- 5 minutes ago
Nick Harris joined Shan, RJ and Bobby ahead of the Cowboys' Thursday night matchup against the Bucs. Harris discussed Dak Prescott, pass rush concerns, Joey Porter Jr.’s debut, Tyler Smith’s status, and more.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00This is Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on DFW Sports Station, your home of the Rangers, Mavericks, and Cowboys.
00:07Nick, how tired is this football team and head coach?
00:11Yeah, that's a good question. Brian Schottenheimer was asked yesterday about it, and he said,
00:15yeah, we're tired right now, but the light is at the end of the tunnel, talking about this weekend.
00:20So they've just got to get through these next 48 hours.
00:22Is this the best you've seen Dak Prescott play?
00:26Oh, yeah, I would probably say so. I don't know.
00:29I think back to that 2023 year, and that was just, he was so consistent, and we saw this level
00:33of play during that stretch.
00:36And then I think back to 2020 right before he got hurt that year as well.
00:40But I think if we're talking about certain throws that he's making right now, the command that he has of
00:45the guys around him,
00:46I mean, it's pretty impressive.
00:48That one throw to the opposite hash on the right sideline to CeeDee Lamb,
00:53I've gone back and watched that probably 10 times over the last few days.
00:56I mean, it's just a heck of a throw, and it shows, you know, the veteran presence that he has
01:01in this offense right now.
01:02Is Gotti a reality?
01:06Well, I will say there are two stats that I think can point to it,
01:11the one being that since 2000 they are fifth in points per drive of every offense that has played since
01:20then.
01:20And then despite being dead last in possessions right now, they are first in points per possession.
01:28That's crazy.
01:29Yeah, that is wild.
01:31And so, you know, I'd point to those two stats.
01:33They need a little bit of help from their defense.
01:36You know, it's wild.
01:37Last night I was just kind of going through some other games from Sunday just to,
01:41it's kind of like a routine I have to kind of look at, you know, a pulse around the league.
01:45The Chicago Bears ran 89 plays on Sunday against the New York Jets.
01:51The Jets ran 32.
01:53The time of possession split was 47-45, or excuse me, 42-45 to 17-15.
02:00And I'm looking at it, and I'm like, man, the Cowboys defense would never allow the Cowboys offense to have
02:05a day like that.
02:06So they need the Cowboys defense to help out a little bit.
02:09That's why the Jets tweeted out, hey, four straight runs.
02:11Four straight runs for 26 yards.
02:13And without a score, right?
02:15You know, a drive they punted on.
02:16So that's pretty remarkable that an NFL team would do that.
02:21That's pathetic.
02:22All right, you said the defense needs to get closer.
02:24What to you right now, when we look at the various levels of the defense, the various aspects of the
02:28defense,
02:28what's the thing you look at right now and go, all right, that's the closest to getting where it's supposed
02:32to be right now.
02:33Now we need these other things to come along.
02:36You know, I do like the play from Jayshon Barham.
02:39And if they can get consistency in the middle, whether that's the return of DeMarvin Overshawn, whenever that happens,
02:45or if it's the winners turning the corner, if they can find some consistency there in the middle,
02:50I think they can kind of branch out around that.
02:52You know, I've talked about the opportunity for this defensive line over the course of this last week ad nauseum.
02:57You know, these next three opponents, all three are top ten in sacks allowed.
03:01Tampa Bay is number one in the NFL in sacks allowed.
03:04And then two of the next three are bottom ten in rushing yards per game.
03:07And so there's an opportunity for this defensive line to really step forward and, you know, find some production.
03:14And they had two sacks against Houston.
03:15One of them was, you know, kind of a coverage sack.
03:18Or Sean Gary just pushed C.J. Stroud out of bounds.
03:20You know, you can definitely classify the Quinnen Williams sack as one.
03:23But, you know, you would like to see more against this offensive line, against this quarterback on Thursday night,
03:29especially given how many times they've given up this season.
03:32Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star Telegram here on 105.3 The Fan.
03:36I thought Shadi got a little bit perturbed with our boy Todd Archer yesterday being asked about the pass rush
03:41again.
03:41And then I got even more perturbed when he goes, we've got to cover better.
03:45All right, we've got to cover better.
03:46And that's my first answer for the pass rush.
03:49Do you agree with that?
03:51And do you believe the pass rushing answers are on the roster?
03:55Yeah, I think it goes hand in hand.
03:58The time to throw numbers aren't absolutely egregious like they were last year.
04:02You know, the ball was coming out quick last year.
04:04At least the ball is, you know, it's right around league average as far as how it's coming out of
04:09opposing quarterbacks' hands right now.
04:11I think they've been dealt an interesting hand here early in the season because of how many mobile quarterbacks they
04:16faced.
04:16And I don't know if you can point to that and be like, ah, that's the reason that they're not
04:20bringing quarterbacks down.
04:21I think that that would probably be a lame excuse.
04:24But I think there's probably truth on both hands where the pass rush or the guys up front, you know,
04:30are not winning at a consistent rate.
04:31And then on the back end, the coverage, I mean, they've dealt with a lot of injuries.
04:35And, you know, Deron Bland wasn't playing to his standard on Sunday in Houston.
04:39You know, they need to give this pass rush a little more time to get home.
04:42So, yeah, I think both things can go together.
04:45And what was the second part of your question, Sean?
04:48That's a very good question to follow up.
04:50Is the pass rush, I'm thinking about it, I got it.
04:53Are the pass rush answers on the roster, D-line-wise?
04:59I want to see what Donovan Azaraku can do once he builds confidence.
05:04And once that happens, I think that can be a trickle-down effect for the whole group.
05:08And Quentin Williams and Kenny Clark, they have stacked a couple of games together now.
05:12Now, I'm going to lean toward yes, but I'm not sitting here saying that I think it's going to be
05:17a top-ten unit or anything.
05:18I think they can just get to league average.
05:20And I think that's probably what you're trying to get out of the entire defense right now.
05:25Now, you think they can get to league average in overall?
05:30I think they have the guys to do it once they get healthy.
05:33I do.
05:34But they need Jalen Thompson when he comes back.
05:40They need him to live up to what his free agency price has been.
05:43Rashawn Gary, they need him to live up to that fourth-round pick billing that they spent on him in
05:48the offseason.
05:49A couple of guys are really critical toward that theory working out.
05:52But, you know, I do think it's possible at the end of the day.
05:56Nick, if those answers aren't on this roster and they do decide they are going to go get somebody to
06:02help to pass Rush,
06:03should we take that as them thinking they legitimately are a contender, that they believe they're that close?
06:11I would say them going out and getting Joey Porter kind of showed that.
06:14You know, and Jerry has had similar comments on y'all's airwaves.
06:18And I don't think they would have spent the draft capital to go get Joey Porter if they didn't feel
06:24like that.
06:25And they spoke all offseason about how this offense is unique and that they want to maximize the potential of
06:33that.
06:33And, you know, you look at these last two games, the offense has been pretty solid.
06:36And the defense has given up more than 30 points in both of these opportunities.
06:40And so it's funny when you look at the charts of offensive EPA and then defensive EPA allowed.
06:46And the Cowboys are often a stratosphere by themselves when it comes to being high in both of those categories.
06:53And so I think they want to maximize what this offense looks like.
06:56And they feel like if they can just get this defense back into, like, the top 20, that they have
07:02a contender.
07:02What did you think of Porter's debut?
07:05Yeah, pretty strong.
07:06And it's funny because it looked like he was mainly just playing off instincts.
07:09He was learning the system for about 48 hours.
07:12And, yeah, 25 coverage snaps, just one target, no receptions allowed.
07:16He credited Malik Hooker and Caleb Downs after the game for, you know, allowing him to, you know, bounce some
07:21things off their head,
07:22whether it literally be right before a play on the field or on the sideline.
07:26And so, you know, I think that kind of preaches toward the communication factor that they've been trying to improve.
07:31We haven't really seen any massive communication breakdowns since the Washington game.
07:36And none of them have really hurt them since the New York game.
07:38And so I think that's a bright thing.
07:41And, you know, we'll see what Joey Porter looks like this week after having a full week to digest the
07:45system.
07:46Is the price of George Pickens remaining the same or coming down a little bit?
07:52I think it's remaining the same right now.
07:55You know, it's interesting to see how Houston played these two receivers because they were taking away the slant by
08:04having the safety, you know, drop down after the snap.
08:08So they did not want George Pickens to have the opportunity to get those intermediate routes that, you know, he
08:14was so good at last year.
08:15And the pass rush was getting home quick in the first half enough to where they couldn't really get George
08:21Pickens going on the go ball either.
08:22And in the second half, they were able to find a little bit more protection.
08:26What do we see?
08:27We see that 54-yard go ball where he goes one-on-one and just brings it in, a fantastic
08:32catch.
08:33And they continue to double him, and they're like, okay, all right, we're going to let CeeDee Lamb beat us.
08:37And then CeeDee Lamb beat them.
08:39So I'm fascinated to see how teams continue to play these two guys.
08:43And, you know, if a team decides to double George Pickens and CeeDee goes off like he did against Houston,
08:49does it change mid-game?
08:50And then they try to flip sides with doubling CeeDee and leaving George open.
08:54George is going to have his opportunities for one-on-one coverage.
08:56As CeeDee had his game in Houston, there's going to be a defense that approaches that with Pickens.
09:01And I think we'll see some good production from him as well.
09:04But, no, four games in, I think you're at least seeing the impact of George Pickens being on your field.
09:08Nick Harris from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram joining us here on 105.3 The Fan.
09:13Nick, what are you putting the odds at, or maybe just a more likely than not at this point,
09:18in your opinion, that Tyler Smith does play this week against Tampa?
09:22I think it's going to be truly a decision that's made at the last moment today.
09:28They're going to have to make that roster move if they want to today.
09:32But yesterday he got on the practice field, looked to be all right.
09:36Again, they didn't run a whole lot.
09:37They only ran eight plays at full speed yesterday.
09:40They're trying to keep everybody's bodies pretty fresh.
09:42But also, they feel pretty good in T.J. Bass.
09:45They're like, look, if it's close and it's kind of a back and forth,
09:48we're going to lean toward T.J. Bass because he's been the guy and he's been reliable.
09:51And we'll get 10 days for Tyler Smith before the Packers game.
09:55And so, yeah, I think it's going to be right up until the final minute today.
09:58Do you think he changes anything, like the presence of Tyler?
10:01Does he change anything in terms of design or just in terms of the execution?
10:04Like, are they just executing on offense better?
10:06Or do you think they've run things perhaps a little differently
10:09because they knew they didn't have Tyler Smith in there?
10:11No, I think there are a couple of design things that you could look at.
10:15You know, Clayton Adams has been – he's been lauded around the league
10:19for a certain run design called the G play,
10:22where it's basically where the guard kicks outside of the tackle
10:25on like an outside zone type of look and lead blocks downfield.
10:29And we haven't really seen that with T.J. Bass.
10:33And so that's something I would be looking at with Tyler Smith
10:35is maybe that G play that comes back into the offense
10:38and then you see Javante Williams or Tyler Goodson run behind it.
10:42And then, yeah, execution for sure.
10:43I mean, T.J. Bass has been fine as a run blocker.
10:46You've seen a little bit more as a pass blocker,
10:49even though he is leading this team in pressures allowed right now.
10:52But he has held up.
10:53He's been fine.
10:54And I think everybody would agree,
10:55but Tyler Smith is an all-pro left guard.
10:57And adding him back into the mix is going to be huge.
11:01Do teams not look at the, well, we could beat this team without him.
11:04Why bother?
11:05You know, give them an extra week to heal.
11:08Do they not look at it like that?
11:10Yeah, I wonder about that.
11:12You know, I kind of asked a similar question.
11:16It's a little bit different where you're going, Chop.
11:18Yesterday to Shadi and being like,
11:20hey, you're going up against an undrafted rookie quarterback.
11:22Like, how do you guard yourself from being like,
11:25all right, we got this guy, no problem.
11:26And you look at it as like an NFL quarterback.
11:28And Brian Schottenheimer, I think, in this team,
11:31and really teams around the league,
11:33they do a good job of understanding, like, hey,
11:34this is still an NFL team and, you know,
11:37there's really talented players.
11:38And, hey, this front for Tampa Bay is still pretty solid.
11:41So, you know, you've got Vita Vea.
11:43Reuben Bain hasn't quite lived up to his hype early on,
11:45but Yaya Diaby, I mean,
11:47they have some guys up front that have produced.
11:49And so, you know, if Tyler Smith's healthy,
11:51absolutely throw him in there.
11:53Nick, Sean's been asking this question today.
11:56Who do you think lasts longer here,
11:58Nick Sorensen or Ryan Feeder?
12:02Oh, that's an interesting one.
12:06I would go with Feeder at the moment.
12:11Just at the moment, though?
12:12That doesn't sound so confident.
12:15Yeah.
12:16You're asking me about two guys that definitely have some scrutiny around them right now.
12:21You know, it's fascinating because they went for it on that fourth down in the second half.
12:27And when I was sitting there looking at it in the press box
12:31and thought initially that they did not get it,
12:34I was like, ah, I think we're going to have to start making some
12:37or having some conversations about, you know,
12:39Ryan Feeder and at least the game management process.
12:42The Ferg one?
12:43You've seen some...
12:45Say that again?
12:45The Ferg one on fourth?
12:48No, no, no, no.
12:49In the third quarter, it was 23-13.
12:51They were right on the goal line.
12:52If they just hit the field goal, then it's a one-possession ball game.
12:55Okay.
12:55And then they go for it on fourth and goal from the three, don't get it,
12:58and then they get the penalty against Pickens in the end zone.
13:03So it worked out.
13:03They scored a touchdown.
13:04But I was like, oh, we might need to have some game management conversations,
13:07like some real ones.
13:08But they get bailed out by the penalty.
13:11They punch it in touchdown.
13:11No one's talking about that.
13:14But there were some special teams decisions made in the game, too.
13:16So I think those are two jobs that we are certainly looking at as time moves forward,
13:20or at least two topics we're looking at moving forward.
13:23Oh, you didn't like going for it there on that fourth and three?
13:26I did not.
13:27Not, no.
13:27I mean, they had shown over the course of the last couple weeks that inside the five
13:31has been tough for them.
13:32If they just settle for three, then they're at least making it a one-possession ball game.
13:36If you have an opportunity to make it a one-possession ball game,
13:4095% of the time I lean toward the thinking of, like, just take your points.
13:44And it would have been 23-16.
13:46But, hey, it worked out for them.
13:47They got the penalty, and they end up punching it in.
13:50Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram here every Wednesday at this time
13:53in the Commercial Free Expressway.
13:55Who is Jalen Daniels?
13:58Yeah, undrafted rookie out of Kansas.
14:01And it's funny watching his tape from last week's game.
14:05He is so Big 12-coated.
14:07He's going to try to force some throws into the sidelines.
14:11And if he can't, he's going to take off and run.
14:13He's aggressive.
14:14And he did have a couple of big-time throws last week, I will say.
14:18But he also had a couple of picks that are both of them are like,
14:21yeah, you played in Manhattan, or you played in Lawrence, Kansas.
14:23And so, yeah, I think if they can just keep him in the pocket,
14:28then they should be able to contain what this offense looks like.
14:31But he did have 55 rushing yards last week,
14:33and this defense has given up the most rushing yards to quarterbacks through four weeks.
14:37And so that is the one thing I look at and be like, ooh, that could be a problem.
14:41So if I'm the Tampa Bay offensive game-planning room,
14:46I'm trying to get Jalen Daniels active in the read option.
14:48I'm trying to get him active outside the pocket
14:50just to see what type of room they can find on the outside.
14:53But, yeah, I think it's definitely an acceptable challenge for this defense.
14:58What worries you about the Bucs and their ability?
15:01I mean, it's obviously a team that's struggled right now
15:03and doesn't look like a team that is going to threaten very much,
15:06Dallas being almost a 10-point favorite.
15:08But what do you look at about Tampa and say, well, that concerns me,
15:10other than maybe just the mobility of Daniels?
15:13Yeah, they still do have pass catchers that could make life easier for Jalen Daniels.
15:20You know, and specifically I look at guys like Emeka Abuka, even K-Dotten.
15:23Chris Godwin is still starting to find his stride post-injury.
15:26But those guys can make things easier for him in the quick game.
15:29And if the Cowboys let them get going in the quick game
15:32and then that compounds into Jalen Daniels finding room with his legs,
15:37then, you know, we could be looking up at halftime in this game
15:40and being like, it doesn't even feel like an undrafted rookie quarterback is playing right now.
15:43And so they've got to take away the quick game.
15:45They've got to take away the mobility of the quarterback.
15:47If they're able to do that, then I feel like they should be able to win this one.
15:51Is it a beatdown?
15:54Would you say 10 points plus?
15:55Is that classified as a beatdown?
15:57I say they win this by double digits.
15:59I think they need to handle business, and I think they do.
16:01Thank you, brother.
16:02We appreciate it.
16:03I appreciate it.