00:00Let's bring in Nicky, mandalascowboys.com.
00:02I'm just going to read the beginning of his column.
00:05The game was more than two hours old, and I had yet to write a single word.
00:10I've done this too long to have writers block or be speechless,
00:14but this one was a little tougher to construct because it's not just one thing.
00:18It's more like 100, maybe not 100, but it's probably a lot closer to that
00:22than just pinpointing one area that has to improve.
00:25The Cowboys got beat down in every aspect.
00:29Where to start with this blame game?
00:32Good morning, Nick.
00:33Where are you starting?
00:34Well, first of all, I'm making sure I edit even better
00:38because now it's going to get red on the air.
00:41Boy, I'd hate to have a typo.
00:44And, you know, it's tough because it's one of those things where you expect the defense.
00:51It's the defense.
00:52Okay, I'm not – it's the defense.
00:55It always is the defense.
00:57The defense, I mean, 40 minutes of time of possession.
01:01Are you kidding me?
01:02So it is the defense, but the offense did not – you know,
01:07when they had their opportunities and the turnovers and all that,
01:10like it was them too and then, of course, special teams.
01:13And so, you know, I think as I said at the very end,
01:16this isn't the kind of balance that you're looking for when all three of them
01:20have huge moments in the game that really, you know, led to the loss.
01:25What are you questioning big picture-wise, if anything,
01:29about Brian Schottenheimer and Christian Parker?
01:33Yeah, I mean, I think – well, I think with anything like this,
01:38you have to question just – and not just with them,
01:43but just is it good enough when you don't have the sample size?
01:46And everybody gets that question.
01:49It's not even – it's also Dak too when you're talking about where you want them
01:54to go and, you know, places they haven't gone.
01:56So you haven't seen Schottenheimer lead this team into a winning record
02:00in a playoff.
02:01Christian Parker's never called defenses before.
02:03Dak and then, you know, Dak's been really good, you know,
02:07throughout his career, but he hasn't taken them to this level.
02:10So everybody out there that's in this leadership position hasn't gone to the area
02:16that you want them to go.
02:17So you're always going to question that of like, well, is this good enough?
02:22You know, are they ever going to be that person, that coach, whatever?
02:26So I think that's the question.
02:28It's just, you know, is this the guy, the right guy?
02:32I mean, and I'm not – I don't like sitting here and questioning Shottie
02:36and Christian Parker because they're the coaches.
02:39They're the guys.
02:39Let's figure it out.
02:40You know, it's been, what, five games?
02:43I don't like talking about moving on and all that kind of stuff
02:46because that's not the time for it.
02:48But you just question things that you've never seen,
02:50and you're like, man, you hope that that guy can get him there.
02:54Nicky, even DallasCowboys.com, brought to you by the Windstar World Casino
02:57and Resort.
02:59How was it in the locker room afterwards, and were you with Jerry
03:03or the limo driver?
03:06I wasn't in the – with the limo driver.
03:10I heard about it later, and I don't even know what to think about that.
03:15Yeah, that's just crazy to me.
03:17But, you know, he'll – I don't know.
03:22He'll drive for somebody at some point.
03:25I mean, like, it's one of those things.
03:27He probably won't be down there again, but I don't know.
03:31But then again, I don't know who it was and all that stuff.
03:34I wasn't there for that.
03:35I was there for some of Jerry.
03:36I was there in the locker room, and it's just – you know,
03:39it's just a gut punch.
03:40It's just disappointing.
03:42And it was – you know, nobody wants to hear it, but they just seemed tired.
03:49Yeah.
03:49They did.
03:49They played tired.
03:50They seemed exhausted.
03:51Yeah.
03:52And I was afraid to say that because, Sean, I haven't listened this morning,
03:56but I had this feeling that you're like, I don't want to hear any of that stuff
03:59about the NFL schedule and all that stuff.
04:02I could be wrong.
04:03No, you're right.
04:04I'm getting my blood pressure checked here momentarily.
04:07Yeah.
04:07And I know you don't – and that's fair.
04:10Like, that's fair.
04:11Like, this isn't about excuses.
04:13But –
04:14Yeah.
04:14I'll say it.
04:14I thought they looked tired.
04:16I mean, what I said is what's even more frustrating is the Cowboys defense
04:21sucks so badly that I have to sit here and weigh – like, if they were good,
04:26I'd be like, they're obviously tired and worn out.
04:28Bobby said Tampa has traveled more recently.
04:30But, like, I don't know which – I'm not trying to be, like,
04:33no-excuse, hardcore guy.
04:34They were tired, but they're also terrible.
04:37Right.
04:38Right.
04:38It's like that crazy guy you try to give a concussion test to.
04:41You're like, well, I don't know.
04:42I don't know what it would ever be.
04:44I don't know what normal is.
04:45I don't know.
04:46Like, you're right about that with the defense.
04:48But, you know, when the schedule came out, we – this will be my stance on it.
04:54We looked at that.
04:56I did.
04:56First thing, like, what stands out of the schedule?
04:58You know, you're assessing it in May and you're like, well, that looks tough.
05:02This whole Rio, then back up, that looks daunting for this team
05:07and come back on a short week.
05:08And so, it turns out it was.
05:10If the Cowboys turn this around and have a pretty good season, which, you know,
05:15that's going to be tough to do at this point.
05:18But if the Bucs are who they are and their record is very good,
05:21you can look back and go, man, that was probably that trip.
05:25But if it ends up just kind of – if it's Cowboys or win, lose, win, lose,
05:29then it is what it is, then I don't know.
05:31You know, I think that that's one of those things to be determined on
05:34if it was – if travel really did affect them.
05:37Can you put this next to any other loss in terms of how embarrassing,
05:43how bad it was?
05:44Is there another one we were trying to figure out over our 15 years
05:47what gets put up here with however you want to qualify
05:51with a backup undrafted quarterback?
05:55Yeah, I remember – it kind of feels like, wasn't it a few years ago,
06:00the Saints?
06:01I mean, the –
06:02Oh, yeah, week two.
06:04You know, I don't remember who their quarterback was.
06:06They just handled them.
06:07And the thing is, guys, it's like –
06:12Agreed.
06:14Those numbers are my headphones.
06:15My headphones blew up.
06:16There he's back.
06:16He popped back in.
06:17Go ahead, Nick.
06:18Sorry.
06:19I'm just saying, Tampa didn't play its best game.
06:22They had 14 penalties.
06:24Yep.
06:26So – and what's Kyle doing?
06:31I don't know.
06:32You have to go for it.
06:33You can't go for the fourth down there.
06:35You know, you have to kick the field goal.
06:38So –
06:38Nick –
06:39You guys lose me for a second.
06:41Yeah.
06:41No, no, no.
06:42Yeah.
06:42It's the same spot on the same road every single day that just loses.
06:47What's the lesson?
06:50Well, yeah, it's hang up and then call back.
06:53I don't know.
06:53Are you in a different area?
06:56Take it over for 15 minutes.
06:58I'll take that spot.
06:59Nick –
07:00One spot.
07:01Sorry.
07:01What was up with Dak Prescott last night?
07:04Because, I mean, was it just Todd Bowles had him rattled?
07:07Does he look banged up to you?
07:09Did it look like – he's just worn out like – that did not look like the Dak Prescott
07:13we're used to.
07:14It didn't.
07:15It didn't at all.
07:16And, you know, he was kind of a little defiant in the press conference, too.
07:20He asked about, you know, what was some of the throws.
07:23And he said it wasn't – you know, he said it was just decision-making.
07:27But he – but you're right.
07:29He looked rattled.
07:30So, if it is decision-making, if it was the fact that the blitzes and got to him –
07:37I hate to say this, but if the end of the game – if we were here, you know,
07:42yesterday talking about we're going to talk about a quarterback that got blitzed
07:46all night and just couldn't – it wasn't as accurate as he could be
07:51and threw some picks and another quarterback that managed the game perfectly,
07:55I think you would kind of flip the script, right?
07:58I mean, so I'm not saying Dak looked like a rookie, but I don't know Jalen Daniels
08:03played a better game and the Cowboys didn't – I hated the way that they attacked
08:08or didn't attack him.
08:10And it was very evident on that drive where it's third and 21.
08:14And it was the pressure that got it to third and 21.
08:18And then you just played back and let Abuka go for 21.
08:23And it's like that just makes no sense there.
08:26And I just – I don't think that they handled Jalen Daniels correctly
08:30and Todd Bowles got into – you know, got into Dak and that offense
08:34and had him rattled.
08:36Nick, I asked these guys this.
08:38They were split on it.
08:40If Dak played a normal Dak game, played a really good game, do they win?
08:46Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think they do.
08:49They do win.
08:50Because for all the talk about the defense, they didn't – I mean, they gave up some plays,
08:57but, you know, it was really three big drives because, you know, they gave up 24 points
09:02and one of them was a field goal.
09:05I mean, Turpin with a fumble, you know.
09:07And so I think, yeah, if Dak plays normal game and the way this offense is humming,
09:13and I think that, you know, they usually get over 28, 30 points.
09:17So I would say, yeah, probably.
09:19How is – how has Christian Parker's defense remained this bad every week?
09:28How?
09:29How is it possible from last year?
09:34Um, okay.
09:36That's a great question.
09:37And, you know, I was talking – I'm up at the press box with Derek Eagleton every, you know,
09:45every game for like 30 years almost.
09:47And he had a great point.
09:49And I don't know if it was his, but, I mean, I'm going to call him out on it.
09:52He was basically talking about the fact that this is last year's defense.
09:57I mean, it is.
09:58Like, everything that you wanted to be – I mean, Christian, even Caleb Downs isn't playing
10:05where you wanted him to be.
10:06And then, you know, Rashawn Gary is kind of like the new piece.
10:10But all of these new pieces that you brought in, they weren't even – they're not there.
10:15Like, you're like, we've got to fix the safety position.
10:18You've got to fix the cornerback position.
10:20They brought in two safeties and they brought in two corners.
10:23And neither one of them was on the field.
10:25None of those four guys were on the field.
10:27And so, when you – and then, you know, an overshone is supposed to come back with winners.
10:31But then winners is here, but there's no overshone.
10:34And then so, other than Caleb Downs playing like in Mansfield, you know, back there, nobody –
10:40and then Rashawn Gary isn't any different from last year's defense, you know, personnel-wise.
10:46But then – so, you hope that the scheme would be better and all that.
10:49And it just hasn't.
10:50They just can't stop the run.
10:51And, I mean, David Montgomery from Houston's got to be wondering, like, well, maybe it's him.
10:58Everybody else can run it.
11:00Nicky, Mandalscowboys.com here on Sean and RJ.
11:03How are the injuries looking for Lamb and Guyton?
11:08Again, the last that I heard – can you hear me?
11:12Yeah, that's Jerry Yeezy.
11:13Again, again.
11:14Again.
11:15Sorry.
11:16I wish we were comparable in other areas.
11:20But, you know, I think he's going to be – I think both of those guys are going to be
11:25fine.
11:27I think there was an MRI already for – or at least an x-ray on Guyton.
11:32And I don't believe they were too concerned there.
11:35I kind of overheard him talking to somebody like a staffer.
11:38And he goes, yeah, I hope not.
11:40You know, I hope not.
11:41And I think just the way he sounded was not going to be too bad.
11:44And then CD, you know, he did come back for the two-point conversion, which I thought of Choppy.
11:50I was like –
11:51And Alex.
11:52I don't know what you thought.
11:54I don't know.
11:55But I'm like – I personally hate this.
11:58I hate that call.
11:59But I'm like, I haven't heard anyone say it was a good idea.
12:03I don't know.
12:04Are you –
12:05Look, I mean, I didn't care for Bowles doing it on the fourth and one.
12:10That was obviously not a two-point.
12:11It wasn't a big enough difference.
12:13The two-point conversion, I mean, I think it's pretty industry standard now.
12:18It's just like the norm.
12:18Like, that's what the numbers say, and everybody's pretty much bought into it.
12:22I get the risk.
12:24I get why people don't like it.
12:26But you do increase your odds of winning by, like, 8%.
12:30So that's a pretty decent advantage.
12:34Yeah, I guess I just look at it like if it goes to overtime, if you can get this thing
12:39back to overtime and it's 24-24, you know, then with the experience and all that, then I think the
12:47Cowboys winning the game is – you know, they have so much now advantage because of the momentum and all
12:53that.
12:53But, so, I just, you know, I'm not trying to win.
12:57I'm not trying to get greedy.
12:58I was just like, let's go tie this thing.
13:00I just couldn't fathom – it would be a completely different narrative here, guys, if they had lost this game
13:0624-22.
13:07We would be talking about a lot more things here.
13:11And that's for me personally.
13:14I would just try to avoid that.
13:16You know what I mean?
13:17I mean, I wouldn't have tried to do that.
13:18Now, I think he kicked the extra point.
13:21Oh, Bland.
13:22They're on Bland if he would have picked that off because I'm one.
13:26And now I'm at a point where every time he gives up a play, everyone's looking at me because I'm
13:31like, I think he's okay.
13:33Like, I'm okay with him.
13:34And so, I would have –
13:36You defend better than he does.
13:37I would have loved to stand up and say, you see, you know, if he would have made that pick.
13:42Because it was so – they're on Bland.
13:44It was – that was the play he's done so many times.
13:47Yep.
13:47So, but, you know, who knows?
13:50I mean, the two-point didn't come back to bite him.
13:53But I just don't believe in the philosophy at all in that situation.
13:57I just think it's tougher to – you know, the percent chance to make those extra points, you're going to
14:03at least get tied.
14:04But, you know, if you're looking at it like, hey, we're exhausted.
14:07We're not going to overtime.
14:09So, we might as well go and try to win this thing because we're not playing overtime.
14:12If that's the rationale, then I guess that – you know, I guess I could understand that.
14:16Great stuff, brother.
14:18Try to enjoy the weekend.
14:19All right, guys.
14:20See you.
