WEBVTT - Cowboys Break: Role Models and Runways 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:05.120 The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:05.160 --> 0:00:06.720 and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. 0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:16.440 Cowboys Let's go. Are you ready for a Break? 0:00:16.720 --> 0:00:17.040 Yes? 0:00:17.280 --> 0:00:18.880 Are you ready for a break? 0:00:19.000 --> 0:00:19.680 Absolutely? 0:00:19.840 --> 0:00:21.799 Ready for a break? 0:00:21.880 --> 0:00:22.119 Yeah? 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:24.000 And so much for that. 0:00:24.200 --> 0:00:28.440 It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com. 0:00:28.480 --> 0:00:34.440 Were on with mbar Garcia. Brian brought us, Patrick Walker 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:36.360 and Derek Eagleton. 0:00:38.560 --> 0:00:42.159 It is Wednesday, January twenty fourth, twenty twenty four, Season nineteen, 0:00:42.200 --> 0:00:45.560 episode number one nine. Welcome to the latest edition of 0:00:45.600 --> 0:00:47.760 The Break. We are live from the s WBC Mortgage 0:00:47.760 --> 0:00:50.920 studios at the Stars the off season, and so we 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:52.919 freestyle here in the off season. We got a lot 0:00:52.920 --> 0:00:54.120 of different topics. 0:00:54.120 --> 0:00:54.520 Today. 0:00:55.280 --> 0:00:57.160 There will actually be a segment where Brian has a 0:00:57.200 --> 0:00:59.400 question for us. It is a tightly kept secret of 0:00:59.400 --> 0:01:02.120 what that question is, so stick around for that. 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:05.120 Who knows where we're going to go in that segment. 0:01:05.640 --> 0:01:08.000 We'll also get to a little bit of NFL Championship 0:01:08.040 --> 0:01:09.920 weekend talk. At the end of the show, we'll get 0:01:09.959 --> 0:01:12.480 these guys to pick their winners who they think is 0:01:12.560 --> 0:01:13.920 going to go to the super Bowl out of this 0:01:14.000 --> 0:01:15.039 weekend's games. 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:16.200 But let's start. 0:01:16.000 --> 0:01:18.320 First with the news that came out last week when 0:01:18.360 --> 0:01:21.160 we'd already done our show. I haven't had a chance 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:23.080 to talk much about it. I think most of us 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:27.520 probably assumed that Mike McCarthy would be retained, and he was. 0:01:28.600 --> 0:01:32.360 My first question is a big questure, big picture question. 0:01:32.959 --> 0:01:35.479 What do you think or what do you like about 0:01:35.560 --> 0:01:37.360 this decision to keep Mike McCarthy. 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:41.440 I like that they found an opportunity to split the 0:01:41.440 --> 0:01:44.000 difference as far as the decision, because what I talked 0:01:44.000 --> 0:01:47.560 about going into the decision was that there was a 0:01:48.840 --> 0:01:51.440 lot of past evidence as to why they should retain 0:01:51.520 --> 0:01:54.760 McCarthy when you talk about the regular season success, but 0:01:54.800 --> 0:01:57.640 when you look at the monumental collapse against the Packers, 0:01:57.640 --> 0:02:01.200 obviously there's reason to want to part ways with him. 0:02:01.360 --> 0:02:03.320 So instead, what they did was say, you know what, 0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:06.120 We're going to let you remain, but we're not going 0:02:06.160 --> 0:02:08.240 to extend your contract, right. We're going to push you 0:02:08.280 --> 0:02:11.320 into a proven year, not dissimilar to what they do 0:02:11.360 --> 0:02:13.560 with a player, and say, if you want this extension, 0:02:13.680 --> 0:02:15.640 go out there and earn it next year. So I 0:02:15.800 --> 0:02:18.760 like that set up because it provides that added motivation 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:21.000 for McCarthy to get the job done. Because there is 0:02:21.040 --> 0:02:24.120 no twenty twenty five if things don't go well in 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:25.280 twenty twenty four. 0:02:26.400 --> 0:02:29.200 I like the continuity, you know, I think, just from 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:35.480 a scouting perspective, what I have liked to have seen change. Sure, 0:02:35.840 --> 0:02:38.040 but the way you frame the question, I think the 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:40.280 thing that you have to look at is the continuity 0:02:40.320 --> 0:02:44.079 of it. When you look at it's difficult for scouts 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:47.240 to be on the road all year and be evaluating 0:02:47.240 --> 0:02:49.920 players and then have to turn around and have a 0:02:49.960 --> 0:02:52.959 coaching change and deal with that, and then your roster 0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:56.239 looks remarkably different than all the work that they did. 0:02:56.280 --> 0:02:59.400 Maybe some players they didn't particularly like because they didn't fit, 0:02:59.520 --> 0:03:02.239 now they fit because of a coaching change. There's so 0:03:02.360 --> 0:03:06.680 much just that uncertainty there with that. But the thing 0:03:06.720 --> 0:03:08.760 that helps you the most is you know the head 0:03:08.760 --> 0:03:10.239 coach is going to be here. Now you've got to 0:03:10.240 --> 0:03:12.480 see if your defensive coordinator is going to be here. 0:03:12.960 --> 0:03:16.519 In likelihood, we're running out of chairs, I think for 0:03:16.639 --> 0:03:21.120 the defensive coordinator to get a job, so probably have 0:03:21.200 --> 0:03:24.040 everybody back. And that's the continuity that you look for 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:25.640 when you're building your team. 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:27.280 Yeah, I think. 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:31.799 I like well, not, I think I do like the decision, 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:34.720 but I'm interested to see what it looks like for 0:03:34.760 --> 0:03:38.520 another year with him as a play caller. We saw 0:03:38.600 --> 0:03:42.120 some really great things this season, especially after that forty 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:45.520 nine Ers game. We saw how the offense changed and 0:03:45.640 --> 0:03:49.960 the new scheme was better fitted for Dak Prescott as 0:03:49.960 --> 0:03:53.760 a quarterback. So there were some good things, some really 0:03:53.800 --> 0:03:58.040 bad things too, some questionable decisions towards the end of games. 0:03:58.320 --> 0:04:01.560 But I'm just you know, while you're left in the contract, 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:05.200 let's just play it out and see hopefully it goes 0:04:05.240 --> 0:04:08.640 well and for the better. But I think there are 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:11.040 a lot of positive things that he was able to do, 0:04:11.320 --> 0:04:13.280 So I would like to see just a full season 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:16.240 of and again you're gonna have elements that are going 0:04:16.320 --> 0:04:19.840 to change and different players and talent on the field. 0:04:20.360 --> 0:04:22.080 But we'll see. 0:04:22.200 --> 0:04:25.440 And I don't think Dak is going anywhere either, So 0:04:26.080 --> 0:04:29.520 curious to see just them two working together again for 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:31.200 another year under this new scheme. 0:04:31.600 --> 0:04:33.480 I'm going to be really interested to see if they 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:37.240 let this contract run for Dak. That's what I'm I'm 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:40.080 that's my next thing looking at now. Your coaching situation 0:04:40.279 --> 0:04:42.839 is kind of put to bed. I wonder if they're 0:04:42.839 --> 0:04:45.480 going to let this thing ride and say, you know what, 0:04:45.520 --> 0:04:47.920 we'll take the massive cap and go for it and 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:51.640 see what happens, you know, and make a decision there. 0:04:51.720 --> 0:04:54.039 I know they are people that talk about the potentially 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:58.400 of extensions and things like that, but I just wonder 0:04:58.520 --> 0:05:00.880 there's a side of me that just like, Okay, what's 0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:04.960 the one thing that could could really change how this 0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:08.680 offseason was? Would we would go? And I would think 0:05:08.720 --> 0:05:12.440 that that not extending Dak would be one of those things, 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:14.680 you know, just you know, you you take the cap 0:05:14.760 --> 0:05:17.239 hit and you play, and you know, like you said, 0:05:17.279 --> 0:05:20.200 you prove it, you prove that you deserve another contract. 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:23.119 You know. That's that's where I'm at. I know people 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:26.000 talk about cap space and business and all that. It's 0:05:26.040 --> 0:05:29.640 a really good roster, it really really is. But you know, 0:05:29.880 --> 0:05:33.800 like I say, the the option of maybe making your 0:05:33.880 --> 0:05:37.400 quarterback pay for his next play, for his next contract, 0:05:38.200 --> 0:05:41.120 I think is something that that might be inviting to me. 0:05:41.160 --> 0:05:43.040 If you're gonna, if you're gonna, if if all of 0:05:43.080 --> 0:05:46.400 a sudden you clear the decks after next season, say 0:05:46.440 --> 0:05:49.720 it doesn't work out, then you do have a clean 0:05:50.000 --> 0:05:52.000 way of doing it. You move on from your coach, 0:05:52.480 --> 0:05:55.159 You move on from your quarterback, you know, but make 0:05:55.279 --> 0:05:58.599 both of those guys have to go and earn that contract. 0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:00.640 And what I'll say to that point, as far as 0:06:00.640 --> 0:06:04.640 salary cap management, we all expect that Dak Prescott will 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:07.120 be in the Cowboys uniform in twenty twenty four, so 0:06:07.160 --> 0:06:10.040 we're talking about beyond. It's possible that he gets an extension. 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:12.680 But what a lot of fans need to understand is 0:06:12.720 --> 0:06:15.279 that as far as maneuvering or massaging the salary cap, 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:18.599 an extension isn't necessary to maneuver or massage the salary cap. 0:06:18.680 --> 0:06:20.760 So if it remains as is, no. 0:06:20.839 --> 0:06:23.480 Changes whatsoever, no extensions, then yeah, you're going to get 0:06:23.520 --> 0:06:25.760 blasted with almost sixty million dollars in the cap hit. 0:06:26.040 --> 0:06:29.560 But if they restructure it, which does not require negotiation whatsoever, 0:06:29.600 --> 0:06:32.039 that's just a switch that they flipped in the contract 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:35.520 that turns it to a savings of twenty one million 0:06:35.560 --> 0:06:38.599 dollars roughly toward the cap. Now, of course that parks 0:06:38.640 --> 0:06:41.120 money into devoided years, and that's something you deal with 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:42.960 down the road, but it's something you deal with down 0:06:43.000 --> 0:06:45.039 the road. So just kind of a housekeeping note for 0:06:45.040 --> 0:06:47.200 those that are wondering if they don't extend DAK, because 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:48.520 I see a lot of it on Twitter. They're saying, well, 0:06:48.560 --> 0:06:50.039 if you don't extend DK, you got to eat the 0:06:50.040 --> 0:06:50.680 sixty million. 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:52.800 Well not necessarily, you got some options. 0:06:52.920 --> 0:06:54.440 Let's put a pin in that one, because I actually 0:06:54.520 --> 0:06:55.159 have next week. 0:06:55.200 --> 0:06:57.400 I want us to spend the entire show talking about 0:06:57.480 --> 0:07:00.360 DAK and what he means is franchise and what should 0:07:00.360 --> 0:07:02.040 happen this year and what we think can happen in 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:04.440 the future and Trey Lance and there's there's so many 0:07:04.440 --> 0:07:06.120 different offshoots of that decision. 0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:07.479 I want to take a whole show on that. So 0:07:07.480 --> 0:07:08.360 we'll put a pin in that one. 0:07:08.480 --> 0:07:11.200 Okay, let's go back to the coach though and McCarthy 0:07:11.240 --> 0:07:12.720 and let's sell to the flip side of that. We 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:15.840 talked about the good side of making this decision. What's 0:07:15.880 --> 0:07:17.520 the part that troubles you? If there is a part 0:07:17.560 --> 0:07:19.120 that troubles you about that decision, what is that. 0:07:19.400 --> 0:07:21.720 He identified that they don't run the ball well enough. 0:07:22.000 --> 0:07:23.880 And in the beginning of the year, that was something 0:07:23.880 --> 0:07:27.920 that was a big talking point by the staff, by 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:30.480 him as we went into the season, is you know, 0:07:30.520 --> 0:07:32.560 one of the reasons they moved on from Kellen Moore. 0:07:32.640 --> 0:07:34.600 That we kind of got was that we need to 0:07:34.640 --> 0:07:36.800 run the ball better, and they did not run the 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:38.760 ball better. Matter of fact, I think they got worse. 0:07:39.280 --> 0:07:42.480 And so to me, this is where now I'm gonna 0:07:42.520 --> 0:07:44.680 look at Mike McCarthy and I'm gonna I'm gonna try 0:07:44.680 --> 0:07:46.840 and take you at your word. You know, I'm gonna 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:48.560 give you the benefit of the doubt here. You know, 0:07:48.720 --> 0:07:50.640 you came out, you said that you needed to run 0:07:50.680 --> 0:07:53.480 the ball better. You did not get better running the football. 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:56.200 So you need to figure that out right now. Whether 0:07:56.240 --> 0:07:59.920 it's personnel, whether it's your play calling, you know, whatever 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:02.160 it is, you need to figure it out. You cannot 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:05.040 be a one dimensional team. And we saw what happened 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:07.200 there with that. You know you just did not do 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:09.800 it good enough job doing that. So to me, that's 0:08:09.840 --> 0:08:13.760 a big problem right there. You identify something, you identified 0:08:13.800 --> 0:08:16.800 that turnovers were a problem. You fix that. That's a 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:19.040 great job. A lot of it had to do with Dak. 0:08:19.120 --> 0:08:21.400 The receivers did a much better job with that area. 0:08:21.840 --> 0:08:24.840 But if you're telling me that you identify you need 0:08:24.880 --> 0:08:27.120 to run the ball better and be better at it 0:08:27.200 --> 0:08:30.680 and you don't, I'm gonna put you on notice. 0:08:30.920 --> 0:08:33.520 I think the part that troubles me is trying to 0:08:33.520 --> 0:08:36.680 wrap my head around the intangibles of why the season failed. 0:08:37.520 --> 0:08:39.360 I mean, we could talk about the science as far 0:08:39.360 --> 0:08:43.200 as the tangibles are concerned, but at least seeing the 0:08:43.240 --> 0:08:44.480 tangibles gives. 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:45.200 You bullseyes to hit. 0:08:45.240 --> 0:08:47.400 You can say, Okay, fix this, fix this, fix this. 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:51.079 But the intangibles go to the mentality. So for example, 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:53.560 you being the most penalized team in the league. That's 0:08:53.559 --> 0:08:55.840 a mental thing because that goes to self discipline on 0:08:55.840 --> 0:08:58.280 an individual level. And then when it's a massive amount 0:08:58.400 --> 0:09:01.040 like that. Now you're talking coaching. When you talk about 0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:04.199 the meltdown that happened against the Green Bay Packers, that 0:09:05.000 --> 0:09:07.719 was a mental meltdown. It just felt like the Cowboys 0:09:07.760 --> 0:09:11.560 were ill prepared when they walked onto the field against 0:09:11.600 --> 0:09:14.640 the Packers. And that's disturbing for me. So as much 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:16.600 as I can see and justify the decision to keep 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:20.280 McCarthy around, when I start looking at the mindset of 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:23.920 going into a big game and floundering in the fashion 0:09:23.920 --> 0:09:26.160 in which they did, that's concerning for me because that's 0:09:26.840 --> 0:09:30.240 not as easy to attack as it would be saying, hey, 0:09:30.320 --> 0:09:32.239 you keep getting fall start penalties. 0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:33.439 Let's work on that. 0:09:33.720 --> 0:09:36.920 When you talk about the mental aspect of it from 0:09:36.960 --> 0:09:40.240 a team from a player standpoint, that becomes much more challenging. 0:09:40.280 --> 0:09:44.120 So I'm interested to see how McCarthy directly attacks that 0:09:44.520 --> 0:09:47.520 going into year five, the final year of his contract, 0:09:47.520 --> 0:09:51.480 because if this team doesn't get that mental fortitude for 0:09:51.640 --> 0:09:54.200 playoff games like they have for regular season games, we'll 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:56.360 be back here having the same conversation a year from now. 0:09:57.160 --> 0:09:59.199 Yeah, I think to me, the bad is. 0:10:01.600 --> 0:10:06.600 One showing up having not shown I would say not 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:11.800 showing up in games where you're playing really, really talented opponents. 0:10:11.840 --> 0:10:14.439 I think there were so many great games throughout the season, 0:10:14.559 --> 0:10:19.040 especially at home, but when you faced certain types of opponents, 0:10:19.120 --> 0:10:24.439 they just they they weren't up to the standards, let's 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:27.280 say the competitiveness, And I think that kind of attributes 0:10:27.320 --> 0:10:30.680 to the running game. Had you be able to run 0:10:30.720 --> 0:10:33.160 the ball, I think you played a lot better with 0:10:34.400 --> 0:10:37.600 a balanced offense. But also the way the defense was 0:10:37.640 --> 0:10:40.600 starting to trend downwards. You know, they started the season 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:42.960 in a very high no and it started kind of 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:46.080 just doing what they could because of the injuries. They 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:50.520 were just trying to hold up and the whole away games. 0:10:50.720 --> 0:10:53.800 That's hard to figure out. Really, we don't have an answer. 0:10:54.200 --> 0:10:57.760 Did it just we don't know. But so the one 0:10:57.800 --> 0:11:00.880 thing that's left that I would point out the penalties. 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:03.480 I mean, we've talked about this forever. 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:06.679 It's been since the time he got here, Like this 0:11:06.760 --> 0:11:09.360 is not just the one last year thing. It wasn't 0:11:09.360 --> 0:11:11.920 the year before. It's been since he got here. We've 0:11:11.960 --> 0:11:14.520 been talking about penalties, and I feel like nobody gets 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:18.559 the spanking. And I don't condone. I don't condone violence. 0:11:19.000 --> 0:11:22.520 I don't I don't promote violence. I don't promote spanking. 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:25.480 But I'm just using the term because we just see 0:11:25.520 --> 0:11:30.200 it happen over and over and over and there are 0:11:30.200 --> 0:11:34.400 no consequences. There's nothing that shows you that they're improving 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:38.600 or trying to because it just constantly continues to happen. 0:11:38.720 --> 0:11:42.960 So and I put that all well, sure, player execution 0:11:43.080 --> 0:11:45.920 and all that, but when so many different guys are 0:11:45.960 --> 0:11:47.199 doing it, I put it. 0:11:47.280 --> 0:11:48.360 I put it on the head coach. 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:53.000 Let's when you think about the situation that now McCarthy 0:11:53.080 --> 0:11:56.560 is faced with. I've heard how it can help and 0:11:56.600 --> 0:11:59.120 i've heard how it can hurt. Going into a final 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:01.480 year of a coach's contract without an extension. 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:02.360 You got the one. 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:04.719 Side where it's like, okay, prove it, So you want 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:06.760 to see him actually prove it to get his next deal. 0:12:06.760 --> 0:12:07.400 And I like that. 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:10.360 I like that there's there's that carrot out there. The 0:12:10.400 --> 0:12:12.240 part that that I've heard people talk about that's a 0:12:12.240 --> 0:12:14.960 big of a bigger challenge is how do you maintain 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:18.600 the authority or the respect for your authority in the 0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:21.400 locker room when players know you're only there potentially for 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:23.640 one year and if things don't go well, you won't 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:26.400 be there going into the next year. Which do you, guys, 0:12:26.520 --> 0:12:28.160 fall do you think it's more of a help or 0:12:28.320 --> 0:12:31.160 hindrance that your coach goes into a final year with 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:34.360 no clear decision necessarily on what his future is. 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:36.640 I think it goes to the culture of the locker 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:39.280 room and the relationship between the players and the coach. 0:12:39.360 --> 0:12:41.480 So if it's a situation where you have a fractured 0:12:41.559 --> 0:12:44.880 locker room and the players are not completely bought into 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:47.520 that particular coach, but that coach is getting one more chance, 0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:49.319 then you can kind of lean toward that being like 0:12:49.400 --> 0:12:51.439 a lame duck type of season where what you're talking 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:53.280 about players are like, I don't have to listen to you. 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:55.480 You're not going to be here next next week, next year, 0:12:55.720 --> 0:12:58.199 I should say. But when it comes to the relationships 0:12:58.200 --> 0:13:01.720 that we know for a fact Mike has with dak CD, 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:05.040 everybody on the offensive side, guys on the defensive side 0:13:05.080 --> 0:13:07.440 of the ball who've come out and celebrated his retention 0:13:07.520 --> 0:13:11.000 as well. That gives the culture that lends to the 0:13:11.000 --> 0:13:13.959 belief that these guys don't want to see McCarthy out 0:13:14.000 --> 0:13:16.679 of the building after twenty twenty four. So that lends 0:13:16.720 --> 0:13:18.960 me to believe that they're going to give as much 0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:21.360 as possible to try to make sure that the head 0:13:21.400 --> 0:13:22.439 coach that they love so. 0:13:22.480 --> 0:13:25.360 Much actually gets the extension. So that's one part of it. 0:13:25.360 --> 0:13:28.680 The other part of it is from a player aspect, 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:31.920 you might not be here next year, right, So you 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:35.240 don't have the luxury of looking at this coach and saying, oh, 0:13:35.280 --> 0:13:37.120 I don't have to listen to you because you might 0:13:37.160 --> 0:13:39.760 not be here next year, Nor would you if you 0:13:39.800 --> 0:13:41.800 don't put everything you need to put on film, you 0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:44.440 might be in another uniform, or worse, you might be 0:13:44.520 --> 0:13:47.200 out of the league entirely, which is sadly the case 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:49.080 for some of these guys, not just these guys, but 0:13:49.160 --> 0:13:52.319 guys around the league, because it's not for long league. 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:55.400 So from those two capacities, but especially the cultural standpoint, 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:57.520 I think that this locker room is so bought into 0:13:57.559 --> 0:14:00.640 with McCarthy that they would not disrespec him by look 0:14:00.679 --> 0:14:02.920 at him in the face and saying, we don't care 0:14:02.920 --> 0:14:03.880 about what you're talking about. 0:14:03.880 --> 0:14:05.440 I think it's the opposite. I think they look at 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:06.160 him and say. 0:14:06.440 --> 0:14:09.719 We drop the ball against the Packers, We dropped the 0:14:09.760 --> 0:14:12.280 ball against the forty nine ers. We need to go 0:14:12.320 --> 0:14:13.080 out here and do this. 0:14:13.160 --> 0:14:15.400 Ye play better? How about play better? If you care 0:14:15.480 --> 0:14:17.959 so much about your coach, play better well, to play 0:14:17.960 --> 0:14:20.240 better on the road, play better when you have you know, 0:14:20.400 --> 0:14:24.000 play better. Stop the penalties, you know, stop you know, 0:14:24.040 --> 0:14:26.480 if you want Mike McCarthy to still be here and 0:14:26.480 --> 0:14:28.720 get an extension, you need to figure out how to 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:30.880 play better as well. You don't need to go let 0:14:30.920 --> 0:14:33.160 each other down. You don't need to bust coverages, you 0:14:33.200 --> 0:14:36.160 don't need to miss tackles, you don't need to miss blocks. 0:14:36.400 --> 0:14:38.240 You know, you don't need to drop the ball. Preach 0:14:38.520 --> 0:14:40.880 play better? You know if that if that means that 0:14:41.000 --> 0:14:43.320 much to you. These are all these coaches all I mean, 0:14:43.320 --> 0:14:44.960 these players. Oh I love the coach. I'm glad the 0:14:45.000 --> 0:14:47.560 coach is here. You know. You know again, it's about 0:14:47.560 --> 0:14:51.640 feeling comfortable sometimes, you know, players get a little comfortable 0:14:51.640 --> 0:14:53.840 with the situation. You know, Mike does a good job 0:14:53.880 --> 0:14:56.520 of managing the team, the health of the team, all that, 0:14:57.240 --> 0:15:00.240 but you know what, you're now, you're you're, you're coach 0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:02.360 is in a situation where it ain't about the regular 0:15:02.360 --> 0:15:05.560 season anymore. You go out there and fold in the playoffs. Again. 0:15:05.840 --> 0:15:08.040 It's like Patrick said, so you all are going to 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:09.120 be looking for Jahannas Day. 0:15:09.440 --> 0:15:09.680 Yeah. 0:15:10.120 --> 0:15:15.040 Yeah, I agree with that. And I don't think Mike 0:15:15.120 --> 0:15:17.680 has lost the locker room. I mean, we've seen players 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:21.640 come out on Twitter or x and just kind of 0:15:22.080 --> 0:15:25.040 show their happiness of him staying on the team and 0:15:25.080 --> 0:15:28.320 all of that. But also as a whole, the reason 0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:30.200 why I would think like no one just kind of 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:33.960 dismisses him as a head coach would be because right now, 0:15:34.600 --> 0:15:38.720 you you're the joke around the NFL. Like I don't 0:15:38.720 --> 0:15:40.960 think I don't. I'm not calling them the joke, but 0:15:41.000 --> 0:15:44.080 you just everywhere you turn, when you turn on a 0:15:44.080 --> 0:15:49.600 sports programming or whatever. Every show, everything online, everyone just 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:53.440 makes fun of you. Everyone laughs, Everyone's constantly messaging me 0:15:53.680 --> 0:15:56.400 laughing at me too. So it's just I think you 0:15:56.520 --> 0:15:59.680 have become a joke. And as a player, as a 0:15:59.680 --> 0:16:02.400 comp I think there is that pride. You know, you 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:06.480 want to show that you can actually get to where 0:16:06.520 --> 0:16:08.640 you need to get and that you can actually compete 0:16:08.720 --> 0:16:10.760 and shut everybody up. 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:13.400 So I think that the drive is still. 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:14.840 Going to be there, and I do really quickly. 0:16:14.880 --> 0:16:17.440 I will say, in contrast to what we're talking about, 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:20.080 we talk about culture. For example, let's talk about the 0:16:20.080 --> 0:16:22.920 Philadelphia Eagles in this same aspect. You saw how fracture 0:16:22.960 --> 0:16:24.840 that locker room was, especially on the back end of 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:25.960 the season when they were going. 0:16:25.800 --> 0:16:29.160 Through that slide. And it appears. 0:16:28.760 --> 0:16:30.960 That they're going to keep Sirianni because they're swapping out 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:32.920 coordinators now and the head coach is still there. 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:34.360 You've not seen. 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:39.560 Reports, quotes, tweets, or anything of that nature from Eagles 0:16:39.600 --> 0:16:43.000 players that are celebrating the fact that Sirianni would return, 0:16:43.040 --> 0:16:44.760 and I think at this point it's safe to say 0:16:44.760 --> 0:16:47.640 that this might be a proven season for Sirianni as well. 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:49.840 So those are two different contrasts, is what I mean. 0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:54.360 You see this visibly with Cowboys players supporting and being 0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:58.000 thankful McCarthy's back, versus a fractured locker room like in Philadelphia. 0:16:58.000 --> 0:17:00.240 Well, I will say this, I saw several of the 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:03.560 Eagles players after that game talking to media, and media 0:17:03.600 --> 0:17:06.440 were asking about and they look like cos of Mainland 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:08.639 and they were like, this is stupid, like this is 0:17:08.680 --> 0:17:10.720 our guy, Like this is our coach. He's our coach, 0:17:10.760 --> 0:17:12.919 he's he should be here. So I think there's I 0:17:12.960 --> 0:17:15.040 think he has support in that locker room as well. 0:17:17.760 --> 0:17:21.520 Well again that's also but you also and I think 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:23.680 we'll talk about this a little later, like not every 0:17:23.720 --> 0:17:25.400 Cowboys player had something to say about this. 0:17:25.359 --> 0:17:28.119 And that's I think we can assume that everybody. 0:17:27.840 --> 0:17:28.840 In the family. 0:17:32.359 --> 0:17:32.880 I'm saying. 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:35.080 I don't think you can just assume because they didn't 0:17:35.080 --> 0:17:37.760 say something that they have a different or the same opinion. 0:17:37.880 --> 0:17:39.080 I just think it is what it is. And I 0:17:39.119 --> 0:17:41.640 think both by and large, I think both those locker 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:44.000 rooms support their coach. And by the way, I think 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:47.160 most NFL teams, the locker room supports their coach until 0:17:47.200 --> 0:17:50.400 they don't. I saw this team loving on Wade Phillips 0:17:50.800 --> 0:17:53.520 until they didn't and and by the way, they probably 0:17:53.560 --> 0:17:55.440 still loved him, they just weren't producing. 0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:58.240 And at some point they're no longer producing. 0:17:58.240 --> 0:18:00.720 What he's giving them is not enough fuel to get 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:02.840 them to perform at the level they need to. And 0:18:02.880 --> 0:18:05.040 they can still love him, but at some point he's 0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:06.400 got to go. So I don't know if that even 0:18:06.440 --> 0:18:09.120 really matters as much in my opinion, when it comes 0:18:09.160 --> 0:18:12.040 down to how the players perceive the coach relative to 0:18:12.119 --> 0:18:13.760 necessarily how they're going to perform. 0:18:13.760 --> 0:18:14.840 All right, let's take our first break. 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:16.520 When we come back, I'm gonna ask you, guys, like 0:18:16.520 --> 0:18:19.199 the million dollar question about this. How convinced are you 0:18:19.640 --> 0:18:22.280 that Mike McCarthy is moving this team in the right direction. 0:18:22.400 --> 0:18:24.240 When it's all said and done, they're moving in the 0:18:24.280 --> 0:18:25.679 right direction. We'll talk about that when we come back. 0:18:25.680 --> 0:18:27.160 This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. 0:18:28.320 --> 0:18:30.040 Todd thought it would be secure to jog in the 0:18:30.080 --> 0:18:32.760