WEBVTT - Cowboys Break: Boom or Bust? 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:08.680 The following. He's a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:08.720 --> 0:00:20.440 and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. Let's go. Are you 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:24.560 ready for a break? Yes? Are you ready for a break? Absolutely? 0:00:24.720 --> 0:00:28.920 Ready for a break? Yeah, And so much for that. 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:34.280 It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:35.080 --> 0:00:40.080 with Nick Eatman, David Hellman, a Bar Garcia, and Derek 0:00:40.120 --> 0:00:46.000 Eagleton this Wednesday, April fourteenth, twenty twenty one, Season sixteen, 0:00:46.080 --> 0:00:49.000 episode number one oh five. Welcome to latest edition of 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:51.720 The Break. We're presented by Geico, and we were live 0:00:51.720 --> 0:00:55.200 from the s WBC Mortgage studios at the Star and 0:00:55.520 --> 0:00:57.720 got my crew here whipping Nick Eatman and we've got 0:00:57.800 --> 0:01:00.320 Amber Garcia. Day's night in today, but we'll try to 0:01:00.360 --> 0:01:02.560 make it work. We got a lot to talk about today. 0:01:02.560 --> 0:01:04.319 We're gonna get into a lot of different topics. We're 0:01:04.319 --> 0:01:07.280 gonna start first talking about some of the offseason training. 0:01:07.280 --> 0:01:09.160 There's been a lot going on around the NFL with 0:01:09.160 --> 0:01:11.840 regards to this topic. We've seen a lot over the 0:01:11.920 --> 0:01:13.600 last couple of days with regards to some of the 0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:16.760 teams and how they plan to handle offseason training. We'll 0:01:16.840 --> 0:01:19.800 get these, we'll get these ideas or we get ideas 0:01:19.880 --> 0:01:21.920 from this group with regards how we think that will 0:01:21.920 --> 0:01:25.040 affect the Cowboys, and then we're gonna talk draft. I've 0:01:25.040 --> 0:01:27.640 always heard it said from people who work in football 0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:29.680 that you really can't judge a draft until you're at 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:34.039 least three four years into the players playing. So we're 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:36.319 gonna go back to the twenty sixteen draft, and we're 0:01:36.319 --> 0:01:38.839 gonna go all the way from there to last year's draft, 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:40.640 and we're gonna walk through those players and see what 0:01:40.720 --> 0:01:43.160 you guys think about how good of a pick they 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:45.440 ended up being for the Cowboys. I see that look 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:48.080 on your face and where you're locked and loaded, ready 0:01:48.120 --> 0:01:50.520 to go. Got a lot of opinions to give us. Well, 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:52.720 you know what it's like. We always talk about how 0:01:53.960 --> 0:01:56.760 Will McClay. He's great. I think his staff is great, 0:01:56.760 --> 0:01:59.040 and the job he's been doing here with the Cowboys 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:01.760 is amazing. But just in general, when I know you 0:02:01.840 --> 0:02:04.520 sent us the list of these guys and looking at it, 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:09.000 usually I've always had like a higher viewed on every 0:02:09.080 --> 0:02:11.240 draft pick, and I know we're about we're gonna get 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:14.919 into it, but then I'm like, huh, my idea or 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:17.080 opinion has kind of changed at this point that you 0:02:17.120 --> 0:02:19.720 look at some of these names, You're like, huh, I 0:02:19.800 --> 0:02:22.160 thought he was really good, and I'm like, oh, whoa 0:02:22.560 --> 0:02:26.200 was he drafted that high? Oh? Okay, So it'll be 0:02:26.240 --> 0:02:28.640 fun to get into it later. Yeah. I had some 0:02:28.639 --> 0:02:31.400 surprising moments myself as I was going through it, like huh, 0:02:31.400 --> 0:02:34.080 I didn't realize he was that high, or I didn't 0:02:34.080 --> 0:02:36.440 realize he was that low. And they've gotten some production 0:02:36.480 --> 0:02:38.120 out of him. So I think it'll be interesting for 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:39.720 some of the listeners out there to kind of hear 0:02:39.760 --> 0:02:42.080 some of that as well. Are you doing today, Nick, Great? 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:44.080 Ready to jump in. I'm ready to go all right. 0:02:44.240 --> 0:02:47.280 This first topic though, I did this because I know 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:49.760 Nick has some really really strong opinions on it, because 0:02:49.800 --> 0:02:53.079 you and I've had this conversation about off season training 0:02:53.320 --> 0:02:56.679 basically the way this is going right now. Obviously last 0:02:56.760 --> 0:02:59.880 year because there was because COVID was going on teams 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:03.960 all their offseason work remotely, and as a result of that, 0:03:04.080 --> 0:03:07.040 what we've heard from the NFLPA and from the leadership 0:03:07.040 --> 0:03:09.799 of the NFLPA is that they want to continue doing 0:03:09.840 --> 0:03:12.120 that this year and probably going into the future, because 0:03:12.120 --> 0:03:14.320 they feel like it's better for the players to not 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:17.600 train as much during the off season. That being said, 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:19.960 what we've seen over the last couple of days is 0:03:20.040 --> 0:03:23.560 the NFLPA has basically told players, hey, there's not most 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:27.000 of the stuff is volunteering. So if teams are not 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:29.640 going to change the rules and say and they want 0:03:29.680 --> 0:03:33.639 teams to our players to train in person, then we're 0:03:33.639 --> 0:03:36.440 advising you guys to not show up and not show 0:03:36.480 --> 0:03:39.240 up until it's mandatory, which would be the mental mini 0:03:39.280 --> 0:03:43.360 camp that happens in I think in June. That being said, 0:03:43.640 --> 0:03:48.560 let's start first with what players do you think What 0:03:48.920 --> 0:03:52.120 do you think players will miss by not having offseason 0:03:52.120 --> 0:03:56.080 training in person and just doing it all remotely. Well, 0:03:56.120 --> 0:03:58.880 the first of all, the big part of off season 0:03:58.960 --> 0:04:02.080 training is training part of it. It's the actual it's 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:05.760 the offseason conditioning program. That's that's what it's called, and 0:04:05.840 --> 0:04:10.920 so um, you know, I would imagine that it's a 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:14.040 lot easier to train and condition and lift weights when 0:04:14.080 --> 0:04:16.479 there's a guy helping you do that and there's forty 0:04:16.520 --> 0:04:19.960 to fifty other players doing it all in groups. You know, 0:04:20.000 --> 0:04:21.760 you're trying to, you know, make sure that you get 0:04:21.800 --> 0:04:23.520 better here and you've got this guy doing this and 0:04:23.560 --> 0:04:26.080 he's pushing each other all that as opposed to go 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:29.200 into some you know, I'm not gonna name it. I 0:04:29.240 --> 0:04:31.960 don't even know what our official sponsor is, but someplace 0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:34.000 where you got to go and do your own workouts 0:04:34.000 --> 0:04:36.400 and all that. So, um, I think that's the biggest 0:04:36.400 --> 0:04:39.880 part of it is is that you know, we always say, man, 0:04:40.000 --> 0:04:42.320 this guy in his second year or his third year 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:44.960 is gonna come back, He's gonna look totally different. Well 0:04:45.520 --> 0:04:47.680 if that's is that really gonna happen? You know, like, 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:50.200 is that gonna happens if you have to do it 0:04:50.200 --> 0:04:52.680 on your own? So I think the conditioning program part 0:04:52.800 --> 0:04:55.200 is the biggest thing of getting them all here. And 0:04:55.480 --> 0:04:57.320 from what I've been told, there has been a very 0:04:57.320 --> 0:04:59.920 good turnout so far with the guys in the weight room. 0:05:00.160 --> 0:05:04.800 We'll see what happens if you know they're advised differently. Yeah. 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:07.480 I saw an article yesterday from Tom Pellicero where you say, 0:05:07.480 --> 0:05:09.760 at the Cowboys right now lead the league with regards 0:05:09.760 --> 0:05:12.440 to players that have been working out in their facilities. 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:15.360 I think the number was like twenty five. Next closest 0:05:15.360 --> 0:05:17.920 team was like twenty and one of those teams, Denver, 0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:20.520 who had twenty, they put out a statement yesterday as 0:05:20.520 --> 0:05:23.680 a group saying that they were planning on not going 0:05:23.720 --> 0:05:26.760 to train in person, and so I think it, you know, 0:05:26.800 --> 0:05:28.680 we'll see how this all plays out for the Cowboys, 0:05:28.680 --> 0:05:30.040 and or do you think that there are there are 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:33.359 issues that the Cowboys would have to face if they 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:37.640 don't have that offseason training at person. I think there are, 0:05:37.680 --> 0:05:41.320 but real quick, just in general, going back to last 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:43.360 year and some of the things that we did get 0:05:43.400 --> 0:05:46.760 to see last year from a virtual offseason. And again 0:05:46.960 --> 0:05:49.160 I'm not an athlete, I'm not an expert, so I 0:05:49.200 --> 0:05:53.640 don't really know, but we did notice a crazy amount 0:05:53.640 --> 0:05:58.320 of injuries during the season, like not just with the Cowboys, 0:05:58.760 --> 0:06:01.760 all around the league and big players. These weren't even 0:06:02.240 --> 0:06:06.279 one year guys or rookies. These were veteran guys that 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:08.800 those are the guys that I believe Nix says are 0:06:09.080 --> 0:06:11.840 in those meetings sayings, well, we know how to take 0:06:11.880 --> 0:06:14.359 care of ourselves and of course you're never trying to 0:06:14.360 --> 0:06:18.040 get injured. But I think that maybe that's another layer 0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:21.159 as to why we got to see so many injuries 0:06:21.360 --> 0:06:26.680 last year. And it sucks. But with the Cowboys, it's 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:31.360 just tough because once again Mike McCarthy and having new 0:06:31.400 --> 0:06:35.880 players coming in and again, you don't really know. I 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:38.280 know a lot of people talk about cultures and having 0:06:38.360 --> 0:06:40.599 culture in teams, and like, I don't really know what 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:44.120 the culture is here, and we haven't had access to 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:47.120 that side of the building aside from Nick, but just 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:49.480 in general, I mean, how difficult is that because it 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:52.360 didn't work out for the Cowboys last year, So once 0:06:52.400 --> 0:06:55.240 again on the second year, I know he's more familiar 0:06:55.279 --> 0:06:58.200 with guys and things like that, but I think it's 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:01.560 still important too, even if it's workouts, to be around 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:04.560 the guys and just be around the building and being 0:07:04.600 --> 0:07:07.320 able to talk face to face, it does make a difference. 0:07:07.480 --> 0:07:10.440 How much do you think that affects McCarthy's ability to 0:07:10.600 --> 0:07:12.640 lead this team in only a second year when he 0:07:12.720 --> 0:07:16.120 didn't have that last year? And more importantly, does it 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:19.040 affect Dan Quinn in what would be his first year 0:07:19.400 --> 0:07:22.600 as a Cowboys defensive coordinator. That's gonna be tough because 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:25.120 then Quinn has a good, good reputation. But at the 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:26.720 end of the day, you need to be there, you 0:07:26.760 --> 0:07:30.880 need to be present to actually make those kinds of improvements. 0:07:30.880 --> 0:07:33.400 And right now there are so many questions hanging in 0:07:33.440 --> 0:07:36.040 the air and so many different guys that you haven't 0:07:36.040 --> 0:07:39.920 seen put together yet. But with Mike McCarthy, I don't 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:42.520 know what to think about him because last year when 0:07:42.560 --> 0:07:44.760 he talked to us in the media, he made it 0:07:44.800 --> 0:07:47.320 sound like everything was working out and it was great. 0:07:47.400 --> 0:07:49.800 And then which is what you have to say at 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:51.480 that point, right, well, yeah, but at least I mean, 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:53.760 if it's if it's difficult, at least say you know, 0:07:53.840 --> 0:07:56.400 we're doing everything we can, but it's been challenging. At 0:07:56.440 --> 0:07:58.840 least say that. Yeah, but it wasn't like that. Nobody 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:00.960 wants to hear that, clearly because he said it the 0:08:00.960 --> 0:08:03.800 other day and it sounded like, you know that it 0:08:03.920 --> 0:08:06.280 sounded like he was making excuses. I mean, I don't 0:08:06.280 --> 0:08:08.880 know what it what else it could be. I mean 0:08:08.960 --> 0:08:12.320 like what I mean, nobody depends on what you you know, 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:14.840 what your agenda is as far as what you're listening to. Like, 0:08:14.880 --> 0:08:17.160 do you want to just say, ah, that cowboys suck, 0:08:17.240 --> 0:08:19.280 they're terrible? Well, then then the coach says that, and 0:08:19.280 --> 0:08:22.080 it's like he's just given out excuses or whatever. But 0:08:23.080 --> 0:08:25.720 I mean it's true though, it's true. I mean, what 0:08:26.120 --> 0:08:29.760 the challenges were the challenges and it's still gonna be 0:08:29.880 --> 0:08:33.480 there if they're trying to implement a new defense and 0:08:33.480 --> 0:08:35.599 you say, how good dan Quinn is he? Yeah, he 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:38.040 might be, But when did he get fired from Atlanta 0:08:38.320 --> 0:08:41.200 last year? Last year when they couldn't figure out you know, 0:08:41.320 --> 0:08:43.880 when they didn't have an offseason. And I'm not saying 0:08:43.880 --> 0:08:46.040 that was the reason, you know, because they had kind 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:49.880 of been trending downward a little bit. But it's gonna 0:08:49.920 --> 0:08:51.960 come down to and this is this is such a 0:08:52.000 --> 0:08:54.800 tough situation for players. They're in a tough spot. Do 0:08:54.880 --> 0:08:57.520 they want to stick together as a union in NFLPA 0:08:57.640 --> 0:09:00.199 is in encouraging this? Or do they want to say, hey, 0:09:00.400 --> 0:09:04.960 you know what, last year sucked, We sucked. We need 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:08.000 to be better than that. We need we need you know, 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:10.240 we don't want to deal with that again. Let's get 0:09:10.280 --> 0:09:12.720 in here, let's let's learn this defense, let's get together 0:09:12.720 --> 0:09:16.319 as a team, and you go against your union by 0:09:16.320 --> 0:09:19.600 doing that. I mean, that's that's the challenge. Yeah, and 0:09:19.640 --> 0:09:21.920 then then the NFL, like you said, the NFL steps 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:25.200 in and says no, now you know, now it's a 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:29.559 competitive disadvantage. Yeah, So it's it's kind of a seesaw 0:09:29.720 --> 0:09:33.560 thing back and forth here and you know, so hold 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:36.720 on now that you said mentioned the competitive disadvantage is 0:09:36.760 --> 0:09:40.600 that each team has the option to do that or like, 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:44.320 if it's the majority, then it's like leaguewise no right now, 0:09:44.559 --> 0:09:47.239 Right now, teams are being told from what I understand, 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:51.360 they're being told to do their stuff remotely. But I 0:09:51.400 --> 0:09:53.160 think there's going to be a point when they will 0:09:53.200 --> 0:09:55.360 have the opportunity to be able to do stuff in person. 0:09:55.679 --> 0:09:58.400 And that's where it becomes a situation where let's say, 0:09:58.440 --> 0:10:00.520 for example, right now, you got to see all and 0:10:00.559 --> 0:10:03.120 you got the Broncos who have both issued statements saying 0:10:03.720 --> 0:10:07.000 as a team, as players, we don't plan to show up. 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:10.160 So what happens if you get i don't know fifteen 0:10:10.200 --> 0:10:13.040 teams twenty teams that do the same thing and say 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:15.360 they're not going to show up. Does it become a 0:10:15.360 --> 0:10:17.720 situation where the commissioner has to step in and say, okay, 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:20.559 for the better of the league, so those other twelve 0:10:20.640 --> 0:10:24.040 teams don't get a competitive advantage, We're going to basically 0:10:24.080 --> 0:10:26.839 say everybody has to be remote, right what point does 0:10:26.840 --> 0:10:29.080 it get to whether the commissioner has to step in 0:10:29.160 --> 0:10:30.680 or feels like yes, or does it get to that 0:10:30.720 --> 0:10:33.480 point and it just becomes a competitive advantage and it 0:10:33.600 --> 0:10:35.320 just is what it is. If your players decide to come, 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:37.400 you're going to get an advantage. Those are a lot 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:39.480 of things that I think the league is going to 0:10:39.520 --> 0:10:41.880 have to consider here and try to figure out before 0:10:41.880 --> 0:10:43.760 they make a final decision on how they're gonna handle this. 0:10:43.800 --> 0:10:47.560 And I'll add one other level level of complexity to this. Nick, 0:10:47.600 --> 0:10:49.880 you talked about the stick with the union and kind 0:10:49.920 --> 0:10:52.240 of do that what happens for those players who have 0:10:52.640 --> 0:10:56.000 money tied to offseason training, Like there's some guys their 0:10:56.040 --> 0:10:59.400 contracts are have stipulations in them. They get a certain 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:02.000 amount of money for showing up to train in the offseason. 0:11:02.640 --> 0:11:05.040 So are they willing to forego Yeah, are they willing 0:11:05.080 --> 0:11:08.000 to forego that money in order to stick with the union? 0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:10.520 Because I don't think. I don't think the union or 0:11:10.559 --> 0:11:12.880 those players who don't want to show up are going 0:11:12.920 --> 0:11:14.520 to just give them a check and say, Okay, we'll 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:16.960 pay you instead of the teams. So I know if 0:11:17.000 --> 0:11:19.559 it was my house, my wife would be like, say, 0:11:20.000 --> 0:11:22.319 you got a job, go to your job, work right, 0:11:22.520 --> 0:11:25.439 So I think there's a whole different level of complexity 0:11:26.040 --> 0:11:28.280 that that's going to be involved in this, and we'll 0:11:28.280 --> 0:11:30.000 see how it all turns out. But it's not just 0:11:30.040 --> 0:11:31.880 as simple as do it or don't. I think it's 0:11:31.880 --> 0:11:33.920 an individual decision in a lot of ways. Yeah, and 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:36.559 then and then you're going to throw on top of 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:40.679 all of that, even if they guys do show up, 0:11:40.720 --> 0:11:43.800 and now you're dealing with different aspects of it too, 0:11:43.920 --> 0:11:48.080 different layers like COVID. Now you know, which are the 0:11:48.080 --> 0:11:50.920 players vaccinated or are the ones that aren't? How different 0:11:50.960 --> 0:11:52.400 are they are they going to be? I think the 0:11:52.480 --> 0:11:55.240 NFL came out yesterday and said that if the players 0:11:55.280 --> 0:11:58.880 are not vaccinated, No, that was actually for team employees 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:01.120 that aren't play. Team employs aren't vacina, they won't be 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:03.120 around players and all that. And then you know, and 0:12:03.280 --> 0:12:05.000 I from what I've been told, the players that aren't 0:12:05.040 --> 0:12:08.400 vaccinated will be they'll kind of go back into what 0:12:08.480 --> 0:12:11.120 happened last year where they tested all daily testing, have 0:12:11.360 --> 0:12:14.480 masks and distancing. So there's gonna be there's gonna be 0:12:14.480 --> 0:12:16.920 some differences obviously, and how you treat certain players. And 0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:19.760 I know right now the Cowboys are focused on educating 0:12:20.000 --> 0:12:24.080 the players about the vaccine and hoping that that many 0:12:24.080 --> 0:12:26.840 of them take it. Of course, you know you can't 0:12:26.880 --> 0:12:28.840 force them to do that, but it's just there's just 0:12:28.880 --> 0:12:32.720 so many different layers to this. It's it's why the NFL. 0:12:33.000 --> 0:12:35.439 That's why we're about a week away from starting, or 0:12:35.480 --> 0:12:37.400 actually four or five days away from starting, and the 0:12:37.480 --> 0:12:40.360 NFL still hasn't figured out certain rules and guidelines, so 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:43.320 it's been really tricky. Yeah, so what you know of 0:12:43.400 --> 0:12:46.840 these players and this team and this culture around here, 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:49.320 and obviously we mentioned that that you know, the report 0:12:49.400 --> 0:12:51.560 came out that the Cowboys lead the league as far 0:12:51.600 --> 0:12:53.840 as number of players that are working out already in 0:12:53.840 --> 0:12:56.000 the buildings. We know a lot of these players live 0:12:56.040 --> 0:12:57.600 here in Dallas, so it's not like they're leaving at 0:12:57.600 --> 0:12:59.120 the end of season to go somewhere else. Is where 0:12:59.120 --> 0:13:01.280 they live and so it's a much easier thing for 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:03.640 them to work out at the facility. That all being said, 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:06.120 what do you expect to happen with the Cowboys players? 0:13:06.120 --> 0:13:07.920 Do you expect them to as a group pull out 0:13:08.320 --> 0:13:10.920 or do you expect them to be all in and 0:13:11.000 --> 0:13:16.640 still be here working out all in? I mean, we've 0:13:16.679 --> 0:13:19.560 seen we've seen it with different situations when it comes 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:23.360 to the Cowboys's just in general, whatever they want. Whoever, 0:13:23.480 --> 0:13:26.200 Like if Jerry Jones comes out and say, oh, which 0:13:26.320 --> 0:13:29.480 we know Jerry Jones has a certain expectation right now, 0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:32.400 if he's like wanting them to be here and be 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:34.800 a part of it and just encouraging that, I feel 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:38.400 that most likely everybody in that locker room will come 0:13:38.400 --> 0:13:40.840 together and be like, Okay, let's be here, because we've 0:13:40.840 --> 0:13:44.040 seen it happen, you know, and different scenarios again, we 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:47.560 saw with the whole protest during the anthem and things 0:13:47.600 --> 0:13:50.439 like that, where they find a way to come as 0:13:50.440 --> 0:13:53.560 a group and do it together, whatever it is. And 0:13:53.559 --> 0:13:56.360 I feel that after the experience from last year and 0:13:56.440 --> 0:13:59.680 knowing that this year things are improving with like the 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:03.920 vaccine and seeing the success that especially the Cowboys had 0:14:03.960 --> 0:14:07.320 with the protocols that they had in place. We didn't 0:14:07.320 --> 0:14:10.240 get many cases here within the players as far as 0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:14.120 contamination and players that got sick. So I think that 0:14:14.240 --> 0:14:18.240 gives a certain level level of comfort and security and 0:14:18.720 --> 0:14:21.400 knowing that you can actually do it. So I would 0:14:21.400 --> 0:14:24.880 imagine they all come together and are here together as 0:14:24.920 --> 0:14:27.720 a team and willingly, you know, not like they're being 0:14:27.760 --> 0:14:30.040 forced or anything, but that they would actually want to 0:14:30.080 --> 0:14:35.000 do it. That sounds good and that that that might 0:14:35.080 --> 0:14:38.320 be the case. What I don't know is, you know, again, 0:14:38.360 --> 0:14:41.160 it comes down to a lot of it as workouts, conditioning, 0:14:41.320 --> 0:14:46.160 all that conditioning program. And you know, we we know 0:14:46.200 --> 0:14:49.280 what happened last year. Obviously, the Cowboys lost tragically lost 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:51.360 their strength coach in the middle of the season, Marcus 0:14:51.360 --> 0:14:55.800 paul Um. And you know they've they've you know, they're 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:58.720 still getting that that program together and and so some 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:01.880 new faces there, uh, not entirely new, but but some 0:15:02.280 --> 0:15:05.080 so you kind of wonder, and I don't know what 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:07.720 that would mean. Does that mean more unity or less? 0:15:07.760 --> 0:15:11.240 I don't know. I don't know that. Um so I 0:15:11.840 --> 0:15:13.720 wish I had better answers. I mean, you're you're you're 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:16.720 trying to get into the heads and minds of certain players. 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:19.720 And then in those players that you've got your veteran 0:15:19.800 --> 0:15:23.080 guys that probably agree with the union, agree with the NFLPA, 0:15:23.160 --> 0:15:27.000 guys like JC Treader. Yep, you know that that's that's 0:15:27.320 --> 0:15:29.280 kind of leading that charge. And then I'm sure you've 0:15:29.280 --> 0:15:32.960 got guys that are younger, and you know, maybe guys 0:15:32.960 --> 0:15:34.920 that were injured and coming back to Gung Hole. They 0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:36.920 want to get back into this thing and they're tired 0:15:37.000 --> 0:15:39.560 of having to do this on their own. So I 0:15:39.600 --> 0:15:42.120 think even within a team, it's gonna be tough. I 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:44.680 couldn't I couldn't tell you one way or another, which 0:15:44.680 --> 0:15:46.960 way that they would lean on this. I really don't. 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:49.280 If I was going to answer this question, I would 0:15:49.320 --> 0:15:51.480 say I would answer it with a question, tell me 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:54.960 where Dak and DeMarcus Lawrence fall on this. Once I 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:56.560 know where they fall on this, then I can give 0:15:56.600 --> 0:15:58.000 you an opinion on what I think will happen the 0:15:58.000 --> 0:15:59.720 rest of the players, because I think those two players 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:02.160 have a lot of sway in that locker room. And 0:16:02.200 --> 0:16:05.160 I think when when you have veterans that are respected, 0:16:05.880 --> 0:16:08.880 that have an opinion and they go into a room 0:16:08.920 --> 0:16:11.600 with the other guys and say, guys, here's my case. 0:16:11.680 --> 0:16:13.520 Here's why I think this is the right way to go. 0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:17.280 Especially with somebody like Dak, who is as charismatic as 0:16:17.280 --> 0:16:20.240 he is, those people tend to have people that follow him. 0:16:20.280 --> 0:16:22.240 It's the reason why he's a great quarterback, in my opinion, 0:16:22.320 --> 0:16:24.400 is because he has the ability to get people to 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:27.200 buy in and and and follow what he wants to do. 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:29.240 So tell me what those two guys want to do. 0:16:29.360 --> 0:16:31.240 And I think that's what ends up happening with this team, 0:16:31.240 --> 0:16:35.560 because I think they's going to be here. Let me. 0:16:35.760 --> 0:16:37.560 But I will say this, what I don't know. What 0:16:37.720 --> 0:16:40.840 I don't know is how does he fall. Does he 0:16:40.960 --> 0:16:45.280 think that ultimately you can be a better player throughout 0:16:45.280 --> 0:16:48.120 the season if you have more downtime during the offseason, 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:50.640 And downtime may not mean you're doing nothing, It just 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:52.400 made mean you're not doing what they would have you 0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:54.800 doing if you were working out here, right, That's what 0:16:54.880 --> 0:16:57.840 I don't know. Everything I've seen and heard about Dak's 0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:01.320 suggests to me he is a an extremely hard worker, 0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:03.760 So I don't even know if that would buy in 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:05.280 that would be a thing for him. I think he 0:17:05.359 --> 0:17:08.159 probably would be lack less work, But I just don't know. 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:10.720 I had that conversation with him. And there's two parts 0:17:10.720 --> 0:17:13.600 of this. I've been talking about focusing on the conditioning 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:16.120 side of a conditioning program. As we get a little 0:17:16.160 --> 0:17:20.160 bit more into especially into May, you started talking about 0:17:20.200 --> 0:17:22.960 the OTAs and the organized team activities, which is a 0:17:22.960 --> 0:17:25.960 lot of the installing of the offense and the defense, 0:17:27.000 --> 0:17:30.119 especially defense which is which is a new new scheme 0:17:30.200 --> 0:17:32.920 this year, and you're trying to be versatile and flexible 0:17:32.960 --> 0:17:34.920 to do all these different things, you certainly need to 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:36.640 be on the field to try to do that. So 0:17:37.080 --> 0:17:40.560 that's where I think the big issue is going to be. 0:17:40.720 --> 0:17:44.720 That's where I think guys in the NFLPA feel like 0:17:45.000 --> 0:17:49.400 is unnecessary to do that much teaching and OTA sessions 0:17:49.720 --> 0:17:53.040 when I'm sure you know the the end of the 0:17:53.080 --> 0:17:55.760 coaches feel like we don't have enough time. We have 0:17:55.840 --> 0:17:59.200 to cram all this stuff in here. So that's where 0:17:59.240 --> 0:18:01.080 I think if a team decides that they want to 0:18:01.119 --> 0:18:05.320 be really better, conditioning is one thing, teaching installing, but 0:18:05.440 --> 0:18:07.359 that's the part that's still going to happen, right because 0:18:07.560 --> 0:18:11.160 I don't think how what I've heard is remotely. They're 0:18:11.200 --> 0:18:13.639 still planning to do everything remotely, So all of the 0:18:13.720 --> 0:18:16.680 training and teaching and classroom work that's still stuff still 0:18:16.720 --> 0:18:18.560 is going to happen. What the what the players are 0:18:18.560 --> 0:18:20.960 saying is there doesn't need to be on field stuff, 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:23.480 like they don't need to work on the field, they 0:18:23.520 --> 0:18:25.919 need they only need the remote stuff, the same thing 0:18:25.920 --> 0:18:27.840 they did last year. They have all the classroom work 0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:30.359 they just didn't have the in person on field work. Well, 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:33.440 I mean, as I speak from experience, I mean, I mean, 0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:36.320 are my kids. Are my kids learning better virtually or 0:18:36.560 --> 0:18:38.359 in the classroom. I mean, that's the thing. I mean, 0:18:38.440 --> 0:18:40.639 you can, you can, you can just figure that out yourself. 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:42.240 What I mean if you had to sit there and 0:18:42.680 --> 0:18:44.840 learn I mean the same thing with a meeting or whatever. 0:18:45.400 --> 0:18:48.240 You know, it's it's hard to get someone's attention for 0:18:48.280 --> 0:18:50.480 that long. So and you don't know if they're picking 0:18:50.520 --> 0:18:52.560 it up until you get them on the field and say, 0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:54.440 now do it. You know, that's when you find out 0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:56.480 if they're picking up all the information that you're teaching 0:18:56.480 --> 0:18:59.000 them in the classroom. Yeah, all right, we're gonna take 0:18:59.000 --> 0:19:00.800 our first break. We come back. We're gonna jump in 0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:03.000 to draft talk. Well, to go through all these drafts 0:19:03.000 --> 0:19:05.920 going back to twenty sixteen. Talk about every player. We're 0:19:05.920 --> 0:19:10.480 gonna define whether they have exceeded expectations, met expectations, they're 0:19:10.480 --> 0:19:14.080 below expectations, or they're the dreaded bustle talking about that. 0:19:14.080 --> 0:19:16.840 We come back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. Honey, 0:19:16.920 --> 0:19:20.120 Big News, Gary, Are you okay? Oh I'm not Gary anymore? 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:23.560 I'm Jackie Flash. What see? I want the latest smartphone, 0:19:23.600 --> 0:19:25.359 but the best deals are only for new customers. So 0:19:25.520 --> 0:19:27.360 to get a new customer deal, I changed my name 0:19:27.400 --> 0:19:30.840 to Jackie Flash. Okay, but the best smartphone deals at 0:19:30.880 --> 0:19:33.879