Speaker 1: The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com
Speaker 1: and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. Are you ready for
Speaker 1: a break? Yes? Are you ready for a break? Absolutely?
Speaker 1: Ready for a break? Yeah, and so much for that.
Speaker 1: It's time for the Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com
Speaker 1: with Nick Eatman, David Hellman, and bar Garcia and Derek Eagleton. Hey, guys,
Speaker 1: welcome back to Cowboys Break presented by Geico. I'm in Burgarcia.
Speaker 1: I'm joined by David Hellman, Nick Eatman, and then of
Speaker 1: course Derek is still here with us, but I will
Speaker 1: be driving the bus today the car because Derek is
Speaker 1: still flushing out some stuff out of his system today
Speaker 1: because of his wild birthday party last night, So we
Speaker 1: don't want any DWI is happening. They'll stay on your record, Derek,
Speaker 1: I got it under control. Birthday last night. Oh it
Speaker 1: was good. I had I had a really good time.
Speaker 1: We didn't go anywhere now, so there was no potential
Speaker 1: for DWI. I was at home with my family, but
Speaker 1: we had a very very nice evening and my wife
Speaker 1: and kids made it very special for me, so it
Speaker 1: was good. That's okay. Well, we got a very special
Speaker 1: show today because We're about to talk about the Cowboys
Speaker 1: making it to the super Bowl, and that starts about
Speaker 1: this weekend. What happens this weekend with the NFC East.
Speaker 1: So with the first question for you guys, we know
Speaker 1: what's happening with Washington currently with the quarterback position, Well
Speaker 1: we kind of know what's happening there, but with the
Speaker 1: Eagles being officially eliminated for the playoff, rons Ken Washington
Speaker 1: actually lose against the Eagles, I mean, hell yeah. If anything,
Speaker 1: the last like two or three weeks have reminded us
Speaker 1: that this is an insane league. And I'm not even
Speaker 1: talking about the Cowboys winning three games in a row.
Speaker 1: The New York Jets are on a two game winning
Speaker 1: streak right now, and like not against terrible teams either.
Speaker 1: They beat the Rams and the Browns, both of whom
Speaker 1: might be in the playoffs. So yeah, it's totally possible.
Speaker 1: I actually I read this morning Jim Schwartz, I guess
Speaker 1: spoke to the Philadelphia media and he said he said
Speaker 1: this is a no hat game, which is to say,
Speaker 1: we don't want anybody wearing hats on our field, meaning
Speaker 1: if Washington were to clinch the division, obviously they would
Speaker 1: pass around hats and T shirts. You know, we'll see
Speaker 1: what happens. But I think there's something to be said
Speaker 1: for being the spoiler, Like if you can ruin your
Speaker 1: rivals season, that's worth getting up for. So I mean,
Speaker 1: I absolutely expect Philly to come out trying to ruin
Speaker 1: their season because it's all they can do. And uh, yeah,
Speaker 1: I absolutely think that's possible. Yeah. I mean, if you
Speaker 1: look back at the last few games, and actually the
Speaker 1: teams that have have lost to the Cowboys are four
Speaker 1: and one this year. In the next week and then
Speaker 1: including four in a row, and if the Falcons, I believe,
Speaker 1: blew another lead against the Bears after they beat are
Speaker 1: lost to the Cowboys, where it would be all five.
Speaker 1: But everybody that's lost to the Cowboys, the Bengals, the
Speaker 1: forty nine ers, what do you think that means? I
Speaker 1: don't know, if anything, I want to I mean, it's
Speaker 1: not like a huge sample size, it's just a few,
Speaker 1: but I don't know. I mean that they're still playing.
Speaker 1: I mean, the Bengals are what are they playing for?
Speaker 1: You know? And then they're winning games and stuff. So yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean I think I think the Sunday night thing
Speaker 1: actually helps you know, it's a it's a Sunday night
Speaker 1: game that I think they want to see. The NFL
Speaker 1: wants to see more of Jalen Hurts. Sounds so yeah,
Speaker 1: I think I think that they certainly can win this
Speaker 1: game in Washington's going the wrong direction. Yeah, I'm gonna
Speaker 1: I'm gonna steal one of your sayings, Nick, because I
Speaker 1: think it's so apt. Here is that you look at
Speaker 1: these teams and they're gonna show up Sunday. They're gonna
Speaker 1: show up ready to play Sunday. The question is how
Speaker 1: much are they showing up on Wednesday and Thursday of
Speaker 1: this week to prepare for that game, like when you're
Speaker 1: out of it. That's where you start testing the professionalism
Speaker 1: of a team. You know, are they willing to put
Speaker 1: in the same amount of time preparing as they would
Speaker 1: if they were playing for something this weekend? And that's
Speaker 1: where you get a little bit worried. But the flip
Speaker 1: side to that is these are division teams. They know
Speaker 1: each other extremely well. That's the thing about playing in
Speaker 1: the division. You know them really well. The prep time
Speaker 1: that you have to spend on getting to know that
Speaker 1: guy that's across from you, it's probably a little less
Speaker 1: that week because you know them really well. You've played
Speaker 1: them twice a year for who knows how many years,
Speaker 1: so that does help in this situation. But I do
Speaker 1: wonder how much they're going to be preparing this week.
Speaker 1: How much extra time are they gonna put in to
Speaker 1: get ready for this game where normally they might spend
Speaker 1: some time there. Well, Washington's culture was that their starting
Speaker 1: quarterback was at the strip club after a game, so
Speaker 1: what's there? You know, and they were still in it
Speaker 1: trying to win. He's gone, he man, that was their culture.
Speaker 1: I will which although you know, bringing up Dwayne Haskins,
Speaker 1: it sounds like Alex Smith has a good chance to
Speaker 1: start Sunday, So I mean, that's good news for Washington.
Speaker 1: But you're right, Derek, like this this is a test
Speaker 1: of your professionalism. But the fun thing is, like you
Speaker 1: or if you are a professional, if you're good at
Speaker 1: your job, like you should always be able to find
Speaker 1: a reason. I already mentioned like playing spoiler, but think
Speaker 1: about regardless of who starts for Philly, I assume it
Speaker 1: would be Jalen Hurts, but maybe it's Carson Wentz. Either way,
Speaker 1: that's a hell of an opportunity for the starting quarterback
Speaker 1: to put his best foot forward. You know, Jalen Hurts
Speaker 1: is auditioning for a chance to be the starting quarterback
Speaker 1: and Philly moving forward, if it were Carson wins, that
Speaker 1: is a huge opportunity for him to play a great
Speaker 1: game and say I'm still the guy. Y'all are crazy
Speaker 1: for trying to get rid of me. So at the
Speaker 1: very least, the most important player on the team, whoever
Speaker 1: he is, has a lot of reasons to want to
Speaker 1: play well. Yeah, and I mean that goes across the board, yep.
Speaker 1: And ironically, although it probably it may not even be
Speaker 1: the case, there are there are people who think that
Speaker 1: their head coach is on the hot seat, and so
Speaker 1: he also has a reason to get his team ready
Speaker 1: to play and go out and win this game. And
Speaker 1: nobody likes seeing an opposing team in their facility brandishing
Speaker 1: the championship hats. So there's a lot I think here
Speaker 1: that if you want to find, like you said, Dave,
Speaker 1: if you want to find yourself reasons if you're a
Speaker 1: member of the Eagles team, for why you want to
Speaker 1: spend that extra time getting ready for this game and
Speaker 1: why you want to give it You're all, there's lots
Speaker 1: of reasons out there you can find to give it
Speaker 1: everything you got, So would that eliminate this whole idea
Speaker 1: of possibly the Eagles trying to lose? And I hate
Speaker 1: saying this because I am a believer that every team
Speaker 1: goes into a game wanting to win that game. But
Speaker 1: I've seen a few questions from fans in regards to
Speaker 1: that whole mentality that maybe the Eagles are trying to
Speaker 1: lose in order to get a better draft pick. If
Speaker 1: they were to lose or win, whichever one. I mean, Dave,
Speaker 1: is there really a big difference there for them as
Speaker 1: far as draft picks goes? Oh? Yeah, I mean there
Speaker 1: absolutely is, because they're sixth right now, and if they
Speaker 1: lose to Washington, you know, I don't know, I don't
Speaker 1: know the tiebreakers for draft order off the top of
Speaker 1: my head, but like it's conceivable that they could wind
Speaker 1: up with a top five pick, and if they win,
Speaker 1: they could probably jump as high as nine, ten, eleven,
Speaker 1: depending on different results. So yeah, that definitely matters. And
Speaker 1: I guarantee you there are a ton I would bet
Speaker 1: the vast majority of the Philadelphia fan base wants the
Speaker 1: Eagles to lose because they would probably rather Washington be
Speaker 1: in the playoffs than Dallas, and b they want that
Speaker 1: draft pick. But the thing is, it doesn't you know,
Speaker 1: it doesn't matter what the fans want. That's what we've
Speaker 1: said about the Cowboys tanking this entire time. Is maybe
Speaker 1: Philly comes out flat and gets their ass kicked on
Speaker 1: Sunday because they don't care. But that's not up to
Speaker 1: the fans. And if I were on that team, like
Speaker 1: I said, there's a million reasons, whether it's playtime incentives
Speaker 1: in your contract, whether it's auditioning for a job next year,
Speaker 1: whether it's personal pride, Like there's a million reasons for
Speaker 1: the players themselves to want to play hard. So you know,
Speaker 1: draft order shouldn't matter to anybody that's actually in that
Speaker 1: locker room. Yeah, and when you start looking at oh sorry,
Speaker 1: go ahead there. Well, I was just gonna say one
Speaker 1: other thing that I think we should keep a note
Speaker 1: on and keep the eyes on with regard to that
Speaker 1: game is Terry McLaren. He missed the game last week,
Speaker 1: and if you look at how this game matches up,
Speaker 1: the reason why I think Dallas was so successful against
Speaker 1: Philadelphias because they took advantage of the biggest weakness right
Speaker 1: now Philly has, which is their secondary. They got so
Speaker 1: many injuries there and Dallas really took advantage of it
Speaker 1: without Terry McLaren in the line up. Even if you
Speaker 1: get Alex Smith back, Like Alex Smith is not has
Speaker 1: not been great. He's just a guy that's steady and
Speaker 1: doesn't turn the ball over as much. Right So, even
Speaker 1: if you even if you get him back and don't
Speaker 1: get Terry mclarenback, I think they are severely limited in
Speaker 1: being able to take advantage of a very compromised secondary.
Speaker 1: And that being said, I still think that this game
Speaker 1: is very winnable, winnable for Philadelphia. Yeah, we know that
Speaker 1: in the next few days we're going to get into
Speaker 1: the Giants team and get into the breakdown there. But Nick,
Speaker 1: right now, looking at this matchup, we both know that
Speaker 1: both teams have a chance here to win. Who would
Speaker 1: be the team between the two that has more to
Speaker 1: lose if they were to lose this game this weekend? Um,
Speaker 1: I don't know, more, good question, more to lose? I
Speaker 1: would I would guess Dallas maybe would have more to
Speaker 1: lose because they're going to be now. I take that back,
Speaker 1: the Giants would have more to lose because because really
Speaker 1: all you're losing is that you're losing draft spots, right,
Speaker 1: so the Giants are going to have less of the drafts.
Speaker 1: I mean, they're in a better position to have a
Speaker 1: higher pick than the Cowboys because there are five and
Speaker 1: ten right now, so I guess, you know, and if
Speaker 1: they would win the game, and they win the NFC East,
Speaker 1: then they jump all the way to nineteen. So I
Speaker 1: guess you would say that Giants would have more to lose.
Speaker 1: And maybe I don't understand the question as much unless
Speaker 1: it's just talking about about that, because it's an opportunity
Speaker 1: for both teams, and both teams are in a situation
Speaker 1: where they feel like they're going to be better next year.
Speaker 1: They've got key players that were out and first year coaches,
Speaker 1: So I mean it's very similar. I think both teams,
Speaker 1: that Giants and the Cowboys. I think it's with the
Speaker 1: mentality of I see fans asking more. You know, when
Speaker 1: we get towards the end of the year, and especially
Speaker 1: with teams with like losing records, you start asking for Okay,
Speaker 1: who's the team that has the biggest motivation, the biggest
Speaker 1: drive the biggest need to go in that game and
Speaker 1: fight for something. So it's more in like that kind
Speaker 1: of what I was trying to get out of here.
Speaker 1: You basically answered it. Go Dave, I were like trying
Speaker 1: to read each other's facial expressions. I'll, i'll, I'll be
Speaker 1: the bad guy here and say, like in the spirit
Speaker 1: of your question, And I don't want to suggest that
Speaker 1: this wouldn't mean a lot to the Cowboys, the coaches,
Speaker 1: the players of the organization. I know that they would
Speaker 1: really love to win this game and get into the playoffs,
Speaker 1: but I think that probably means more to the Giants,
Speaker 1: or would mean more to the Giants that this turn.
Speaker 1: Just if you look at the makeup of these teams
Speaker 1: right now, the Giants are trying to decide, you know,
Speaker 1: is Daniel Jones their quarterback of the future. They have
Speaker 1: all of players like I can't think of a player
Speaker 1: on the Giants roster who has been there and done
Speaker 1: that in terms of playoffs success, other than maybe like
Speaker 1: Golden Tate. Other than that, you're talking about a team
Speaker 1: full of guys who have never done it. You're talking
Speaker 1: about a first year head coach talking about a team
Speaker 1: that's been picking near the top of the draft for
Speaker 1: three or four years. Meanwhile, like we all know, the
Speaker 1: Cowboys haven't gotten as far as they want to. But
Speaker 1: this team is full of maybe they know what. You know,
Speaker 1: They've been part of successful seasons. They've been through the
Speaker 1: wars of the NFL. You know, eight nine ten year veterans,
Speaker 1: guys that have been to the divisional round. You know.
Speaker 1: Maybe this is famous last words, but I think that
Speaker 1: I think that they have their quarterback of the future.
Speaker 1: I guess we'll see how that plays out. But and
Speaker 1: the you know, Mike McCarthy and his whole coaching staff.
Speaker 1: I mean, for the most part, those guys have done
Speaker 1: it too. McCarthy's won a Super Bowl. A lot of
Speaker 1: those guys have been head coaches. So I don't think
Speaker 1: the Cowboys need that experience as much as the Giants
Speaker 1: probably do. And I'll take the opposite approach. I look
Speaker 1: at it more from the standpoint of the Giants right now.
Speaker 1: I think these are two teams that are going in
Speaker 1: little different directions from the standpoint of just their last
Speaker 1: three weeks. Cowboys have three wins under their belt here
Speaker 1: in the last three weeks. The Giants have three losses.
Speaker 1: I think this final game, if the Giants were to
Speaker 1: lose it, I don't think that really changes much about
Speaker 1: how they enter the off season. I think if Dallas
Speaker 1: loses it, I think it's a big difference than if
Speaker 1: Dallas wins. Even if Dallas doesn't get into the playoffs,
Speaker 1: I think a win this week gives them four in
Speaker 1: a row. It gives them something. And I've been talking
Speaker 1: about this for the last few weeks. I think there's
Speaker 1: some value when you have a coaching staff that has
Speaker 1: made some questionable decisions throughout the year. They've made some
Speaker 1: controversial decisions throughout the year. I think there's some value
Speaker 1: to being able to look in the eyes of the
Speaker 1: players and say, look, what we've been telling you all
Speaker 1: along is if you stay with us, if you stay
Speaker 1: committed to what we're asking you to do, good things
Speaker 1: will happen. And what we saw at the end of
Speaker 1: the season was good things are happening. We're on a
Speaker 1: four game winning streak, and so I think that's valuable
Speaker 1: going into an off season and going into next season
Speaker 1: for a team that you have a head coach and
Speaker 1: a coaching staff that's only going to be hit in
Speaker 1: the second year, they hopefully will get a little bit
Speaker 1: more access and able to do more things this offseason
Speaker 1: than they were able to do last. So I think
Speaker 1: it's valuable to get this last win for the Cowboys,
Speaker 1: regardless of whether they get the playoffs or not. And
Speaker 1: I think it's more important for them because of those
Speaker 1: reasons than it is for the Giants. Okay, well, let's
Speaker 1: go ahead and take an early well not early, it's
Speaker 1: right on time. We'll take our first break, and when
Speaker 1: we come back, I'm gonna ask you guys a bigger question.
Speaker 1: Can the Cowboys win if they make it to the playoffs,
Speaker 1: can they win that first game when we come back.
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Speaker 1: Welcome back to Cowboys Break, presented by Geico. I think
Speaker 1: that the more the week goes by, the more and
Speaker 1: more we see a real possibility for the Cowboys to
Speaker 1: actually make it into the playoffs. But the biggest question
Speaker 1: yet is can they actually win that first week, the
Speaker 1: first game of the playoffs if they were to make
Speaker 1: it in So, Derek, you can go ahead and get
Speaker 1: started with that kind of matchup, because that's something that
Speaker 1: you know, sometimes the Cowboys get to skip that first
Speaker 1: game and then once they make it into the second week,
Speaker 1: they lose. And it's like, at least at the time
Speaker 1: that I've been here, it never gets past that first game.
Speaker 1: So tell me about your prediction if that was to happen. Yeah,
Speaker 1: the tough part about this one is we still have
Speaker 1: not seen the Cowboys win against teams that are of
Speaker 1: that caliber. Like they've won some games against some teams
Speaker 1: that are not that good, they have not beaten teams
Speaker 1: that are of the playoff caliber in the NFC or
Speaker 1: THEFC for that matter, And so from that standpoint, I
Speaker 1: would be it would be hard to come up with
Speaker 1: a rational reason why you would think that they would
Speaker 1: be able to beat one of those teams. Now, I
Speaker 1: will say this, though you know the NFL is crazy
Speaker 1: and we see it every year. There are things that
Speaker 1: happened that you aren't expected to happen. We were on
Speaker 1: a call, Nick, you and I were on a call
Speaker 1: this morning where someone brought up the Giants back in
Speaker 1: I don't remember what year it was, but back when, Yeah,
Speaker 1: when they won the championship. They won the championship and
Speaker 1: came in as a sixth seed. I want to say
Speaker 1: the Steelers did it a year or two after that,
Speaker 1: so it happens. I just don't see a scenario here
Speaker 1: where that happens. Now, you know, winning one game, maybe
Speaker 1: that happens, you know, I don't think. And right now
Speaker 1: it looks like Tampa Bay is the team that they
Speaker 1: would match up with. I don't think Tampa Bay is
Speaker 1: without flaws. I think Tampa Bay is a team that
Speaker 1: has shown this year that they can have some off
Speaker 1: weeks and they can put up some clunkers. I just again,
Speaker 1: I just don't see how you could rationally think that Dallas,
Speaker 1: based on what they've done so far this year, has
Speaker 1: a legitimate shot at beating any of those teams. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I agree, and I think that you know, in other
Speaker 1: years it's happened where the team that's seven to nine
Speaker 1: gets in the playoffs and wins, even that we win
Speaker 1: their first game, But it also is a playoff atmosphere,
Speaker 1: you know, where it's really loud, like Seattle did it.
Speaker 1: You know how tough it is to win there. And
Speaker 1: I think San Diego might have done it at eight
Speaker 1: and eight or so. But but I'm just saying that,
Speaker 1: you know, this little different here. You can't really create
Speaker 1: that kind of playoff atmosphere, so it's just going to
Speaker 1: kind of come down to who's the better team, And yeah,
Speaker 1: anything can happen, but we'd like to compare quarterbacks around here,
Speaker 1: and if you're going going up against Tampa Bay, it
Speaker 1: just seems like it would be an uphill battle for
Speaker 1: Andy Dalton, who's never won a playoff game, to beat
Speaker 1: Tom Brady, who has won playoff games. I believe, I
Speaker 1: think he has. He's won a couple of Dallas has
Speaker 1: actually played eight games against teams that are either in
Speaker 1: the playoffs or still alive to make the playoffs. They're
Speaker 1: o and eight in those games, and the average margin
Speaker 1: of defeat is fifteen points. And they've done it. They've
Speaker 1: done it across the board, by the way. They lost
Speaker 1: to Seattle in Cleveland when they still had Dak. They
Speaker 1: lost to Arizona with Dalton, they lost to Pittsburgh with
Speaker 1: Garrett Gilbert, and on and on and on and on.
Speaker 1: So obviously anything can happen in the NFL. Like it
Speaker 1: would be crazy to just say no, it's impossible, But yeah,
Speaker 1: Derek worded it perfectly. It's hard to come up with
Speaker 1: a rational reason why I would picked out to beat
Speaker 1: Tampa Bay. In a playoff game, and especially, like Nick said,
Speaker 1: in a season where I mean, I know, you know,
Speaker 1: the Cowboys have more fans in their stadium than anybody else,
Speaker 1: but it's still not going to be the type of
Speaker 1: atmosphere that you're accustomed to with a home playoff game.
Speaker 1: But we will throw this out there just for those
Speaker 1: people that want to see the the you know, the
Speaker 1: half glass, the glass half full. Like this is the
Speaker 1: year of the of COVID, right, and so everything can
Speaker 1: change on a dime. It's the reason why Cleveland found
Speaker 1: themselves on the other end of of a win against
Speaker 1: the jetsice last week because they're basically their wide receiver
Speaker 1: room got wiped out by COVID. It's happened, and so
Speaker 1: it's it's it's I mean, it's you don't want to
Speaker 1: be rooting for guys to get COVID, But I'm just saying,
Speaker 1: in this year, there are lots of crazy things that
Speaker 1: can happen, and that's why you just want to get
Speaker 1: into the dance and see where it goes. And even
Speaker 1: if you're overmatched, sometimes there's a way that things kind
Speaker 1: of level themselves off. This year, you know, yeah, let
Speaker 1: me let me correct myself real quick. I guess technically,
Speaker 1: since the Giants are still alive, the Cowboys are one
Speaker 1: and eight against teams that still have a shot to
Speaker 1: make the playoffs. Thanks for that correction. You know, the
Speaker 1: Giants make a lot, right, Yeah, the Giants that maybe
Speaker 1: aren't in the same category some of those other teams.
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, maybe not, but they get into the playoffs
Speaker 1: will have to make sure and alter that that stat
Speaker 1: because then it would be teams that are in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: And then there's two wins, two losses by Washington their
Speaker 1: hats out, you know, and then um, yea, then they
Speaker 1: maybe Cleveland, I don't know. I mean they're they're they
Speaker 1: may make it, might not make Arizona. Yeah, yeah, no,
Speaker 1: there's which which are those are a few teams that
Speaker 1: might especially especially the two Washington ones, Baltimore which I
Speaker 1: think they're gonna make it, but maybe not. And then
Speaker 1: um and then Arizona. I mean those were the those
Speaker 1: are the ones that made that that margin of victory
Speaker 1: like really out there, so um, you know, not wrong,
Speaker 1: but I didn't realize it was like that. I mean,
Speaker 1: I knew they hadn't beaten anybody that was that was
Speaker 1: really any good, but didn't think it was that bad. Well,
Speaker 1: let's go ahead and address the draft real quick, because
Speaker 1: I know there are plenty of fans that really really
Speaker 1: care about the draft and where they land this year.
Speaker 1: If the Cowboys were to win this game against the
Speaker 1: Giants but then don't actually make it into the playoffs
Speaker 1: because Washington won their game as well, where does that
Speaker 1: leave the Cowboys as far as positioning in the draft.
Speaker 1: It's hard to say that here before we play the
Speaker 1: final game because you know, obviously a bunch of teams
Speaker 1: are going to wind up with the same record, and
Speaker 1: then you're using strength of schedule to break those ties.
Speaker 1: I know, if they don't make the playoffs, then they
Speaker 1: can't pick any worse than sixteenth, because Arizona is sitting
Speaker 1: in the seventeen spot with eight wins. Obviously, the Cowboys
Speaker 1: are not capable of getting to eight wins, So if
Speaker 1: they don't make the playoffs, sixteen is probably the worst
Speaker 1: they could be. And then obviously, if they were to
Speaker 1: win the division, they could pick as high as nineteen,
Speaker 1: and it just depends, you know, if they win or not,
Speaker 1: so you're probably looking. I think the range is like
Speaker 1: anywhere between eight and sixteen, depending on what happens, Like
Speaker 1: if they lose and they get some other results, they
Speaker 1: might jump back up into the top ten, or if
Speaker 1: they win, it could be like sixteen. So it's hard
Speaker 1: to say, but the variance is somewhere between like eight
Speaker 1: and sixteen. Hopefully, um, they make it worth the ride.
Speaker 1: I don't know what that ride is going to lead to. Man,
Speaker 1: I am so this is this is this is ag
Speaker 1: right here. She's like, if you're gonna do it, you
Speaker 1: better win the super Bowl. Otherwise, why are you messing
Speaker 1: with my draft picks exactly? And look this is coming
Speaker 1: from someone that has never ever cared about the draft.
Speaker 1: I'll be honest, I've never really cared or been that
Speaker 1: much into but this year, out of all the years,
Speaker 1: I actually really do care. So I just hope they
Speaker 1: make it worth the while, and that if they do
Speaker 1: make it into the playoffs and don't get very far,
Speaker 1: that alsa was worth the ride. I mean, Nick is
Speaker 1: very excited to see Tom Brady. I don't know why,
Speaker 1: but he's very excited about it. So I hope it's
Speaker 1: worth it. I just think, you know, getting an opportunity
Speaker 1: to face you know, the Bucks and Tom Brady in
Speaker 1: the playoffs. I mean that, who would have ever thought
Speaker 1: that that, you know, you would get a chance to,
Speaker 1: you know, be in a situation like that. I just
Speaker 1: I don't know. I just think it's just a it's
Speaker 1: just a crazy year. And so you know, if we
Speaker 1: were to sit back in training camp, which was crazy
Speaker 1: then and to say what do you think the Halbums
Speaker 1: are going to do this year, It's like, well, I
Speaker 1: think their best quarterback is going to be out ten games.
Speaker 1: I think their best tight end's gonna be out sixteen games,
Speaker 1: their best tackle is going to be out fourteen, and
Speaker 1: their second best will be out sixteen, and their best
Speaker 1: linebacker will be out six games. And you know, and
Speaker 1: I just think they're gonna struggle. But I think they're
Speaker 1: gonna make the playoffs. Still, you'd be like, what seriously, Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: I think they Well I think they'll sneak into the playoffs.
Speaker 1: That would be that would be a miracle. And I think,
Speaker 1: you know, they're at one percent chance to make the playoffs.
Speaker 1: And now I don't know where they are now. But
Speaker 1: I heard somebody say the other day it's sixteen is
Speaker 1: the right now? Yeah, I think that's a little low.
Speaker 1: It would seem you think it'd be more like twenty
Speaker 1: five at least. But well, we talked about this other night,
Speaker 1: Dave and I when we were walking out, they who
Speaker 1: who's favored? Is Dallas favored to win? I'm not sure.
Speaker 1: I haven't looked recently, to be honest with you, I
Speaker 1: don't know. I know, I know Philadelphia was. I know
Speaker 1: Philadelphia was favored as of Sunday Sunday after the game Philadelphia.
Speaker 1: I would just think if both teams are favored to win,
Speaker 1: then you should be favored to make the playoffs. If
Speaker 1: both scenarios are favored by a point and a half,
Speaker 1: I'm looking at three. I don't know what you're looking at.
Speaker 1: Oh sorry, well I don't know. There's like five different
Speaker 1: companies that do this. I'm going off of an ESPN,
Speaker 1: the company that ESPN uses. Got it? Okay, So but
Speaker 1: you know, here's the deal. I think the way I
Speaker 1: look at it is and this goes back to what
Speaker 1: AG was saying, like, I'm just entertained, me, keep me entertained.
Speaker 1: That to me, that's what sports is. Sports is entertainment.
Speaker 1: So I really, at this point don't care a whole
Speaker 1: lot about what happens with the draft pick. I'll deal
Speaker 1: with that once I get to April, and entertain me
Speaker 1: with whatever you're gonna do on draft Day in April,
Speaker 1: But as of right now, entertain me for as long
Speaker 1: as possible. So if you can get in the playoffs,
Speaker 1: get in the playoffs, if you can maybe get a
Speaker 1: win in the playoffs, maybe get a win in the playoffs,
Speaker 1: that just keeps me entertained a little bit longer. And
Speaker 1: as a football fan, I want to be entertained because
Speaker 1: you're not, because you're not one of those draft gurus
Speaker 1: like like others are, and that's how they've been entertained
Speaker 1: this whole time of like, well this is boring because
Speaker 1: they're not very good, so just keep losing, so because
Speaker 1: we can get from one of these really good players.
Speaker 1: I watched this kid that from Oregon and he's good,
Speaker 1: so we can get him, you know. So all the
Speaker 1: players are on the table as bad as you are.
Speaker 1: Then the guys that have studied the draft are saying,
Speaker 1: I got my hands on everybody because I'm not bad.
Speaker 1: But as it turns out, I mean, they didn't earn it.
Speaker 1: They haven't earned a bad pick because they're not that bad.
Speaker 1: They're not great. But they're not that bad, you know. No,
Speaker 1: they're not. I mean they're not. They're not like, they're
Speaker 1: not just bad. Yeah, they're not just bad. And when
Speaker 1: they were three and nine we thought maybe maybe they are,
Speaker 1: but they're not. I mean, they went in they face
Speaker 1: those beat teams. He's gonna say, this is one of
Speaker 1: those potato potato scenarios here. No, I don't think I'll
Speaker 1: say this. I No, I don't. I don't. Necessarily, I
Speaker 1: don't think so either. I'm and I am. I am
Speaker 1: a draft guy, and as somebody whose job it is
Speaker 1: to create draft content throughout the entire offseason. No offense
Speaker 1: to anybody, I'll be ecstatic if they have a top
Speaker 1: ten pick because that makes my job a lot easier.
Speaker 1: But you know what, it goes back to the same
Speaker 1: thing we said at the top of the show, like
Speaker 1: it's really it's not up to me. I don't have
Speaker 1: any control over anyway, So I might as well sit
Speaker 1: back and enjoy the ride. And you know what, if
Speaker 1: they get to host a playoff game against the best
Speaker 1: quarterback ever, you know, we get to see what Tom
Speaker 1: Brady looks like in the playoffs for the first time
Speaker 1: without Satriots and what and how many times has Tom
Speaker 1: Brady even played the Cowboys in his career, like maybe
Speaker 1: five in twenty something years. So that's you know, that's
Speaker 1: special and that's cool. Um and you know who I mean.
Speaker 1: I think the Bucks are on the schedule next year,
Speaker 1: but you don't know for sure what's going to happen.
Speaker 1: Brady might not play a game, So hell yeah, I
Speaker 1: want to see Tom Brady in a playoff game against
Speaker 1: the Cowboys. That sounds fun as hell, no doubt. And
Speaker 1: IM and I'm with you there too when it gets
Speaker 1: down to it, like, yeah, you want the highest draft
Speaker 1: pick that you can get. I've said this, I've said
Speaker 1: this before, maybe on this show. Yeah, if you if
Speaker 1: you're putting me in the hospital, give me the best
Speaker 1: hospital there is. But I'm not going to break my
Speaker 1: legs so i can go to this nice hospital. Okay,
Speaker 1: I'm not going to do that. If that's the scenario,
Speaker 1: that I've earned analogy, if I've earned it, if I've
Speaker 1: earned it, I'll take the best. But as it turns out,
Speaker 1: they just didn't earn it. They weren't that bad. They
Speaker 1: were way better than Cincinnati, they were better than San Francisco.
Speaker 1: They were better than the Eagles. They you know, as
Speaker 1: the schedule unfolded, they're in the middle of the pack
Speaker 1: team and that's kind of where they are. That's what
Speaker 1: they've earned. Yep, you know. I think my concern is
Speaker 1: even though they found some consistency here in the past
Speaker 1: three weeks, and if they weren't to get to that scenario,
Speaker 1: that would mean they found consistency four weeks in a row.
Speaker 1: But it's that mentality that like, I'm still not feeling
Speaker 1: sure of what kind of Cowboys team we would get
Speaker 1: that day. I don't know what kind of Cowboys defense
Speaker 1: is gonna show up. So it's that's why I'm not
Speaker 1: as excited of that scenario because I'm like, Okay, if
Speaker 1: they go out there and put a good game, even
Speaker 1: if they lose, if they go and put out a
Speaker 1: good game where it was entertaining, yeah, it's gonna be fun.
Speaker 1: But if they go out there and get just completely
Speaker 1: run over by their offense, it's it's just one of
Speaker 1: those games that it's just it's just gonna be it's
Speaker 1: gonna piss you off. I'm gonna walk out of the
Speaker 1: day not getting completely pissed off. So I just don't
Speaker 1: know what we would get that week. But let me
Speaker 1: ask you us real quick. I want to throw this
Speaker 1: in real quick. Do you guys think and I know
Speaker 1: we're up against a break but and maybe we have
Speaker 1: to go to break first, But do you think that
Speaker 1: maybe and I get me, correct me if I'm wrong,
Speaker 1: was last week the first week this season when you
Speaker 1: had your complete starting defense in there. I know we've
Speaker 1: talked about this defense and said that they didn't have
Speaker 1: nearly the to deal with that the offense dealt with,
Speaker 1: but the secondary has been in flux all season. Was
Speaker 1: last week the first week when you had the exact
Speaker 1: the entire starting defense on the field for a game?
Speaker 1: Or was there are other game where the other games
Speaker 1: this season where you had everybody's kind of bench Layton
Speaker 1: like that they didn't even have. Yeah, they didn't even
Speaker 1: Have'm sorry, yeah they didn't have. Like I was thinking
Speaker 1: about the secondary because the first time he had secondary
Speaker 1: all together, and I didn't even think about the fact
Speaker 1: of Layton. But maybe we found out last week that
Speaker 1: that Layton isn't as critical as having all those secondary guys.
Speaker 1: Maybe I don't know, Yeah, yeah, but I guess my
Speaker 1: question though, becomes with with the entire secondary. Does this
Speaker 1: defense change a bit? Are they a little bit different
Speaker 1: than what we thought they've been or what they really
Speaker 1: have shown us all season? You know, are they a
Speaker 1: little bit better than that? I think? I think though
Speaker 1: when the season began, you know, this last we're talking
Speaker 1: about the last three games, because that's where that's what's
Speaker 1: got him here the last three games. Nobody of the
Speaker 1: three quarterbacks was expected to be a starting quarterback, if
Speaker 1: even in the league. Brandon Alan, Nick Mullins, Jalen hurts
Speaker 1: to play quarterback. So that's who they face. And so
Speaker 1: if they and they gotta face I guess Daniel Jones.
Speaker 1: I don't know what's going on. If m Colton McCoy,
Speaker 1: I don't know who that is over there. I think
Speaker 1: it's Daniel Jones. But um, either way, you know you're
Speaker 1: you're not facing these top caliber quarter and so if
Speaker 1: you get to the playoffs, you're probably gonna face the
Speaker 1: greatest quarterback that ever that ever played. Now. I know
Speaker 1: the Rams can get the five spot, but their quarterback
Speaker 1: just broke his thumb, So I don't know if he's
Speaker 1: gonna They have to win and the Bucks have to
Speaker 1: lose for that to happen. So it looks like the
Speaker 1: five seat would beat Tampa, right. Yes, but I will
Speaker 1: say this though, you gotta I think we're we're all
Speaker 1: kind of almost giving a little less credit to Jalen Hurts.
Speaker 1: But remember, just two weeks before that, they went and
Speaker 1: beat a New Orleans team that is one of the
Speaker 1: best teams in the NFC. Yeah, and they also followed
Speaker 1: that up with a very very impressive game against the Cardinals.
Speaker 1: They lost, but they put up points and they they
Speaker 1: battle them. Yeah. I just think I just think you
Speaker 1: gotta you gotta give this defense maybe a little bit
Speaker 1: of credit for the fact that they did shut them
Speaker 1: down or slow them down at least in after two
Speaker 1: weeks of some really good production against some better teams. Great,
Speaker 1: I mean, and that's what will happen. Congratulations, you guys
Speaker 1: have won four in a row. You're in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: You snuck in there. You're in the playoffs. Go beat
Speaker 1: Tom Brady, you get Tom Brady as the prize. Have fun.
Speaker 1: It would be not only that, but congratulations, we discovered
Speaker 1: the secondary might be better than we thought, just in
Speaker 1: time for most of them to be out of contracts.
Speaker 1: So Oh that's really a killer. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm
Speaker 1: just saying just what we need in more confusion. Let's
Speaker 1: go ahead and take our final break. When we come back,
Speaker 1: let's get into Andy Dalton's performance. We didn't get a
Speaker 1: chance to talk about it yesterday, so we'll talk about
Speaker 1: some of that quarterback matchups here in a little bit.
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Speaker 1: to Cowboys Break presented by Geico. We're here about to
Speaker 1: talk about Andy Dalton, who had a pretty pretty good
Speaker 1: game last weekend, and we did not get a chance
Speaker 1: to talk about him yesterday, but we're about to do
Speaker 1: that now. He completed twenty two of thirty passes for
Speaker 1: a season high of three hundred and seventy seven yards
Speaker 1: passing yards with three touchdowns and the win against the Eagles.
Speaker 1: So just wanted to get an assessment from you guys
Speaker 1: and where are you currently feeding feeling about him? Because
Speaker 1: I believe it was Nick that mentioned a few minutes
Speaker 1: ago that Andy Dalton hasn't actually won a playoff game.
Speaker 1: But the fact that you see him performing at this
Speaker 1: level right now, this far down the road, does that
Speaker 1: give you any more confidence that he could possibly go
Speaker 1: out there and put up a good match. I think so.
Speaker 1: I mean, I think he. I think he's playing his
Speaker 1: best football now, you know he had of this season.
Speaker 1: Of course, I'd haven't studied all of this tape of
Speaker 1: Cincinnati but like or any of it. But I think
Speaker 1: that he now not even a play. I did see
Speaker 1: a play the other day though, that he caught a
Speaker 1: touchdown pass like on a fake fake pass throw back
Speaker 1: to him. Really he kind of like Randy Moss somebody
Speaker 1: I don't know when that was in his career. Through
Speaker 1: it it was like the running back. It was like
Speaker 1: a trick play and he threw it back to Andy
Speaker 1: Dalton and he kind of called over his nice play.
Speaker 1: But the interception was kind of bothersome to me the
Speaker 1: other day, you know, and he was having a great
Speaker 1: game and then it was like unnecessary that forced it
Speaker 1: like that. Well, he I think he had the throw
Speaker 1: he said to throw it a little bit farther. Seed
Speaker 1: was out there. I think he could have made a play.
Speaker 1: But but I mean that that was really the only hiccup.
Speaker 1: He had a really nice game. You know, it could
Speaker 1: have been he could have maybe flirted with a perfect game.
Speaker 1: If you think about if the tight end rolls out
Speaker 1: for a pass there and they give it to him
Speaker 1: instead of a you know, third down, you know, he
Speaker 1: could score a touchdown there. He can take away that interception.
Speaker 1: I mean, you're you're looking at four touchdowns and no picks.
Speaker 1: You know, if they don't interfere CD at the end
Speaker 1: of the game, I mean that that might be in
Speaker 1: a touchdown too the way he had it. So, I
Speaker 1: mean it was a really nice game. Kellen Moore took
Speaker 1: responsibility for that hiccup on the third and goal. By
Speaker 1: the way, we talked about that yesterday. He said that's
Speaker 1: on me. It was a miscommunication and he didn't have
Speaker 1: anybody to throw too. Yeah, so I know I thought
Speaker 1: he was great. I think, um, you know, his his
Speaker 1: deep ball is yeah, I think Derek said yesterday his
Speaker 1: deep ball is not as good as Dacks. You know,
Speaker 1: he had a had a couple throws to Gallop like
Speaker 1: he had. He took a deep shot to Gallop where
Speaker 1: he didn't really even give him a chance down the sideline,
Speaker 1: and then you know, if he puts a little more
Speaker 1: air under the ball to CD that I think that's
Speaker 1: a touchdown like he had. He had a couple steps
Speaker 1: on his coverage. But I mean that's nitpicking in a
Speaker 1: game where you know, you you put together that performance
Speaker 1: and it's I almost it's almost unfair. I maybe because
Speaker 1: Andy obviously has been asked to do way more than
Speaker 1: most backup quarterbacks. Like just imagine imagine if Dad, like
Speaker 1: Drew Brees last year, Imagine if Dak had broken his
Speaker 1: thumb and they just needed Andy Dalton to hold the
Speaker 1: line for a month done that. You know what, what
Speaker 1: what is what's his starting record right now? Like four
Speaker 1: and four? I think four? So if I mean if
Speaker 1: Andy had gone two and two or three and one
Speaker 1: as the back, as the backup in place of Dak,
Speaker 1: it would have been amazing and we'd probably be sitting
Speaker 1: here arguing about whether he should be the starter because
Speaker 1: that's the nature of the NFL. So it's really only
Speaker 1: the sample size that has has screwed him over. I
Speaker 1: think he's been phenomenal for most of the opportunity that
Speaker 1: he's gotten. Yeah, and that brings up an interesting point.
Speaker 1: I think there's a bit bit of a dilemma here
Speaker 1: for Dallas from the standpoint that you know, everything we've
Speaker 1: heard suggests that Dak is on schedule. He'll be back,
Speaker 1: he'll be better than ever. But the fact is, until
Speaker 1: you see him back out there and you see him
Speaker 1: actually performing in the way that he normally performs, Dallas
Speaker 1: has an interesting dilemma here because you know, you would
Speaker 1: think Andy Dalton, with what he's done in these games,
Speaker 1: particularly in this last game, and whatever he does in
Speaker 1: this game upcoming, he may be positioning himself and probably
Speaker 1: already has positioned himself to where some team out there
Speaker 1: would be happy to make him their starting quarterback. Question becomes,
Speaker 1: does Dallas say, hey, we really want to keep We
Speaker 1: think it's important to keep him because we don't like
Speaker 1: there still is that small percentage chance that Dak's not
Speaker 1: quite ready. And as Dave was saying, if I need
Speaker 1: him for the first four weeks of the season, while
Speaker 1: I'm still getting Dak ready, I feel pretty good that
Speaker 1: we can still get off to a pretty good start
Speaker 1: with Andy Dalton. But financially, can you even afford to
Speaker 1: like you would think, okay, money whipping and get him
Speaker 1: to stay here as your backup. You can't do that.
Speaker 1: You have Dak that you're gonna have to try to
Speaker 1: pay or give a franchise tag too. Like there's a
Speaker 1: there's a lot of issues right now that quarterback position
Speaker 1: and trying to figure out how you navigate all that
Speaker 1: in this offseason, where, by the way, at the best
Speaker 1: case scenario your cap stays the same, it's probably gonna
Speaker 1: go down. So there is a lot to think about there,
Speaker 1: and and Andy Dalton playing well is only complicating that
Speaker 1: even more. Yeah, yeah, I think you know you can't.
Speaker 1: You can't really have fifty million dollars committed to your
Speaker 1: quarterback room, which would it would be in the neighborhood
Speaker 1: of that, you know, even and I think you're right.
Speaker 1: I think he could be you know, he could go
Speaker 1: to another team. There'd be a team that would probably
Speaker 1: love to have him, you know, especially a team that
Speaker 1: drafts a quarterback high. You know, and then the Bridge
Speaker 1: player made a great player for that. He wouldn't be
Speaker 1: bad in Washington either, you know, if you think about it,
Speaker 1: that would be a good Can I look into my
Speaker 1: go ahead? Can I look into my crystal ball? Here?
Speaker 1: Go for it? Because I just I can see how
Speaker 1: see how this I just I can see it. I
Speaker 1: can see it with crystal clarity. It's so clear that
Speaker 1: it doesn't even look like I'm holding one right, Andy
Speaker 1: Dalton has played well enough. Nick, You're exactly right. Like
Speaker 1: a Chicago Bears or a Jacksonville Jaguars, like they're gonna
Speaker 1: pay him, not like they're not gonna break the bank,
Speaker 1: but they're gonna pay him three years, fifty million or
Speaker 1: something like that to go compete for the starting job
Speaker 1: slash start until the rookie is ready. Like that. I
Speaker 1: just feel like that's gonna happen, and we are going
Speaker 1: to spend the offseason talking about how great Garrett Gilbert
Speaker 1: played against Pittsburgh and that is why the Cowboys have
Speaker 1: faith that he can be their backup quarterback. That's my prediction.
Speaker 1: That's what I say. Seems I'm looking into your crystal ball. Say, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: I see the same thing. Like you say, the Bears.
Speaker 1: Who the who the Bears drafting? He can oh, I
Speaker 1: don't know. The Bears had good no good point. The
Speaker 1: Bears might go to the playoffs, so who knows. But
Speaker 1: but you're saying somebody who drafts one of those top teams,
Speaker 1: those top quarterbacks. Yeah, yeah, you get like Fitzpatrick every year, Yes, yes,
Speaker 1: every every year there's a team that Yeah, there's always
Speaker 1: a team that's like, well, we're not gonna splash cash
Speaker 1: for like a true franchise quarterback, but we need to
Speaker 1: we need to pay a veteran who can come in
Speaker 1: here and start if we need to do it. Was
Speaker 1: Nick Voles did it in Jacksonville, Mike Glennon did it
Speaker 1: in Chicago a few years ago. It happens all the time,
Speaker 1: and he feels so bad for that guy too, Like
Speaker 1: Tyrod Taylor, You're like, man, you've done everything right and
Speaker 1: then that's just a bad situation right right with the Chargers. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: but I'm just saying, you know, it happens, and you
Speaker 1: feel for that. But I don't know, I think he
Speaker 1: could maybe maybe beat the guy on another team, you know,
Speaker 1: a team that's you know, that just needs a good
Speaker 1: quarter And that's why I think Washington, you know, I
Speaker 1: know they have Alex Smith, but I think Andy Dalton
Speaker 1: could be better than him. Yea, And yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1: I hate I don't really want to face him twice,
Speaker 1: but I'm just saying that I think that could be
Speaker 1: a good scenario. Okay, maybe we have time for one
Speaker 1: last question before we have to end the show real quick, Dave,
Speaker 1: you talked about some of the progress we've seen in
Speaker 1: the final weeks of the season, especially in the secondary
Speaker 1: and the Dallas defense. My question for you guys, has
Speaker 1: anyone done enough to make you change your opinion about
Speaker 1: them based on what you thought about them throughout the
Speaker 1: season beginning middle of the season to where they are
Speaker 1: currently now? Does anyone come to mind Jordan Lewis. Jordan Lewis,
Speaker 1: for me, I didn't want to resign him, but now
Speaker 1: now I'll resign him. That's a good one. I like
Speaker 1: him in his role. I think he just needs confidence.
Speaker 1: I think he needs to needs people that a team
Speaker 1: that says, man, you're our guy. You're not for everybody.
Speaker 1: You're not maybe in every down outside corner, but you've
Speaker 1: got a niche, You've got a role. He's got a
Speaker 1: good attitude really through it all. And I think he's
Speaker 1: a good, good player to have on your team. I
Speaker 1: know from a media standpoint, he's a great player to
Speaker 1: have for us, But I mean that's not the point.
Speaker 1: If it was, then Joe Looney would be the team captain.
Speaker 1: But um, but I just think I think Jordan Lewis
Speaker 1: is a guy that I've changed my opinion on whether
Speaker 1: or not he would come back or not. In my opinion,
Speaker 1: I think the easy answer here is Dalton Schultz because
Speaker 1: I was so, oh, did you said just say defense? No?
Speaker 1: Just okay, okay, okay, yeah. No, I think the easy
Speaker 1: answer is Dalton Schultz. Yeah. But but I will say
Speaker 1: I would actually opt to say Terrence Still because I
Speaker 1: don't think Terren Still has been as good as like
Speaker 1: Dalton Schultz. Like Dalton Schultz has been very clearly a
Speaker 1: like opposite of what we thought of him. He's been
Speaker 1: that right. Terren Still is not that good. But I
Speaker 1: think from what I thought of him early this season,
Speaker 1: I thought he was I didn't understand why he was
Speaker 1: even on the team. Now what I think of him
Speaker 1: is he is a serviceable backup type player and and
Speaker 1: by the way, he's a service vistable backup player who
Speaker 1: is a young player that still has the opportunity to
Speaker 1: a sin to get better. So I have a whole
Speaker 1: different opinion of him. I want to see how he develops.
Speaker 1: Can you turn into a guy that may be good
Speaker 1: enough to be a swing tackle, and if you can
Speaker 1: get that guy and pay him early, and you can't
Speaker 1: create some opportunities where he becomes you know, a pretty
Speaker 1: good player maybe later in his career. Maybe a guy
Speaker 1: that can kind of get on the cusp of you know,
Speaker 1: a guy that can start play some good I remember
Speaker 1: what was the guy's name, Purnell that played tackle for
Speaker 1: the Cowboys, went on to get Jeremy Parnell, went on
Speaker 1: to get a went on to get a good contract
Speaker 1: with the Jaguars, a pretty nice contract with the Jaguars,
Speaker 1: and played for them for several years. Maybe he has
Speaker 1: that kind of trajectory where he can grow into that
Speaker 1: kind of player. I just want to keep an eye
Speaker 1: on him because he showed me a little bit here
Speaker 1: in the second half of the season. I like all
Speaker 1: of those answers. I will throw in Antoine Woods just
Speaker 1: you know, I don't know if I learned anything new
Speaker 1: about him, but going into the season, it's like, yeah,
Speaker 1: he's a rotational member defensive line. He's he's an undrafted guy,
Speaker 1: like you know, he's Rod Marinelli was in love with him.
Speaker 1: I don't know if he's like the most amazing player
Speaker 1: in the world. I still, you know, I'm not saying
Speaker 1: he's Aaron Donald. But the run defense got a lot
Speaker 1: better when he started playing more snaps after don Terry
Speaker 1: Po left. He I mean, the guy plays with an edge.
Speaker 1: You can tell it matters to him. The thing with
Speaker 1: Juju Smith Schuster, like that matters like he like he
Speaker 1: gives a damn about like repping the star and all
Speaker 1: of that intangible stuff that you look for. Um. I
Speaker 1: think that's a good character guy to have on your
Speaker 1: defense in addition to being a good player. And I
Speaker 1: believe he's a restricted free agent, so you know, you're
Speaker 1: not talking about having to spend a lot of money
Speaker 1: to keep him around, So you know. I don't know
Speaker 1: if I felt that way in August, but I do now.
Speaker 1: I think we might have missed an obvious one too.
Speaker 1: And Donovan Woods, I think I think Donovan Wilson, Sorry Donovan,
Speaker 1: I didn't think. I didn't. I don't know that my
Speaker 1: opinion changed. A lot of you thought he would be
Speaker 1: a starting safety, but I thought he was. I thought
Speaker 1: he was a player that could be good. I just
Speaker 1: thought he had an ad an opportunity. So now he's
Speaker 1: got an opportunity. He showed us he can be pretty good.
Speaker 1: I don't know that I thought, you know that the
Speaker 1: upside was that he would be as good as he's been,
Speaker 1: but I certainly didn't think of him as a player
Speaker 1: who was not very good, which all these names we
Speaker 1: just mentioned were guys that we all thought at some
Speaker 1: point we're not very good. Well, I'll also throw Xavier
Speaker 1: Woods into that group on the flip side, Okay, I
Speaker 1: mean I thought he was a better player than he is.
Speaker 1: I really did. I thought he would make a guy
Speaker 1: that would take the moment and make more plays, and
Speaker 1: he didn't. I don't think he's made a playoffs. Are
Speaker 1: we all kind of done on him? I think so.
Speaker 1: He hasn't made a play all year. He really hasn't
Speaker 1: for the Cowboys. He has not made a good positive play,
Speaker 1: And I mean you need that out of him, You
Speaker 1: need that out of your safety. I mean, I don't know,
Speaker 1: I just I mean, he goes into free agency, is
Speaker 1: I don't know. It wasn't a great no contract here, No,
Speaker 1: it really wasn't. And usually you see it the other
Speaker 1: way around. Ye. Well, I was trying to end on
Speaker 1: the show on a positive note, and you we flipped
Speaker 1: your positive question into a negative question. Yeah, thanks, thanks
Speaker 1: for that, Nick, Derek, do you mind doing the honors
Speaker 1: of closing the show? Sure? Well, thank you guys for
Speaker 1: joining us. We'll be back tomorrow. We're gonna jump into
Speaker 1: Cowboys versus Giants. We'll have Bucky Brooks on tomorrow. He'll
Speaker 1: give us his breakdown of the Giants offense versus the
Speaker 1: Cowboys defense. Still in for Nick Eatman, Dave helmt Ambergarcia.
Speaker 1: Thank you Ember for so graciously hosting us today. We'll
Speaker 1: be back tomorrow. This has been The Break live on
Speaker 1: Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. This has been a production
Speaker 1: of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.