WEBVTT - Cowboys Break: Dissecting the Calls 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:05.200 The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:05.240 --> 0:00:17.360 and the Dallas Cowboys Football clubs. Are you ready for 0:00:17.400 --> 0:00:21.079 a Break? Yes? Are you ready for a break? Absolutely? 0:00:21.200 --> 0:00:25.400 Ready for a break? Yeah? And so much for that. 0:00:25.600 --> 0:00:29.720 It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:31.560 --> 0:00:38.400 with Nick Eatman, David Hellman, and bar Garcia and Derek Eagleton. Hello, guys, 0:00:38.440 --> 0:00:42.120 welcome back to another episode of The Break. Here we 0:00:42.159 --> 0:00:47.519 are again. We are gonna be talking about these Cowboys 0:00:47.560 --> 0:00:52.159 who ended up having an outcome that we didn't necessarily 0:00:52.360 --> 0:00:55.880 expect them to have. What are you making that? Faith? 0:00:56.320 --> 0:00:59.480 I just wanted to see where you're going. I'm trying 0:00:59.480 --> 0:01:01.440 to be nice, but we're about to attack them in 0:01:01.480 --> 0:01:05.200 a little bit, especially with that play calling at the 0:01:05.280 --> 0:01:08.360 end of the game, which fans are going crazy about. 0:01:08.480 --> 0:01:10.959 We'll get into that in a minute. Just wanted to 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:14.240 start off with how this game started. Once again, the 0:01:14.240 --> 0:01:17.960 Cowboys start out slow. They figure it out eventually in 0:01:18.000 --> 0:01:22.240 the second quarter get some points on the board. Started 0:01:22.400 --> 0:01:25.119 earlier than we expected them to move the ball because 0:01:25.160 --> 0:01:28.640 usually it's in the second half, but eventually got moving 0:01:28.760 --> 0:01:35.240 and Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Randall Coup had an amazing 0:01:35.280 --> 0:01:38.160 game last night. Just let's start talking about the things 0:01:38.200 --> 0:01:41.600 that they were successful at in this game. As far 0:01:41.640 --> 0:01:46.400 as the offense. Um, yeah, they could move the ball 0:01:46.600 --> 0:01:50.200 when then when it wasn't you know, um crunch time, 0:01:50.360 --> 0:01:52.200 they were able to throw the ball around and it 0:01:52.280 --> 0:01:56.440 really makes some good plays. And it wasn't enough to 0:01:56.440 --> 0:01:59.360 to for them to you know, to prove to them 0:01:59.400 --> 0:02:02.160 that they could do when they really needed to, because 0:02:02.160 --> 0:02:04.640 they went away from it obviously. But yeah, I mean 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:08.160 they those receivers did a really nice job you know 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:10.760 when um to get them back in the game and 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:12.560 you know, to kind of get them down the field. 0:02:12.600 --> 0:02:15.560 But obviously it wasn't enough when they really needed to. 0:02:16.480 --> 0:02:19.880 That they were one they were one dimensional. That's the problem. 0:02:20.280 --> 0:02:23.000 They were one dimensional and you can't really win games 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:25.200 like that. You've got to be able to do both things. 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:27.520 And they tried to run the ball with the guy 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:29.880 that they're they're paying a lot of money you know too, 0:02:30.000 --> 0:02:33.080 and then offensive line and they couldn't block for him, 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:35.400 and so it ended up, you know, you can't just 0:02:35.440 --> 0:02:38.080 be a one dimensional team, can't just pass your way around. 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:41.440 Eventually you have to run it. Guess after nine games 0:02:42.400 --> 0:02:48.160 it would be foolish to to try to expect anything 0:02:48.200 --> 0:02:52.120 else at this point, right, Like, I mean, we've been 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:55.400 looking for consistency. We've been like we keep saying, we're 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:58.079 trying to figure out who the Cowboys are. I figured 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:03.560 it out. They're just in what is inconsistent or for 0:03:03.720 --> 0:03:06.040 you know, to be a little bit more mean about it, 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:09.880 mediocre football team. I mean, you know, that's what I 0:03:09.960 --> 0:03:13.240 keep saying, is like they they're better than this, They 0:03:13.240 --> 0:03:14.880 should be better than this. They can do this, they 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:17.680 can do that. But it's you know, it's week eleven 0:03:17.800 --> 0:03:22.000 now starting today, and it's all looked the same, even 0:03:22.000 --> 0:03:24.480 in the winds, it's looked the same. The slow starts, 0:03:24.960 --> 0:03:29.880 the inconsistency, the puzzling play calling at times, you know, 0:03:30.160 --> 0:03:34.560 the run defense. Like they've had games where they played well, 0:03:34.600 --> 0:03:39.160 but you can't say they've truly fixed it. Screen passes. 0:03:39.560 --> 0:03:41.440 I'm just kind of going off the dome here, but 0:03:41.520 --> 0:03:44.200 like all of the same problems, Like go all the 0:03:44.200 --> 0:03:46.880 way back to Week one and you know, they win 0:03:46.960 --> 0:03:49.840 comfortably and you're like, yeah, but you know that didn't 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:53.119 look great and this was a problem. And in week 0:03:53.160 --> 0:03:55.960 eleven and all those things are still the case. And 0:03:56.000 --> 0:03:58.520 it's just is what it is at this point. Yeah, 0:03:58.760 --> 0:04:02.280 I didn't. I was staring at my computer last night 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:04.240 after the game. I didn't know what the right like, 0:04:04.320 --> 0:04:06.200 what what is it? Why do they lose? What's the 0:04:06.280 --> 0:04:09.000 problem with this? And I don't know I did something. 0:04:09.080 --> 0:04:10.800 I guess I don't. I put it out there, but 0:04:11.040 --> 0:04:14.160 not till the driving home that I realized what. In 0:04:14.240 --> 0:04:17.600 my opinion, the issue is, this team's pretty good at times, 0:04:17.640 --> 0:04:21.480 they're okay at times. They are absolutely not clutch. They 0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:24.600 are not a clutch football team. They're wins. I don't 0:04:24.640 --> 0:04:26.800 think they've been trailing in the second half of any 0:04:26.839 --> 0:04:29.520 of the games that they won. Maybe in the third quarter, 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:32.040 but certainly not in the fourth. But you ask them 0:04:32.080 --> 0:04:34.039 to make a two point conversion against the Jets to 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:36.640 tie this game, they can't do it. Maher, we're down 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:38.680 ten against the Packers. Make this so we can get 0:04:38.760 --> 0:04:41.920 down now, not gonna make it. You know, the game 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:44.360 against the Saints, go drive down the field and get 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:47.520 can't do it, got the penalties, can't can't make it happen. 0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:50.719 Last night, same thing, Drive all the way down, but 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:54.039 when we get down down inside the red zone, can't 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:58.039 score this team, for whatever it is, is not a 0:04:58.120 --> 0:05:01.600 clutch team. They can't do those necessary things over the top. 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:04.919 Defense can't get a stop when they really really need to. Yeah, 0:05:05.040 --> 0:05:07.320 offense can't make a play when they really really need to. 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:11.080 So that's an interesting point. I agree with you. But 0:05:11.279 --> 0:05:14.800 it's funny because, like my main my main thought from 0:05:14.800 --> 0:05:17.400 this game is, you know, we're down on the field 0:05:17.400 --> 0:05:19.360 in the fourth quarter of every Cowboys game, they got 0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:22.160 the ball in the six like really from the start 0:05:22.200 --> 0:05:24.600 of that drive right up until the fourth down ball 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:27.480 fell incomplete. I was like, they're gonna score, Like that's 0:05:27.480 --> 0:05:30.760 how well Dak has been playing. They're going to score 0:05:30.760 --> 0:05:33.240 this touchdown, and you know, maybe they won't be able 0:05:33.279 --> 0:05:35.520 to hold the thirty one twenty eight lead, but I 0:05:35.600 --> 0:05:37.400 just like I had no doubt in my mind they 0:05:37.440 --> 0:05:41.240 were going to do it because Dak was playing that 0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:44.800 clutch in my opinion, and I kind of struggle to 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:47.920 just completely flip my lid about the play calls down 0:05:48.000 --> 0:05:51.880 on the eleven yard line because in that instance, with 0:05:52.240 --> 0:05:54.560 a minute thirty three to play, even even if you 0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:56.640 don't trust Kirk Cousins, I think it's a good idea 0:05:56.680 --> 0:05:59.120 to try to run some clock I don't grudge them that, 0:05:59.240 --> 0:06:02.960 you know, even even with how poorly they were running 0:06:03.000 --> 0:06:05.360 the ball, you would like to think Ezekiel Elliott can 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:09.240 get two yards. Having said that twice in a row, 0:06:09.960 --> 0:06:13.640 yea twice in a row, and then you know, just 0:06:13.720 --> 0:06:17.839 a very unimaginative like out route to your running back 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:20.640 who you don't throw the ball to enough as it 0:06:20.760 --> 0:06:22.800 is in the clutchest part of the game. I didn't 0:06:22.839 --> 0:06:26.760 like that. Maybe how about some north to south runs 0:06:26.760 --> 0:06:28.440 if you're going to do it instead of you know, 0:06:28.480 --> 0:06:31.120 this east to west stuff against a defense that's been 0:06:31.800 --> 0:06:35.359 shutting it down all day. I didn't like that. And 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:38.760 it's just it stings that as well as Dak Prescott 0:06:38.800 --> 0:06:41.760 played in that game, they didn't give him that great 0:06:41.800 --> 0:06:43.640 of a chance to try to win it for him, 0:06:43.680 --> 0:06:45.800 I mean, in a way, for me, this kind of 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:49.880 helped clear my vision a little bit because these games 0:06:49.960 --> 0:06:53.640 have been somewhat confusing. You know, you're trying to figure out, Okay, 0:06:53.960 --> 0:06:56.840 is it really the players not being efficient on the 0:06:56.880 --> 0:07:00.560 field making the plays, or the coaching staff the way 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:04.800 they are coaching them and calling these plays. You know, 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:08.480 it's like a mixture of both. But then in this scenario. 0:07:08.760 --> 0:07:12.880 To me, I thought that the talent, you know, at 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:16.120 least in the passing game, the Cowboys were doing exactly 0:07:16.120 --> 0:07:18.080 what they needed to do as far as Dak and 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:22.120 Mari even Randall cub which completely blew my mind. There 0:07:22.120 --> 0:07:25.160 were times that I got him confused with the MARII 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:27.600 Cooper on the film. I'm like, oh wow, that's Randall 0:07:27.640 --> 0:07:31.760 cob making that play. It was amazing. So but then 0:07:31.960 --> 0:07:34.280 you peel that layer and I'm like, okay, I checked 0:07:34.280 --> 0:07:37.360 my box there, and then it comes back down to 0:07:37.800 --> 0:07:40.680 the coaches and how they're calling these plays. Now, I 0:07:40.720 --> 0:07:44.000 wanted to dig deeper. I know you just talked about 0:07:44.040 --> 0:07:46.840 that towards the end of the game and the play 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:49.480 calling there when you see the Cowboys who with the 0:07:49.560 --> 0:07:52.160 Dak Bress go that through for three hundred and ninety 0:07:52.160 --> 0:07:55.360 seven yards and then Elliott unable to run the ball, 0:07:55.400 --> 0:08:01.800 they end up with fifty yards in rushing. Now, I mean, 0:08:02.160 --> 0:08:05.200 it was that the really the right call to make. 0:08:05.280 --> 0:08:07.600 You said it not to do it twice, and that's 0:08:07.640 --> 0:08:09.960 the point when you see it doesn't work once, why 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:13.920 do it again. But let's let's kind of dig deeper 0:08:13.960 --> 0:08:17.400 inch comprehend really what happened here. Let me let me 0:08:17.960 --> 0:08:20.840 not even contradict myself. I will say this like you know, 0:08:21.320 --> 0:08:23.320 heat of the moment. Dak said it last night and 0:08:23.640 --> 0:08:25.520 he and there's always a point to that is, you know, 0:08:25.520 --> 0:08:28.560 if we pick it up, nobody's questioning that play call always. 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:31.960 I get that, forget the sequence in the red zone. 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:38.000 I just the play calling sucked, period. The Jerry Jones 0:08:38.000 --> 0:08:39.760 said after the game, he was like, Zeke might as 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:42.559 well have had a Neon sign over and that that said, 0:08:42.880 --> 0:08:46.240 it ain't happening tonight. Jerry Jones said he noticed that 0:08:46.280 --> 0:08:49.080 from the beginning of the game, and yet into the 0:08:49.120 --> 0:08:53.760 fourth quarter first down runs, it's just like there was 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:56.160 no choice but to do that. I think the split 0:08:56.360 --> 0:08:59.920 was they threw fourteen times on first down and ran 0:09:00.000 --> 0:09:03.679 and sixteen times on first down, but take out you know, 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:06.719 the in that final drive where they're passing all the 0:09:06.760 --> 0:09:10.280 way downfield. Excuse the stats. So basically, again, just like 0:09:10.320 --> 0:09:13.200 the New Orleans game, you're running on first down like 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:15.840 upward of sixty seventy percent of the time when you're 0:09:15.880 --> 0:09:20.000 in your basic offense, and when you saw how committed 0:09:20.000 --> 0:09:22.400 the Vikings were to not letting that be a thing. 0:09:22.520 --> 0:09:25.559 It's just kind of mind boggling. Ye, like Mike Zimmer 0:09:25.720 --> 0:09:28.320 dared Dak Prescott to win the game, and he was 0:09:28.360 --> 0:09:31.720 playing well enough to do it, and it felt like 0:09:31.760 --> 0:09:34.800 everybody in the building but the Cowboys coaches knew that. Yeah. 0:09:34.960 --> 0:09:38.360 I love the second down call. I thought that was fine, 0:09:38.440 --> 0:09:41.679 that Vikings made a nice play on it. I'm second too. 0:09:41.679 --> 0:09:44.000 I'm gonna try to get the first down, but not 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:46.800 on third down. And you know, you can watch the 0:09:46.800 --> 0:09:50.880 play again. I don't know exactly what's what's being asked 0:09:50.920 --> 0:09:54.720 of these players, but I've never seen Travis Frederick turned 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:56.880 to the bench like that and get so upset with 0:09:57.240 --> 0:10:00.560 the you know, with the coaching staff on whatever call 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:03.840 that was. This is just me and no one said this, 0:10:04.080 --> 0:10:06.960 but I've said this for a while. Connor Williams to 0:10:07.000 --> 0:10:10.280 me is a problem left guard. I don't think he 0:10:10.440 --> 0:10:13.080 is good enough right now to do what they want 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:15.880 to do. And this team, we said it several times, 0:10:16.120 --> 0:10:18.600 they're so stubborn at what they you know, this is 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:21.400 how we do things, and we're gonna run the ball 0:10:21.440 --> 0:10:24.439 was even though he has been stuffed all game, We're 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:27.920 gonna do it. His longest run was six yards first 0:10:28.000 --> 0:10:30.840 drive of the game, first drive of the game, same thing. Well, 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:33.120 we're just gonna kick a fifty seven yard because Maha 0:10:33.200 --> 0:10:36.760 can make it. Well he didn't, And now Kirk Cousins 0:10:36.800 --> 0:10:39.280 is gut a short field to go and and give 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:42.280 you a seven enhing you know, deficit because you know 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:44.400 they're just well I've seen him do it, and if 0:10:44.440 --> 0:10:46.240 you make it. If you've listened to me at all 0:10:46.320 --> 0:10:50.040 this season on the podcast, on Twitter or whatever, I'm 0:10:50.040 --> 0:10:53.520 I've been very sure to you know, equal parts of 0:10:53.520 --> 0:10:56.280 blame like, well, yeah, it is it the coach's fault 0:10:56.320 --> 0:10:58.920 if the players aren't executing this or doing that. I thought, 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:02.560 more so than any game this season, there were just 0:11:02.640 --> 0:11:06.520 so many baffling decisions by the coaching staff that put 0:11:06.520 --> 0:11:08.640 this team at a disadvantage. You talked the fifty seven 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:11.960 yard field goal a kicker, Yeah he can do it. 0:11:12.920 --> 0:11:15.880 Nobody in the world feels one hundred percent confident that 0:11:15.920 --> 0:11:19.320 it's going to happen. And you're just gifting a veteran 0:11:19.400 --> 0:11:22.640 quarterback with his opening possession at midfield and then what 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:25.040 ten minutes later, they're in the same situation and they 0:11:25.040 --> 0:11:27.960 decide to punt. So like, you're not that confident because 0:11:28.280 --> 0:11:32.480 you could have kicked it again, but he'd missed the 0:11:32.520 --> 0:11:34.280 first one, so you don't do that. So now you're 0:11:34.600 --> 0:11:37.840 punting from the Vikings forty I believe on a fourth 0:11:37.880 --> 0:11:40.800 and four. Yeah, the way I mean Dak threw for 0:11:40.840 --> 0:11:42.800 four hundred yards. I mean you could go for it 0:11:42.840 --> 0:11:45.960 if you feel that confident, or punt the first time 0:11:45.960 --> 0:11:49.720 and don't gift them with a possession at midfield. First 0:11:49.760 --> 0:11:53.640 down running was mind boggling. It's amazing. Honestly, this game 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:56.640 could have been ugly if Dak Prescott wasn't so amazing. 0:11:56.760 --> 0:11:59.120 Like how many times did he bail them out of 0:11:59.160 --> 0:12:01.640 a third and long? At least three? Yeah, at least 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:04.120 three where it's like third and twelve and he does 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:06.400 some Houdini stuff back there and turns it into a 0:12:06.440 --> 0:12:09.520 first down. Otherwise you could be talking about, you know, 0:12:09.559 --> 0:12:12.560 three four more possessions where the Vikings have favorable fuel position. 0:12:13.160 --> 0:12:16.360 I just you know, Tavon Austin with the fair catch, 0:12:16.440 --> 0:12:18.440 Jason Garrett said this morning on the radio that he 0:12:18.480 --> 0:12:21.640 had the option to return it. I don't know. I 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:23.680 don't think I buy that because he shot his hand 0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:25.440 up in the air basically as soon as the ball 0:12:25.520 --> 0:12:28.600 left the punter's foot. I don't. I don't hate that 0:12:28.640 --> 0:12:32.000 as much as people. You know that our people are saying, 0:12:32.080 --> 0:12:35.440 because yes, that he could have gotten some yards extra 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:40.200 yards there, but this team was probably going to get 0:12:40.280 --> 0:12:43.240 I mean a block in the back, which we talked 0:12:43.280 --> 0:12:46.400 about this. We talked about this in the tunnel last night. 0:12:46.480 --> 0:12:49.199 And like the fact that you don't trust your team 0:12:49.240 --> 0:12:52.200 to cleanly feel the punt in week ten of the 0:12:52.240 --> 0:12:56.360 season is pretty embarrassing. So you you have a point. 0:12:56.360 --> 0:12:58.000 I mean, if they draw a holding flag and back 0:12:58.040 --> 0:13:00.800 it up to their own thirty five over, it's over. 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:05.080 But like, I don't know, competently return a punt in 0:13:05.120 --> 0:13:07.520 a crucial situation without getting a flag, it doesn't seem 0:13:07.559 --> 0:13:09.760 like it should be that hard. We're all standing down 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:13.680 there and that ball and the hail Mary seemed like 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:16.800 it was up there forever. Yeah, well, it seemed like 0:13:16.840 --> 0:13:19.040 it took Dak eight seconds to throw it because he 0:13:19.160 --> 0:13:21.839 I mean, he did scramble for a bit. I kind 0:13:21.880 --> 0:13:24.360 of thought it was it was going in. I just 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:26.679 thought it something was going to happen. That would have 0:13:26.760 --> 0:13:29.800 been pretty amazing. It been amazing. No, And I even 0:13:29.840 --> 0:13:32.199 thought I was looking at you because you you'll do 0:13:32.240 --> 0:13:34.800 this more than me. I'm like, does nobody want to 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:36.920 want to put the video on this? You know? Does 0:13:36.960 --> 0:13:39.319 nobody want to go and turn on the video for something? 0:13:39.360 --> 0:13:41.960 To make it? I actually did it. What year was 0:13:42.000 --> 0:13:45.600 that when um Romo drove him down the residence, drove 0:13:45.679 --> 0:13:48.480 him down against the Giants and Witton you know, fumbled 0:13:48.480 --> 0:13:50.520 the ball and then he threw it to Witten like 0:13:50.559 --> 0:13:53.520 week one, week fifteen. You know what a great season 0:13:53.520 --> 0:13:55.240 that was. I mean, I have the video of that. 0:13:55.280 --> 0:13:57.400 We're right down there, and I'm like, that's a really 0:13:57.400 --> 0:13:59.640 awesome plan. I thought maybe maybe we should get a 0:13:59.720 --> 0:14:02.720 video of this for the hail Mary. Yeah, it'd been 0:14:02.720 --> 0:14:06.640 cool against the Vikings too, just like old times. Never 0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:10.640 thought about that, Yeah, not once. Did I ever think, Wow, 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:13.560 this is gonna be another Hail Mary against the Vikings. 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:17.280 Oh no, I didn't. I didn't not because how you 0:14:17.559 --> 0:14:21.200 very rarely see hail Mary's work in the NFL unless 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:24.720 you have Aaron Rodgers, like otherwise. It's just that's funny 0:14:24.760 --> 0:14:28.600 because when we were like those last seconds of the game, 0:14:28.880 --> 0:14:31.920 in my mind, I thought, if that was Aaron Rodgers, 0:14:31.960 --> 0:14:34.280 he would have made that and we would have won. 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:38.080 But I just I mean, it can talk crap about doctors. 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:41.000 He did play a game. No, I was gonna forget 0:14:41.000 --> 0:14:43.480 the Hail Mary. Like I almost I blocked that whole 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:45.720 sequence out of my mind because I just can't believe 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:49.080 the way he was dealing that they didn't get in 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:52.280 the end zone from eleven yards out. It's it's unconscionable. 0:14:52.440 --> 0:14:54.400 All right, Well, let's take our first break. When we 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:56.400 come back, we need to discuss what happened with the 0:14:56.480 --> 0:15:00.240 defense and why they weren't unabled. 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Now let's talk about this defense and the 0:17:10.200 --> 0:17:15.280 hot boys who are getting a lot of criticism as well. 0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:19.639 Uh yeah, what the heck happened here? You know? In 0:17:19.680 --> 0:17:22.880 the in the first half, they were they were doing 0:17:22.920 --> 0:17:26.399 a great job against the run. But the problem is 0:17:26.400 --> 0:17:29.320 is they couldn't handle the screen. And for you guys 0:17:29.359 --> 0:17:34.280 that don't know, a screen pass is one where the 0:17:34.480 --> 0:17:38.159 I'm kidding, but you certainly don't. I mean, god, you 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:39.960 would think they would be like, hey, why don't we 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:42.960 run the screen? We can screen, but now not not 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:45.440 doing that. You don't think a screen would ever worked 0:17:45.480 --> 0:17:49.040 with Zeke like with that aggressive How that happened so 0:17:49.080 --> 0:17:52.840 many times and you're unable to fix it from your side? 0:17:52.960 --> 0:17:55.560 You know, I don't know, but it's I mean, this 0:17:55.640 --> 0:17:58.080 is a I don't Jalen Smith and Layton vander esh 0:17:58.359 --> 0:18:03.040 like they they were not awful, but it tackles can 0:18:03.080 --> 0:18:07.640 be a deceiving statistic. They both finished with thirteen But yeah, 0:18:07.680 --> 0:18:11.119 I mean is that were they just dominant flying all 0:18:11.160 --> 0:18:13.000 over the field. I think Layton had a couple of 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:15.840 nice plays where he sniffed out runs. But yeah, I mean, 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:18.000 your linebackers are probably going to combine for twenty six 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:21.080 tackles when the Vikings run the ball forty times. That's 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:24.160 it's just is what it is. But they can't handle 0:18:24.160 --> 0:18:31.360 the screen. I think the interior of this defense has 0:18:31.400 --> 0:18:35.639 been a problem in these losses. Defensive tackles, not winning 0:18:35.640 --> 0:18:38.560 at the line of scrimmage, which in turn doesn't free 0:18:38.640 --> 0:18:43.240 up the linebackers to make plays. Linebackers, you know, being 0:18:43.359 --> 0:18:46.120 you know, being out of position, overshooting their gaps, all 0:18:46.160 --> 0:18:49.600 that type of stuff. The fourth down touchdown to cook 0:18:49.720 --> 0:18:53.200 Where was really kind of I've never seen I don't 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:56.880 remember seeing an NFL team like run tosses and pitches 0:18:56.960 --> 0:18:59.720 as much as the Vikings did, like on fourth down 0:19:00.160 --> 0:19:04.600 that this defense is built to stop that play. You know, 0:19:04.640 --> 0:19:06.959 these linebackers and all that to be able to run 0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:09.840 over there and make that play. And you know you 0:19:09.840 --> 0:19:12.560 have Antoine Woods trying to you know, run out there 0:19:12.640 --> 0:19:15.280 and in the linebackers, and they just didn't. They just 0:19:15.280 --> 0:19:17.040 didn't do it. I mean, when they pitched the ball, 0:19:17.080 --> 0:19:20.680 I thought they're not getting this. I mean, Cowboys, this 0:19:20.760 --> 0:19:22.760 is the type of play that they usually snuff out 0:19:22.760 --> 0:19:26.080 and they couldn't. But you know, that whole exchange was 0:19:26.160 --> 0:19:28.200 kind of interesting, And I put this on my five 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:31.159 plays if you if you went back and saw the 0:19:31.240 --> 0:19:34.720 play before that touchdown or four plays before. I forgot 0:19:34.720 --> 0:19:37.720 the guy's name, Madison. Yeah, he's a really good runner too. Yeah, 0:19:37.720 --> 0:19:40.720 it looked like he had scored a touchdown and they 0:19:41.000 --> 0:19:42.919 ruled it as a touchdown. The Vikings went out there 0:19:42.920 --> 0:19:44.320 and they were going to kick an extra point, make 0:19:44.359 --> 0:19:46.720 it twenty seven twenty one. Then they go back and 0:19:46.920 --> 0:19:49.840 review it and they say he's down. Four plays later 0:19:49.960 --> 0:19:52.399 and two minutes off the clock later, they go and 0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:55.280 score with Dalvin Cook, and they go down and decide 0:19:55.320 --> 0:19:57.800 to go for two, make it twenty eight to twenty one. 0:19:57.800 --> 0:20:01.600 That would have been very interesting twenty seven twenty one 0:20:01.600 --> 0:20:03.480 because the way the Cowboys kicked the field goal twenty 0:20:03.520 --> 0:20:05.800 seven twenty four, when they drove down on that whole 0:20:05.880 --> 0:20:07.440 drive we're talking about, they would have been able to 0:20:07.480 --> 0:20:09.720 take a field goal and tie it. So the fact 0:20:09.800 --> 0:20:12.879 that the Vikings decided to go for two was the 0:20:12.920 --> 0:20:15.280 smart call. Derek and I argued about it in the 0:20:15.320 --> 0:20:18.680 press box about it, but that surprised me. And one 0:20:18.680 --> 0:20:21.280 thing that stued off from this game to me was 0:20:21.680 --> 0:20:25.800 how aggressive the Vikings looked on both sides of the ball, 0:20:25.880 --> 0:20:27.840 Like you could tell just by the way they were 0:20:27.880 --> 0:20:30.960 playing that they were just much more aggressive than the 0:20:31.000 --> 0:20:35.800 way that the Cowboys physical. Yes, physical, and the Cowboys 0:20:36.520 --> 0:20:39.560 red zone defense has been really good, and then in 0:20:39.680 --> 0:20:43.240 this game is just like nope, that's not here either. Yeah, 0:20:43.640 --> 0:20:47.520 Dalvin Cook looked like what you want the highest paid 0:20:47.600 --> 0:20:50.400 running back in the league to look like, like aggressive, 0:20:50.960 --> 0:20:55.119 attacking the whole never going down on first contact. And 0:20:55.800 --> 0:20:59.199 I mean Ezekiel Elliott for all the criticism he's going 0:20:59.240 --> 0:21:00.919 to get in this game, like he's a damn good 0:21:01.000 --> 0:21:03.679 running back and he does that type of stuff. He 0:21:03.720 --> 0:21:05.840 fights for it all the time. He requires a gang 0:21:05.880 --> 0:21:08.480 of tacklers too. But I don't know, man, Cook just 0:21:08.560 --> 0:21:12.600 looked different. He looked dynamic and powerful. Every single time 0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:14.200 he got the ball and had more than two or 0:21:14.240 --> 0:21:16.680 three steps, I was like holding my breath, like, well, 0:21:16.680 --> 0:21:20.440 this has the potential to go twenty yards if not 0:21:20.840 --> 0:21:24.040 a touchdown wherever they are on the field. And you 0:21:24.119 --> 0:21:26.280 certainly didn't get that vibe from Zeke in this game. 0:21:26.440 --> 0:21:30.400 But I would argue not in any game either. He 0:21:30.480 --> 0:21:33.960 was really impressive. Based on you know, Zeke's contract and 0:21:34.560 --> 0:21:37.080 what type of running back he is. Are we expecting 0:21:37.200 --> 0:21:41.800 him to be having one hundred yard games every time 0:21:41.920 --> 0:21:46.800