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Speaker 1: Good afternoon, Stephen. It's always feeling really good when you

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Speaker 1: guys take the lead against first ballot Hall of Fame

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Speaker 1: quarterbacks and we have to end them like this. What's

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Speaker 1: your overall feel coming out of that one? Well, I think,

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Speaker 1: you know, we put ourselves, you know, just where we

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Speaker 1: wanted to be with an opportunity to win the game

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Speaker 1: at the end, and you know, unfortunately we had some

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Speaker 1: you know, some tough penalties in that final drive that

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Speaker 1: kind of messed up our clock management. And if you will,

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Speaker 1: and you know, anytime you leave a Hall of Fame

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Speaker 1: quarterback probably greatest of all time, that kind of time

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Speaker 1: on the clock to go get a field goal. Even

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Speaker 1: though we had the lead, we certainly knew that we

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Speaker 1: were going to have to pull something out to hold

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Speaker 1: on to the league. So a lot of times in

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Speaker 1: games where a quarterback has to throw fifty eight times,

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Speaker 1: it's because they're way behind and they're chasing. But in

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Speaker 1: this one, I thought Chris Collinsworth during the game had

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Speaker 1: a great quote when he said Tampa Bay won a

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Speaker 1: championship because of their front seven, and the Cowboys aren't

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Speaker 1: playing against them, So it was almost like, hey, the

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Speaker 1: run game's not working, we're gonna throw it a bunch. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Were you happy with that? I know everybody would like

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Speaker 1: to be balanced, but are you comfortable with the way

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Speaker 1: that played out? Yeah? I think for that particular team,

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Speaker 1: it was the I think coach McCarthy and Kellen came

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Speaker 1: up with a great offensive game plan and knew, you know,

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Speaker 1: we were going against the number one rushing defense in

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Speaker 1: the league from last year, and they had everybody back

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Speaker 1: and knew it was going to be a challenge. And

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Speaker 1: certainly the way they lined up most of the game

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Speaker 1: really you know, they were intent on stopping the run,

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Speaker 1: and I think it was a little bit let's see

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Speaker 1: if Dak can go out there and beat us though

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Speaker 1: on the ball around after all that he's been through

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Speaker 1: and of course, you know my hat I just can't

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Speaker 1: say enough about what number four is all about. I mean,

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Speaker 1: for him to be through what he's been through with

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Speaker 1: his ankle injury, get through that and then have the

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Speaker 1: shoulder injury and really just not get a lot of

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Speaker 1: you know, a lot of time on the job to

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Speaker 1: step in there, you know, against the world champions and

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Speaker 1: go toe to toe with him. I thought he gave

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Speaker 1: us every opportunity to win the game, and you know,

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Speaker 1: we were just short a few plays here and a

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Speaker 1: few plays there. And it's disappointing because, you know, as

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Speaker 1: much as other people may have dieded our chances to

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Speaker 1: Big Tampa, I think our locker room, our coaches are

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Speaker 1: you know, internally we really felt like we could beat them. Yeah, Steven,

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Speaker 1: and again I'm taking I'm really assuming. Have you met

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Speaker 1: with coach this morning and maybe gone through what you happened.

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Speaker 1: I know, you guys, you and your father watched the

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Speaker 1: taped it with the staff and stuff and kind of

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Speaker 1: get an idea. Do you have any thoughts about the

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Speaker 1: red zone? And have you talked to the coaches about

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Speaker 1: the troubles you guys did have in the red zone? Uh?

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Speaker 1: Last night? Well, I mean obviously that was the rub

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Speaker 1: and uh, you know, not finishing with some kicks. You know,

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Speaker 1: Zerline obviously understands that, saw some comments he made, but

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Speaker 1: we have to be better there. I think we did

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Speaker 1: a lot of the things. Uh, you know that we're

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Speaker 1: going to be very very important to win in the

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Speaker 1: football game, which is win the turnover battle, win the

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Speaker 1: time of possession. You know, we did a lot of

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Speaker 1: a lot of good things there, but we do we

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Speaker 1: do have to finish in the red zone. I think

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Speaker 1: we'll improve on that as the season goes. But I

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Speaker 1: really liked, you know, the fight in our football team,

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Speaker 1: and I just as you said, we've got to get

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Speaker 1: better in that red zone, finishing drives h and the

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Speaker 1: end zone. Especially when you're playing against a great football

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Speaker 1: team like the Buccaneers. You know, you need field goals

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Speaker 1: to be touchdowns and you certainly got to h you know,

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Speaker 1: get your field goals opportunities. But it was a you know,

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Speaker 1: a hard fought game, but very disappointing that we uh,

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Speaker 1: you know, for our team, our coaching staff, they really

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Speaker 1: really really felt like we could win that football game.

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Speaker 1: It's Stephen Jones with us on the Home of the Cowboys.

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Speaker 1: You mentioned Greg Zerline, and I believe he played in

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Speaker 1: one preseason game, and as we were getting towards the

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Speaker 1: end there, I think a lot of people were getting

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Speaker 1: a little bit nervous. Did you guys ever have a

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Speaker 1: consideration of bringing in competition for him or were you

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Speaker 1: just that confident in his timeline. Well, we're very confident

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Speaker 1: and in Zerline as our kicker, and just felt like,

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Speaker 1: you know that his timeline was on a on a

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Speaker 1: good on a good path, and you know, felt like

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Speaker 1: he was the best kicker out there for us. And

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Speaker 1: uh so, you know there wasn't going to be a

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Speaker 1: competition because as you said, Greg wasn't kicking. I mean,

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Speaker 1: he wasn't able to really start kicking until the last

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Speaker 1: couple of weeks. So we knew that was going to

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Speaker 1: be the case. But not unlike that, we knew he

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Speaker 1: wasn't go be in preseason games either, And you just

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Speaker 1: really felt like, uh and he did. I mean, I

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Speaker 1: thought he answered the bell well after you know, he

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Speaker 1: had the two misses there with the field goal and

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Speaker 1: the extra point, but uh, like he's always done. I

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Speaker 1: think he'll he'll write his ship and he's gonna make

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Speaker 1: a lot of big kicks for us and win a

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Speaker 1: lot of football games for us. Steven he always tell

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Speaker 1: us that evaluation personnel is a twenty four seven job.

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Speaker 1: As you look at your team last night, and I'm

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Speaker 1: not trying to make this as a knee jerk thing,

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Speaker 1: but are all your potential improvement's going to come within

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Speaker 1: guys that are on injured lists and things like that,

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Speaker 1: You're not are you looking at maybe adding a defensive

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Speaker 1: tackle or adding another cornerback here after the first week

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Speaker 1: or so of the season. Like you said, I mean,

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Speaker 1: we're just always evaluating. We'll, you know, always look for

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Speaker 1: ways to be better, waste to improve the bottom end

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Speaker 1: of the roster. But as you're well aware, we have

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Speaker 1: like six players on injured reserved as innated to return.

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Speaker 1: We've got a player on the PUB list in Tristan

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Speaker 1: Hill that can will obviously ultimately bring some help. So

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Speaker 1: you know, we've got some good football players that aren't

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Speaker 1: active right now. And of course we bring Zack off

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Speaker 1: the COVID list, which is going to be a big plus. So, uh,

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Speaker 1: you know, we will continue to evaluate this football team.

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Speaker 1: We'll have more meetings here as we move forward and

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Speaker 1: see if there's, if there are opportunities to improve, then

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Speaker 1: we'll certainly look at them. You mentioned Martin coming off

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Speaker 1: the COVID list, Um, I guess how is he feeling?

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Speaker 1: It's two things, Connor McGovern filling in for him, How

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Speaker 1: did you guys think that he played? And is Zach

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Speaker 1: feeling good when he's off the COVID list ready to

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Speaker 1: go play football? Well, I thought I thought Connor McGovern

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Speaker 1: did a great job last night. You know, you're playing

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Speaker 1: against one of the best front sevens in football, as

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Speaker 1: you mentioned earlier in the show, And I thought our

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Speaker 1: guys held up well. And uh, you know, you don't

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Speaker 1: ever totally replace an All Pro like Zach Martin. You're

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Speaker 1: gonna miss him. But I thought overall, Connor McGovern played well.

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Speaker 1: I thought in general, our offensive line played well and

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Speaker 1: protected well. And uh, you know, we gave ourselves an

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Speaker 1: opportunity to win the game. We just didn't finish. And

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Speaker 1: you know that's us. The next step for this team

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Speaker 1: is to is to finish the game and win the game.

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Speaker 1: And you know, we've got a chance to have a

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Speaker 1: really good football team this year. But uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: Zach coming back certainly helps. But uh, you know, there's

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Speaker 1: we all know in the NFL, there's always going to

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Speaker 1: be a challenge around every corner. Stephen you're pass rushing

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Speaker 1: and I know it's Tom Brady, it's two point four seconds,

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Speaker 1: it's getting the ball out quick. It's an outstanding offensive line. Uh,

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Speaker 1: we're When you got to watch the game, did you

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Speaker 1: did you feel like that your passers was there or

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Speaker 1: is it something that might be a little bit of

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Speaker 1: a concern going forward for you. No, we don't think

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Speaker 1: it's a concern. I think you know you said it best.

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Speaker 1: I mean that's Tampa Bay had one of the best

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Speaker 1: front sevens in football, and I think they got to

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Speaker 1: Dac once and we got some hits and pressures on Brady,

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Speaker 1: but he does get it out quick. We knew it

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Speaker 1: was going to be difficult, but I do think, uh uh,

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Speaker 1: you know, we did a nice job with the rushes,

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Speaker 1: and I think we're only going to get better. I know,

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Speaker 1: Basham's coming off a tough injury, and you know he

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Speaker 1: was out there playing his ass off, but certain certainly

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Speaker 1: probably wasn't one hundred percent. And I just expect this

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Speaker 1: group to get better as we go. You know, you

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Speaker 1: look at DeMarcus Lawrence. He's another player that didn't get

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Speaker 1: many apps in the preseason but certainly played great football

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Speaker 1: for us. And I think this group's only going to

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Speaker 1: get better as we move forward. Stephen is wondering if

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Speaker 1: you can confirm it was reporting to Dallas Morning News

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Speaker 1: this morning in regard to the injury of Michael Gallup.

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Speaker 1: They're calling it three to five weeks. Is that accurate

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Speaker 1: or do you have a different timeline for that and

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Speaker 1: what the injury was. Yeah, we're not ready to come

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Speaker 1: in on our injuries yet. We're just getting our hands

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Speaker 1: around all of it. Obviously, we flew all night and

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Speaker 1: just getting details and I really don't want to comment

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Speaker 1: on any of our injuries until we've really got our

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Speaker 1: hands around it and certainly do that at their appropriate time. Well, Stephen,

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Speaker 1: we appreciate the time every week when we get to

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Speaker 1: talk to you, and good luck going forward. We'll be

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Speaker 1: watching him pulling for you guys. Always great to be

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Speaker 1: on with you guys. Thanks