- 4 hours ago
Shan and Bobby opened up the Cowboys mailbag and addressed some of the TOLOS' biggest questions. They discussed Dallas's penalty problems, the defense heading into 2026, Dak Prescott’s mental focus, and more.
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00:00And it's time for a Cowboy mailbag.
00:02Yep, we're going to open up the mailbag a little bit.
00:04We are in the middle of a little bit of a lull in Cowboys action.
00:08So now's a good time to attack some of the broader questions that you may have.
00:12You can text them in 877-881-1053, 877-881-1053.
00:17But I'd also put out four questions on Twitter, and we got a number of questions sent in.
00:22And the first one here is from TakesbyTaval, I think it is, T-Y-V-A-L.
00:29He said, the Cowboys led the league in penalties in 2025.
00:32How is Brian Schottenheimer going to address this in year two?
00:35Which I was trying to think back about it.
00:36I remember—
00:37They led in penalties?
00:38They had so many problems last year that that's the thing.
00:40I had to go look.
00:41I mean, I was sure that was correct, just because, I mean, like, the fact that he said they led.
00:45It's like, okay, well, I'm sure you looked it up.
00:46And so I went and had to look and—
00:48I mean, I know they usually lead in penalties.
00:50I just didn't realize they did it again.
00:51Well, and I remember there was a time during the middle of the year
00:55where we had talked about that the penalties were becoming an issue again.
00:58Because early on in the year, I think they were—
01:00Like, first game against Philly, they had, like, four.
01:02And we were like, oh, okay, they've kind of cleaned some of this up.
01:05They look disciplined.
01:05And then I remember it becoming a bigger problem as it went along.
01:08Did not remember them leading the league in penalties.
01:10So here's what I would say.
01:11And this is probably something that—
01:13I don't know if the Cowboys would ever say this on the record.
01:16But I think there would be people that would tell you this away from a microphone.
01:21Here it is.
01:21Dallas 133, Tennessee 130, the Giants 128 with Jacksonville.
01:26Yeah, and that's—so you've got Jacksonville that was 130.
01:29You've got Denver that was 129.
01:32Houston that was 128.
01:34Philly was a little bit behind that.
01:36A couple years ago, I mean, Baltimore used to routinely lead the NFL in penalties.
01:41Penalties is not necessarily the problem.
01:44Like, I think a lot of people would say, when you start coaching penalties aggressively,
01:49you start—you're coaching out a lot of aggression at times that you don't want to totally tamp down.
01:54The problem is, which penalties are you leading the league in?
01:58So, for instance, one of the things that's really bad is pre-snap penalties.
02:03That's what you don't want, which is where the Cowboys are higher up on the list.
02:06And when you look at who were the worst teams in the NFL with pre-snap penalties last year,
02:09okay, it was the Giants, it was the Titans, it was the Saints.
02:11When you look at the teams that were the best with pre-snap penalties,
02:15San Francisco, the Rams, the Bills, the Colts, the Patriots, the Seahawks,
02:20that's a disciplined football team.
02:22You'll take some of the other penalties that come your way.
02:25Roughing the passer penalty sucks.
02:27It's 15 yards.
02:28But a lot of times you don't want to coach out of a player like,
02:31hey, pull back on the aggression.
02:33You know, you're going to get some guys that if they're playing physically at times,
02:36you'll get holding calls and different things like that.
02:37The ones that are just inexcusable are, we're not even, like, in the middle of action
02:42and you're setting us back another five yards before we can even snap the ball.
02:46That's a problem.
02:47So in terms of cleaning those up, I think what's going to be bigger there,
02:50a lot of times it's on offense with the pre-snap penalties,
02:54it's going to be about the communication angle.
02:58With the offensive line in particular,
03:00it's going to be about how frequently have they played with each other
03:04because a lot of the being able to gel as a unit,
03:07a lot of times a good offensive line penalties pre-snap or otherwise,
03:11whenever there's just somebody new comes in the game
03:13and then there's immediately a false start
03:14or somebody new is in the game and they don't know the cadence
03:17and there are all these different things that can occur there,
03:20different things of players who are motioning
03:22and then not lining back up correctly.
03:24So a lot of times that's just about swapping players in.
03:27And so I think for them it would probably be about finding stability
03:30along the offensive line they would believe is going to clean up
03:33a lot of their issues.
03:35But it is funny that we don't think about them being the most penalized team
03:39in the NFL because that's how bad the defense was.
03:42Whereas we don't even have time to talk about the penalty discussion
03:45because the defense is so terrible.
03:47It's like special teams.
03:48We haven't, Atollo brought it up two weeks ago.
03:51We haven't talked about the special teams problems enough,
03:54and they're right.
03:54Yeah.
03:55Next question here.
03:56Because Aubrey got re-signed.
03:58Cowboys, we'll talk about Aubrey at 840.
04:02Next year in the Cowboys' mailbag, 817.
04:04Are you worried about Dak's mentals at all with the drama
04:07that's been going on this offseason?
04:08I'm shocked that you would address this.
04:10I'll let you answer first.
04:11Oh, wow.
04:12I'm going to address it.
04:13I don't have a problem, but I'm curious.
04:14Do you have any concern about that?
04:16I did for a second, and then this past weekend,
04:21I saw his former fiancé posting a lovely child's birthday party
04:26where they were either back together
04:28or they're just co-parenting with great smiles on their faces.
04:33So before I saw that, I was 5% to 10% worried.
04:40But after I saw that, I was like, all right, either they're back together
04:43or they're making it work.
04:47They're getting by.
04:47I mean, she posted a lot of pictures of the two of them.
04:51Now, they're not hugging and kissing, but they look very happy,
04:55and I was even surprised that she posted those
04:58if they're not getting back together.
05:00So that alleviated some of my concern.
05:07Because that can be something that messes with you.
05:10I don't care who you are or how tough you are mentally or whatever else.
05:16I would have a concern that...
05:18I always wonder about that coach or player that's playing,
05:21and right before that, they got in a nasty spat.
05:24They got in a nasty fight, and it's just irritating you.
05:27And I'm like, do they think about that in the first quarter
05:30or the second quarter?
05:31And then it's like, ugh, I have to go home
05:34and settle this argument now over who didn't load the dishwasher.
05:38Yeah, or do you then focus your energy like Tom Brady?
05:42Do you play better when your marriage is falling apart?
05:46No, I think it's natural to wonder if it'll have an impact.
05:50And not in any sort of a...
05:52Jeez, I hope that guy's got his head right.
05:54Not in that sort of way at all.
05:55Literally just in the same way of when a family member dies
06:00or anything else, out of just almost like a concern of like,
06:04that's a really difficult thing.
06:05It's probably hard to just focus on your work.
06:08And the other part of me says, that may be a nice escape.
06:11Focus on the work.
06:12You don't have to focus or worry about any of these things.
06:16I would expect that when we see Dak in front of the media this offseason,
06:21I would expect he's going to say something about it.
06:24Like, I'm guessing it'll come up and he'll answer it.
06:27And I think he's going to be locked in.
06:30He's had a lot of things happen in his life.
06:32Yeah.
06:33Since he's been the Cowboys quarterback.
06:35And I can't recall us thinking he was distracted by them.
06:38Like, we know he's dealt with them.
06:40We've talked about them.
06:41But I don't remember a time where we've thought like, man,
06:43he just doesn't look right or focused.
06:45There are times he doesn't play well.
06:47But I don't remember a time where anybody's felt like he's been distracted.
06:49So I'm not...
06:50I'm concerned about it in the way that I would normally be concerned about any player
06:54going through something like that.
06:55Or Vrabel.
06:56Yeah.
06:56You don't think we'll get to them more at 8.
06:58You don't think Vrabel's going to coach in 2027.
07:01And RJ said his guaranteed betting lock of the year,
07:05the Generate Special, was the under on the Patriots wins because of Rossini.
07:10Yeah.
07:11I mean, that's one of those things where I do think it can impact you.
07:14And you've got to wonder.
07:15I need to see it.
07:16But we have seen from Dak pretty consistently.
07:17He seems to be able to compartmentalize and focus.
07:21And I mean, somebody just pointed out on the fan text.
07:23817.
07:23Look at Luka.
07:25Luka had everything happen.
07:26And then he went on a tear.
07:27Yeah.
07:28He started playing his best basketball.
07:29And so some guys need it for the escape or the focus or whatever else it may be.
07:34All right.
07:35Cowboys mail back here.
07:37Dr. Mark.
07:38Dr. Mark Klee sending in, which I saw he commented on your post the other day
07:42where he had said, love you guys.
07:45You guys have gotten me through some dark times before.
07:46Dr. Mark has always been one of our best, most loyal Tolos all the way from Austin.
07:51And has actually, we found out at one point, treated my daughter at an urgent care once
07:56years before I was ever on the station.
07:58What?
07:59Yeah.
07:59So he's a pediatrician.
08:00He's a great dude.
08:01So Dr. Mark is saying, what are the realistic expectations for Caleb Downs next season?
08:05Like, how good will he be compared to league average?
08:07What are your realistic expectations for his career?
08:09So I think, and when this has been, I want to prepare people.
08:15I don't want to like, like, like tamp down expectations.
08:18I think Caleb Downs is going to be as good as you think he's going to be.
08:22I think the thing we need to discuss or prepare for is, I don't think being as good as you
08:30think he's going to be is going to also equal up to stats that show he's that good.
08:35Not going to be Ed Reed.
08:36No.
08:36Like, he's not going to have 10 interceptions.
08:39He's not going to score three touchdowns.
08:41It's not going to be like, oh my gosh, look at Caleb Downs.
08:45How many times did he blow up a quarterback?
08:47And then look at this huge game change interception.
08:50I would guess his first year stats look something like a hundred tackles, two interceptions, six
08:58pass breakups at a sack or something like his, his numbers could very well look like that.
09:03And that sounds maybe a little disappointing.
09:06What he is and what he's going to be asked to do is going to be such a stronger impact
09:12on the unit as a whole and in just stabilizing things.
09:15That's how you're going to notice him is that he's going to stabilize it.
09:18But it's, it's, it's the conversation of years ago.
09:22This is, I think seven years ago or something like that.
09:26Darren Woodson was at a party and for around the Superbowl time and Mike Zimmer was there.
09:32And I had heard this story relayed.
09:34Mike Zimmer called him over and he was like, Woody, I got to apologize to you.
09:39He's like, why?
09:40He said, you were too good.
09:43He said, you were too good.
09:44And we weren't good enough when I had you.
09:47And he's like, and I needed you to do a lot of things.
09:50And I made you play linebacker and I made you play nickel and I made you play safety.
09:53And I needed you to do all these things for me.
09:55And he's like, you weren't able to just sit at a position and collect stats.
09:59He's like, and I think, I think that probably hurt your hall of fame chances.
10:02I feel like, and basically apologize, like saying like, I feel some responsibility that
10:05like, if I, you were so good that if I wouldn't, if, if we could have just had you play
10:09one
10:10spot, if you were just so versatile and so good, you probably could have collected the
10:13numbers that other guys did.
10:14And then it wouldn't have even been a question.
10:16And Woody of course was like, dude, no, like that was my job.
10:20And that's what made him great.
10:21That's what makes him a hall of famer, but it kind of works counter.
10:24I think it's the same thing with Caleb Downs.
10:26Caleb Downs is going to be such a great player.
10:28They're going to ask him to do so much that it's not going to just look like stat collecting.
10:32It's going to be about where are we like completely unstable?
10:36Where do we have instability?
10:38Caleb, you fix that.
10:39And then we'll worry about everybody else doing things to, to like make a difference.
10:43And so I think he's going to make a big difference.
10:46I think right away, he is going to play at a pro bowl level.
10:48I just don't know if it's going to look that way statistically.
10:50Is that generally where you've been at expecting for him?
10:53Like you don't, you're not thinking, man, we're gonna have like easy defensive player
10:57to your gaudy statistics.
10:58I mean, my first thing with Caleb Downs is he's going to be out there organizing people.
11:05Like I'm, I'm hoping for my, my number one thing is not the ball hawking interceptions or blowing people up.
11:14When they're carrying the football, it is being a quarterback of the defense and being an instant leader out there
11:21with his brain.
11:22Number two, I am, my, my number one anticipatory highlight is Caleb Downs sniffing out run plays screens.
11:33Just thing when they, things when they show the overhead shot, when they're like, look at the beat that he
11:37had on this play.
11:38Look at the anticipation.
11:39He knew it was coming and boom, he's there to blow it up.
11:43Um, and then I'm, I'm curious slash worried about him as a slot corner.
11:51I want to see, I'm worried, I'm worried a little bit and choppy's going to be bragging and letting you
11:57have it nonstop.
11:58If he's here, he gets, if he gets torched a few times or for that 60 or 70 yarder when
12:05he was basically, you know, singled up or playing man, quote unquote,
12:11and Christian Parker's defense against some of the best slot guys in the league.
12:14Not going to happen.
12:15Okay.
12:16Not going to happen.
12:16You, you, you, you, you guys can take solace in that.
12:19I, I think that there's, I remember Ted Wynn from the athletic had a, a play that he had shared,
12:26uh, a couple of weeks ago on Twitter,
12:27a couple of weeks before the draft.
12:29And it's this play of sunny styles, like blowing something up.
12:32And you see this play and Ted Wynn goes, this is just fantastic stuff from Caleb Downs.
12:40And like people who watch it on the surface are like, what are you talking about?
12:43Like he just blew this up and he broke down.
12:44Like, you got to see what Caleb Downs does here.
12:47The reactionary athleticism he has to get in position and take this away to where the quarterback had to move
12:52to this side and to do something,
12:54made an easy cleanup play for sunny styles.
12:57But on the stat sheet, on the stat sheet, it looks like, wow, sunny styles really wrecked that play.
13:02When in reality, in the film room, they're saying Caleb Downs wrecked that play.
13:05And that's something where I think you're going to see a lot of the impact.
13:07Uh, all right, Cowboys mail back here.
13:09Next question from Max on Twitter.
13:12Jonathan Bullard, why isn't he getting talked about much?
13:15Uh, so Jonathan Bullard was obviously one of their later signings that they had along the defensive line.
13:21I would expect that early on, he's probably going to start.
13:24He'll start next to Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark.
13:26Um, a late addition for them and a, a long-term veteran that's been around the NFL now,
13:32I think for like nine years.
13:36Um, but I think realistically, the reason why you're not hearing anything big about Jonathan Bullard is a,
13:42what does he play?
13:43Which is, he's going to play an edge setting, like eat up blockers, just do your job type of responsibility.
13:51And the gap and a half stuff that Christian Parker talked about with us in, in Indianapolis,
13:56it's not going to be very flashy.
13:57So I think a lot of people just, it's going to be easy for Jonathan Bullard not to be thought
14:02of alongside Kenny Clark or,
14:03you know, Quinnen Williams or some of the other guys that they have there.
14:06Um, but also just kind of late in the off season, the addition, it flew under the radar.
14:10I think a lot of people probably forget that he was even signed.
14:13Um, but he's, he's definitely somebody who I think fans should be excited about in the sense that before he
14:22signed,
14:22that was a massive, just black hole after they traded Osa of like, who's playing there.
14:29You don't have somebody to even step in and just give you stable play.
14:31He is Jonathan Bullard is like a model of stable average to a little above average consistency in a job
14:40that isn't going to like make a lot of waves to begin with.
14:44And so to be able to get that and just say, Hey, I know that's going to be consistent and
14:49I know what I'm getting out of that position.
14:51That's something that I think fans should be excited about in terms of excited, excited.
14:56Yeah.
14:56I think excited because what was, what was so damaging about last season guys who just didn't do their jobs.
15:01And we're completely fooled or negligent or confused and blew things up.
15:08Bullard is like, he had a 59 PFF, but it may be a, which 60 position, 60 is average.
15:14Yeah.
15:15And I'm like, I mean, he's, he's going to be just an average guy who he's not going to rack
15:19up a bunch of stats.
15:20He's not going to also be just somebody that you're going to see blown out of the running game a
15:24lot.
15:25He's just going to be stable, consistent.
15:27Other guys doing their jobs around them.
15:28It just creates stability and stability is honestly a big part of what they need right now.
15:34Um, all right.
15:35Next question here.
15:36Got time for one more, one more, one more.
15:37All right.
15:38This is from a Titanic gambler.
15:40What are the things that make you most optimistic about the 26 Cowboys?
15:44What is the things that were you the most?
15:46Uh, before I get to that, you got anything right off the top of your head that you're excited about
15:49or worried about still Christian and, uh, Christian and Caleb.
15:54That's it.
15:55Can those both be the same answer?
15:58Cause I think that might be the answer for me.
16:00Yeah.
16:01Christian Parker is what I'm most excited about.
16:03Christian Parker is what I'm most worried about.
16:04Like, I mean, I think he's going to be really good.
16:07I don't know.
16:08And I think it's like said earlier, it's really difficult to anticipate that this defense will be any worse than
16:14it was last year.
16:14It can only get better.
16:15And so from that perspective, it shouldn't be too terribly concerning.
16:20But there's such high expectations for what he's building and the vision that he has that if that were to
16:29come out during the regular season and he just struggles a ton to adjust to stuff.
16:35And the growing pains are more intense than you initially expect that I think is going to be very depleting
16:42to a lot of morale and make it feel like, oh, okay.
16:46This wasn't just took you a couple of weeks to get your legs under you.
16:48This is a whole season where you had to figure out how to call a defense.
16:52That would be pretty demoralizing, I think, for them.
16:57So, yeah, I think that Christian Parker, Caleb Downs, both of those guys are massive encouragements for what they want
17:04to do.
17:05And at the same time, both of them having not done it before.
17:08Especially when you're starting off, by the way, against the Giants and the Commanders.
17:12Now, again, I think we may be guilty of sleeping on Washington and Jaden Daniels a little bit too much.
17:19You've got all this New York excitement with the new coach and the frat bros.
17:27But you'd like to see a pretty quick start against two teams that everyone is going to have you better
17:33than in the NFC East.
17:35And then you're going to get C.J. Stroud.
17:37Don't have C.J. Stroud light you up.
17:39Don't have him figure it back out again with you.
17:42And I think that's the thing is that there is a ton to be excited about with them.
17:47And then also at the same time, because they've never done it before.
17:50Parker's never called a defense.
17:52Downs is a rookie.
17:53And you're talking about those are the two biggest reasons you think things are going to be better this year
17:56for people you've never seen do it.
17:58That's a lot.
17:59And you can even feel confident that it's going to go the right way.
18:03It's a little terrifying to lean on your greatest reasons for optimism are things you've never seen before.
18:10And I think that it's going to work out for them.
18:12But yeah, I think both of those are, they can be equally exciting and concerning.
18:16And that's what I think both of those are.
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