WEBVTT - Cowboys Break: Who's For Real In The NFC? 0:00:01.600 --> 0:00:04.120 The following is a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:04.160 --> 0:00:07.320 and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. Are you ready for 0:00:07.360 --> 0:00:10.959 a break? Yes? Are you ready for a break? Absolutely? 0:00:11.200 --> 0:00:15.400 Ready for a break? Yeah? And so much for that. 0:00:15.600 --> 0:00:20.759 It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:19.840 --> 0:00:25.880 well with Nick Eatman, David Hellman, and bar Garcia and 0:00:26.200 --> 0:00:30.920 Derek Eagleton. It is Tuesday, October sixteenth, twenty eighteen, Season fourteen, 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:34.600 episode number sixty one. Welcome to another edition of The Break, 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:37.920 live from the SWBC Mortgage Studios. At the starts Tuesday. 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:40.639 It's Big Pick Tuesday. And today we're gonna make Dave 0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:42.400 Phil at home because we're gonna have a show that 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:45.400 I like to call a gumbo show. We're gonna take 0:00:45.400 --> 0:00:47.239 a lot of different stuff and throw it all in 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:49.599 the pot and mix it up and come away with 0:00:49.640 --> 0:00:53.080 something great. This is Gumbo weather. It's gumbo weather really 0:00:53.200 --> 0:00:56.080 is for those of united in the Dallas area. Rainy 0:00:56.360 --> 0:01:03.240 forty six, pretty nasty outside, talking gomboy. How's everybody doing today? Good? Awesome, 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:05.920 We're good. It's gonna be real gumbo. It's just gonna 0:01:05.920 --> 0:01:09.000 be like Texas Gumbo because I mean, Dave will call 0:01:09.040 --> 0:01:11.880 you out on it if it's not like Louisiana's style, 0:01:12.000 --> 0:01:15.479 because if somebody tries to do some knockoff Louisiana style food, 0:01:15.840 --> 0:01:18.320 Dave's not having right. I'm out. I'm out if that's 0:01:18.360 --> 0:01:22.120 the case. I honestly think that Texas gumbo is the 0:01:22.160 --> 0:01:24.760 same as Louisiana gumbo. And the reason why I say that, no, No, 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:26.520 the reason why I say that is because there's been 0:01:26.560 --> 0:01:30.480 such an influx of people from Louisiana into Texas that 0:01:30.600 --> 0:01:33.240 it just and maybe it's just there I'm from. There's 0:01:33.280 --> 0:01:35.480 a ton of people from Louisiana, so it's just kind 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:38.000 of that culture is now baked into Texas to some 0:01:38.080 --> 0:01:40.360 degree in my opinion, But I bet you there's gonna 0:01:40.360 --> 0:01:43.720 be a disagree in to just I mean, if you know, yeah, 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:47.240 hopefully it's homemade and you know, somebody who knows what 0:01:47.280 --> 0:01:49.280 they're doing, because if it's coming from a restaurant, it 0:01:49.320 --> 0:01:52.640 probably sucks. So let's figure it out. Is it Dave 0:01:52.680 --> 0:01:58.560 Hellman's famous gumbo like brought Us makes him? Brought Us 0:01:58.600 --> 0:02:01.280 makes the mean gumbo? Angie how is undefeated though she's 0:02:01.280 --> 0:02:04.600 really queen. Any any chance that maybe she sends us 0:02:04.600 --> 0:02:07.840 some can or she's coming to town anytime soon. Wants 0:02:07.840 --> 0:02:09.639 to make us a plot. Fly home with me? Can 0:02:09.639 --> 0:02:12.639 fly home with me this Christmas? Hey talk football? Yeah, 0:02:12.720 --> 0:02:15.400 talk football. If Cowboys, I mean, I'm sorry, if Texas 0:02:15.400 --> 0:02:20.800 and and LSU happened to meet up, and maybe that 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:23.320 would happen. Really, maybe that would work. We're covering all 0:02:23.360 --> 0:02:25.480 the non important issues. All right, let's jump into it. 0:02:25.560 --> 0:02:28.639 Let's go Cowboys. We've got a lot to talk about today. UM. 0:02:28.720 --> 0:02:31.120 I was first looking at the Cowboys and where they 0:02:31.160 --> 0:02:33.520 sit in the NFC East. It's all still jumbled up. 0:02:33.520 --> 0:02:36.560 With one exception. The New York Giants are just plummeting, 0:02:36.919 --> 0:02:38.840 uh there at one in five, But all the other 0:02:38.840 --> 0:02:40.880 teams are right there, kind of lumped in together. The 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:43.640 Washington Redskins are three and two, Cowboys three and three, 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:47.720 Philadelphia three and three. Um. There are kind of two 0:02:48.320 --> 0:02:51.520 things that you can look at from the Cowboys schedule, UM, 0:02:51.560 --> 0:02:55.200 that you would probably call pretty good. One. Uh, they're 0:02:55.200 --> 0:02:57.920 playing the Sundry for the division lead after a not 0:02:58.080 --> 0:03:01.000 so great start to the season in my opinion. But 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:03.919 the more important thing is they don't have three games 0:03:04.000 --> 0:03:06.480 left this season against teams that have winning records as 0:03:06.480 --> 0:03:08.640 of now, that would be New Orleans, and that would 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:10.960 be the Washington Redskins, who they all play twice, who 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:14.519 are at three and two, just barely barely above five hundred. 0:03:14.760 --> 0:03:17.400 Every other team is either at five hundred or below. 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:20.400 And when you looked at the schedule going into the season, 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:23.160 you certainly didn't think that about Atlanta. You thought that 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:25.359 they would be much better than that. I'm not sure 0:03:25.360 --> 0:03:27.280 how many other of those other teams that you felt 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:29.240 like that. You probably thought Philadelphia was going to be 0:03:29.320 --> 0:03:32.239 much better than they've been so far. But so far, 0:03:32.400 --> 0:03:35.160 just looking at the schedule, you have to feel pretty 0:03:35.160 --> 0:03:37.400 good about where the Cowboys sit and the opponents that 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:41.040 they have to face. They don't have teams like Green Bay, Minnesota, 0:03:41.360 --> 0:03:44.320 Saint Louis. I'm not saying keep calling Saint Louis Los 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:46.760 Angeles rams. They don't have those teams on their schedule. 0:03:46.960 --> 0:03:48.480 Those are teams that you would say are a lot 0:03:48.560 --> 0:03:52.800 better right now ahead. That's everything you just said is perception, 0:03:53.000 --> 0:03:57.320 like it's all for like bs. Basically, I mean, you're 0:03:57.400 --> 0:03:59.840 you're right, You're right, like I would have thought some 0:03:59.880 --> 0:04:01.560 of those teams will be better. But even just then, 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:04.240 You're like, they don't have the Packers and the Vikings, 0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:06.400 like the three two and one three two and one 0:04:06.440 --> 0:04:09.200 Packers and the three two and one Vikings, like the 0:04:09.240 --> 0:04:12.120 Packers who needed Aaron Rodgers to be Aaron Rodgers to 0:04:12.160 --> 0:04:16.839 get past C. J. Beathard last night. Usually is Aaron Rodgers. No, No, 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:19.760 for sure, And I'll say it for the ten millionth time. 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:21.440 As long as you've got him, you've got a chance. 0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:23.919 But like, they don't look impressive by any stretch of 0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:26.720 the imagination. And really, I don't think anybody does, except 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:32.200 for the Rams, the Chiefs, um, maybe the Saints and 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:34.320 uh and I'll throw the Patriots in there just because 0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:37.479 they're the Patriots. I think that what happened on Sunday, 0:04:37.800 --> 0:04:40.920 it just just shows that you know, they're they're gonna be, 0:04:41.279 --> 0:04:43.160 they have the ability to be in every game. I mean, 0:04:43.360 --> 0:04:46.440 this is a this is a team that is starting 0:04:46.480 --> 0:04:50.520 to show that they've got something special and that's on defense. Now, 0:04:50.520 --> 0:04:52.880 if the offense can can kind of piggyback on that, 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:54.680 which I believe is kind of what happened. I mean, 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:58.520 the offense was able to take advantage of that that 0:04:58.640 --> 0:05:02.440 strong defensive performances, so I think that you're gonna be Yeah, 0:05:02.560 --> 0:05:04.240 you don't have those teams on the schedule. You also 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:07.400 don't have some of the really bad teams. I guess 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:11.400 would that be the Cardinals. I mean, you don't really 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:14.680 have that either. So you know, the Giants game is 0:05:14.680 --> 0:05:16.920 coming up. They got to play the Giants on the road. 0:05:17.040 --> 0:05:19.960 That'll probably be tough, just because it always is the Giants, 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:22.240 just because the Giants. But so you don't have those 0:05:22.240 --> 0:05:23.800 teams that are really really tough. You don't have those 0:05:23.800 --> 0:05:25.240 teams that aren't that good, and you're just gonna be 0:05:25.279 --> 0:05:27.359 in a fight every game. Yeah. I just after the 0:05:27.440 --> 0:05:30.680 game on UM, after the game on Sunday, I was 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:33.240 sitting there and I was chatting with Todd Archer just 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:36.440 about like the league, you know, the breakdown and the 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:40.080 power rankings and who's good and like other. Like I said, 0:05:40.120 --> 0:05:42.279 there's about four teams that right now you feel pretty 0:05:42.279 --> 0:05:44.800 confident are good and are gonna have something to say 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:48.159 about the playoffs. And then there's I don't even know. Okay, Yeah, 0:05:48.160 --> 0:05:50.440 the Cardinals are pretty they look like they're pretty rough. 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:54.240 Um Raiders aren't. The Raiders are terrible. The Raiders are 0:05:54.240 --> 0:05:56.240 so bad. Forty nine is record isn't great, but the 0:05:56.279 --> 0:06:00.080 forty nine is. And that's name name more than like 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:03.360 four teams that you're confidence saying like they're they're awful. Yeah, 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:04.960 I mean the Giants because it's try same way. Their 0:06:04.960 --> 0:06:07.320 records bad, but they're pretty good team. They're not an 0:06:07.360 --> 0:06:09.159 easy out there. Well did you put in New England 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:13.120 in that four first four? I just that of reputation alone, 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:15.800 But yeah, they got beat by the Lions. For you 0:06:16.839 --> 0:06:18.920 look at the power rankings right now in the NFL 0:06:18.960 --> 0:06:21.960 and you probably like the Rams are number one, and 0:06:21.960 --> 0:06:24.200 then the Chiefs and the Pats are right there, and 0:06:24.240 --> 0:06:26.360 then the Saints have looked really good since they lost 0:06:26.360 --> 0:06:29.320 in Week one. And then I mean, seriously tell me 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:32.760 because it's probably the Cincinnati Bengals if we're talking record, 0:06:32.839 --> 0:06:35.160 I would guess, and how they've played too, they've played 0:06:35.160 --> 0:06:38.160 really well. Is anybody really super duper buying the Bengals 0:06:38.200 --> 0:06:41.719 to next point? Like, probably not? Are you super duper? 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:43.440 I mean the Vikings have a ton of talent, they 0:06:43.480 --> 0:06:45.600 haven't looked like it. The Packers still believe in the 0:06:45.720 --> 0:06:48.320 still believe in the Vikings. Well, and that's it's you know, 0:06:48.400 --> 0:06:51.000 you say the Redskins and the and the who else 0:06:51.080 --> 0:06:52.560 is the other? The Saints are the only teams of 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:54.920 winning records that's going to change, like some somebody will 0:06:54.920 --> 0:06:58.000 go on up. The Eagles will figure it out. The 0:06:58.680 --> 0:07:02.000 everybody that get up in the top ten has other 0:07:02.040 --> 0:07:04.680 than you know, the Rams and the Chiefs. Other than 0:07:04.839 --> 0:07:07.479 those two teams, but everyone else has pretty much what 0:07:07.520 --> 0:07:10.440 you consider to be a bad loss. You know, the Vikings, 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:13.360 are they the team that lost bad to the Bills? 0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:16.679 You know, but the Patriots lost pretty bad to the Lions, 0:07:16.720 --> 0:07:19.320 and so you know, I mean it happens. I mean, 0:07:19.840 --> 0:07:21.960 there's another one in there, the two that has a 0:07:22.120 --> 0:07:23.840 has a pretty bad law. Who else is kind of 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:28.360 up there high um, I mean the Saints. Saints lost 0:07:28.400 --> 0:07:31.840 their opener to the Buccaneers, who have not looked great since. Yeah. 0:07:32.000 --> 0:07:34.120 But I think that's also part of this too, is 0:07:34.160 --> 0:07:37.080 when you look at what the NFL traditionally is, it's 0:07:37.120 --> 0:07:39.640 about now week six, seven eight when you start to 0:07:39.680 --> 0:07:42.320 really start seeing teams teams kind of separate out of 0:07:42.320 --> 0:07:44.920 this pack. And I believe that some of those teams 0:07:44.920 --> 0:07:46.840 that we saw lose early in the season, that's just 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:50.200 the nature of what today's NFL is because as much 0:07:50.200 --> 0:07:52.640 as there is a preseason, there really isn't a preseason. 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:54.760 The veterans, I don't think, get as much out of 0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:58.000 the preseason. So they're really getting into their rhythm in 0:07:58.040 --> 0:08:00.440 those first several weeks of the season. And I believe 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:02.280 some of these teams, like you look at Seattle, see 0:08:02.320 --> 0:08:03.760 that was a much different team than they were and 0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:05.680 what you thought of them in Week one and two, Like, 0:08:05.720 --> 0:08:08.040 they're playing pretty good football right now. So I think 0:08:08.080 --> 0:08:10.000 those teams are gonna start to kind of as they 0:08:10.040 --> 0:08:12.800 typically do around this time of the year. Pittsburgh's another one. 0:08:12.880 --> 0:08:15.400 They're gonna start kind of getting some momentum now, and 0:08:15.440 --> 0:08:17.360 that's one of the things that actually makes me feel 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:19.760 good about where the Cowboys are. To play like they 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:22.200 did at that stage of the season in Week six, 0:08:23.120 --> 0:08:25.560 maybe suggest that they could be one of those teams 0:08:25.560 --> 0:08:27.560 that finds its footing at this part of the year, 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:29.080 because this is when you really got to make Hay, 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:31.560 you know, this is the and I said this to 0:08:31.640 --> 0:08:34.720 you yesterday. I'll probably write something on this tomorrow, but 0:08:35.280 --> 0:08:38.320 this is the game of the year right here. This 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:40.760 is the game where you have to you can stay 0:08:40.760 --> 0:08:43.040 on the track that you're on, or you can jump 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:45.640 off and get on a different, different plane. And this 0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:49.040 is it, because this is a division game. This is 0:08:49.120 --> 0:08:51.360 one that shows the team that they could win on 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:53.440 the road, you know. I mean, I don't know if 0:08:53.480 --> 0:08:55.280 I'm buying in that they're not a good road team 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:57.120 or they're just good at home. Who knows. But this 0:08:57.160 --> 0:09:00.240 game right here, you can erase all that get a 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:03.880 two game leading, you know, pretty much on Washington when 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:05.360 you know, be two and own the division. It's just 0:09:05.400 --> 0:09:08.960 everything you want to happen. It starts right here with 0:09:09.080 --> 0:09:11.240 this game right here. If not, then you might just 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:13.080 be on that track all year long. So I've asked 0:09:13.080 --> 0:09:15.240 this question before, I'll ask it again. I like to 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:17.959 ask it every Tuesday, based upon what you know now 0:09:18.000 --> 0:09:20.320 and what you've seen to this point, what's your level 0:09:20.320 --> 0:09:22.640 of confidence that the Cowboys can be a playoff team? 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:26.400 Scale of one to ten, ten being most most convicted 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:29.559 that they're going to be in the playoffs. Again, it 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:31.600 just comes down to what you think for this game. 0:09:31.640 --> 0:09:33.480 This is one of those can I can I answer 0:09:33.520 --> 0:09:36.080 it at seven o'clock, you know, on Sunday? Well, but 0:09:36.280 --> 0:09:42.079 I'm saying yes. Every week it'll change to Washington. Then no, 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:43.680 I don't think this team is going to be in 0:09:43.679 --> 0:09:45.679 the playoffs. But did that change at all with what 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:47.960 they did last week? As you sit here right now, 0:09:48.080 --> 0:09:50.280 based on what they did last week, are you more 0:09:50.320 --> 0:09:52.240 confident or less confident that they're going to be in 0:09:52.240 --> 0:09:55.439 the playoffs? I'm I'm a little more. I'm a little 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:57.760 more confident, but it'll all go down. If they don't 0:09:57.800 --> 0:10:01.360 beat Washington, then I don't think, because then that game 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:03.320 won't won't matter as much to me. It's kind of 0:10:03.320 --> 0:10:06.040 what we guys said on Monday, that game won't matter 0:10:06.080 --> 0:10:08.400 as much as we thought it would. This needs to 0:10:08.400 --> 0:10:11.880 be a trend. Let's this looks good. Stack wins together. 0:10:12.160 --> 0:10:14.960 If you lose to Washington and based off everything you 0:10:14.960 --> 0:10:16.560 know now you're three and four and oh and four 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:19.360 on the road, I'll have I will have a lot 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:22.000 of confidence that this team can turn this thing around. 0:10:22.880 --> 0:10:25.160 I would have put myself at like a two going 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:28.960 into the Jags to make the playoffs. Yeah, and that 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:31.720 win was impressive enough that I will bump it up 0:10:31.760 --> 0:10:35.760 to a four. Okay, but I got yeah, I mean 0:10:35.880 --> 0:10:39.600 that that doesn't mean anything. If they can't translate so yeah, 0:10:39.720 --> 0:10:42.320 you gotta go beat Washington like this is they got 0:10:42.320 --> 0:10:45.240 to prove that they can stack two and even three 0:10:45.320 --> 0:10:48.880 and four types of wins together, especially and that you know, 0:10:49.000 --> 0:10:51.280 it's no use trying to forecast a month ahead of time. 0:10:51.320 --> 0:10:54.880 But everything after the Titans looks pretty brutal. I mean, 0:10:55.080 --> 0:10:58.280 you got at Atlanta at Philly back to back, I believe, Yeah, 0:10:58.280 --> 0:11:01.000 I think it's Philly then Atlanta or as they landed 0:11:01.000 --> 0:11:03.120 they feeling I don't remember one of those two. And 0:11:03.160 --> 0:11:05.199 then but you got a three three game home stretch 0:11:05.320 --> 0:11:08.360 after that against the Saints and then a division game 0:11:08.520 --> 0:11:10.760 or a division game, and then the Saints and then 0:11:10.800 --> 0:11:14.160 another division game, right yeah, So I mean, yeah, this 0:11:14.320 --> 0:11:17.080 two division games Saints did into I mean Saints in 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:22.079 between the two divisions. Yeah, from from like at Redskins 0:11:22.080 --> 0:11:25.199 and Titans with a buy in between. Looks pretty manageable, 0:11:25.280 --> 0:11:27.400 no doubt. And then you got about four games in 0:11:27.400 --> 0:11:29.000 a row that I would guess aren't going to be 0:11:29.080 --> 0:11:33.920 super easy, and so I don't feel super confident at all. 0:11:34.040 --> 0:11:36.200 And then you know, like the recency of the other 0:11:36.240 --> 0:11:38.240 five games are way too fresh in my mind. And 0:11:38.280 --> 0:11:40.840 that's I was gonna say that too. Is like you 0:11:40.880 --> 0:11:44.960 think the Redskins podcast or you know the uh you 0:11:45.000 --> 0:11:47.920 know talking Saints, like you think they're like, ooh, watch 0:11:48.000 --> 0:11:50.160 out for Dallas or are they like, oh, that's an 0:11:50.240 --> 0:11:52.800 Inconsist's a beatable team, that's an inconsistent team with a 0:11:52.840 --> 0:11:55.840 shaky offense. Especially they're coming to us. Yeah, like crap 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:58.440 game though, that might call it. If yeah, you're watch 0:11:58.440 --> 0:12:00.680 out for Dallas, then they can put it together on 0:12:00.720 --> 0:12:03.280 you know. I said this though, And now the Saints 0:12:03.280 --> 0:12:05.559 that's a different story because you've got their their quarterback. 0:12:05.640 --> 0:12:08.800 But I've always thought any level of football, if you've 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:11.959 got the best football player on the field, you know, 0:12:12.040 --> 0:12:13.840 especially one that's going to touch the ball a lot, 0:12:14.280 --> 0:12:16.640 you always have a chance. And I think that that 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:20.839 any team when they're doing their you know who that 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:24.559 talk or whatever it's called there who they sorry? No 0:12:24.840 --> 0:12:29.240 who that Sorry Dave, It's okay, sorry, um, then you 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:31.280 know they're gonna be like you gotta stop seat because 0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:33.200 you know, if he gets if he gets crazy, then 0:12:33.200 --> 0:12:35.320 then that team can can be, you know, a factor. 0:12:35.360 --> 0:12:37.160 And so I think that's why and that's why Dallas 0:12:37.160 --> 0:12:38.880 I think has a chance in a lot of these games. 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:42.280 Every game because they have a defense that's flying around 0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:44.840 the ball making plays, and they have a running back 0:12:44.920 --> 0:12:47.360 who has shown the ability to put them on his 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:50.600 back and and and you know, win some games. So 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:53.680 and I agree, I agree with you for what that's worth. 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:55.720 And that's what you know, it was so frustrating going 0:12:55.760 --> 0:12:58.640 into that game last week. Is like, and I get 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:01.120 I get fan frustrations, but like fans want to pull 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:04.120 the plug on this season right now when you have 0:13:04.240 --> 0:13:07.240 the ingredients to win this division, like with what it's 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:09.560 looked like so far, And that's I know the NFL 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:11.440 is a league of parody and it has been for 0:13:11.480 --> 0:13:14.160 a while now, but it looks even more that way 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:17.840 right now, like everybody, yeah, yeah, Like you know, I 0:13:18.040 --> 0:13:20.760 kind of my whole storyline. I didn't pick the Cowboys 0:13:20.760 --> 0:13:22.760 to make the playoffs in the preseason, and my thought 0:13:22.800 --> 0:13:25.400 process was like, look at all these good teams, like, 0:13:25.440 --> 0:13:27.160 how are you gonna get too enough wins to make 0:13:27.160 --> 0:13:29.160 the playoffs? Well, maybe what I should have been thinking 0:13:29.280 --> 0:13:32.240 was the NFC is gonna beat the crap out of 0:13:32.240 --> 0:13:34.840 each other, and maybe you don't need as many wins 0:13:34.840 --> 0:13:37.000 as you thought, because there's not that big of a 0:13:37.040 --> 0:13:40.760 difference between best in the NFC and middle of the pack, 0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:43.720 like the Rams are literally the only team that looks 0:13:44.160 --> 0:13:46.360 straight up better than everybody else, because, I mean, the 0:13:46.360 --> 0:13:49.320 Saints have a bad loss. They had to you know, 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:51.959 scratch and claw to get past the Cleveland Browns, and 0:13:52.480 --> 0:13:54.400 they played a you know, they beat the Giants by 0:13:54.520 --> 0:13:57.360 two scores, but it wasn't a laugher by any stretch. 0:13:57.440 --> 0:14:01.160 So yeah, this this the whole conference looks pretty wide 0:14:01.160 --> 0:14:03.520 open at about the halfway point. All right, we're gonna 0:14:03.520 --> 0:14:05.319 take our first break. When we come back, I want 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:07.600 to talk about this whole idea of the Cowboys on 0:14:07.640 --> 0:14:10.400 the road versus at home. Jason Garrett was asked about 0:14:10.400 --> 0:14:12.520 it yesterday. He laid out four different things that he 0:14:12.559 --> 0:14:15.160 thought could be factors or at least common themes. I'm 0:14:15.160 --> 0:14:17.240 going to pose the question, you guys, which of those 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:20.360 things seems in your mind to be the biggest the 0:14:20.400 --> 0:14:22.280 biggest challenge for the Cowboys. We'll talk about them and 0:14:22.280 --> 0:14:24.080 come right back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. 0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:26.680 If you're like me and you love I mean, if 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:29.800 you have a thing, then cutting the chord is scary. 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:31.600 But then I found out I could switch to DirecTV 0:14:31.720 --> 0:14:33.480 now and still get the live sports I love. No 0:14:33.600 --> 0:14:37.600 satellite needed, no bulky hardware, no annual contract, just that 0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:40.080 the live sports you love. Tried direct TV now for 0:14:40.120 --> 0:14:42.440 ten dollars a month for three months. Visit DirecTV now 0:14:42.480 --> 0:14:45.000 dot com direct tv now more for your thing. That's 0:14:45.000 --> 0:14:47.120 our thing us called really limited time price a little 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:48.880 litle page few months when his months at full prices 0:14:48.880 --> 0:14:50.840 Currently mad aim forty dollars and less. Prices may change 0:14:50.880 --> 0:14:52.840 you subscribers on cancel any time. 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That's why the Cowboys rely on 0:15:59.760 --> 0:16:02.800 more than stats and scouting reports when building their team. 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:05.600 When picking a tractor, it's why you should rely on 0:16:05.680 --> 0:16:08.320 more than specs and features as well. You gotta take 0:16:08.320 --> 0:16:10.720 it out and put it to the test the Cowboys 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:13.640 did when they named John Deer their official tractor. To 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:17.440 experience one for yourself, visit your local Texas John Deer 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:20.600 dealer or go to my John Deer Dealer dot com 0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:25.280 slash football. Back to the Break Welcome Back. It is 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:27.960 segment to of the Break Lock the s WBC Mortgage studios. 0:16:28.000 --> 0:16:29.880 At the start, we're having our gumbo show. It throwing 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:32.080 in a lot of different topics. You're making me homesick 0:16:32.200 --> 0:16:35.320 right now, I'm making myself hungry, actually down, So let's 0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:37.080 let's jump back in now. I want to talk a 0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:40.200 little bit about the Cowboys and their own three road record. 0:16:41.040 --> 0:16:44.040 I think a lot's being made of this by the media, 0:16:44.160 --> 0:16:47.560 particularly in fans to some degree from the standpoint that 0:16:47.640 --> 0:16:49.440 I'm not saying sty legitimate. I'm saying a lots big 0:16:49.480 --> 0:16:51.280 made of it. Though. There's a lot of talk about 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:53.480 Cowboys being one way at home versus being another way 0:16:53.520 --> 0:16:55.760 on the road. The question was asked to Jason Garrett 0:16:55.840 --> 0:16:58.920 yesterday during his press conference, and his response was that 0:16:58.960 --> 0:17:01.800 there are four common themes to those games that they've 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:04.680 lost on the road. He said, good defenses that they've played, 0:17:04.960 --> 0:17:08.560 he said noise, he said blocking hasn't been great, and 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:11.320 he said that they were inefficient in the throwing as 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:14.600 far as throwing the ball. Of those four things, which 0:17:14.640 --> 0:17:17.520 do you think is the biggest of the challenges for 0:17:17.560 --> 0:17:20.760 the Cowboys based on those four those three games that 0:17:20.760 --> 0:17:24.160 they've lost on the road, I'm gonna remove my opinion 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:26.639 from it and just go with what Zach Martin just 0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:29.639 told the Dallas media on his conference call because Jason 0:17:29.800 --> 0:17:32.480 Garrett gave the team the day off, so the locker 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:34.639 rooms not open to day. But Zach got on a 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:36.440 call with us and he was like, our communication and 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:38.440 on the road has been terrible this year, Like it's 0:17:38.440 --> 0:17:41.320 been really bad. You know. Is that the noise is 0:17:41.359 --> 0:17:45.480 that what's causing it? And noise combined with having a 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:48.040 new guy at center and new pieces there, and yeah, 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:50.239 I think all that comes together, and Joe Looney has 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:54.640 been awesome all things considered, but it certain obviously has 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:57.280 been a trying thing for them for Zach to come 0:17:57.280 --> 0:17:59.320 out and say like, yeah, like we're not we're not 0:17:59.359 --> 0:18:02.320 getting on this page to the degree that we're used 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:04.280 to when we go on the road. Yeah, you know, 0:18:04.320 --> 0:18:06.840 I think all four of those things. I mean, I'm 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:08.919 a big fan of the domino effect, I really do. 0:18:08.960 --> 0:18:11.280 I think one thing leads to another, to another to another, 0:18:11.320 --> 0:18:13.280 and every one of those things. I think you're going 0:18:13.320 --> 0:18:16.080 up against a good defense number one, so that's on there. 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:18.119 And then when you have a good defense, the blocking 0:18:18.200 --> 0:18:20.760 is probably not as good. So then that's number two. 0:18:20.960 --> 0:18:23.960 Now you have to pass, and you're forced to pass. 0:18:24.040 --> 0:18:25.920 That's not a strength of the team. And then when 0:18:25.920 --> 0:18:27.800 you're doing that, you're doing it and it's harder to 0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:29.639 pass and getting the shotgun and all that when you 0:18:29.640 --> 0:18:32.480 have noise involved. So I think one thing leads to 0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:34.960 another and it really comes down to that second thing. 0:18:35.600 --> 0:18:38.480 Good defense, that's fine, we saw one this week, but 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:41.359 you've got to be able to block them, and you know, 0:18:41.680 --> 0:18:44.080 if that's the noise or whatever. But I mean, I 0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:46.920 think they're all linked together. I don't think it's just 0:18:47.320 --> 0:18:49.480