WEBVTT - Cowboys Break: Bird Watching? 0:00:04.519 --> 0:00:07.080 The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:07.120 --> 0:00:19.240 and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. Are you ready for 0:00:19.280 --> 0:00:22.960 a Break? Yes? Are you ready for a break? Absolutely? 0:00:23.079 --> 0:00:27.280 Ready for a break? Yeah, and so much for that. 0:00:27.520 --> 0:00:32.640 It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:33.440 --> 0:00:39.000 with Nick Eatman, David Hellman, and bar Garcia and Derek Eagleton. 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:44.000 It is Thursy October fifteenth, twenty twenty, Season sixteen, episode 0:00:44.040 --> 0:00:47.120 number forty five. Welcome to the latest edition of The Break. 0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:49.880 We're alive from the s WBC Morriage Studios at the Star. 0:00:50.360 --> 0:00:52.600 We're talking Cowboys football at you guys for forty five minutes. 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:55.400 We'll be joined here momentarily by Bucky Brooks, as he 0:00:55.440 --> 0:00:57.640 does on every Thursday. He's gonna talk to us about 0:00:57.680 --> 0:01:00.280 the opposing team's defense, in this case the Arizona Cardinals 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:03.440 against the Cowboys offense. But before we get to that, 0:01:03.880 --> 0:01:05.640 I did want to catch up a little bit on 0:01:05.720 --> 0:01:08.240 some news that came out this morning during coach McCarthy's 0:01:08.280 --> 0:01:11.200 press conference talk about Laton Vanderish. Nick catch us up 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:12.800 on what he had to say about him. Well, he 0:01:12.800 --> 0:01:15.720 says he's going to practice in full expects him to 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:18.440 practice in full today. That's big, you know, because I 0:01:18.480 --> 0:01:21.800 mean you're gonna start doing that on Thursday of a 0:01:21.800 --> 0:01:24.479 week like this, which is really a Wednesday in their 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:28.800 practice schedule, then you know he should be ready to go. 0:01:29.400 --> 0:01:31.560 I would think I would assume be ready to go 0:01:32.480 --> 0:01:35.640 for for Monday night's game against the Cardinals. So I'm 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:39.520 still a little bit skeptical of that because it sounds, 0:01:39.640 --> 0:01:41.920 you know, if it was a broken clavicle, that just 0:01:41.959 --> 0:01:45.440 doesn't seem like that's that one that heals this quickly. 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:48.520 But maybe his does. They know more than me when 0:01:48.560 --> 0:01:53.320 it comes to anything, but particularly you know, medical stuff. 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:56.880 You're selling yourself shortening night doctor. I'm I'm gonna take 0:01:56.920 --> 0:01:59.040 you guys back Amber and Dave. I'm gonna take you 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:02.120 guys back to prior to the season. No, no, no, 0:02:02.240 --> 0:02:05.640 prior to the season. And at the time, I'll speak 0:02:05.720 --> 0:02:09.680 for myself, I thought this linebacking corps was gonna be 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:13.240 one of the strengths of this team. Then Layton goes out, 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:16.600 Sean never actually gets there to where he can play. 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:19.440 If Layton comes back this week, and I'll even say 0:02:19.440 --> 0:02:21.640 if he comes back this week or next week, if 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:24.440 you take me back to what your thoughts were of 0:02:24.480 --> 0:02:27.080 what you thought of this linebacker position before, and do 0:02:27.120 --> 0:02:29.800 you think that's still what they can be at this point, 0:02:29.840 --> 0:02:31.960 after what you've seen so far from Jalen and what 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:35.120 you expect from Layton coming back. Let's start first with you, Amber. 0:02:38.040 --> 0:02:40.800 I remember talking about you just wanting to add some 0:02:40.960 --> 0:02:44.920 depth at the position, regardless of having the talents of 0:02:45.000 --> 0:02:47.640 or what you thought you had Sean Lee Layton and 0:02:47.680 --> 0:02:52.320 then Jaalen. But I remember that the Cowboys had their 0:02:52.520 --> 0:02:56.720 bigger priorities and necessities, so it kind of got overlooked. 0:02:56.720 --> 0:02:58.760 And then you start adding linebackers. Then you see the 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:03.200 potential of an undrafted guy like Francis Bernard, and then 0:03:03.240 --> 0:03:05.880 you start feeling good. You're like, Okay, we got some 0:03:05.919 --> 0:03:10.440 guys here, and then that happens, and with late In 0:03:10.639 --> 0:03:14.320 coming back, it's great. It's great to hear that he's 0:03:14.360 --> 0:03:17.120 working his way through it. But at the same time, 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:20.040 even when he makes it to a game day, I'm 0:03:20.120 --> 0:03:24.200 still super super hesitant because it makes me wonder how 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:27.960 long it's gonna take him for his mentally, not just 0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:30.680 physically but mentally. How long is it gonna take him 0:03:30.680 --> 0:03:34.079 mentally to kind of go back to feeling himself like 0:03:34.120 --> 0:03:37.400 he used to be and not being hesitant of making 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:40.160 plays because I've seen it in guys. I've said this before. 0:03:40.160 --> 0:03:43.800 I see it when guys have an injury and then 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:45.520 they get back on the field and you kind of 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:50.040 you can tell that they create a certain hesitation and 0:03:50.080 --> 0:03:53.240 that's just naturally. It's just something that usually takes a 0:03:53.280 --> 0:03:55.680 couple of weeks for you to break through that. But 0:03:56.320 --> 0:04:02.320 I am still concerned about the linebacker position. Dave. Yeah, no, 0:04:02.720 --> 0:04:05.120 a g. I think that was really well said, because 0:04:05.240 --> 0:04:09.480 the harsh reality is that we're pretty long way removed 0:04:09.560 --> 0:04:11.520 from when he played at an all pro level as 0:04:11.520 --> 0:04:14.360 a rookie. I mean two years ago. He missed half 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:17.640 of the last season and he struggled at times at 0:04:18.000 --> 0:04:19.960 A lot of that was because he was playing through injury, 0:04:20.000 --> 0:04:22.839 but it is what it is. And now he's missed, 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:25.719 you know, four and a half of the five games 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:29.080 this season, and who can say how he would have 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:31.480 looked at he gotten more comfortable, But like it's worth 0:04:31.480 --> 0:04:33.400 pointing out that he was out on the field in 0:04:33.400 --> 0:04:36.480 that first quarter against the Rams when the Cowboys were 0:04:36.480 --> 0:04:39.320 getting run all over and all out of sorts with 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:42.760 the way that the Rams were misdirecting them. So I'm 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:45.120 optimistic that he can come back and get his feet 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:47.800 underneath him. And definitely, I mean, they'll be better if 0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:51.560 he's out there, But that could be a bit of 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:53.400 a transition because, like I said, it's it's been a 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:55.960 long time since he's been able to regularly get snaps 0:04:56.000 --> 0:04:58.120 to the point where he was playing at the high 0:04:58.160 --> 0:05:00.799 level that we got used to when he was Nick. 0:05:00.839 --> 0:05:03.640 Expectations for the linebacker crew before the season began as 0:05:03.680 --> 0:05:06.000 far and to where they are now. I thought they 0:05:06.000 --> 0:05:09.240 were the best linebacking linebacker crew in the NFL. I 0:05:09.240 --> 0:05:11.599 thought that they had the potential to be that, and 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:15.200 I think that right now. You know, like the first 0:05:15.240 --> 0:05:17.719 four or five games, they've kind of been the flip 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:22.600 side of that, you would say. So it's a nice 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:24.240 way to say they're probably one of the worst in 0:05:24.279 --> 0:05:27.640 the in the league. Um, but I don't. I just 0:05:27.760 --> 0:05:29.960 I think that that Layton will help them if he 0:05:30.040 --> 0:05:33.560 comes back and plays like the Layton that we've seen. Um, 0:05:33.720 --> 0:05:35.680 but you know Sean Lee as well. I mean, you 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:37.760 hope that they come back and get some depth. I 0:05:37.760 --> 0:05:40.320 think Joe Thomas is just a good, solid player. I 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:42.400 think that's kind of what he is. He's good, and 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:45.279 he hits hard and and he'll he'll do whatever you ask. 0:05:45.360 --> 0:05:48.440 But I don't I don't think he's he's special, you know, 0:05:48.680 --> 0:05:50.960 in any way. But that's okay, that's okay. I mean, 0:05:51.000 --> 0:05:53.679 because as your fourth linebacker, that's exactly what you need. 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:55.280 But he's had to play a lot more. I just 0:05:55.360 --> 0:05:57.479 think that, you know, like a lot of positions. They've 0:05:57.480 --> 0:06:02.320 been banged up, um twice, just like an offensive tackle, cornerback, 0:06:03.240 --> 0:06:06.440 you know, and not really tight end. But I'm just saying, 0:06:06.520 --> 0:06:08.960 you know, they've been hit multiple ways and it really 0:06:08.960 --> 0:06:12.400 affects them. All Right. We've now have Bucky Brooks on 0:06:12.440 --> 0:06:16.200 the line joining us live from he is with NFL Network. 0:06:16.880 --> 0:06:19.279 Welcome to the show. We're ready to jump in and 0:06:19.320 --> 0:06:22.799 talk a little bit of Arizona defense versus Cowboys offense. 0:06:22.839 --> 0:06:25.080 And we'll start what we normally start. Talk to me 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:30.720 about the strengths and the weaknesses of this Arizona defense. Well, 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:33.560 obviously they've been impacted by the loss of Chandler Jones. 0:06:33.560 --> 0:06:36.320 Losing Chandler Jones, who is a guy who, in my estimation, 0:06:36.360 --> 0:06:38.279 should have been Defensive Player of the Year in terms 0:06:38.279 --> 0:06:40.080 of the way that he dominates off the edge. He 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:43.359 there's no longer there. So now what you're going to 0:06:43.400 --> 0:06:45.279 see is the strength of this team would be their 0:06:45.760 --> 0:06:49.600 versatility and their multiplicity Undervans Joseph Vance. Joseph wants to 0:06:49.600 --> 0:06:52.159 bring players from all over the field. He wants to 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:55.599 incorporate everybody into the RUSS package. So you have to 0:06:55.640 --> 0:06:59.240 keep your eye on three guys. Patrick Peterson as the 0:06:59.320 --> 0:07:01.680 number one corner cover corner. He's gonna take the best guy. 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:04.000 Buddha Baker, who's an do it all safety who can 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:05.880 come off the edge you're playing the slot. And then 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:10.080 Devandre Campbell, the second level linebacker that they got from Atlanta. 0:07:10.160 --> 0:07:13.840 He is a explosive sideline sideline menace. He does a 0:07:13.880 --> 0:07:16.880 great job of making plays happen. And because they dowalop 0:07:16.960 --> 0:07:20.040 pressure in any and all situations, you have to keep 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:22.200 your eyes on those guys because at any point they 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:27.320 can be involved in a disruptive play. Bucky, this question 0:07:27.600 --> 0:07:30.800 is specific to the Cowboys offense. I'm not trying to 0:07:30.840 --> 0:07:34.280 blame all the turnovers on deck by any means, but 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:37.840 when you have a major change at a position like 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:41.960 the quarterback, with having Andy Dalton going in there. Are 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:47.400 you expecting this offense to be able to limit their turnovers? Yeah, 0:07:47.880 --> 0:07:50.440 some of the turnovers limited because I would think the 0:07:50.520 --> 0:07:54.160 offense now reprioritizes itself and it has to run through Zeke. 0:07:54.520 --> 0:07:56.440 Doesn't mean that they're gonna run the ball fifty times 0:07:56.440 --> 0:07:58.600 with Uzeke Elliott, but I think he has to be 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:01.400 first and foremost in the minds of Killing Moore when 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:03.320 it comes to how they want to go about their 0:08:03.360 --> 0:08:06.120 game plan. Also, I would think that Mike McCarthy is 0:08:06.160 --> 0:08:09.160 poor killing Moore to the side. Without Deck Prescott, it 0:08:09.240 --> 0:08:12.720 now becomes more important than ever for the Cowboys to 0:08:12.720 --> 0:08:15.480 play compliment every ball, and so that means Mike McCarthy 0:08:15.520 --> 0:08:17.480 has to talk to Killing more about Hey, you got 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:20.160 to insert some more runs in because time or possession 0:08:20.280 --> 0:08:23.160 is really critical because I don't know if our defense 0:08:23.200 --> 0:08:25.800 can get enough stops for us to play in a 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:29.720 shootout with our backup quarterback, and so the turnovers have 0:08:29.800 --> 0:08:32.160 to be a major concern. You have to make sure 0:08:32.240 --> 0:08:34.200 that you're mindful love those. But I think some of 0:08:34.200 --> 0:08:36.000 that will be curved by the way the play calling 0:08:36.080 --> 0:08:39.000 could change with any doll in that quarterback Yeah, an 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:41.520 interesting to note. Their coach McCarthy said this morning in 0:08:41.559 --> 0:08:44.240 his press conference that a number one on his list 0:08:44.280 --> 0:08:47.120 of priorities of things they have to fix in areas 0:08:47.160 --> 0:08:51.320 that they really should be blamed about is the turnover 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:53.320 ratio and trying to fix that and he believes that 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:55.040 they got some answers to be able to fix that. 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:59.840 Go at your question, Nick, here, I was looking at Arizona. 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:03.920 It sounds like they're Their defense starts off the game 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:07.079 great and nobody's you know, took the ball, drove down 0:09:07.080 --> 0:09:09.680 and scored a touchdown to begin the game. The Cowboys, 0:09:09.679 --> 0:09:12.760 of course, have struggled there as well. What do you 0:09:12.880 --> 0:09:15.800 kind of assess that too? When you're looking at the 0:09:15.840 --> 0:09:18.360 Cardinals defense when they come out, is it preparation during 0:09:18.360 --> 0:09:20.880 the week coaching, you know, for them to come out 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:26.679 and stop teams? And the first driver too, you never know. 0:09:26.760 --> 0:09:30.520 Because they've been so dynamic with their rush package. They 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:33.079 can bring pressure from a bunch of different angles, out 0:09:33.080 --> 0:09:36.720 of a bunch of different personnel packages. It takes a 0:09:36.800 --> 0:09:39.480 while off when offensive coordinated and a quarterback to adjust 0:09:39.520 --> 0:09:42.240 to how they're bringing pressure. They do a great job 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:44.760 early in the game setting the tone with some very 0:09:44.800 --> 0:09:47.480 pressures and they settle into their game plan. I think 0:09:47.520 --> 0:09:50.440 what that does is because you're uncertain, you're a little 0:09:50.480 --> 0:09:53.680 more cautious taking on that kind of approach. You're trying 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:55.840 to sort it out. And what you don't want to 0:09:55.840 --> 0:09:57.960 do early is give them a turn over, give them 0:09:57.960 --> 0:10:00.840 a splash play, give them something that changes the momentum. 0:10:00.880 --> 0:10:03.320 So most teams have started out slow as they're trying 0:10:03.360 --> 0:10:06.840 to figure them out, and that plays into their advantage 0:10:06.880 --> 0:10:10.040 because not only defensively are they crazy aggressive, but offensively 0:10:10.080 --> 0:10:12.280 they also put their foot to the gas and try 0:10:12.320 --> 0:10:14.520 and really play from a hit from the beginning of 0:10:14.520 --> 0:10:18.040 the game. So, I mean, Bucky, this is what you're 0:10:18.080 --> 0:10:20.160 just talking about. But just for clarity's sake, I mean, 0:10:20.200 --> 0:10:23.680 I agree with you that Chandler Jones is drastically underrated, 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:27.480 but he only had one sack for this defense before 0:10:27.480 --> 0:10:30.240 he got hurt, and they have fourteen on the year. 0:10:30.640 --> 0:10:34.160 So is there a guy that they are relying on 0:10:34.240 --> 0:10:37.319 to help them generate that pressure or are they blitzing 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:40.600 that much that that many different guys are getting home. 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:42.679 I mean, if you're trying to account for the way 0:10:42.679 --> 0:10:45.240 that they rushed the passer, where do you think the 0:10:45.280 --> 0:10:48.000 Cowboys should start? Man, this is gonna be a challenge. 0:10:48.000 --> 0:10:49.400 It's gonna be a challenge for any doll in the 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:51.760 office ave line. Because they bring it from everywhere, and 0:10:51.880 --> 0:10:55.839 because they're doing it by committee, particularly with Chandler Jones out, 0:10:56.040 --> 0:10:58.240 it makes it hard. Last week we saw Dennis Gardeck 0:10:58.360 --> 0:11:00.880 have two sacks against the Jet. He's an undrafted free 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:02.920 agent who had been in the rotation, but he wasn't 0:11:02.960 --> 0:11:06.120 a prominent figure. They bring it from everywhere. And because 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:07.800 they bring it from everywhere, what they do is they 0:11:07.800 --> 0:11:10.560 create one on one matchups along the line. A lot 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:13.200 of times when you bring five and six, you're trying 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:16.760 to isolate one of your players on a particular offensive 0:11:16.800 --> 0:11:19.320 linement or the back, and that is what they do. 0:11:19.360 --> 0:11:22.000 They bring pressure, so one of those guys has to 0:11:22.040 --> 0:11:24.880 hold up in protection and more times than not they 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:27.880 crumble under the weight of the pressure. And so they're 0:11:27.920 --> 0:11:30.240 gonna bring pressure. They're gonna doallad up in because the 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:32.640 Cowboys have struggled with pressure in the past, particularly go 0:11:32.679 --> 0:11:35.120 back to the Atlanta game. You saw how it took 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:37.199 them a while to settle in. I would expect them 0:11:37.240 --> 0:11:39.880 to really come after them early to see if they 0:11:39.880 --> 0:11:42.679 can create some negative plays and some turnovers, because that 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:45.199 has been the part of the game that has played Dallas. 0:11:45.200 --> 0:11:47.120 Early in the game, they've been a couple of giveaways. 0:11:47.320 --> 0:11:49.600 So you're gonn see advanced Joseph can dialload some things 0:11:49.600 --> 0:11:52.080 to create those turnovers very very early. We're joined by 0:11:52.080 --> 0:11:55.840 Bucky Brooks of NFL Network Bucky. Right now, the Arizona 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:59.480 defense is ranked fifth in points allowed, which obviously looks 0:11:59.520 --> 0:12:01.880 really good for them. However, they've played some of the 0:12:01.920 --> 0:12:04.720 worst offenses in the league. How much do you handicap 0:12:04.960 --> 0:12:06.640 where they are as far as the points as they've 0:12:06.679 --> 0:12:09.120 allowed based upon their opponents, or do you think this 0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:12.520 defense really is a very stout defense that really is 0:12:13.000 --> 0:12:16.880 hard to score on. I mean, they haven't played anybody 0:12:16.920 --> 0:12:20.000 like the Cowboys, like the Cowboys offense, as he presents 0:12:20.000 --> 0:12:23.200 a unique challenge. You have three legitimate wide receivers that 0:12:23.200 --> 0:12:25.080 can take over the game at any point. You have 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:27.679 a stud running back that can get it done. And 0:12:27.760 --> 0:12:31.119 now you will have a veteran quarterback who when protected, 0:12:31.600 --> 0:12:33.760 is as good as they come. And so we will 0:12:33.760 --> 0:12:36.800 see how good the Cardinals are. But they believe in 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:39.560 really throwing a lot at you, and if you're not 0:12:39.600 --> 0:12:41.840 on your p's and ques, it can be overwhelming. And 0:12:41.880 --> 0:12:44.320 so this will be a game where Andy Dawton making 0:12:44.360 --> 0:12:46.920 his first start for the Cowboys. He has to be 0:12:46.960 --> 0:12:48.800 able to sort it out. He's able to figure out 0:12:48.840 --> 0:12:51.360 where the person is coming from, and Kellen Moore has 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:53.560 to help them. I would think, and I know there's 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:56.720 been kind of a source spot for Cowboys fans, You're 0:12:56.720 --> 0:12:59.280 going to see a lot of screens because you need 0:12:59.360 --> 0:13:01.679 to run the schoens early to get a fit to 0:13:01.679 --> 0:13:03.800 see if you can slow down this pass or slow 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:07.000 down this bricks, this blitz package and really help Annie 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:09.199 Dalton get comfortable. So I know people hate it, but 0:13:09.240 --> 0:13:11.120 I think you'll see three or four screens really really 0:13:11.120 --> 0:13:12.400 early in the game to see if they can slow 0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:17.760 this down. Well, hey, you mentioned creating the balance in 0:13:17.800 --> 0:13:20.520 the offense between the running game in the passing game, 0:13:21.160 --> 0:13:23.520 and after seeing what they were able to do last 0:13:23.520 --> 0:13:26.160 week where they were able to get somewhat a better 0:13:26.200 --> 0:13:31.480 balance there, how likely when you're going against this defense 0:13:31.559 --> 0:13:33.920 from MARISONA, how likely are the Cowboys to kind of 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:37.880 carry that over and be productive and make that balance work. Well, 0:13:37.920 --> 0:13:39.640 I think the balance can work, and I think they 0:13:39.679 --> 0:13:41.600 may flip the script. I think you may see any 0:13:41.720 --> 0:13:44.920 Dalton throw more than anticipated in the first quarter because 0:13:44.960 --> 0:13:47.200 everyone is going to think, hey, you don't have your 0:13:47.200 --> 0:13:50.199 starting quarterback, they gonna give the ball to Zeke Elliott. 0:13:50.200 --> 0:13:52.520 And so I would think that the Cowboys will counter 0:13:52.559 --> 0:13:55.040 that by throwing it a little more early in the game, 0:13:55.400 --> 0:13:57.320 seeing if they can back them up, get them out 0:13:57.320 --> 0:13:58.960 of the box before they get a to Zeke. But 0:13:59.400 --> 0:14:01.400 I think it's really important to look at the pitch 0:14:01.440 --> 0:14:05.240 count with Andy Dalton. If Andy Dalton is thirty throws 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:07.680 or fewer, I think this is kind of the approach 0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:09.800 that the Dallas Cowboys want to have. You don't want 0:14:09.800 --> 0:14:13.000 Andy Dalton to fall into the trap that Dak Prescott 0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:15.960 was thrust in, and that is throwing the ball forty 0:14:16.200 --> 0:14:18.920 forty five fifty times. That is not the way to 0:14:18.960 --> 0:14:23.280 win with your backup quarterbacks starting. You know, I think 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:26.280 like every week, we just we hear about the other team, 0:14:26.320 --> 0:14:28.280 and that's what that's what we do. That's what you do. 0:14:28.360 --> 0:14:31.160 You know the scouting report, and it just looks like 0:14:31.160 --> 0:14:33.080 you're about to play the AFC Pro Bowl team. And 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:35.000 the way we talk about you know, it's like, well, 0:14:35.120 --> 0:14:38.120 they've got Hopkins and Kyler Murray and all the blitz 0:14:38.160 --> 0:14:40.240 off the edge and all that, but like, why are 0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:43.000 they getting beat Like are they they look average? They 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:45.320 seem like they're average, But are we making them out 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:47.320 to be like better than that? I mean what I 0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:49.240 get that the Cowboys are below average, so this is 0:14:49.240 --> 0:14:51.360 gonna be a tough matchup. But I'm just saying, what, 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:53.480 they can't be that great, right, I mean, how do 0:14:53.480 --> 0:14:56.760 you beat the Cardinals? Well, I mean the Cardinal card 0:14:56.840 --> 0:14:58.760 is pretty good. So early in the year they went 0:14:58.760 --> 0:15:00.560 on the road and they knocked off the San Francisco 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:03.920 forty nine. Is part of that is familiarity from playing 0:15:04.040 --> 0:15:06.920 within the division. The other part of it is their 0:15:07.000 --> 0:15:12.200 quarterback is really good. Their quarterback is a unique playmaker. 0:15:12.840 --> 0:15:15.600 I will put him in the category that he's Pat 0:15:15.600 --> 0:15:18.800 Mahomes Light in terms of his playing style. He's able 0:15:18.840 --> 0:15:22.200 to escape and make things happen. DeAndre Hopkins is playing 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:25.120 like the best wide receiver in football. Cliff Kingsbury has 0:15:25.120 --> 0:15:27.440 made a concerted effort to put the ball in his hands, 0:15:27.640 --> 0:15:30.280 and they're playing like a video game. My players better 0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:32.000 than your player. I'm gonna give it to my player 0:15:32.080 --> 0:15:34.400 more than your player, and we're going to win because 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:36.880 of that. The team that has success, the Detroit Lions 0:15:36.920 --> 0:15:39.440 had the most success against him. They played his own, 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:42.440 they kept the ball in front, they dared, they dared 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:45.120 calla Murray to play dink and dunk ball, and he 0:15:45.160 --> 0:15:47.840 wasn't able to consistently do it, and he had more turnovers. 0:15:47.880 --> 0:15:50.160 But he has shown that he can carve you up 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:52.040 because the Jets tried to do some of that stuff 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:54.200 in zone or whatever, and he threw for three and 0:15:54.280 --> 0:15:57.640 eighty yards. They're good because the quarterback is good. And 0:15:57.640 --> 0:15:59.520 that's the story of the National Football League. When you 0:15:59.520 --> 0:16:01.680 have a good quarterback, your team is typically good. That's 0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:05.120 why they're so difficult to deal with. All Right, So 0:16:05.160 --> 0:16:07.280 you're going to be surprised that I'm bringing up a 0:16:07.360 --> 0:16:10.960 draft prospect, Bucky. But there might not have been a 0:16:11.000 --> 0:16:14.120 more beloved player in this draft, at least defensively than 0:16:14.200 --> 0:16:17.080 Isaiah Simmons. I think a lot of people were shocked 0:16:17.080 --> 0:16:19.360 that he lasted as long as he did, which was 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:21.920 even I mean, he was taken eighth overall and that's 0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:26.320 still surprised people. But he's not really playing he's getting 0:16:26.360 --> 0:16:29.560 like twenty percent of the snaps, and I'm just curious 0:16:29.600 --> 0:16:32.480 from what you've seen why that is, because it certainly 0:16:32.600 --> 0:16:34.880 seemed in the spring like he was going to be 0:16:34.920 --> 0:16:37.920 looked at as an instant impact kind of guy. So 0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:41.160 here's the thing, Dave, when it comes to the evaluation process, 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:44.280 particularly for us on the outside, we love all the 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:46.280 bills and whistles and the more that you can do 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:49.000 when he plays safety in corner and slot and linebacker, 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:52.080 and he can do so many different things. The challenge 0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:54.880 is when you get him on your team, what room 0:16:54.920 --> 0:16:57.200 does he go to as a position player? Is he 0:16:57.240 --> 0:17:00.280 a linebacker? Is he a safety? Can he settled into 0:17:00.320 --> 0:17:04.160 one spot? Learn one spot before you put more on him? 0:17:04.240 --> 0:17:06.399 What has happened with Zaa Sims. He's kind of a 0:17:06.880 --> 0:17:09.600 jack of all trades, a master of none, and so 0:17:09.920 --> 0:17:13.560 he hasn't really majored in anything. And so because he 0:17:13.600 --> 0:17:16.400 hasn't majored in anything, the Cardinals are looking and trying 0:17:16.400 --> 0:17:19.040 to figure out, I can't remove Buddha Baker because he's 0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:20.919 a Pro Bowl player to put him at safety. I 0:17:20.920 --> 0:17:23.920 can't remove the Devondre Campbell because deve Andre Campbell is 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:26.679 pretty good Jordan Hicks has been the steadying force in 0:17:26.760 --> 0:17:30.000 the middle, and the complimentary safety has also been good. 0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:33.560 So he's a man without a designated spot right now, 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:36.679 and so it can be tough when you have a 0:17:36.680 --> 0:17:40.040 lot of talent, but the coaches and the front offices 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:42.440 aren't on the same page in terms of how we're 0:17:42.480 --> 0:17:44.920 going to use them. In theory, the plan is great 0:17:44.960 --> 0:17:47.160 to have a guy that's a Swiss Army Knight. It's 0:17:47.200 --> 0:17:50.240 a lot harder to execute when you get to playing 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:52.399 games and you're trying to figure out how to maximize 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:55.240 all the personnel outside of Isaiah Simmons. We're talking to 0:17:55.280 --> 0:17:58.960 Bucky Brooks of NFL Network. Bucky, they are also giving 0:17:59.040 --> 0:18:02.119 up a significant number of rush yards they including one 0:18:02.200 --> 0:18:03.720 hundred and sixty eight yards that gave up on the 0:18:03.720 --> 0:18:06.960 ground to Carolina and that was without Christian McCaffrey was 0:18:06.960 --> 0:18:09.399 out injured right now. So what is the issue with 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:12.440 their run defense and is it something that the Cowboys 0:18:12.600 --> 0:18:18.239 could possibly possibly exploit. Yeah, I mean the thing is 0:18:18.240 --> 0:18:20.120 when you bliss and bliss the way that they play 0:18:20.240 --> 0:18:23.960 like they are, I mean without being there, finesse will defense. 0:18:23.960 --> 0:18:25.880 They want to play finesse because they want to run around, 0:18:25.960 --> 0:18:28.600 run around blocks and get to the quarterback. So everyone 0:18:28.760 --> 0:18:31.440 is focused on hunting the quarterback and they don't really 0:18:31.480 --> 0:18:33.199 want to take on blocks to the point of attack. 0:18:33.600 --> 0:18:35.919 I think the recipe for most things in this league 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:38.040 is teams that can run the ball and can hit 0:18:38.080 --> 0:18:40.520 you in the face. It solves a lot of problems. 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:42.480 And when you look at the tape and you see 0:18:42.480 --> 0:18:45.199 the Carolina Panthers run for that amount of yards with 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:48.560 Mike Davis, You've seen other teams have success running the ball. 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:50.320 It's not that hard. You gotta run the ball. You 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:52.080 need to run the ball because you can control it. 0:18:52.280 --> 0:18:54.840 And at this time, when you have analytics people telling 0:18:54.880 --> 0:18:57.480 you did to throw it every down, football is still 0:18:57.480 --> 0:18:59.760 a physical game. You gotta run the ball. You gotta 0:18:59.800 --> 0:19:02.080 test will You got to see if they can handle 0:19:02.119 --> 0:19:04.360 the pressure getting hit in the face. And I think 0:19:04.400 --> 0:19:07.520 for the Cowboys it is really important to run the 0:19:07.520 --> 0:19:10.440 ball with Zeke, particularly with the offensive line being one 0:19:10.480 --> 0:19:13.240 that is better going forward than retreating and pass protection 0:19:13.359 --> 0:19:15.240 and real quick before we let you go, you mentioned 0:19:15.240 --> 0:19:17.399 earlier Patrick Peterson was a guy to keep an eye on. 0:19:17.640 --> 0:19:19.639 He's a guy that can match up and take away 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:22.159 your top receiver. If you're looking at the Dallas Cowboys, 0:19:22.440 --> 0:19:24.840 which of those three guys becomes that top receiver that 0:19:24.880 --> 0:19:26.760 you take away If you're Patrick Peterson or if you're 0:19:26.760 --> 0:19:31.000 the Arizona Cardinals, matching Patrick Peterson up with someone, well, 0:19:31.040 --> 0:19:32.919 I think you still have to take away of Maury Cooper. 0:19:33.040 --> 0:19:36.120 Like it's all funny games that CD Lamb has had 0:19:36.359 --> 0:19:39.119 big moments, Michael Gallup has made some plays, but we 0:19:39.160 --> 0:19:42.679