WEBVTT - Talkin' Cowboys: Secondary Or Front Seven? 0:00:05.320 --> 0:00:07.880 The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:07.920 --> 0:00:19.240 and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. This He's Talking Cowboys, 0:00:19.239 --> 0:00:22.680 screening live from the Dallas Cowboys World Hours at the 0:00:22.720 --> 0:00:33.720 Star in Price Last and now your hosts Isaiah stand back, 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:40.640 heck My Harrison, Rob Phillips, and Kyle Yeoman's It's a 0:00:41.000 --> 0:00:46.880 offseason edition of Talking Cowboys here on Dallas Cowboys dot Com, 0:00:47.080 --> 0:00:51.440 as always presented by Geico and well Isaiah and uh 0:00:51.680 --> 0:00:53.880 heck my head the chopper going, you're not gonna join 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:58.000 a little bit, I forgot com I'm right here. You 0:00:58.000 --> 0:01:00.640 guys can't see me, but I'm with you. See, I'm 0:01:00.680 --> 0:01:02.960 still reeling for what we just talked about off air 0:01:03.080 --> 0:01:06.720 right before the show started. So I'm recovering from that. 0:01:07.360 --> 0:01:10.960 Yes you are. You are da literally and figurative. Nah, 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:14.280 pleasure with us here on Dallas Cowboys dot Com. We 0:01:14.319 --> 0:01:17.839 are having a ton of fun already all over the place. 0:01:17.959 --> 0:01:21.119 I think is safe to say early in the show, 0:01:21.280 --> 0:01:24.240 but I wanted to kind of get into things really 0:01:24.280 --> 0:01:26.679 quickly because we only have an hour, and of course, 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:29.280 everybody tunes into the show to hear about the Dallas Cowboys, 0:01:29.280 --> 0:01:31.880 and we're gonna talk about them Dallas Cowboys. But first 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:34.839 we got to talk about this virtual off season, because 0:01:34.880 --> 0:01:39.160 today is the officials start of the virtual off season 0:01:39.600 --> 0:01:42.920 as implemented by the NFL. At least at the moment 0:01:42.920 --> 0:01:46.919 it's been caused, it has caused a huge divide between 0:01:46.920 --> 0:01:50.520 the NFLPA, the players, and then also the owners in 0:01:50.600 --> 0:01:55.200 the league. Every part of this off season is voluntary, 0:01:55.200 --> 0:01:58.160 except for the June mini camps. But Rob, why does 0:01:58.200 --> 0:02:05.120 this cause problems amongst the NFL? Why does it cause problems? Yeah? Well, 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:09.440 I mean there's questions about whether from the player side, 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:13.360 whether it's really needed to have. And I think there's 0:02:13.400 --> 0:02:17.360 different viewpoints based on how long you've been in the league. 0:02:17.360 --> 0:02:19.360 If you're a veteran guy, you probably hate doing this 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:21.919 in the spring. And Isaiah, I'm sure you can speak 0:02:21.919 --> 0:02:25.200 to this and so and part of it too is 0:02:25.240 --> 0:02:28.880 the pandemic. Part of it is their own research on 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:32.320 the NFLPA side that says, look, injuries were down. We 0:02:32.360 --> 0:02:36.920 think quality of play went up based on the Cowboys experiences. 0:02:36.960 --> 0:02:38.720 I don't know if you could say that's the case, 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:42.440 but there's you know, there's viewpoints on different sides. I 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:45.800 think from the NFL side, it's like, look, you're gonna 0:02:45.840 --> 0:02:48.680 have to work out somewhere this spring, and we've shown 0:02:48.720 --> 0:02:52.840 a commitment to having safe protocols in place, especially here 0:02:52.880 --> 0:02:55.400 at the Star. You know, they really were able to 0:02:55.440 --> 0:02:59.280 mitigate risk with COVID and that'll be continue to be 0:02:59.320 --> 0:03:02.360 the case. So it just comes down to what team's 0:03:02.360 --> 0:03:05.040 comfort level is, what players comfort level is. It is voluntary. 0:03:05.080 --> 0:03:07.639 As you said, the Cowboys have not come out through 0:03:07.639 --> 0:03:10.320 the NFLPA and announced anything with their players saying look, 0:03:10.720 --> 0:03:12.360 we're not going to do this. So I think you 0:03:12.400 --> 0:03:15.920 can expect to see probably a good amount of Cowboys 0:03:15.919 --> 0:03:18.720 out here getting work in this spring, just like they 0:03:18.720 --> 0:03:21.160 always do. Cowboys never announced how much, but I think 0:03:21.160 --> 0:03:22.680 you're going to see a pretty good number, just like 0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:26.760 they always do. Now, I want to get Isaiah's, of course, 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:29.240 former player opinion on this in a second, But heck, 0:03:29.520 --> 0:03:32.280 before we get to that, we talk about these Cowboys 0:03:32.320 --> 0:03:35.080 coming in and having that virtual off season. I mean, 0:03:35.120 --> 0:03:37.280 of course last year being a virtual off season and 0:03:37.360 --> 0:03:39.720 put the Cowboys behind the eight ball with a new 0:03:39.760 --> 0:03:43.360 coaching staff. So how crucial is it for this team 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:47.000 to kind of find a rhythm around Mike McCarthy through 0:03:47.040 --> 0:03:50.120 the off season and once again not being able to 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:52.360 be in the building or at least not the majority 0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:53.960 of the players being in the building should be a 0:03:54.040 --> 0:03:59.520 little bit of an issue, right, Yeah, it absolutely should. 0:03:59.520 --> 0:04:02.080 I was last year. You look at all of the 0:04:02.400 --> 0:04:05.200 you know, things that coach Mike McCarthy tried to build 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:07.560 through the virtual all season and you realize that there 0:04:07.600 --> 0:04:10.400 was a disconnect, especially with the product that was on 0:04:10.440 --> 0:04:13.080 the field. I mean it was if it cost us 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:15.480 nowhere else, but on the defensive side of the ball, 0:04:15.560 --> 0:04:19.160 that was it was apparent that the off season work 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:22.760 out and Mike coach mc nolan then defensive coordinator him 0:04:22.800 --> 0:04:25.400 not being able to implement his scheme. But I get 0:04:25.480 --> 0:04:28.800 I'm very uncomfortable with this topic because I think that 0:04:29.160 --> 0:04:33.240 the players have dug in on something as it relates 0:04:33.279 --> 0:04:37.560 to COVID and the pandemic and basically saying that they 0:04:37.640 --> 0:04:40.800 want to make sure for the safety, for their safety, 0:04:40.880 --> 0:04:43.479 that they're not you know, putting themselves at any more 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:47.280 risk for exposure. But then there's another side of this. 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:50.120 There's another side where there's a guy that's fighting for 0:04:50.320 --> 0:04:53.640 that fifty third spot that wants to be a part 0:04:53.720 --> 0:04:57.160 of all season, that's fighting tooth and nail because he's 0:04:57.200 --> 0:05:01.240 you know, got bills and and maybe on the way 0:05:01.600 --> 0:05:03.960 bills to pay, you know, so the aspect of it, 0:05:04.000 --> 0:05:07.400 But I think from a coaching standpoint, you want to 0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:11.800 because traditionally coaches have been that they have this time 0:05:11.880 --> 0:05:15.719 as evaluators, as the best evaluators in sports, to try 0:05:15.720 --> 0:05:18.200 and implement the scheme and see where guys are. So, 0:05:18.680 --> 0:05:21.520 you know, look, I think even for coach Mike McCarthy 0:05:21.520 --> 0:05:23.680 and his new staff, especially on the defensive side of 0:05:23.680 --> 0:05:27.159 the ball, they want these guys to participate. But then again, 0:05:27.240 --> 0:05:29.960 like I said, man, there's there is an aspect of 0:05:30.040 --> 0:05:33.160 this with players that they are concerned, and you saw 0:05:33.200 --> 0:05:36.919 the NBA, NFL you know, get through a whole sceneson 0:05:37.000 --> 0:05:39.440 with you know, some cancelations of games and things like that. 0:05:39.480 --> 0:05:41.680 But still, all in all, Man, I think that the 0:05:41.760 --> 0:05:44.800 concerns are real and the guys have a legitimate right 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:47.520 about this. All right, Isaiah, I want to hear your 0:05:47.520 --> 0:05:52.160 opinion all right now. I think you guys have done 0:05:52.160 --> 0:05:55.000 a great job of kind of creating a synopsis of 0:05:55.000 --> 0:05:57.359 with the issues that are at hand. From a coaching standpoint, 0:05:57.520 --> 0:06:00.359 we obviously know that coach Quinn and the rest of 0:06:00.400 --> 0:06:02.760 his crew want these guys on site. They need these 0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:06.160 guys on site. Um, and you know, last year, not 0:06:06.200 --> 0:06:08.839 only did we have a virtual off season, but we 0:06:08.880 --> 0:06:11.320 also had a virtual off season where guys were quote 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:15.000 unquote not supposed to gather together to even watch film together, 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:18.280 and not supposed to do walkthroughs together. So that compounded 0:06:18.320 --> 0:06:20.960 the problem last year in addition to having a new 0:06:20.960 --> 0:06:25.200 defensive coordinator. So it's looking as if this is gonna 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:27.960 be a virtual off season across the board. I think 0:06:28.000 --> 0:06:32.000 there's nineteen teams already that I've already put out statements 0:06:32.040 --> 0:06:34.159 saying that they're not going to be there. So it's 0:06:34.560 --> 0:06:36.760 you know, now you start getting into a situation where 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:39.479 you know, you do have a union, right and your union, 0:06:39.520 --> 0:06:42.280 the majority of the of the participants in your union 0:06:42.320 --> 0:06:45.640 are saying, hey, we're doing this in the form of solidarity. 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:48.760 Don't show up, and you know, if you kind of 0:06:48.760 --> 0:06:50.760 go against the grained and you're kind of the outcast 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:55.279 from the player standpoint, I get it. I mean I 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:57.040 get it. I know fans don't want to hear that, 0:06:57.320 --> 0:06:59.600 but I do get it. I mean, it's it's you know, 0:06:59.680 --> 0:07:03.120 agin imagine you're you're a guy like me from Seattle, 0:07:03.480 --> 0:07:04.960 and all of a sudden, you know you have to 0:07:04.960 --> 0:07:07.880 go live in Texas or wherever your team is playing. 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:09.680 Imagine you have to go live in in you know, 0:07:09.760 --> 0:07:12.840 New York, right for the for for four months, three 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:15.960 four months, you know, just working every single day when 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:17.960 you really don't have to, when you have an option 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:19.920 to not have to do that and still have the 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:22.120 opportunity to go out and do what you're paid to do, 0:07:22.120 --> 0:07:24.840 which is go perform on the field. Um. I know 0:07:24.840 --> 0:07:26.520 a lot of people are gonna say, what's your job? 0:07:26.600 --> 0:07:29.920 And you're absolutely correct, but there's a clause in there 0:07:29.960 --> 0:07:32.560 that says that you don't have to be there. It's voluntary, right, 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:34.080 And as long as that clause is in there, and 0:07:34.480 --> 0:07:36.440 it left the window open, right And I tell people 0:07:36.440 --> 0:07:38.040 all the time, we say it on the show, if 0:07:38.040 --> 0:07:40.680 you leave the window cracked, debos coming in. Right. So 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:42.800 you know these guys, you know the windows cracked, and 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:46.040 these guys have the option, um to exercise their right 0:07:46.280 --> 0:07:49.040 to not show up. And that's that's not to say 0:07:49.040 --> 0:07:50.680 that they're not preparing, they're not doing the things they 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:53.040 need to do. If that, if there is another virtual 0:07:53.040 --> 0:07:55.280 platform for us again this off season for the Cowboys. 0:07:55.840 --> 0:07:58.600 This year is different because guys will get together, Guys 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:01.080 will have walked throughs, the leaders will hold meetings, they 0:08:01.080 --> 0:08:03.240 will watch film together. They would do a lot more 0:08:03.280 --> 0:08:06.040 things together because they won't be forced to be an 0:08:06.080 --> 0:08:08.680 isolation like they were last year. One thing to point out, 0:08:08.880 --> 0:08:11.640 that's admit a great point, Isaiah about where you live, 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:14.600 because I think one reason the tenants here has been 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:17.560 so good is most guys stick around. Most guys either 0:08:17.640 --> 0:08:19.840 live here, they don't go. I don't live somewhere else 0:08:19.840 --> 0:08:22.679 out of state. So it Cowboys have an advantage. Dallas 0:08:22.680 --> 0:08:26.840 a great place to live. But it's hard for me 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:28.480 to speak on it because I didn't play. I didn't 0:08:28.480 --> 0:08:30.720 play the game. I didn't play at the level I don't. 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:32.800 I don't know from the physical aspect of it, Hey, 0:08:33.640 --> 0:08:35.800 I don't need to do this put that extra sprain 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:37.920 in my body. I can do it at home. And 0:08:37.960 --> 0:08:41.320 it's worth noting that this phase one through May fourteenth 0:08:41.480 --> 0:08:44.320 is virtual meetings. Essentially, you come in, you can work out, 0:08:44.360 --> 0:08:47.080 but it's it's virtual. It's Phase two that I'm really 0:08:47.080 --> 0:08:49.880 focused on, where you get into late May, and it's 0:08:49.920 --> 0:08:53.600 OTAs and then you mentioned the Mini camp man that 0:08:54.320 --> 0:08:56.120 the Eagles have come out, the Giants have come out, 0:08:56.120 --> 0:08:57.280 said they're not going to do it. I don't know 0:08:57.320 --> 0:09:00.760 if that extends OTAs in mini camp, but the Cowboys 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:03.920 to me immediately, if if things hold and they continue 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:06.280 to work out here and do OTAs and stuff, they're 0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:10.280 add an advantage over their division rivals to me because 0:09:10.320 --> 0:09:13.720 they are working out together, specially defensively. Heck, you hit 0:09:13.760 --> 0:09:17.080 on it trying to institute a new defense. I don't 0:09:17.160 --> 0:09:19.640 want Layton vander esh having to hit the raise the 0:09:19.679 --> 0:09:22.000 hand icon on the zoom, you know, to to ask 0:09:22.040 --> 0:09:24.440 a question like, let's just do this stuff in person 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:27.360 and and try to get better. You know, I think 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:29.040 that could have It could have been a big difference 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:31.240 if they were around for OTAs last year. That's just 0:09:31.280 --> 0:09:33.280 my opinion, and I think it could help that they 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:37.240 do it this year. And Robert, I know, I know 0:09:37.280 --> 0:09:38.839 there's gonna be a lot of fans they're kind of 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:41.080 up in arms about this, But think about it, you know, 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:42.800 I imagine if it was the four of us, right, 0:09:42.840 --> 0:09:45.120 we're all we're all old and busted now, right, So 0:09:45.320 --> 0:09:47.160 if we say we had an opportunity to make, you know, 0:09:47.200 --> 0:09:49.080 make the last spot on the roster. And and we're 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:51.160 not really getting those checks, so you're getting those I 0:09:51.200 --> 0:09:52.319 know what I was playing. I think it was five 0:09:52.400 --> 0:09:55.400 hundred dollars a week for your for your off season, 0:09:56.040 --> 0:09:59.400 offseason training. So from your your entire offseason all the 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:01.360 way up until the point where you hit camp, it 0:10:01.360 --> 0:10:03.360 was five hundred dollars a week. Well take it. Take 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:05.280 a city like DC, Take a city like New York, 0:10:05.400 --> 0:10:07.600 you know, take Dallas. I don't care. You're you're bringing 0:10:07.600 --> 0:10:10.000 home two thousand dollars for the month. Cool, two thousand 0:10:10.000 --> 0:10:12.520 dollars for the month, regardless of how much money your 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:14.719 contract says that you're supposed to make. Right and then 0:10:14.760 --> 0:10:17.520 you're having to pay to get your car shipped right 0:10:17.679 --> 0:10:20.880 to and from you're having to find apartment or a 0:10:20.880 --> 0:10:23.880 house to rent right to cover the expenses that there's 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:26.160 not enough money coming in and guys are losing money. 0:10:26.200 --> 0:10:28.400 So if you don't really have a pocket full of money, 0:10:28.800 --> 0:10:31.000 think about the guys that are trying to make the squad. 0:10:31.040 --> 0:10:33.240 They don't have the bread to be to be trying 0:10:33.280 --> 0:10:35.640 to you know, show up. And yes, it's an opportunity, 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:38.640 but the reality is it costs money to go work 0:10:38.679 --> 0:10:41.199 off site, and when you're getting there, when you're getting 0:10:41.200 --> 0:10:43.520 those weekly game checks, it's different, right, But when you're 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:46.560 not getting those weekly game checks, Yeah, yeah, but your pockets, hey, 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:50.000 your pockets is a little light. Hey man, listen, man, 0:10:50.080 --> 0:10:52.840 I'm gonna start and let's just take the COVID aspect 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:55.320 out of it. When when we're when you're making that point, 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:58.880 because look, the world's smallest violin is starting to play, 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:02.880 and so is me. Is gonna play on the jukebox 0:11:02.880 --> 0:11:05.200 for you if you're talking about that, Because there are 0:11:05.240 --> 0:11:07.160 a bunch of twenty three and twenty four year old 0:11:07.200 --> 0:11:10.439 guys that need that five hundred dollars a week that 0:11:10.480 --> 0:11:14.960 will do anything to get that money because they're living 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:17.520 off of their body in the production that they want 0:11:17.559 --> 0:11:21.800 to put out and get that one of very very 0:11:21.840 --> 0:11:25.440 few percentage that get to play this game. And so look, 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:28.320 I think when that's what I believe happens with the 0:11:28.400 --> 0:11:33.000 fan base and professional athletes, where there's this disconnect between 0:11:33.040 --> 0:11:37.720 the exorbitant amounts of wealth fare through one whatever that 0:11:37.880 --> 0:11:40.040 is of guys that make in the league and the 0:11:40.080 --> 0:11:42.439 guys that are fighting tooth and nail just to get 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:45.160 on the roster. And some guy that's sitting in his 0:11:45.280 --> 0:11:48.840 cubicle with cowboy memorabili all over it, and he's like, 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:51.200 what do you mean you won't go and work out 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:53.880 for half a million dollars or whatever it is. I 0:11:53.920 --> 0:11:57.479 mean this there is no connecting it. There's that disconnected. 0:11:57.480 --> 0:12:00.480 There's no way to connect that back because us I 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:04.959 think as a casual fan, it's hard to even fathom, 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:08.960 you know, fathom what you're giving up for this. And look, 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:10.800 I think that at the at the end of the day, 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:13.840 what's going to come out is that this is all 0:12:13.880 --> 0:12:17.400 about money. Right, we realize all these things is happening, 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:21.520 with the betting and the new TV rights deal, all 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:23.439 of this. The players are going, like you said, you 0:12:23.520 --> 0:12:25.800 leave that devo, You leave that when the open devo 0:12:25.920 --> 0:12:28.559 gonna come through, come through the playoffs. The players are 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:32.120 finding every little, nuanced everything that they can do to 0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:36.160 force the ownership to come back to the table to 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:39.640 negotiate about these things because in a pandemic year, they 0:12:39.679 --> 0:12:42.760 had so many things affecting them. That's that's just my 0:12:42.840 --> 0:12:46.000 point on well and and look, they both sides agree 0:12:46.040 --> 0:12:49.280 to an eighteenth game but that's that's more physical strain 0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:51.840 on players bodies over the course of the year. So 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:56.120 and there's veteran players like Trader who's running you know, 0:12:56.120 --> 0:12:58.520 the player's side of things. He's there rappings like do 0:12:58.600 --> 0:13:00.959 we do we need this at all? You know, we 0:13:01.120 --> 0:13:03.319 were able to get through a season without it last year. 0:13:03.600 --> 0:13:05.400 Do we need it this year? My question, though, the 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:10.080 extends beyond just the offseason workouts on the player's side. 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:12.760 What about guys rehabbing though? You know that's a good point. 0:13:12.800 --> 0:13:15.480 I mean, Dak Prescott needs to be here to rehab. 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:18.720 I mean he doesn't. It benefits him obviously to be 0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:21.520 here with the Cowboys staff. That's that to continue, you know, 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:23.560 the progress he's made, all the guys that are coming 0:13:23.559 --> 0:13:26.640 back off injury. Are you asking guys not to do that? 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:29.240 That's my question too, And maybe not, maybe not because 0:13:29.280 --> 0:13:33.400 because guys have been rehabbing since the offseason began from injuries. 0:13:33.440 --> 0:13:37.760 But how far does it extends? My question? Yo, Let 0:13:37.800 --> 0:13:40.440 me ask you this. J. C. Trader, he the union president, 0:13:41.240 --> 0:13:44.520 he's you know, he makes a valid point, right, But 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:48.160 I think that when you as far as the man, 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:51.160 the overall product of football sucked last year, and I 0:13:51.160 --> 0:13:53.720 don't care what anybody says. And it's from high school 0:13:53.840 --> 0:13:56.400 all the way up to the NFL, and you saw 0:13:56.440 --> 0:13:59.199 it and and it was because of guys having these 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:04.120 virtual old tis, not having tool of Days abbreviated to 0:14:04.240 --> 0:14:06.920 a day. You saw the product on the field goal 0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:10.160 down and maybe offensively the numbers were up, and that 0:14:10.360 --> 0:14:13.640 was put the defense at a disadvantage. But still we 0:14:14.200 --> 0:14:17.960 there are guys, there are teams, especially the Dallas Cowboys, 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:23.320 need this ota. They need two of days because without it, 0:14:23.520 --> 0:14:26.360 you're gonna get the same results that you had last year. 0:14:26.640 --> 0:14:30.880 Guys not having to the concept of the scheme of defense, 0:14:31.000 --> 0:14:34.120 not being able to communicate because they had nothing to 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:37.280 draw from. And if you're depending on your rookie guy 0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:40.640 that you're gonna bring in to you know, upload video 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:43.200 to his coach to say, hey, you know, this is 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:45.560 what I'm doing. These are my workouts, and you know, 0:14:45.680 --> 0:14:49.560 my grandmother's at my grandmother's house. You know. I think 0:14:49.600 --> 0:14:52.320 that that relates to Sunday Dog when the lights are owned, 0:14:52.560 --> 0:14:57.280 and we gotta pay attention to that. I don't know, man, well, 0:14:57.320 --> 0:15:01.160 I think you probably accord with a lot of our 0:15:01.320 --> 0:15:04.160 viewership and a lot of our listenerhood and when you said, 0:15:04.720 --> 0:15:08.200 there's that disconnect between the players, the coaches, the owners, 0:15:08.280 --> 0:15:09.760 and the fans, and there's no ways to get it 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:11.880 back in there because a lot of people who are 0:15:11.880 --> 0:15:13.960 listening right now are those people that are in the 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:17.560 cubicle with the Cowboys memorabilia all over their cubicle. And 0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:19.160 I'm I'm right there with you. I do the same 0:15:19.280 --> 0:15:22.760 exact thing. I'm my cubicle up there has Cowboy Cowboys memorabilia. 0:15:22.840 --> 0:15:26.200 I grew up a fan. So there is that disconnect. 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:29.840 But like like Rob was saying earlier, there's a disconnect 0:15:29.880 --> 0:15:32.560 between even the veterans and even some of these younger 0:15:32.560 --> 0:15:34.840 guys who are trying to fight for that playing position, 0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:37.640 that roster spot. But there's also a little bit of 0:15:37.640 --> 0:15:40.880 a caveat for those who have already had those roster spots. 0:15:40.880 --> 0:15:43.400 And per Todd Archer, he had a really good article 0:15:43.400 --> 0:15:47.040 on ESPN dot com said there's contract de escalators and 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:50.400 the Cowboys contracts that could cost key players up to 0:15:50.560 --> 0:15:54.080 half a million dollars off their base salary should they 0:15:54.200 --> 0:15:57.560 not show up to at least eighty four percent of 0:15:57.640 --> 0:16:02.160 the voluntary workouts. And those players include Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, 0:16:02.160 --> 0:16:06.200 DeMarcus Lower and Samari Cooper, Jalen Smith, Zach Martin, Tyrant Smith, 0:16:06.200 --> 0:16:09.920 Byle Collins aka the core. I mean, that is the 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:12.640 core of your franchise in a nutshell. If you wanted 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:15.000 to throw those names out there, maybe we'll take away 0:16:15.160 --> 0:16:17.280 a number I'm fifty four or something out of that 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:19.920 group in terms of the core players that are there, 0:16:20.360 --> 0:16:24.640 but come contracts wise, yeah, that's a lot that you're 0:16:24.680 --> 0:16:27.280 gonna have to give up if you're not here. And 0:16:27.320 --> 0:16:29.480 you talk about how it benefits certain players, but there 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:32.160 are players on that list that may not be comfortable 0:16:32.200 --> 0:16:35.240 coming in for these voluntary workouts. So, Isaiah, I ask 0:16:35.280 --> 0:16:39.160 you the question, as a former player, does that money 0:16:39.240 --> 0:16:41.880 change things or as you are, you still able to 0:16:41.960 --> 0:16:43.680 kind of take a stand there if you believe. So, 0:16:45.560 --> 0:16:49.800 come on, Isaiah, so let me let me let me 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:52.960 send the president by by saying this. I've never been 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:55.480 against off season workouts, So I like the work I 0:16:55.520 --> 0:16:57.280 like the off season. I like being around of guys. 0:16:57.320 --> 0:16:59.880 I like being near the coaches and being able to 0:16:59.920 --> 0:17:02.000 be in their ear, you know, prior to the season, 0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:06.399 so that it doesn't bother me um. However, five hundred 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:10.439 stacks of us built into everybody's contracts. I wasn't. I 0:17:10.480 --> 0:17:13.080 wasn't making the money that these guys are losing. But 0:17:13.160 --> 0:17:17.080 then it could possibly lose. But it was in everybody's contract. 0:17:17.119 --> 0:17:18.720 If you didn't show it for a certain percentage of 0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:21.480 the off season program, you did, you took you took 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:24.040 an l right, you took a loss. So that's why 0:17:24.040 --> 0:17:26.919 I made sure my boat was there. But five hundred 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:30.080 thousand dollars, that's that's It depends on the individual. I personally, 0:17:30.160 --> 0:17:32.560 I'm not leaving that on the table. But at the 0:17:32.600 --> 0:17:35.680 same time, you know you you're you are a part 0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:38.399 of a union, right, you are a part of a union, 0:17:38.560 --> 0:17:41.360 and you are representing more than just yourself. I can 0:17:41.400 --> 0:17:44.919 take it back to Actually, this is directly correlated to 0:17:45.119 --> 0:17:47.280 my rookie year. And I'm not gonna say the player, 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:48.960 but one of the one we were we were quote 0:17:49.040 --> 0:17:53.280 unquote holding out our entire draft class. Uh, Nick Folk, 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:56.640 Anthony Spencer, everybody, right, all of us were in there 0:17:56.840 --> 0:17:58.719 and one one of one of our one of our 0:17:58.800 --> 0:18:02.359 draft picks, with his agent, was having negotiations with the 0:18:02.400 --> 0:18:04.800 team and there was one little caveat they were trying 0:18:04.800 --> 0:18:06.840 to put in all of our contracts and it was 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:08.879 related directly to this, and it was you had to 0:18:08.920 --> 0:18:10.760 be a part of like ninety percent of the offseason 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:13.800 workouts if you wanted to receive or there was this this, 0:18:13.800 --> 0:18:17.080 this penalty, and all of all of our agents were like, nah, like, 0:18:17.119 --> 0:18:19.280 we're not signing this. Our entire draft class. We're not 0:18:19.280 --> 0:18:22.960 doing it. We're holding tight together forget that. And you know, 0:18:23.040 --> 0:18:24.719 some people felt some type of way, but it was like, hey, 0:18:24.720 --> 0:18:27.560 we're doing this together as a unit. And the one guy, 0:18:28.160 --> 0:18:31.920 the one guy's agents signed a dog on contract is 0:18:31.960 --> 0:18:35.000 screwed everybody. At that point, we all had got to 0:18:35.000 --> 0:18:40.639 look up. This class wasn't trainer. But but now that 0:18:40.720 --> 0:18:42.399 you bring us up, I'll remember this. I we were 0:18:42.480 --> 0:18:45.679 down there in San Antonio. I definitely remember that, and 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:47.720 we work on a practice. We were like, our contracts 0:18:47.720 --> 0:18:49.800 haven't been signed yet, so we can't practice yet. And 0:18:49.880 --> 0:18:51.639 all of a sudden, the word came through some and 0:18:51.720 --> 0:18:54.080 Soul's agents signed a dog on deal. We're like, oh, 0:18:54.080 --> 0:18:59.440 come on, man, seven right in reality, seven, yeah, it didn't. 0:18:59.480 --> 0:19:02.840 It didn't affect us too much. But the reality is, 0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:05.040 this is the same situation. These guys are in. You 0:19:05.119 --> 0:19:07.000 got guys who really don't care and they either way 0:19:07.000 --> 0:19:08.240 it works for me. And then you got the guys 0:19:08.280 --> 0:19:10.440 who are like, no, hold tight and let's stand firm 0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:14.000 as a unit. Do you think there's benefit Isaiah too? 0:19:14.560 --> 0:19:16.320 I mean, you talked about being a pro and you 0:19:16.320 --> 0:19:19.360 can get your work done wherever. Is there a benefit 0:19:19.400 --> 0:19:22.800 to having the guys in the team setting pushing each 0:19:22.800 --> 0:19:28.320 other or is that just raw rod? True? Absolutely, I mean, 0:19:28.359 --> 0:19:30.479 but from the player's staff, Like, like I mentioned, right, 0:19:30.680 --> 0:19:34.520 you you leave your family, your family man, right, so 0:19:34.560 --> 0:19:38.200 you're leaving your family literally. You know there's there's there's big, 0:19:39.000 --> 0:19:43.400 big times in a year obviously from August until hopefully February, 0:19:43.440 --> 0:19:46.119 where you're just not around a lot. So you're missing 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:48.560 out on all your kids games, you're missing out on 0:19:48.600 --> 0:19:51.080 all the night times, You're missing out on all the 0:19:51.080 --> 0:19:52.960 all the pteam meetings. You're missing out on a whole 0:19:53.000 --> 0:19:55.480 lot of things. And yes, I get it, your professional athlete, 0:19:55.520 --> 0:19:57.480 you you commit to this, you sacrifice a certain a 0:19:57.640 --> 0:19:59.520 certain part of your life. But the reality is these 0:19:59.520 --> 0:20:01.679 guys are still humans, so you miss all of that. 0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:04.640 So now again that windows cracked open and you're like, hey, 0:20:04.640 --> 0:20:07.119 I don't have to go leave my home and go 0:20:07.280 --> 0:20:09.880 move somewhere else where my family is not I don't 0:20:09.920 --> 0:20:11.679 have to miss out on these things with my family. 0:20:11.800 --> 0:20:14.200 I'm all I'm gonna do is wake up. My day 0:20:14.400 --> 0:20:18.560 was done by ten o'clock in off season, you know, 0:20:18.600 --> 0:20:20.800 and during this part of the offseason, you get in 0:20:20.840 --> 0:20:22.439 there at seven o'clock in the morning, whatever it is, 0:20:22.480 --> 0:20:24.800