- 12 hours ago
The K&C Masterpiece discussed the Cowboys' biggest offseason improvements and pressing league-wide questions as we wait for the official NFL schedule release today. They shared thoughts on the impact of Christian Parker, debated starting quarterback scenarios for players like Michael Penix, Jacoby Brissett, and more.
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00:00And give us one word to describe the Cowboys' biggest off-season improvement.
00:05We've got some other pressing NFL questions, but also a scheduling update.
00:10All right, Alec, this is what I've got so far.
00:13Tell me if this is what sounds right.
00:15Week 1 at the Giants.
00:19Week 3 for the Cowboys, they will quote-unquote host the Ravens,
00:24and that game will be in Brazil.
00:26Week 5, host the Bucs on Thursday Night Football.
00:32Week 7 at the Eagles, Monday Night Football.
00:37And then we move to Thanksgiving, which is Week 12.
00:42You will host the Eagles.
00:43And then Week 16 and Week 17 are both home games.
00:48Week 16 hosting the Jags as part of Sunday Night Football.
00:53And Week 17 hosting the Giants.
00:57So, so far, does that sound right?
00:59It sounds right.
01:00And some blanks that I think you can kind of start to guess and fill in as well.
01:06I'm starting to feel bye week might be Week 14.
01:10Woo!
01:11I think that's what you might be looking at there.
01:14Week 18, I think you can go ahead and pencil in the Washington Commanders.
01:17That does seem to be, that does seem to be the way, and my guess would be that's going to
01:22be a road game then.
01:24Yes.
01:24Although if they ended the season with three straight home games, that'd be something.
01:28That'd be pretty cool.
01:29And then unless they're going to give you a stupid early bye in Week 4, I think you're on the
01:34road at Texans.
01:36Okay.
01:36All right.
01:37I got you.
01:38So, so far, we know for sure five of the home games, only two of the road games.
01:44So, you've got ten games left to fill out the schedule.
01:46Four of them will be home games.
01:48Six will be road games.
01:49But if you go off what Alec just said, if Week 14 is a bye, that means, worst case scenario,
01:56your last four games are two home, two road.
01:58Okay.
01:59And you hate or love this, considering the Week 10 bye situation.
02:03Yeah, no, I like it.
02:04I would always rather have a later bye than an earlier bye.
02:08I realize you might get in a situation where you get to Week 7, and you're like, well, crap, we
02:12really could have used the bye now.
02:13But just, like, at the outset.
02:14Yeah, no, I see what you're saying.
02:16It just feels like Week 14 is too late.
02:18I'm with you.
02:19It's so, like, you might just be sitting there going, we are dragging to get through these next three weeks,
02:24and we still don't have any time.
02:25But it might be, like, this team, maybe Schottenheimer looks at it and goes, all right, boys, we're going to
02:31have to be prepared to make it to Week 11.
02:34Yeah.
02:34Week 12 before we start thinking about it at all.
02:37So y'all better get the things in order.
02:39This is fun.
02:41Do you think the Cowboys or the NFL loves or hates that it leaks like this throughout the day?
02:47I kind of think, I might be in the minority here, I kind of think they don't like it.
02:51Really?
02:51I think they like the, hey, you get to do the upfronts on Monday, on Tuesday, build the anticipation, get
02:57your marquee holiday games out there, and then we'll give you the meat of the schedule on Thursday.
03:03But by the time we get to 7 o'clock, we'll know at least, what, 12 of these games?
03:10Probably so.
03:10We already know seven of the Cowboys games.
03:13But in theory, I'd rather have the Week 14 buy than the Week 4 buy, but if we could still
03:19move it back just a little bit, that would be awesome.
03:22But I'm liking the way the schedule closes out.
03:25If your last three games are host the Jags, host the Giants, at the Commanders, in theory, those would all
03:33seem like winnable games.
03:34And of course, I realize this can be a stupid exercise, but it's so fun.
03:38Yeah, no, it's so fun.
03:40No, yeah, dude, I'm not sitting here trying to be like, I'm making a prediction and I will be right,
03:45because good gosh, you've got to get through training camp first, all right?
03:50You've got to get through mini camps first.
03:52You've got to get through, and mini camps are important, even the voluntary workouts, Kevin.
03:57That George Pickens is not in?
03:59I don't understand why you brought that up.
04:01Oh, you said it was important.
04:03I thought we should point out that one of our best players is not there.
04:07Okay, maybe it's not that important.
04:09Well, wait, hey, we just got to pick a lane.
04:12Either they're not important, and so it doesn't matter that he's not there, or they are important, and it's kind
04:17of messed up that he's not there.
04:19Or do we?
04:19Or do we?
04:20Now, this is an interesting conversation, actually, because do you ever do this based on the player?
04:26Like, would you say voluntary workouts are important for Jaden Blue?
04:31Yes.
04:32Would you say they're important for Dak?
04:34No.
04:34So, like, does that make sense of, like, yeah, for some of them, I feel like in a franchise tag
04:40season, probably pretty important, if you're wanting the big contract in that team.
04:46And especially if you went and shopped around your deal, and nobody else was willing to work something with you.
04:51Right.
04:51And you're like, well, this might be my best option, is to stick with this team on a long-term
04:56deal, because they love me.
04:57Then maybe you do want to make a better impression on them.
04:59Yeah.
05:00Look, in the grand scheme of things, I don't think it's that important, and I don't really think it matters
05:05that he's here.
05:05I think we should be covering it every day.
05:07Oh, my gosh.
05:08All the voluntary workouts.
05:08Okay.
05:09Well, we have a show for that.
05:12So, and if it is that important, then it should be a huge deal that George Pickens is not there.
05:17But, luckily, I don't think it's that important.
05:19He's somewhere in between Dak and Jaden Blue on the importance level.
05:23Yeah.
05:23I mean, although he's also going into year two with a team like Jaden Blue.
05:27All right, so, is there one word that you would describe for the Cowboys' biggest off-season improvement?
05:36And is it a total give-up if I just said defense?
05:41Is that a give-up answer?
05:50So that they have improved their defense is what you're saying.
05:53Because I think secondary is the thing that I'm looking at.
05:58I think you made the strongest move to make your secondary better.
06:03Whether it's going to happen or not is a different deal.
06:06But Christian Parker, he's an expert at that.
06:09If anything else, we have no clue how he's going to run a defense.
06:12Right.
06:13But we do know that he's been very good in his history of making really good defensive secondary players sometimes
06:23elite.
06:24Like, look at the track record of who he's worked with.
06:27You've made that there.
06:29So you added Caleb Downs.
06:31He's stoked about having that guy.
06:33Yep.
06:33He is super excited about having him.
06:37You added Jalen Thompson, who Alex says is the best move that the Cowboys made all off-season.
06:41I mean, seriously, you got Jalen Thompson and Caleb Downs.
06:47Aren't you immediately like, oh, what a hell of an upgrade?
06:50You couldn't stop anybody from throwing the ball if they wanted to on you last year.
06:56And that was a terrible...
06:59Kevin, every time the offense got the ball, I was just terrified of what could happen.
07:04So I will say the one word would be secondary.
07:09Okay.
07:09You upgraded your defense, but I know you upgraded your secondary with that.
07:15And I think Devin Moore is going to be a player for you.
07:17Maybe not this year.
07:19Hopefully injuries.
07:20I think you might have taken the level up on the guys you already have just a little notch
07:25by saying you have a guy in here that is going to make sure they are prepared.
07:30Is it...
07:31They didn't look prepared last year.
07:32We can say that we love DallasCowboys.com and still make fun of one headline, right?
07:39Who wrote the headline?
07:40Ooh, that I don't know.
07:41We'll just assume it's Kyle.
07:42But it said, Devin Moore's best football likely still ahead of him.
07:47And I was like, oh, you don't say.
07:48Guy that just got drafted's best football is probably ahead of him.
07:53Okay.
07:55Okay.
07:57You're right.
07:58Okay.
07:59All right.
07:59That's all I was looking for.
08:01I don't even want to put that on Kyle Yeomans.
08:03I don't want to do that to him.
08:04I would rather...
08:05All right.
08:05Who do you not like?
08:06I like Tommy.
08:08He's going to be on the G-Bag Nation today.
08:10And you know what?
08:11Last time I asked him to hop on the show, he said he couldn't.
08:14Oh.
08:14So we'll say he was the headline writer.
08:16Okay.
08:16Or it could be Nick Eatman.
08:19Alec, do you have a...
08:21I like all those guys.
08:22Do you have a word that would describe the Cowboys' biggest improvement?
08:27Happens to be the industry that we work in.
08:30Radio?
08:31Eh, not exactly.
08:32The broader spectrum.
08:34Communication.
08:34Oh.
08:35Good job.
08:36I like this.
08:37I think the communication across the board has gotten better, and it started by the second
08:40that you hired a new defensive coordinator not named Matty Rufus.
08:45It was that simple.
08:46It was hard for you to not make a hire at that spot where you said, yeah, they upgraded.
08:53But in my mind, they got an extra base hit on that one.
08:56I'm not quite going to say home run yet because he hasn't done the job yet, but they at least
09:01got a nice ringing double off the wall with Christian Parker.
09:05And then you go and get Jalen Thompson, who is that back-end safety that can play over
09:11the middle of the field.
09:12He can play deep, single high.
09:13He can play anything.
09:14He can play the nickel star position.
09:15So, he's tasked with talking to pretty much everybody on the field and understanding everybody's
09:22responsibilities, meaning a lot of communication going on.
09:26And then, what is one of the biggest endorsements of Caleb Downs that you heard throughout the
09:31draft process was his communication skills.
09:34He's always in constant communication with the linebackers, the corners, his other safeties
09:39around him, and the defensive line sometimes getting them set, telling them where to be.
09:43You've got a lot of dudes that just understand the premise of the job, which it felt like
09:49you didn't have last year.
09:51And look, to be in the NFL, you've got to be best of the best in terms of athleticism.
09:55So, Kenneth Murray is in the top 1% of athletes out there.
09:59But, he didn't know what he was doing half the time, and part of it is because I don't
10:04think anybody on that defense really did.
10:07So, you started with the biggest issue, the guy making the calls.
10:12And then, you got the field generals to help push that message and push that scheme forward.
10:20So, communication across the board, you might still have a bad game here and there where
10:24you're going to give up a bunch of points and you're going to say, well, we're still not
10:28talented enough, but you're going to have those games where you say, we shouldn't have
10:32won that, but the defense really kept us alive.
10:35I think to ring along with what Alec is saying is, from the 4-6-9 and from the 8
10:40-1-7, intelligence.
10:43Yeah, I like that.
10:44That's a good answer.
10:45And that goes along with the preparation.
10:47I think preparation, I'll steal preparation is my word then.
10:50I think that dude, listening to Broaddus asked last week, I think he was asking Wulchuk and
10:54Chiafalo and the fellows on the G-bag Cajun, he was asking them, he was like, hey, when
11:00do you think he's going to make the biggest impact, day of or during the week?
11:06And from what we hear, the week leading up is whenever he does his best work.
11:10In-game adjustments with Caleb Downs will probably be beautiful, but the intelligence
11:14of these players, Kevin, how many times last year did they just look like they didn't know
11:21where to go?
11:22All of them.
11:22And the guys that they've brought in, Jalen Thompson being one of them for sure, and Caleb
11:28Downs.
11:28Like, we've seen the dude.
11:30He walks in, first thing he says to the coaching staff is, where's the playbook?
11:34He already knows the playbook, by the way.
11:36Devin Moore said the first day of their rookie workouts, he was already in the playbook and
11:41knew it all.
11:41Awesome.
11:42And so, like, the intelligence of this team.
11:44I want a smart team.
11:45I also want a smart team that can hit the crap out of you.
11:48Sure.
11:48You know, like, I don't want just one.
11:50So, we're getting that right there.
11:52I think that's a great one from the solos.
11:54Because, obviously, every once in a while, especially in football, you'd sacrifice a little
11:58bit of intelligence for it.
11:59You're like, oh, no, he smashes that person every time.
12:02Yeah, just knock the ball out whenever you hit through him.
12:04All right.
12:04I said I would go through some other NFL questions for you.
12:09Do you think that it is still a no-brainer that Jacoby Brissett will be the Cardinals'
12:17week one starter?
12:19It's between him, Minshew, and Beck.
12:22He's still a heavy favorite on the betting odds.
12:25Do you think that is locked in?
12:27Are the Cardinals, do they want to work a deal out with him that's going to make him
12:31I don't know.
12:32I don't think so.
12:34That's where I'm like, I don't know what deal he's going to get in the right amount
12:39of time.
12:40You know?
12:41That's where I'm looking at this going, it might just be smarter to go with Beck.
12:45Yes.
12:45Unless they convince Brissett, hey, dude, we'll give you an extra million and a half dollars
12:51if that's going to make you happy.
12:53But why would you make a bigger deal with him knowing that that's not the dude?
12:58Yeah.
12:58This is his last year under contract.
13:01His cap hit is $9.1 million.
13:03He'll be $35 as a free agent.
13:06So I'm just like, hey, we could be terrible with Carson Beck.
13:09It's a smart decision on his part to try.
13:12Sure.
13:13But I don't think he's going to be successful in this situation.
13:16I think he announced this before they got a quarterback.
13:19Yeah.
13:19And he was like, I got y'all.
13:20And they were like, we'll take Carson Beck.
13:22And then he was like, damn it.
13:24Who will be the week one starter in Atlanta?
13:29By the way, if you think it's going to be Trevor Simeon, 75-1 on your aunt.
13:35Those other two quarterbacks have injury histories.
13:38I don't know.
13:39I'm going to go with Penix.
13:41Okay.
13:42Alec, Tua, or Penix?
13:47Oh, this situation is so weird.
13:49I think I'm going to go with Penix, just because I think he's the better quarterback.
13:54I'm assuming he's going to be healthy.
13:56Oh, that feels like a big assumption.
13:58I know.
13:59And assuming just makes a, you know what, out of you and me, as my dad always told me growing
14:03up.
14:03So I don't really want to do that.
14:05But I just, for their sake, I hope the better quarterback plays.
14:09And in my mind, it's not even close.
14:10It's Michael Penix.
14:11So Michael Penix is a slight underdog.
14:14He is essentially even money.
14:16And Tua is about a minus 135.
14:20So it's close.
14:21But Tua is the slight favorite to start week one for the Falcons.
14:25Here's the thing that I just don't know.
14:30Do players love Tua?
14:34I don't know if they love Penix either.
14:37Right.
14:37But Tua never really seemed to...
14:40I could see that.
14:41You know, have everybody being like, that's my guy.
14:44It was always kind of this, I'm still trying to earn their love and everything.
14:48You don't think they're at his birthday party, do you?
14:50Me, probably not.
14:51Now, not because he's a jerk.
14:53I just don't know.
14:54I don't think he believes in himself.
14:56Okay.
14:56And I think that whenever you're leading, they see it very quickly whether or not you can.
15:03And so I think that's one of the factors that goes into it.
15:06And I don't know if Penix rallied those guys enough to be like, that's my dude.
15:12And this will be a great backup to have in the room.
15:14But I don't know if Tua is going to be able to just walk in the room and be like,
15:17all right, y'all are my team.
15:20Is wide receiver still a fatal flaw for the Kansas City Chiefs?
15:25You look at it going into the season, in theory, Rasheed Rice, still your best wide receiver.
15:33And I know he has potential, but obviously you have to proceed with caution when it comes to him.
15:39Xavier Worthy was supposed to have a breakout season, didn't happen.
15:42Could you see wide receiver as being a fatal flaw for the Chiefs?
15:45I think Justin Fields is going to get some receptions this year.
15:48Yeah.
15:50Sorry.
15:51Is that from 190?
15:53Is that that look?
15:53Our friends at 190 dropped off some brisket.
15:56And it's 190 smoked meats in Dallas.
15:58And it's good.
16:00They're also releasing some beef tallow and some pork, some pulled pork at Central Market.
16:05So they're awesome.
16:06But Eric Chiafalo walking by just looked in here and just goes, wow.
16:10So I'm looking forward to getting an opportunity, getting a little taste there.
16:14But Kevin, I think Justin Fields, thank you, DJ, giving me the thumbs up on that one.
16:19And Justin Fields might get a few receptions.
16:21I think Andy Reid's going to do everything he can to try to get the ball into as many people's
16:26hands as possible
16:27because they don't have one dominant dude.
16:30Travis Kelsey is no longer that guy.
16:32They don't have a dude that can just burn downfield.
16:34I told you this earlier this morning, Kevin.
16:36One of the great things Andy Reid knew was if you send Tyreek Hill downfield,
16:41you will now open up 40 yards of space for Patrick Mahomes to run.
16:45And he doesn't have to get hit and beat up by anybody
16:47because he does this way that he rolls out and creates more space
16:50and then takes off running once he sees it.
16:52But I don't believe in Tyquan Thornton, who's a good receiver.
16:55I don't believe in Xavier Worthy other than being a 45%, 50% catcher.
17:01And Rashi Rice, they're going to have to build that relationship back up.
17:05But there's nobody that I fear other than Patrick Mahomes being in a groove.
17:10If he's in a groove, but last year, Kevin, he never had it.
17:13So I'm just thinking out loud, how long has it been since a team won a Super Bowl
17:19without, like, a pretty damn studly pass catcher?
17:26Because Seattle had Jackson Smith and Jigba.
17:30Philly had two.
17:32Yeah, they had two.
17:33Kansas City with the back-to-back, I think that's what you would look at still.
17:37Travis Kelsey was pretty close to the height of his powers.
17:40Before that, the Rams won Cooper Cup.
17:42It felt like was pretty damn awesome.
17:44Oh yeah, he dominated that game for sure.
17:46Mike Evans with Tampa, like, it's been a minute.
17:50Yeah, and a lot of people are like, well, receivers don't make Super Bowl champions.
17:54Look at the history right now.
17:56Quarterbacks definitely are at the top of the list here.
17:58For sure.
17:59They have a dude that strikes fear in defense.
18:02Yeah, and I'm just wondering if do you need to have a guy that can be, like, the guy at
18:07any moment, and if that would kind of be one of their flaws.
18:10All right, Cleveland, who is going to be the starter week one for the Cleveland Browns?
18:17By the way, Taylor Greene, 75-1.
18:20You want to get in on that?
18:22I assume that would have to be some sort of fight to the death in the quarterback room
18:26where he wasn't there that day, and that's how he got to be the starter.
18:30Hopefully he doesn't come to that.
18:31Or he was smart and just waited in the corner and then pounced at the very end.
18:35Ah, Battle Royale style.
18:36You wait until somebody else is getting dumped over and you dump that person over.
18:40Do you act injured the whole time?
18:43You just lay there?
18:44Yeah.
18:45Like, act like you got knocked out early and just kind of lay there and wait?
18:48I realize the reason they don't do it, but I've always wondered when, like, one of the
18:53heavy guys comes out there, they're like, oh, he's 500 pounds.
18:56Nobody can get him out.
18:57Why isn't he just dead weight in the center of the ring?
19:01Like, don't try to throw anybody out until there's one person left.
19:04Just lay on your back in the middle of who's going to, they're all going to pick him up?
19:11I don't think so.
19:12Take a limb.
19:12I'm going to go with Deshaun Watson.
19:14Okay.
19:15I think Shador, I think he garnered some love in the city of Cleveland, and the fans want
19:22him, but I'm going to go with Deshaun Watson just because there's still money there that
19:27they want to see that value get used from.
19:29Okay, so consider this, and you're going to love hearing this, Alec, as a well-known
19:34Dylan Gabriel hater.
19:38Dylan Gabriel was drafted two rounds ahead of Shador Sanders one year ago.
19:44Here are the betting odds.
19:47Deshaun Watson, minus 200 to start in week one.
19:51Shador Sanders, three to two, so essentially one and a half to one.
19:55Dylan Gabriel is 33 to one.
19:57One year removed from being drafted ahead of Shador Sanders.
20:02He has fallen so far off the radar for them.
20:07I think Taylon Green might be ahead of him.
20:09So what happens whenever your team is bad at drafting and they draft a bad player?
20:14They put him on the field and they're like, huh, this guy actually does suck.
20:18Incredible.
20:19We can't play him.
20:20It's pretty simple.
20:21From the 817, Sanders was a pro bowler, you know.
20:24All right.
20:25And he called his people and went, what the hell is happening?
20:28Yes.
20:29I talked to his people at the Super Bowl and they were like, he called me and was like,
20:32what, is this a joke?
20:34And then they were like, no, you need to leave Paris and come to be in the pro bowl.
20:39It's a funny bit.
20:41If you invited him all the way out there and you're like, I'm just kidding, you idiot.
20:45You're not a pro bowler.
20:46What are you even talking about?
20:47That would be a funny bit if they went in that direction, although obviously I can see
20:56why you would not want to go in that direction.
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