WEBVTT - Talkin’ Cowboys: When Will Zeke Watch End? 0:00:32.680 --> 0:00:35.200 The following. He's a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:35.240 --> 0:00:45.760 and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. This this he's Talking 0:00:45.920 --> 0:00:55.800 Cowboys training live from Dallas Cowboys training camp in Hawksnard, Californias. 0:00:58.840 --> 0:01:04.520 Here are Mickey Spell, Brian Braunis, Rob Phillips, and Phil Jones. 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:11.040 And this is training Camp two thousand nineteen. We are 0:01:11.080 --> 0:01:15.560 at the corner of Vineyard Inventura and Oxnard, California, and 0:01:15.680 --> 0:01:19.039 the Cowboys will be out on this practice field behind 0:01:19.160 --> 0:01:22.720 us well for a little walkthrough right after Talking Cowboys 0:01:22.720 --> 0:01:24.800 this morning, and then the first practice of the two 0:01:25.319 --> 0:01:28.479 nineteen training camp coming up this afternoon. I am Bill 0:01:28.560 --> 0:01:32.480 Jones with Brian brought us, Mickey Spagnola, Rob Phillips, and 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:35.160 we are set to go for another training camp. It's 0:01:35.400 --> 0:01:38.800 it's like Christmas is comment, isn't it the return of 0:01:38.840 --> 0:01:42.920 Talking Cowboys? That's right? This is Talking Cowboys And this 0:01:43.040 --> 0:01:47.680 is the first of fifteen practices here in Oxnard. The 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:49.400 way I look at it over the course of the 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:52.440 next three weeks, it's like a sixteen game season. Ah, 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:54.920 you're gonna divide this thing up, that quarter, divide it up. 0:01:55.280 --> 0:01:57.680 This is we're playing the giants today. This is game 0:01:57.800 --> 0:02:00.440 number one. Now, how do I get to sixty because 0:02:00.440 --> 0:02:02.760 there's a preseason game in the middle of that too 0:02:03.080 --> 0:02:07.800 at San Francisco. Yeah, that's good. That's again Oklahoma math, 0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:10.600 you know. But I like the way you're thinking about 0:02:10.639 --> 0:02:13.160 that because I think as players and coaches, you kind 0:02:13.200 --> 0:02:16.239 of break it up too, you know, the first a 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:19.679 few practices and stuff, everybody trying to get acclimated each other. 0:02:19.760 --> 0:02:23.440 They've had the OTA practices, the mini camp. But we'll notice, 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:25.560 and we'll talk about it quite a bit, the intensity 0:02:25.760 --> 0:02:28.440 of these practices, you know, And I think that's where 0:02:28.680 --> 0:02:31.200 you know, players will see the players that will have rises, 0:02:31.520 --> 0:02:33.600 then they'll fall. Then you know, you got to You 0:02:33.680 --> 0:02:36.240 gotta avoid the ups and downs of a training camp 0:02:36.280 --> 0:02:39.840 practice or the grind of a practice. Hopefully our show won't. 0:02:39.840 --> 0:02:42.440 We'll be on our way up the way we're gonna stay. 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:44.200 We're gonna stay on even kill go up. Mickey and 0:02:44.200 --> 0:02:46.000 I will try and kill each other one or two shows, 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:49.400 but that's maybe Bess are putting them next to each other. 0:02:50.960 --> 0:02:54.040 I did. This is good right here. You hot to 0:02:54.080 --> 0:02:56.720 get hit by the backflap and making it out are 0:02:56.800 --> 0:02:59.120 good with this. But but like I like what you're doing, though, 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:01.119 And I think players do the same thing. I think 0:03:01.160 --> 0:03:04.680 that they really, you know, they figure out, Okay, you know, 0:03:04.680 --> 0:03:06.560 I can't have any bad days. It's gotta have good days. 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:08.640 It's gotta keep building, gotta keep doing. And that's the 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:10.440 great thing he's saying, Okay, how can I get through 0:03:10.800 --> 0:03:12.600 these It'll be it'll be a test for a lot 0:03:12.639 --> 0:03:14.359 of these young kids. It's a it was a young 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:16.359 roster last year and a lot of these cads coming 0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:19.280 back now knowing guys like Michael Gallup now know what 0:03:19.360 --> 0:03:22.119 it's like to have a full training camp practice under 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:23.680 his belt. Now he knows what he has to do 0:03:23.840 --> 0:03:26.160 to elevate his game as well. You mentioned the intensity, 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:29.000 and it's really gonna pick up Monday, yes, Saturday, Sunday. 0:03:29.040 --> 0:03:31.000 And I think it's the right thing not to have 0:03:31.040 --> 0:03:33.320 these padded practices these first two days, because we've talked 0:03:33.320 --> 0:03:35.760 about it. You take a month off. These guys are 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:37.800 in shape, they have the conditioning run yesterday and all that, 0:03:37.920 --> 0:03:40.040 but you know, ease them back in and then yeah, 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:42.840 once the pads get on Monday, that's gonna be interesting. 0:03:42.880 --> 0:03:50.200 But the pads for talking cowboys are on intensity begins today, 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:53.360 you know. But Nicky and I've always talked about this too, though, 0:03:53.760 --> 0:03:55.840 and I think I'm still on the same page with 0:03:55.880 --> 0:03:58.000 you about this. Is if they could have, you know, 0:03:58.040 --> 0:04:01.600 could have had more time off early and then came 0:04:01.640 --> 0:04:04.960 to camp this offseason later and then getting where you 0:04:04.960 --> 0:04:07.160 could we could jump into the pads and stuff like that, 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:10.240 where they didn't have five six weeks off. That's where 0:04:10.280 --> 0:04:12.440 I think to worry. I think to worry about everybody 0:04:12.440 --> 0:04:13.960 at this table. I think to worry about all the 0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:16.120 guys and gals over in this building over here are 0:04:16.120 --> 0:04:18.600 thinking about, Okay, how do we get that mean we've 0:04:18.600 --> 0:04:21.559 already seen some you know, if you're following news around 0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:24.360 the league, you've already seen some guys getting banged up 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:27.280 and hurt and stuff banged up. Well that's so I'm 0:04:27.320 --> 0:04:29.680 just I don't want to kind of make that cloud 0:04:29.680 --> 0:04:33.880 over his first opponent, the Giants. So yeah, that practice, 0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:36.880 that's the thing you worry about. Easing in good But man, 0:04:36.920 --> 0:04:38.680 I think, you know, I'd like to see him hit 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:40.479 the ground running. But I totally agree with Rob. I 0:04:40.560 --> 0:04:42.320 understand what they're trying to do, or what the league's 0:04:42.320 --> 0:04:44.800 trying to do with the player safety and stuff like, 0:04:44.839 --> 0:04:47.440 and I think they did a very good job on 0:04:47.600 --> 0:04:50.760 the conditioning run yeah, I got that again, think that 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:55.919 they survived that. And even though the weather here is 0:04:56.000 --> 0:04:58.560 pretty good, when they were coming off the field, there 0:04:58.640 --> 0:05:01.919 was some sweaty. Boy, does it look like well, I 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:06.240 won't use that analogy, Go go ahead. What is it that? 0:05:06.640 --> 0:05:11.400 You know? How? You know they put us off the airs, 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:16.840 you know, after the Kentucky Derby and absolutely that all 0:05:16.920 --> 0:05:19.480 sweaty lathered up. You know what. I knew exactly where 0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:21.320 you were going with that. I had to think twice 0:05:21.320 --> 0:05:25.680 about using Yeah, so but yeah, no, I think you know, 0:05:26.360 --> 0:05:32.880 now this field is is fairly new, and U already 0:05:31.640 --> 0:05:35.600 inspected the field and all they did was run on it. Okay, 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:39.159 what do you what did you inspect? Exactly? It looked 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:41.640 like a golf course, so you know how there is 0:05:41.680 --> 0:05:44.200 a golf course over here. Maybe this is the they 0:05:44.200 --> 0:05:48.760 were over here. And the football they weren't like cutting 0:05:48.800 --> 0:05:52.000 and you know, turning and pivoting and they were just 0:05:52.080 --> 0:05:54.719 running straight ahead and there were a lot of divots. 0:05:55.120 --> 0:05:58.400 So the grass is not real thick, so we'll see. 0:05:58.839 --> 0:06:02.800 This is kind of its gorgeous. I mean, it's good gorgeous. Yeah, 0:06:03.120 --> 0:06:05.520 but it looks like a soccer field. Yeah. Did you 0:06:05.560 --> 0:06:09.640 notice anybody's divots that wasn't there? Did you divots? Somebody 0:06:09.680 --> 0:06:11.719 that fell in there divot? No? No, did you notice 0:06:11.720 --> 0:06:14.360 somebody that wasn't out there making divots? Oh? Oh yeah, 0:06:14.360 --> 0:06:17.120 there was one person. Yeah, and I would imagine he 0:06:17.160 --> 0:06:19.760 would have trouble cutting on this. So maybe it's good 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:23.200 that this guy's got some balance to him though. Yeah, 0:06:23.279 --> 0:06:25.200 he does have some balance. Yeah. You get to you 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:27.479 get to practice field worked in before he shows up. 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:29.279 If he shows up at you want to get to 0:06:29.320 --> 0:06:32.279 the elephant in the room. Yeah, okay, number twenty one, 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:35.880 All right, what do you make of it? He's not here, 0:06:36.360 --> 0:06:39.440 and you know what, they don't see, they don't seem 0:06:39.480 --> 0:06:42.880 bothered by it. And I know everybody out there is 0:06:42.960 --> 0:06:47.520 panicking and the anxiety levels high because Ezekiel Elliott is 0:06:47.560 --> 0:06:51.600 not here. But you know what, not very long ago, 0:06:51.720 --> 0:06:55.239 this was standard operating procedure in the National Football League. 0:06:55.560 --> 0:06:58.839 Guys holding out to try to improve their contracts or 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:02.640 to get contract Back in the day when the contracts expired, 0:07:02.960 --> 0:07:07.160 they didn't have free agency, and there was always haggling 0:07:07.240 --> 0:07:12.040 going on, especially with the rookie class, the rookies didn't 0:07:12.080 --> 0:07:17.240 have this rookie scale pay and there was always first 0:07:17.320 --> 0:07:20.440 round draft choices holding out every year. God, I could remember, 0:07:20.680 --> 0:07:23.080 no question. I mean, it was like half my time 0:07:23.120 --> 0:07:29.720 in training camps were spent tracing down contract negotiations, talking 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:33.120 to agents, getting one side of the story, the other 0:07:33.160 --> 0:07:35.960 side of the story. And the NFL's kind of eliminated 0:07:36.080 --> 0:07:39.000 that the way the system is now with this new CBA. 0:07:39.120 --> 0:07:42.160 But again, if somebody want thinks they're not getting paid enough, 0:07:42.240 --> 0:07:44.720 then I guess Zeke can do what he wants to do. 0:07:44.800 --> 0:07:47.760 But if he watched the press conference yesterday, if it 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:51.720 was me, I would think they're not really upset what 0:07:51.800 --> 0:07:54.160 am I doing here because they could make me just sit. 0:07:54.920 --> 0:07:57.080 But the bottom line on all this, and I'll get 0:07:57.120 --> 0:07:59.760 to the bottom line of it all, guys do not 0:08:00.360 --> 0:08:05.640 miss paychecks, right, that's fair Now late not and somebody's 0:08:05.640 --> 0:08:08.480 gonna say, well, Leveon Bell did it okay, fine, and 0:08:08.520 --> 0:08:11.240 then you never make that money up. But guys do 0:08:11.440 --> 0:08:15.840 not miss paychecks. Just remember what happened last year at 0:08:15.840 --> 0:08:19.320 this time. What Earl Thomas in Seattle and what did 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:22.320 he do? He signed on Tuesday before the season opener. 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:25.360 That's fair. And there is the thirty day rule thing 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:27.800 that's hovering over this whole thing that like it's okay, 0:08:27.800 --> 0:08:30.520 maybe it's a Zeke hold out, but August six is 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:32.560 the day you think he would report because if he 0:08:32.600 --> 0:08:34.400 wants to get the free agency, he's got to be 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:37.319 here by then to get that accrued fourth season. So 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:39.679 he's got another year to do that too. He does, 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:41.959 he could do that next year he does. That's I 0:08:42.000 --> 0:08:43.880 don't think it'll ever get to that point. I don't either. 0:08:44.040 --> 0:08:46.240 I don't think, which is why the Cowboys, which is 0:08:46.240 --> 0:08:48.360 why I don't. I don't look at the August sixth 0:08:48.360 --> 0:08:51.800 deadline is affecting Zeke that much just because he's The 0:08:51.840 --> 0:08:55.560 Cowboys are going to sign him sometime, whether it's now 0:08:55.760 --> 0:08:58.920 or proved to a long term deal, whether it's this 0:08:59.000 --> 0:09:02.040 year or next year, whenever, it's never, that's not He's 0:09:02.080 --> 0:09:04.160 never going to get to free agency unless he does 0:09:04.160 --> 0:09:07.080 something off the field that keeps him from, yeah, signing 0:09:07.080 --> 0:09:10.680 a long term Do you feel like though that? Yeah, 0:09:10.720 --> 0:09:13.679 And again I really appreciate what everybody's saying here, but 0:09:14.120 --> 0:09:16.840 can you focus on the other Would he be a 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:19.440 type of guy that would sit the whole entire season. 0:09:19.640 --> 0:09:22.439 I know, Mickey, You're absolutely right. Players don't miss paychecks, 0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:25.000 and I think they have a firm, firm understanding of 0:09:25.120 --> 0:09:27.760 Zeke with Zeke's lifestyle the way he is. I'm not 0:09:27.800 --> 0:09:30.679 trying to slam Zeke, but he needs money. I'm I'm 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:32.880 just gonna say it. You know he needs money. He makes, 0:09:33.080 --> 0:09:34.760 He made a lot of it. He needs money the 0:09:34.800 --> 0:09:38.240 way he lives, and that's because the way he plays, 0:09:38.240 --> 0:09:40.319 and he deserves that right to live the way he wants. 0:09:40.720 --> 0:09:43.679 But do we do we just is there a side 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:45.960 that we could say that he might take the leveyon Bell. 0:09:46.000 --> 0:09:47.680 I know you're not going to get the money back, 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:50.360 but is that in your mind? Is it a ten 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:53.360 percent worry that, you know what, maybe he will Maybe 0:09:53.440 --> 0:09:57.560 Zeke will be so stubborn that he won't use to 0:09:57.640 --> 0:10:02.560 use the Levy on Bell example. Is is there something 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:04.880 in him that has done the history lesson on him 0:10:04.920 --> 0:10:07.000 at Smith where he might do the immittt Smith thing, 0:10:07.600 --> 0:10:10.319 not with the intent of sitting out a whole season, 0:10:10.440 --> 0:10:12.959 but just long enough. I don't where the Cowboys really 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:14.960 I agree with Mickey. I do agree with Mickey about 0:10:15.000 --> 0:10:17.600 not missing paychecks. Because we talked about Earl Thomas. He's 0:10:17.880 --> 0:10:20.640 but I just I think it's fair to say, is 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:23.840 this a different cat. Here's here's somebody. It's holding out 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:27.720 two years before it's time, not a year, but two years. 0:10:28.200 --> 0:10:34.320 Is his approach his or his agent? Yeah? I don't. 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:36.920 I don't talk to Rocky Arson. Yeah I don't either. 0:10:37.280 --> 0:10:41.280 But this is where all this has started. Okay, And 0:10:41.800 --> 0:10:46.559 now here's the deal. It Are they asking for something 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:51.880 that is so unreasonable that the cowboys don't budge, because 0:10:52.040 --> 0:10:55.560 they will budge, right if you're reasonable and meet him 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:59.680 in the middle. If they're asking for unreasonable uh salary 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:03.680 demand hands, then this thing can be protracted. Because I'll 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:08.959 tell you what I've seen Jerry Jones operate locations like this, 0:11:09.360 --> 0:11:12.560 and he could be awfully stubborn. Sure, But to double 0:11:12.640 --> 0:11:18.360 down on that, I think Stevens even more stubborn. And 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:20.360 to your point, the way they were talking at the 0:11:20.360 --> 0:11:23.800 press conference yesterday, coming out and saying he's late, we 0:11:23.920 --> 0:11:26.720 expect our guys your contract to be here. I don't 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:29.520 think they want to set a precedent that, oh, if 0:11:29.520 --> 0:11:31.679 you're gonna hold out, then we're gonna budge, and we're 0:11:31.679 --> 0:11:34.560 gonna try to accommodate you while you're away. They don't 0:11:34.600 --> 0:11:36.839 want uh, because look, they got a lot of young, 0:11:36.880 --> 0:11:39.120 good players on this team. They don't want to repeat 0:11:39.160 --> 0:11:41.240 of this every time a guy's got a contract up 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:43.160 that hell, oh, all I gotta do is not show 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:44.959 up and then we'll we'll try to meet you in 0:11:45.000 --> 0:11:47.240 the middle and accommodate you. I'm surprised he's not here. 0:11:47.280 --> 0:11:49.280 I honestly thought they and there's a lot of people 0:11:49.320 --> 0:11:51.880 in the organization I think that thought he would be here, 0:11:52.440 --> 0:11:55.079 and I think I thought the Cowboys would be able 0:11:55.120 --> 0:11:57.880 to tell him, look, we love you, just show up. Well, 0:11:58.000 --> 0:12:01.760 we'll keep talking. We'll get this done. But it's not 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:04.080 there yet. And and to Mickey's point, maybe it's because 0:12:04.080 --> 0:12:07.479 they're far apart. So so why is the agent advising 0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:10.600 Zeke to do this? I heard he was. I don't 0:12:10.640 --> 0:12:14.800 know how experienced of an agent he is. I'm not 0:12:14.920 --> 0:12:17.600 familiar with them, but he's been the business for a 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:20.160 while for a while. Well, I had heard that he 0:12:20.480 --> 0:12:25.480 didn't really contracts this new CBA. Some of the things 0:12:26.000 --> 0:12:29.160 they have to work through. I think, uh. Significant is 0:12:29.559 --> 0:12:33.600 when Zeke was seen at the Star on Wednesday, he 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:36.520 didn't look like a man that was peoed, like he 0:12:36.600 --> 0:12:41.560 was smiling, shaking hands with people. I'm told, uh so, Yeah, 0:12:41.600 --> 0:12:44.240 it doesn't seem like it's contentious. It's kind of a 0:12:44.400 --> 0:12:48.520 ploy that everybody tries to use to try to get lever. 0:12:48.679 --> 0:12:50.920 I think it gets right back to Todd Gurley last year. 0:12:51.280 --> 0:12:53.080 I mean, the agent saw what the Rams did with 0:12:53.120 --> 0:12:55.600 Todd Gurley. He was in the exact same position that 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:58.600 Zeke is right now. He was going he had two 0:12:58.679 --> 0:13:01.199 years left under trolled by the Rams because he was 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:04.440 drafted in twenty fifteen. Zeke was in twenty sixteen and 0:13:04.559 --> 0:13:07.440 he got a four year for whatever fifty seven million 0:13:07.440 --> 0:13:10.400 dollar deal, whatever it was. On July twenty fourth of 0:13:10.480 --> 0:13:13.120 last year is when Todd Gurley signed. And I think 0:13:13.520 --> 0:13:16.960 Zeke's agent thinks the Cowboys should treat Zeke the way 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:19.560 the Rams did Todd Gurley. I think Bryant nailed it 0:13:19.679 --> 0:13:21.800 right before camp when we were talking about it. You know, 0:13:22.240 --> 0:13:24.600 when we talk about these guys up for contracts, who 0:13:24.640 --> 0:13:29.440 do we name first Dak and then who Cooper? And 0:13:29.520 --> 0:13:32.000 this is a guy that and again that was on 0:13:32.080 --> 0:13:36.040 him to a certain degree. Six games suspension two years 0:13:36.040 --> 0:13:38.600 ago but had he not been suspended six games, Hey, 0:13:38.640 --> 0:13:40.880 I'm probably a three time rushing champ. Three years in 0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:43.079 the league, three time rushing champ. Like you say, Brian, 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:45.199 just give me a seat at the table. And maybe 0:13:45.200 --> 0:13:47.280 it's just kind of trying to remind the Cowboys. Look, 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:49.960 I am, I want this. You know I deserve this. 0:13:50.040 --> 0:13:52.320 I want this. Is it the right way to go 0:13:52.400 --> 0:13:56.800 about it? Maybe not? Just remember and I don't have 0:13:57.080 --> 0:14:01.000 I could call it up and read it. But Jerry Jones, 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:06.160 the most forceful and emotional he got is when somebody 0:14:06.160 --> 0:14:09.840 asks him about comparing Zeke's contract or Das contract to 0:14:09.920 --> 0:14:13.719 Carson Wentz, and he went on a litany and he 0:14:13.840 --> 0:14:18.280 think he started with Saltney said twice. It was a 0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:22.880 litany of the contracts that we have to sign. And 0:14:23.080 --> 0:14:27.480 our list is different from somebody else's list, and our 0:14:27.560 --> 0:14:31.520 salary cap is different from somebody else's salary cap. And 0:14:31.600 --> 0:14:35.160 I'm not going to be dictated by this quote unquote 0:14:35.680 --> 0:14:39.680 market value that the media loves to rest on when 0:14:39.720 --> 0:14:42.520 they make their argument that wealth that guy get paid that, 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:44.640 then the next guy's got to get paid more. And 0:14:44.680 --> 0:14:47.560 I'm sure the agent thinks the exact same way. And 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:51.360 to the point what Rob said is and he ended 0:14:51.360 --> 0:14:54.280 it with saying, if I do this, I'll have a 0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:57.880 line outside my door everybody coming up and say, hey, Jones, 0:14:57.920 --> 0:15:00.400 I want some of your money. And that's why you 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:03.720 gotta put your foot down, because that exactly is what 0:15:03.840 --> 0:15:07.040 will happen. And that was always the argument, uh for 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:10.440 guys that were under contract before free agency began, that 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:12.840 if one guy held out and you cave, then the 0:15:12.880 --> 0:15:15.920 next guy goes, hey, what about me? Could could part 0:15:15.920 --> 0:15:18.040 of this be and I'm just gonna throw this out. 0:15:18.200 --> 0:15:20.120 Could part of this be that they have so much 0:15:20.120 --> 0:15:22.520 confidence now in Dak Prescott and being able to carry 0:15:22.560 --> 0:15:25.560 this team? You know, I'm saying that that you know 0:15:25.600 --> 0:15:29.320 you think you think without Zeke can Dak Prescott carry 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:32.680 this team. I don't think they're making any decision on 0:15:32.880 --> 0:15:35.800 without Zeke. I think they want to get it done, 0:15:35.840 --> 0:15:38.160 but they want to get it done in a fairer 0:15:38.160 --> 0:15:42.800 way and not somebody asking for outlandish money. Yeah. I 0:15:42.840 --> 0:15:46.320 feel that they wanted about Dad. If they thought they 0:15:46.320 --> 0:15:49.120 were going into this season without Zeke any chance not 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:51.880 having Zeke on the field, their backup running back situation 0:15:51.880 --> 0:15:54.200 would look different. I realized they drafted a fourth round 0:15:54.280 --> 0:15:56.800 running back, the seventh round running back. Absolutely, they got 0:15:56.840 --> 0:15:59.360 Darius Jackson and Jordan Chun, but they would have a 0:15:59.440 --> 0:16:03.360 veteran guy ready to go if if they didn't think 0:16:03.440 --> 0:16:05.280 Zeke was gonna be playing this year. I think it's 0:16:05.280 --> 0:16:07.960 could be both things. Brian, like, they feel good about 0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:10.400 Dak taking a step forward. Yeah, but if you're trying 0:16:10.440 --> 0:16:12.480 to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of this thing, 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:15.040 they know you need twenty one. They know it. But 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:18.080 it comes down to, yeah, what Mickey said, what I 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:20.520 said earlier, the president, you don't want to set this 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:23.480 question question, can't have it. They've got too many good 0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:26.600 players that have contracts up, and if they're lining up 0:16:26.600 --> 0:16:28.600 at the door, and if you talk to them, this 0:16:28.760 --> 0:16:31.200 whole thing is not about the salary cap this year. 0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:34.440 It's about the salary cap next year and the salary 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:36.960 cap in twenty twenty one. When you get into the 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:41.520 unknown needs to be knocked out and what kind of 0:16:41.600 --> 0:16:44.040 rules are are you coming up with? And you don't 0:16:44.080 --> 0:16:46.720 want to hamstring yourself because all you were thinking about 0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:49.480 you were shortsighted and all you were thinking about is 0:16:49.480 --> 0:16:52.920 twenty nineteen. Oh, I got twenty four million dollars of 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:56.320 space available. Okay, that's fine. What happens that at space 0:16:56.400 --> 0:17:02.400 next year? When immediately, immediately DeMarcus lawrence base salary goes 0:17:02.440 --> 0:17:06.160 from one point five million to sixteen million. And then 0:17:06.160 --> 0:17:08.639 if I got another guy that has sixteen million, and 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:11.800 another guy that has twelve million, and another guy that's 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:14.920 going to have thirty million, what happens to my cap 0:17:15.000 --> 0:17:17.560 next year? Because the CAP's gonna go up, yeah, but 0:17:17.600 --> 0:17:19.400 it ain't gonna go up that much. You know. It's 0:17:19.400 --> 0:17:21.760 interesting and bringing up the Todd Gurley thing, and you 0:17:21.800 --> 0:17:24.640 compare the I know Jerry does not want as you said. 0:17:25.040 --> 0:17:28.080 As Jerry said yesterday, he's not comparing his situation with 0:17:28.119 --> 0:17:32.200 the Ram situation. But here's the difference between the Rams 0:17:32.200 --> 0:17:35.200 and the Cowboys. Well, there's several similarities. Number One, last 0:17:35.240 --> 0:17:37.360 year they had to sign their top defensive player, who's 0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:39.800 the best defensive player in the league, Aaron Donald. Whatever. 0:17:39.960 --> 0:17:43.240 Cowboys did that with DeMarcus Lawrence in the offseason. They 0:17:43.280 --> 0:17:46.560 also traded for and then and got and had to 0:17:46.600 --> 0:17:49.320 sign a long term Brandon Cooks their wide receiver. So 0:17:49.359 --> 0:17:52.280 there's your Amari Cooper, and then their quarterback is that 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:54.560 came into the league at the same time as Dak 0:17:54.600 --> 0:17:58.080 Prescott did. But the difference there is that quarterback was 0:17:58.119 --> 0:18:00.600 at the top of the draft and had two years 0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:04.280 left on his contract and at three years at that time, 0:18:04.680 --> 0:18:07.919 and Dak has one year left. And so that's why 0:18:08.000 --> 0:18:09.960 the Cowboys have to put Dak at the top of 0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:13.080 the priority list right now. Dak and I think mark 0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:16.760 back to where I think Brian said, you know, those 0:18:16.800 --> 0:18:21.200 guys have expiring contracts. Ze doesn't. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, 0:18:21.520 --> 0:18:25.359 you know, And that's what And Jerry and talking with reporters, 0:18:25.359 --> 0:18:27.920 I think as he was leaving yesterday, was talking about 0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:30.560 comparing that Zeke with emm at Smith. Yeah, he said 0:18:30.560 --> 0:18:34.320 there's a difference there, that there's a difference, and he 0:18:34.440 --> 0:18:38.720 said Emmett was not under contract or what well, Emmett 0:18:38.760 --> 0:18:41.119 was under contract, but what he meant was he had 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:43.920 an expiring contract. He was going into the last year 0:18:43.960 --> 0:18:46.600 of his deal. So we had nothing six months from 0:18:46.600 --> 0:18:49.399 now at that time in nineteen ninety three. Yeah, I 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:52.439 think if you listen to Emmett and that was foggy, 0:18:52.480 --> 0:18:54.000 you know, I always meant to go back and look, 0:18:54.280 --> 0:18:59.400 I think he was restricted, like he could entertain offers 0:18:59.440 --> 0:19:02.400 from somewhere, because he said he had offers from Miami 0:19:02.480 --> 0:19:05.679 to go back home to Florida, but he wanted to 0:19:05.720 --> 0:19:08.920 stay with the Cowboys, and so uh yeah, that whole 0:19:08.920 --> 0:19:12.280 it was different, right, It wasn't the same. And this 0:19:12.359 --> 0:19:15.920 is different from Marco Murray, letting Murray walk, all those 0:19:15.960 --> 0:19:18.280 people that I see, Oh you just get going to 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:20.760 get another one. Okay, fine, you get another one, but 0:19:20.880 --> 0:19:23.399 you won't get the one. But if you're trying to 0:19:23.400 --> 0:19:25.320 think about it from Zeke's perspective, it may be a 0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:27.760 little different for him compared to other guys in the 0:19:27.800 --> 0:19:31.800 league at different positions than a dak or Amari, because 0:19:32.119 --> 0:19:34.879 what he plays. He plays running back, and there's a 0:19:34.920 --> 0:19:39.600 finite prime for those guys, and it people think it 0:19:39.680 --> 0:19:42.760 ends sometimes twenty seven, twenty eight years old. He's twenty 0:19:42.760 --> 0:19:46.280 three right now, I believe. So if you're twenty four, 0:19:45.280 --> 0:19:48.640 just so if you wait two years to resign him, 0:19:48.640 --> 0:19:50.160 he's twenty six, and now all of a sudden, he's 0:19:50.160 --> 0:19:52.919 creeping closer to what people say, study say, you know, 0:19:53.640 --> 0:19:55.760 the end of somebody's prime. Not that he's gonna be that, 0:19:56.119 --> 0:19:58.679 but he wants to get his money now. Because of 0:19:58.680 --> 0:20:01.040 the position. He's a really good point rob because what 0:20:01.119 --> 0:20:04.880 happens I talk to guys. I'm not an analytics guy myself. 0:20:05.080 --> 0:20:07.680 I mean, I've I'm sitting here doing radio with you guys. 0:20:07.720 --> 0:20:09.760 I don't always look at the numbers and stuff. But 0:20:09.840 --> 0:20:11.879 I did reach out while we had a break and 0:20:11.920 --> 0:20:15.080 talk to analytics guys about running backs. And they all 0:20:15.119 --> 0:20:18.240 put Zeke in a different category. Yeah, they put Todd 0:20:18.280 --> 0:20:20.680 Gurley in a different category. They put Levon Bell in 0:20:20.720 --> 0:20:23.080 a different category. The first thing they'll tell you is 0:20:23.280 --> 0:20:25.840 you should never sign a running back long term. But 0:20:26.000 --> 0:20:30.440 then they'll say, but, but there's some players, some backs 0:20:30.920 --> 0:20:33.199 that you have to eat. It makes you think a 0:20:33.320 --> 0:20:37.399 different way because they'll also say, don't draft a running 0:20:37.400 --> 0:20:40.400 back number four overall? Right, right right? And I think 0:20:40.400 --> 0:20:42.560 that to me, that's where you know you're kind of 0:20:42.920 --> 0:20:46.240 situates the eve the even the analytics guys who it 0:20:46.240 --> 0:20:50.000 seems like our game is gravitating towards that way. Even 0:20:50.080 --> 0:20:53.119 the analytics guys in their minds say yeah, I wouldn't 0:20:53.160 --> 0:20:55.840 do it. But and then you talk to scouts and 0:20:55.840 --> 0:20:57.560 they're like, you know, what do you think about when 0:20:57.560 --> 0:21:00.920 you if you play Ezekiel Ellen You're like, he never 0:21:00.960 --> 0:21:04.040 comes off the field. That's I make up the number. 0:21:04.040 --> 0:21:06.480 I didn't make it up. It's two thousand and one yards. 0:21:06.560 --> 0:21:10.440 It's what he accounted for last year. That's I'm saying, 0:21:10.560 --> 0:21:13.080 you don't. You just don't sit there and say, okay, 0:21:13.080 --> 0:21:17.040 well the offensive line and you could if I personally 0:21:17.440 --> 0:21:21.200 and this is I'm hoping for a Dak elevation this year. 0:21:21.280 --> 0:21:23.520 I really am. I'm hoping that if they if they 0:21:23.600 --> 0:21:26.760 do have to play without him, and they probably won't, 0:21:26.800 --> 0:21:28.639 but if they do had to play without him, I 0:21:28.680 --> 0:21:30.960 hope to see Dak play really, really well and be 0:21:30.960 --> 0:21:34.240