WEBVTT - Talkin' Cowboys: Better Next Year? 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:05.720 The following. He's a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:05.720 --> 0:00:15.160 and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. Cowboys. This He's Talking Cowboys, 0:00:15.600 --> 0:00:19.000 screaming live from the Dallas Cowboys World headquarters at the 0:00:19.079 --> 0:00:30.639 Star in FRISCOO. And now your hosts Isaiah Stanback, heck, 0:00:30.720 --> 0:00:39.920 My Harrison, Rob Phillips, and Kyle Yeoman's It is a 0:00:39.960 --> 0:00:45.839 wonderful Tuesday of Talking Cowboys presented by Tostitos, helping fans 0:00:45.920 --> 0:00:49.640 get in on the game and our favorite chip and 0:00:49.840 --> 0:00:54.680 our favorite dip of Talking Cowboys. Welcome in everybody, as 0:00:54.680 --> 0:00:58.920 we are back in the s WBC studios having some 0:00:59.080 --> 0:01:03.880 fun along the way. Isaiah stand back, Hello, we're in 0:01:03.920 --> 0:01:06.000 the bright yellow jersey. Doug alright. Want to make you 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:09.280 y'all see me since you got the yellow submarine in 0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:12.520 the building. Yes, sir, that's him. That's it. Wait, we're 0:01:12.520 --> 0:01:16.559 playing high and go seek after this Laga La Liga. Yeah, 0:01:16.600 --> 0:01:19.320 I love it. You have no idea named one other 0:01:19.360 --> 0:01:22.400 team in La Man. I know the person's jersey I'm wearing. 0:01:22.520 --> 0:01:24.560 Name one of the Kedler shot out to one of 0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:27.399 my clients, Kinney Keler, trainer from high school all the 0:01:27.400 --> 0:01:30.360 way to playing pro that's pretty cool. You said La Liga. 0:01:30.560 --> 0:01:35.320 He said, it's got a big patch on his flight sleeve. 0:01:36.280 --> 0:01:39.399 You see, you've never heard of Real Madrid. I have 0:01:39.600 --> 0:01:41.480 FC Barcelo. I'm trying to learn a lot more about 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:43.560 soccer because I'm trying to introduce my kids to watching 0:01:43.640 --> 0:01:46.280 more soccer being that we're financially invested. So I'm like, you, guys, 0:01:46.319 --> 0:01:48.040 gotta watch them dog on soccer. So now we're just 0:01:48.080 --> 0:01:50.160 watching games and I'm learning. That's a good thing for 0:01:50.160 --> 0:01:52.800 you because your facility is in Coppel, right, Yeah, we're 0:01:52.800 --> 0:01:55.640 in Lewisville, Nowisville now right, Okay, still a hotbed of 0:01:55.680 --> 0:01:58.640 soccer town, a lot of soccer because Copel Louisville. He 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:01.760 resolutely always usually really good in the soccer game. Heck, 0:02:01.800 --> 0:02:04.320 my Harrison back in studio as all days? How's it 0:02:04.320 --> 0:02:06.880 going with my friend? Oh? Good good. It feels good 0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:08.880 to be back in studio. You know why? Why is that? 0:02:08.919 --> 0:02:12.560 Because Rob Phillips is Rob missed last week. But we 0:02:12.560 --> 0:02:15.400 are glad to have you back and ready to go. Yeah, 0:02:15.480 --> 0:02:17.320 we discussed a minute ago where I was let's not 0:02:17.320 --> 0:02:19.840 talk about it. We're not gonna do it. Just back. 0:02:20.040 --> 0:02:25.480 It is period. It's great to be back. That's as 0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:27.120 far as we need to go. We'll be here for 0:02:27.160 --> 0:02:29.880 the next hour. I love our hour shows, man, I 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:31.720 love the hour shows. Well, you get a chance to 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:34.760 kind of play back show the personality a little bit more. 0:02:34.880 --> 0:02:37.840 It's not as straightforward business as we do a lot 0:02:37.880 --> 0:02:39.680 of time. We're gonna get you a smaller hoodie. Man, 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:45.359 you slimming down, slim I'm with you. I'm like in 0:02:45.639 --> 0:02:47.840 the gene. I don't know who there wants to challenge 0:02:47.840 --> 0:02:49.320 me right now, but it probably wouldn't be a good 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:52.120 idea to stop it. Let's stop it. I'm feeling I'm 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:53.960 feeling good. I hit a hit a PR. I hit 0:02:53.960 --> 0:02:56.120 a first. I hit a PR today that I haven't 0:02:56.200 --> 0:02:58.080 hit in sometime. I guess it's not a PR, but 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:02.200 I guess it's. Oh no, I did h two eighty 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:05.200 five on some hand cleans and three forty on bench. 0:03:05.280 --> 0:03:08.639 That's what really surprised Meye, it moved, and it moved pretty. 0:03:09.200 --> 0:03:10.760 There was something left. I had some left in the tank. 0:03:10.760 --> 0:03:13.280 It wouldn't like struggle bust. You're about seventy percent of 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:16.000 what Rob can do on a normal day. You're almost there. 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:18.120 What you think your bench is right now, just straight up, 0:03:18.160 --> 0:03:20.080 like if you had to, like to save your life, 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:23.120 what could you get to chat the bar off your chest? 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:27.480 The bar is forty five? Ye he knows that, but hey, 0:03:27.560 --> 0:03:30.680 I play. I mean I used, I used to lift, 0:03:30.760 --> 0:03:32.239 not like I said, I'll tell you let me. I 0:03:32.240 --> 0:03:37.640 don't know, slap a couple of tens on each side. 0:03:36.240 --> 0:03:42.400 That what we curled. We taped our season and review 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:44.560 show a couple weeks ago, and Isaiah just every time 0:03:44.600 --> 0:03:46.480 you talk about weights, it's just I just like I 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:48.280 just want to go crawl in the corner. And we 0:03:48.280 --> 0:03:50.360 were about to tape it, and Isaiah, it's like you 0:03:50.440 --> 0:03:52.640 came late because you're you're late. You had you had 0:03:52.680 --> 0:03:57.040 business and you're you're dressing in studio and it took 0:03:57.040 --> 0:03:59.280 a while. I mean you had to button. Now you're like, god, 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:01.320 this church's tie. I did too many push ups today. 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:06.200 I'm like, my God, just just putting me during the season. 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:08.800 During the season, it's at least for myself, for my schedule, 0:04:08.800 --> 0:04:11.000 it's hard to maintain direct not that I would like to. 0:04:11.160 --> 0:04:14.440 So I literally I get skinny, man, I get thin 0:04:15.000 --> 0:04:18.640 walking up, I get thin mass the shirt I go down. 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:21.919 So my weight fluctuates, so I'm anywhere from two. On 0:04:22.000 --> 0:04:25.040 the light end, I'm two fifteen. At the high end, 0:04:25.080 --> 0:04:28.440 I'm like two forty, two forty two. So right now 0:04:28.440 --> 0:04:32.120 I'm like two forty. Yeah. But when I was playing here, 0:04:32.400 --> 0:04:35.240 I was two of seven. Man, don't nobody want to 0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:38.400 talk weights? And wait with you? You're losing weight, all right? 0:04:38.480 --> 0:04:40.280 I mean, but come on you you open up the 0:04:40.320 --> 0:04:43.160 show up? Yeah, pr I was excited that I can't. 0:04:43.160 --> 0:04:46.040 I can't gas the reason, no, I have to dask 0:04:46.080 --> 0:04:49.360 myself off because there's some gentlemen upstairs that feel as 0:04:49.360 --> 0:04:51.560 if they're still gonna challenge me. Let me tell you something. 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:56.039 They're still talking about it roppy with barrier. Danny, Danny, Danny, No, no, no, 0:04:56.120 --> 0:04:58.520 Danny sizes me up every single Time's not gonna back down. 0:04:58.640 --> 0:05:00.600 But here's the thing I just out in my head 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:03.080 about what it would be to bitch press three hundred 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:06.080 and forty pounds right now. And let me tell you something. Bayless, 0:05:06.080 --> 0:05:11.240 Scott and White's next door, and I'm so happy Eric here, 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:20.479 I just put my labor two pectoral forty. That rip 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:24.520 wasn't clothing, that was my That's a good sight too. 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:26.359 You don't want to see that we're gonna get a 0:05:26.360 --> 0:05:29.120 new drop out of this. Yeah. Absolutely, something out of 0:05:29.120 --> 0:05:31.600 there needs to be just said. I'm right now, I'm 0:05:31.600 --> 0:05:38.920 gonna gasp myself up, I'm gonna get that. Oh goodness. 0:05:39.080 --> 0:05:41.599 But really, credit to both of you guys down at 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:44.240 the end of the table. He was looking fantastic. I say, 0:05:44.240 --> 0:05:46.640 it is bulking up. It looks fantastic. You guys are 0:05:46.680 --> 0:05:49.480 an inspiration to Rob. Yeah, we got maybe maybe one 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:53.280 day figured out. All right, let's talk about the Cowboys 0:05:53.320 --> 0:05:55.440 a little bit. There's been a lot going on the 0:05:55.520 --> 0:05:59.120 last week around the Star, maybe not so much on 0:05:59.160 --> 0:06:01.039 the field or anything. We're still kind of waiting for 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:04.000 that March a March fourteenth, when we finally get to 0:06:04.000 --> 0:06:07.200 start building this roster again towards twenty twenty, and we're 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:09.400 gonna talk about that a little bit later on, talking 0:06:09.440 --> 0:06:12.880 a little draft as well. Are you optimistic about those dates? Like, 0:06:13.040 --> 0:06:15.200 when you think about the fourteenth, sixteenth, are you like, 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:17.920 is there is there is that a light at the 0:06:18.040 --> 0:06:20.120 end of the tunnel tunnel? Or is that the tred 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:21.880 train coming at you? Is it the freight train? Which 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:23.880 one is it? I mean, how are you thinking about that? 0:06:24.000 --> 0:06:27.159 I think that's the biggest question right now is because 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:32.520 there's so much pure negativity around the cap situation. Twenty 0:06:32.520 --> 0:06:34.599 one million dollars over the cap, that's the number you 0:06:34.640 --> 0:06:37.880 hear day in and day out around here. You got 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:40.880 to find a way to make the right decisions on 0:06:40.920 --> 0:06:43.159 who is leaving, because there are gonna be many guys 0:06:43.160 --> 0:06:45.560 who leave here and you're going to be disappointed. So 0:06:45.600 --> 0:06:48.400 they might look like the freight train coming right at you, 0:06:48.400 --> 0:06:50.160 and that's the light that's at the end of the tunnel. 0:06:50.160 --> 0:06:53.520 It's coming at you rather than there's a lot of 0:06:53.520 --> 0:06:55.800 optimism around this team, and Rob you'd probably add to 0:06:55.839 --> 0:06:58.279 this as well. With the cap situation at hand. It 0:06:58.360 --> 0:07:00.880 goes back to what the Jones family has been talking about. 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:04.560 There are tough decisions on the horizon, and those decisions 0:07:04.560 --> 0:07:09.560 are nearing very quickly. Yeah, the franchise tag window starts today. 0:07:10.520 --> 0:07:12.360 You got until March eight to tack somebody. If you 0:07:12.400 --> 0:07:14.000 want to tack somebody, I don't know if they will 0:07:14.040 --> 0:07:18.040 because to your point, trying to slot a guaranteed one 0:07:18.160 --> 0:07:22.120 year salary that's the top five average of any position 0:07:22.160 --> 0:07:23.920 in the league, or top ten if it's a transition 0:07:23.960 --> 0:07:25.920 tag that's that's gonna be tough to do. I think 0:07:25.920 --> 0:07:28.560 if you're a fan, heck, you might say freight train, 0:07:28.800 --> 0:07:32.480 just because you know they don't. Fans want to see 0:07:32.480 --> 0:07:35.480 the big splash, and I don't think that's going to happen, 0:07:35.800 --> 0:07:40.480 especially not this year. It hasn't happened since I don't 0:07:40.520 --> 0:07:44.720 know Brandon Carr in twenty twelve, where they really spent 0:07:44.800 --> 0:07:46.560 big on the first week of free agency, and I 0:07:46.560 --> 0:07:48.960 think they've you listen to Stephen Jones talk like they 0:07:49.160 --> 0:07:51.720 they've warned us there they're going to be very judicious 0:07:51.800 --> 0:07:54.000 with the cap room that they do have, and to 0:07:54.040 --> 0:07:56.080 your point, they're gonna have to get creative just to 0:07:56.120 --> 0:07:58.120 create the room. And they can do that and they 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:01.080 will do that. They do it every year, but they 0:08:01.120 --> 0:08:02.920 don't have a bunch to spend. And that's what happens 0:08:03.000 --> 0:08:05.840 when you know, for starters, your starting quarterback is taken 0:08:05.920 --> 0:08:09.080 up thirty plus million on the cap. So always about 0:08:09.120 --> 0:08:12.400 the slice of the pie. But you've got to find 0:08:12.400 --> 0:08:14.400 a way to feel the roster that you feel good about, 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:16.880 especially when you have that core foundation. I was on 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:19.720 a podcast this weekend. They asked me that same question, 0:08:20.240 --> 0:08:23.280 where do you feel like your expectations are right this 0:08:23.360 --> 0:08:26.360 second about the twenty twenty two season, and I still 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:30.080 kind of said they're decently high because you have a foundation, 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:33.319 because you have a quarterback. Yeah, you paid him a 0:08:33.320 --> 0:08:35.480 lot of money, but you still feel very comfortable at 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:38.800 that Dak Prescott can be that quarterback to lead you 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:41.240 to the promised land. But you also have a core 0:08:41.320 --> 0:08:43.680 of young players as well that you really do feel 0:08:43.720 --> 0:08:46.280 good about moving forward. So, Isaiah, I ask you that 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:50.040 same question, is there any chance that your expectations shift 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:53.320 over the next couple of weeks, because well, right now 0:08:53.480 --> 0:08:56.559 they feel bad, but there's still some optimism there as well. 0:08:56.600 --> 0:09:00.720 They shifted when a clock went to zero. Reason being, 0:09:01.440 --> 0:09:04.840 you know, I believe, I personally believe that they've missed 0:09:04.840 --> 0:09:09.959 their window. I personally it's close. I think that windows sure, no, 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:12.360 w D forty wow, right, I think the windows closed 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:15.560 because you had a stacked roster. You had a stack 0:09:15.600 --> 0:09:17.800 coaching staff, and you still retain the majority of them. 0:09:17.840 --> 0:09:20.560 Let's say they're coaching, they're they're back, and you had 0:09:20.559 --> 0:09:24.160 a stacked roster. Now you're faced with the same decision. 0:09:24.280 --> 0:09:26.320 You have to face this every single offseason. Oh we 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:28.719 gotta make tough decisions. Oh, we gotta even gotta cut 0:09:28.760 --> 0:09:30.480 some guys, gotta let some guys go, Guys that we 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:32.400 would love to sign back. We're not gonna be able 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:34.720 to hold them all. You hear the same little rhetoric 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:36.760 every single year, but this year is even it's even 0:09:36.800 --> 0:09:40.000 greater because you know, everybody, everybody in Cowboys the nation. No, 0:09:40.080 --> 0:09:42.480 you're gonna lose some a great player, a great player 0:09:42.520 --> 0:09:46.120 on offense and or defense. You're gonna lose a superstar. 0:09:46.800 --> 0:09:49.319 You're going to lose the superstar on offense and or defense. 0:09:49.720 --> 0:09:52.320 And I say, and because it might possibly be two, 0:09:53.400 --> 0:09:55.760 you're gonna when I when they say tough decisions, this 0:09:55.840 --> 0:09:59.719 is not like, oh we couldn't retain Curse. You know what, 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:01.400 he's a really good player. He made a lot of 0:10:01.400 --> 0:10:03.720 good contributions. We're not gonna able to retain that. This 0:10:03.760 --> 0:10:07.800 is gonna be something seismic. Yeah, that's you're gonna that's 0:10:07.800 --> 0:10:14.720 gonna happen, and people are gonna be boo hoo. You 0:10:14.760 --> 0:10:17.360 know your whole cap myth. You know, the cap is 0:10:17.400 --> 0:10:20.200 a myth. Every year teams to say we're in cap trouble. 0:10:20.200 --> 0:10:24.160 They find a way, whether you use the word kicking it, 0:10:24.320 --> 0:10:28.000 kick the can down the road, whatever, re shuffle, reschedule, 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:30.000 whatever you're gonna do with the money we can. We 0:10:30.040 --> 0:10:32.720 can restructure guys. Right there, Guys are gonna get cut. 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:34.520 We know that last year. We're going into this year 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:37.240 that may be the same thing. So I don't worry 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:39.320 about that as much because I know that there are 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:41.480 the powers that be that are going to figure this out. 0:10:41.520 --> 0:10:43.680 You still got to sign all your draft picks as well, ye, 0:10:43.840 --> 0:10:45.800 So if we lose some guys, let's just say on defense, 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:48.360 we talked about it last week, Maybe we lose a tank, 0:10:48.480 --> 0:10:51.400 maybe we lose age or run curse. That's why the 0:10:51.480 --> 0:10:55.280 draft and other areas may become more pivotal than before. 0:10:55.360 --> 0:10:57.640 And also, look, we hadn't gotten to this point, but 0:10:57.760 --> 0:10:59.680 free agency is going to be very important. I mean 0:10:59.760 --> 0:11:02.120 we've on over the years where you wanted to sign 0:11:02.200 --> 0:11:04.960 Steffan Gilmore, we wanted to sign a certain free agent 0:11:05.360 --> 0:11:08.600 safety for the Seattle from back in the day that 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:10.679 that didn't happen. All right, we didn't do was it 0:11:10.800 --> 0:11:13.079 Jamal Adams? And those times that we could have gotten 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:16.000 those signs, signings done. I still believe that there are 0:11:16.000 --> 0:11:17.760 going to be those free agents out there that can 0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:20.959 make an immediate impact that may allow you to forget 0:11:21.000 --> 0:11:22.920 about some of the guys that you lose. Yes, the 0:11:22.960 --> 0:11:24.920 team is going to be different, but the majority of 0:11:24.960 --> 0:11:27.400 teams from top to bottom are going to be different. 0:11:27.400 --> 0:11:31.280 We should expect it. I think to your point, heck, 0:11:31.360 --> 0:11:35.000 like they've they did a great job last year signing 0:11:35.040 --> 0:11:38.439 got like targeting guys, especially on defense, like Dan Quinn. 0:11:38.559 --> 0:11:41.079 This fits his scheme, Carlo and you just go down 0:11:41.120 --> 0:11:44.680 the list, Carlos Watkins, Terrell Basham, Kean O'Neill, Malie Cooker, 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:48.880 Kasey Curse, like they really. I mean, I don't know 0:11:48.920 --> 0:11:50.600 if they batted a thousand, but it was pretty close 0:11:50.640 --> 0:11:53.480 to the problem with that is, I mean you looked 0:11:53.480 --> 0:11:58.040 the year before though, and they batted whatever it was 0:11:58.080 --> 0:12:01.040 on defense. And I do think when you're when you're 0:12:01.080 --> 0:12:06.080 waiting into the later waves pools of free agency, that's 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:08.960 more of a challenge because you've got guys that you know, 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:14.640 it's it's not the market's not as robust, and you're 0:12:14.679 --> 0:12:17.280 you're taking chances on players that there's something either they're 0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:19.600 not proven, or they've been hurt or something. And so 0:12:19.640 --> 0:12:21.679 I think and that's what they're going to continue to do. 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:24.280 So they've got to nail that. I mean, we talked 0:12:24.280 --> 0:12:26.199 about nail in the draft all the time. That's a given. 0:12:26.440 --> 0:12:28.400 They've got to find a way to replicate what they 0:12:28.400 --> 0:12:30.560 did last year, and I think that's going to be challenging. However, 0:12:31.040 --> 0:12:33.480 I do think. I mean to I say his point like, 0:12:33.520 --> 0:12:37.840 they missed a huge opportunity. But the division still doesn't 0:12:37.840 --> 0:12:41.240 look very good and not right now, not right now, 0:12:41.520 --> 0:12:44.439 and you know some of the teams that we think 0:12:44.440 --> 0:12:46.319 they're they're facing, it's gonna be really difficult. Who is 0:12:46.360 --> 0:12:48.880 Green based quarterback, Who's Tampa based quarterback? All of a sudden, 0:12:49.000 --> 0:12:50.720 those two games don't look as difficult when you talk 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:54.240 about a first place schedule. So I still think they 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:57.439 can definitely win the division and put themselves back in position. 0:12:57.600 --> 0:12:58.959 Are they going to be as good as they were 0:12:59.040 --> 0:13:02.000 last year? They gonna be deep, they can be as healthy, 0:13:02.120 --> 0:13:05.000 that's the question. And I think to me it comes 0:13:05.000 --> 0:13:08.840 down to can they get Dak in position to be 0:13:09.200 --> 0:13:12.160 dominant in the playoffs back to where he was early 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:13.959 in the season. To me, that's where that's the key 0:13:14.000 --> 0:13:16.600 to the season. No matter what they do in the offseason. Basically, 0:13:16.600 --> 0:13:19.160 whenever you look at the contract for Dak Prescott, and 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:22.120 we've talked about this at links and on this show, 0:13:22.200 --> 0:13:25.600 but whenever you pay a quarterback that much money, he's 0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:29.200 supposed to make up for the shortcomings. He's supposed to 0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:32.880 fill the gaps of a roster that may not be 0:13:32.920 --> 0:13:35.880 as strong. You see that around the league with Green 0:13:35.960 --> 0:13:39.680 Bay and Aaron Rodgers. This year wasn't the best roster 0:13:39.800 --> 0:13:42.600 green Bay has ever had around Aaron Rodgers, yet they 0:13:42.640 --> 0:13:44.520 still were the number one seedon of course, they ended 0:13:44.559 --> 0:13:48.599 in disappointment as well, so it becomes a question on 0:13:49.040 --> 0:13:53.880 his category. Do you feel that way about Dak Prescott still? 0:13:53.920 --> 0:13:55.440 Do you feel like he can make up for the 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:59.080 shortcomings because this year there were no shortcomings to a 0:13:59.120 --> 0:14:02.480 certain extent around the roster. There were certainly holes, but 0:14:02.600 --> 0:14:04.760 for the most part, you like you said, you were stacked. 0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:07.240 You had the talent, you had the health, you felt 0:14:07.360 --> 0:14:10.760 good going into the postseason, yet you had a shortcoming 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:13.600 as a whole. This year, there are going to be 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.040 plenty of shortcomings that are going to be on that roster. 0:14:16.360 --> 0:14:18.920 Ken Dak Prescott filled that void. Y'all know. I have 0:14:19.160 --> 0:14:21.600 defended Dak to no end. You know I have you 0:14:21.640 --> 0:14:24.640 know and and not apologized about it. Sure, I feel 0:14:24.680 --> 0:14:27.440 as though you know Dak. When you start mentioning those 0:14:27.720 --> 0:14:31.400 other quarterbacks, the identity of those teams are that quarterback. 0:14:31.560 --> 0:14:33.680 When you think of the Dallas Cowboys, that's not the 0:14:33.880 --> 0:14:36.120 identity of this team. And I don't know how you 0:14:36.240 --> 0:14:40.800 change that. Even if Dak has that success next year, 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:43.480 I still think that there are other things that you 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:45.680 are starting to ask yourself, what is going to be 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:47.680 the identity of this team. We would think that it 0:14:47.800 --> 0:14:50.440 was Zeke the running game, but we've gotten away from 0:14:50.480 --> 0:14:53.400 that completely to the point that even when you start 0:14:53.560 --> 0:14:56.840 grading the running game, you graded on a curve because 0:14:56.880 --> 0:14:59.000 seventeen games you gotta thout, you know, things like That's 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:02.160 still that's not our identity. Dak has to step up 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:05.520 and be that. If last year was his confidence was down, 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:08.800 or Wayne because of the injury that he had the 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:11.400 year before, if there was some mental residual from that, 0:15:11.960 --> 0:15:13.720 all those things, he has to get over and take 0:15:13.720 --> 0:15:17.240 another step in his second year. I'm called to answer 0:15:17.280 --> 0:15:19.400 your question. Yes, I believe that he can be. I 0:15:19.440 --> 0:15:21.440 believe that he will be. I don't think that he 0:15:21.520 --> 0:15:23.120 was a difference maker last year, and I just got 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:25.720 to keep it real. In those games where he could 0:15:25.720 --> 0:15:28.360 have been the difference, he didn't. You pointed out there 0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:29.920 are times where we needed him to use his legs. 0:15:29.920 --> 0:15:31.680 Did he use him? No? All right? There were times 0:15:31.680 --> 0:15:34.600 where there were awful turnovers. There were games where obviously 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:37.280 we need an additional throw from our quarterback. He couldn't 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:40.120 make it. Next year. We can't have the same can't 0:15:40.120 --> 0:15:42.440 have the same conversation. And when you look around the 0:15:42.480 --> 0:15:45.120 league at the guys that do, obviously that's the separation 0:15:45.160 --> 0:15:49.720 between him and those quote unquote elite quarterbacks. I've been 0:15:49.760 --> 0:15:52.720 on this island and not rob p Island by myself 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:54.760 for a couple of years. Well with you guys, I've 0:15:54.800 --> 0:15:56.760 been there. I've been there, right, I mean when any 0:15:56.840 --> 0:15:58.440 Dalton gut signed and I said that he had a 0:15:58.480 --> 0:16:00.560 stronger arm, all those kind of things. People have been 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:02.800 throwing torches at me for a long time. IRS Island, 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:05.080 Irs Island? Is there? Does that happen? That's the best 0:16:05.120 --> 0:16:07.880 of place, desert, that's a place American Airlines doesn't fly 0:16:07.920 --> 0:16:11.120 there place. However, a couple of boats and row it 0:16:11.200 --> 0:16:19.840 yourself exactly battle Board. I still stand on this island 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:22.640 and say that I don't believe Dak is an elite quarterback. 0:16:23.440 --> 0:16:25.320 I think he's a good quarterback. I think he's a 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:29.760 really good quarterback at times. But when you start thinking 0:16:29.760 --> 0:16:34.920 about the quarterbacks that are considered elite, you have full 0:16:35.040 --> 0:16:37.520 confidence in those quarterbacks that they are gonna win you 0:16:37.560 --> 0:16:41.640 the ball game, no doubt about it. It doesn't matter 0:16:41.720 --> 0:16:44.280 what the opponent presents. You feel like they're ready for 0:16:44.320 --> 0:16:47.480 any situation. It doesn't matter what the situation it is. 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:49.440 You feel like they've already been through it a thousand 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:52.080 thousand times and you just know that they're gonna get 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:53.840 you out of it. And you think about it, even 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:55.600 as bad as Seattle is, you still have hoping in 0:16:55.640 --> 0:16:58.920 Russell Wilson. Right, you got Aaron Rodgers. You just know 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:01.400 Aaron Rodgers're gonna ge on the situation. TV twelve. There's 0:17:01.440 --> 0:17:02.960 just some guys, Drew Brees when he was like, you 0:17:02.960 --> 0:17:04.879 just knew there was some guys that once they're on 0:17:04.960 --> 0:17:06.920 the field, I don't give a dog on what they do. 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:08.879 They're gonna He's gonna find his way out of this. 0:17:08.960 --> 0:17:12.320 You don't get that with Dak and what is it 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:15.040 gonna take. It's gonna take victories, what they're gonna take. 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:17.840 It's gonna take tough games. It's gonna take, you know, 0:17:17.960 --> 0:17:20.640 getting out of bad situations. It's gonna take dominant performances. 0:17:20.680 --> 0:17:23.000 It's gonna take accuracy, it's gonna take velocity. It's gonna 0:17:23.000 --> 0:17:25.479 take this decision making all these things. Right, there's not 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:27.320 just one thing that's gonna happen to say, you know what, 0:17:27.760 --> 0:17:31.240 he's elite now, right, He's just not that guy yet? 0:17:32.000 --> 0:17:35.119 Can he be? Absolutely? What is it gonna take for 0:17:35.200 --> 0:17:37.280 him to take that step? I don't know, but I 0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:39.320 know that they have to start stacking up these wins 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:41.560 and you can't miss out on opportunities like they had 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:44.960 this year. That was a huge letdown. I don't think 0:17:45.000 --> 0:17:49.000 anybody would say any different. And those types of losses 0:17:49.400 --> 0:17:51.840 and those types of opportunities where he does not step 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:54.639 into that role is what prevents him from being a 0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:58.879 quote unquote elite. Do you think did you think Matt 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:01.600 Stafford was in that category until he had that winning 0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:04.680 drive the other night? I still don't put math. I 0:18:04.760 --> 0:18:06.760 just I just I still think that he just has 0:18:06.800 --> 0:18:09.000 a mean, he's a really good quarterback. Yeah, I'll put 0:18:09.000 --> 0:18:11.760 I mean, I'll put Dak in Matthew Stafford kind of. Yeah. 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:14.280 So because I'm with you, like I think the list 0:18:14.320 --> 0:18:17.359 when you talk, it's short, and you mentioned Hall of 0:18:17.359 --> 0:18:19.719 Fame guys, like guys that are punched their ticket already 0:18:19.760 --> 0:18:21.520 to the Hall of Fame. There that is a special 0:18:21.560 --> 0:18:23.840 type of quarterback. And I agree with I mean, I 0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:26.600 think I think Dad can get there. I think Matt 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:29.200 Stafford people thought maybe he couldn't get there. He got there. 0:18:29.680 --> 0:18:32.440 I think, like heck right, Like he's got to elevate 0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:35.080 his play and he said that, Um, but I think 0:18:35.080 --> 0:18:37.239 there's some things around him that have to be elevated too. 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:38.920 And we've talked about the scheme. I mean, I think 0:18:38.920 --> 0:18:40.879 they've got to find ways to scheme things up to 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:45.080 make things better for him. And I know it sounds 0:18:45.080 --> 0:18:47.159 like excuses, but I think when you fail, when you 0:18:47.200 --> 0:18:49.640 fail like this, and there's a problem offensively for ten 0:18:49.720 --> 0:18:52.840 weeks and it doesn't fully get fixed unless you're kind 0:18:52.840 --> 0:18:56.280 of playing bad teams. It's not just the quarterback, it's 0:18:56.280 --> 0:18:58.760 not just the offensive coordinator. I think we've talked about 0:18:58.760 --> 0:19:00.240 a lot of things. There's a lot of reasons why 0:19:00.240 --> 0:19:01.960 it didn't work. I think the offensive line was a 0:19:01.960 --> 0:19:03.920 factor too, and they've got a dress that from a 0:19:03.960 --> 0:19:05.600 personnel side, I think it's going to take a lot 0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:07.879 of things to get to figure out what happened to 0:19:07.960 --> 0:19:09.879 this offense down the stretch and get it right. I 0:19:09.920 --> 0:19:12.719 totally agree with you. If you had to compare the 0:19:12.760 --> 0:19:16.960 Cincinnati Bengals to the Dallas Cowboys, that's so not fair. 0:19:17.119 --> 0:19:19.720 It's very much fair because they quarterback. You've got to 0:19:19.760 --> 0:19:23.520 talk about the quarterback is I'm just saying just the teams, Okay, 0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:26.160 just a team. I'm talking about individuals, Okay, just the teams. 0:19:26.440 --> 0:19:28.280 I'm interested to see where you're going because right now 0:19:28.280 --> 0:19:31.560 I'm with heckma, I don't how can you? Why is 0:19:31.600 --> 0:19:34.520 it not fair to compare those two? Because go ahead 0:19:34.520 --> 0:19:36.520 and you go for it. No, you said it first. 0:19:36.520 --> 0:19:40.679 I'll back you up. It's just I think that quarterback 0:19:41.119 --> 0:19:44.680 is his level of elite is where he is the 0:19:44.760 --> 0:19:48.040 quintessential first round draft pick in the NFL draft period. 0:19:48.200 --> 0:19:50.359 You look over the time in the league, he is 0:19:50.440 --> 0:19:52.760 that guy for that, the throws that he make, he 0:19:52.880 --> 0:19:55.960