WEBVTT - Cowboys Break: Dak Debate, Freeze Tag? 0:00:04.360 --> 0:00:06.840 The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:06.840 --> 0:00:08.479 and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. 0:00:10.760 --> 0:00:16.560 Cowboys Let's go. 0:00:16.960 --> 0:00:18.079 Are you ready for a break? 0:00:18.440 --> 0:00:18.640 Yes? 0:00:18.960 --> 0:00:21.360 Are you ready for a break? Absolutely? 0:00:21.520 --> 0:00:23.520 Ready for a break? 0:00:23.600 --> 0:00:25.720 Yeah, and so much for that. 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:31.840 It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:31.880 --> 0:00:38.080 with Mbar Garcia, Brian brought us, Patrick Walker and Derek Eagleton. 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:44.040 It is Wednesday, February twenty first, twenty twenty four, Season nineteen, 0:00:44.040 --> 0:00:47.159 Episode number one thirteen. Welcome to the latest edition of 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:49.800 The Break. We are live from the SWBC Mortgage studios 0:00:49.800 --> 0:00:53.479 at the Star. Brian continues this hiatus. He's in a holdout. 0:00:53.520 --> 0:00:55.800 We'll see how that continues. We'll see how that goes 0:00:56.040 --> 0:00:58.440 here over the next few weeks. Hopefully we can get 0:00:58.440 --> 0:01:00.440 a deal done and get him back in studio. Just Joe, 0:01:00.520 --> 0:01:02.920 I really am Just jo so please don't start texting me. 0:01:03.400 --> 0:01:06.640 Brian has vacation this week, a well earned vacation, obviously 0:01:06.680 --> 0:01:09.200 in his role with the radio station. He does baseball 0:01:09.240 --> 0:01:11.720 and everything else. So it's that one little period he's 0:01:11.760 --> 0:01:13.839 got before he heads off the spring training next week, 0:01:13.920 --> 0:01:16.319 and it's all over the place. But Brian will be 0:01:16.319 --> 0:01:18.200 back in two weeks, not this week, not next week, 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:19.959 but the week after that. He'll be back with us 0:01:20.120 --> 0:01:23.240 and we'll clue him in on all the conversations that 0:01:23.240 --> 0:01:26.560 we've been having. Got Patrick Walker and Amber Garcia here 0:01:26.600 --> 0:01:29.480 with us today, and we will get into some talk 0:01:29.520 --> 0:01:31.959 on DAK Prescott. I promise, I promise we will get 0:01:31.959 --> 0:01:36.039 to some DAK Prescott talk. We've got some questions. I 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:39.200 never I never promised that. I never promised that. I 0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:42.280 never promised that in past episodes, I said maybe, if 0:01:42.319 --> 0:01:44.520 time permits, will get to it this week. I am 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:47.800 guaranteeing we will get to some talk on DAK Prescott. 0:01:47.880 --> 0:01:51.080 But we also have some questions, by the way from fans. 0:01:51.080 --> 0:01:52.840 We'll get to that in the third second, maybe second second. 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:53.640 We'll see how it goes. 0:01:54.000 --> 0:01:56.160 But I did want to start with some talk on 0:01:56.320 --> 0:02:00.920 franchise tags. It's interesting because most years he with the Cowboys, 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:04.240 it feels like there's some players that are like very 0:02:04.280 --> 0:02:06.240 well like it's like this is just an expectation. 0:02:06.320 --> 0:02:07.200 He's going to be tagged. 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:09.040 That guy's going to be taged, sometimes more than one, 0:02:09.080 --> 0:02:10.600 and you're like, I don't know who they're going to tag. 0:02:11.040 --> 0:02:12.119 This is an interesting year. 0:02:12.120 --> 0:02:15.200 Because I think an argument can be made Cowboys don't 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:17.200 use the tag at all. I know you wrote an 0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:21.440 interesting article there, Patrick talking about the franchise tag. Cowboys 0:02:21.480 --> 0:02:23.160 and all the other teams in the NFL have until 0:02:23.160 --> 0:02:27.040 March seventh to make their declarations if they want to franchise. 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:29.639 Someone looking at the list of free agents, and I'll 0:02:29.639 --> 0:02:32.040 throw out a couple names here, Tyron Smith, Tony Pollard, 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:38.480 Stefan Gilmour, Dorrin's Armstrong, jay Ron Curse, Jonathan Hankins, Tyler Biattish. 0:02:38.560 --> 0:02:42.040 Is there any name in that list that you think 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:45.480 should or could warrant interest from the Cowboys as far 0:02:45.480 --> 0:02:46.600 as a franchise tag. 0:02:47.200 --> 0:02:49.360 You know, Derek, when I was writing this piece yesterday, 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:53.160 when the franchise tag window opened, I really sat with 0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:56.280 this list, and the more I set with it, the 0:02:56.280 --> 0:02:59.919 more comfortable I was with understanding that the Cowboys should not. 0:02:59.880 --> 0:03:01.160 Be expected to use the tag. 0:03:01.240 --> 0:03:04.680 There's no one on this list that warrants that type 0:03:04.680 --> 0:03:08.520 of fully guaranteed one year money as far as guarantee 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:11.960 that they don't leave, because obviously you don't want Stefan 0:03:12.000 --> 0:03:13.520 Gilmore to leave. If you want him back, you would 0:03:13.520 --> 0:03:15.800 like Jordan Lewis back. You would like guys like Tyrone 0:03:15.840 --> 0:03:21.280 Smith back, obviously, Tony Pollart, Ricodoudo. That's a conversation. Durran Somstrong, 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:23.359 you would love to have a guy like Dorrin Somstrong 0:03:23.440 --> 0:03:26.000 back in the building. But while that's true, it's also 0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:28.680 true that if you look at these tag amounts as well, 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:32.360 what are we talking about. Darrin Somstrong would bring twenty 0:03:32.440 --> 0:03:36.760 roughly twenty million dollars fully guaranteed. Stefan Gilmore at his 0:03:36.840 --> 0:03:40.600 age eighteen point eight million dollars projected, fully guaranteed. It 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:43.240 just doesn't make sense numbers wise. So again, it doesn't 0:03:43.280 --> 0:03:45.520 mean that the Cowboys shouldn't try to resign guys like 0:03:45.520 --> 0:03:48.240 Stefan Gilmore. I want him back in the building, Duran Somstrong. 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:50.320 I want him back in the building. But as far 0:03:50.360 --> 0:03:53.280 as keeping them here on a franchise tag, no, I say. 0:03:53.280 --> 0:03:55.480 You go about the negotiation the old fashioned way, and 0:03:55.600 --> 0:03:57.160 the chips fall where they fall. 0:03:57.800 --> 0:04:00.600 Yeah, I absolutely agree with everything you said. Looking at 0:04:00.600 --> 0:04:04.560 the list, there is no name that would make me 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:07.120 want to give them a franchise tag just because the 0:04:07.120 --> 0:04:09.800 money doesn't make sense for what the player is. And 0:04:09.880 --> 0:04:12.520 like you, said Patrick. There are definitely players that you 0:04:12.520 --> 0:04:15.920 would want back on a contract, but not for that 0:04:15.960 --> 0:04:18.080 amount of money for just one year. You look at 0:04:18.960 --> 0:04:22.279 players are somewhat younger, and then players are on the 0:04:22.360 --> 0:04:25.880 older side that it just simply doesn't make sense to 0:04:26.000 --> 0:04:28.400 put that kind of money. And it's not the type 0:04:28.400 --> 0:04:31.600 of player that it's that you wouldn't be able. I 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:35.560 don't want to say they're not replaceable or you can 0:04:35.720 --> 0:04:38.640 replace or you can't bring somebody else that can help 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:42.680 you there, but they're not absolutely a thousand percent essential. 0:04:42.720 --> 0:04:45.080 And I don't want that to sound bad, but you know, 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:48.960 we've seen it with daltwn Schultz at the time where 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:51.600 you're like, Okay, we don't really have another tight end 0:04:51.640 --> 0:04:54.000 that can come in and he's being productive and you 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:57.160 have to do it, Tony pollor what's the whole situation 0:04:57.279 --> 0:04:59.239 where you were trying to figure out what the running 0:04:59.279 --> 0:05:04.040 back situation was after parting ways with Ezekiel Elliott. So 0:05:04.080 --> 0:05:06.320 that kind of makes sense as well. And now we're 0:05:06.360 --> 0:05:09.360 at a point where I don't think anyone right now 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:09.839 makes sense. 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:10.600 So let me ask this. 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:12.160 I want to make a and I don't even know 0:05:12.200 --> 0:05:14.440 if I necessarily believe this but I think it's an 0:05:14.520 --> 0:05:18.279 argument worth having. Drance Armstrong is a guy that's interesting 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:20.960 to me because throughout the time he's been with the Cowboys, 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:22.880 he seems to every year get a little bit better. 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:26.000 He is at a premium position as a pass rusher. 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.039 Do you project that at some point in his career, 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:32.000 maybe this next year or two, because that's when it 0:05:32.040 --> 0:05:35.840 would happen that he becomes one of the better pass 0:05:35.920 --> 0:05:37.640 rushers in the league, or that he's ready for that 0:05:37.680 --> 0:05:40.120 type of role, because right now they're using him as 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:42.880 kind of a rotational guy. Do you think that if 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:45.080 put in a situation where he was a guy that 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:47.360 was out there for bulk of the snaps and not 0:05:47.400 --> 0:05:49.960 being used in as much of a rotation, but maybe 0:05:50.000 --> 0:05:53.120 obviously all teams will rotate their pass rushers, if you 0:05:53.120 --> 0:05:55.279 think he has gets a little bit more opportunity, Do 0:05:55.320 --> 0:05:58.279 you think he's a type of defensive end that actually 0:05:58.320 --> 0:06:00.560 can develop into one of the better ones in the league. 0:06:00.640 --> 0:06:03.880 And that would make the argument for you to say, 0:06:04.120 --> 0:06:06.400 let's do a one year franchise tag on him, just 0:06:06.480 --> 0:06:08.800 so that we can see if this is the year 0:06:08.800 --> 0:06:11.159 that he takes that next step and we know before 0:06:11.160 --> 0:06:13.240 we let him go if we can't sign him to 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:15.120 a longer term deal. Before we let him go, we 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:17.800 at least find out what are we dealing with here 0:06:17.800 --> 0:06:19.039 before we let him walk out of the door. 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:21.720 I do believe that Duran Sarmstrong can be a high 0:06:21.760 --> 0:06:25.640 quality starter in this league. The problem is with that 0:06:25.800 --> 0:06:28.360 argument is if you're talking about franchise tagging a guy, 0:06:28.480 --> 0:06:30.720 then you're basically you better be also putting him in 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:33.240 a position where he can prove to you what you're asking. 0:06:33.520 --> 0:06:36.040 He's not in that position in Dallas because the likelihood 0:06:36.080 --> 0:06:38.320 is that you know, DeMarcus Lawrence's going into a contract here, 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:40.880 but there's a likelihood that DeMarcus Lawrence is going to 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:44.040 get another extension to hopefully finish his career here with 0:06:44.080 --> 0:06:46.560 the Cowboys. You can pretty much take it to the 0:06:46.600 --> 0:06:49.240 bank that Michael Parsons, I mean, anything's possible, but they're 0:06:49.240 --> 0:06:52.279 going to throw the biggest possible bag of Michael Parsons. 0:06:52.720 --> 0:06:54.480 And then you look at the emergence of guys like 0:06:54.520 --> 0:06:56.760 Sam Williams. Of Sam Williams can get his self disciplined 0:06:56.760 --> 0:06:58.920 together as far as the penalties are concerned, his window 0:06:59.040 --> 0:06:59.760 is high as well. 0:07:00.480 --> 0:07:01.520 And then let me Lucie. 0:07:01.720 --> 0:07:03.920 But and I think I hear what you're saying. I 0:07:04.000 --> 0:07:06.440 guess again, where I go to is I think, with 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:09.039 all those things you just said, if you give me 0:07:09.240 --> 0:07:15.240 a young, upcoming defensive end. Look, I love what DeMarcus 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:17.840 Lawrence does. But if you tell me you give me 0:07:17.880 --> 0:07:19.840 a Darnce Armstrong and Darrin Armstrong can give me the 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:22.600 kind of production that Tank has given me, then I 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:24.200 would be foolish to let him walk out of the door, 0:07:24.200 --> 0:07:26.600 because I don't know how much longer Tank will be playing. 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:29.239 Right, you're not wrong. 0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:32.280 Feel bad, but do you know that at this point 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:33.720 it's right market You're not wrong. 0:07:33.880 --> 0:07:35.560 The problem is the time in is everything? 0:07:35.640 --> 0:07:37.640 Yeah, it doesn't time up in twenty twenty four to 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:40.520 have a franchise tag conversation on Durrance because Tank is 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:43.520 still playing at a Pro Bowl level. Because Tank is 0:07:43.720 --> 0:07:46.080 likely going to be here beyond twenty twenty four, even 0:07:46.120 --> 0:07:48.800 if it's just into twenty twenty five, twenty twenty six, 0:07:49.000 --> 0:07:51.480 the fact is right now, Durrance is not going to 0:07:51.480 --> 0:07:54.680 get the opportunity to prove he's a high quality starter 0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:57.640 in the league with the Cowboys, which then flips the 0:07:57.640 --> 0:08:00.240 tables because free agency is a two way street. If 0:08:00.240 --> 0:08:02.600 you're Durance Armstrong, if you are his agent, you're looking 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:04.760 at the fact that Aiden Dirty went to Seattle, Seattle 0:08:04.920 --> 0:08:07.200 needs a starting pass rusher. If you're looking at the 0:08:07.200 --> 0:08:09.840 fact that Dan Quinn is in Washington, Washington. 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:11.800 Need so you're probably I would guess you're probably gonna 0:08:11.800 --> 0:08:12.440 lose him if you don't. 0:08:12.640 --> 0:08:15.520 Yeah, so rather it right if you don't franchise tag him, 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:18.000 there's a good chance that he leaves. But there's not 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:20.840 enough of an argument to franchise tag him because the 0:08:20.880 --> 0:08:23.960 timing doesn't work out well. If we're talking about last 0:08:24.040 --> 0:08:28.200 year definitively being a downturn year for DeMarcus Lawrence, because 0:08:28.240 --> 0:08:30.800 Mike is going to be here, right. If that's the case, 0:08:30.920 --> 0:08:33.199 then that's a much more viable conversation. 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:35.720 But is that not a viable conversation if you're thinking 0:08:35.760 --> 0:08:38.840 of it from the standpoint of at Tank's age, this 0:08:38.960 --> 0:08:40.360 year we may see a decline. 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:42.440 You don't know, but you could see a decline. 0:08:42.480 --> 0:08:45.600 And does that then pressure you to say, Okay, actually 0:08:45.800 --> 0:08:47.839 we should maybe move on from Tank and we need 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:50.520 to keep Darnce way, you would need this year could 0:08:50.520 --> 0:08:52.360 be a pivotal year all the way around when it 0:08:52.400 --> 0:08:53.520 comes to the ans evangel. 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:55.800 That you would need to have seen signals for possible 0:08:55.840 --> 0:08:59.560 decline looming on twenty twenty four. For for DeMarcus Lawrence, 0:08:59.679 --> 0:09:02.320 this is a Pro Bowl caliber guy from twenty twenty two. 0:09:02.520 --> 0:09:04.800 He had a Pro Bowl worthy season in twenty twenty three. 0:09:05.080 --> 0:09:05.840 He's been healthy. 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:08.560 He's been he's been healthy the entirety. I mean, he's 0:09:08.600 --> 0:09:10.640 battled some little things, but he's been available, he's been 0:09:10.679 --> 0:09:13.959 on the field. There's nothing that indicates other than his age, 0:09:14.000 --> 0:09:16.760 which hints at it's coming. It's coming any day now, 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:19.280 which is valid. It's coming any day now. But until 0:09:19.280 --> 0:09:22.440 you see a single sign of it actually happening, you 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:25.160 don't have enough evidence to look Tank in the face 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:27.080 and say, you know what, We're gonna franchise Daurrance and 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:29.360 we're gonna put him in a position that then puts 0:09:29.360 --> 0:09:31.560 you on a slight back burner so we can see 0:09:31.640 --> 0:09:34.800 because we're guaranteeing him twenty million dollars this year. So 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:37.560 that's basically you telling Durrance that he's going to be 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:41.080 your starting edge opposite Michael Parsons, while also looking at 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:43.400 the Marcus Lawrence who's coming up for a contract extension 0:09:43.400 --> 0:09:45.400 to say well, we still want you here might not 0:09:45.400 --> 0:09:46.120 be in the starting room. 0:09:46.200 --> 0:09:48.520 It's the timing doesn't work out for Durrance's website. 0:09:48.760 --> 0:09:51.160 The interesting part for me is I really think they 0:09:51.160 --> 0:09:56.079 have to work hard unless their goal is to draft one. 0:09:56.320 --> 0:09:57.040 I think they gotta work. 0:09:57.080 --> 0:09:58.160 That's hard goal period. 0:09:58.240 --> 0:09:59.880 But I think they gotta work really hard to try. 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:01.880 To re sign him to a long term deal Durrance, 0:10:01.920 --> 0:10:04.680 because I do think that that's a position that's a 0:10:04.760 --> 0:10:07.400 little shaky from the standpoint of how you look at 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:09.800 it for the future. And one thing I think you 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:12.080 would hate to do in the NFL is there are 0:10:12.120 --> 0:10:14.040 three positions where you would hate to lose a guy 0:10:14.040 --> 0:10:17.559 and he goes somewhere else and he's better cornerback, defensive end, 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:21.160 and quarterback. And if he went to Seattle and became 0:10:21.200 --> 0:10:23.560 a starter and turned into one of those guys that 0:10:23.640 --> 0:10:25.760 was regularly putting up ten to twelve sacks a year, 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:29.719 I think the Cowboys would I think they'd be disappointed 0:10:29.720 --> 0:10:30.520 in the fact that they. 0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:32.000 Didn't do enough to keep him here. 0:10:32.120 --> 0:10:34.720 They developed him to this point to then let him 0:10:34.720 --> 0:10:37.280 go off somewhere and them to reap the benefits and 0:10:37.520 --> 0:10:37.920 he could. 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:40.280 I mean, this is a guy who's fifteen sixteen sacks 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:43.160 over the past couple seasons as a rotational guy during 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:45.000 so Armstrong and I've said it a million times he 0:10:45.120 --> 0:10:48.480 is one of the more perennially underrated talents in this 0:10:48.520 --> 0:10:51.440 building from those outside of the building who just don't 0:10:51.480 --> 0:10:53.480 understand what he brings to the table, not only as 0:10:53.520 --> 0:10:56.200 a pass rusher, also as a run defender and as. 0:10:56.040 --> 0:10:59.160 A special teams guy, huge, huge and special teams. 0:11:00.320 --> 0:11:02.400 If you lose Daurriance Armstrong, that's a big hit, and 0:11:02.440 --> 0:11:05.119 that's those some big shoes for somebody like Sam Williams 0:11:05.160 --> 0:11:07.280 and or Junior Foko who has to earn his way 0:11:07.280 --> 0:11:10.240 into the field and or a potential draft pick to 0:11:10.320 --> 0:11:13.120 come in and fill from a rotational role, especially when 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:17.400 you if you tandemit with possibly losing Dante Fowler as well. So, yeah, 0:11:17.440 --> 0:11:20.400 the Cowboys have they're going to go pretty hard at 0:11:20.480 --> 0:11:24.679 keeping Durrance Armstrong. But Durrance absent the franchise tag, he's 0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:27.320 got reasons to stay, and he's got reasons to be 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:30.920 interested in possibly leaving. So guys of his caliber, you 0:11:30.960 --> 0:11:32.840 know they're gonna have value in the NFL. And I 0:11:32.840 --> 0:11:35.079 do believe if he goes to Washington he could be 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:37.320 a double digit sack guy. If he goes to Seattle 0:11:37.360 --> 0:11:39.240 he can be a double digit SAT guy. But does 0:11:39.280 --> 0:11:41.640 that mean that the Cowboys made the wrong move depending 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:44.200 on what the payout looks like, that he landed elsewhere. 0:11:44.360 --> 0:11:47.600 Not necessarily, because again the timing just isn't here right 0:11:47.640 --> 0:11:50.160 now to franchise tag them, but most certainly do everything 0:11:50.200 --> 0:11:52.000 you can to keep them absent that tag. 0:11:52.160 --> 0:11:55.920 How much do you guys think that Mike Zimmer's evaluation 0:11:56.160 --> 0:12:01.160 and players like those falls into the same lines of 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:04.600 Mike McCarthy and everybody else. 0:12:04.800 --> 0:12:06.480 I think it'd be huge. 0:12:06.679 --> 0:12:09.640 And one thing that I mentioned when it came when 0:12:09.640 --> 0:12:13.719 it comes to Durrance is that you look at how 0:12:13.720 --> 0:12:16.440 impressive he's been as far as every year taking another 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:18.439 step up, every year taking another step up. But he's 0:12:18.440 --> 0:12:21.320 also been able to do this no matter who the 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:24.200 defensive coordinator is, no matter who it is, right, So 0:12:24.240 --> 0:12:28.640 he's been through the Rod Marinelli, Mike Nolan, Dan Quinn. 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:31.400 So this Mike Zimmer would be his fourth defensive coordinator 0:12:31.400 --> 0:12:34.800 with the Cowboys. That's that's mind blowing to hear that 0:12:34.840 --> 0:12:36.680 out loud, and then look at his numbers and say, 0:12:36.679 --> 0:12:38.960 he's been producing at a higher and higher level every 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:41.280 single time. So if you're Mike Zimmer and you're coming in, 0:12:41.520 --> 0:12:43.480 that's the guy you want to keep. That's a guy 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:45.120 that you can say, hey, you know what it does. 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:48.440 He's so coachable and he's so talented and he's so 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:51.640 refined that I don't have to babysit this guy. This 0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:53.600 guy's going to be ready for whatever I throwed him. 0:12:53.640 --> 0:12:56.440 He's shown that he can produce at a starter level. 0:12:56.600 --> 0:12:58.800 So if I can get a starter caliber guy as 0:12:58.840 --> 0:13:00.920 a rotational guy and keep him here like you guys 0:13:01.000 --> 0:13:03.520 have before I got here, by all means. So to 0:13:03.559 --> 0:13:05.280 your point, I think he will look at a guy 0:13:05.280 --> 0:13:07.200 like Darnce and say absolutely, I want that guy. 0:13:07.280 --> 0:13:08.480 Do what you can to keep that guy. 0:13:08.600 --> 0:13:11.000 But if the Cowboys can't keep that guy, you better 0:13:11.040 --> 0:13:13.960 believe Mike Zimmer has already started turning wheels and talking 0:13:14.000 --> 0:13:16.520 to Will McClay, Stephen Jones, and Jerry Jones and saying, hey, 0:13:16.760 --> 0:13:18.680 if you can't keep this guy, I got some ideas 0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:21.200 for free agency and possibly a draft as well. 0:13:21.360 --> 0:13:23.440 Just to be clear, I took from your question you 0:13:23.440 --> 0:13:26.719 were asking, do you think that his thoughts on these 0:13:26.760 --> 0:13:29.440 players will be different than what Quinn's. Is that what 0:13:29.480 --> 0:13:34.800 you're asking or are you just say. 0:13:33.280 --> 0:13:35.760 A little No, I think you'll have a certain type 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:39.200 of say for sure, but he is he looking at 0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:42.800 it the same way and you're welcome and I liked 0:13:42.840 --> 0:13:47.360 your answer regardless. But the thing is, when you see 0:13:47.360 --> 0:13:49.080 a good player, you see a good player, like there's 0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:52.760 no debating it's whether it's good, middle or like average 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:55.640 or bad. We can all mostly agree on that. But 0:13:55.679 --> 0:13:59.200 what I'm wondering is when you start talking about that 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:01.560 kind of money in the future or whatever, is it 0:14:01.600 --> 0:14:05.160 a situation where possibly he feels like, Okay, we can 0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:09.959 replace that position with somebody else, whether that's via draft 0:14:10.040 --> 0:14:13.520 or free agency bringing somebody else in. When you're considering that, 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:17.319 you still have guys like the Marcus Lawrence Micah Parsons, 0:14:17.960 --> 0:14:20.840 which just by having them on the field would then 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:24.400 elevate the playing level of whoever else is lining up 0:14:24.440 --> 0:14:28.080 against them or alongside them. So that's what I'm wondering 0:14:28.240 --> 0:14:30.600 is this year. I'm not looking into the future, but 0:14:30.680 --> 0:14:34.320 for this upcoming season, is it a situation where yeah, 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:37.760 we love him and absolutely want him back, but if 0:14:37.840 --> 0:14:41.040 not could somebody else come in be a pluging player 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:43.440 that just by having two guys like those guys the 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:46.440 Marcus and Mike, I just simply elevates everybody else. 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:48.920 I think, yes, I think that could be a possibility. 0:14:48.920 --> 0:14:50.760 But what I personally think is going to be even 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:53.520 more important is I think Mike's probably looking at this 0:14:53.640 --> 0:14:55.480 defense and saying, the first thing I got to do 0:14:55.520 --> 0:14:57.040 is figure out how to stop the run. 0:14:56.920 --> 0:15:00.600 Which Mike and y I think. 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:02.160 First thing he says, I got to stop the run, 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:05.600 so I will be interested to see if they don't 0:15:05.880 --> 0:15:09.640 go hard after Adorance. Does that say something about what 0:15:09.680 --> 0:15:11.720 he thinks his ability to stop the run looks like? 0:15:12.080 --> 0:15:12.320 Right? 0:15:12.520 --> 0:15:16.040 If they choose to have Sam elevated to where Sam's 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:17.840 gonna get more time in the field, does that say 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:20.000 something about what he thinks about his ability to stop 0:15:20.040 --> 0:15:20.400 the run? 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:22.080 Because I think that you. 0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:25.640 Look at Zimmer's defenses in Minnesota, they always stop the run. 0:15:25.680 --> 0:15:29.160 They were always top ten stopping the run consistently. So 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:32.160 I think the first thought he is is, what are 0:15:32.200 --> 0:15:34.360 these players that are currently on the roster, and the 0:15:34.400 --> 0:15:37.320 players that are potential free agents and the players that 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:39.120 are in the draft, how are they going to help 0:15:39.160 --> 0:15:41.720 me be able to devise a plan that will stop 0:15:41.760 --> 0:15:45.000 the run. And so I don't know what those answers are. 0:15:45.120 --> 0:15:47.560 Only he will know that at least as how he 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:49.840 sees it. But the fact is, I think a lot 0:15:49.840 --> 0:15:51.440 of what we see over the next few months will 0:15:51.440 --> 0:15:53.160 tell us what he thinks about that. People like jay 0:15:53.240 --> 0:15:55.320 Ron Curse, I think those decisions are going to be 0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:57.960 made based upon how much does he factor into what 0:15:58.080 --> 0:16:00.440 Zimmer thinks he can do to stop the run. We 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:03.200 know the linebacker's position is a position where they gotta 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:06.360 do something. That's just They put Marque's Bell in a 0:16:06.400 --> 0:16:09.320 horrible situation and he performed admirably, but he was in 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:11.280 a horrible situation. They know they got to figure that. 0:16:11.680 --> 0:16:14.000 But I really do think everything that we look at 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:17.520 this offseason with regards to the defense, I'm going to 0:16:17.560 --> 0:16:19.800 be looking at through the prism of is this helping 0:16:19.840 --> 0:16:23.240 the defense stop the run? And guys that leave it 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:26.080 will suggest to me that Mike Zimmer doesn't think they're 0:16:26.160 --> 0:16:28.080 necessary to stop in the run. 0:16:28.160 --> 0:16:30.760 I think it all works hand in hand because if 0:16:30.800 --> 0:16:33.160 you look at it from the aspect of is Zimmer 0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:37.440 coming in saying, well, if Armstrong can't be retained, Well, 0:16:37.560 --> 0:16:40.080 there's possibly someone else who can step up in his role. 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:43.000 I don't see that person in the building right now. 0:16:43.000 --> 0:16:46.280 Could it be Sam? Zimmer talks a lot about discipline, 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:49.160 and we know that he's huge on it. So again, 0:16:49.240 --> 0:16:51.880 I say, if you're talking about the Zimmer variable, I 0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:54.800 don't see it as Sam yet. As far as replacing Armstrong, 0:16:54.920 --> 0:16:57.520 maybe after twenty twenty four we feel differently about it 0:16:57.520 --> 0:16:59.960 and we say, Okay, there we go. Sam's that guy. 0:16:59.840 --> 0:17:02.080 But as we have this conversation, can't see it. Yeah, 0:17:02.320 --> 0:17:05.000 So I think that if you're Mike Zimmer, you're saying 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:08.199 I want Dorin Charmstrong because I want him in rotation 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:10.200 with Micah and de Marcus. 0:17:10.240 --> 0:17:11.239 I know what that is. 0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:15.199 But then it goes to the front office to say, well, 0:17:14.880 --> 0:17:16.920 they might come back to Zimmer and say we want 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:19.760 him as well. He's a great organizational guy, great locker 0:17:19.840 --> 0:17:21.880 room guy. We got to see what the price is, though, 0:17:22.040 --> 0:17:24.159 and if we can't get him at our price, what 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:26.200 other options are you thinking about? 0:17:26.359 --> 0:17:26.960 Free agency? 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:29.360 Wise, jriff wise, I think that's the conversation that's that's 0:17:29.400 --> 0:17:30.280 gonna happen upstairs. 0:17:30.320 --> 0:17:32.040 All right, We're gonna take our first break. We're gonna 0:17:32.040 --> 0:17:34.119 come back. We'll get to our much anticipated segment on 0:17:34.200 --> 0:17:35.840 DAK Prescott will do that when we come back Dallas. 0:17:35.840 --> 0:17:36.840 Cowboys dot Com Radio. 0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:39.840 Todd thought it would be secure to jog in the 0:17:39.920 --> 0:17:42.840 cheatah Savannah. Todd believed the big cat repellent he bought 0:17:42.880 --> 0:17:45.800 online was reliable. And now Todd is trying to be 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:48.560 faster than this cheetah that can run eighty miles per hour. 0:17:49.119 --> 0:17:50.840 But the good news is Todd has AT and T 0:17:50.960 --> 0:17:53.600 five G. It is fast, reliable, and secure, and he 0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:55.920 learned the best thing to do is stop running and 0:17:56.080 --> 0:17:58.600 toss her the backpack with the beef stew At and 0:17:58.640 --> 0:18:02.240