WEBVTT - Talkin' Cowboys: Most Invaluable Player? 0:00:04.080 --> 0:00:06.640 The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:06.680 --> 0:00:18.040 and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. This He's Talking Cowboys, 0:00:18.440 --> 0:00:21.880 screening live from the Dallas Cowboys World headquarters at the 0:00:21.960 --> 0:00:32.880 Star in Frisco. Sat. Here are Mickey Spagnola, Brian brought 0:00:32.960 --> 0:00:38.480 us Rob Phillips and Bill Jones. And it is time. Yes, 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:42.000 it is finally time for football players to hit the 0:00:42.040 --> 0:00:45.920 football practice field here at the river Ridge Complex the 0:00:46.000 --> 0:00:51.040 corner of Vineyard Inventura in Oxnard, California. Yeah. Yes, And 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:53.680 this is Talking Cowboys and I am Bill Jones with 0:00:53.880 --> 0:00:57.600 Rob Phillips. Brian brought us in Mickey Spagnola And are 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:01.040 you ready for some football? Yeah? Ready, ready? Yeah. I 0:01:01.120 --> 0:01:03.960 feel like though that uh, you know, you're kind of 0:01:03.960 --> 0:01:06.040 been watching been watching FL Network. I don't know what 0:01:06.080 --> 0:01:07.759 the other guys. But then you got those you got 0:01:07.760 --> 0:01:10.000 those teams that are already getting ready, the Bears and 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:12.640 the and the Ravens, and they've been practicing now for 0:01:12.680 --> 0:01:14.320 like a week, and you're kind of Hall of Fame 0:01:14.360 --> 0:01:16.920 game exactly. Yeah, so you're sitting here kind of going, Okay, 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:19.360 it's uh, we're up next. But yeah, the fact that 0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:22.200 they we got here, they got through the conditioning run 0:01:22.360 --> 0:01:25.080 and now you have your first practice. So yes, I'm 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:27.759 ready for we get to see a walkthrough, that's right. 0:01:27.840 --> 0:01:31.320 We're we're actually what are we an hour and a 0:01:31.400 --> 0:01:33.760 half away from the walkthrough here? Then we get to 0:01:33.760 --> 0:01:36.880 watch a minicamp practice, that's right. So still a couple 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:40.920 of days before we see what qualifies is some rather 0:01:41.040 --> 0:01:43.600 real football. Yeah, the pad's coming on, but it's something. 0:01:43.720 --> 0:01:46.560 It's an extensions. It feels like forever since we did 0:01:46.640 --> 0:01:49.080 We did one show together and then we were off 0:01:49.080 --> 0:01:50.919 for a month, and now we get to see some football. 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:53.160 Pretty good. Yeah, I think the thing that the thing 0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:55.320 that we can get from these walkthroughs, since we're guys 0:01:55.360 --> 0:01:57.400 lining up, you know, and you get a little bit 0:01:57.400 --> 0:01:59.280 of idea. They'll run through some plays that they'll run 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:01.120 in the afternoon, and so maybe you'll see a little 0:02:01.160 --> 0:02:04.520 bit different some formations, sayah, where's Cole Beasley gonna line up? 0:02:04.520 --> 0:02:06.880 Which Tavon Austin? You know, how they what are they 0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:10.080 thinking about these rookie guys? Is is Michael Gallup getting 0:02:10.120 --> 0:02:12.160 work with the ones? I think there's things you can 0:02:12.240 --> 0:02:14.880 draw from the walkthrough practice, just because the coaches like 0:02:14.960 --> 0:02:16.959 to go through it, and it's kind of a way 0:02:16.960 --> 0:02:19.240 to say, Okay, this is what we're gonna do this afternoon. Boys, 0:02:19.560 --> 0:02:21.840 get ready for it here. Don't make your mistakes. Make 0:02:21.880 --> 0:02:23.240 them now, don't make them in the act. And the 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:25.240 other thing that that I get out of it doing 0:02:25.240 --> 0:02:27.480 the preseason games. And by the way, I've already got 0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:29.960 my look at you get that you're ready for TV. 0:02:30.720 --> 0:02:37.239 I spent my downtime, the vacation time here. It's just posterboard. Okay, 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:40.080 all right, looks great. It's very post board. Yeah. So 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:42.560 I'm constructing the roster and everything, and I've got my 0:02:42.600 --> 0:02:46.200 little notes that nobody can read, including me, but when 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:48.280 I write it down, it commits to memory. But to 0:02:48.360 --> 0:02:51.840 your point, especially as we go along in training camp, right, 0:02:52.240 --> 0:02:55.560 you watch the walkthrough, you watch where they're using people 0:02:55.600 --> 0:02:58.200 even on special teams, right, and that sort of stuff, 0:02:58.200 --> 0:03:00.919 and you can kind of see how the coaches are 0:03:00.960 --> 0:03:03.240 thinking about some of the players. Yeah, and I'll be 0:03:03.280 --> 0:03:05.720 even more important this year because they got so many 0:03:05.760 --> 0:03:08.960 things and moving parts and guys you're not sure of 0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:11.280 who's playing where, and so we'll get an idea of 0:03:11.320 --> 0:03:15.040 what they're thinking going into practice. Right, absolutely, right, It 0:03:15.919 --> 0:03:19.040 jarred my memory of you guys like Bo Scarborough. You 0:03:19.080 --> 0:03:20.640 know what do they think. We kind of have an 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:23.679 idea what both Scarborough might be in the running back rotation, 0:03:24.120 --> 0:03:25.960 but where is he going to fit on special teams? 0:03:26.000 --> 0:03:28.160 You know, if if the guys are gonna make this team, 0:03:28.560 --> 0:03:31.200 they're gonna have to do other things. And I think 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:32.799 that's one of those guys that you want to keep 0:03:32.800 --> 0:03:34.840 an eye on because we all saw him at the 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:37.480 University of Alabama. I mean, you know, he's very capable 0:03:37.520 --> 0:03:40.600 of carrying the football. Is he capable enough of playing 0:03:40.640 --> 0:03:42.920 some special teams if he has to? You'll see where 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:46.480 the coaches initially think about him out here. And again 0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:52.440 that's just one guy. And check out the wide receivers, 0:03:52.440 --> 0:03:54.840 how they're being exact, they're being used on the first 0:03:54.920 --> 0:03:58.080 unit exactly, punk coverage or whatever. Then you know that 0:03:58.160 --> 0:04:01.120 they think highly of uh, that's right. Which also, by 0:04:01.120 --> 0:04:03.440 the way, we should point out in case everybody didn't 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:08.960 see our last Talking Cowboys back at the Star welcoming 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:13.640 Bill Jones back to Talking Cowboys fourteen years well, and 0:04:13.680 --> 0:04:17.599 this brings back memories. It was two thousand and four, 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:20.160 I think right where we I was at, No, it 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:22.920 was two thousand and five because my daughter was graduating 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:25.520 from high school that year and I missed her move 0:04:25.600 --> 0:04:27.599 into college, which was one of the things I regret. 0:04:27.600 --> 0:04:29.720 Because I was out here for the three weeks of 0:04:29.800 --> 0:04:33.720 training camp, and I remember you, Mickey and me interviewing 0:04:33.839 --> 0:04:37.320 Kevin Costner right here on this tennis court right here. 0:04:37.320 --> 0:04:41.000 He was a camp visitor, and we interviewed Kevin Costner here. 0:04:40.800 --> 0:04:44.880 He came out and through the football. Remember a Ventura native. 0:04:44.920 --> 0:04:48.000 I believe he's up the road. Yes, he's got a place. Uh, 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:53.000 it's the town that starts. I think would have see Calabasas. 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:58.000 Maybe it's up the road going towards between Ventura and 0:04:58.040 --> 0:05:02.920 Santa Mark Carson. Now I got Calistoga on my mind. 0:05:03.640 --> 0:05:06.960 In Napa Valley. We digress by the way, though, I'm 0:05:07.000 --> 0:05:09.880 talking about a trip down memory lane. I've been here 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:14.159 since Monday. I came out on Monday, and before the 0:05:14.200 --> 0:05:17.000 team arrived on Tuesday, we went over to Thousand Oaks 0:05:17.040 --> 0:05:20.000 and did a little story because obviously this is Jerry 0:05:20.080 --> 0:05:23.120 jones thirtieth training camp as owner of the Cowboys, and 0:05:23.760 --> 0:05:26.360 his first training camp was in nineteen eighty nine in 0:05:26.520 --> 0:05:29.680 Thousand Oaks. A lot of people forget that that they 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:32.479 were were that one year wrapping up their time in 0:05:32.520 --> 0:05:34.880 Thousand Oaks before going to Austin. And I know, Mickey, 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:37.920 you've done a story in Thousand Oaks, yes, and been 0:05:37.920 --> 0:05:40.320 over there with Nate Newton by the way, brought them 0:05:40.360 --> 0:05:42.640 down in Memory Lane and right. But one of the 0:05:42.680 --> 0:05:45.760 things that applies to this what's going on right now 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:48.920 here in southern California, which no one in Dallas will 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:53.320 understand because we've had this excessive heat warning for weeks 0:05:53.360 --> 0:05:55.760 in Dallas, but there is an excessive heat warning here, 0:05:55.839 --> 0:05:59.440 so that doesn't apply to Oxnard though, But you know, 0:05:59.560 --> 0:06:02.520 Sanford into Valley and including Thousand Oaks it was up 0:06:02.560 --> 0:06:04.960 over one hundred degrees the last couple of days. But 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:08.039 here we're talking a high of eighty degrees. Because we're 0:06:08.560 --> 0:06:11.160 closer to water. It feels more like Oxnard today, though, 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:13.320 yes it does. You know, it's the sun's not bearing 0:06:13.360 --> 0:06:15.040 down on us. Not give it a couple hours though, well, 0:06:15.080 --> 0:06:17.160 And to Bill's point and what you talk about and 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:19.400 the reason why your team does this, and we went 0:06:19.520 --> 0:06:22.640 through we've all been through the the witchitall falls, and 0:06:22.800 --> 0:06:25.520 the Austin's and the places like that where you know, 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:27.920 this is just ideal for your team. They don't have 0:06:28.040 --> 0:06:30.960 to survive practice here. You know, you want you want guys, 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:33.920 you want everybody to be able to concentrate when you 0:06:34.000 --> 0:06:36.680 get in these these practices where it's excessive heat and 0:06:36.720 --> 0:06:38.880 you're just trying to make it and you're making mistakes 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:42.440 and all. This this this environment gives young players a 0:06:42.560 --> 0:06:45.040 chance to make this football team. That's really where this 0:06:45.880 --> 0:06:48.679 the weather it's is great because you don't want players 0:06:48.800 --> 0:06:51.520 just you know, it is about toughness to a point, 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:54.760 but you want these kids to have the best opportunity 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:57.200 to say, Okay, he's he's given us his best effort. 0:06:57.480 --> 0:06:59.000 This is what he can do. This is what he 0:06:59.000 --> 0:07:00.880 can do. When you get situations like we were in 0:07:00.920 --> 0:07:03.960 which Tall falls Austin and then there were championship teams 0:07:04.000 --> 0:07:06.280 in Austin, but which Tall falls, I'll say it was 0:07:06.440 --> 0:07:08.880 it was just too much for grind, for the players 0:07:08.920 --> 0:07:11.640 to concentrate, and this just gives you the best environment 0:07:11.840 --> 0:07:14.520 to do that. And even as opposed to practicing inside 0:07:14.600 --> 0:07:17.880 on turf, this grass is great, guys in terms of 0:07:18.040 --> 0:07:19.960 I mean, after a while practicing on turf for a 0:07:20.000 --> 0:07:22.400 month starts to feel like concrete when you get absolutely 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:25.120 right and it's sixty seven degrees by the way, is 0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:27.240 that what it is? Yes? All right, But we haven't 0:07:27.240 --> 0:07:29.680 had to break out the jackets yet. Now we will 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:31.640 at some point in the morning. I don't know if 0:07:31.680 --> 0:07:34.840 it'll be this week, maybe the forecast. Are we mining 0:07:34.960 --> 0:07:37.480 for gold back here or what we always do? Micky, 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:42.600 there's always distractions behind. You should know that at least 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:45.720 there's not a fire over the rig. Jakie could never play. 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:49.760 I mean, Nicky, you know you just build. I can 0:07:49.840 --> 0:07:53.560 tell you a professional. Just keep talking and they might 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:56.560 be building the World trade somebody heard that. I'm sure 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:59.240 our mikes picked it up. Which how much stuff do 0:07:59.320 --> 0:08:02.000 we we got? Ask blowers up? I mean, stuff happens best. 0:08:05.040 --> 0:08:07.360 They're getting the field ready for practice. The like alarm 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:09.880 going off during the press conference yesterday. There you go. 0:08:10.040 --> 0:08:12.360 Jerry fought through it, didn't he exactly? Well. It was 0:08:12.440 --> 0:08:15.760 funny about that, though, was the timing of when the 0:08:16.080 --> 0:08:18.600 alarm went off, because I think I think it was 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:21.880 after the anthem question, when they were asking the anthem 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:24.240 question and the answer on it, and it was like 0:08:24.480 --> 0:08:28.240 on Q okay, the alarm goes off yeah, I can 0:08:28.280 --> 0:08:33.400 almost tell you because I wrote it down alarm. I 0:08:33.679 --> 0:08:37.520 did the same thing. But okay about the state of 0:08:37.559 --> 0:08:40.959 the Cowboys press conference yesterday, because I wasn't a part 0:08:41.000 --> 0:08:46.160 of the show yesterday, the combined show with leading up 0:08:46.200 --> 0:08:48.960 to the press conference got a little bit of new information. 0:08:49.120 --> 0:08:53.920 Now topping the list, I would say David Irving Jerry 0:08:54.000 --> 0:08:57.080 Jones says he does not expect him in Oxnard at all. Yeah, 0:08:57.160 --> 0:08:59.240 that that to me was the most surprising, and I 0:08:59.320 --> 0:09:01.280 wanted to make sure I was off on the side 0:09:01.320 --> 0:09:03.959 on the one oh five three booth listening and I 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:06.520 was hoping that someone would follow up with that question 0:09:06.600 --> 0:09:08.959 about are you saying that he's not going to be 0:09:09.160 --> 0:09:11.719 here at all throughout the training camp? And I I 0:09:11.920 --> 0:09:13.839 was one of those guys that was very hopeful that 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:16.360 he could have at least been here, that maybe everything 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:18.839 in the off season, the OTAs, he would have put 0:09:18.880 --> 0:09:21.200 all that behind you. But obviously that's not the case 0:09:21.240 --> 0:09:23.760 at all. May Ben Todd Archer, who did ask about 0:09:24.200 --> 0:09:26.719 the Frisco portion, exactly. Yeah, it's up in the air 0:09:26.840 --> 0:09:30.120 whether he'll be right. I think I think that's a 0:09:30.280 --> 0:09:32.599 I think that's big news because again, you know, the 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:36.560 defensive line rotation, especially at tackle is thin right now. 0:09:36.640 --> 0:09:39.360 If you look at Malie Collins on the pup. It 0:09:39.520 --> 0:09:42.080 was thin when we were going through OTA's and mini 0:09:42.160 --> 0:09:45.599 camps as well. So how they will adjust when we 0:09:45.679 --> 0:09:48.439 see Coney Eli inside on some Nickels stuff, where we 0:09:48.520 --> 0:09:51.040 see Tyron Crawford inside on some Nickels stuff. But they're 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:52.439 gonna have to find a way to kind of do 0:09:52.559 --> 0:09:55.920 some things. Brian Price, those guys are gonna you know, 0:09:56.120 --> 0:09:59.559 uh jahad Ward H. Jones, those guys are gonna have 0:09:59.640 --> 0:10:01.600 to proba. We get a lot of reps in these practices. 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:04.080 But for David just we talked about this pre show, 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:06.719 just what does what does this mean for him as 0:10:06.840 --> 0:10:10.600 twenty eighteen years you know, because he's already gonna miss 0:10:10.640 --> 0:10:12.360 the first month. And I remember talking to him last 0:10:12.400 --> 0:10:14.280 year when he came back from a four game suspension 0:10:14.600 --> 0:10:16.560 and he said, this is like my training camp right now. 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:18.280 I'm trying to get back in shape and get back 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:20.839 into football shape. But at least last year he had 0:10:20.840 --> 0:10:23.280 a baseline in training camp to at least be around 0:10:23.360 --> 0:10:26.559 the structure, be around practice, in the system. He's not 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:30.280 gonna have any of that. I mean, that's well, yeah, 0:10:30.400 --> 0:10:32.920 because during the four game suspension he can't be involved 0:10:32.960 --> 0:10:35.800 at all. Right, that's it's Uh, this is a guy 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:40.480 that when he's help he's getting distracted again. Well, Mick laughing, 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:43.040 I didn't say anything. This is a guy that when 0:10:43.120 --> 0:10:46.599 he is engaged and healthy, he can really help this 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:49.520 football team. And and I don't know, Nicky, when if 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:52.160 he's engaged with the show, he can really help the 0:10:52.200 --> 0:10:55.040 show too. And I'm gonna help it by saying they 0:10:55.360 --> 0:11:01.040 cannot anymore count on him coming back after a four 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:04.920 game suspension. It's time to move on. And if you 0:11:05.040 --> 0:11:07.960 get anything out of him, it's gravy. But I don't 0:11:08.000 --> 0:11:11.400 think you can make plans anymore around David Irving. That's 0:11:11.440 --> 0:11:13.240 well said. That might be. Yeah, that's kind of where 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:15.480 I was going. I mean, can you expect that's a 0:11:15.600 --> 0:11:18.679 very early take the first you know, talking cowboys we 0:11:18.760 --> 0:11:21.280 have here from training camp. Because he's absolutely right, My 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:23.800 approach was it too, is okay? Would you try and 0:11:23.880 --> 0:11:26.280 work things think about long terminal that no, you use 0:11:26.400 --> 0:11:28.599 him for twelve games and then you figured out you 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:32.600 move on. Likely you either draft, develop, find some ways 0:11:32.640 --> 0:11:35.559 to go. But you've now shown that the good news 0:11:35.640 --> 0:11:39.240 from yesterday was that to me. As as I'm disappointed 0:11:39.360 --> 0:11:42.360 David Irving not practicing here in ox Start, I am 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:47.440 happy that the league did not block h Randy Gregory 0:11:47.520 --> 0:11:50.160 from practicing. That's where I was worried. I was worried 0:11:50.160 --> 0:11:54.240 about Randy Gregory not be like league says, wait wait wait, 0:11:54.400 --> 0:11:57.880 Now he misses four or five days in a training camp, 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:00.920 he's behind already. Yeah. So now the league has allowed 0:12:01.040 --> 0:12:03.719 him to practice, and I think that it will be 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:05.520 sooner than later, and that will be a good thing 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:07.800 at it. It'll be interesting to see when the Cowboys 0:12:07.840 --> 0:12:10.480 allow him to pray right, you know, I mean he didn't, 0:12:10.480 --> 0:12:12.160 but I think sooner and later. He didn't do the 0:12:12.240 --> 0:12:15.280 conditioning past like we talked about yesterday, a right show, 0:12:15.679 --> 0:12:18.600 and so they're gonna be very cautious on when they 0:12:18.720 --> 0:12:23.040 get him in shape and say, okay, it's time to practice, 0:12:23.040 --> 0:12:26.199 because I can't imagine on Saturday when the pads come on, 0:12:26.360 --> 0:12:29.120 he's gonna be out there with pads. They I'd be surprised, yeah, 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:31.800 but they that's true. They were happy though from what 0:12:31.920 --> 0:12:34.559 I've heard, with just the overall shape he's in. It's 0:12:34.600 --> 0:12:37.319 not football shape. Greg Townsend working with him here in 0:12:37.440 --> 0:12:39.840 LA the former Los Angeles Raider. Yeah, when they were 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:41.240 able to get back in touch with him and they 0:12:41.280 --> 0:12:43.880 were pleased with where he's at. And weight wise is 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:46.480 important too, and I think Jason was asked too forty two. 0:12:46.520 --> 0:12:49.040 Remember he had a lot of trouble keeping weight on 0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:52.280 when he was here before the suspension. Hopefully, hopefully with 0:12:52.559 --> 0:12:56.400 a you know, with his situation diet. I don't think 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:59.480 he'll ever be an overly strong guy. He's a long limbed, 0:13:00.400 --> 0:13:03.400 very linear built. He's got some leverage straight yeah. Yeah, 0:13:03.559 --> 0:13:05.480 he's he's more of a guy that doesn't give you 0:13:05.520 --> 0:13:08.839 a hitting surface. He's he's a dipper ripper kind of 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:11.360 a you know, avoid kind of guy. As long as 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:13.280 he has that kind of ability, he could always be 0:13:13.360 --> 0:13:15.640 a really good passer. So if they could put eight 0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:18.480 to ten pounds on him when the season starts again, 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:21.160 maybe a better diet, a little bit of lifting, better 0:13:21.240 --> 0:13:24.079 conditioning should be good to go. If he puts weight on, 0:13:24.200 --> 0:13:27.480 it'll be muscle, because he has hard time just putting 0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:30.120 weight on weight. That's like the rest of us. That's 0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:32.360 what I was. That's no, but that's what I sold, 0:13:32.480 --> 0:13:35.240 was that it's it's muscle mass that he's got. It's 0:13:35.280 --> 0:13:38.800 not bad weight in terms of whatever fact, he wasn't 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:41.000 going to be overweight. Even when he was trying to 0:13:41.080 --> 0:13:43.120 put on weight, he couldn't put on weight. He's gonna 0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:45.559 win on the first step. That's that's where Randy Gregory 0:13:45.679 --> 0:13:47.079 is gonna beat you. He's gonna beat you on that 0:13:47.160 --> 0:13:49.240 first step. And that's as long as he wins on 0:13:49.320 --> 0:13:52.800 the first step, it doesn't matter, doesn't matter if he's 0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:55.800 two forty two. But also you also you have a 0:13:55.880 --> 0:13:58.440 plan for him, and that plan he is a specialty 0:13:58.480 --> 0:14:01.000 pass rusher is what he is. Yeah. I said this 0:14:01.160 --> 0:14:03.199 yesterday on our show bill that I felt like that 0:14:03.400 --> 0:14:07.000 he's not guaranteed anything, And some people will probably disagree 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:09.079 with me on that. But I think there's gonna be 0:14:09.120 --> 0:14:13.120 a really good competition when it comes to the other 0:14:13.280 --> 0:14:16.120 defensive ends. I really do. I like what you know 0:14:16.400 --> 0:14:20.120 with Armstrong, with Coney eally with those guys. I think 0:14:20.160 --> 0:14:22.760 you know Charles Tapper. I just wish Charles Tapper could 0:14:22.760 --> 0:14:25.560 be healthy. I can't say that enough, because I think 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:29.240 Charles Tapper has the ability to be a backup defensive 0:14:29.360 --> 0:14:32.080 end behind Crawford. Who I think is gonna start. Yeah, 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:33.880 but he's got that kind of ability. Bill, And you 0:14:33.960 --> 0:14:36.120 know him very well from the days in Oklahoma and 0:14:36.240 --> 0:14:38.600 following him and you know, playing as a five technique, 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:42.000 he's he was always playing there. But he comes here 0:14:42.000 --> 0:14:43.840 and he just hasn't had the same run of health. 0:14:43.920 --> 0:14:46.520 He's got potential like Gregory in terms of first step 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:50.000 and Ben on the edge, and I'm not directly comparing 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:52.480 the two, but he's got that type of as But 0:14:52.640 --> 0:14:55.840 now going into his third years, he knows too, he 0:14:56.040 --> 0:14:58.680 knows it too. He's you know, he knows that he's 0:14:58.760 --> 0:15:00.960 he's running out of days. He he can't he can't 0:15:01.040 --> 0:15:03.880 miss four or five six practices and expect to make 0:15:03.960 --> 0:15:05.920 this team. And he's one of those guys you pull for. 0:15:06.560 --> 0:15:08.920 You know, he had to go through with his mom 0:15:09.080 --> 0:15:12.680 last year and sick and then passed away. He's been 0:15:13.160 --> 0:15:17.760 taking care of his brothers in Frisco living with him 0:15:17.840 --> 0:15:20.560 and he's got just so much on his hands and 0:15:20.680 --> 0:15:23.840 he can have a heck of an NFL career, gotta 0:15:23.880 --> 0:15:25.840 stay healthy and he hasn't been able to do it. 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:28.240 David Helman with a nice story on Yeah, Sure was 0:15:28.480 --> 0:15:30.640 what Tapper has been dealing with and such a good 0:15:30.680 --> 0:15:35.280 guy too. But because of the uncertain status of a 0:15:35.440 --> 0:15:38.840 David Irving and Randy Gregory, this team has had to 0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:43.920 put as much emphasis on the defensive line acquiring talent 0:15:44.000 --> 0:15:46.240 the last couple of years. Basically you got to have 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:49.080 numbers there because you just don't know what's gonna if 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:51.760 the availability of an Irving or a Gregory or those 0:15:51.800 --> 0:15:54.640 type players either or with the injury concerns as well, 0:15:54.920 --> 0:15:57.640 it has been very, very difficult for them to put 0:15:57.760 --> 0:16:01.560 together a defensive line that they had have any real 0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:07.200 consistency with as far as availability, that's the thing. Yeah, 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:09.680 and they can't. Yeah, and Collins gets hurt going through 0:16:09.720 --> 0:16:12.560 the bags, you know, and you're going, my gosh, this 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:14.920 guy that is there, you know, brittleness in his bones 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:18.280 and his feet. You know, what's the situation there? Uh, 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:22.800 you know, it's we talk about different questions, you know, receivers, safety, 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:26.640 you know. Now, I think the defensive line it looks 0:16:26.680 --> 0:16:28.560 like on paper when we look at it, a very 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:32.360 potentially a very talented group. The problem is can you 0:16:32.480 --> 0:16:34.920 get all the pieces together on the field at the 0:16:34.920 --> 0:16:37.760 same time. We saw that last year with the secondary 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:40.320 after the Los Angeles Charger game, what do they do 0:16:40.520 --> 0:16:43.080 all those young kids started playing, But that was really 0:16:43.120 --> 0:16:45.160 the first time that all the young kids could play. 0:16:45.560 --> 0:16:47.640 So you know, that's that's kind of where we're at 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:51.440 with this. They need MALIEK. Collins on the field. I mean, 0:16:51.560 --> 0:16:53.960 he's got to take up one of those defensive tackle 0:16:54.040 --> 0:16:56.800 spots and get back to where he was playing last year. 0:16:57.080 --> 0:16:59.880 And think about it, he played okay last year and 0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:02.960 he's playing through a stress fracture in his foot, and 0:17:03.120 --> 0:17:05.800 they thought they took care of the stress fracture in 0:17:05.920 --> 0:17:08.399 the off season, and then he asked to have another 0:17:08.480 --> 0:17:11.600 surgery because he ended up now breaking that fifth meta 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:13.920 tarsal so and he broke the other one a couple 0:17:13.960 --> 0:17:16.160 of years ago. Right, it was the third time he's 0:17:16.200 --> 0:17:19.600 had surgery for a broken fifth meta tarsal so. Two 0:17:19.680 --> 0:17:22.800 on one, one on the other. And he's probably not 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:26.080 going to be out here practicing in pads for two weeks. 0:17:26.160 --> 0:17:28.280 I don't know if he'll be out here during training camp. 0:17:28.840 --> 0:17:32.720 He's walking around okay, so that's a good sign. But 0:17:32.800 --> 0:17:35.879 he's on pup so you know, Gosh and and and 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:39.560 they're thin at that defensive tackle spot. I will say 0:17:39.600 --> 0:17:41.560 this I mentioned he broke the other foot as a 0:17:41.640 --> 0:17:44.400 rookie two years ago. He came back the last week 0:17:44.440 --> 0:17:48.040 a camp and you're thinking, wow, rookie missing time, could 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:50.199 take him a while. He stepped right in and did 0:17:50.240 --> 0:17:52.840 a nice job that year. I think the question is 0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:54.879 can he stay healthy for sixteen games? The thing that 0:17:54.960 --> 0:17:58.159 I'm hopeful and we talk about him, I'm hopeful. Remember 0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:02.000 last year he going against Zack Martin some of those 0:18:02.040 --> 0:18:04.479 one on one drills and we were doing some compete 0:18:04.520 --> 0:18:07.760 period stuff live watching it and you go, I want 0:18:08.040 --> 0:18:10.400 you know, Collins won that time. You know, you're like, okay, good, 0:18:10.480 --> 0:18:12.320 you know, but then he'd lose the other two times. 0:18:12.400 --> 0:18:14.080 And yeah, you expect that because you're going to get 0:18:14.200 --> 0:18:16.879 Zach Martin. But he gave you hope that he was 0:18:16.960 --> 0:18:19.119 winning those one out of every four or three reps, 0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:21.119 you know, three or four reps he was winning because 0:18:21.119 --> 0:18:23.800 you're thinking, if he's beating Zack Martin one out of 0:18:23.840 --> 0:18:27.359 every two or three times, he's gonna beat other offensive 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:30.159 guards and you know, and have some success. And but 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:33.040 it's just the health. It's just been the feat the 0:18:33.160 --> 0:18:36.160 brittleness of the bones and the feet have just been problematic. 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:40.640 For sure. And then after you know they're they're depending 0:18:40.720 --> 0:18:45.440 on jeehigh Ward there, yeah, but after him who ran Price? 0:18:45.600 --> 0:18:49.159 Ryan Price? Yeah, and that and Dayton Jones, Dayton Jones 0:18:49.280 --> 0:18:51.960 and then you know you had guys say that with confidence. 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:58.400 Not really, I'm just going down the depth the gol. 0:18:58.520 --> 0:19:00.840 Daniel Ross is another one they've kind of you know, 0:19:00.960 --> 0:19:04.119 so yeah, it's not a it's hopefully they can find 0:19:04.280 --> 0:19:07.080 one or two guys out of that group much like 0:19:07.240 --> 0:19:08.920 they did. They looks like to me and if I 0:19:09.080 --> 0:19:11.440 just switched another position, I like what I've seen with 0:19:11.520 --> 0:19:14.040 Joe in the ot as many camps, Joe Thomas and 0:19:14.240 --> 0:19:17.200 March Lillard, Justin March Lollard. So if they could find 0:19:17.280 --> 0:19:20.679 some guys that are capable backup guys or backup players 0:19:20.760 --> 0:19:23.000 that look like that, hey, I can plug these guys 0:19:23.040 --> 0:19:27.080 in for eight ten plays and will be okay. I 0:19:27.160 --> 0:19:29.080 think that's what they need with this defensive line. They 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:33.000 need to find Richard Ashe and Lewis and and uh 0:19:33.119 --> 0:19:36.800 and those guys need to Daniel Ross need to elevate 0:19:36.840 --> 0:19:40.000 their games much like a Joe Thomas or Justin march 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:42.560 Lillard will be And I hate to say this, but 0:19:43.280 --> 0:19:46.840 if somebody emerges at right defensive end, Is there a 0:19:47.000 --> 0:19:50.400 chance Crawford moves back inside? I hate that for him 0:19:50.720 --> 0:19:53.600 because he's been ping pong back and forth between end 0:19:53.680 --> 0:19:58.960 and tackle. But the best field then they may have 0:19:59.040 --> 0:20:01.320 to do that all right. Time for a break already. 0:20:01.440 --> 0:20:04.160 Jerry Jones made a comment yesterday this could be one 0:20:04.200 --> 0:20:07.840 of the best defensive front sevens he's had. Here we 0:20:08.000 --> 0:20:12.080 talk about that when talking cowboys continues. At a moment, 0:20:12.560 --> 0:20:14.520 it can be hard to find the right resource for 0:20:14.640 --> 0:20:18.400