Speaker 1: The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com
Speaker 1: and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. This is Talking Cowboys
Speaker 1: Straining live from the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters at the
Speaker 1: Star in Frisco, Sallow Scott Picture Bay. Now your hosts,
Speaker 1: Rob Phillips, heck My Harrison, Danny Serek and Kyle Yeoman's
Speaker 1: welcome into a brand new edition of Talking Cowboys who
Speaker 1: are on a beautiful Tuesday morning, and we are live
Speaker 1: from our respective SWBC Mortgage studios remote yet again showing
Speaker 1: off the social distancing in a crazy time. But of course,
Speaker 1: thanks to the hard work of guys like Matt Kent
Speaker 1: and Derek Eagleton, Chris Beam, Scott Purcell, we are able
Speaker 1: to bring you a little bit of Talking Cowboys throughout
Speaker 1: the week. I'm Kyle Yeoman's alongside heck Ma Harrison and
Speaker 1: Danny Surrect. We will have Rob Phillips joining us here
Speaker 1: in just a couple of moments. But it's just the
Speaker 1: three Musketeers at the moment holding me down the fort
Speaker 1: for Talking Cowboys. But Rob will be here here in
Speaker 1: just a couple of moments, and guys, it's like I've
Speaker 1: said before, it's kind of the new norm being remote,
Speaker 1: but it's getting to that point where you're either settling
Speaker 1: in or you're kind of driving yourself nuts a little
Speaker 1: bit in quarantine. Heck, if you had any hair at all,
Speaker 1: would you be pulling it out right now? Are you
Speaker 1: doing okay down there? No, guys, Kyle, No, no, you
Speaker 1: see that Danny See he's coming out fire right and
Speaker 1: I'm cool, I'm cool. But he's on the struggle bus
Speaker 1: because he can't go to the barber. Yeah. So no, man,
Speaker 1: it is I'm having I tell you what, this is
Speaker 1: my appreciation. I want to make sure that I say
Speaker 1: this all teachers in the United States of America. You
Speaker 1: guys need a raise, all right, because this homeschool and
Speaker 1: is who I mean, I'm taking fourth grade all over again,
Speaker 1: sixth grade all over again. It is amazing having to
Speaker 1: do this. You guys put up with so much. I mean,
Speaker 1: my nine year old I asked her the other day.
Speaker 1: I said, how'd you get your answer? And she just
Speaker 1: said because because you know? And so it's like, what
Speaker 1: do you do with that? You know? There's nothing else?
Speaker 1: But it is, man, This quarantine life is bizarre. But
Speaker 1: you know, my wife and I we have spent a
Speaker 1: lot of time together just talking about how you know,
Speaker 1: this is good for our family unit and just being together.
Speaker 1: Twenty five eight is a new reality, just to be
Speaker 1: around each other. I mean, I've been man for almost
Speaker 1: twenty years. I think got Smith is much song with
Speaker 1: my wife we've been married. But it's hey, man, it's
Speaker 1: it's it's really good. It's really cool. Danny. How's it
Speaker 1: going on your corner? It's good. I'm finishing up. Actually,
Speaker 1: on week four of quarantine, I was quarantine for about
Speaker 1: two weeks for everyone else because I was actually in
Speaker 1: Europe when all this kind of started. So I am
Speaker 1: at my parents' house and so because of me, they
Speaker 1: have also been quarantine. But thankfully we all have our
Speaker 1: own rooms so we're able to have some space. And
Speaker 1: you know, I love my parents, and I'm sure my
Speaker 1: dad's watching right now, so i can't say anything other
Speaker 1: than that. Now that's the truth. Now, it's really nice
Speaker 1: like to not, you know, not be alone and have
Speaker 1: other people to talk with. So I'm just trying to
Speaker 1: go outside in my backyard and play with my dogs
Speaker 1: and get some fresh air when I can, and try
Speaker 1: and stay moving, no doubt about it, and hopefully we're
Speaker 1: giving everyone out there that is staying safe, staying in
Speaker 1: their homes a little bit of a distraction, and continuing
Speaker 1: to talk about this NFL offseason that's been really kind
Speaker 1: of a big question mark overall. You talk about the
Speaker 1: Cowboys specifically or the league in general, you could put
Speaker 1: it under both. Under that umbrella, we're gonna talk about
Speaker 1: some of the offseason decisions that will be popping up
Speaker 1: for the NFL as a league, but we're gonna talk
Speaker 1: about the Cowboys as well. We're gonna talk about Dez
Speaker 1: Bryan and Dak Prescott and what they've got to do
Speaker 1: or what they've been working out, and also maybe even
Speaker 1: get a little bit into Rex Ryan. But first things
Speaker 1: first here on this edition of Talking Cowboys, we have
Speaker 1: the announcement yesterday of the All Decade Team from the
Speaker 1: twenty tens, and there were two Dallas Cowboys selected for
Speaker 1: the All Decade Team, Tyrn Smith and Zack Martin, both
Speaker 1: on that offensive line. You talk about some of the
Speaker 1: most consistent players really throughout the course of their career
Speaker 1: that we've seen in Cowboys history. I mean, Smith, you
Speaker 1: talk about seven straight Pro Bowls, four time All Pro,
Speaker 1: most appearances by an offensive tackle and franchise history. And
Speaker 1: then you've got Martin who literally has never not been
Speaker 1: in All Pro since he was drafted in twenty fourteen.
Speaker 1: So I'll open up the question and Danny, we'll start
Speaker 1: with you. Where where does this put these two individuals? Now,
Speaker 1: their careers aren't done yet, and there's still a long
Speaker 1: way to go, seemingly for both of them, whether it's
Speaker 1: in a Cowboys uniform or not, they've still got some
Speaker 1: career left. But where does this rank them in terms
Speaker 1: of offensive linemen in Cowboys history? I think this just
Speaker 1: solidifies what a lot of Cowboys fans already think about
Speaker 1: these two. This I think is just more maybe for
Speaker 1: non Cowboys fans, just to see how consistent and how
Speaker 1: powerful they have been throughout an entire decade at this point.
Speaker 1: And so I think that Cowboys fans who have been
Speaker 1: watching this offensive line scene Tyrn Smith seeing Zach Martin
Speaker 1: are not surprised by this because they've seen how well
Speaker 1: they have performed day in and day out and fighting
Speaker 1: through injuries. I think the only thing that is a
Speaker 1: little sad about this as not saying Travis Frederick's name
Speaker 1: on because it's really been the three of them this
Speaker 1: entire way, and you know, he's been there literally in
Speaker 1: between the two of them. And so that's probably the
Speaker 1: only thing that makes me a little sad about seeing
Speaker 1: those two offensive linemen on this list is not seeing
Speaker 1: that third Yeah. Man, Yeah. The production for both of
Speaker 1: these guys. I mean, Tyron Smith seems like he's been
Speaker 1: on this team forever. I mean, he's been with the
Speaker 1: Cowboys for quite sometime, but has been the you know,
Speaker 1: consistent and seeing you know, the latter he gets in
Speaker 1: his career, just still playing at a peak level. It's
Speaker 1: really impressive. Zach Martin, I mean, every word that describes
Speaker 1: a dominating force goes under Zach Martin and what he's
Speaker 1: done for the Dallas Cowboys. I mean, he's a throwback.
Speaker 1: He's a throwback. He could have played in any era
Speaker 1: of football just because of the way that he plays.
Speaker 1: And i mean there are a lot of questions people
Speaker 1: talk about the All Decade team, but just how did
Speaker 1: these guys fit overall? And just the you know, the
Speaker 1: linear of offensive linemen that have played this game, and
Speaker 1: so that's it says a lot about what they've done.
Speaker 1: But again, Zach Martin Tyrn Smith, and I agree with you, Danny.
Speaker 1: To not see Travis Frederick's name associated with this is
Speaker 1: kind of bitter sweet because you know that he's played
Speaker 1: at a high level also, so I don't know what
Speaker 1: the book the criteria was for it, but you know,
Speaker 1: Travis Frederick definitely should have been on this list as well. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and it's there are a lot of great centers that
Speaker 1: have played over the past ten years or over the
Speaker 1: past decade, and it's really it's not a surprise to
Speaker 1: not see his name on there, but you kind of
Speaker 1: also had that hope out there as well. But that
Speaker 1: also brings me to the question of is did they
Speaker 1: get it right? Should there have been anybody else on
Speaker 1: that list, or anybody even in the conversation I heard
Speaker 1: somebody talk about Jason Witten. I know Travis Kelsey and
Speaker 1: Rob Gronkowski were as dominant as any tight ends that
Speaker 1: you've seen over the past decade, So I don't know
Speaker 1: if even Witton would have been in that conversation, but overall,
Speaker 1: just on the team in general, is in anybody that
Speaker 1: was left off that you didn't necessarily think should have been? Yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean, you said Jason Whitnen that was the name
Speaker 1: that I was thinking about Jason Witten and just how
Speaker 1: consistent he's been over his career. And I think what
Speaker 1: happens with Jason Witness. He isn't as flashy as run
Speaker 1: Kowski or Kelsey or guys like that, simply because, like
Speaker 1: I said, he's just been consistent this whole time through
Speaker 1: these you know quarterbacks that the Cowboy quarterbacks, and so
Speaker 1: I just really I really believe that he was a
Speaker 1: name that was left off. And you talk about his
Speaker 1: yardage and being up there with the Tony Gonzalezes, and
Speaker 1: you know, he just he deserved to be on that
Speaker 1: all decade Listen. Again, I don't know what the criteria was,
Speaker 1: but Jason Witten is a name that definitely should have
Speaker 1: been there. I agree with you there, and not only that,
Speaker 1: but also the touchdowns he found what one short of
Speaker 1: Dez Bryant's receiving touchdown franchise record. I just I think
Speaker 1: when you think of notable tight ends over the last
Speaker 1: ten years, I don't know how you don't include Jason
Speaker 1: Witten's name. That would be the one name that was
Speaker 1: left off the less I think should have been on there.
Speaker 1: Now I still kind of I think they got it right.
Speaker 1: I think Kelsey and Gronk, at least in the twenty
Speaker 1: tens era, I think they were better than Witten in
Speaker 1: the twenty tenths. There and now, if you're talking about
Speaker 1: over the span of a career, Witten's numbers will stack
Speaker 1: up next to any tight end in NFL history really
Speaker 1: in the way that he's been able to dominate and
Speaker 1: kind of redefined No keeping it in this context, Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's that's fair, Kyle. Yeah, you're right, that's a good point.
Speaker 1: But within the twenty ten era and within the decade,
Speaker 1: I think absolutely at least he's in the conversation. I
Speaker 1: think we all agree that he should at least be
Speaker 1: in there because you talk about some of those early
Speaker 1: twenty ten teams for Dallas Cowboys, and he was really
Speaker 1: the leader and one of the leaders along with Tony
Speaker 1: and DeMarco and some of those other players like Dez
Speaker 1: like you mentioned, and he's he's right there in terms
Speaker 1: of that. Maybe if he would have won a super
Speaker 1: Bowl during the twenty tens, maybe there's another conversation that
Speaker 1: should be had there as well. But Bronk and Kelsey
Speaker 1: both had a ring in the twenty tens era, so
Speaker 1: it's a little bit different, I guess moving forward. So
Speaker 1: with that being said, Oh, Rob is back. Hey, how's
Speaker 1: it going Rob? Hey? Guys? Hi Ro Hi. This is
Speaker 1: the social distance life. I'm all set up, ready to go,
Speaker 1: and it shorts out on them. I've had shorts out
Speaker 1: on me five seconds before we go on air, So
Speaker 1: I apologize, but I'm here. It's a crusation. I'm been
Speaker 1: listening to the whole thing. Anything you want to add rough, No,
Speaker 1: I think y'all covered it by. One thing I would
Speaker 1: say about Tyrant and Zach getting this honor is I
Speaker 1: think it puts you on track, puts them on track
Speaker 1: to be in towards the Hall of Fame, I really do.
Speaker 1: And whether whether that happens for both, we'll see. But
Speaker 1: I didn't talk to somebody that's been involved in that
Speaker 1: Hall of Fame process before and they said, yeah, I
Speaker 1: mean they're they're going to have a case if things
Speaker 1: keep going on this on this current track. Doesn't hurt
Speaker 1: at their cowboys, and if they could find a way
Speaker 1: to get a ring here in the next few years,
Speaker 1: that always helps a quarterbacks case more than anything. But
Speaker 1: I think I think you're talking about both guys in
Speaker 1: consideration for that, I mean, Zach Martin has got a
Speaker 1: chance to be one of the greatest just pure offensive
Speaker 1: lineman ever to play. If if he keeps on this
Speaker 1: track and he makes the Pro Bowl in the All
Speaker 1: Pro team every year of his career for twelve thirteen years,
Speaker 1: however long he's going to play, I mean, man, that's
Speaker 1: that's gonna be hard to argue. I think something on
Speaker 1: that too, Rob, real quick, as you were talking about
Speaker 1: how the rings help the quarterbacks, I think what helps
Speaker 1: these two is how many league leading rushers they have
Speaker 1: protected for de Mark Murray Zeekee twice and who knows
Speaker 1: how many more times he's going to have it. I
Speaker 1: think that's something that also helps them in terms of
Speaker 1: whether or not they would have more likely a chance
Speaker 1: of being in the Hall of Fame for sure. Well,
Speaker 1: and not even just leading rushers, but now in this
Speaker 1: day at age of the NFL, how about leading pastors.
Speaker 1: I mean, you look at what Dad Prescott up numbers
Speaker 1: wise last year, A big reason why he had more
Speaker 1: success in the passing game. Now they were down in
Speaker 1: games late and they were eight and eight, and there's
Speaker 1: that whole conversation to be had about what the stats
Speaker 1: were put up, but he didn't get sacked as many
Speaker 1: times as he did in twenty eighteen. So I think
Speaker 1: you have that conversation of the offensive line last year
Speaker 1: was better than they were in twenty eighteen. Now, Travis Frederick, No,
Speaker 1: Travis Frederick will see what that ends up doing in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty. But at least the conversation about leading passers.
Speaker 1: These quarterbacks you've had Tony Romo and now Dak Prescott
Speaker 1: that have been blocked for by both Tyrn Smith and
Speaker 1: Zach Martin, and they've both been leading quarterbacks in the NFL,
Speaker 1: So I think they deserve a little bit of credit
Speaker 1: for that as well. But we're gonna move on here,
Speaker 1: and I've got a quick little game that I want
Speaker 1: to play with you guys before we take our first break.
Speaker 1: And I've got four positions here, and we can take
Speaker 1: as long or not on each one of these positions.
Speaker 1: It could be really quick, but I want to do
Speaker 1: a trending up and trending down, and basically, over the
Speaker 1: course of the ops, we've talked about the respective moves
Speaker 1: that the Cowboys have made. We've talked about some of
Speaker 1: the additions that they've had on both sides of the football.
Speaker 1: But we're getting into the point where now we're potentially
Speaker 1: getting into offseason programs depending on when everything plays out
Speaker 1: with COVID nineteen and the pandemic. And then also not
Speaker 1: to mention, the NFL Draft is just over two weeks away,
Speaker 1: so we're gonna see a lot of talent added to
Speaker 1: this roster before we even really get into practices. So
Speaker 1: I've got four positions trending up, trending down, and I
Speaker 1: want each of your opinions on this. We're gonna start
Speaker 1: with the offensive side of the ball and tight end.
Speaker 1: We've just been mentioned Jason Witton at the moment, he
Speaker 1: has been lost and he will leave the Dallas Cowboys
Speaker 1: as opposed to adding Blake Bell. Is this a trending
Speaker 1: up or a trending down for the tight end position?
Speaker 1: And I'm talking about the position as a whole, because
Speaker 1: you've got to kind of give in and give that
Speaker 1: opportunity to Blake Jarwin. Is tight end one? Now, Yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna say. I'm gonna say trending up, especially with
Speaker 1: the aition of Blake Bell. We talked about him last
Speaker 1: week and just what he's going to do for the
Speaker 1: Cowboys in the blocking, in the blocking scheme, and so
Speaker 1: I think that was a quality addition. I don't think
Speaker 1: the Cowboys are finished adding depth to the tight end position.
Speaker 1: I know that it's going to be very competitive behind
Speaker 1: the kind Blake Jarwin, you know, just knowing that they
Speaker 1: want to make sure that they have, you know, at
Speaker 1: every position, but especially at tight end. They solidify those
Speaker 1: guys that can do a lot of different things, not
Speaker 1: only block, but also catch, and so Blake Bell again,
Speaker 1: that's we're gonna say we're trending up because of the
Speaker 1: additional Bell. I agree, at the very least, this is
Speaker 1: adding some competition that we haven't seen at this position
Speaker 1: in the last couple of years because Jason Wenton has
Speaker 1: been there and he's held that spot. He's been the starter,
Speaker 1: and I think this is exciting from Blake Jarwin to
Speaker 1: kind of step into that front runner spot while still
Speaker 1: getting some competition in this position that we haven't seen
Speaker 1: in a couple of years. I'm gonna say trending down
Speaker 1: at the moment, what they chance to trend up. We
Speaker 1: have not seen Blake Jarwin with this mini snaps and
Speaker 1: you can argue that he should have had a lot more,
Speaker 1: but with young players sometimes they thrive in a certain
Speaker 1: amount of plays and you don't want to give them
Speaker 1: too much. I think he's got a chance in his
Speaker 1: career to grow and become a starter, but we just
Speaker 1: haven't seen it. And just to me, I know Jason
Speaker 1: Witten was thirty seven. I know that he's lost some
Speaker 1: of the things that he could do after the catch
Speaker 1: and just explosiveness that just comes with age, but losing
Speaker 1: him both as a locker room presence and what he
Speaker 1: could still do for you in situations underneath routes things
Speaker 1: like that. I think that's gonna be missed as well
Speaker 1: as the blocking, and we just we haven't seen Blake
Speaker 1: Bell do it. We haven't seen Blake Jarwin do it yet.
Speaker 1: So until I see it on the field, I'll say
Speaker 1: without Witten right now, trending down. But obviously they like
Speaker 1: Jarwin's potential and I think he's got potential and talent,
Speaker 1: so there's a chance to trend up here. And I
Speaker 1: think that's a great on Rob's part because if you
Speaker 1: talk about Blake Jarwin last year, he wasn't a starter. Yes,
Speaker 1: because Jason Witten has that ten year and he has
Speaker 1: that experience around him. But it's also because Jarwin was
Speaker 1: a little bit of a liability in the blocking game,
Speaker 1: and so now and if you're talking about yards after catching,
Speaker 1: you're talking about experience in terms of explosiveness in terms
Speaker 1: of catching the football. I think you are upgrading at
Speaker 1: the position, whether it's Blake Bell or Blake Jarwin. But
Speaker 1: I think overall you're gonna have to see exactly what
Speaker 1: Bell could bring to the blocking game. Maybe for the
Speaker 1: running game. It just kind of depends on what he's
Speaker 1: able to do. And if Blake Jarwin ends up blossoming
Speaker 1: into the type of receiving tight end that you think
Speaker 1: he could end up being moving forward, Let's move on
Speaker 1: to the defensive side of the ball, and I've got
Speaker 1: three positions here, most notably just because there's been more
Speaker 1: additions on that side of the football so far. But
Speaker 1: we'll start with corner. And this one is a little
Speaker 1: bit easier because you lost Byron Jones, you add Maurice Kennedy,
Speaker 1: and then you rese and Anthony Brown, so there's an
Speaker 1: added emphasis on corner. But I'm going to throw this
Speaker 1: in there to kind of make it different. Let's say
Speaker 1: they pick a corner at seventeen in the first round
Speaker 1: of their draft. Is there an upgrade there? Is it
Speaker 1: still a downgrade with Byron Jones leaving. I still think
Speaker 1: it's a trend down situation for now because you're younger
Speaker 1: and you're less experienced, and to your point, Kyle, at
Speaker 1: this point, you're trying to just tread water before the draft,
Speaker 1: you know. I think Kennedy is a guy that can
Speaker 1: step in and help you, especially on special teams. I
Speaker 1: think they feel good about that, and that's important to
Speaker 1: add a guy like that to help because that was
Speaker 1: a problem for them last year, especially in the coverage
Speaker 1: units and on field goals. But yeah, I mean losing
Speaker 1: Byron Jones it hurts. I think you can know what
Speaker 1: you can do with that is be able to spread
Speaker 1: out your money in different ways where that salary would
Speaker 1: have gone. So in the long run it can maybe
Speaker 1: help your depth overall. But you've got to find a
Speaker 1: way to fulfill that spot. Now. Maybe Jordan Lewis steps
Speaker 1: up and becomes more of a big time player for him.
Speaker 1: Maybe the coaching, maybe the change in the coaching with
Speaker 1: the secondary coaching, can help. But they've got to find
Speaker 1: a way to create more turnovers. I know, Byron Jones
Speaker 1: that was a knock on him for that, but he
Speaker 1: was their best corner the most productive player, most consistent guy,
Speaker 1: and they haven't they have yet to for sure fill
Speaker 1: that role. Yeah, I'm gonna agree with everything Rob just said.
Speaker 1: For me, this is still trending downward. I think a
Speaker 1: big part of it, for the reason it could move
Speaker 1: upwards is depending on who they draft. I mean, the
Speaker 1: Cowboys struggled with interceptions, but more in that, like Rob
Speaker 1: just said, Byron Jones, it was his coverage. Teams didn't
Speaker 1: even want to throw to him, and that's a huge
Speaker 1: loss at cornerback. And so I just I don't know
Speaker 1: how confident I feel quite yet that we the Cowboys
Speaker 1: have someone who can replace Jones in his production level
Speaker 1: quite yet. Yeah, we're all in agrance on this. I
Speaker 1: feel like that the cornerback position we have not there's
Speaker 1: so many intangibles. Basically, the guys did not prove that
Speaker 1: would I mean, and then you take Jones out of
Speaker 1: the equation and with the younger guys, I just don't
Speaker 1: feel comfortable with him. I don't trust what we've done,
Speaker 1: even in free agency at Kennedy like you said, is
Speaker 1: more of a special teams addition than anything else. We
Speaker 1: have to approach the draft with trying to get that
Speaker 1: get that cornerback or get that that Yeah, to get
Speaker 1: that cornerback that we know that we can trust. On
Speaker 1: one side of the ball. Are still in free agency,
Speaker 1: get that cornerback that we know that we can trust,
Speaker 1: and let the other guys do that thing in nickel
Speaker 1: and dime packages. But right now we that's one of
Speaker 1: our weaker areas when you start looking at where we
Speaker 1: are and hypothetically, if the season started today, these guys
Speaker 1: would be starting that that would be you know, these
Speaker 1: guys would be what we would have. And you know,
Speaker 1: I don't know how I trust a rookie coming into
Speaker 1: a guy we try we get a cornerback in the
Speaker 1: in the draft, I don't trust it. It doesn't matter
Speaker 1: if he's played into the SEC Big twelve, no matter what.
Speaker 1: The NFL level is going to be completely different and
Speaker 1: one of the any of those deficiencies that the new
Speaker 1: guys come in with, they're gonna be picked apart. So again,
Speaker 1: I think we still have to try to solidify the
Speaker 1: cornerback position with a veteran even if we do go
Speaker 1: in and get a guy in the draft, which I'm
Speaker 1: sure we will. Yeah, I think you know that's go ahead,
Speaker 1: go for it. Rob. Well, it's a good point, by heck,
Speaker 1: because I'm trying to think back of to young corners
Speaker 1: that the Cowboys have drafted and have they had immediate impacts.
Speaker 1: And I mean my first year cover in this team,
Speaker 1: Terrace Newman, was pretty good. He was a top five pick,
Speaker 1: I believe, but you know, when they drafted Cheeto and
Speaker 1: Jordan and Xavier Woods, it took him a little time.
Speaker 1: You know, it took him towards the end of the
Speaker 1: season to get playing time. And I think they kind
Speaker 1: of took ownership of that secondary the last month of
Speaker 1: the season. But obviously that was there was a progression
Speaker 1: and then needed to take place. And you're right about
Speaker 1: the next the next level there. So, but I do
Speaker 1: fully expect them to address this position in the draft.
Speaker 1: If they don't, I'd be really surprised, and they'll probably
Speaker 1: get a good player that can help them out. But
Speaker 1: right off the bat, it's it's it's hard to say
Speaker 1: that they're going to be, you know, markedly better or
Speaker 1: the same level that they were last year. But when
Speaker 1: you're addressing the pass rush in the front seven like
Speaker 1: they're doing in the last week or two, maybe that's
Speaker 1: that's the way to offset it a little bit. I
Speaker 1: think it does offset it. But I still think going
Speaker 1: into the draft and covering this team and covering the
Speaker 1: draft at the same time, I don't really see a
Speaker 1: scenario where they don't take multiple corners. I think they're
Speaker 1: gonna double dip at the corner spot, just solely based
Speaker 1: on the contract situation. I mean, you've got Cheeto and
Speaker 1: Jordan Lewis both up after next year. There's a lot
Speaker 1: of holes, and then that cornerback room whenever you talk
Speaker 1: about moving forward, especially even past twenty twenties, So sticking
Speaker 1: with a secondary, let's go to safety. And this one's
Speaker 1: a little bit interesting because I think he could go
Speaker 1: either way. You lost Jeff Heath, you add Haha Clinton Dix,
Speaker 1: and now Xavier Woods is also back in that secondary
Speaker 1: as well. But is this a trend up for trend
Speaker 1: down for safety overall? And this is before the draft,
Speaker 1: without any draft picks even being mentioned. I think I'm
Speaker 1: going more trending down right now. I think Jeff he
Speaker 1: I know, I think I just think Jeff Heath was
Speaker 1: a really good tackler and the goat. He was the goat, right,
Speaker 1: I mean, all right, David h Yeah, right, though he
Speaker 1: was a gun. I mean still to the leadership. I mean,
Speaker 1: he was one of the captains, and he's been here
Speaker 1: for so long, and I just I don't know that haha.
Speaker 1: Clinton Dix is as strong of a tackler for people
Speaker 1: that are watching. I know, Bucky Brooks is our new
Speaker 1: staff rider who was a scout, wrote something really good
Speaker 1: about kind of an assessing haha, Clinton Dix's play, And
Speaker 1: I just don't know that this has really increased their
Speaker 1: depth a's safety enough after Jeff Heath. Yeah, I'm gonna
Speaker 1: say trending up for the safety position. I mean, how
Speaker 1: Clinton Dix over Jeff Heath, I think is for me
Speaker 1: as a no brainer as far as an upgrade at
Speaker 1: the position, I think his range that Clinton Dix has,
Speaker 1: I mean that I believe that that's that's going to
Speaker 1: be a parent immediately. As far as the athleticism that
Speaker 1: Clinton Dix is gonna bring to that defense and so there,
Speaker 1: I mean the strong safety Xavier Woods, all of that.
Speaker 1: I think that the combination of that boat, I think
Speaker 1: both of them together, it will be an upgrade for
Speaker 1: the Cowboys. I'm with Heck, I'll say trending up, and
Speaker 1: that's not a knock on the goat man because I
Speaker 1: think he was under And then I'm not knocking the
Speaker 1: goat either. Rob. Yeah, I know, I know. I mean
Speaker 1: I think he was underrated in Dallas. I think I
Speaker 1: think fans gave him too much crap for some certain
Speaker 1: plays that happened. But I think they'll miss him, especially
Speaker 1: on special teams. And to Danny's point, I mean he
Speaker 1: was solid in certain areas, that no question. But I
Speaker 1: don't think Haha is just a box safety. From what
Speaker 1: I've watched of him, I think he does have range.
Speaker 1: I think he's got twelve career picks. They need more
Speaker 1: of that. They need more of guys ball hawking, trying
Speaker 1: to get turnovers. And obviously I think McCarthy knowing him
Speaker 1: will help maybe put him in the right spots to
Speaker 1: be successful. I like this pick up a lot. I
Speaker 1: think so as well. I mean it's in a low
Speaker 1: risk scenario. I mean it's one year, four million dollars
Speaker 1: and then at the same time you look at you
Speaker 1: look at on tape he's versatile. He's a little bit
Speaker 1: more of a guy you could throw back as a
Speaker 1: free safety if you really wanted to. As a veteran
Speaker 1: in the league. He also could bring some experience to
Speaker 1: a young secondary with Cheeto and Jordan and Woods and
Speaker 1: everybody there. But also, I'm a little bit worried, and
Speaker 1: I see where Danny's coming from saying trending down just
Speaker 1: because on tape it looks like, ha Clinton Dix has
Speaker 1: a couple of moments where he's a little afraid tackle
Speaker 1: and I don't think Jeff he Feather had ever had
Speaker 1: that issue. It was more of overselling than underselling. So uh,
Speaker 1: it's it's interesting. I would probably at the moment stick
Speaker 1: with trending up, but I it's teetering right on that edge,
Speaker 1: and I think it could go either way. Okay, final one,
Speaker 1: before we take our first break, defensive line, and I'm
Speaker 1: gonna lump in edge rushers and defensive tackles together because
Speaker 1: they've added Alden Smith, Dontaripo, Gerald McCoy and at the
Speaker 1: moment they've lost Michael Bidet, Robert Quinn, MALIEK. Collins. Is
Speaker 1: this a trending up or trending down? On the defensive line.
Speaker 1: Oh that's not fair. It's tough. This is this is
Speaker 1: by far the one that i've fair because it's too
Speaker 1: answers that defensive tackle, you have your trending up, you've
Speaker 1: got bigger guys, which I think goes more to the
Speaker 1: new coaching statue though, But then so I think defensive
Speaker 1: tackle would be trending up and defensive end is way down.
Speaker 1: I mean, you lost Robert Quinna free agency. It's like
Speaker 1: all the way at the bottom. You lost Robert Quinna
Speaker 1: free agency, who was the team sack leader last year.
Speaker 1: And so we still don't know what's going to happen
Speaker 1: with Tyrone Crawford. He had two hip surgeries, so we
Speaker 1: don't know what his production level is going to be.
Speaker 1: We don't know if Randy Gregory is going to be reinstated.
Speaker 1: He didn't play last year. And the Cowboys just signed
Speaker 1: Alton Smith who hasn't played in four seasons, who also
Speaker 1: has not been reinstated, and he was great when he
Speaker 1: was playing, and he played with Jim Tomsula in San Francisco.
Speaker 1: The Cowboys need defensive line coach, But I don't know
Speaker 1: how you don't miss a beat when you haven't played
Speaker 1: him so long, and I think that right side, Okay,
Speaker 1: I've come to my answer, Kyle, I think that right
Speaker 1: side is still so much of a loss that it
Speaker 1: is overpowering what you have gained at tackle. So for me,
Speaker 1: defensive line is trending down. I came to my answer.
Speaker 1: There you go. See it's fair, Rob. You want me
Speaker 1: to go go ahead? Heck, all right, so I can
Speaker 1: see it. Look, I'm gonna say trending up. And the
Speaker 1: reason I say trending up obviously done. Terry Poe, Jerald
Speaker 1: McCoy's this is no Brandon. We still have Tank Lawrence,
Speaker 1: all right. I mean I said this a couple of
Speaker 1: weeks ago. Man, he was long ranger with no Tonto
Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago, and now he's got a
Speaker 1: few of them now. Um the alder Smith edition, and
Speaker 1: even with the questions with Crawford, Um, look, I just
Speaker 1: feel like, honestly, Aldon Smith is going to be a
Speaker 1: player that you're gonna rotate. He's not gonna be your
Speaker 1: guy that's gonna be in there. Every player and this
Speaker 1: and this whole defensive line is defensive front has got.
Speaker 1: These guys are gonna have limited snaps, Uh, it's true.
Speaker 1: I mean, if you have someone that's you know, you'd
Speaker 1: have to be sleeping under rock to not know some
Speaker 1: of the struggles that Aldon Smith has had. But if
Speaker 1: you watched him coming out of Missouri and the career
Speaker 1: that his college career he had in his first two
Speaker 1: years in San Francisco, the kid was all world. I mean,
Speaker 1: and you know, look guy, he's had his struggles. We've
Speaker 1: seen what has happened. But this contract that he's gotten,
Speaker 1: I mean, this could be a great redemption story for
Speaker 1: Aldon Smith. I mean, but he's gonna have to prove it.
Speaker 1: Everything that's in his contract is saying that he doesn't
Speaker 1: have nothing. He's not gonna get anything easy. I mean,
Speaker 1: if he spills a cup of coffee at the start,
Speaker 1: he may get cut. I don't know. I'm just telling
Speaker 1: you that this is a situation where, you know, and
Speaker 1: a lot of people have opinions about this signing. I mean,
Speaker 1: there are a lot of nay says, a lot of
Speaker 1: people that don't believe that Alder Smith should have been
Speaker 1: given this second chance. But I really look at the
Speaker 1: totality and seeing that look a guy like him, and
Speaker 1: you know that just knowing based off of this edition
Speaker 1: that the Cowboys are going to play that inverted four
Speaker 1: three three four defense. Alder Smith in that bicycle stands
Speaker 1: coming from the outside, being able to spell either Tank
Speaker 1: Lawrence or on the right side. He's gonna give us
Speaker 1: some reps if he can give us. If Alder Smith
Speaker 1: can be seventy percent of what he was four years ago,
Speaker 1: it's going to work out perfectly for the Cowboys, and
Speaker 1: he's going to be a guy that's going to be
Speaker 1: able to help these other guys implement this new system.
Speaker 1: I just don't even know how nobody. Nobody really does.
Speaker 1: And so that's the thing. I mean, there are guys.
Speaker 1: Even when we start talking about Randy Gregory, you talk
Speaker 1: about the games that Randy Gregory has played and then
Speaker 1: the suspensions. A lot of people are more more and
Speaker 1: they're anticipating Randy Gregory over this and over the Alden
Speaker 1: Smith signing. But it's probably one A, one B. Because
Speaker 1: of the talent that Alvin Smith has, you definitely have
Speaker 1: to be more excited about him as a player as
Speaker 1: well if you're excited about Randy Gregory. It's an interesting signing.
Speaker 1: We've seen them makeup signing like this before in the
Speaker 1: past with guys that about off the field issues, and
Speaker 1: they've had mixed results with it. But it's unfair. I
Speaker 1: think heck to to lump guys all together, you know.
Speaker 1: I think Alden's Smith's case is his own case, his
Speaker 1: own situation that he's had in the past, and I
Speaker 1: think it does help having Jim Tomsula here because the Cowboys,
Speaker 1: unlike moves they've made in the past with guys that
Speaker 1: have had some baggage, they they know him, they know
Speaker 1: him personally, and they know his story, and I think
Speaker 1: that helps. And the other thing is Rob Davis, the
Speaker 1: assistant head coach that they've hired interesting higher because he's
Speaker 1: not an XS and o's coach. He's a player developmental
Speaker 1: guy and Mike McCarthy trust and I think that's that's
Speaker 1: a really interesting hire. The Cowboys also have their own
Speaker 1: good people in that role that will be helpful for
Speaker 1: Randy Gregory Alvin Smith if they get reinstated. So there
Speaker 1: are question marks, and that's why I'm tempted to say
Speaker 1: it's trending down because you're to Danny's point, I mean,
Speaker 1: you're losing a guy that got you eleven and a
Speaker 1: half sacks last year and you really haven't replaced that.
Speaker 1: If Tyrone Crawford comes back healthy, you know, I'm such
Speaker 1: a fan of his versatility, I feel a lot better.
Speaker 1: I do think they're trending up from where they were
Speaker 1: three weeks ago, but there still are question marks, and
Speaker 1: I think it may it may take having more of
Speaker 1: a middle rush rush up the middle with the guys
Speaker 1: that they've aired in McCoy and Poe. Can they help
Speaker 1: the pass rush that way from flushing quarterbacks out of
Speaker 1: the pocket from that middle rush. Yeah, And we've talked
Speaker 1: about the size inside trying to stop the run. But
Speaker 1: I will say Carolinas struggled against the run last year.
Speaker 1: I'm not saying that's all on those two guys, but
Speaker 1: there were some some problems in Carolina's run defense. So
Speaker 1: I mean, there just are enough question marks to make
Speaker 1: you feel like it's trending downward. If everything falls into place,
Speaker 1: I think we might see a real trending up situation.
Speaker 1: Because I know to x point and what people have
Speaker 1: said in the media, they're calling Alvin Smith it's like
Speaker 1: a It's like a lottery ticket. If he comes back
Speaker 1: and he's he's what he was five years ago on
Speaker 1: no guarantee type salary. Man, you really might have something here. Oh,
Speaker 1: I'm so hopeful. Turn your point, Rob, if Tyrone Crawford's
Speaker 1: able to come back, if Ranny Gregory's able to come back, Kyle,
Speaker 1: you know a lot about this. There's a lot of
Speaker 1: really good pass rushers in this draft too, so I
Speaker 1: think there's a chance for this to really turn around.
Speaker 1: But if we're talking right now today, I would say
Speaker 1: trending down, but hopeful. I like that because, no doubt
Speaker 1: about it, there's depth that's being added, whether it's at
Speaker 1: the defensive tackle spot or pending the reinstatement of Randy
Speaker 1: Gregory and then Alvin Smith as well, so plenty to
Speaker 1: talk about. Whenever you talk about the defensive line, we've
Speaker 1: gone a little bit long. We're going to step aside,
Speaker 1: take our first break of the day. When we come back,
Speaker 1: we'll have a conversation about the NFL offseason. Of course,
Speaker 1: the draft now officially being all virtual, what does that
Speaker 1: mean for the Cowboys and moving forward? And talk about
Speaker 1: it next here on Talking Cowboys. I'm Jay Novachik, former
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Speaker 1: to Talk in Cowboys. Here we go straight into segment
Speaker 1: number two here on Talking Cowboys. Glad you're with us,
Speaker 1: Kyle Yeoman's heck Ma Harrison, Danny Serek and Rob Phillips
Speaker 1: here on this Tuesday morning. And of course the NFL
Speaker 1: Draft coming up, and it's all gonna be virtual, and well,
Speaker 1: you can go ahead and prepare for that all virtual
Speaker 1: draft guide because you're gonna need it more than ever.
Speaker 1: With a twenty twenty Dallas Cowboys Star magaz seeing Draft guide,
Speaker 1: over three hundred and twenty college players listed an exciting
Speaker 1: new look, the guide includes all the information and analysis
Speaker 1: that you need to cover the Cowboys and to keep
Speaker 1: up with the Cowboys doing the upcoming draft. You can
Speaker 1: go online get your digital copy for four ninety five
Speaker 1: right now, which is pretty crazy with writing from all
Speaker 1: of your favorite It's at Dallas Cowboys dot com. You
Speaker 1: can find more at Dallas Cowboys dot com, Forward Slash Star.
Speaker 1: So go check out the draft magazine. It's a ton
Speaker 1: of fun. I was reading through at this past weekend,
Speaker 1: so oh thanks, heck Mo, you're the best man. But
Speaker 1: talking about that draft, and there was news that broke
Speaker 1: yesterday that teams had been informed by the league and
Speaker 1: by the Commissioner that they should be able to or
Speaker 1: be ready to conduct their draft process fully virtual. So
Speaker 1: ultimately it makes it into your fantasy draft, which is
Speaker 1: like you having your fantasy draft with a bunch of buddies,
Speaker 1: except there's millions of dollars involved and you know, actually
Speaker 1: real lives and being changed in the moment. So it's
Speaker 1: a little bit different than your fantasy draft. But ultimately
Speaker 1: you're you're gonna be remote. You're gonna be making these
Speaker 1: pigs and Rob, we're gonna start with you just from
Speaker 1: being around this process before. Oh Rob, we lost Rob,
Speaker 1: So no, we're gonna start with heckma instead. How about
Speaker 1: this hecma. Looking at the NFL Draft overall, what is
Speaker 1: going to be so different about the fact that it's
Speaker 1: so virtual because you're not even gonna have war rooms,
Speaker 1: You're gonna have the war zooms to be around. Yeah. Well,
Speaker 1: I mean one of the ones all of that that
Speaker 1: NFL sent the email out about, you know, everyone being
Speaker 1: virtual for the draft. I immediately was thinking about the
Speaker 1: special that NFL Network did on our ESPN did on
Speaker 1: Mike McCarthy and his year off from football and basically
Speaker 1: he and his guys getting together and basically doing everything
Speaker 1: from a virtual standpoint. I think that's a strong suit
Speaker 1: for him and his guys because they've kind of already
Speaker 1: lived in that world. But it's gonna come down when
Speaker 1: you start looking at across the NFL. You're really it's
Speaker 1: gonna be a telltale sign about those gems and scouting
Speaker 1: departments that don't have that synergy, that are not together
Speaker 1: on their draft picks. They're they're struggling right now because
Speaker 1: there may be from one through ten so things that
Speaker 1: happen that may completely shake up the draft because of
Speaker 1: this whole virtual world that we're in. And so, I mean,
Speaker 1: it's a it's a new world. And I know that
Speaker 1: for guys that have not been used to being able
Speaker 1: to go out and see these guys, like all the
Speaker 1: pro days were canceled. I mean you talk about, you know,
Speaker 1: guys that underperformed because they were nervous at the combine
Speaker 1: and not able to kind of reassert themselves in their
Speaker 1: pro day, and everything kind of being you know, virtual,
Speaker 1: everyone going on and skiping and it's like the swipe
Speaker 1: to the left kind of technology system that the coaches
Speaker 1: are having to use in order to find players. Now,
Speaker 1: I really think this is going to be a very
Speaker 1: interesting ride come Draft Day. I think the ramifications of
Speaker 1: all of this have already started. I mean, hecknet you
Speaker 1: just mentioned that the scouts have not been able to
Speaker 1: have pro days. They haven't been able to have these
Speaker 1: visits at the facilities, and not only players who might
Speaker 1: have been a little nervous at the Senior Bowl or
Speaker 1: the Combine, but what about those players who weren't even
Speaker 1: invited to either of them, who were really looking forward
Speaker 1: to these pro days. I mean, this is really just
Speaker 1: going to put the Scouting department making sure that they
Speaker 1: have been doing their work all year, really focusing on
Speaker 1: the film, and just having to overcommunicate about what they
Speaker 1: have seen from this point on. And we've already seen
Speaker 1: on the Dallas Cowboys social media that they are conducting
Speaker 1: some interviews over like video calls on their computer. When
Speaker 1: it cuts to the draft specifically, I think about all
Speaker 1: the logistics. I think about someone's computer freezing or their
Speaker 1: internet not working, or when they're having to get on
Speaker 1: the phone to offer trades and figuring things out. And
Speaker 1: you've got twenty people in a war room. You can
Speaker 1: see when someone's talking, but then what if there's a
Speaker 1: lag and then every one's talking over each other. I
Speaker 1: just I worry that not even for the Cowboys, but
Speaker 1: for every team, it's just going to be a bunch
Speaker 1: of chaos. So I'm sure having these video conferences that
Speaker 1: the Scouting Department is doing with the coaching staff or
Speaker 1: these interviews is also kind of helping them figure out
Speaker 1: a little bit of like chemistry on these video calls.
Speaker 1: But it's also just really sad. I mean, I love
Speaker 1: seeing the emotions on the family members when these players
Speaker 1: get called and you watch them walk up to the stage,
Speaker 1: and it's just it's really sad that. I mean, it
Speaker 1: makes sense, there's really nothing that can be done otherwise,
Speaker 1: but it does make me sad that these rookies will
Speaker 1: have that experience kind of taken from them. Yeah, Danny,
Speaker 1: you're spot on with that when you say it. I mean,
Speaker 1: because I've been watching the draft for so long when
Speaker 1: it's in Radio City Music Hall and you see these
Speaker 1: guys and their family members are all huddled around them,
Speaker 1: and it's just an exciting moment for me as a
Speaker 1: guy that this just loves football. No that guys' lives
Speaker 1: have been forever changed by being drafted, and I love
Speaker 1: seeing that. I love seeing the reactions from sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers,
Speaker 1: you know, and it's exciting. But I also think that,
Speaker 1: you know, this is the greatest league in the world,
Speaker 1: and the NFL is going to find a way to
Speaker 1: make this, you know, as intimate as it has been
Speaker 1: all of these years, with the families now being in
Speaker 1: their home setting and being with their loved ones and
Speaker 1: being able to still enjoy it. Like you said, all
Speaker 1: of this is going to be reliant on technology and
Speaker 1: just with the new world that we live in. Look, guys,
Speaker 1: this show has been changed. I'm in my living room,
Speaker 1: you know, doing so everyone's trying to adjust, and I
Speaker 1: think for the greater good, we understand why this is happening.
Speaker 1: And this is probably one of the you know, probably
Speaker 1: the most unique draft scenario that we've ever situation that
Speaker 1: we've ever seen. But I know that guys are still
Speaker 1: going to be excited. But you talk about the general
Speaker 1: managers and the scouting departments, these guys are gonna have
Speaker 1: to be on the same page and making these decisions
Speaker 1: in real time no matter what. And so yeah, if
Speaker 1: someone's feed, I mean, you gotta know that. You know,
Speaker 1: AT and T is gonna have the broad band going
Speaker 1: directly to Jerry and everybody else. But the Cowboys are
Speaker 1: not gonna have any problem with our feed. We're gonna
Speaker 1: make sure that we get that taking. I don't know
Speaker 1: about everybody else, but we're gonna be fine with our internet.
Speaker 1: But that's a shameless plug for a T ANDT. But guys,
Speaker 1: it's just it's just one of those things. This is
Speaker 1: a new reality that we live in. And so again
Speaker 1: I think that the divide is going to happen with
Speaker 1: those general managers and scouting departments that may not be
Speaker 1: on the same play page, and coaching staffs that may
Speaker 1: not be on the same page. We are blessed to
Speaker 1: have Will Will, Will McClay excuse me, boy, Will McClay
Speaker 1: uh and Stephen Jones. You know, these guys have been
Speaker 1: working together through countless you know, through these drafts, and
Speaker 1: they have they have they operate with the same mind.
Speaker 1: They know exactly what they want, and coach McCarthy is
Speaker 1: already voiced to these guys what it is that he's
Speaker 1: looking for. So even like you said, also, Danny, I'm
Speaker 1: skipping around because you made a great point about free
Speaker 1: agent signings, those pro days being canceled and teams going in.
Speaker 1: You may go in looking at one guy at a
Speaker 1: position and then you see a whole another guy you
Speaker 1: know that wasn't on your radar. So all of those
Speaker 1: things being said, a lot of these guys have had
Speaker 1: to do their home or double time to make sure
Speaker 1: they get it right well. And you even talk about
Speaker 1: a new coaching staff and the logistics being involved, kind
Speaker 1: of tying your two points together, Danny, you're talking about
Speaker 1: the logistics. I mean, as Mike McCarthy gonna have to
Speaker 1: click the rays the hand function on the video call
Speaker 1: in order to have his input with Jerry and Steve
Speaker 1: in there, like, are these legitimate things. It's funny to
Speaker 1: think about because you're gonna just have to click the
Speaker 1: little hand that's on the video call. But how much
Speaker 1: input are these coaching staff is gonna have because in
Speaker 1: the past, usually the scouting staff brings it to the table.
Speaker 1: And you've had picks that have been influenced by coaches.
Speaker 1: I mean we go back to last year with Tristan Hill.
Speaker 1: I mean that was a Rod Marinellie pick and it
Speaker 1: was his guy was who he wanted to snag. And
Speaker 1: you talk about the same thing this year. If your
Speaker 1: coaches have these guys, these scouting staffs have been around
Speaker 1: them much longer, they've seen him much more up close.
Speaker 1: And you guys mentioned the list a little bit earlier.
Speaker 1: There's three names that we know they've talked to Jalen
Speaker 1: Hurts and Zach Bond. So Jalen Hurts the quarterback from Oklahoma,
Speaker 1: Zach Bond the linebackers slash edge rusher from Wisconsin who
Speaker 1: they have posted videos of interviewing. And then I was
Speaker 1: confirmed on another sort that Denzel Mims, the wide receiver
Speaker 1: from Baylor, has had constant conversation with with the Dallas Cowboys.
Speaker 1: So there's only a couple of players that we know
Speaker 1: they've talked to. It's all a guessing game in terms
Speaker 1: of who they're going to end up taking, who they're
Speaker 1: looking at, what they're specifically trying to find, whether it
Speaker 1: comes to seventeen or even later in the draft. So
Speaker 1: I think that disconnect maybe there between the media and
Speaker 1: the Cowboys. But I'm worried that maybe there might be
Speaker 1: a little bit of a disconnect between the coaching staff
Speaker 1: being a new coaching staff, and also the front office
Speaker 1: as well. But also kind of keeping with this conversation,
Speaker 1: we've only got a couple more minutes before we need
Speaker 1: to take our second break. But one final question here
Speaker 1: and Rob is back. Thanks for rob Us, Glad you're
Speaker 1: back with us, buddy. As anything like y'all's the pre
Speaker 1: draft coverage of the draft coverage on draft weekend. The
Speaker 1: Cowboys are in trouble because video call. We can't have
Speaker 1: Jerry's WebEx going out on him, you know what I mean? Sorry,
Speaker 1: that would be rough. Now, this is a good question
Speaker 1: for Rob, honestly, because we're talking about this NFL off season,
Speaker 1: and yesterday was supposed to be the start of the
Speaker 1: off season programs for individual teams that have had new
Speaker 1: coaching staffs and new head coaches. Of course, Dallas Cowboys
Speaker 1: and Mike McCarthy would have been underway yesterday, but instead
Speaker 1: an email was sent out to the respective teams talking
Speaker 1: about the dead period and during this COVID nineteen virus,
Speaker 1: that players are not allowed at the club facility. Now,
Speaker 1: there are individual workouts that are being had, being led
Speaker 1: by personal trainers. There's still conversations and coaching that have
Speaker 1: been had. There's coaching or instructional voiceovers or audio content.
Speaker 1: You've got superimposed diagrams, schematics and written commentary that can
Speaker 1: be sent and discussed throughout these players and these coaching staffs.
Speaker 1: But it's kind of on pause. It's put the offseason
Speaker 1: on pause, and it takes that advantage away. Rob, what
Speaker 1: does this do for a new coaching staff, the fact
Speaker 1: that normally you would have this head start, but now
Speaker 1: it seems like that's been evaporating. It's stuff. It's stuff,
Speaker 1: and it's like you said, the NFL is trying to
Speaker 1: level the playing field for everybody, just like they are
Speaker 1: with the draft, because in the draft there may be
Speaker 1: certain pockets in the United States that don't have as
Speaker 1: many problems with COVID nineteen. But that's I guess it's
Speaker 1: a competitive advantage if you're allowed certain teams be back
Speaker 1: in their facility. So same thing here. I think according
Speaker 1: to that memo that was obtained by ESPN, it's you're
Speaker 1: calling it a phase zero before Phase one, which is
Speaker 1: usually just strength and conditioning work for each team. I
Speaker 1: agree with you. I mean, it's it's a tough situation
Speaker 1: for Mike McCarthy because he wants to hit the ground running.
Speaker 1: After that Phase one, you're able to do some on
Speaker 1: field work with your with your players, not on a
Speaker 1: separates basis, not offense versus defense. He's not able to
Speaker 1: do that. I think, you know, it's a disadvantage for
Speaker 1: any new coaching situation in the NFL, the teams having
Speaker 1: to wait for this to clear up, and hopefully it
Speaker 1: clears up as soon as possible. I think if it
Speaker 1: when this thing gets resolved and we're able to get
Speaker 1: back to work and and the Cowboys are able to
Speaker 1: get back into the Star, I assume that advantage goes
Speaker 1: away and every every team just hits the ground running
Speaker 1: at the same time, and you're going to try to
Speaker 1: pack in as much off offseason work as you can. Now.
Speaker 1: Remember the Cowboys are supposed to get if they choose
Speaker 1: to a second mini camp, but again, we just don't
Speaker 1: know how much time they potentially could have before the
Speaker 1: start of training camp. There's just so many unknowns right now.
Speaker 1: What's interesting to me and you know, when this is
Speaker 1: all over, and God for hopefully it's over as soon
Speaker 1: as possible. In the future, I wonder if the NFL
Speaker 1: might move towards, you know, pushing back the offseason or
Speaker 1: at least allowing a ramp up to training camp instead
Speaker 1: of this month off and then players who have been
Speaker 1: building towards training camp they don't have, you know, that
Speaker 1: five weeks away, and then they got to get back
Speaker 1: to work in pads. I think that's hard on players.
Speaker 1: Maybe that's going to be something that changes down the road.
Speaker 1: We'll see. But to answer your question, yeah, I think
Speaker 1: as a disadvantage for the Cowboys, especially having a new
Speaker 1: coaching staff. Yeah, the new normal, the new normal is changed.
Speaker 1: All of this is going to be put up for
Speaker 1: consideration how we do Ulta's mini camps leading into two
Speaker 1: of days as well. But the bummer for me, man,
Speaker 1: is that Dallas Day was canceled where you had your
Speaker 1: local guys, your guys from the Metroplex that would come
Speaker 1: in to you to the facility and get interviewed. I mean,
Speaker 1: and you talk about Texas being at high school hotbed
Speaker 1: and guys going on to play in college that are
Speaker 1: from the Metroplate, that metro plays that up dreamed of
Speaker 1: playing for the Dallas Cowboys. I read a story from
Speaker 1: Mike Fisher on one to five through the Fan outlining
Speaker 1: how they moved Connor Williams interview to that Dallas Day
Speaker 1: and so that he didn't feel up one of those
Speaker 1: other spots where they were having for visitation. Because again,
Speaker 1: guys everybody in the NFL get these visit get only
Speaker 1: so many visits from players, but they do have that
Speaker 1: Dallas Day, which is different for a lot of other
Speaker 1: cities because of the talent that we have right around here.
Speaker 1: So that's again, I think that's one of those things
Speaker 1: that's kind of a bummer because of what's going on
Speaker 1: with COVID nineteen. But Rob, you're absolutely correct, man, a
Speaker 1: lot is going to be changed and the NFL is
Speaker 1: going to have to be forward thinking from now on
Speaker 1: with the way that they schedule a lot of these
Speaker 1: many camps in even two days. That's you mentioned Connor Williams.
Speaker 1: I think Jay Agiu was a guy that they brought
Speaker 1: it on Dallas Day too, who could have easily been
Speaker 1: one of your national visits in the past. And you're
Speaker 1: right that those in person meetings are just they're just critical,
Speaker 1: you know, not only from a medical standpoint, but just
Speaker 1: to get to know guys better. It's just it's just hard.
Speaker 1: We're learning, it's hard to do things virtually, and I
Speaker 1: guess every team's dealing with it, but that's just the
Speaker 1: way it is. I do wonder with the draft if
Speaker 1: they're gonna maybe it's gonna be difficult, or maybe you're
Speaker 1: gonna see teams take less chances on guys with red flags,
Speaker 1: either where whether it's off the field or with medical checks.
Speaker 1: Maybe that's something where maybe you operate a little bit
Speaker 1: more cautiously in the draft this year and it could
Speaker 1: end up benefiting or hurting the Cowboys in that sense.
Speaker 1: Whenever you talk about some of the players that are available,
Speaker 1: Javon Kinlaw being a guy who's had some neat and
Speaker 1: the ninus issues at seventeen is one of those that
Speaker 1: is potentially in that conversation. But we'll continue this conversation.
Speaker 1: It's ever forming, ever changing really at the moment, much
Speaker 1: like a lot of things in our world nowadays. But
Speaker 1: we will continue talking about that later. But we're gonna
Speaker 1: step upside when we come back. We'll take a look
Speaker 1: at some of the trending topics that have surrounded the
Speaker 1: Cowboys over the past week and hit that up before
Speaker 1: we wrap up this edition of Talking Cowboys here on
Speaker 1: Dallas Cowboys dot com. Since eighteen sixty five, Stetson hats
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Speaker 1: in Cowboys. Final segment here on Talking Cowboys Kyle Yomen's,
Speaker 1: Danny Serek, HECKM. Harrison and Rob Phillips. And before we
Speaker 1: dive in on some of the trending topics, I want
Speaker 1: to tell you about main event virtual birthdays. Now, of course,
Speaker 1: this is being the sixtieth anniversary of the Dallas Cowboys.
Speaker 1: They've been celebrating and the party doesn't have to stop
Speaker 1: just because we're all virtual guys. It can continue on.
Speaker 1: And I know there are plenty of virtual birthdays out
Speaker 1: there coming up, one including myself. I'm gonna have a
Speaker 1: quarantine birthday coming up in the next couple of weeks,
Speaker 1: but like I said, i'll let you know, we'll have
Speaker 1: a zoom party or something, but we'll also celebrate with
Speaker 1: Main Event. They have on Instagram each day a birthday
Speaker 1: with me at two pm on their Instagram stories. They've
Speaker 1: got cakes and candles, happy birthday, everything that you need.
Speaker 1: So I'm absolutely going to hit up Main Event. So
Speaker 1: follow Main Event on Instagram, tune into their live story
Speaker 1: every day at two o'clock Central time each day to
Speaker 1: celebrate with the other ones that are also having birthdays,
Speaker 1: and then specific day. So Main Event virtual Birthdays doing
Speaker 1: a really cool thing kind of celebrating even those who
Speaker 1: have some Quarantine birthdays coming up. So I'm going to
Speaker 1: take advantage of that whenever that day comes around. But
Speaker 1: we've got about five minutes left here, and there's some
Speaker 1: topics that happened over the past week that we need
Speaker 1: to talk about. And this first one, I don't want
Speaker 1: to put a ton or originally I didn't want to
Speaker 1: put a ton of information behind just because I thought
Speaker 1: it was kind of not an okay thing. It was
Speaker 1: just kind of annoying to me honestly on a personal level,
Speaker 1: because Rex Ryan against Amari Cooper this past week on ESPN,
Speaker 1: came out and talked about Amari Cooper about how he
Speaker 1: had kind of quit on the team, how he was
Speaker 1: a disappearing act throughout some names as well. But I
Speaker 1: wanted to kind of get your opinions on this, guys,
Speaker 1: because I've personally thought it was just kind of it
Speaker 1: was a little bit out there for me to really
Speaker 1: kind of put some substance behind it, but I wanted
Speaker 1: to get your opinion on what Rex Ryan ended up
Speaker 1: saying and how you think Amari should respond this. I
Speaker 1: was not a fan of this. I don't think many
Speaker 1: people are even non Cowboys fans were a fan of this.
Speaker 1: I know we don't have a lot of time, so
Speaker 1: I'm not going to go into a long rant about this,
Speaker 1: but basically Rex was going after Amari's character. It's you know,
Speaker 1: I think it's one thing if you go and you say,
Speaker 1: look where was he on the road this year? He
Speaker 1: wasn't performing as well as he has in years past,
Speaker 1: and that's true. He was playing through a ton of
Speaker 1: lower body injuries throughout the season. But to go after
Speaker 1: Amari Cooper's character was just wrong. And if anyone, I mean,
Speaker 1: I'm sure I'm speaking for all of us here. Amari
Speaker 1: Cooper is one of the most polite. He is one
Speaker 1: of the most well married professional people in that Cowboys
Speaker 1: locker room. Even after those games where he did not
Speaker 1: perform well, that the games where he would leave, he
Speaker 1: left the game after the first play, what was that
Speaker 1: the Jets game? I mean, every time he was in
Speaker 1: the locker room, he was talking to the media and
Speaker 1: he was answering every question. And he is a very
Speaker 1: very smart person on and off the field. And so
Speaker 1: just for Rex Ryan to go after Omar's character was
Speaker 1: just so false from everything that I have at least
Speaker 1: experienced with him, and so I was just not a
Speaker 1: fan of going after him like that. Yeah well, hey, yeah, man,
Speaker 1: I just want to say, you know, Jim Levitt and
Speaker 1: Bob Stoops taught me at Kansas State, Man, you have
Speaker 1: to have thick skin, because man, in film sessions, you
Speaker 1: would get called everything except for a child of God.
Speaker 1: So these guys have grown up under scrutiny, you know,
Speaker 1: from coaches and everybody around in the community. And look, man,
Speaker 1: you have to take things in that proper context as well.
Speaker 1: I mean Rex Ryan is from the loans of Buddy
Speaker 1: Ryan and so look, the apple doesn't fall far from
Speaker 1: the tree. So I mean I expected for something like
Speaker 1: this and to come from Rex Ryan. I wasn't surprised.
Speaker 1: And man, when you talk about the new competitive atmosphere
Speaker 1: of sports broadcast and everyone is struggling for the ratings, ESPN, Fox,
Speaker 1: all of them, so they're trying to face You're trying
Speaker 1: to fight for headlines and get things to stream and
Speaker 1: go by, you know, things to go viral. And it
Speaker 1: worked for Rex Ryan. I mean they had four point
Speaker 1: three million views for him calling you know, Amark Cooper
Speaker 1: out of his name. But let me tell you something, Man,
Speaker 1: if Rex Ryan was a defensive coordinator in the NFL today,
Speaker 1: you know he'd do he would roll coverage towards the
Speaker 1: same guy that he's talking about, because Amari Cooper is
Speaker 1: an Apex Wilde receiver. I mean, there aren't a lot
Speaker 1: of guys that's over the top of Amark Cooper. And
Speaker 1: so Amark Cooper has played at a high level for
Speaker 1: a number of years. And you talk about a guy
Speaker 1: that handles everything with class, you know, and look when
Speaker 1: that whole thing came out about a mark. What Rex
Speaker 1: Ryan said. I envisioned Amark Cooper was shopping online for
Speaker 1: new turtlenecks. Man, he's not, you know. And I'm saying
Speaker 1: this because I'm telling you Amara Cooper stadium walk is mean.
Speaker 1: This guy has that. You know that those suits man
Speaker 1: made out of yoga material with it. Boy, I'm saying
Speaker 1: that he cleaned every time he walked to the stadium.
Speaker 1: So I don't care about any of that. Man every
Speaker 1: we know what we had with Amara Cooper, and you
Speaker 1: could call him whatever you want to, but call him
Speaker 1: a dog. Yeah. When I saw that he was Rex
Speaker 1: Ryan was trending on Twitter, I kind of rolled my
Speaker 1: eyes and thought, well, that's what he wanted. He wanted
Speaker 1: to trend and he did and he got it. He did,
Speaker 1: he did, he did, He did apologize, which was absolutely necessary.
Speaker 1: And look, I mean, Amari told us the day after
Speaker 1: the season ended, I need to be more consistent, and
Speaker 1: that's true. If you look at his home road splits
Speaker 1: last year, they're a mystery. You know. I think there
Speaker 1: were times when I watched him and I'm thinking he's
Speaker 1: not healthy. He's not he's not getting off the line
Speaker 1: of scrimmage. I'm just staring at him from the press boxes,
Speaker 1: watching him off the line of scrimmage, and there's not
Speaker 1: the burst that you're used to seeing. I think also,
Speaker 1: he just he wasn't as consistent as he needs to
Speaker 1: be for whatever reason. So there's some validity in terms
Speaker 1: of they need more out of him because he's such
Speaker 1: a good player, he's one of their best players. But yeah,
Speaker 1: it went way over the line, and I like, heck,
Speaker 1: I'm not surprised considering the source. But you still can't
Speaker 1: say things like that. You can criticize the players play,
Speaker 1: but you can't go over that line. But that's that's
Speaker 1: the world. That's where we live. Guys. Guys are trolling you.
Speaker 1: Things are happening all the time. And you know, for
Speaker 1: Rex Ryan it worked out perfectly. I mean you, it
Speaker 1: happens all the time when you're watching these these shows.
Speaker 1: These media guys are crossing the line with players calling
Speaker 1: them things, and look, man, it's it's uncalled for, right,
Speaker 1: But at the same time, it does not take away
Speaker 1: from the fact that Almari Cooper is special. He is special,
Speaker 1: and even Rex Ryan knows that if he was on
Speaker 1: the same field, it had guys on the same field.
Speaker 1: He wouldn't leave those guys man to man versus Almari Cooper.
Speaker 1: So he knows what his DNA is and it just
Speaker 1: taken in the proper text. He was talking about that
Speaker 1: everyone else receiving contracts besides Dak Prescott. That's what the
Speaker 1: whole premise in the question was asked to him. But
Speaker 1: at the same time, he had no right to say that. Well,
Speaker 1: speaking of he's gown up again, he's been I'm sorry
Speaker 1: he's been productive against top corners. That was not accurate.
Speaker 1: Howard from Miami slay against Detroit. He's been productive in
Speaker 1: that regard. I think what he was trying to say
Speaker 1: about being more productive on the road, I get that
Speaker 1: he's right about that, but you can't. You can't attack
Speaker 1: a guy's characters. Just ridiculous. Yes, by no means, and
Speaker 1: we're gonna we've got one topic and this is gonna
Speaker 1: be really quickly but also trending on Twitter. Dez Bryant
Speaker 1: working out with Dak Prescott. Now they've had three separate
Speaker 1: workouts together. The last one happening I believe yesterday or
Speaker 1: the day before, was including Ezekiel Elliott. Is there any
Speaker 1: real substance to this, is there a legitimacy behind Dak
Speaker 1: Prescott working out with Dez Bryant and then also reportedly
Speaker 1: Dak Prescott also saying that does looks really good. I
Speaker 1: don't know how much Cowboys fans need to look into this.
Speaker 1: I mean, they're all they're all friends, they all play together,
Speaker 1: they all live locally, and Dez is wanting to prove
Speaker 1: that he is in shape, and Dak and Zeke are
Speaker 1: wanting to stay in shape, and so I think it's
Speaker 1: more just they're working out for each other and I
Speaker 1: want to post him, you know, videos, so it's look
Speaker 1: how good he looks. Look. I've said before I have
Speaker 1: no problem bringing doesn't to see what he can do,
Speaker 1: bring him in for a workout. Do I think that
Speaker 1: that's a realistic option for the Cowboys after signing Amari
Speaker 1: Cooper liking what you've seen in Gallop, how much talent
Speaker 1: there is in this draft? No, but I don't. I
Speaker 1: think it's fun seeing them all, and I mean, this
Speaker 1: is the Cowboys, this is Dez Brian. Of course, any
Speaker 1: video of him within the six foot radius of him
Speaker 1: with another Cowboy is going to bring up this news.
Speaker 1: I don't don't. I don't think there's a there's much
Speaker 1: behind this. Yeah, I love seeing it. I love seeing it.
Speaker 1: I love the you know that needs was that's what's
Speaker 1: need to go viral is Dak throwing the Dez and
Speaker 1: you know, look, I agree with you Danny as well.
Speaker 1: It wouldn't be any harm and giving Daz an opportunity
Speaker 1: just to work out if he has any juice, anything
Speaker 1: left in the tank. You know, it would be another
Speaker 1: feel good story to see Dad finish his career as
Speaker 1: a Dallas Cowboys. I mean, man, he was as explosive
Speaker 1: as anybody. And just seeing him from the beginning of
Speaker 1: those videos coming out him showing him working out, you know,
Speaker 1: at first I was like, oh my god, Dad looks
Speaker 1: so slow, but you've seen the progression as it's going.
Speaker 1: He's just getting better and better and stronger in those routes.
Speaker 1: But again, he's running by himself. There's nobody standing in
Speaker 1: front of him giving him a bump or anything like that,
Speaker 1: so we really don't know the kind of shape he's
Speaker 1: in yet. I think Lanceloor in that group took out
Speaker 1: the pictures, so then yeah, I mean you can't I mean,
Speaker 1: you can't read that much into it. It is what
Speaker 1: it is. I love Daz. I hope, I hope he
Speaker 1: gets back in the NFL. If it's not here, it's
Speaker 1: somewhere else. I love his story all the way through
Speaker 1: his career with the Cowboys. But I think for the Cowboys,
Speaker 1: you've got to look at the draft right now and
Speaker 1: what could be available to you in the draft to
Speaker 1: help fill that slot roll that's that's your immediate need
Speaker 1: is who's going to replace Randall Cobb? And see what
Speaker 1: the draft presents and then take a look at other
Speaker 1: options if you don't like what winds up coming out
Speaker 1: of the draft. But I think that should be their
Speaker 1: focus right now. And you know, maybe Dez gets an
Speaker 1: opportunity closer to training camp if there's normal training camp
Speaker 1: and all that good stuff. Yeah, I will give Dez
Speaker 1: a little bit of credit because compared to the videos
Speaker 1: that he was posting three or four months ago, he
Speaker 1: does look better. He looks like he's a little bit
Speaker 1: more in shape and he's finding his rhythm. But I
Speaker 1: will say the one thing that stuck out to me
Speaker 1: out of the videos that we're on Twitter, it's the
Speaker 1: ball's popping out of Dak Prescott's hand. Why you see that. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: he's got some velocity on there. He's got a little
Speaker 1: extra mustard behind it, but that's gonna do it. Here
Speaker 1: for talking Cowboys, Thanks so much for joining us. Hopefully
Speaker 1: we were a solid distraction for you from your daily
Speaker 1: quarantine times, and hopefully you'll join us again next week.
Speaker 1: Shows throughout the week here on Dallas Cowboys dot Com.
Speaker 1: But for now, for Rob Phillis, for Danny Sarrakim, for
Speaker 1: heck Ma Harrison, I'm Kyle Yeoman's saying so long. We'll
Speaker 1: see you next week. This has been a production of
Speaker 1: Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.