WEBVTT - Talkin' Cowboys: Unsettled Division 0:00:04.440 --> 0:00:07.000 The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:07.040 --> 0:00:18.360 and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. This He's Talking Cowboys 0:00:18.400 --> 0:00:21.759 training live from the Dallas Cowboys World Howers at the 0:00:21.880 --> 0:00:32.960 Star in Fris Joe. Say now, your hosts, Nicky Spagnola, 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:38.680 Rob Phillips, Everson Walls, and Bill Jones, and welcome into 0:00:38.760 --> 0:00:43.800 Talking Cowboys inside the SWBC Mortgage Studio. Rob Phillips hosting 0:00:43.800 --> 0:00:46.640 for Bill Jones for the next couple of days. They'll 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:49.440 be back later in the week. Joint as always by 0:00:49.440 --> 0:00:53.280 the great Everson Walls and Mickey Spagnola. To my right, 0:00:53.360 --> 0:00:55.960 we're here for the next forty five minutes. The Cowboys 0:00:55.960 --> 0:01:00.840 are off today. They'll get back to practice on Wednesday. 0:01:01.000 --> 0:01:03.760 That's why Spags was on time. That is exactly why 0:01:03.800 --> 0:01:07.160 there's there is no reason to be late today. Why 0:01:07.160 --> 0:01:10.920 are they off? They should be working hard, so said 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:15.399 the old man from the fifties. Yes, is that what 0:01:15.480 --> 0:01:19.520 your Twitter mentioned? Safe this week? Yeah? Right? Him a 0:01:19.600 --> 0:01:23.880 day off, lock him in a room, practice work. Well, 0:01:23.920 --> 0:01:26.880 something's got to get changed, right at six and seven 0:01:27.040 --> 0:01:32.880 and now tied tied with the Philadelphia Eagles for after 0:01:33.000 --> 0:01:37.080 dinner all week. That's right, No deserves nothing. That too. 0:01:37.360 --> 0:01:40.040 Not too about the game last night. Amazing that they're 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:43.160 tied with that after that last night? What do you 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:44.840 think of the game? I knew what was going to 0:01:44.920 --> 0:01:48.760 happen there. I didn't even get excited. I just said, 0:01:48.760 --> 0:01:51.480 I know what's going That was a lull there. Well, 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:54.360 really the entire game, with the entire second half almost 0:01:54.360 --> 0:01:57.600 but that third quarter, that low, that low. You can 0:01:57.640 --> 0:01:59.840 tell the Giants were done. Yeah, you know, they had 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:03.320 nothing and Philly was still kind of forcing it, you 0:02:03.320 --> 0:02:05.520 know what I mean. And as you looked at the game, 0:02:05.560 --> 0:02:08.040 you had to think, you know, if the Cowboys were 0:02:08.040 --> 0:02:11.280 going to have a resurgence, it would be I would 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:14.160 take that fashion. I would take it in that fashion, 0:02:14.720 --> 0:02:17.959 you know, just just grind, grind, grind. You know, we've 0:02:17.960 --> 0:02:20.920 been taking it for the last three games. We could 0:02:20.960 --> 0:02:23.000 easily take this one and everyone would go, oh, yeah, 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:25.520 that's what I figured. But they hung in there. Yeah, 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:28.359 I get him a little credit. It was ugly, ugly win. 0:02:28.440 --> 0:02:30.880 But if I'm a Cowboy team, I'll take an ugly 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:33.560 win like that and hopefully, you know, they'll spurred me 0:02:33.600 --> 0:02:36.840 onto something else. They would have lost one more wide receiver, 0:02:37.200 --> 0:02:41.079 Oh my god, I was. I was. I started stretching, 0:02:41.080 --> 0:02:43.840 man start trying to find some flights. I saw it. 0:02:44.919 --> 0:02:46.680 I saw a headline. I didn't get a chance to 0:02:46.720 --> 0:02:51.240 read the story. But the backup quarterback mccount he was 0:02:51.280 --> 0:02:55.880 ready to go into or maybe just a whole third 0:02:55.919 --> 0:02:58.920 down full of tight ends. So you know, did you 0:02:58.960 --> 0:03:02.240 say to yourself watching this now it's in overtime right right, 0:03:02.320 --> 0:03:04.640 they drive down to the two yard line, they try 0:03:04.639 --> 0:03:07.760 to run and they didn't get anywhere. And I'm sitting myself, 0:03:08.240 --> 0:03:11.680 this pass is going to zach Ertz, right, it's going 0:03:11.720 --> 0:03:16.600 to Arts. He's wide open. Nobody covered him. Now if 0:03:16.639 --> 0:03:19.560 I'm sitting on my couch, knew what was coming. What 0:03:19.760 --> 0:03:22.520 were they thinking? Hey, you could have done that the 0:03:22.680 --> 0:03:25.919 entire drive, right, That entire drive was ers. If you 0:03:25.960 --> 0:03:29.840 would call even on the scramble, he's wide open. You 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:33.720 don't drop ERTs, okay, especially when all the other receivers 0:03:33.720 --> 0:03:36.520 are down. What number seventeen, what's his name? I'm sorry 0:03:36.520 --> 0:03:40.560 the wide receiver Jeff Once he went down, that saw 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:43.880 him sitting on the cart. It's over. I'm gonna I'm 0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:46.400 gonna triple team Oats and just damn anybody they're playing 0:03:46.400 --> 0:03:49.840 the guys I'd never heard of or take up a 0:03:49.920 --> 0:03:52.760 defensive end in past covers looking for fats. That's just 0:03:52.800 --> 0:03:55.920 how And they blew the coverage because there was a 0:03:55.960 --> 0:04:00.880 safety there and he played zone and but he packed 0:04:00.880 --> 0:04:03.680 them up. It was like indible, you know. And I 0:04:03.720 --> 0:04:06.040 was thinking of you because you said when you were 0:04:06.080 --> 0:04:08.560 talking about Beasily, you gotta have a plan, right. You 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:10.320 can't just say, Okay, I'm going to cover a man 0:04:10.400 --> 0:04:13.680 to man. They didn't have a plan for anything. Crazy. 0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:17.280 He was just freewheeling down the field. It's like, what 0:04:17.279 --> 0:04:19.640 are you doing? And yet the Giants were up seventeen 0:04:19.680 --> 0:04:22.719 to three at half, and I really felt like Eli 0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:27.839 was going to get Everyone was pulling for it. Yeah, 0:04:27.880 --> 0:04:30.840 I didn't think they gained a hundred yards. The second hand, 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:33.440 they probably did well. Well. What they wanted to do 0:04:33.640 --> 0:04:37.760 was keep touting all the past laws of Eli Manning 0:04:37.800 --> 0:04:40.440 so no one would change the channel. That's why they 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:43.240 kept bringing up all of this Eli stuff because right 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:45.640 now he was the only star in town. You know, 0:04:45.720 --> 0:04:50.200 he was the only really really image on that on 0:04:50.240 --> 0:04:53.480 that field, really on TV at that particular time, on 0:04:53.600 --> 0:04:55.839 that on that game, and then the last two drives. 0:04:55.880 --> 0:04:59.320 Whatever the Giants were doing putting pressure on Wentz disappeared. 0:04:59.480 --> 0:05:01.880 It's like, where'd y'all going? They were tired, man, you 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:04.280 know I read that too. Yeah, they were tired. They 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:06.440 looked tired in the second half. They were they were 0:05:06.480 --> 0:05:08.119 doing it in the first half. In the second half, 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:11.120 your offense not doing anything right on the field a 0:05:11.240 --> 0:05:14.720 long time, right, and then those penalties that kept prolonging it. 0:05:15.160 --> 0:05:18.960 How many plays was that drive from Gold to Gold? 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:21.120 I mean it had to be. It went from like 0:05:21.160 --> 0:05:24.280 the five right, and just the time itself that it 0:05:24.360 --> 0:05:27.560 took because of they were just taking that time Nickel 0:05:27.600 --> 0:05:31.720 and diamond third downs. Everyone went to third down extended 0:05:31.720 --> 0:05:34.680 by penalties. It just got to be that. That was 0:05:34.760 --> 0:05:37.479 the lull there where I said, Okay, Philly's got this 0:05:37.640 --> 0:05:39.640 under control. That's when I knew they had taken over 0:05:39.680 --> 0:05:42.720 the game. Okay, So you have two teams tied at 0:05:42.800 --> 0:05:46.080 six and seven for first place in the NFC East 0:05:46.080 --> 0:05:48.240 and they're not going to recede the playoffs? Is Adam 0:05:48.279 --> 0:05:51.359 Schefter broke on Sunday? So the winner of the division, 0:05:51.600 --> 0:05:56.640 the revelation just because we're that bad? Is that why 0:05:56.640 --> 0:05:59.320 they're thinking of doing this. That was a report on 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:02.200 Sunday just because the NFC East is that bad. Yeah, 0:06:02.240 --> 0:06:04.080 And I think the last time a team with the 0:06:04.120 --> 0:06:08.440 losing record got in. I think it was Seattle in 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:11.760 twenty ten with a seven and nine record, and they 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:15.400 won their home wildcard game against the Saints. They did. 0:06:15.480 --> 0:06:18.960 Did you read my column? I didn't read through all 0:06:19.000 --> 0:06:24.760 of it. I glanced. I did read it in nineteen 0:06:26.760 --> 0:06:30.640 said that in nineteen ninety the Cowboys came within a 0:06:30.720 --> 0:06:34.600 couple seconds of making as a wild card team at 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:41.479 seven and nine? Was that the Romo No. Nineteen ninety? Okay, oh, 0:06:41.560 --> 0:06:45.760 this is before they got were there? Babe Laberg came 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:49.159 in right for Troy. So they were seven and seven 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:51.920 playing against the Falcon seven and seven. They had two 0:06:51.960 --> 0:06:55.359 games to go. If they won one and the Saints 0:06:55.440 --> 0:06:59.120 lost one, they were going to get in. Well, the 0:06:59.279 --> 0:07:05.120 Saints and Game fifteen beat San Francisco by I think 0:07:05.120 --> 0:07:10.360 it was twenty seventeen. It was San Francisco's No. Thirteen ten. 0:07:10.720 --> 0:07:13.720 It was San Francisco's second loss of the season. Wow, 0:07:14.240 --> 0:07:17.640 what that wasn't going to happen? Right? So the Cowboys 0:07:17.680 --> 0:07:21.440 had to win one more. Well, Troy separated his shoulder 0:07:21.600 --> 0:07:25.239 in Game fifteen at Philadelphia in the first quarter. Babe 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:28.360 Laffenburg has to come in. He didn't do so well. 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:32.000 I think that was nice. That was nice, very nice 0:07:32.040 --> 0:07:34.680 way to put that. He stuck up the joint and 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:38.600 I love it. But gosh, and then I remember, I 0:07:38.680 --> 0:07:40.760 remember pulling for you guys, and I'm in New York, 0:07:41.520 --> 0:07:45.880 I'm straight. And then in the last game of the year, 0:07:46.040 --> 0:07:49.320 they had to go to Atlanta. It's pouring down rain 0:07:49.880 --> 0:07:53.440 and they no showed. I mean, the whole team no showed. 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:57.600 And Babe was even worse than he wasn't exactly got 0:07:57.640 --> 0:08:00.560 beat twenty six to seven. I think d On had 0:08:00.560 --> 0:08:04.160 an interception return for a touchdown or punt return for 0:08:04.200 --> 0:08:08.640 a touchdown. So now at seven and nine, if the 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:12.560 Saints lose the final game of the season to the Rams, 0:08:12.880 --> 0:08:16.600 they're gonna go to the playoff as the third wildcard 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:22.520 team at seven and nine, right, well, the game, the 0:08:23.040 --> 0:08:26.040 Rams drive in the last minute or so, they tie 0:08:26.120 --> 0:08:33.240 up the game seventeen seventeen, and the Saints drive down 0:08:33.920 --> 0:08:36.600 it's five seconds left. They're going to kick a twenty 0:08:36.640 --> 0:08:40.840 nine yard field goal for the win. The Rams block it, 0:08:41.520 --> 0:08:45.280 but they're offsides. Oh god, this is the playoffs. Maybe 0:08:45.320 --> 0:08:49.240 this playoff. Martin Anderson kicks the twenty four yard field 0:08:49.240 --> 0:08:51.840 goal with two seconds left and the Rams win. So 0:08:51.880 --> 0:08:54.000 it went. It was a Monday night game, so it 0:08:54.080 --> 0:08:56.800 went to the It went to the last seconds of 0:08:56.840 --> 0:09:00.520 the last game of the possible year to say finished 0:09:00.559 --> 0:09:03.760 eight and Nate had the Cowboys finished eight and night 0:09:03.840 --> 0:09:08.079 they were gonna win because they beat the Saints earlier 0:09:08.120 --> 0:09:10.400 in December, right, So where are we going with this? 0:09:10.679 --> 0:09:14.080 So seven to nine they almost made the playoffs. Rob 0:09:14.160 --> 0:09:18.600 just woke up. He just came out of his nap okay, 0:09:18.640 --> 0:09:21.920 So that the worst record that would have hackered. Yeah, 0:09:22.040 --> 0:09:25.440 the worst record to win the NFC East is nine 0:09:25.480 --> 0:09:29.440 and seven. It happened twice, and the Giants did it once, right, 0:09:29.480 --> 0:09:32.640 and that was when they beat U New England. Yes 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:38.520 and stopped there. Yes, Well they were a wild card team, 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:40.800 aren't they? Yes? They were, Yeah, and they were horrible 0:09:40.920 --> 0:09:43.880 during the year. I think during that year Eli had 0:09:43.880 --> 0:09:46.120 played in Minneapolis and they I think he threw like 0:09:46.200 --> 0:09:49.240 five interceptions in one game or some crap. They were 0:09:49.240 --> 0:09:51.959 ready to fire everybody, think Washington ever ready fire everybody 0:09:51.960 --> 0:09:55.920 that year Coughlin was under major fire, no question. Washington 0:09:56.040 --> 0:09:59.680 won it uh in twenty fifteen at nine and seven 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:03.280 because they beat the Cowboys in the No it was 0:10:03.440 --> 0:10:05.439 that was the other year, but they won it nine 0:10:05.520 --> 0:10:08.720 and seven. Okay, So, so I was talking NFC with 0:10:08.760 --> 0:10:11.320 Seattle and that that was the Big Beast mode run 0:10:11.360 --> 0:10:14.640 by Marshawn in twenty ten to beat the Saints. It's happened. 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:16.440 I mean, if they were going to receive the playoffs, 0:10:16.440 --> 0:10:18.320 I think that would have been discussed in the offseason 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:21.400 before they make that decision. And it's not going to happen. 0:10:21.440 --> 0:10:22.960 The winner of this division is going to get in 0:10:23.120 --> 0:10:25.959 and it's gonna be one of these two teams. And 0:10:26.679 --> 0:10:30.000 as we probably we probably said this couple months ago, 0:10:30.040 --> 0:10:32.760 ever since that December twenty second game is going to 0:10:32.840 --> 0:10:36.679 decide the division. And that's crazy. And so who do 0:10:36.720 --> 0:10:40.040 the Eagles plague? And they will they play Washington, the 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:43.520 Cowboys and the Giants. I don't have any confidence in 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:45.560 the Eagles at all. I have less confidence in the 0:10:45.559 --> 0:10:47.960 Eagles than I do the Cowboy. Yeah. Are they gonna 0:10:47.960 --> 0:10:51.040 win four straight? I don't think so. No, they're not. No, 0:10:51.960 --> 0:10:54.120 So I don't care how easy that scared. Basically what 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:57.520 the Cowboys have to do. If they beat Philadelphia and 0:10:57.679 --> 0:11:05.520 win one more game, they're in. I think phil If 0:11:05.559 --> 0:11:08.680 Philly loses one other game other than the Cowboys and 0:11:08.720 --> 0:11:11.520 the Cowboys beat them, the Cowboys are in. They'll be 0:11:11.559 --> 0:11:14.880 in at eight and eight because they'll win the tiebreaker. 0:11:14.960 --> 0:11:17.920 Their final game is at home against Washington, who's three 0:11:17.960 --> 0:11:21.160 and ten. We haven't talked about the Rams yet this week. 0:11:21.200 --> 0:11:24.600 We'll get to that probably more Wednesday. This Sunday, that's 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:27.000 the first game ahead. And like Mix said, I mean, 0:11:27.000 --> 0:11:29.600 maybe you win two games and of these final three 0:11:29.600 --> 0:11:32.360 and you're in. They just need to win though, right, 0:11:32.480 --> 0:11:35.520 They need to win this Sunday, regardless of playoff position. 0:11:35.559 --> 0:11:38.600 They've got to stop this slide, regardless of the styles 0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:41.679 as well. Like I said, right, if I'm if I'm Cowboys, 0:11:41.720 --> 0:11:44.360 I would take a Philly win like that that last 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:46.600 night's Philly win. I take it in a heartbeat. I 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:48.679 would back out, like my boy used to say, I 0:11:48.760 --> 0:11:53.200 back out like I stole something and just go right 0:11:53.280 --> 0:11:55.240 on back to the locker room and be just as 0:11:55.280 --> 0:11:58.760 happy as I don't know what. This is a very 0:11:58.840 --> 0:12:02.520 unusual outcome for the Cowboys when you look when you 0:12:02.520 --> 0:12:05.319 go all the way back to the signing of all 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:08.720 the alignemen, to the signing of Zeke, you know, to 0:12:09.400 --> 0:12:12.360 Dack's improvement. He's got his little pregame dance, and you 0:12:12.440 --> 0:12:15.120 go back to all of that and the optimism that 0:12:15.200 --> 0:12:18.520 we had. I mean, we're we're like NFC NC Championship 0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:20.240 game a bust. This is it, this is what we're 0:12:20.280 --> 0:12:23.560 going to be there And he started off three. You know, God, 0:12:23.559 --> 0:12:26.040 those are such good times now a long time ago 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:29.920 to squeak into the playoffs. It's like we felt we 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:32.720 fell asleep and we're having a nightmare, you know, right 0:12:32.760 --> 0:12:36.400 in between the good times, and we won't wake up. No, 0:12:36.840 --> 0:12:38.800 we won't wake up. And if they don't wake up, 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:42.840 then they're in trouble. But at like I said, you 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:44.760 can make it at eight and eight, but they could 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:48.520 only lose one more game and it can't be to Philadelphia. 0:12:48.760 --> 0:12:52.880 Who's the Eagles remaining schedule again, Washington. Um, they're going 0:12:52.920 --> 0:12:57.040 to lose the Skins, Cowboys at home and at the Giants, 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:01.160 so they have you know, winnable games ahead as well. 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:03.319 But the Cowboys due too. I mean, I still look 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:07.560 at this Cowboys team and I say, I my eyes 0:13:07.720 --> 0:13:10.199 did not deceive me in training camp. There's still talent 0:13:10.280 --> 0:13:13.720 on this football team. Why they're not playing to their level? 0:13:14.040 --> 0:13:16.439 I I mean, Dak said it after the game. I 0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:20.160 can't put my finger on it. Mantal aspect of sports 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:25.000 is extremely underrated. Let's just say it, guys, if you're 0:13:25.160 --> 0:13:27.960 extremely underrated, you're the man to talk about it too, 0:13:28.000 --> 0:13:31.120 because I mean I had to play with mine because 0:13:31.120 --> 0:13:34.400 I had so many physical limitations. And so when you 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:39.439 look at these guys that have so much physical abilities, 0:13:39.480 --> 0:13:42.880 and you know, all this knowledge and technology. Now we've 0:13:42.920 --> 0:13:46.000 got the you know, we've got the numbers going. Now, 0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:49.360 we've got the quality of control going. We never even 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:52.280 thought about that kind of crap when we played. You know, 0:13:52.480 --> 0:13:54.920 I don't think I can't see Pittsburgh Steel is really 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:58.439 worrying too much, you know, stealing teams of the seventies, 0:13:58.679 --> 0:14:02.800 really worrying too much about you know, if I shade 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:04.560 myself to the left a little bit, then I won't 0:14:04.600 --> 0:14:07.480 get this pump blocked or you know, worried about tripping out. 0:14:07.520 --> 0:14:09.840 They didn't care about all that crap. You know that 0:14:09.840 --> 0:14:14.720 there was no mental letdown doing some of the most 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:21.120 physical aspects and the most physical eras of sports. No 0:14:21.160 --> 0:14:23.360 one cared about. No one really put so much on 0:14:23.400 --> 0:14:26.000 the mental aspect of it. To us, it was just 0:14:26.080 --> 0:14:29.240 either all physical we had instinctively, or we didn't. You know, 0:14:29.320 --> 0:14:31.640 we're gonna play this team game. I need you here, 0:14:31.680 --> 0:14:34.680 I need you there. Let's coordinate. Now. You know, we've 0:14:34.680 --> 0:14:38.920 gotten so isolated, we've gotten so specialized, all these guys, 0:14:39.120 --> 0:14:41.360 And no matter how specialized you are, no matter what 0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:44.160 you run your ford end, you can still get beat. 0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:47.880 Somebody's gonna beat you, regardless of how fast you are. 0:14:47.880 --> 0:14:49.880 I don't care how many weights you left. I don't care. 0:14:50.040 --> 0:14:54.120 We got some strongest offensive linemen in the league, and 0:14:54.200 --> 0:14:56.920 we can't pass block half the time. We've got some 0:14:56.960 --> 0:15:00.840 of the best wide receivers athletically, I've gallup do some 0:15:00.880 --> 0:15:04.800 amazing things, but he's probably got still more drops than 0:15:04.840 --> 0:15:08.480 anybody on the team. Right So the mental aspect of 0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:13.320 sports cannot be you know too it can't be emphasized 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:17.120 too much. And right now, these guys are physically amazing, 0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:19.640 and mentally they are just as weak as they can be. 0:15:19.840 --> 0:15:26.160 Right now, they need a confidence shot somehow, And the 0:15:26.200 --> 0:15:27.840 only way you're gonna get it. If you win, right, 0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:30.360 you gotta win. Now, you were talking about specialized I've 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:34.800 noticed on the schedule board there yesterday. The first thing 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:39.360 they had yesterday was special teams meeting. And it's all 0:15:41.320 --> 0:15:45.320 except for one now, right, except for one player. Yeah, yeah, 0:15:45.360 --> 0:15:49.800 well that's interesting. Meeting didn't include the kicker, didn't. Yeah, 0:15:49.800 --> 0:15:51.320 that's it. Didn't. We'll get to that in the next 0:15:51.360 --> 0:15:55.120 segment real quick though. Piggybacking on what you said, Everson, confident, 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:57.680 Mickey two. Confidence is so big. The thing that I 0:15:57.680 --> 0:15:59.560 think surprises me the most about this team is that 0:15:59.600 --> 0:16:02.200 it's large. The roster is largely the same as last year. 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:04.320 And what we talked about last year was it was 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:07.600 a young team, Mickey. Mickey was dead right about this 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:10.440 during this early in the season last year, young team 0:16:10.480 --> 0:16:12.480 that needed to learn how to win and get and 0:16:12.560 --> 0:16:14.520 find ways to improve. As the season went on. Not 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:17.000 only did they improve, but they were able to handle 0:16:17.040 --> 0:16:19.720 some of the things in game better that didn't go 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:22.840 their way. And Jason Garrett is still talking about this 0:16:23.240 --> 0:16:26.120 after the Bears loss, the adversities of the game, when 0:16:26.120 --> 0:16:28.520 things aren't going well, how do they respond? They're not 0:16:28.600 --> 0:16:31.040 responding as well as you you would think they could. 0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:33.320 And that's what's surprising, because it is a team that 0:16:33.360 --> 0:16:36.040 had a lot of experience, a lot of good good experience, 0:16:36.160 --> 0:16:39.680 bad experience that helped them last year. And it's not 0:16:40.280 --> 0:16:42.200 you would think they'd build on that. It's not being 0:16:42.200 --> 0:16:44.320 built on this year. That's what surprising. Last year it 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:46.600 was tough. I mean, they overcame a lot, Like we 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:50.400 talked about the first part of the season, they coup came. Yeah, yeah, 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:52.720 that one guy made a difference, and of course it 0:16:52.840 --> 0:16:55.280 gave Dak all the confidence. The offensive line still work 0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:58.120 and Zeke still running the ball. We can't we overcame 0:16:58.160 --> 0:16:59.800 a lot. Was seven out of eight you said, yea 0:17:00.320 --> 0:17:03.400 to end the year seven out of eight got shut 0:17:03.400 --> 0:17:05.879 out by Indianapolis. The only lie, I mean, besides the 0:17:05.920 --> 0:17:08.600 only difference now is guys are making more money. That's 0:17:08.600 --> 0:17:10.440 the only difference in this team. And I hate to 0:17:10.480 --> 0:17:13.199 be one of those guys that said, well, yeah, they 0:17:13.240 --> 0:17:15.000 finally got paid and now they don't play as hard. 0:17:15.640 --> 0:17:19.000 I just if that's the case, and they we talk 0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:21.200 about this. I hear the media talk about this a lot. 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:25.560 As far as players, especially in this era, if you 0:17:25.600 --> 0:17:27.760 get paid, you don't play as hard. That seems to 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:31.760 be the narrative that you guys fall back on if 0:17:31.800 --> 0:17:34.040 you if you're playing for a contract, if a guy 0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:36.280 like playing off his mind, Oh he's playing for a contract, 0:17:36.600 --> 0:17:37.960 you know, then all of a sudden he gets a contract. 0:17:38.000 --> 0:17:40.280 He's not playing off his mind, you know. To me, 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:43.720 I can't understand that. I never got that, because I 0:17:43.760 --> 0:17:46.760 think that's like in the Book of excuses, like when 0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:50.400 you can't figure out why this is happening. Oh, here 0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:52.800 it is. He's not motivated. Now, yeah, he's not motivated. 0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:56.480 And it's like if they weren't motivated, they don't drive 0:17:56.520 --> 0:17:58.800 down the field in the fourth quarter and get within 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:02.200 a touchdown right of the Bears. You're you're you're getting 0:18:02.200 --> 0:18:05.040 your ass beat all game long, and all of a sudden, oh, 0:18:05.160 --> 0:18:09.200 let's go score some touchdowns. Now, I just think that's 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:12.680 that's lame, because there they are. To me, here, this 0:18:12.760 --> 0:18:15.360 is what scares you. They're still playing hard and they're 0:18:15.400 --> 0:18:18.600 getting beat. Right, So it's still running that ball. We're 0:18:18.640 --> 0:18:24.080 still playing playoff style football, running the ball, okay, the 0:18:24.119 --> 0:18:26.360 way you're supposed to the only thing we're not doing 0:18:26.400 --> 0:18:28.800 is playing a good defense. We're moving the ball, we're 0:18:28.840 --> 0:18:32.080 moving the chains. We're just not playing the good playoff defense. 0:18:32.240 --> 0:18:33.919 When you look at the team, like let's say the 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:37.480 Ravens man you just look at that defense sometimes and 0:18:37.480 --> 0:18:39.560 they just look so brow and gritty. It's like, no 0:18:39.560 --> 0:18:43.520 matter what happens, we don't care. You know what, We're 0:18:43.520 --> 0:18:45.520 gonna blow it up. Playing with a lot of confidence. 0:18:46.000 --> 0:18:48.080 You can just see it in their defense. It's just 0:18:48.119 --> 0:18:51.040 like it doesn't care. Guys. We're gonna be all over 0:18:51.080 --> 0:18:54.040 this field. It's gonna be organized chaos, and you're going 0:18:54.119 --> 0:18:57.200 to react to what we're doing. We're gonna dictate this 0:18:57.440 --> 0:19:01.080 entire tempo of this game. And even without Lamar Jackson, 0:19:01.440 --> 0:19:04.320 that's the way their defense plays all the time. And 0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:06.760 that's just an example of some of the good defense 0:19:06.800 --> 0:19:08.720 in the league that you that's the attitude you have 0:19:08.800 --> 0:19:11.920 to have. We just don't have it. We always seem 0:19:11.960 --> 0:19:14.320 to be when you look at the Cowboys team, that 0:19:14.480 --> 0:19:17.479 just always seems to be a lot of room. You know, 0:19:17.680 --> 0:19:21.119 no one seems to be pressed. You know, he seems 0:19:21.280 --> 0:19:22.879 they just seem like they can just sit back and 0:19:22.960 --> 0:19:26.000 be comfortable. To quarterback sitting back there there's room all 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:27.680 over the place. You throw it to the back. There's 0:19:27.720 --> 0:19:29.960 no one within five ten yards of him. There's a 0:19:30.000 --> 0:19:32.359 lot of room. When you play against some of the 0:19:32.400 --> 0:19:37.240 better defenses that they just seems to be pressed. They 0:19:37.280 --> 0:19:41.400 seem to be invaded, and that's what that's what good 0:19:41.440 --> 0:19:43.800 defenses do. They invade your space. And I hate to 0:19:44.320 --> 0:19:47.200 giving them an excuse, but I still say that they 0:19:47.280 --> 0:19:51.240 missed two players during this stretch of five games. They 0:19:51.320 --> 0:19:55.000 miss Layton vander esh on the field for his ability, 0:19:55.359 --> 0:19:58.720 and they miss Jeff Heath out there for his just 0:19:59.000 --> 0:20:02.879 knowledge of diagnosing things on what's happening. A lot of 0:20:02.960 --> 0:20:05.560 a lot of times players like that, especially with the Heath. 0:20:06.480 --> 0:20:09.080 It's the plays you don't see right way. It made 0:20:09.080 --> 0:20:12.879 a difference. That's that's the you know, the subtlety of 0:20:13.600 --> 0:20:17.480 good defensive back play. Now, I don't know if that's 0:20:17.560 --> 0:20:20.280 necessarily a case. You talked about Van Due. He was 0:20:20.320 --> 0:20:23.040 having a tough time. He went out, he was Jets 0:20:23.080 --> 0:20:26.280 game was just you know, he was You can see 0:20:26.280 --> 0:20:28.880 that trend going during the Jets game. He couldn't stop 0:20:28.920 --> 0:20:32.399 anybody's better than that. That's true, Although I do think 0:20:32.480 --> 0:20:34.239 some of the coverage stuff he could help in that 0:20:34.400 --> 0:20:38.159 area because the tight ends that that they've been struggling against, 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:43.600 specially Sean And you look ahead Higbee with the rams Urts. 0:20:43.640 --> 0:20:46.000 You talked about him, I mean coming up. The tight 0:20:46.080 --> 0:20:48.320 ends are involved in these offenses that they're playing coming up, 0:20:48.359 --> 0:20:49.879 So that's going to be a factor. You gotta love 0:20:49.920 --> 0:20:52.440 tight ends in this area. You gotta love tight ends. 0:20:52.560 --> 0:20:55.440 They're just they're the studs of the squad. The studs 0:20:55.440 --> 0:20:57.280 are pretty much every squad. I mean, what what so 0:20:58.119 --> 0:21:02.440 was it the Bears? Yeah, Holtz? Was that the guy's name? Yes, Well, 0:21:02.960 --> 0:21:06.200 who's he? We know him now, but we know who 0:21:06.200 --> 0:21:10.040 he is now. They're getting nipple and dimed underneath, you know, 0:21:10.080 --> 0:21:14.320 and the linebackers and your safeties and you know, God 0:21:14.320 --> 0:21:18.800 bless God, bless Jeff Heath. He's trying, but he's got 0:21:18.880 --> 0:21:24.280 two shoulders. Was talking to him yesterday that need postseason surgery. 0:21:24.480 --> 0:21:28.640 He's got labor in tears in both shoulders, and he's 0:21:28.680 --> 0:21:30.760 trying to get out there and show him that if 0:21:30.760 --> 0:21:35.080 I wear a blrace or on both shoulders, I can 0:21:35.160 --> 0:21:37.240 go out there and do it. Now it's a matter 0:21:37.359 --> 0:21:40.320 of doing it and managing the pain, because the pain's 0:21:40.400 --> 0:21:42.280 not going to go away, and the fact that we're 0:21:42.320 --> 0:21:45.160 not winning, the fact that we're so desperate we don't 0:21:45.160 --> 0:21:47.960 have the luxury to let him sit out and heal. Yeah, 0:21:48.040 --> 0:21:52.080 and it's eating at him because he can't stand watching. 0:21:52.160 --> 0:21:54.240 He wants to go out there. He tried to practice 0:21:54.280 --> 0:21:57.600 again yesterday and basically he said, yeah, it comes down 0:21:57.640 --> 0:22:00.720 to how much pain can I manage? Tough guy. He 0:22:00.760 --> 0:22:03.240 told me after the Pat's game he thought he could 0:22:03.240 --> 0:22:05.119 play on Thanksgiving, you know, but they weren't going to 0:22:05.200 --> 0:22:07.160 let him do it, and and try to get him 0:22:07.160 --> 0:22:10.480