WEBVTT - Drive Time: Cowboys Perspective with Michael Gehlkin 0:00:00.520 --> 0:00:03.560 Drive Time with Travis Wingfield begins. 0:00:04.080 --> 0:00:06.600 Now, let me check your pulse if you're not far though. 0:00:09.400 --> 0:00:11.160 What is up? Dolphins? 0:00:11.280 --> 0:00:14.319 And welcome to the Drive Time Podcast, part of the 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:19.560 Miami Dolphins podcast network covering your team, your Miami Dolphins. 0:00:19.560 --> 0:00:22.919 How's it going everybody? I am your host, Travis Wingfield. 0:00:23.200 --> 0:00:26.600 And on today's show, Week sixteen kicks off tonight. That 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:28.920 means it's time to hear from a member of the 0:00:28.960 --> 0:00:32.479 Cowboys beat. Michael Gelkin joins us from the Dallas Morning 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:35.360 News for a great conversation about a huge game. Really 0:00:35.360 --> 0:00:37.840 good x's and those guys. So that fits the podcast well. Here, 0:00:38.040 --> 0:00:40.199 plus we'll hear from the assistant coaches, we'll pick the 0:00:40.200 --> 0:00:42.839 Week sixteen games. All of that and more from the 0:00:42.880 --> 0:00:46.000 Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. 0:00:46.040 --> 0:00:46.640 This is. 0:00:48.080 --> 0:00:52.040 The Draft Time Podcast. Ye daffy, sir, let's welcome in. 0:00:52.040 --> 0:00:54.920 My guest today from the Dallas Morning News, Michael Gelkin 0:00:55.200 --> 0:00:57.520 and joining me today here on the Draft Time Podcast 0:00:57.520 --> 0:00:59.600 from the Dallas Morning News Michael Gelkin. 0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:00.800 Michael, welcome and. 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:02.560 Sir, thank you for having me. 0:01:02.560 --> 0:01:02.880 Travis. 0:01:02.920 --> 0:01:04.600 It's a pleasure, happy to do it. 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:06.720 Let's go ahead and start here with you, Michael, because 0:01:06.920 --> 0:01:09.760 in watching the Cowboys, a very fun team this season, 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:12.600 and in particular last week, gosh it, it feels like 0:01:12.640 --> 0:01:15.800 they really missed Layton vander Esh and to Mario Overshown. 0:01:16.080 --> 0:01:17.559 I know there's a couple of players they've been without 0:01:17.560 --> 0:01:19.480 for a while now, but I wanted to ask you 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:22.240 in general, because you know Trayvon Diggs obviously no Malie 0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:25.800 Cooker and Jonathan Hankins last week, just how the injuries 0:01:25.880 --> 0:01:29.240 have impacted this defense and in particular that second level 0:01:29.280 --> 0:01:31.520 where the Buffalo Bills kind of went rough shot in 0:01:31.520 --> 0:01:32.160 the running game. 0:01:33.319 --> 0:01:35.320 I think it's a great place to start the conversation. 0:01:35.560 --> 0:01:40.920 It's obvious. I think in for agency in April during 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:43.840 the draft, the way that fans and teams get excited 0:01:43.880 --> 0:01:48.320 about player personnel acquisitions. You know, players on the field matters, 0:01:48.560 --> 0:01:51.120 and so during the season there's nothing you can do 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:54.200 about losing, you know, a top linebacker on your team. 0:01:54.280 --> 0:01:57.160 In terms of Layton vanner Esh, you know, a rookie 0:01:57.240 --> 0:02:01.160 third round pick and Tomorrio Overshown. Safety Willie Cooker releases 0:02:01.240 --> 0:02:03.720 a tone for the Cowboys, and from his physicality standpoints 0:02:03.760 --> 0:02:05.640 one of those types of guys, one of their best tacklers, 0:02:06.000 --> 0:02:09.280 and then a big loss they felt was nose tackle 0:02:09.600 --> 0:02:12.840 Jonathan Hankins. And so when you lose those guys, as 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:15.320 much as you want to have that next man up, 0:02:15.680 --> 0:02:19.320 you know thing that you say that that mantra, it 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:23.680 hurts losing those guys. And so I think absolutely you 0:02:23.720 --> 0:02:27.320 know that size and that experience that the loss of 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:30.560 that was felt against the Buffalo Bills. You know that 0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:34.640 offensive line, it's pretty rare. They've they've started all five 0:02:35.360 --> 0:02:39.360 every single game this year. And when you've got that 0:02:39.520 --> 0:02:43.600 much continuity up front against a front seven that's missing 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:46.120 some pieces and asking some younger guys or a practice 0:02:46.120 --> 0:02:48.679 spot elevation guy or just you know, asking guys to 0:02:48.720 --> 0:02:52.200 step up, it's you. You feel that absence, and you 0:02:52.240 --> 0:02:54.519 certainly feel it when you're missing twelve tackles, which is 0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:56.880 about as bad as the Cowboys have been right there 0:02:56.880 --> 0:02:59.000 with a Week five loss to the San Francisco forty 0:02:59.080 --> 0:03:03.639 nine ers. So it just wasn't this defense's best at all. 0:03:03.720 --> 0:03:06.000 And most of those guys aren't an't coming back, you 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:07.760 know for this coming game against the Dolphins. 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:10.040 He said, mostly guys there, becuse that makes me curious 0:03:10.040 --> 0:03:12.560 because it just it just seems so different. Like, you know, 0:03:12.760 --> 0:03:14.480 we had Tony Romo on the call last week and 0:03:14.600 --> 0:03:16.919 Jim Nantz the CBS Number one crew for that game, 0:03:16.919 --> 0:03:21.079 and they talked about Romo did the absence of Tyreek Hill. 0:03:21.120 --> 0:03:23.120 But how for one or two games you can possibly 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:25.080 scheme around before teams kind of get a piece of 0:03:25.120 --> 0:03:27.160 your new scheme and can then adjust and then you 0:03:27.160 --> 0:03:29.440 start to really feel the absence of those players. But 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:31.480 like you mentioned, a few of those guys not coming back. 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:34.200 But I'm curious about two main ones here with Hankins 0:03:34.200 --> 0:03:35.880 and Hooker. I know it's early in the week in 0:03:35.960 --> 0:03:38.080 this podcast on a Wednesday, but do you think the 0:03:38.120 --> 0:03:39.880 Cowboys will get those guys back this week? 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:42.760 Yeah, even though this is an early week recording, and 0:03:42.840 --> 0:03:45.480 I feel confident saying that Leek Hooker will be back 0:03:45.600 --> 0:03:48.360 on Sunday. He was very close to playing a bit 0:03:48.440 --> 0:03:51.520 like Tyreek Hill for the other the other day. You know, 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:54.360 he had a pregame workout Hooker did, and it was 0:03:54.400 --> 0:03:57.760 just decided that he couldn't go. So I would expect, 0:03:57.800 --> 0:03:59.800 given how close he was, and it was a true 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:02.840 game day call, that he will be ready. There is 0:04:02.880 --> 0:04:06.400 that optimism for having Hooker back against the Dolphins in 0:04:06.440 --> 0:04:11.080 Miami Gardens, and then for Jonathan Hankins early week, I'm 0:04:11.120 --> 0:04:14.360 less optimistic. He has a high ankle spring also at 0:04:14.440 --> 0:04:17.840 knee issue, so I just think that's asking a lot 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:20.120 for three hundred and thirty five pound man the trenches 0:04:20.760 --> 0:04:23.000 to come back, you know, a couple weeks after having 0:04:23.080 --> 0:04:26.039 sustained that injury. So we'll see how the week progresses. 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:30.320 But certainly more optimistic about the Cowboys ability return Hooker 0:04:30.360 --> 0:04:31.160 than Hankins. 0:04:31.480 --> 0:04:33.720 Makes for a fun matchup this late in year two 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:35.760 ten win teams going at it down here in Miami 0:04:35.800 --> 0:04:38.920 Gardens for twenty five kickoff, the primary Fox game you 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:40.760 guys are used that window for the Dolphins. Is not 0:04:40.800 --> 0:04:42.680 a lot of four to twenty five Fox kickoffs for 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:45.480 us looking forward to this one. But I usually start 0:04:45.560 --> 0:04:48.200 at this position with these podcasts, at the quarterback spot, right. 0:04:48.240 --> 0:04:51.279 It's an obvious low hanging fruit there, and Michael, I 0:04:51.279 --> 0:04:54.359 think that Dak is a good study in quarterback discourse 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:56.960 and how misguided it can be from week to week 0:04:57.040 --> 0:04:59.520 or even year to year, because like the conversation around 0:04:59.560 --> 0:05:02.400 Dak's pit last year, right and now it's way down 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:04.000 back to where he typically is in terms of how 0:05:04.000 --> 0:05:06.200 he puts the ball in harm's way at a pretty 0:05:06.200 --> 0:05:08.440 minimal rate. I'm curious what you think is the big 0:05:08.480 --> 0:05:11.640 difference though, between Dak's performance in twenty twenty two versus 0:05:11.720 --> 0:05:13.600 what he's done this year with this Cowboys offense that's 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:15.520 going up and on the field. Yeah. 0:05:15.600 --> 0:05:17.440 Well, first, Travis, I really like the way you framed 0:05:17.440 --> 0:05:18.920 that question. I'm thirty six years old. 0:05:18.960 --> 0:05:21.720 How old are you, Travis, same age, good company. 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:23.440 Thirty six So we're probably in the same point of 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:26.279 life where we have been in our industry for a 0:05:26.279 --> 0:05:29.480 while now, and there are certain themes that maybe bother 0:05:29.640 --> 0:05:34.880 us about how lazy some analysis can become. And I 0:05:34.880 --> 0:05:36.680 think it's kind of hard to have a stomach for, 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:39.760 like longevity in this profession sometimes when you just hear 0:05:40.560 --> 0:05:44.080 how lack of nuanced There is a lot of prominent 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:47.200 conversation that's had about this sport, and Dak Prescott is 0:05:47.240 --> 0:05:51.120 a terrific example where yeah, he had interceptions last year, 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:53.240 but if you go back and really study them, you 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:56.160 would see that there was an element of the receiver 0:05:56.240 --> 0:05:59.520 corps that just was felt. And you know, the Cowboys 0:05:59.520 --> 0:06:03.000 lost the more cooper. Last year, they lost Cedric Wilson 0:06:03.240 --> 0:06:06.640 to the Dolphins, and they didn't really replace either of them. 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:08.640 You know, they tried, you know, they drafted someone in 0:06:08.680 --> 0:06:10.680 the third round who caught a couple passes literally, and 0:06:10.760 --> 0:06:13.880 then drafted James Washington who really didn't catch any or 0:06:13.880 --> 0:06:16.440 they signed James Washington one year contract. He needn't really 0:06:16.480 --> 0:06:20.680 catch any So there just wasn't much productivity there and 0:06:20.720 --> 0:06:22.719 so he's got a lot more help this year. Jalen 0:06:22.760 --> 0:06:26.120 Tolbert is another year along in terms of that. Former 0:06:26.160 --> 0:06:28.840 third round pick Michael Gallup is another year removed from 0:06:28.839 --> 0:06:31.440 his ACL tear. That really helps in the big addition 0:06:31.839 --> 0:06:36.320 was Brandon Cooks March you know the edition via trade 0:06:36.680 --> 0:06:38.840 and that he's really been a veteran in the room 0:06:38.880 --> 0:06:40.800 who's helped get guys around him almost like a coach 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:43.200 on the field. Is so experienced, he's got such a 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:46.880 great feel for, you know, how offenses operate and where 0:06:46.880 --> 0:06:49.080 to be and when to be there to timing, and 0:06:49.120 --> 0:06:52.520 then you take that in conjunction with things that Dak's doing. 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:54.880 It's the big difference for Dak is what he's doing 0:06:54.920 --> 0:06:57.039 with his feet. You know, he's got better footwork in 0:06:57.040 --> 0:06:59.480 the pocket, that's one. He's got a cleaner pocket, that's two. 0:06:59.760 --> 0:07:02.320 But when the play breaks down and he's having to 0:07:02.360 --> 0:07:06.279 extend plays after that initial two point three of a second, 0:07:06.400 --> 0:07:08.680 two point three seconds of a play that typically kind 0:07:08.680 --> 0:07:11.040 of went to scripted once they has to go off script, 0:07:11.120 --> 0:07:14.640 and his improvising and on the run, he's as good 0:07:14.720 --> 0:07:17.160 as anybody in the NFL, and in fact, statistically in 0:07:17.280 --> 0:07:19.920 terms of his rating on scramble drill plays, he's the 0:07:19.960 --> 0:07:23.160 best in the NFL. So that has all been a 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:26.200 big part of it, in conjunction as well with Mike 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:28.480 McCarthy taking him over play calling and just I think 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:31.040 have a little bit more balance on offense. You know, 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:34.480 the route regressions, the way things are structured. All that 0:07:34.600 --> 0:07:37.560 is set up for Dak to have success. And McCarthy 0:07:37.600 --> 0:07:40.760 has more pieces than Kellen Moore had last year as 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:44.560 offensive coordinator and play caller. But I do think Mike 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:47.200 McCarthy deserves a lot of credit for what he's doing 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:48.200 with those pieces. 0:07:48.480 --> 0:07:50.560 You know, Michael, I don't have any connects really in 0:07:50.600 --> 0:07:53.840 the Dallas market because we play you guys every presidential term. 0:07:54.040 --> 0:07:56.240 And so when I asked Brett breckheis and our great 0:07:56.680 --> 0:07:59.200 communications manager over here. Who should I ask for a 0:07:59.240 --> 0:08:01.920 podcast with the boys? He first sent her Nam. Now 0:08:02.000 --> 0:08:05.120 I'm seeing why he understands that you would be good 0:08:05.160 --> 0:08:06.800 for the show because you just talked about exactly I 0:08:06.800 --> 0:08:08.440 thinks we talked about here on Drive Time all the 0:08:08.440 --> 0:08:12.120 time with discourse and how irritated it could be some time, 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:14.680 so good stuff. Start talking about this elite quarterback and 0:08:14.680 --> 0:08:16.880 this elite offense. It's so fun to watch and it 0:08:16.960 --> 0:08:19.480 makes for a game that has elite matchups all over 0:08:19.520 --> 0:08:22.440 the field. And we saw Jalen Ramsey travel with Garrett 0:08:22.440 --> 0:08:25.320 Wilson last week to a lot of success, only one target, 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:27.960 no catches on those twenty four routes that he played 0:08:28.160 --> 0:08:31.400 on Garrett Wilson. I'm curious if we see Ramsey doing 0:08:31.480 --> 0:08:32.520 on Ceedee Lamb this week. 0:08:32.559 --> 0:08:34.559 So my question for you, Michael is if. 0:08:34.400 --> 0:08:36.520 He does and does it well, and let's say that 0:08:36.559 --> 0:08:38.840 he takes Lamb not out of the game, because you 0:08:38.840 --> 0:08:41.840 can't do that, but if he limits Lamb to a 0:08:42.000 --> 0:08:44.200 smaller amount of production than what you're used to, which 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:45.880 is usually a bunch of catches and a bunch of 0:08:45.960 --> 0:08:48.000 yards and a bunch of touchdowns. What would the next 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:50.800 major area of concern for the Miami offense be? Like, 0:08:50.800 --> 0:08:52.640 I know you all got weapons over there, but who 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:54.960 would you say if Lamb's not you know, if he 0:08:55.000 --> 0:08:57.640 has like four for forty five, who would be the next. 0:08:57.520 --> 0:09:00.000 Guy that would beat Miami if he didn't get enough attention? 0:09:01.120 --> 0:09:04.200 Well, there's not an obvious answer, which is probably the answer. 0:09:05.320 --> 0:09:09.040 My mind first went to to Jake Ferguson tight end, 0:09:09.760 --> 0:09:12.160 you know, that was that was one place my mind went. 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:15.240 I would say two is probably Brandon Cooks, And then 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:17.559 I think there's a pretty good gap there between anyone 0:09:17.600 --> 0:09:20.040 else in terms of the passing game. Obviously, the run 0:09:20.080 --> 0:09:22.120 game is is something that the Cowboys would want to do. 0:09:22.200 --> 0:09:25.079 And you know, if it's single high safety versus too high, 0:09:25.120 --> 0:09:27.400 you know what that looks like. You know, the numbers 0:09:27.440 --> 0:09:29.720 game in the box and all that matters in terms 0:09:29.760 --> 0:09:32.320 of box count and how you want to attack a defense. 0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:35.120 But I do think that if if you take away 0:09:35.120 --> 0:09:38.120 Ceedee Lamb, you're well on your way to really stressing 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:41.440 this Cowboys offense. But Jake Ferguson tight end second your 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:44.120 tight end, He's he's really crafty in the open field, 0:09:44.120 --> 0:09:45.480 he's tough. Then you know, he's got a lot of 0:09:45.480 --> 0:09:48.640 toughness to him. He's someone that you see on tape. He's, 0:09:48.840 --> 0:09:52.080 you know, before he's getting open in the flat, he's 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:55.120 chip blocking and outside, you know, a linebacker, edge rusher 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:58.199 and help helping free himself open and helping his protection. 0:09:58.800 --> 0:10:00.679 It was just kind of the great and toughness to 0:10:00.720 --> 0:10:03.680 his game. So I think Ferguson has really come along 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:07.240 his second year. By no means it's a finished product yet, 0:10:07.480 --> 0:10:10.760 but I think of safety valve, if you're taking away 0:10:11.080 --> 0:10:13.760 one guy I really trust in, Ceedee Lamb, Well, a 0:10:13.840 --> 0:10:17.800 tight end is often that friendly option for a quarterback. Underneath, 0:10:18.160 --> 0:10:19.640 I'd say that he can't get open on a steam 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:22.920 rout or what have you. But Ferguson is probably my answer. 0:10:23.320 --> 0:10:25.319 Michael I put in my notes that he's like, he's 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:27.280 kind of George Kittle light man, like he's on his 0:10:27.320 --> 0:10:28.640 way to being that type of player. 0:10:28.640 --> 0:10:30.760 He is, Gosh, he's good. 0:10:31.120 --> 0:10:33.960 This whole offense just has pieces like that, especially across 0:10:34.000 --> 0:10:36.120 the offensive line. That's where I go next year talking 0:10:36.120 --> 0:10:39.000 about the potential absence of a future Hall of Famer 0:10:39.000 --> 0:10:42.360 and Zach Martin, I saw him walking around the sidelines 0:10:42.480 --> 0:10:45.760 watching that game last week with the quad rap and 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:47.600 just kind of looking like he wasn't gonna play again 0:10:47.640 --> 0:10:47.920 for a. 0:10:47.840 --> 0:10:49.600 While, But now it sounds like he might have a chance. 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:51.960 Do you think he plays and if he does not, 0:10:52.160 --> 0:10:54.120 what would the absence of Zach Martin mean to the 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:55.480 Cowboys offensive line? 0:10:56.000 --> 0:10:56.240 Yeah? 0:10:56.240 --> 0:10:58.280 Well, first, before we gets to Zach Martin, it's funny 0:10:58.280 --> 0:11:01.680 that you mentioned the George Kittle garrison for Jake Ferguson 0:11:02.080 --> 0:11:04.360 because they're the same guy in their locker room. 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:05.600 Kill you see. 0:11:05.720 --> 0:11:09.600 Yet people don't really know Jake Ferguson as a as 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:12.080 a personality yet. And I'm currently working to develop an 0:11:12.160 --> 0:11:14.679 article that that'll help that. It wouldn't wouldn't be this week, 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:17.880 will probably be next week. But he's that just like 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:22.520 guy who keeps others loose. He's the jokester who stands 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:25.400 in front of the entire offense and delivers jokes. Or 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:30.000 if there's a rookie offensive lineman, undrafted rookie who is 0:11:30.080 --> 0:11:32.240 casked with making a you know, delivering a story in 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:34.120 front of the offensive line, he pantics he doesn't know 0:11:34.120 --> 0:11:36.160 what he's gonna say in this meeting that's coming up. 0:11:36.360 --> 0:11:37.840 He says, hey, Jake, give me a story I can 0:11:37.840 --> 0:11:39.520 tell my teammates, and then he gives them like this 0:11:39.600 --> 0:11:42.200 funny story, and then the offensive line is like, all right, perfect. 0:11:42.320 --> 0:11:44.880 So he's got kind of like the glue guy in 0:11:44.920 --> 0:11:47.199 the locker room that much like Kittle is. They even 0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:50.240 have the same agent. So funny comparison you make. Obviously, 0:11:50.280 --> 0:11:52.760 Ferguson not that type of player yet, but talk about 0:11:52.760 --> 0:11:54.800 a guy who's who's tough on the field and light 0:11:54.920 --> 0:11:57.360 off with it. That's that's that's Jake Ferguson to the 0:11:57.400 --> 0:12:00.839 Cowboys locker room. As for Zach Martin, you mentioned the 0:12:00.880 --> 0:12:04.800 left quad injury, there is optimism and I don't think 0:12:04.800 --> 0:12:06.800 he's you know, he's going to doing anything on Wednesday. 0:12:06.880 --> 0:12:09.840 They have a walkthrough here on Wednesday. Thursday they practice. 0:12:09.960 --> 0:12:12.920 You might not see him practice on Thursday. That is undetermined, 0:12:12.920 --> 0:12:16.640 but for certain he's trending the right direction as of 0:12:16.679 --> 0:12:20.240 earlier this week to play on Sunday. And so that's 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:23.360 a big deal for an offensive line that if Martin goes, 0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:28.640 Cowboys will have started the same offensive line combination in 0:12:28.720 --> 0:12:31.680 eight straight games. And that's not only a big deal 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:33.920 in general, but it's a big deal when you're including 0:12:34.120 --> 0:12:36.680 their left tackle Tyron Smith as part of that. The 0:12:36.679 --> 0:12:40.360 Cowboys don't even practice Tyron Smith. I mean that, literally, 0:12:40.640 --> 0:12:44.040 zero weekday practices for several weeks. They just bottle him up, 0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:47.400 let him stay healthy, stay fresh, you know, keeping them 0:12:47.400 --> 0:12:50.559 busy and walkthroughs in the weight room, and then come 0:12:51.080 --> 0:12:54.840 Sunday he goes and he is as dominant as any 0:12:54.920 --> 0:12:59.040 tackle in the league. So having Zach Martin as part 0:12:59.040 --> 0:13:03.360 of that, those are two potential likely Pro Football Hall 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:08.319 of Famers. Tyron Smith, he's been steady overly several weeks, 0:13:08.320 --> 0:13:11.360 and Zach Martin's expected to return to keep that streak 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:12.280 alive to eight. 0:13:12.920 --> 0:13:15.440 You pretty much just described Toron Armstead too. Doesn't practice 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:17.000 a whole lot, but is dominant when he does get 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:18.880 on the field, and he's best some games this year. 0:13:18.880 --> 0:13:20.600 But man, when you get him back, it's so obvious 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:21.760 how impactful he can be. 0:13:22.280 --> 0:13:23.440 Just good stuff all around there. 0:13:23.480 --> 0:13:25.840 Man, these teams, these teams mirror each other so much 0:13:25.840 --> 0:13:28.679 in my opinion, And speaking of Toron Armstead in the 0:13:28.760 --> 0:13:30.719 offensive line, let's go ahead and flip it over to 0:13:30.760 --> 0:13:32.480 the other side of the ball here. For the Cowboys, 0:13:32.520 --> 0:13:35.640 defense here and where else would you start besides Michaeh Parsons. First, 0:13:35.720 --> 0:13:38.559 I'm curious how teams have dealt with him, Like how 0:13:38.600 --> 0:13:41.280 has he impacted the way teams have to commit extra 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:43.560 attention and bodies to him? And then the follow up, 0:13:43.559 --> 0:13:45.800 would we be a similar question to when I asked 0:13:45.800 --> 0:13:49.160 you about Ceedee Lamb, Like if you can get Parsons blocked, 0:13:49.280 --> 0:13:51.480 and whether it takes two or three guys or motions 0:13:51.520 --> 0:13:53.240 or whatever you have to do to take advantage of 0:13:53.360 --> 0:13:55.480 getting Parsons out of the game. Who's the next guy 0:13:55.520 --> 0:13:58.040 you look at in this Cowboys pass rush? 0:13:58.240 --> 0:14:02.960 Yeah, started with Michael Parker. If anyone who is a 0:14:03.000 --> 0:14:06.640 fan of the Dolphins hasn't seen him yet, number eleven, 0:14:07.160 --> 0:14:09.160 you can't miss him during the game. He's just so 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:13.040 explosive in space, just so explosive. Think you're in a 0:14:13.160 --> 0:14:17.240 four point three forty at his pro day after skipping 0:14:17.240 --> 0:14:20.720 the season at Penn State. He's just he's got that 0:14:20.760 --> 0:14:23.080 element of just pure speed and explosion. But then he's 0:14:23.080 --> 0:14:25.320 also really good with his hands. He understands leverage. He's 0:14:25.320 --> 0:14:30.080 a former like youth national team wrestler, so there's. 0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:30.880 That element of him. 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:33.280 And then he's just so versatile where you know, on 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:36.120 first and second down he might be at left end 0:14:36.200 --> 0:14:38.920 or right end, and then on third down he's a linebacker. 0:14:39.000 --> 0:14:41.640 Now off ball, he's standing in front of the A gap, 0:14:41.880 --> 0:14:45.000 you know, mugging the gap. You're not sure if he's 0:14:45.040 --> 0:14:46.800 if he's gonna be blitzing, if he's going to be 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:49.160 back and out of coverage, or he might start on 0:14:49.200 --> 0:14:51.520 the left AY gap and then rush the right A gap. 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:54.920 And he's so versatile. And dan Quinn, the defensive coordinator here, 0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:57.000 who should be a head coach really whenever he wants 0:14:57.040 --> 0:14:59.600 to be, he can be selective, but dan Quinn does 0:14:59.760 --> 0:15:03.280 a horrific job of keeping Micah Parsons on the move, 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:06.520 making it an identification problem. You know, when Tua or 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:08.520 any other quarterback gets to the line, they have to 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:10.520 be like, all right, where's where's number eleven? And do 0:15:10.640 --> 0:15:12.120 teams account for him? 0:15:12.160 --> 0:15:13.280 Every week? Absolutely? 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:15.360 We've seen them double team, We've seen him triple teams. Even, 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:17.480 we've seen him chipped, we've seen him cut block, We've 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:22.720 seen absolutely every approach one could take toward a dominant rusher, 0:15:22.920 --> 0:15:24.440 and really the only thing we haven't seen lately is 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:27.640 a holding penalty. Because it's been eight and a half games. 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:30.840 I started keeping count. There's a counter going on thirty 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:34.640 four consecutive quarters that one of the best, if not 0:15:34.760 --> 0:15:38.200 the best pass rushers in the NFL, has not drawn 0:15:38.560 --> 0:15:41.000 a single holding penalty. I think a single hands to 0:15:41.040 --> 0:15:42.560 the face. I double check that, but there have been 0:15:42.600 --> 0:15:45.640 multiple ones that have missed there. He just isn't getting calls. 0:15:45.760 --> 0:15:46.800 And so if. 0:15:47.240 --> 0:15:49.680 You're if you're a fan, you're on social media and 0:15:49.920 --> 0:15:52.880 during the game and you see Micah Parsons get a 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:56.160 holding call, I guarantee you he will be trending in 0:15:56.200 --> 0:16:00.840 the Dallas area because it finally happened. As for beyond Parsons, 0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:05.800 DeMarcus Lawrence is completely I don't know if he's underrated. 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:08.480 People talk about he as underrated, but people talk about 0:16:08.480 --> 0:16:12.280 he's underrated so much he possibly cannot still qualify. He's 0:16:12.320 --> 0:16:15.640 just dominant against the run. If you were to look 0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:18.520 at the first two plays that the Bills ran in 0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:21.640 the first quarter and the first two plays that the 0:16:21.640 --> 0:16:24.040 Bills ran on Sunday in the third quarter, so the 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:26.880 first two plays of each half for the Bills offense, 0:16:27.600 --> 0:16:31.920 he shut them down entirely. He's the reason solely that 0:16:32.560 --> 0:16:34.480 the Cowboys had a chance to get off the field 0:16:34.480 --> 0:16:37.720 on third down both those series that they didn't, and 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:40.720 the Bills end up scoring both those series, and that 0:16:40.840 --> 0:16:43.560 was kind of the hallmark of the game, is that 0:16:43.600 --> 0:16:46.600 they had some little glimpses, but they couldn't sustain it. 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:50.760 DeMarcus Lawrence can't be everywhere throughout the entire game, but 0:16:51.200 --> 0:16:54.000 he's just so violent with his hands, and he's got 0:16:54.000 --> 0:16:57.600 such a great motor and backside pursuit. He's one of 0:16:57.640 --> 0:17:01.800 the best block shutters, run defenders in the entire NFL, 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:05.879 regardless of position. He's that good. So that's number ninety. 0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:09.320 So eleven and ninety, those are the two guys. And 0:17:09.760 --> 0:17:12.840 just like Micah Parsons's versatile, dan Quinn has done a 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:16.120 great job of developing Lawrence's versatility, so you might see 0:17:16.200 --> 0:17:18.840 him in a zero or one technique, you might see 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:21.920 him aligned over the tight end, and tight ends have 0:17:22.520 --> 0:17:25.240 been thoroughly unable to block him all year long. 0:17:25.880 --> 0:17:28.640 Really really good stuff there, and it makes for even Again, 0:17:28.680 --> 0:17:30.920 I'm gonna keep saying an elite matchup across the board, 0:17:30.960 --> 0:17:33.679 because a few quarterbacks have been as effective against the 0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:35.040 blitz as to a tongue of b I lower. But 0:17:35.080 --> 0:17:37.080 that Cowboys blitz is just different because of what you 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:39.560 mentioned there with Parsons' ability to line up all over 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:42.439 the formation and just cause communication issues, especially for a 0:17:42.440 --> 0:17:44.600 Dolphins offensive line that is pretty banged up on the 0:17:44.600 --> 0:17:47.680 interior offensive line. So man, good stuff all around there. 0:17:47.760 --> 0:17:50.119 And it's funny you mentioned the holding stuff there with 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:52.879 with Micaeh Parsons. That reminds me so much of Cameron 0:17:52.960 --> 0:17:54.840 Wake's career down here in Miami, Like he would win 0:17:54.920 --> 0:17:58.480 the corner so fast that it was impossible, Like the 0:17:58.720 --> 0:18:00.920 physics of it didn't make sense that he wasn't getting 0:18:01.000 --> 0:18:03.119 held at least three or four times a game when 0:18:03.160 --> 0:18:04.919 he went in that corner as a pass rusher. 0:18:05.000 --> 0:18:06.359 So good company there. 0:18:06.480 --> 0:18:08.640 Let's go ahead and take a break rate there. Come 0:18:08.640 --> 0:18:10.720 back on the other side, I have four more questions. 0:18:10.720 --> 0:18:12.440 We'll do these ones quicker for you, Michael. On the 0:18:12.480 --> 0:18:15.080 other side of the Drift Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield. 0:18:15.080 --> 0:18:17.680 My guest today is Michael Gelkin, brought to you by 0:18:17.680 --> 0:18:23.119 Auto Nation. Finishing up with my guests to a Michael 0:18:23.160 --> 0:18:26.280 Gelkin of the Dallas Morning News. Great stuff so far 0:18:26.320 --> 0:18:28.280 in that first part of the podcast. I have four 0:18:28.359 --> 0:18:31.720 questions for you here. This one is maybe a little 0:18:31.720 --> 0:18:34.159 bit of a question I want to hear from a 0:18:34.200 --> 0:18:36.960 perspective of a different team, because for the Dolphins, it's 0:18:37.440 --> 0:18:39.800 similar to what I think the Dolphins had to overcome. 0:18:39.520 --> 0:18:41.000