WEBVTT - Cowboys Break: Giant Challenge 0:00:06.400 --> 0:00:08.920 The following. He's a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:08.960 --> 0:00:21.120 and the Dallas Cowboys Football clubs. Are you ready for 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:24.840 a break? Yes? Are you ready for a break? Absolutely? 0:00:24.960 --> 0:00:29.160 Ready for a break? Yeah, and so much for that. 0:00:29.400 --> 0:00:33.520 It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:40.839 with Nick Eatman, David Hellman, and bar Garcia and Derek Eagleton. 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:47.080 It is Wednesday, December thirty and two, twenty, season sixteen, 0:00:47.159 --> 0:00:50.520 episode number eighty nine. Welcome the latest edition of The Break, 0:00:50.600 --> 0:00:53.880 presented by Geico. We are live s WBC Morgan Studios 0:00:53.880 --> 0:00:55.960 at the Star. Got Nick and Dave here with me. 0:00:56.040 --> 0:00:58.960 Ambers out today, but we got Bucky Brooks joining us 0:00:58.960 --> 0:01:02.560 for the entire show for NFL NFL Network. We appreciate 0:01:02.560 --> 0:01:04.760 you joining us, Bucky. Good to have all you guys 0:01:04.840 --> 0:01:06.959 on the air and have you guys here in studio. 0:01:07.000 --> 0:01:08.800 It's good when we can actually see each other and 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:11.360 be able to talk face to face. We're gonna start 0:01:11.400 --> 0:01:13.160 off the show today talking a little bit of catching 0:01:13.240 --> 0:01:15.600 up on some injuries. I had a topic I wanted 0:01:15.600 --> 0:01:19.080 to hit with you guys about Mike McCarthy's press conference. 0:01:19.120 --> 0:01:20.760 It was an interesting question that came up there that 0:01:20.800 --> 0:01:22.840 I want to throw out to you guys. We'll have 0:01:22.920 --> 0:01:25.840 Bucky segment where he will break down the New York 0:01:25.880 --> 0:01:28.679 Giants offense for US versus the Cowboys defense, and then 0:01:28.720 --> 0:01:31.920 we'll have some other questions about this Cowboys defense. Let's 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:34.720 start first with injury updates. Dave, give me a rundown. 0:01:34.720 --> 0:01:38.040 We've got Zack Martin, We've got Leyden vandersh, Xavier Woods, 0:01:38.800 --> 0:01:41.800 and Zeke Elliott. They're all injured players. Tell me where 0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:45.280 we are as far status on them. Zack Martin's practice 0:01:45.360 --> 0:01:48.480 window has been opened, but he is not going to 0:01:48.600 --> 0:01:51.960 practice today, So do with that what you will. The 0:01:52.040 --> 0:01:55.240 owner yesterday said he doesn't think it's likely that he 0:01:55.280 --> 0:01:57.600 plays on Sunday, And if Jerry doesn't feel good about 0:01:57.640 --> 0:02:01.240 something on the injury front, that's usual not a good sign. 0:02:01.320 --> 0:02:04.440 But if if, if his practice windows open, that does mean, 0:02:04.480 --> 0:02:07.000 you know, if the Cowboys find their way into the playoffs, 0:02:08.000 --> 0:02:10.600 Zach might be available, maybe you know, for a wildcard 0:02:10.639 --> 0:02:12.400 game or something like that. I'm gonna pause you right 0:02:12.440 --> 0:02:14.520 there because I wanted to ask you guys, with a 0:02:14.560 --> 0:02:17.680 guy like him, that's so that's such a great player 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:20.600 in a game that you would think is so important. 0:02:21.080 --> 0:02:23.440 Is this a situation where you would opt to play 0:02:23.520 --> 0:02:25.600 him even if he wasn't one hundred percent or do 0:02:25.639 --> 0:02:28.920 you think based upon where they are in the season, 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:31.920 you don't take any chances unless you think he's one 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:34.040 hundred percent or at least close to one hundred percent, 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:35.840 you sit him. I gonna start with you name. No, 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:38.520 I'm not playing him. And I only say this because 0:02:38.560 --> 0:02:42.800 of because I I can attest to this one. I 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:47.560 really can't. Well, you know, you like playing it with 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:51.239 a calf and then being stupid and still doing stuff 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:53.120 on it and not giving its proper rest, and now 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:55.160 you're dealing with it a year and a half later. 0:02:55.440 --> 0:02:57.919 I don't want him to deal with anything later. So 0:02:58.040 --> 0:03:01.320 if this means if he's rushing back kcaffeinjury, not only 0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:04.000 could you linger some things there, but you could maybe 0:03:04.040 --> 0:03:07.160 lead to like Kevin Durant, right, I mean people think 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:09.799 he had like a torn achilles because of that. I'm 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:12.240 not rushing him back for this game. If he's not. 0:03:13.480 --> 0:03:16.640 Uh No, if it's if it's the NFC Championship game 0:03:16.760 --> 0:03:19.120 or something bigger than that, we'll give it a few weeks. 0:03:19.160 --> 0:03:21.200 We'll talk about it later. Well, yeah, but I mean 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:23.440 he should be back by then. But I'm just saying 0:03:23.800 --> 0:03:25.720 not not for this game. If you can't beat the 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:27.960 Giants without Zach and Martin, then you know you're probably 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:31.000 not gonna do anything anyways. Yeah, we also know Zach 0:03:31.080 --> 0:03:33.880 Martin is much like Tyrant Smith, like he's a BAMF. 0:03:34.040 --> 0:03:40.040 Like he's a tough, tough guy, like I remember second BAMF. Yeah, 0:03:40.080 --> 0:03:42.040 you can google that if you're not on my if 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:44.800 you're not on my wavelength, um man, I love it. 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:47.560 But I mean I remember a few years ago, like 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:50.080 you know, he he got tangled up at training camp 0:03:50.080 --> 0:03:51.520 and like they had to bring the card out and 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:53.960 it was one of those like, oh my god, they're 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:55.720 gonna lose Zach for the season, and like he was 0:03:55.760 --> 0:03:58.200 at practice the next day. So if he can't go 0:03:58.960 --> 0:04:02.000 that it's not like he's at ninety percent. No, it 0:04:02.000 --> 0:04:04.520 means he can't go because he'll got through some stuff, 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:07.720 you know. So No, I mean, if it's a thing 0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:09.360 where they don't think he can play, that means it's 0:04:09.360 --> 0:04:11.600 serious and he should sit. And if it gets to 0:04:11.640 --> 0:04:13.560 the playoffs and he feels a little bit better, I 0:04:13.640 --> 0:04:16.120 probably changed my attitude, but not for this what are 0:04:16.120 --> 0:04:20.320 your thoughts on that, Bucky, Well, I think they've been 0:04:20.360 --> 0:04:22.520 playing so well as a unit. I don't think you 0:04:22.720 --> 0:04:26.960 need to bring Zach Martin back unless he's one percent healthy. 0:04:27.320 --> 0:04:30.200 This you know, quintet has played pretty well. They've done 0:04:30.240 --> 0:04:32.960 a good job of moving people off the ball, protecting 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:36.000 the quarterback, and so only in an emergency would I 0:04:36.040 --> 0:04:38.960 bring him back. Now the playoffs, it's a different story, 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:42.000 because if he's healthy and able to go, then obviously 0:04:42.040 --> 0:04:44.239 you want the more talented player on the front line. 0:04:44.480 --> 0:04:46.560 But because they play so well the last four or 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:49.880 five weeks, I wouldn't change the chemistry and the continuity 0:04:50.080 --> 0:04:51.800 unless I know that Zach is going to be able 0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:53.680 to finish the game and finish the game playing really well. 0:04:53.720 --> 0:04:55.720 All right, Bucky, MA ask you this. Let's say that 0:04:55.800 --> 0:05:00.560 Zach is one question yesterday he is going to play? 0:05:00.960 --> 0:05:03.880 Where do you play him? And like who is that? 0:05:04.120 --> 0:05:06.200 You said the offensive lines figured it out, which is 0:05:06.279 --> 0:05:09.400 which is awesome, But who who would you play him for? 0:05:09.760 --> 0:05:12.120 You go back to his regular position and take McGovern now, 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:16.640 or do you put him at tackle who is knocked 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:21.479 out in that scenario? My preference, I would prefer to 0:05:21.520 --> 0:05:23.719 put him back at right tackle, if I could, I 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:26.520 worry about I think the weakest link on the offensive 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:29.120 line is Terring Steel. And so when we think about 0:05:29.160 --> 0:05:31.360 the teams that you would play, not only this game 0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:34.039 but going forward, typically they have a pass rush on 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:36.160 that side that I want to deal with. I'm more 0:05:36.200 --> 0:05:38.719 confident in Zack Martin being able to seal the edges 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:42.880 than Terring Skill. All right, let's let's go on with 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:44.520 the rest of these guys that we got on the 0:05:44.560 --> 0:05:47.919 injury report. You got Lady Vanderish, Xavier Woods, and Zeke Elliot. 0:05:47.960 --> 0:05:50.039 What do we know about them? David Layton is not 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:54.000 practicing today. Xavier Woods will be limited, which is a 0:05:54.000 --> 0:05:56.839 good sign of Zeke also limited kind of you know, 0:05:56.920 --> 0:05:59.400 it seems like they have Zeke on a maintenance plan, 0:06:00.200 --> 0:06:04.200 probably for however long they're gonna keep playing. Yeah, I mean, 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:07.720 I feel optimistic he can play, but they'll probably be 0:06:07.720 --> 0:06:10.560 careful with him in practice. Also a bamp, so yeah, 0:06:10.640 --> 0:06:13.680 oh yeah, all right, let's move on. I want to 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:16.080 talk about Mike McCarthy's press conference this morning. That was 0:06:16.080 --> 0:06:18.480 a question that was asked to him, and I really 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:20.200 don't want to focus too much on his answer because 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:23.039 his answer was kind of it just a it didn't 0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:25.080 really answer the question in my opinion, But I would 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:27.080 like to pose the question to you guys. Yeah, I 0:06:27.120 --> 0:06:30.320 would like to pose the question to you guys. One 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:31.839 of the media people ask him, and I don't know 0:06:31.839 --> 0:06:34.640 who it was, but they ask, what is the identity 0:06:34.839 --> 0:06:37.599 of this team? And so I'm gonna ask you guys. 0:06:37.680 --> 0:06:39.880 We're gonna go around the room, what do you think 0:06:40.000 --> 0:06:42.120 is the identity of the team? And by the way, 0:06:42.160 --> 0:06:44.479 you can also throw in doesn't really matter because we've 0:06:44.480 --> 0:06:47.479 had this conversation before on this show about identities and 0:06:47.800 --> 0:06:50.240 does an identity really matter? Do you have to have 0:06:50.240 --> 0:06:52.480 an identity in order to be successful? Can you have 0:06:52.800 --> 0:06:55.640 lots of identities and be successful in the NFL? But 0:06:55.880 --> 0:06:57.640 I want to get your opinions on what you think 0:06:57.640 --> 0:07:01.359 the identity of this team is. Let's start with you. Well, 0:07:02.960 --> 0:07:05.760 I'm just laughing because I know exactly who asked and 0:07:05.800 --> 0:07:09.040 I know exactly why, because it stemmed from the Jalen 0:07:09.120 --> 0:07:12.360 Smith question or an answer from the other day when 0:07:12.360 --> 0:07:16.880 he said that he had a big detailed answer. I 0:07:16.880 --> 0:07:19.560 don't really know what the identity of a team is, 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:24.520 and I don't think honestly I don't think that I've 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:28.680 the Cowboys have really had a real identity other than 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:30.360 those couple of years where they were running the ball 0:07:30.440 --> 0:07:33.280 real well. But when you're eight and eight, I mean, 0:07:33.320 --> 0:07:35.600 what is your identity, Well, you're seven to nine, nine 0:07:35.680 --> 0:07:38.960 and seven. I mean it's that you're an inconsistent team. 0:07:39.000 --> 0:07:42.480 You don't do something so well that you can overcome 0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:45.760 it every week. So you're just inconsistent. If that's the identity, 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:47.760 then that's what it is. But I don't really think 0:07:47.800 --> 0:07:49.800 there is one other than the fact that I don't 0:07:49.840 --> 0:07:51.480 know what the hell this team is going to do 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:54.440 each week. That's what it is. So I don't have 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:56.720 no I don't have an answer either. I don't blame 0:07:56.800 --> 0:07:59.320 McCarthy for not having an answer because I don't have one. 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:01.720 And I mean, you know, you can point across the 0:08:01.800 --> 0:08:04.800 board offense and defense. I don't think they have one. 0:08:05.000 --> 0:08:07.800 I mean we've made jokes all season, like you know, 0:08:08.480 --> 0:08:12.040 you think about I go to Brian Flores in Miami, 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:13.880 like he comes from the New England school. He's like, 0:08:13.920 --> 0:08:16.080 we're gonna have two great man corners, We're gonna pressure 0:08:16.080 --> 0:08:19.240 the quarterback, blah blah blah, or you know, Chris Richard, 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:21.480 everybody that's tied to Pete Carroll's tree, Like we're gonna 0:08:21.480 --> 0:08:24.640 play cover three, We're gonna rally and tackle Rod Marin. 0:08:24.640 --> 0:08:26.600 You know, I don't know what Mike Nolan, Like, what's 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:28.320 Mike Nolan hang his hat on? What does he do? 0:08:28.520 --> 0:08:30.800 You know? What were they trying to do that defensively? 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:33.160 And it just didn't work because they didn't have notablement 0:08:33.200 --> 0:08:35.000 it didn't have the players. But that will, that would. 0:08:35.040 --> 0:08:37.360 But even like even before we knew how bad the 0:08:37.400 --> 0:08:39.360 defense was gonna be, it was kind of like, well, 0:08:39.400 --> 0:08:42.000 what's the front like? Or how many? How many downlinement? 0:08:42.080 --> 0:08:45.240 Like what's DeMarcus Lawrence gonna do? Well, what's the what's 0:08:45.280 --> 0:08:47.920 that look like? And like we never got great answers 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:51.680 even before the season started. And then I think you 0:08:51.720 --> 0:08:54.080 can even you can pull back and really take a 0:08:54.120 --> 0:08:55.959 macro look, And I honestly, I think it's kind of 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:58.520 troubling because this team probably needs to figure out what 0:08:58.559 --> 0:09:02.480 its identity is. Like you think about the Dak Prescott situation, 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:05.400 like you're gonna pay him, Like do you think that 0:09:05.480 --> 0:09:09.160 Dak Prescott is the key to your successor or is 0:09:09.280 --> 0:09:12.520 Zeke Elliott the quote unquote straw that stirs the drink. 0:09:12.600 --> 0:09:15.559 That's a quote from ownership. By the way, you're paying 0:09:15.600 --> 0:09:18.680 him fifteen million dollars a year, Like, are you like 0:09:18.760 --> 0:09:21.200 we gotta we gotta get back to smash mouth, ground 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:23.640 and pound. Zeke is the key to our success or 0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:26.000 is it? Like you know, Seattle went through this recently. 0:09:26.120 --> 0:09:28.160 Let Russ Cook like that took over the league in 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:31.000 the early part of the season. Are you gonna channel 0:09:31.080 --> 0:09:35.120 this team through Dak Prescott? What about the defense You're 0:09:35.440 --> 0:09:38.240 other than DeMarcus Lawrence behind him, Like the most expensive 0:09:38.280 --> 0:09:41.319 parts of your defense are probably two linebackers, Jalen who 0:09:41.320 --> 0:09:43.960 you paid and Layton who's a first round pick. That 0:09:44.080 --> 0:09:46.439 says something to me like we're gonna be physical, We're 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:48.839 gonna stop the run. Our linebackers are gonna fly over 0:09:48.840 --> 0:09:52.200 the field. That really hasn't been happening. So your resources 0:09:52.240 --> 0:09:55.240 are invested in guys that aren't probably doing what you 0:09:55.240 --> 0:09:58.120 would prefer. So like, that's that is all stuff that 0:09:58.160 --> 0:10:00.560 I think they need to figure out because I don't 0:10:00.559 --> 0:10:02.520 think they know what their identity is and they have 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:06.720 a lot of resources invested in different guys where there's 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:10.400 confusion about what this team's key to successes. I feel 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:12.679 like I'm rambling, but it's good. It's good, I think, 0:10:12.679 --> 0:10:14.600 I mean, I think that is a big thing to 0:10:14.640 --> 0:10:16.560 figure out in twenty twenty one, is like what do 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:18.640 you what do you want this team to be and 0:10:18.679 --> 0:10:20.240 who are the guys that are going to get you there? 0:10:20.320 --> 0:10:25.440 Like is it Dac, is it Zeke in the O line, etc. Bucky. 0:10:26.160 --> 0:10:29.120 You know, it's funny that in listening to you guys 0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:32.319 talk about it, there doesn't seem to be a clear 0:10:32.440 --> 0:10:35.120 vision for who this team is and what they're about. 0:10:35.480 --> 0:10:38.160 And I would say that's a major problem because when 0:10:38.200 --> 0:10:40.680 we talk about some teams, you can close your eyes 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:43.040 and know exactly what the team is like when they 0:10:43.080 --> 0:10:45.480 come into the building. You talk about Pittsburgh, you know 0:10:45.480 --> 0:10:48.080 they're gonna be a hard nosed, physical football team that's 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:50.600 gonna get after you. You talk about Baltimore, they're gonna 0:10:50.600 --> 0:10:54.000 be a ground and pound offense and a physical, aggressive defense. 0:10:54.360 --> 0:10:57.640 Even if thinking about Seattle, they are having the toughest 0:10:57.679 --> 0:11:01.520 time with letting Russ Cook because Carroll's identity is we 0:11:01.600 --> 0:11:04.199 want to run the football and play great defense. When 0:11:04.280 --> 0:11:07.600 I think about the Cowboys, I don't know, and to me, 0:11:07.800 --> 0:11:12.280 that's a problem because great teams, great franchises, from the 0:11:12.320 --> 0:11:15.680 top down, ownership all the way down, you know exactly 0:11:15.679 --> 0:11:18.959 what the brand is. And in my mind, in the past, 0:11:18.960 --> 0:11:21.520 when the Cowboys have won successfully, it was about the 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:26.400 grounding pound with Zeke, the offensive line, the defense, running 0:11:26.400 --> 0:11:29.640 and playing hard and doing those things. Right now, they're 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:33.120 in transition and I don't know if Mike McCarthy really 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:36.800 knows what exactly he wants, and he needs to figure 0:11:36.840 --> 0:11:38.800 that out because it's hard to get players to buy 0:11:38.920 --> 0:11:42.640 into a vision that is not clearly articulated on a 0:11:42.720 --> 0:11:45.200 daily basis. And I think that has been part of 0:11:45.240 --> 0:11:48.920 the up and down nature of the team because they 0:11:48.960 --> 0:11:51.520 don't know what they're about, and I think that needs 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:54.559 to be cleared up. And Jalen Smith's answer was really 0:11:54.559 --> 0:11:58.000 a long, verbose answer that really said nothing to me 0:11:58.040 --> 0:12:00.640 when I looked at it, you know. And that's that's 0:12:00.679 --> 0:12:03.760 where that question came from today, because Jalen said it 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:07.400 the other day when I asked him just about about, 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:09.240 you know, the win and all that, and he said, 0:12:09.320 --> 0:12:12.160 we have found our identity. We got to keep focusing 0:12:12.200 --> 0:12:13.880 on that. And then I asked him, okay, what is 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:16.720 the team's identity. He said, the identity is an electric 0:12:16.800 --> 0:12:21.319 ass offense, an offense that when they're rolling, no one 0:12:21.360 --> 0:12:23.440 can stop them. We got three to four to five guys. 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:25.800 You can throw the ball around multiple guys. So he 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:27.960 kind of rambles there, and then he says, on defense, 0:12:28.240 --> 0:12:33.800 it's about toughness, it's about stopping the run, it's about 0:12:33.800 --> 0:12:36.439 getting off the field on third down. We got guys 0:12:36.480 --> 0:12:38.160 that know how to rush the pastor we've got to 0:12:38.160 --> 0:12:40.679 give them opportunity, and that's up to me and the 0:12:40.679 --> 0:12:42.839 rest of the linebackers. We got to continue to fight. Man, 0:12:42.920 --> 0:12:44.280 the secondary is doing a hell of a job. They 0:12:44.320 --> 0:12:46.480 got a rhythm, they've got a clear understanding. We just 0:12:46.480 --> 0:12:48.679 got to stay patient. There's one game left, so I 0:12:48.679 --> 0:12:50.880 don't know about that, but we've got to keep working 0:12:50.880 --> 0:12:53.400 on ourselves individually and as a team. Very thankful for 0:12:53.480 --> 0:12:56.319 our fan base for continuing to ride with us. Man. 0:12:56.400 --> 0:13:00.600 This guy, his attitude is just amazing. He loves the 0:13:00.600 --> 0:13:04.800 fans and they what he gave you right there was 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:07.880 was their mission statement. Like that's inspirational. That's what they 0:13:07.920 --> 0:13:09.760 want to be. I don't know that they are that, 0:13:09.920 --> 0:13:11.560 but that's what they want to be and to be 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:15.640 honest with you. I think, in all fairness, that's like 0:13:15.640 --> 0:13:18.160 a mission statement. This is what we want to be, right, 0:13:17.960 --> 0:13:20.520 But that's just not what they have been so far. 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:23.160 And I will say this, I give a little bit 0:13:23.160 --> 0:13:27.480 of deference to McCarthy and the coaching staff because I 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:29.840 do think they went into this year with an idea 0:13:29.840 --> 0:13:32.520 of what they thought their identity would be. I thought, 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:35.200 I think they probably thought this offense was gonna be 0:13:35.200 --> 0:13:37.679 a very dynamic offense that was gonna put up a 0:13:37.679 --> 0:13:40.040 ton of points. I think defensively, they wanted to be 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:44.200 a multifront defense that could morph based upon their opponent. 0:13:44.800 --> 0:13:46.640 And I think what they found out this year is 0:13:46.920 --> 0:13:49.199 on defense, either they don't have the right components or 0:13:49.200 --> 0:13:50.880 they didn't have the right amount of time in order 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:54.199 to implement that and make themselves become that um. And 0:13:54.240 --> 0:13:56.440 I think on offense, they lost a quarterback and so 0:13:56.840 --> 0:14:00.360 they didn't get a chance to really realize what they 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:03.199 expected their identity to be on either offense or defense. 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:05.480 I mean, at the end of the day, isn't an 0:14:05.480 --> 0:14:08.880 identity is just the thing that you feel really confident 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:12.520 you can do no matter what right, And they lost 0:14:12.520 --> 0:14:15.760 the pieces that let them do that on offense, and 0:14:16.200 --> 0:14:18.160 we probably need a whole show to get into why 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:21.440 the defense didn't achieve that either. But they don't have 0:14:21.520 --> 0:14:23.360 that right now, Like neither side of the ball has 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:25.560 a thing where it's like, no matter what, we can 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:31.400 do this, they don't have that. Sorry, Buck, I do 0:14:31.440 --> 0:14:35.120 think I think looks it has to be very clear 0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:38.320 and concise who you are. Like it can be that 0:14:38.440 --> 0:14:40.800 mission statement that Derek is alluded to that you guys 0:14:40.840 --> 0:14:43.440 are saying, It can be a seventy word quote that 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:46.200 Jalen throws out. It has to be very clear because 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:50.160 even without deck, if you're a tough, hard nosed, physical 0:14:50.160 --> 0:14:53.040 football team, that has nothing to do with your personnel. 0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:56.480 That has everything to do with the mentality that everybody 0:14:56.560 --> 0:14:59.360 on the team has to have. And so if you 0:14:59.440 --> 0:15:03.480 talk about our guys are tough, hard nosed and competitive, 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:05.480 then you should be able to see that regardless of 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:08.160 how you have to play, you can be a tough 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:09.920 team and still have to throw it around the yard 0:15:09.960 --> 0:15:13.840 because your players exhibit that. And so I think this 0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:18.600 is one where Jerry Jones, the personnel staff, the coaching staff, 0:15:18.880 --> 0:15:21.480 everybody has to get in the room and say, this 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:24.240 is who we are and the people that we bring 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:28.160 into the organization they need to have these traits and 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:30.920 then we'll figure out how we play. But this is 0:15:30.920 --> 0:15:33.640 who this team is. Yeah, you know. It actually reminds 0:15:33.680 --> 0:15:35.760 me of Bill Parcells when he was here. I remember 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:37.600 him talking a lot about the fact that he wanted 0:15:37.640 --> 0:15:40.840 tough and smart players, and he was like it was 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:42.960 it was very important to him to have smart players. 0:15:42.960 --> 0:15:45.280 I've heard the same thing about New England, like they're 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:48.400 very they put a premium on smart players because what 0:15:48.440 --> 0:15:50.840 they ask them to do requires guys that aren't just 0:15:50.920 --> 0:15:53.080 like we're not just gonna tell you to line up 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:54.880 and run to the ball like they're gonna be. You're 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:56.080 gonna have to be smart and you're gonna have to 0:15:56.120 --> 0:15:59.200 be able to adapt and so be Having smart players 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:02.240 is very important. That gets back to like, do you 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:05.280 know what your identity is? Do you know what kinds 0:16:05.280 --> 0:16:08.560 of players you typically bring in that help make your 0:16:08.840 --> 0:16:13.000 program work? And I would assume I would assume knowing 0:16:13.240 --> 0:16:16.000 Will McClay, I would assume he has that and he 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:18.880 understands like what they're looking for and what they're trying 0:16:18.920 --> 0:16:20.960 to create. I just don't know if it's translating on 0:16:21.000 --> 0:16:23.880 the field, that maybe the biggest problem here. That's why 0:16:23.920 --> 0:16:26.360 you don't change coaches every two or three years. You know, 0:16:26.400 --> 0:16:29.800 people people, You got to build some relationship between the 0:16:29.800 --> 0:16:32.520 coaching staff and the scouts, you know, I mean, because 0:16:32.520 --> 0:16:35.640 Will McClay can have what he wants this team to 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:37.760 happen if the coaches aren't going to coach him. I'm there. 0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:40.320 You know. I thought when I think about that, I 0:16:40.440 --> 0:16:44.720 think about Rob Marinelli and Anthony Hitchins because I remember 0:16:44.760 --> 0:16:48.520 Anthony Hitchins was considered a reach pick fourth round. But 0:16:48.840 --> 0:16:53.200 that's exactly the guy that Marinelli wanted. A thumper, a 0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:55.280 guy that was a smart player and he was agile, 0:16:55.720 --> 0:16:57.920 but he could he could go and hit tough, big 0:16:57.960 --> 0:17:01.920 ten linebacker. It's what he wanted. And the other you know, 0:17:02.000 --> 0:17:03.600 I just remember some of the medias like you could 0:17:03.600 --> 0:17:05.000 have got him in the sixth round, Well, I don't 0:17:05.000 --> 0:17:06.720 want him in the sixth round, picking him right now, 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:09.280 and he was a really good player. And so I 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:12.400 just think that's an example of you know who what 0:17:12.440 --> 0:17:14.679 you're coaching staff wants, and that's why you need to 0:17:14.920 --> 0:17:17.000 build They need to build chemistry. That's why going to 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:19.640 the Senior Bowl matters. That's why going to the combine, 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:22.120 these coaches and scouts te to kind of get together 0:17:22.160 --> 0:17:25.080 and really feel what each other is gonna want when 0:17:25.119 --> 0:17:27.000 they go in and they try to pick Yeah, when 0:17:27.000 --> 0:17:32.720 you mentioned continuity to me, but hey, hey, ned, but Nick, 0:17:32.720 --> 0:17:35.520 you say something? You saying something that really makes a 0:17:35.520 --> 0:17:38.840 lot of sense, And without being there, I can't really tell. 0:17:39.400 --> 0:17:43.959 Is Mike McCarthy able to clearly articulate exactly what he 0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:46.639 wants from the players on his team? And can he 0:17:46.720 --> 0:17:49.520 tell Will McClay, here's the kind of guys that I 0:17:49.600 --> 0:17:52.120 want on my team, Derek. When you talk about Bill 0:17:52.200 --> 0:17:56.200 Parcels being able to say I want smart, tough, physical 0:17:56.240 --> 0:17:59.439 football players, well, when you are able to define it 0:17:59.520 --> 0:18:01.680 like that as a scout, I can go and get 0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:05.000 you those guys. But if the head coach is wavering 0:18:05.080 --> 0:18:08.040 in terms of what I want, it makes it very 0:18:08.119 --> 0:18:11.119 very difficult to build a team that has a brand 0:18:11.119 --> 0:18:13.760 and an identity. And so some of this will be 0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:17.360 Mike McCarthy has to stand up to everybody and say 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:19.760 here's what I want, this is the kind of guy 0:18:19.800 --> 0:18:21.560 I need, this is a team that we're going to 0:18:21.600 --> 0:18:25.600 be and then Jerry Jones and everybody else has to say, Okay, 0:18:25.640 --> 0:18:27.960 we're on board. This is the kind of organization and 0:18:28.000 --> 0:18:30.359 team that we're gonna have. That's a very good point 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:33.000 because it reminds reminds me of what I've heard scouts 0:18:33.040 --> 0:18:35.520 say about Jason Garrett. He never made up his mind 0:18:36.160 --> 0:18:38.719 like that happened a lot. Yeah, he would be like, 0:18:39.119 --> 0:18:41.080 I want this guy, want this guy. And there's there's 0:18:41.080 --> 0:18:43.119 a funny story about you know, I'm taking a running 0:18:43.119 --> 0:18:44.880 back one time when he was just like they wanted 0:18:44.880 --> 0:18:46.800 to Mircol Murray. They're gonna take to Mircael Murray one 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:49.359 hundred percent Murray, he's the guy. And all of a 0:18:49.400 --> 0:18:51.320 sudden it gets the pick comes up and then Jason 0:18:51.359 --> 0:18:54.240 searchs wavering a little bit about Stephen Ridley from LSU, 0:18:54.359 --> 0:18:55.800 like do we take him? Do we not? And all 0:18:55.800 --> 0:18:57.879 of a sudden and it's like, you know that they 0:18:57.880 --> 0:19:01.280 were pissing off everybody. It's like this talk about talked 0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:03.160 about this, and I think that happened a lot. So 0:19:03.359 --> 0:19:06.080 I think what you're saying, BUCkies is important. That's the 0:19:06.359 --> 0:19:09.200 coaches really need to figure that out with their scouts, 0:19:09.200 --> 0:19:10.800 and you know, they haven't had a lot of time 0:19:10.840 --> 0:19:13.280 with that either scouts aren't even in the building. Yeah, 0:19:13.280 --> 0:19:14.919 all the time. Yeah. It goes back to what you 0:19:14.920 --> 0:19:17.600 said Nick about contuity. Like I think if you look 0:19:17.640 --> 0:19:20.320 at the team in the NFL that represents this best 0:19:20.359 --> 0:19:23.199 that you would think anybody that watches the NFL, you 0:19:23.240 --> 0:19:25.560 ask them this team and they'll tell you exactly what 0:19:25.600 --> 0:19:28.119