WEBVTT - Talkin' Cowboys: Reasons For Optimism? 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:06.120 The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:17.520 and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. This He's Talking Cowboys 0:00:17.960 --> 0:00:21.280 Screaming live from the Dallas Cowboys World Head Hours at 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:32.559 the Star in Frisco. Elliott. Here are Mickey Spagnola, Brian Brats, 0:00:33.080 --> 0:00:37.519 Rob Phillips, and Bill Jones. It's a Tuesday here at 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:41.080 the Star in Frisco. It's a beautiful day to talk 0:00:41.120 --> 0:00:45.200 Cowboys football. As we turn the page and we start 0:00:45.280 --> 0:00:49.559 looking ahead towards the Detroit Lions this coming Sunday in Detroit. 0:00:49.640 --> 0:00:52.519 But we're also going to look back more at Sunday 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:56.120 night against the Minnesota Vikings. Bill Jones with Mickey Spagnola 0:00:56.440 --> 0:01:02.520 and Rob Phillips. Brian out today again and well, yes 0:01:03.000 --> 0:01:05.960 it's it's a chili outside, but it's not near as 0:01:05.959 --> 0:01:08.200 bad as what it was yesterday, even though the temperature 0:01:08.360 --> 0:01:11.839 is probably lowered today than yesterday. It's that wind chill 0:01:11.959 --> 0:01:16.040 factor that was it was horrible yesterday. And it's as 0:01:16.040 --> 0:01:19.760 cold in here in the SWBC Mortgage studios as it 0:01:19.840 --> 0:01:22.200 is outside. Kind of ice boxy in here, kind of 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:25.160 ice boxy. Yeah, let's warm it up, all right. We 0:01:25.240 --> 0:01:28.160 got some cowboys we got just the team to talk 0:01:28.160 --> 0:01:30.240 about to warm things up, and we'll open up the 0:01:30.240 --> 0:01:32.840 phone lines on this Tuesday. You can give us a 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:35.000 call at eight eight eight eight five five two two 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:39.040 nine seven. Get things off your chest as well. Watching 0:01:39.120 --> 0:01:43.400 Monday Night football last night, I did great game. That's 0:01:43.440 --> 0:01:46.679 two straight nights. We've had great games, yes, Sunday Night 0:01:46.760 --> 0:01:48.760 and then Monday Night. So you said you saw the 0:01:48.920 --> 0:01:52.120 rate the TV ratings for the Sunday night games, yep, 0:01:52.160 --> 0:01:55.680 and they were through the roof as expected or the 0:01:55.760 --> 0:01:58.520 year or anything like that. It was the most watched 0:01:58.560 --> 0:02:01.320 in DFW for a Cowboys game. I'm going to say 0:02:01.320 --> 0:02:03.760 that off the top of my head, and I'm not 0:02:03.920 --> 0:02:08.440 tracked this, but when you get numbers in the mid 0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:11.800 thirties around I think it peaked at like a thirty 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:15.919 five rating. Wow, that is that's up there, and so 0:02:16.560 --> 0:02:19.280 a lot of interest and it was an entertaining game. 0:02:19.840 --> 0:02:22.760 Cowboy fans didn't like the results of that entertaining game, 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:25.320 but there's a lot of people tuned in. Are we 0:02:25.360 --> 0:02:28.320 losing the fact that they played a good game and 0:02:28.440 --> 0:02:30.760 lost to a good team. Are we losing a little 0:02:30.760 --> 0:02:33.800 bit of that yeah? Or are we focused on the 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:37.359 fact too, maybe not too much, that they've played good 0:02:37.360 --> 0:02:40.160 teams and haven't had any really any success against really 0:02:40.160 --> 0:02:44.800 good teams this year. I mean, Jerry was very positive 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:50.640 and optimistic on his fan hit this morning, and you know, 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:54.000 Sean said it on the fan afterwards. I'm kind of 0:02:54.040 --> 0:02:57.560 expecting a little bit matter Jerry after losing that game, 0:02:57.600 --> 0:03:00.720 and obviously the questions about the play calling at the end. 0:03:00.760 --> 0:03:04.120 But that was a back and fourth game, and I 0:03:04.120 --> 0:03:08.680 think Jerry Jason brought it up. Nine possessions each. Both 0:03:08.680 --> 0:03:10.760 teams had opportunities, and it came down to a couple 0:03:11.200 --> 0:03:13.880 of plays. I know, when you lose, it's all right, 0:03:13.919 --> 0:03:16.959 whose fault it is and all that. It's a good game, 0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:19.680 good game between two good teams. They's two teams that 0:03:19.880 --> 0:03:24.000 scored on five of their first eight possessions of that game. Yeah, 0:03:24.120 --> 0:03:28.120 and one team got a touchdown, one more touchdown than 0:03:28.160 --> 0:03:29.680 the other team did, and then the other team got 0:03:29.720 --> 0:03:31.800 a field goal instead of that touchdown. Now there's the 0:03:31.800 --> 0:03:33.600 difference in the game. He surprised that Jerry was a 0:03:33.600 --> 0:03:36.120 little more optimistic than he expected. I told the guys 0:03:36.160 --> 0:03:38.440 when I went on after him that it was like 0:03:38.480 --> 0:03:41.520 a sword fight this morning. They would throw a sword 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:43.760 up here and Jerry would block it. They come up 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:45.680 with a sword over here, and Jerry came with a 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:49.080 backhand with his sword. So give us some highlights. Well, 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:51.080 I just think they thought he was going to be mad. 0:03:51.200 --> 0:03:56.160 And that's what they were about everything, right and again. 0:03:56.440 --> 0:03:59.800 And I've told these guys this, don't preface your question 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:02.760 with the fans want to know, or people want to know. 0:04:02.760 --> 0:04:05.320 What's what you want to know? So just ask the question. 0:04:05.600 --> 0:04:09.480 He doesn't mind it. He he actually embellishes when you 0:04:09.520 --> 0:04:13.280 ask him, or not embellishes, but likes a tough question 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:17.120 because he will have you an answer and he'll diffuse 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:20.120 it if he disagrees with you. It's like he said, 0:04:20.160 --> 0:04:21.920 he goes, yeah, let's go. He goes, you don't you 0:04:22.000 --> 0:04:24.880 want to bring pisson vinegar, let's go. We'll do it. 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:27.400 You know, I gotta love it, you know. And and 0:04:27.480 --> 0:04:29.960 he had a good answer for everything. It wasn't like 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:33.039 he was being Pollyanna or anything. He he just had 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:36.840 good answers to all the questions about you know, okay, 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:41.200 you call a play, and and uh, and if it 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:44.200 doesn't work, so why didn't it work? Did it not work? 0:04:44.240 --> 0:04:46.520 Because it was the wrong play or did something happen 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:50.480 within the execution of the play that caused it to happen? 0:04:50.880 --> 0:04:52.880 And I think you know, we both looked at the 0:04:52.920 --> 0:04:56.039 third and two play, Yeah, because Mickey fans want to 0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:58.359 know what happened on the third and twa. Yeah, I 0:04:58.360 --> 0:05:00.840 mean you know, And I'm not sure you know they 0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:03.279 called it an RPO. I don't think it was an RP. Oh. 0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:04.960 I think it was a read option. I think it 0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:07.479 was too because he would he if he had thrown 0:05:07.480 --> 0:05:12.120 a pass. Connor Williams was five yards downfield because so 0:05:12.160 --> 0:05:15.080 they were blocking for a run and his only other 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:17.720 option was to not hand off and go the other way, 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:20.800 as you don'tice when you tweeted me or text me 0:05:20.880 --> 0:05:23.360 last night. But I still think ninety nine would have 0:05:23.400 --> 0:05:28.839 stuffed him. Did Neil Hunter? Yeah? And actually on both 0:05:28.839 --> 0:05:31.160 a second and two and third and two they were 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:35.599 very similar right where zone reads where that I think 0:05:35.680 --> 0:05:39.320 had the option not hanned out off his eek and 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:41.560 And so I'm trying to remember in my own mind, 0:05:42.600 --> 0:05:46.480 which did Collins had Hunter on the third and two? 0:05:47.120 --> 0:05:52.040 Did Hunt? Hunter went left? Hunter was on Dak's right 0:05:52.360 --> 0:05:57.800 right left, and he penetrated He got he got in Connetrationum, 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:02.080 but it looked like Collins. Collins had him sealed. It 0:06:02.120 --> 0:06:04.640 looked like to me he would have had to cut inside, right. 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:07.400 He looked like, yeah, no, there was a guy. I 0:06:07.440 --> 0:06:10.840 thought there was a gap between Hunter and whoever the 0:06:10.880 --> 0:06:13.680 inside got the tackle was No, there was, But then 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:18.320 there was an Anthony Barr was standing about a yard 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:21.240 and a half beyond the first down where the first 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:23.159 down line would be, and so it was going to 0:06:23.240 --> 0:06:26.680 be a one on one can get to that line 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:29.120 and beat Anthony Barr there, and so there was It 0:06:29.160 --> 0:06:30.640 was not a given that he was going to get 0:06:30.640 --> 0:06:33.120 the first down, and in fact, I think on both 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:36.880 of those plays it was not a given. But especially Okay, 0:06:36.920 --> 0:06:39.200 so now you're looking at Okay, let's say he didn't 0:06:39.200 --> 0:06:41.800 get to the first first down line. He was going 0:06:41.839 --> 0:06:43.640 to get within a yard of the first down line, 0:06:43.640 --> 0:06:46.080 which changes the complexion of fourth down, and got a 0:06:46.120 --> 0:06:48.800 fourth and five. Yeah, you got fourth in less than 0:06:48.839 --> 0:06:52.000 a yard, right. So But but here's the other thing. 0:06:52.080 --> 0:06:54.279 And I know there's a lot of criticism about Jason 0:06:54.360 --> 0:06:58.040 Garrett as far as hell he's handling those questions about that, 0:06:58.320 --> 0:07:00.120 and I think I don't know if he alluded to 0:07:00.160 --> 0:07:03.680 an RPO on it or if he may have said RPO. 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:06.640 I don't think he said RPO. Zeke was the one 0:07:06.680 --> 0:07:09.760 that said, Okay, yeah, that's right. It was Zeke who 0:07:09.760 --> 0:07:13.360 said it's an RPO. All right. Here's my thinking on that. 0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:17.600 In any press conference setting, do fans really want their 0:07:17.640 --> 0:07:20.960 head coach to tell the world what they had designed 0:07:20.960 --> 0:07:24.360 on a play? Okay, the GiB was to Zeke, we 0:07:24.400 --> 0:07:27.200 can look at the tape and kind of surmise that 0:07:27.480 --> 0:07:29.400 it kind of looks like his own read there. But 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:32.480 do you want your head coach to be transparent and 0:07:32.600 --> 0:07:35.320 tell other teams in the league all the options that 0:07:35.360 --> 0:07:37.400 you had on that play, what we're thinking when we 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:39.800 get down in that situation next time. So Garrett gets 0:07:39.840 --> 0:07:43.320 criticized for his press conferences and being robotic in everything, 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:46.800 Why would you want your head coach to tell other 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:49.520 teams in the league what you're doing? Because they want 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:51.880 to know exactly, and the media wants to know. It's 0:07:51.880 --> 0:07:54.480 our job in the media to ask the questions. It's 0:07:54.520 --> 0:07:57.679 the coach's job not to answer the questions, in my opinion, 0:07:57.720 --> 0:08:00.600 and there's other ways to find out, right, there's other 0:08:00.640 --> 0:08:03.280 ways to find out. It's just like the punt you 0:08:03.280 --> 0:08:08.960 know with Tavon Austin. Oh, you go back and look 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:13.360 at that. Yeah, we froze it twelve times yesterday after launch. 0:08:13.520 --> 0:08:16.000 I made him come over and look at a lot 0:08:16.080 --> 0:08:18.520 of green grass, a lot of green grass in front 0:08:18.560 --> 0:08:22.160 of Tavon and and and Jason said there was not 0:08:22.440 --> 0:08:26.720 good communication to him on what they would have liked 0:08:26.760 --> 0:08:30.960 him to do. Now, mickey's your your impression from watching 0:08:31.040 --> 0:08:34.959 him afterwards or just through the play that he felt 0:08:34.960 --> 0:08:38.240 like he was fair catching it regardless. Yeah, because because 0:08:38.280 --> 0:08:40.760 when he got to the sideline, he was standing there 0:08:40.840 --> 0:08:44.720 next to Antoine Woods, and he was smiling, almost laughing. 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:48.160 I swear to god there looking at it. If you're 0:08:48.200 --> 0:08:51.560 watching alone, he was waving for a fair catch before 0:08:51.600 --> 0:08:54.440 the ball hit the guy's foot. Okay, I exaggerate, but 0:08:54.520 --> 0:08:58.599 that that left side man, look at this, if anybody's 0:08:58.640 --> 0:09:02.080 watching this right now, left side, there's one guy that 0:09:02.120 --> 0:09:04.559 would have gotten his way. And there was two blockers 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:06.360 there and I don't know where the punter is. The 0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:10.600 punter was probably behind. The Vikings did not have their gunners, 0:09:10.679 --> 0:09:16.160 and because they were, they were protecting against a block. Yeah. Yeah, 0:09:16.280 --> 0:09:18.200 they didn't, and they didn't try an all out block. 0:09:18.280 --> 0:09:21.320 The Cowboys didn't. They had guys back there to cover 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:23.760 the play. And I understand what the time left on 0:09:23.800 --> 0:09:26.080 the clock, and I was around twenty five seconds whatever 0:09:26.080 --> 0:09:28.920 it was. I understand. You do not want your punt 0:09:28.920 --> 0:09:33.000 returner running sideways east west and wasting time. And Jason 0:09:33.040 --> 0:09:35.600 said it in his press conference yesterday. You want him 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:39.599 going north south, and I and he I think he 0:09:39.679 --> 0:09:42.040 thought it was conveyed to the punt returner to go 0:09:42.120 --> 0:09:43.840 north south and get as much as you can. There 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:45.960 was an opportunity to go north south, and in this 0:09:46.000 --> 0:09:49.440 case it was west east. Yeah that's true. Yeah, yeah, 0:09:50.720 --> 0:09:55.320 Actually it was east to west. Or he was west, 0:09:55.360 --> 0:10:01.040 he would have been running never by it. But anyway, 0:10:01.200 --> 0:10:03.400 he I mean, he could have got to at least 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:08.480 I mean if it what if it took eight seconds 0:10:07.240 --> 0:10:14.320 the east, yes, so does it. Yeah. Look, I'm trying 0:10:14.360 --> 0:10:17.720 to replay. They're going towards that end of the stadium 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:20.880 where the sun shines through. I thought they weren't going 0:10:20.920 --> 0:10:25.840 the other way. No, no, no, no, that's right because 0:10:25.880 --> 0:10:28.079 it was on this Cowboys all right, I was right. 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:30.240 Now you continue where were you going? Keep going? Keep 0:10:30.280 --> 0:10:33.480 going on focus. But well you could talk to Mickey. 0:10:34.280 --> 0:10:36.720 It's like, even if it took even if it took 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:40.880 eight seconds to get where he was gonna go, you 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:43.200 would have still had time for two plays from no 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:46.440 less than thirty yard lines a play that you like 0:10:46.640 --> 0:10:50.720 more so, right, and if you ran the play to 0:10:50.840 --> 0:10:52.880 make up to make that yard and you're gonna use 0:10:52.960 --> 0:10:55.160 up about eight seconds too. I mean, it's gonna be 0:10:55.200 --> 0:10:57.880 faster if you're gonna run north south, it's gonna be 0:10:57.920 --> 0:11:00.880 faster to field the punt and run than it is 0:11:00.920 --> 0:11:05.440 to run a play and get that yardage. Yeah, that's 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:10.360 tough man watching that one back. But that's why, that's 0:11:10.360 --> 0:11:14.400 why what, that's why you don't bet on games. Okay, 0:11:14.480 --> 0:11:17.800 that was a prime example why you don't bet on games. Right, 0:11:18.840 --> 0:11:22.360 there's a lot of prime examples. Yeah, even last night. 0:11:22.600 --> 0:11:27.120 Yeah about the Monday night we were talking about coaching decisions. Okay, 0:11:27.640 --> 0:11:30.640 about the forty nine ers. They get the ball back 0:11:31.280 --> 0:11:34.520 Seattle has in overtime, Yeah, they get the ball back 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:37.920 in Seattle has no timeouts left. Okay, it was less 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:39.840 than two minutes left in the game. You're at your 0:11:39.880 --> 0:11:41.439 I remember what yard line. Let's say they're at the 0:11:41.480 --> 0:11:44.000 twenty five thirty yard line whatever, and they run three 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:47.480 pass plays, three incompletions and give the ball right back 0:11:47.480 --> 0:11:52.280 to Seattle. You in that situation, you're tied up, the 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:56.439 other team has no timeouts left. Your number one priority 0:11:56.640 --> 0:11:58.680 is make sure you get out of this game with 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:01.080 at least a tie. You're not going to give Russell 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:04.520 Wilson an opportunity with more. With a minute twenty left 0:12:04.559 --> 0:12:06.600 in the game, they gave the ball back to Seattle. 0:12:06.640 --> 0:12:09.200 They held the ball for like twenty seconds because they 0:12:09.240 --> 0:12:12.439 threw three incompletions and they gave him time to make 0:12:12.440 --> 0:12:16.240 a game winning drive. You have to run a running 0:12:16.280 --> 0:12:19.520 play and milk the clock down under a minute, and 0:12:19.559 --> 0:12:23.800 then you start trying to win the game, right, which 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:27.280 I heard people giving Gary Patterson grief for how he 0:12:27.400 --> 0:12:32.360 ended them. We just regulation game with thirty six seconds left. Okay, 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:36.120 Now we've switched to college football. Now DCU and Baylor 0:12:36.880 --> 0:12:39.040 overtime was there for those of you following a log 0:12:39.120 --> 0:12:42.920 at home somewhere, it was there. It was their argument, though, 0:12:42.960 --> 0:12:44.800 that they had the ball in their own twenty five 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:47.080 with thirty six seconds left in a tie game, and 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:50.400 they didn't try to go down and score, and he said, well, no, 0:12:50.480 --> 0:12:52.600 we're gonna go in the overtime. So it's just the 0:12:52.600 --> 0:12:55.959 opposite of what you said. But it was thirty six seconds, 0:12:57.280 --> 0:13:02.240 so anyway, you can't win. No, here's where I'm going 0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:08.520 face if if it doesn't work, it's a wrong decision. 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:13.120 Even if the you know, the logic says you're doing 0:13:13.160 --> 0:13:15.840 the right thing. But if it doesn't work on third 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:18.760 and two and second and two, it's the wrong decision. 0:13:19.040 --> 0:13:21.400 No one wants to go back to the previous possession 0:13:21.480 --> 0:13:24.120 when they passed the ball twice at the six yard 0:13:24.200 --> 0:13:28.400 line and it didn't work. Was that wrong? They ran 0:13:28.480 --> 0:13:32.040 the ball too many times. They're they're prisoners of their 0:13:32.120 --> 0:13:34.840 identity because they got to run the football. They threw 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:38.480 the ball almost fifty times in the game. You're gonna 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:43.079 throw sixty, that's what fans wanted. But you know, I 0:13:43.480 --> 0:13:45.960 do agree with the notion that you cannot You can't 0:13:45.960 --> 0:13:48.640 put your quarterback in that situation over and over and 0:13:48.679 --> 0:13:51.760 over again. You're not guaranteed to hit him Maari Cooper 0:13:51.800 --> 0:13:54.720 for a big game. Every time you drop back, and 0:13:54.960 --> 0:13:56.960 especially with a team that likes to blitz, you have 0:13:57.040 --> 0:13:59.680 to do something to keep them a little bit off balance. 0:13:59.760 --> 0:14:02.000 Now we can get into do they need to run 0:14:02.040 --> 0:14:05.040 as much on first down as they have because they 0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:07.000 didn't have success doing it for the most part. But 0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:10.600 you know what on that drive, seventy yards to the 0:14:10.640 --> 0:14:15.160 six yard line. Yeah, four times the first four plays 0:14:15.160 --> 0:14:17.760 of that drive. The first four first downs of that drive, 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:20.600 they ran the ball, but they still went seventy yards. 0:14:21.480 --> 0:14:24.920 So what's the difference if you run on first down 0:14:25.000 --> 0:14:28.960 or second down. I'm sure there's some analytic dude out 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:31.040 there it's gonna tell me that, you know, it's better 0:14:31.080 --> 0:14:33.680 to do it on second down than first down. But 0:14:33.800 --> 0:14:37.400 they went seventy yards running each one of those first downs, 0:14:37.560 --> 0:14:40.440 and they really didn't get anywhere, but they ran it 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:43.240 because they had to make them recognize the fact that 0:14:43.280 --> 0:14:45.320 we are still going to run it and that's still 0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:49.240 Ezekiel Elliott. Yeah, and it didn't work. And like I 0:14:49.240 --> 0:14:51.880 said yesterday, if it had worked and they had scored 0:14:51.920 --> 0:14:53.360 and they had won the game, we would have been 0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:56.600 talking about how resilient this team is. And the defense 0:14:56.640 --> 0:14:59.120 got a stop, got two stops late in the game, 0:14:59.640 --> 0:15:01.920 and they found a way to beat a tough team 0:15:02.040 --> 0:15:05.480 they didn't so we're harping on basically all the negative. 0:15:05.520 --> 0:15:08.040 And I get it. There's there are trends that they 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:10.000 have they have to stop, they have to get off 0:15:10.000 --> 0:15:12.240 to faster starts. They've got to be able to stop 0:15:12.240 --> 0:15:14.880 the run against good running teams. I get it, um, 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:17.440 But there was some good that came out of that game. 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:20.160 Now you have put yourself in somewhat of a hole 0:15:20.160 --> 0:15:23.080 when you look at San Francisco and Seattle. You got 0:15:23.080 --> 0:15:26.280 to win your division and that's that's number one. Because 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:28.080 there's teams ahead of you now in this conference and 0:15:28.120 --> 0:15:30.280 it is a difficult stretch stretch coming up for sure. 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:33.160 And I'll tell you that that perception is still out 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:37.120 there because I did a I did a pregame interview 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:41.560 with tune In Radio that's very good app And one 0:15:41.600 --> 0:15:44.960 of the questions they asked me, if Minnesota stops the 0:15:45.000 --> 0:15:48.800 Cowboys running game, can beat them throwing the ball, and 0:15:48.840 --> 0:15:51.560 I said, if they devote enough people to stop the 0:15:51.600 --> 0:15:55.240 Cowboys running game, DAC will absolutely beat them with the 0:15:55.280 --> 0:15:58.200 receivers that Cowboys had. And see that that's a positive 0:15:58.200 --> 0:16:01.240 to take away, and that's four yards passing. He should 0:16:01.280 --> 0:16:04.640 have been because what have we heard throughout his time 0:16:04.720 --> 0:16:07.640 off and on here, it's like, well if they'll they'll 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:11.400 dare the Cowboys to throw and can dat take advantage. 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:14.720 They can do that, and you've shown it for nine 0:16:14.760 --> 0:16:17.960 games now. Yeah. Yeah, and we've and we're also seeing 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:20.080 Randall Cobb. I think he said after the game, that's 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:22.760 the best he's felt as a Dallas Cowboy. Just felt 0:16:22.760 --> 0:16:24.320 like he was in the zone. I know he's had 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:28.040 he had a back thing earlier. Those are positives at 0:16:28.120 --> 0:16:30.720 least offensively going forward, but you got to get Zeke going. 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:32.640 I mean, when when you don't run them. I think 0:16:32.720 --> 0:16:35.560 David Moore had a stat there's four times in his 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:38.840 career he's rushed under fifty yards and they've lost every game. Well, 0:16:38.840 --> 0:16:41.560 you know, they had Zeke going the last couple of games, 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:44.280 and so I think it's more an aberration. I mean, 0:16:44.360 --> 0:16:46.360 I think Mickey may have talked about it yesterday. You 0:16:46.480 --> 0:16:48.920 just know, from week to week in this league, you 0:16:48.960 --> 0:16:52.240 know he can get he can go for twenty carries 0:16:52.280 --> 0:16:54.720 for forty seven yards one week, and then he'll turn 0:16:54.800 --> 0:16:56.600 around next week and go for one hundred and forty 0:16:56.600 --> 0:17:01.360 seven yards on twenty carries against Detroit in Minnesota. Whoever 0:17:01.400 --> 0:17:03.600 they're playing next week, they're liable to give up one 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:05.760 hundred and fifty yards rushing to a team. I mean, 0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:08.240 it just a lot of it has to do with 0:17:09.080 --> 0:17:11.640 how your game plan week to week. I mean, if 0:17:11.640 --> 0:17:15.200 these two teams played again next week, Zeke probably will 0:17:15.240 --> 0:17:17.760 not get forty seven yards on twenty kerries. He'll probably 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:20.159 be over one hundred yards rushing against the same team. 0:17:20.160 --> 0:17:21.960 It's just it's the way it is in this league. 0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:25.240 Week to week, it's different and you make adjustments. And 0:17:25.280 --> 0:17:27.239 that was one of the things Jerry pointed out this 0:17:27.320 --> 0:17:30.080 morning about, well, we learned about some of our running 0:17:30.119 --> 0:17:32.680 schemes and some of the plays we tried to run 0:17:32.760 --> 0:17:34.719 or how we block it. Now we go back and 0:17:34.800 --> 0:17:40.360 fix that stuff. So yeah, it's instructive. It's not like 0:17:40.400 --> 0:17:42.800 you just got to jump out the window. I understand 0:17:42.800 --> 0:17:45.240 they lost, and I understand everybody's it's a tough loss. 0:17:45.240 --> 0:17:48.520 Sites Yeah, it is. It is, but you can't throw 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:51.639 in the towel. It's too early, get seven games left. 0:17:52.080 --> 0:17:54.760 It did remind me, sorry, Bill, It reminded me though, 0:17:54.800 --> 0:17:58.080 of the Saints game, where you know, you got to 0:17:58.080 --> 0:18:01.040 give credit to them their front four or their front seven. 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:04.800 Just controlling things, and that has been a trend. When 0:18:04.800 --> 0:18:08.680 they've lost this season, they haven't been the better team 0:18:08.720 --> 0:18:11.800 at the point of attack. And this offensive line has 0:18:11.800 --> 0:18:16.360 got to, you know, find that consistency against better fronts. 0:18:16.760 --> 0:18:18.720 You know, well, think about it this way. So you 0:18:18.800 --> 0:18:22.160 had Connor Williams out there playing with a knee that's 0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:25.840 being scope today. You had Zach Martin out there with 0:18:25.920 --> 0:18:28.080 an elbow that he's going to end up on the 0:18:28.840 --> 0:18:32.200 probably injury report this week. Those guys are playing through things. 0:18:32.240 --> 0:18:35.679 I guarantee a Tyrant Smith is still playing through that ankle. 0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:39.920 It wasn't ankle, wasn't it. And and Lale Collins with 0:18:39.960 --> 0:18:43.160 his knee, So I'm not giving him. And those guys 0:18:43.160 --> 0:18:45.720 are tough as hell and they're fighting through it. Yeah, absolutely, 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:47.680 and so but they've found something I felt like the 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:50.920 last couple games, especially in the running game. And so 0:18:51.400 --> 0:18:54.000 you know, that's that's disappointing that sometimes you go up 0:18:54.040 --> 0:18:55.959 against some guys that are really good. You gotta give 0:18:56.000 --> 0:18:57.719 him credit. That's why I said the Saints have one 0:18:57.720 --> 0:19:00.320 of the best fronts in the league. And they proved 0:19:00.320 --> 0:19:03.000 it sense right, Yes, yes, they proved it since But 0:19:03.240 --> 0:19:05.879 but that's your identity. You know those guys that's the 0:19:05.920 --> 0:19:09.879 heartbeat of your team. And they pass blocked fine, somehow 0:19:09.880 --> 0:19:12.520 he only got sacked once. All the blitzes they sent 0:19:12.840 --> 0:19:15.000 and he only got sacked once. And how many times 0:19:15.000 --> 0:19:17.320 he's been has he been sacked this year? So that's 0:19:17.359 --> 0:19:20.720 eleven eleven times? How many times was he sacked last year? 0:19:20.880 --> 0:19:25.440 Fifty six? Quite an improvement, That's that's kind of That's 0:19:25.440 --> 0:19:28.200 what I'm saying, is we're losing we're losing sight of 0:19:28.280 --> 0:19:30.280 some of the positive that they're going on with this team. 0:19:30.320 --> 0:19:31.920 But if you want to look at this particular game, 0:19:32.520 --> 0:19:34.760 Vikings won the battle up front and there's no question 0:19:34.760 --> 0:19:38.000 about it, both sides of the ball. Right. Mickey started 0:19:38.040 --> 0:19:41.800 this edition of Talking Cowboys asking about the TV ratings. 0:19:41.840 --> 0:19:45.120 We've got the official TV ratings when we come back 0:19:45.160 --> 0:19:48.879 here on Talking Cowboys is a proud sponsor of the 0:19:49.040 --> 0:19:52.399 Dallas Cowboys. Helping fans see more and do more with 0:19:52.440 --> 0:19:56.119 our best vision solutions. Our lens technologies reveal a world 0:19:56.200 --> 0:19:58.880 more beautiful than you can imagine. 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