud to be
the official bank of US Soccer and FIFA World Cup
twenty twenty six. Bank of America NA member.
Speaker 8 (34:52):
After se If you're looking for fresh American roasted coffee
that gives back, you need to head to your local
grocery store and pick up up a.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
Bag of Black Rifle coffee.
Speaker 8 (35:02):
That's right, America's coffee is now available in the coffee
aisle of a grocery store near you. Black Rifle Coffee
Company is veteran founded with a mission to give back
to those brave men and women who have served our nation.
Every bag box or can you purchase help support that mission.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Head to your local grocery store and roast yourself some
Black Rifle coffee today.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
Every day begins with a promise, a promise to work
hard and to build a future. That's why we're here
providing the tools, expertise and John Deere equipment you have
relied on for generations to help you get the job
done right.
Speaker 10 (35:40):
We're with you.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
That's our promise to you because no matter of the
project or the challenge you're facing.
Speaker 6 (35:47):
Where were you where are you united?
Speaker 3 (35:51):
I'm home? Hey?
Speaker 9 (35:52):
Mom, before you ask, I've done my homework and the
dishwashers unloading?
Speaker 6 (35:56):
Nice? Hey? Can you ahn?
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Yes, I've got the finale ready to play. Here's your wine? Wow?
Isn't it nice not having to ask?
Speaker 8 (36:04):
We think so.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
That's why if there's a network interruption, at and T
will proactively credit you for a full day of service
guarantee credit for five or downtime lasting twenty minutes or more,
or for wireless downtime lasting sixty minutes and more caused
by a single incident impact in ten more towers. Restrictions
and exclusions apply att dot Com slash guarantee for details.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
To Talking Cowboys.
Speaker 5 (36:34):
Welcome back to Talking Cowboys. Here with Nick Eatman. Here
with Isaiah stand back. Christopher Beam is in the back.
Speaker 6 (36:39):
Nick.
Speaker 5 (36:40):
Before we went to break, I wanted to ask you
specifically about like your career with the Cowboys twenty eight seasons. Yeah,
eight season. Congratulations to you, by the way, thank you
catching you.
Speaker 7 (36:50):
I want to ask you in yours my twenty eighth
I've been twenty seven.
Speaker 5 (36:54):
Full So in your twenty seven years around the team,
what schedule quirk tends to matter most season's end.
Speaker 7 (37:02):
Matters most to the team, Not to me, right, I
mean no, I mean no because because.
Speaker 5 (37:10):
But yeah, like in terms of the schedule and what matters.
Speaker 7 (37:12):
Sometimes when people ask that question, I'm like, Okay, you're
asking me because.
Speaker 5 (37:15):
I mean, I mean, I mean, obviously you didn't you
don't want to go to Seattle twice? That was one
thing that you brought up.
Speaker 7 (37:21):
Yeah, well, you know the way the way that the
travel is from ox Start is not the best because
it's not from ox Star, it's from l A, So
you got to go to LA.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
That is not a big But which schedule quirk matters
the most to the in.
Speaker 5 (37:38):
Terms of the season and how the Cowboys are performing
and like by the seasons and what quirk about the
schedule kind of gives you that upper hand or could
sink the ship.
Speaker 7 (37:51):
That's a tough question you have.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
I'm not.
Speaker 5 (37:57):
Quizz you too much, huh.
Speaker 7 (37:59):
I'm talking about like, I'm not sure I understand the
question fully. What would your answer be?
Speaker 6 (38:03):
Do you know?
Speaker 7 (38:04):
I know that you haven't been here as long, but
what what was your your am?
Speaker 5 (38:08):
To me, it's it's what the schedule looks like after Thanksgiving?
To me, it's like, what about that that run of games? Uh,
taking you of course into December as well? What about
that sets the Dallas always up? Because to me, that's
always by the time I figure out, okay, are we
solidified a playoff team by this time? And for me,
(38:28):
Thanksgiving is always the benchmark in that respect. Obviously you
have enough games under your belt you kind of know
who the team is by that point. But I mean,
like typically as long as I've been watching the Cowboys,
it has been after Thanksgiving they have a run of
games that's that is your in or out, that's and
it's always the tougher games. This season, I'm looking at
it and I'm saying, this is a relatively light December
(38:50):
aside from the Seahawks, and then of course we're talking
about the Rams, who you are familiar with for the
most part, but then you have Jacksonville, then you have
New York.
Speaker 6 (38:57):
Don't sleep on Jacksonville. I mean, that's too an explosive team.
Speaker 5 (39:01):
That's fair, but obviously compared to their records last year
going into this year, notwithstanding the changes that they've made.
For me, it's always after Thanksgiving where I kind of
look at like, Okay, what gauntlet is it that we have?
And this doesn't seem to me as daunting as years past.
Speaker 7 (39:18):
Yeah, I could, I could go with that. I mean, usually,
I don't know how many I don't know how many
years this has been, but usually in December January, you're
gonna face the Eagles at some point, you know what
I mean. I think last year it might have been
that you definitely face them at the I think at
the end of the year. Am I missing that?
Speaker 5 (39:37):
Oh my goodness, Yeah, no, no, no, no, no, you didn't.
Speaker 7 (39:39):
You played Philly Week one and then right before Thanksgiving.
So this is second year in a row. I guess
you didn't play Philly, but you go. You know, you're
gonna play division games, and in this case, you got
at Washington and you got the Giants. I was with
you on that when you were talking about schedule quarts.
I'm thinking the last couple of games. You know what
happens in these final NFC East games, Giants at home Wash.
Speaker 5 (40:00):
But and that's always the case, is like those last
two games are typically the divisional battles.
Speaker 7 (40:04):
It's tough because we could be sitting here in last
year's schedule and some some team could be looking at
their schedule last year and be like, we got to
play the Chiefs and then at least at least we
got the Bears because they're not very good. And then
you know what I mean, you know, it flips so
like which which one is it this year? Which which
team is it that you're thinking is not that bad
and they're going to be really good And it could
(40:26):
be you know, the other way too, And.
Speaker 5 (40:27):
I think You brought up a good point, because I mean,
those teams are not the same teams as they were
last year. Those records don't carry over. You're looking at
a Jacksonville Jaguars, who definitely have rebuilt themselves in a
lot of different ways.
Speaker 6 (40:36):
They were a payoff team last year, an't they.
Speaker 5 (40:38):
Yeah that too. And Tennessee Titans talking about rebuilding their
entire defense. They have Robert Sola, who you know is
going to turn their defense around. So it's not necessarily
about like confidence level on these games. It was just
more so like historically, what is it about the schedule
that kind of gives you that?
Speaker 6 (40:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (40:54):
I think for me, it's like the division and conference games,
So where those relocated and how they kind of grew together,
because you can make or break your season obviously with
those those conference and divisional games, right, depending on how
you perform there. Obviously, when you play the AFC, it's
like okay, cool, right, you kind of have a measuring
stick and obviously the record matters, but more so you
need the NFC.
Speaker 6 (41:15):
You need that good ranking there.
Speaker 7 (41:17):
That Titans game on November twenty second is really big
and I know that I'm not joking around like, that's
a game you should win. I think we think by
then who knows what Tennessee looks like, but or anybody
what they look like. But you know that the forty
nine Ers game the week before is going to be tough. Yeah,
and that's going to be physical. And then you got
(41:38):
to go in your at home and you stay at
home and you play Tennessee and then you got the
Eagles on Thanksgiving. You better win that one. You better
win that Titans game right there, because you know you're
sandwiched in between playing the forty nine Ers and the
Eagles three home games.
Speaker 3 (41:55):
In a row.
Speaker 7 (41:55):
You better win that second one, sure, because you want
because you need to steal one of these other ones.
Speaker 3 (42:00):
Do you think that there would have been a bigger game,
based upon the teams that you have on your schedule
this year, a bigger Thanksgiving matchup than the Eagles?
Speaker 8 (42:08):
No?
Speaker 5 (42:09):
I mean green Bay was my was my lock in
and I've talked about that at nauseum on the show,
But uh.
Speaker 7 (42:15):
Yeah, lock in for for Thanksgiving.
Speaker 5 (42:17):
I thought that was a no brainer to me.
Speaker 6 (42:19):
It was a green Bay?
Speaker 5 (42:21):
Oh was that green Bay?
Speaker 6 (42:21):
Okay?
Speaker 5 (42:21):
Well, yeah, I wasn't considering that at all.
Speaker 6 (42:24):
That does fact.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
I mean the forty nine ers.
Speaker 7 (42:27):
I kind of thought that was sort of my prediction
that it could be the forty nine ers on Thanksgiving.
But yeah, Eagles, and they'd never beaten the Eagles on Thanksgiving.
Only played them twice, but they've never beaten them.
Speaker 6 (42:39):
That's like the biggest game that I could imagine.
Speaker 5 (42:42):
Oh yeah, that's going to set every record. Okay, So
pivoting a little bit for our last segment for the
show ends, Actually we only have a few minutes home
run Derby. A lot of players were talking about caleed Downs,
just the veterans speaking on cale Downs and of course
getting to talk to him a little bit. Can you
tell me at least what the vets are speaking on.
Speaker 7 (43:02):
Yeah, the preparation. It's kind of like, you know, doing
an awesome rundown before a show like this, you know
what I mean, just just being prepared of course, so
you're kind of the Caleb of Downs. Of that's what
they call me for for sure. No, I think this guy,
and it's not just him, but I think he has
a chance to be a really big leader because of
you know, he's the leader of the draft class. But
(43:24):
he just wants to watch film. He just wants to
come in and study. Is you know, no offense to
the social media team and all the stuff that they
try to do. And it's cool and he plays along.
He's not, you know, cooking by the way. Socials doing
a great job especially, that's no doubt about it. But
what I'm saying is is his focus is football. He
wants to do football. And there's been players that love
what football brings to them. Martell's beinet, but there's been
(43:47):
you know, and Martell's he's doing.
Speaker 3 (43:49):
We just watched his guy cartoon another day on Disney
Plus he's killing, killing it.
Speaker 7 (43:53):
I give him credit because he played. He played about
ten years and he made some Pro Bowls and he
was really good early on in his career. Though he
loved what football brought to him, maybe more than football,
but he figured it out and his brother, him and
his brother together. But I'm saying that Caleb Downs comes
in and he loves football, he wants to study. And
Dak noticed that as well. Dak was like, this guy's
(44:15):
come in and he's serious minded about what he's doing.
And so I think that that's a really good start.
I think it's a great pairing for Christian Parker, who's
kind of the same way. He's kind of like, no nonsense,
let's just get into it. And I think Caleb Downs,
I think it's it's a perfect match.
Speaker 5 (44:29):
I mean, the face of the defense already at this point,
and our expectations now too high for Caleb Downs, having
not seen him actually practice with the Downs Cowny at
this point.
Speaker 3 (44:39):
I mean, you know, I'm always believing that expectations are
always too high, no matter who you're really putting them on.
But I think you have to let the young man
get in here and figure it out. I like the
direction of the locker room. I'll say that. I'll say
of years past, not to say that the locker room
was bad, but there's always room for improvement. And I
think that the maturity the locker room. Across the board,
(45:01):
there's always going to be the unique players. I'll say that,
of course, but across the board, I think you're having
a very mature defense in terms of the personnel that
is now in there.
Speaker 6 (45:12):
And that's not just Caleb Downs.
Speaker 3 (45:14):
That's some of the other players that they've acquired as well,
and in free agency, and the guys that we're already
remaining on the roster. It's a very mature unit that
they're going to be putting out there. You don't you're
not too concerned about guys being selfish. This is a
very selfless and a very you know, you know, IQ
heavy team. You know that you're putting out the defensive,
(45:35):
you know what you have on offense already. But these
guys are going these are smart players.
Speaker 5 (45:38):
I think playing along Jalen Thompson is going to be
the big the biggest advantage for Caleb Downs. I mean,
those two together, I think are going to change the
faces of this defense is not going to look the
same you want last year. In any stretch of the imagination,
you want.
Speaker 7 (45:51):
Your best players to set the best example, you know.
And so if Caleb Downs is the best player, you
want saying we weren't doing that before. The best players
weren't say no, they were laying on the table in
preseason games, or they were or two of them, you know,
I mean acting like they were at seven eleven, if
you will, throwing the ball around over here on the side,
(46:11):
best players on your team, but not setting the best example.
So when you get onto this backup safety here, when
you get on Marquise Bell or whatever to say, hey,
make sure you're doing this.
Speaker 6 (46:22):
It's like, whoa, what about him? What you know?
Speaker 7 (46:24):
And you I've heard Romo tell tell that story a
lot about t O, how it was hard with him
because he'd jump off sides and they didn't get mad
at him, but that if Creighton did it, or if
Sam Heard did it, then they would do that. It's like, well,
you can't at the same That's why leaders. First of all,
they have to be great players.
Speaker 6 (46:42):
You can't.
Speaker 7 (46:43):
I mean, you can't just be a good player. You
got to be a great player to be a leader.
But you also have to do it lead the right way.
Because you've seen leaders that aren't leading the best way.
You know, you've seen followers to you know, yo, he's
a leader, but we don't necessarily want that.
Speaker 3 (46:57):
Yeah, and I mean, I mean, I will push back
on a fact. I don't think you have to be
a great player to be a leader. I think you
have to be a great player to have maximum influence, right,
But there are plenty of guys who go about it
the right way.
Speaker 6 (47:11):
What happens is when you.
Speaker 3 (47:12):
Have that permeating through the entire locker room instead of
it being a outlier.
Speaker 1 (47:18):
Right.
Speaker 3 (47:18):
That's where I think that the ball is dropped in
terms of locker room maturity is when you have Okay,
well that position, Yeah, we have one guy who's doing
it the right way. But this group, okay, they really
don't have anything like yeah, but when you have it
across the board. And it's one of the main reasons
why I still think that you know who I want
at linebacker. I feel like there's a missing piece there
and a missed opportunity currently that exists to bring somebody
(47:41):
in that room who maybe maybe he's.
Speaker 6 (47:43):
The starter for you, maybe he's not.
Speaker 3 (47:44):
But if you bring him and put him in that room,
and now you have that at every single level of
your defense, there's a huge opportunity just from the maturity
aspect and the preparation aspect and the way in which
they approach the game.
Speaker 6 (47:59):
I hope that they don't allow that to pass them by.
Speaker 5 (48:02):
I wholeheartedly agree. All right, fellas, that'll do it for
Talking Cowboys. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you,
Nicky Man coming on the show, Isaiah Standbacker's Beam. We'll
see you next.
Speaker 3 (48:10):
Time on Talking Cowboys.
Speaker 1 (48:14):
This has been a production of dallascowboys dot Com and
the Dallas Cowboys Football Club
The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com
and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Cowboys. This He's Talking Cowboys, screaming live.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
From the Dallas Cowboys World Course at the Star in Frisco.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Tag Bergerson's got t take any patdown and now.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
Your hosts, Isaiah Standback, Patrick Walker, Josh Rodriguez, and Kyle Yeomans.
Speaker 5 (00:40):
Welcome to Talking Cowboys, presented by Black Rifle Coffee, the
official coffee of the Dallas Cowboys. We are live the
Star in Frisco.
Speaker 6 (00:48):
Here in the s WBC studio.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
I am here with Isaiah Standback. Is I Christopher Bartholomew Beemer.
I'm Josh Rodriguez, and I'm here with one special Guess.
Speaker 7 (01:02):
What I know, the energy on this you gotta bring
it up.
Speaker 6 (01:06):
Who for sure? For the people out there. Nick Eatman
is on the show at freaking night.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
But we got some audience.
Speaker 7 (01:13):
I don't know that was good enough.
Speaker 6 (01:15):
Maybe we have we have a little get a clap
from the back.
Speaker 7 (01:18):
Yeah, I feel like that was Monday night raw like yeah,
you know which, I think that's not No, that's a
lot more excitement to start a show that I gotta
talk to the guy that starts my show up, I
gotta conversation.
Speaker 5 (01:36):
Up on storyline, loch More tame on storyline.
Speaker 7 (01:40):
No, I'm switching it out. Wait, wait till tomorrow. I'm
gonna do something.
Speaker 5 (01:45):
It's always the live for me. You gotta you know,
hit live. We are live, you know, yeah, we are. Anyways,
the schedule is out. It's official schedules out.
Speaker 6 (01:55):
We know what it is.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
Twenty twenty six Dallas Cowboys season schedule. It's on Dallas
Cobies dot com, s lawt schedule dot com. We worked
hard at putting that together for you fellas. I hope
you guys like had it on.
Speaker 7 (02:06):
The fan couple hours early.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
Oh yeah, yeah, oh yeah, they just guessed it. I
don't know, that's weird. They're so good at guessing that. Anyways. Uh,
it's on Dallas Copies dot Com. They had a schedule
release video which performed really well. That was multiple, genuinely,
my fat. We had a lot of videos, yeah, multiple videos,
Oh yeah, multiple videos.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
But yeah, the Tyler's the t i A. That was
one of my favorite. That was pretty dope release videos
that we've had. And then you had on the social front,
you had the all the guys doing all the was
it the.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
Act out Yeah, scenario of things kind of charas interesting, Yeah, situation.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
A great peak behind the bail in terms of guys
personalities though, I thought it was great in terms of
access for the fans to be able to see the personalities.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
And oh, guys, Tyler Smith is a bona fide star.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Jake Fergson, I don't think people knew that about him,
knew they a little crazy.
Speaker 6 (02:52):
He's a little crazy. They might they know that a
little bit maybe.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
So we got the schedule to talk about, lots to discuss,
and I mean, there's so many different benchmarks here on
the schedule that we need to look at. But first
I want to ask you, guys, what is the biggest
surprise of the twenty twenty sixth schedule For you? Nick,
you want to kick us.
Speaker 6 (03:09):
Off, all right?
Speaker 7 (03:11):
For me, it's it's not it's post Brazil that that
was a surprise that you know, you just have to
I mean, you have to play the Bucks on a
Thursday night, right, I mean you can't like not play
the Bucks on Thursday night. I mean not not giving
the Houston at noon after the Baltimore game, Like okay.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
You'd argue that kind of did us a favor there
with Houston noon, with the new Houston game. It's an
away a game, but it's Houston.
Speaker 6 (03:37):
Yeah right.
Speaker 7 (03:38):
I think the Cowboys asked for that, but what they
didn't think was gonna come back. Oh oh yeah, we'll
give you noon Houston because you're gonna have a Thursday
night game against Tampa. That one that just seems like
a tough one, but.
Speaker 5 (03:49):
Against one ruben Bain, that's tough. Oh yeah, a personal
like that's yeah, that hurts.
Speaker 7 (03:56):
Even with Caleb downs, you still are you hurting on
the Ruben Bain was still there? You know, Oh you're staying.
Speaker 6 (04:02):
Trade back?
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Yeah, yeah, trade up a little bit more. I don't know,
I know, I know.
Speaker 7 (04:07):
It's just a me thing.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
I'll leave it alone. Yeah, Isaiah, what was the most
the biggest surprise on the schedule for you?
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Biggest surprise for me is that I will not be
going to Brazil. That's the biggest surprise. No, No, the surprises,
I'm not sure that nothing really stood out to me.
I think that there are I like the way that
the schedules laid out this year. Last year, I feel
like we got a bad deal.
Speaker 5 (04:30):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 6 (04:31):
Last year was a bad deal.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
Especially the latter half of last year still was crazy.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
I feel like this season they put the really on
the heels of the of the Brazil game. To your point, Nick,
that's really the challenging portion what I foresee right right
the current outlook of this season, that's that four game run.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Right.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
You're always looking for those three or four games straight
where it's like, Okay, this is kind of the gauntlet.
Last year with the gauntlet was at the end of
the season. This year it's it's games you know, or
through seven.
Speaker 5 (05:01):
You bring up the gauntlet as a player, As a
former player, was that the first thing you would look
at when a new schedule would be released, you were
looking for that sort of gauntlet.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Or that I was looking at the bye week. The
bye week is always the first thing that I look at.
Speaker 6 (05:11):
What did you weak? Yeah, middle to the end, to
middle to the end.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Because you're you're fresher obviously, you know, coming off of
training camp and all that stuff, right, you want to
get into it and get rolling. The worst thing as
a player to have an early buy because you know
that injuries are going to happen.
Speaker 6 (05:28):
You know that the grind is going to catch up
with you. You know that physically you're going to be exhausted, So.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
You don't want that to You don't want that break early, right,
I want that break as late as possible, because you
know everybody has the foresight of going to the playoffs.
If you have a late bye, now, all of a sudden,
your body has more rest closer to the playoffs versus
having it early and you got to have a twelve
to fourteen game run, you know what I'm saying, where
(05:53):
you have zero breaks. That's not what you want as
a player, and that's not what your body wants. So
getting this bye week towards the back half of the season,
I Week four absolutely awesome, right, I think that is
awesome With four games left, that's huge because then you
take those four games and if say you have to
go to a wildcard and you know you got another
four games, that's an eight game run, right if you
(06:13):
envision yourself going all the way to the super Bowl,
versus if that was what happened on the front end
of the schedule, say Week four, week five, that's a
lot of freaking games straight that your body doesn't get
any rest, right in terms outside of till Thursday night,
you know Thursday night turnarounds where you get a couple more.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
Days and you don't necessarily get to get in a
groove if you have that week four, week five by
I mean you've been resting all of the offseason and
then only four or five weeks of football and then
all of a sudden you're getting under the break and
then not another one until the playoffs. So getting one
this late, I don't know that I've seen that. I
can't tell you the last time a week fourteen by.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
No, that's they did it in like nineteen ninety. I
mean it was way back then.
Speaker 7 (06:53):
But you know, the interesting thing too, is when you
look at right before the bye, you've got Seattle on
a Monday nine from a Thursday game. So going up
against the defending champions, you've got what is that eleven days?
Eleven days from Thanksgiving to that then you get a bye.
The Rams helped me the Rams in the NFC Championship
(07:16):
game or I don't remember who Seattle be to get
to the Rams, right, Okay, so you got the two
best teams from last year and you're going and you're
getting eleven days for the for one of them, and
then the next one you're getting, you know, a bye week,
and so you're getting you know, probably about what is
that about thirteen days? So that's you know, I just
wonder about the fourteen weeks leading leading up to it,
(07:38):
like that is a that is a grind.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
I mean, but I think I don't know, right, but
I would assume that when the coaches receive the schedule
that that plays a part into the grind at training camp, right,
I really do. I believe that when you have that
early buy, you can be a little bit more aggressive
physically in your training camp. And some coaches might not care, right,
(07:59):
But I'm just thinking, if I were to wear a coach,
I'm gonna look at this schedule and say, Okay, I
might want to pull back on a physic calory and
a little bit in training camp because I know we
have a we got a fourteen game run here that
we got coming up, right, We got to be able
to get through the front half of the season. There
is no breaks outside of those the things giving games
and all those things. So that's it management.
Speaker 6 (08:21):
It is what it is, right. It's not old school
football no more.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
It's a new age of ball, right, So these coaches
have to look at load management and getting their players
through the season. You're now understand that I'm not saying
that they should take it easy and all this stuff.
I know the fan's gonna jump to it, but it's
your responsibility as a coach to ensure that your players
are as healthy as can be to get from week
to week and taking into account by week, taking into
(08:44):
account extra days off. Those are all things that are
the responsibility of the head coach and the nutrition staff
and obviously the strength conditioning staff.
Speaker 5 (08:53):
And obviously you only get a certain allotment of the
padded practices. And do you think that is more capped
at training camp because of a late by.
Speaker 7 (09:04):
I don't think so. H. I think that that's the
way that they try to do it anyways. I mean
I don't, I don't. I don't think it has anything
to do with the bye week. I think that that's
kind of the structure. I think the NFLPA has jumped
in on that too, So I don't know if it
has anything to do with it. Your bye could be
in week four could be in week fourteen. You know,
I think that it's very important for them to keep
(09:25):
them off their feet, and it's it's it's not like
it used to be, Like I know, like Nate Newton's
Other World are like, oh my god, you know it.
Speaker 6 (09:33):
Even even you, I mean it was.
Speaker 7 (09:35):
You did have two days back then. So when I
think of training camp and I think of Isaiah, I
always think of this one story of No, it's it's you,
Like you could throw the ball, Like there's no doubt
about a college quarterback. We've seen the seventy five yard
hail Mary, but I remember you. You were doing some
kind of stretches, you were on your knees, and you
(09:58):
were throwing the football. You threw the football from forty
into the net from your knees. I was like, this
guy's not a quarterback.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Stephen McGee. Like, now, now we didn't Steve McGee. Then
who was the backup of seven?
Speaker 6 (10:14):
Bart Barton?
Speaker 7 (10:15):
Uh, no, seventh Brad, not Brad.
Speaker 6 (10:20):
It was Barton.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
I can't remember his first name, bart Barton, Barton, Barton Barton, quarterback.
Speaker 7 (10:25):
Yeah, Romo was the quarterback in seven as the starter.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
He told me to stop throwing a ball in pre practice.
Yeah wow wow, because the coaches did.
Speaker 7 (10:34):
Who's the backup of Oh, seven, it's not pardon, I
don't even know who you're I can look at this part.
Speaker 6 (10:39):
You go ahead. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (10:40):
Anyways, anyway, that's what I think about training camp.
Speaker 6 (10:43):
You.
Speaker 7 (10:43):
I was just thinking you're just throwing the ball, and
they were you were making that transition to receiver.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
But I was a quarterback, and I still think coaches
did not want me that. Like a lot of people
don't know that coaches told me to stop throwing the
ball in pre practice.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Was that Richard Bartell?
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Bartel Bartel, Richard Bartell, I know it was. Bart wasn't
the backup, back up though, I mean like there was.
It was a third and we had Brad Johnson, okay,
y b fourth, Yeah yeah, Brad Johnson for sure. Richard Bartel, Yeah,
I got you. But uh, the day that you signed
with the Patriots and they moved you to quarterback, Belichick
(11:18):
or like, oh god, this.
Speaker 5 (11:21):
Guy is on to something again. It's one of those situations.
At least we're at camp. Like that was the first
time I met you at camp, and it was Nick
explaining to me, like, oh, I because I knew you
from you know, special teams beyond the Cowboys and all that,
but it was Nick explaining the Uh there was a
was it Felix Jones touchdown return where Isaiah with the speed?
Speaker 6 (11:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (11:46):
Unreal, unreal, And and we sat down and watched the
play and then Isaiah walked into the room at the
same time.
Speaker 6 (11:52):
I was like, oh wow, it's dude.
Speaker 5 (11:54):
Yeah, it's it's fascinating. But going back to the schedule
a little bit, I want to get.
Speaker 7 (11:58):
You, uh well, what was your thought?
Speaker 5 (12:01):
What was your biggest surprise? I couldn't believe that green
Bay was so early. I was sitting here, you know,
pounding on the table that like, there's no way that
the Dallas Cowboys get green Bay. Uh, like it was
probably gonna be Thanksgiving, was.
Speaker 7 (12:15):
My You're thinking because of the weather, because of Micah.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
I'm thinking because of Micah, Yeah, like getting back or yeah,
I think that they wanted him on the Dallas schedule
as late as humanly possible, just so that he could
get back from that injury.
Speaker 7 (12:27):
Rising Okay, with that October eighteenth at Green Bay, I'm good.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Yeah, seriously, I mean I mean that, how do you
feel about that five week stretch though?
Speaker 7 (12:39):
How do I feel about the where we're starting Baltimore,
BRAZILA you know, it's funny you say that because I
thought after that seven games, after that first seven games,
going into Arizona.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
And I'm not saying that Arizona game is gonna be easy. No,
those are always weird, but on previous year's success, right,
But I'm just saying those seven just don't be two
and five. I don't think you will be.
Speaker 5 (13:02):
But let's run it down. Baltimore Ravens in Brazil at Houston.
The next week home game against the Bucks again, that's
Thursday night at Green Bay at Philly. Then the Arizona
Cardinals and if you want to, I mean yeah, and
you can lump into the Colts too because they got uh,
they got Indiana Jones out there as well.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
I believe that this schedule defensively, when I look at this,
I see defense popping off the screen. I'm not thinking
about offenses opposing offenses when I think when I look
at this schedule, the defenses pop off, and Baltimore is
not gonna suck on defense. They haven't been great as
of late, but obviously Mentor is coming in. He's gonna
change up. You know what Houston's defense, right, You know
(13:44):
what Todd Bowles defense is right, we know Green Bay's
defense is solid, Philly's defense is always solid. And then okay,
if Arizona, we don't really know who they're gonna be,
but we know Indianapolis's defense that's their calling card as well. Right,
so you're talking about you know, of those you know
from Baltimore or to Indianapolis. I mean there's the forty
nine ers right after that that exactly, I don't even
(14:06):
want to look down there, and you know to see
they freaking revamped their entire defense, right, So, and then
you go Philly Seattle. Right, So the defense, I mean, offense,
you're gonna know who the heck you are? Oh for
you going to get tested really early. I know everybody's
been feeling really secure about the offense and all the
else's The offense is solid, but you you're gonna that's
a gauntlet.
Speaker 6 (14:22):
Now.
Speaker 7 (14:23):
I think, I think, and I hate to say this
because it sounds so bad, but I think the offense
from last year is overrated because it over ranked. Maybe
not so much overrated, yeah, but and I only say
this because you go off of how many yards you
put up, and you put up all these yards because
(14:43):
your defense. Think about that Detroit game. You couldn't stop anyone,
so you had to keep scoring, keep scoring. It wasn't enough, though,
And I say it overrated only because there were times
when the offense wasn't good enough. It just wasn't good enough.
But they did have great numbers a lot of a
lot of points because they needed to. But I don't
know if you necessarily say that they were the elite
(15:06):
elite No, And I think this question marks.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
I think the fact that the offense hasn't changed much
since that time. I think they just pose well for
the chemistry going forward in the next season, because you
want that consistency there, especially the offensive line. I had
a lot of criticism for the offensive line because I
just didn't think they were performing to the same level
that we were all kind of considering. I mean, granted,
Tyler Brooker started really quick, and like you felt good
about that pick, but bbe for a minute there, I
(15:31):
was like, I don't know that we necessarily made the
right decision in starting him over Hoffman, And then that
kind of it felt better halfway through the season. I
think just more consistency with that line together is always good.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
You talked about overrated, right or overvalued or Yeah, what
aspect of this offense do you feel needs to make
the biggest jump, Because there's a lot of tens has
been on defense, right, everybody's going to talking about defense, defense, defense, right,
Christian Parker, the additions, all that stuff to leave the
offense mostly intact.
Speaker 6 (16:03):
What is it that they need to improve on?
Speaker 5 (16:05):
Let me say, red zone play calling?
Speaker 6 (16:06):
I agree.
Speaker 5 (16:07):
That was one thing that I definitely gave Shoddy a
lot of criticians before last year is that I felt
between yeah, in the red zone, it just didn't feel
like there was a lot.
Speaker 6 (16:16):
Of I felt like the system got abandoned.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
Yeah, like the system, yes, yes, and especially running the ball.
That was a big thing for me. It's like just
I mean, you got you down there, he got you
down there, and then you start throwing it. You start
getting cute with play calling.
Speaker 7 (16:30):
I kind of think, you know, you're talking about twenty
in the inside, from twenty to the forty, I'm talking
about the next twenty yards. I don't love that play
calling either. And I feel like Shody's got to figure
out Aubrey a little bit, and not I mean not
figure out Aubrey. We know what he is, but let's
not lean on the fact that he can he can
(16:52):
make a sixty yards show like there's no doubt. Yes
he can make it. But if he misses, you're putting
your defense even worse situation. To me, it's okay to
I mean, just keep playing downhill downhill instead of that.
There were some times where I thought they would take
a sack, didn't need to just saying well, we do
have Aubrey, Yeah he can miss a fifty eight yarder.
Speaker 5 (17:14):
And I think your offense was so good that you
were kind of banking on, like the play makeability of
a George Pickens to get yourself out of a really
bad field position, and they weren't. By doing that, didn't
necessarily play very well to the field position game all season,
you know, like like you said you would go for
a sixty yard kick as opposed to pinning, giving your
(17:35):
defense an advantage and putting their offense back a little bit.
I think some of that is just going to come
to shotty as this season.
Speaker 7 (17:42):
Rule I'm I'm gonna go back and I say this
overrated is a bad word for sure.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Okay, what I'm what I'm saying is is, Okay, offense
is good, don't worry about the offense. Let's fix the defense.
Speaker 6 (17:52):
It's not perfect.
Speaker 7 (17:53):
Offensive wasn't perfect last year and it had to be
and it just wasn't. So that's really why I'm saying.
It's it's not an untouchable thing. It's still the very
best thing you do, and it's still very elite, but
it the defense needs. I think the defense can be better.
The offense numbers will go down and that's a good thing. Yes, yeah,
they won't need to score as much.
Speaker 5 (18:11):
One hundred percent. You want a complete team. We need
to go to break real quick. When we come back,
I want to ask you, guys, what is your measuring
stick on the schedule? All right, we'll be right back
after this.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
Every day begins with a promise, a promise to work
hard and to build a future. That's why we're here
providing the tools, expertise and John Deere equipment you have
relied on for generations to help you get the job
done right.
Speaker 5 (18:39):
We're with you.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
That's our promise to you. Because no matter the project
or the challenge you're facing, where are you?
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Where are you not it?
Speaker 8 (18:50):
If you're looking for fresh American roasty coffee that gives back,
you need to head to your local grocery store and.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
Pick up a bag of Black Rifle Coffee.
Speaker 8 (18:59):
That's right, America's coffee is now available in the coffee
aisle of a grocery store near you. Black Rifle Coffee
Company is veteran founded with a mission to give back
to those brave men and women who have served our nation.
Every bag box or can you purchase help support that mission.
Head to your local grocery store and roast yourself some
Black Rifle coffee today.
Speaker 9 (19:20):
If you shout how about them Cowboys, you have that
undeniable passion that's the heart of Cowboys Nation. And if
you like to drink Doctor Pepper, you love the unique
blend of its twenty three flavors. Together, you're one of
a kind fandom paired with the one of a kind
taste of a delicious ice cold Doctor Pepper is the
game day lineup that can't be beat better. Yet, gather
your Cowboys and Doctor Pepper fan friends to watch the
(19:43):
next game and crack open a delicious ice cold Doctor
Pepper for everyone.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
The wins will be even tasteier.
Speaker 6 (19:48):
It's a Pepper thing.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
I'm home.
Speaker 9 (19:51):
Hey, mom, Before you ask, I've done my homework and
the dishwashers unloading.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Nice, Hey, can you ahon? Yes, I've got the finale
ready to play.
Speaker 6 (19:59):
Here's your wine?
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Wow? Isn't it nice not having to ask? We think so.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
That's why if there's a network interruption at and T
will proactively credit you for a full day of service
guarantee credit for five or downtime lasting twenty minutes or more,
or for wireless downtime lasting sixty minutes and more caused
by a single Incidentmpact in ten more towers. Restrictions and
exclusion apply att dot com Slash Guarantee for details.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
To Talking Cowboys.
Speaker 5 (20:28):
Welcome back to Talking Cowboys this summer train where stars
are made. At Dallas Cowboys Youth football and dance camps
of all skill ages six to sixteen are invited to
learn from forever our former NFL players and Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Yeah,
step onto the field and practice like the pros. Register
now at Dallas Cowboys dot com slash Camps.
Speaker 6 (20:46):
Dot com all skill level.
Speaker 5 (20:48):
As you said, all levels six to sixteen are invited.
D gotta do it for Danny.
Speaker 6 (20:56):
Just missed.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
He knows a thing or two.
Speaker 6 (20:57):
He does, He does it great.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
He's a survivor will shout out to Danny mccraye for
what he's done with all the youth sports aspects of
this of this company.
Speaker 6 (21:06):
He's done an amazing job.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Man, you talk about somebody transitioning, you hear so often
about people transitioning in the struggle.
Speaker 6 (21:12):
He's killing it.
Speaker 5 (21:13):
Like he's really killing it and genuinely one of my
favorite people to talk to. You sit with him every
single day.
Speaker 7 (21:18):
I'm sure that's kind of he's he was getting after
Beams asked yesterday. That's the thing though, that is a
he's an analyzer man. I mean, I mean he'll sit
there and.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
He doesn't forget things.
Speaker 7 (21:33):
No, he'll be like, what's you eating there? What you
got here?
Speaker 10 (21:36):
Oh?
Speaker 7 (21:36):
Okay, you're today? You know You're like why He's like, oh,
I'm just saying, you know what?
Speaker 8 (21:43):
Is it?
Speaker 5 (21:44):
An instigator?
Speaker 3 (21:45):
No doubt that he'll a great, great job. And like
you said, with girls flag football, he's a trail place.
He really really really he's been.
Speaker 7 (21:55):
He's been amazing with that and it's fun to kind
of watch that. He tries so hard and and you know,
as a as a former player, you see it differently,
like you see the way what you're doing with your
businesses and he's doing is like, there's no time to
be lazy, you know. And I'm sure there are players
that aren't as successful and that's probably, but the ones
(22:16):
that really want to.
Speaker 5 (22:17):
Do something and I have that competitive spirit in anything
that yes, right, I mean clearly.
Speaker 7 (22:23):
And don't just fall back on the fact why I'm
a former player. It's like I'm actually, yes, i am,
thank you for opening the door, but now I'm gonna
bust it down, you know, And that's kind of the
way it is.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
He definitely he's done that and he's bread hearted. It
the best, there is the.
Speaker 6 (22:39):
Best, all right?
Speaker 5 (22:40):
Before the break, I teased the game on the schedule
that would be your measuring stick. What is the game
that you're looking forward to that kind of tell you
what the twenty twenty six styles caps are going to be.
Speaker 6 (22:51):
Yeah, I'm going to go with the real game.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
I'm gonna go with Baltimore simply because of the fact
I think you're going to face one of the most
diatnam make players in the NFL at the most important
position in the NFL. You talk about, you talk about
his ability, Lamar Jackson, that is to just create I
think that what they're trying to do offensively now, they
still want to go downhill at you. You know, you
(23:15):
talk about him, you talk about their running game between
him and Derrick Henry, and then you know that defensively
they're going to be completely revamped. Yeah, their organization. When
you think about the Baltimore Ravens, historically, you think about
their defense. You don't think about their offense. You think
about their offense kind of you know, kind of just
floating and floating along and doing enough to get through.
But their defense has always been the dominant portion.
Speaker 5 (23:37):
And I would say last year was pretty much unacceptable
in terms of like their culture and in the.
Speaker 6 (23:43):
Last like three years, their defense has not been great, and.
Speaker 5 (23:46):
Which is why they made a change, A big change,
I mean, one that not a lot of people expected.
And granted, you know, you could be on either side
of it, but I feel like the consensus from Baltimore
is like it was time for a change, and everybody
outside of is like, well, he's a great coach.
Speaker 6 (23:59):
What do you do? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (24:01):
But yeah, then when he goes to the Giants, you're like,
why they let him go? You know, brings like half
his team would I just.
Speaker 7 (24:07):
I always think it's weird because they had a missed
field goal on the final play of the regular season
to make the playoffs, they would have made it. And
it's you know, a shocker that the Craze missed it
is Harvard's still a good coach. I mean, like, like,
you know, they go to the playoffs, maybe they maybe
they win because because you host a game at that point,
(24:28):
you win a game, you go to the division round.
Maybe you win that, maybe you don't. You're still letting
go of the coach all because the guy missed the
field goal. I just think that's weird. But like you said,
there seemed like there was a lot more to it.
But and if the DV needed fresh.
Speaker 5 (24:41):
Oh yeah, I'm sure that was part of it too,
because you know, uh, what is it diminishing returns after
a while, you know, coaching be that good and just
not necessarily have it in that organization organization anymore, and
they're thinking of a different way to go forward. Of course,
the Lamar Jackson's kind of the team is built around him,
and obviously they wanted capitaliz on what they have in him.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
And you're finding out that he was a part of
his head coaching search exactly. Yeah, he had a word
supposedly supposedly he had a word and on who was.
Speaker 6 (25:10):
Going to be the head coach.
Speaker 5 (25:11):
That's one thing that's like, is that coming from Lamar
or you know what? Like is that the front officing like,
oh no, we let him out to say sure? For me,
the measuring stick was Green Bay. Of course, I know
I keep bringing it up, but I mean, if Mike
is healthy by that game, there's unfinished business there. There
was a tie last year. Nobody wanted to see that.
I mean, it's great for headlines and all that, but like,
to me, that is such a business unfinished game that
(25:35):
you can really because the trade talk is still in
the air of like who won the trade and there
literally it was a tie last year and we're still
out a point where it's like we got all of
these players and they have Micah Parsons and he's paid
X amount of dollars and you know, they're getting one
of the best defensive players in the league. Because of this,
to me, all of the drama, the storyline, the cinematic
element of it all is is Green Bay.
Speaker 7 (25:57):
I can't Yeah, I mean I like you of that too.
This is unfinished business. That was the weirdest sound after
the game, just what just happened. It was like it
was like week three of the preseason. Yeah, I don't
even know who won.
Speaker 5 (26:14):
The adrenaline is so high the entire time, and if
that was the way that that game ended, everyone was
just like, you.
Speaker 7 (26:20):
Know, the iron I don't feel good at all in
irony there and this is this is this is next level,
I think, but it probably sorry Jack Sanborn, he didn't
he didn't cover very well at all.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Right, Arguably, arguably.
Speaker 7 (26:37):
He is right up on the defender on that last play,
so much so that the ball hits him in the
back and goes straight down one second left. If he
was back a little bit like he usually was, and
he's back where that ball hits him in the shoulder,
not the back, the shoulder because he's back a little
bit still struggling, ball pops up just a little bit.
(26:59):
Maybe someone tips it zero, you win the game. Jack
Sanborn had to cover that play that one time, he
actually was just a little bit closer, you know, he
wasn't where he normally was, which was back a little bit.
Speaker 5 (27:14):
Honestly, that'd be a good deep blue one day, go
through the whole play. Yeah, at least that's.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
It for me.
Speaker 6 (27:20):
What about you? Nick? For me?
Speaker 7 (27:22):
And I steal this point all the time, and so
I'm sure people have heard me say this, but it
to me, it holds true a lot, and especially this year,
Week two is always a measuring stick for me because
you know, first week of the season, everyone's excited and
you're gonna you're gonna get you know, a lot of emotions,
a lot of excitement there, Cowboys, giants and what happens there. Okay,
(27:44):
say you win the game, great, but then come back
week two, what are you really? How many times have
you seen in week one somebody had a bad or great,
you know game, and then everyone likes to think this
is how they are, and then you come back a
week two it's like, well, wow, they didn't see that coming.
Week two is when things calm down a little bit,
but you still start to see what they are. If
(28:05):
you lost that first game, you better win, especially in
the division. You can't be ohing to and lose to Washington.
And if you win that first game, you know what,
watch stack a win together because the one and one,
two and two, three and two, that's how you get
to Jason Garrettville in the eight and eight or eight
eight and one or Shoddyville two. Let's just be hey,
it is what it is until he changes it. So
(28:25):
I think for to me, week two is always important
of what are you gonna be? Are you gonna be
oh and two? Are you gonna be one and one?
How about me?
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Two?
Speaker 6 (28:33):
And those?
Speaker 7 (28:33):
Especially with that big game you're talking about with Baltimore
in the travels. So I think that this this year,
you say you go get a win against the Giants,
don't come back and ruin it with a loss.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
I like to go back a little bit further. I
know we're talking about measuring stick game. Yeah, every year
historically in training camp, since I've been around my measuring
stick for the team, it always occurs in a joint
practice and as myself and Nate Newton, Yes and I
typically get together on this we historically. I'm not sure
(29:04):
if it's going to happen this year. You might know
more than me, Nigga. We normally practice against the Rams, right,
we normally play against the Rams, but we don't have
them this preseason, so I'm not sure if that happens
whenever we have a joint practice with the Rams. Instantly,
I know exactly where our team is at, right, so
we make all of our all of our you know,
(29:24):
projections in terms of schedule. You know, in terms of
the schedule, and you know what our record is going
to be. And then I don't remember what I said
last year, But and then when we hit that practice,
I'm like, oh, that's when I readjust because we know
exactly where we are compared to a team that is
always in the conversation for going to the Super Bowl.
And if you want to know where you're at as
(29:45):
an organization, when you face a Sean McVay team, both
offensively and defensively, you know where you're at. You know
where your offensive line's at, you know where your pressure
rates at, you know where your guys can cover because
you have Pukinnakua DeVante Adams.
Speaker 6 (29:58):
You knew of your DB's that.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
The day that I recognize that DB's weren't gonna cut
it last year, are the dbs that we currently that
we had last year?
Speaker 6 (30:05):
Yeah, I knew that day. I was like, Ooh, these
boys are catching everything. These guys are opened by two
or three yards on routes, right. I knew that we
couldn't get to the quarterback. I said, that's gonna be
a problem.
Speaker 3 (30:14):
You know, I saw their defensive line a couple years ago,
you know, get after our boys in one on ones.
Speaker 6 (30:18):
I was like, ooh, our offensive line is not as
powerful as we thought.
Speaker 5 (30:22):
And by that same metric last year, when you saw
George Pickens at that same practice and you get to
the Rams, you're like, okay, like we actually have something here.
It's one thing that see players perform well playing against
each other, and at least this offense.
Speaker 7 (30:33):
For schemes last year.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
I mean, you were like, oh wow, this is gonna
be one of the greatest offenses ever of all time
because of the combination of Pickens and Lamb. But when
you saw them go up against the Rams in that
way and still make those plays, you were you felt
really confident about that. I remember my first camp where
I was like, this defense.
Speaker 6 (30:50):
Looks really good.
Speaker 5 (30:50):
You got Leyton Vandersch coming off the edge, and you know,
I was like, this looks really impressive. Until the Rams
came to town and you're like, uh, oh, all right,
I guess I don't know how to look at linebackers here.
This is interesting.
Speaker 7 (31:04):
You know that the joint practice has become the preseason game. Yes,
for the more so than the preseason because they don't play. Yeah,
at least you're gonna see Dak and you're gonna throw
the ball around a little bit. And yeah, they don't
get hit and which is fine, but but you can
see what will see enough. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right
about that. I don't know if if the Chargers are
(31:26):
coming in or the Rams or or I hope so, yeah,
I really do hope so because I think it. I
think it's become a very important thing. And I think
I could say this. I think that they the teams
have have stopped the fights or at least controlled them
a little bit.
Speaker 5 (31:41):
Well, brock Hoffman is on the Steelers now, so.
Speaker 7 (31:44):
Yeah, true.
Speaker 6 (31:45):
But I mean, and I think that's one of the
reasons why.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
The Cowboys are at least, you know Cooshotti, you know,
when he was even underneath McCarthy, why they went with
the Rams, because McVeigh has a way about his team
what's allowed and what's not allowed, right, They have a
way about a lot of it's all about their business. Yeah,
And I think it's a very well respected organization. I
think they're very well coached obviously, and their players understand
it right, and I think that you get really good
(32:09):
work on both sides of the ball and special teams.
Speaker 7 (32:11):
I hope it's the Chargers though, because I still think
you'll get some good work. I think hardball does a
good job scheme wise. But also from a fans standpoint,
I mean Chargers only have like fifty you know fans total. Yeah,
So I mean, are they going.
Speaker 5 (32:24):
To be there in Oxen It would be fun to
see this defensive line against their offensive line.
Speaker 6 (32:28):
Yes, That's why. That's the first thing that came to
my mind.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
Because their team is built like the Monstars, Like they're
just gigantic like. And I know people say, oh, they're
all NFL players. Everybody's not built the same. And certain coaches,
especially the harball side, the Hardballs go about their business
a certain way, and it's in the trenches.
Speaker 5 (32:44):
Now.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
They like their guys six six six six six six
eight on the offensive line, and they like them to
be three hundred and fifty pounds across the board, like,
and they walk in and all you hear is hit
them high, hit them high, hit them.
Speaker 7 (32:56):
I mean that's a good point though about this defensive line.
I mean it, yes, it's I mean over ten is
like the fifth lineman and he looks like you know,
I mean he he looks like a little kid compared
to what these other defense on because every defensive tackle
on this team, it weighs three twenty five massive. They
traded Osa, they let go of Solomon Thomas. They wanted
(33:18):
a different guy.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
I mean, like body types are different. And Obanya, those
are the two backups. Yeah to quinnen and and Kenny
clod little backups.
Speaker 5 (33:28):
Three forty Yeah, Abania is three twenty. I mean these
are big dudes. So we haven't had like that type
of defensive line now time. Obviously they're changing kind of.
Speaker 6 (33:35):
Scheme and call for it. Yeah yeah, but now you
know now so big.
Speaker 7 (33:40):
But you're right, like that matchup against the Chargers, that
would be fun and you know, just to just to
kind of see that. I don't know if they're coming
in or not. I mean, I haven't really heard that.
We haven't gotten that far, but that's one of those things.
They'll they'll trickle out here at some point. But I mean,
you got you know, you got the Seattle. I mean,
everybody's gotta go to Seattle twice right, God, But you
(34:00):
know I was a little surprised.
Speaker 6 (34:01):
By that one.
Speaker 5 (34:02):
Yeah, a little surprised by it.
Speaker 7 (34:03):
Okay, in the preseason, we have to go to.
Speaker 6 (34:05):
Break real quick.
Speaker 5 (34:05):
When we come back, I want to ask in your
career with the Dallas Cowboys, I mean this, you just
celebrate your twenty fifth season.
Speaker 7 (34:12):
Ah, twenty eight, twenty eighty seven.
Speaker 5 (34:14):
Excuse me, congratulations on spring Chicken. Got I got a
question for you that that is exactly about that. We'll
be right back for this, Okay.
Speaker 6 (34:23):
What would you like the power to do?
Speaker 5 (34:25):
Dig deep and ask it. Can you really live so
far from the family you lean on?
Speaker 8 (34:32):
Well?
Speaker 3 (34:33):
Will it broken nose break you?
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Or will it make you?
Speaker 10 (34:38):
Bank of America champions, US Men's national team player Diego Luna,
and everyone who dares to ask what would you like
the power to do? Bank of America Proud to be
the official bank of US Soccer and FIFA World Cup
twenty twenty six. Bank of America NA member.
Speaker 8 (34:52):
After se If you're looking for fresh American roasted coffee
that gives back, you need to head to your local
grocery store and pick up up a.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
Bag of Black Rifle coffee.
Speaker 8 (35:02):
That's right, America's coffee is now available in the coffee
aisle of a grocery store near you. Black Rifle Coffee
Company is veteran founded with a mission to give back
to those brave men and women who have served our nation.
Every bag box or can you purchase help support that mission.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Head to your local grocery store and roast yourself some
Black Rifle coffee today.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
Every day begins with a promise, a promise to work
hard and to build a future. That's why we're here
providing the tools, expertise and John Deere equipment you have
relied on for generations to help you get the job
done right.
Speaker 10 (35:40):
We're with you.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
That's our promise to you because no matter of the
project or the challenge you're facing.
Speaker 6 (35:47):
Where were you where are you united?
Speaker 3 (35:51):
I'm home? Hey?
Speaker 9 (35:52):
Mom, before you ask, I've done my homework and the
dishwashers unloading?
Speaker 6 (35:56):
Nice? Hey? Can you ahn?
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Yes, I've got the finale ready to play. Here's your wine? Wow?
Isn't it nice not having to ask?
Speaker 8 (36:04):
We think so.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
That's why if there's a network interruption, at and T
will proactively credit you for a full day of service
guarantee credit for five or downtime lasting twenty minutes or more,
or for wireless downtime lasting sixty minutes and more caused
by a single incident impact in ten more towers. Restrictions
and exclusions apply att dot Com slash guarantee for details.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
To Talking Cowboys.
Speaker 5 (36:34):
Welcome back to Talking Cowboys. Here with Nick Eatman. Here
with Isaiah stand back. Christopher Beam is in the back.
Speaker 6 (36:39):
Nick.
Speaker 5 (36:40):
Before we went to break, I wanted to ask you
specifically about like your career with the Cowboys twenty eight seasons. Yeah,
eight season. Congratulations to you, by the way, thank you
catching you.
Speaker 7 (36:50):
I want to ask you in yours my twenty eighth
I've been twenty seven.
Speaker 5 (36:54):
Full So in your twenty seven years around the team,
what schedule quirk tends to matter most season's end.
Speaker 7 (37:02):
Matters most to the team, Not to me, right, I
mean no, I mean no because because.
Speaker 5 (37:10):
But yeah, like in terms of the schedule and what matters.
Speaker 7 (37:12):
Sometimes when people ask that question, I'm like, Okay, you're
asking me because.
Speaker 5 (37:15):
I mean, I mean, I mean, obviously you didn't you
don't want to go to Seattle twice? That was one
thing that you brought up.
Speaker 7 (37:21):
Yeah, well, you know the way the way that the
travel is from ox Start is not the best because
it's not from ox Star, it's from l A, So
you got to go to LA.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
That is not a big But which schedule quirk matters
the most to the in.
Speaker 5 (37:38):
Terms of the season and how the Cowboys are performing
and like by the seasons and what quirk about the
schedule kind of gives you that upper hand or could
sink the ship.
Speaker 7 (37:51):
That's a tough question you have.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
I'm not.
Speaker 5 (37:57):
Quizz you too much, huh.
Speaker 7 (37:59):
I'm talking about like, I'm not sure I understand the
question fully. What would your answer be?
Speaker 6 (38:03):
Do you know?
Speaker 7 (38:04):
I know that you haven't been here as long, but
what what was your your am?
Speaker 5 (38:08):
To me, it's it's what the schedule looks like after Thanksgiving?
To me, it's like, what about that that run of games? Uh,
taking you of course into December as well? What about
that sets the Dallas always up? Because to me, that's
always by the time I figure out, okay, are we
solidified a playoff team by this time? And for me,
(38:28):
Thanksgiving is always the benchmark in that respect. Obviously you
have enough games under your belt you kind of know
who the team is by that point. But I mean,
like typically as long as I've been watching the Cowboys,
it has been after Thanksgiving they have a run of
games that's that is your in or out, that's and
it's always the tougher games. This season, I'm looking at
it and I'm saying, this is a relatively light December
(38:50):
aside from the Seahawks, and then of course we're talking
about the Rams, who you are familiar with for the
most part, but then you have Jacksonville, then you have
New York.
Speaker 6 (38:57):
Don't sleep on Jacksonville. I mean, that's too an explosive team.
Speaker 5 (39:01):
That's fair, but obviously compared to their records last year
going into this year, notwithstanding the changes that they've made.
For me, it's always after Thanksgiving where I kind of
look at like, Okay, what gauntlet is it that we have?
And this doesn't seem to me as daunting as years past.
Speaker 7 (39:18):
Yeah, I could, I could go with that. I mean, usually,
I don't know how many I don't know how many
years this has been, but usually in December January, you're
gonna face the Eagles at some point, you know what
I mean. I think last year it might have been
that you definitely face them at the I think at
the end of the year. Am I missing that?
Speaker 5 (39:37):
Oh my goodness, Yeah, no, no, no, no, no, you didn't.
Speaker 7 (39:39):
You played Philly Week one and then right before Thanksgiving.
So this is second year in a row. I guess
you didn't play Philly, but you go. You know, you're
gonna play division games, and in this case, you got
at Washington and you got the Giants. I was with
you on that when you were talking about schedule quarts.
I'm thinking the last couple of games. You know what
happens in these final NFC East games, Giants at home Wash.
Speaker 5 (40:00):
But and that's always the case, is like those last
two games are typically the divisional battles.
Speaker 7 (40:04):
It's tough because we could be sitting here in last
year's schedule and some some team could be looking at
their schedule last year and be like, we got to
play the Chiefs and then at least at least we
got the Bears because they're not very good. And then
you know what I mean, you know, it flips so
like which which one is it this year? Which which
team is it that you're thinking is not that bad
and they're going to be really good And it could
(40:26):
be you know, the other way too, And.
Speaker 5 (40:27):
I think You brought up a good point, because I mean,
those teams are not the same teams as they were
last year. Those records don't carry over. You're looking at
a Jacksonville Jaguars, who definitely have rebuilt themselves in a
lot of different ways.
Speaker 6 (40:36):
They were a payoff team last year, an't they.
Speaker 5 (40:38):
Yeah that too. And Tennessee Titans talking about rebuilding their
entire defense. They have Robert Sola, who you know is
going to turn their defense around. So it's not necessarily
about like confidence level on these games. It was just
more so like historically, what is it about the schedule
that kind of gives you that?
Speaker 6 (40:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (40:54):
I think for me, it's like the division and conference games,
So where those relocated and how they kind of grew together,
because you can make or break your season obviously with
those those conference and divisional games, right, depending on how
you perform there. Obviously, when you play the AFC, it's
like okay, cool, right, you kind of have a measuring
stick and obviously the record matters, but more so you
need the NFC.
Speaker 6 (41:15):
You need that good ranking there.
Speaker 7 (41:17):
That Titans game on November twenty second is really big
and I know that I'm not joking around like, that's
a game you should win. I think we think by
then who knows what Tennessee looks like, but or anybody
what they look like. But you know that the forty
nine Ers game the week before is going to be tough. Yeah,
and that's going to be physical. And then you got
(41:38):
to go in your at home and you stay at
home and you play Tennessee and then you got the
Eagles on Thanksgiving. You better win that one. You better
win that Titans game right there, because you know you're
sandwiched in between playing the forty nine Ers and the
Eagles three home games.
Speaker 3 (41:55):
In a row.
Speaker 7 (41:55):
You better win that second one, sure, because you want
because you need to steal one of these other ones.
Speaker 3 (42:00):
Do you think that there would have been a bigger game,
based upon the teams that you have on your schedule
this year, a bigger Thanksgiving matchup than the Eagles?
Speaker 8 (42:08):
No?
Speaker 5 (42:09):
I mean green Bay was my was my lock in
and I've talked about that at nauseum on the show,
But uh.
Speaker 7 (42:15):
Yeah, lock in for for Thanksgiving.
Speaker 5 (42:17):
I thought that was a no brainer to me.
Speaker 6 (42:19):
It was a green Bay?
Speaker 5 (42:21):
Oh was that green Bay?
Speaker 6 (42:21):
Okay?
Speaker 5 (42:21):
Well, yeah, I wasn't considering that at all.
Speaker 6 (42:24):
That does fact.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
I mean the forty nine ers.
Speaker 7 (42:27):
I kind of thought that was sort of my prediction
that it could be the forty nine ers on Thanksgiving.
But yeah, Eagles, and they'd never beaten the Eagles on Thanksgiving.
Only played them twice, but they've never beaten them.
Speaker 6 (42:39):
That's like the biggest game that I could imagine.
Speaker 5 (42:42):
Oh yeah, that's going to set every record. Okay, So
pivoting a little bit for our last segment for the
show ends, Actually we only have a few minutes home
run Derby. A lot of players were talking about caleed Downs,
just the veterans speaking on cale Downs and of course
getting to talk to him a little bit. Can you
tell me at least what the vets are speaking on.
Speaker 7 (43:02):
Yeah, the preparation. It's kind of like, you know, doing
an awesome rundown before a show like this, you know
what I mean, just just being prepared of course, so
you're kind of the Caleb of Downs. Of that's what
they call me for for sure. No, I think this guy,
and it's not just him, but I think he has
a chance to be a really big leader because of
you know, he's the leader of the draft class. But
(43:24):
he just wants to watch film. He just wants to
come in and study. Is you know, no offense to
the social media team and all the stuff that they
try to do. And it's cool and he plays along.
He's not, you know, cooking by the way. Socials doing
a great job especially, that's no doubt about it. But
what I'm saying is is his focus is football. He
wants to do football. And there's been players that love
what football brings to them. Martell's beinet, but there's been
(43:47):
you know, and Martell's he's doing.
Speaker 3 (43:49):
We just watched his guy cartoon another day on Disney
Plus he's killing, killing it.
Speaker 7 (43:53):
I give him credit because he played. He played about
ten years and he made some Pro Bowls and he
was really good early on in his career. Though he
loved what football brought to him, maybe more than football,
but he figured it out and his brother, him and
his brother together. But I'm saying that Caleb Downs comes
in and he loves football, he wants to study. And
Dak noticed that as well. Dak was like, this guy's
(44:15):
come in and he's serious minded about what he's doing.
And so I think that that's a really good start.
I think it's a great pairing for Christian Parker, who's
kind of the same way. He's kind of like, no nonsense,
let's just get into it. And I think Caleb Downs,
I think it's it's a perfect match.
Speaker 5 (44:29):
I mean, the face of the defense already at this point,
and our expectations now too high for Caleb Downs, having
not seen him actually practice with the Downs Cowny at
this point.
Speaker 3 (44:39):
I mean, you know, I'm always believing that expectations are
always too high, no matter who you're really putting them on.
But I think you have to let the young man
get in here and figure it out. I like the
direction of the locker room. I'll say that. I'll say
of years past, not to say that the locker room
was bad, but there's always room for improvement. And I
think that the maturity the locker room. Across the board,
(45:01):
there's always going to be the unique players. I'll say that,
of course, but across the board, I think you're having
a very mature defense in terms of the personnel that
is now in there.
Speaker 6 (45:12):
And that's not just Caleb Downs.
Speaker 3 (45:14):
That's some of the other players that they've acquired as well,
and in free agency, and the guys that we're already
remaining on the roster. It's a very mature unit that
they're going to be putting out there. You don't you're
not too concerned about guys being selfish. This is a
very selfless and a very you know, you know, IQ
heavy team. You know that you're putting out the defensive,
(45:35):
you know what you have on offense already. But these
guys are going these are smart players.
Speaker 5 (45:38):
I think playing along Jalen Thompson is going to be
the big the biggest advantage for Caleb Downs. I mean,
those two together, I think are going to change the
faces of this defense is not going to look the
same you want last year. In any stretch of the imagination,
you want.
Speaker 7 (45:51):
Your best players to set the best example, you know.
And so if Caleb Downs is the best player, you
want saying we weren't doing that before. The best players
weren't say no, they were laying on the table in
preseason games, or they were or two of them, you know,
I mean acting like they were at seven eleven, if
you will, throwing the ball around over here on the side,
(46:11):
best players on your team, but not setting the best example.
So when you get onto this backup safety here, when
you get on Marquise Bell or whatever to say, hey,
make sure you're doing this.
Speaker 6 (46:22):
It's like, whoa, what about him? What you know?
Speaker 7 (46:24):
And you I've heard Romo tell tell that story a
lot about t O, how it was hard with him
because he'd jump off sides and they didn't get mad
at him, but that if Creighton did it, or if
Sam Heard did it, then they would do that. It's like, well,
you can't at the same That's why leaders. First of all,
they have to be great players.
Speaker 6 (46:42):
You can't.
Speaker 7 (46:43):
I mean, you can't just be a good player. You
got to be a great player to be a leader.
But you also have to do it lead the right way.
Because you've seen leaders that aren't leading the best way.
You know, you've seen followers to you know, yo, he's
a leader, but we don't necessarily want that.
Speaker 3 (46:57):
Yeah, and I mean, I mean, I will push back
on a fact. I don't think you have to be
a great player to be a leader. I think you
have to be a great player to have maximum influence, right,
But there are plenty of guys who go about it
the right way.
Speaker 6 (47:11):
What happens is when you.
Speaker 3 (47:12):
Have that permeating through the entire locker room instead of
it being a outlier.
Speaker 1 (47:18):
Right.
Speaker 3 (47:18):
That's where I think that the ball is dropped in
terms of locker room maturity is when you have Okay,
well that position, Yeah, we have one guy who's doing
it the right way. But this group, okay, they really
don't have anything like yeah, but when you have it
across the board. And it's one of the main reasons
why I still think that you know who I want
at linebacker. I feel like there's a missing piece there
and a missed opportunity currently that exists to bring somebody
(47:41):
in that room who maybe maybe he's.
Speaker 6 (47:43):
The starter for you, maybe he's not.
Speaker 3 (47:44):
But if you bring him and put him in that room,
and now you have that at every single level of
your defense, there's a huge opportunity just from the maturity
aspect and the preparation aspect and the way in which
they approach the game.
Speaker 6 (47:59):
I hope that they don't allow that to pass them by.
Speaker 5 (48:02):
I wholeheartedly agree. All right, fellas, that'll do it for
Talking Cowboys. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you,
Nicky Man coming on the show, Isaiah Standbacker's Beam. We'll
see you next.
Speaker 3 (48:10):
Time on Talking Cowboys.
Speaker 1 (48:14):
This has been a production of dallascowboys dot Com and
the Dallas Cowboys Football Club
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