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Transcript
We're looking at the Cowboys.
I guess that your phone number 2.
And I have been, it's impossible to do one of these things without the Cowboys.
It would, it would be irresponsible of us not to do the Cowboys.
I am historically resistant to hype.
I am one of the most cynical people on the face of the earth.
Um, I fell for a Dak Prescott AI photo the other day, by the way, tough, um.
There was a like a like a doctor training camp photo of him that made him look like Bane from the last Batman movie and uh I fell for that.
I thought that was real, um, but, I, I like this team a lot.
Like, I really, I really like this team.
And you talk about, I, I think that, here's something that I haven't heard this offseason yet.
We talked all the time, and you said it on this show, Albert.
If the Bengals can just have a decent defense, that offense is so good.
If the Bengals can just have a decent, The Cowboys' offense was one of the best offenses.
It was better than Cincinnati's when Joe Burrow was healthy.
If the Cowboys can just have a decent defense, that team can go places.
I don't know.
Like, and you add Caleb Downs, you change defensive coordin.
I love Christian Parker.
I thought that was a great hire, and you completely remake the complexion of this defense.
I don't know.
Like, I, I'm, I'm there.
George Pickens is now, he's only 26, and I love the way he played.
Like, can he was, was last year, was, and they did the right thing, by the way, like keeping him on the one-year tender, yes, because you'll find out, because you'll find out whether last year was a wake-up call or whether it was a stretch of good behavior in order to garner a contract extension.
Because Pickens needs to learn to play in a band.
That's been the knock on him all 4 years in Pittsburgh.
And I think if he can, holy smokes, like that team, I mean, they're gonna have a top 10 offensive line.
They have a top 10 offensive coordinator, I think, in Clayton Adams.
I, I, I mean, even the 15th-best defense in the NFL I think might get it done here.
Yeah, and I think like, I mean, to me there are, there are a couple of keys for them, right?
Number one, and I think this is number one with a bullet, is left tackle.
Like they have to get that figured out whether it's gonna be Nate Thomas or Tyler Gideon.
Tyler Geiton, of course, was a first round pick there, and this isn't like, oh, Nate Thomas has turned into this unbelievable prospect.
Like they're, that's where they are with their former first-round left tackle.
So if they can come up with a good answer at left tackle, I think the rest falls into place, and that's a really good offensive line, right?
So that's part of it, um, like you said, Pickens is another variable.
I think running back is a variable, um, and what does that look like with, with Devonte Williams does Jaden Blue look like a guy who can, you know, make a, make a real contribution in year two.
And then like I look defensively, and to me, It's sort of like, it sounds a little tired, but it does come back to like, What are you doing to replace the production that Micah Parsons gave to you over the course of years?
And so, like the key to me there is What are you getting out of Rashaw Gary?
What are you getting out of Donovan Ezaraku in his 2nd year?
I think Overshaw has potential to help them in that area just because he's so versatile and you can do so much with him.
Um, but that ability to kind of replace the edge pressure that those guys can bring, because if you do that now, Quinnin Williams is more effective inside, Kenny Clarke's more effective inside.
Um, and I think some other things start to fall into place.
And so, um, I like the ceiling of the team.
I do.
And I think like you're also like kind of at the point now with Dak Prescott where there should be like a little urgency for him.
I mean, he's going to his 2nd decade.
It's hard to believe as the Cowboys starting quarterback and like he's not 25 years old anymore.
So, um, you know, I think that puts a little pressure on him.
To, to put together the kind of year that's gonna position them not just to get to the playoffs, but to advance when they get there.
But that's a team that's got talent , you know, and again, left tackle, running back, picking, edge rush, like some of those things start to come together in camp, like we could be talking about a team.
That has a chance.
And here's the other thing I think the NFC East is wide open this year.
I think the Eagles are still good, but I don't think the Eagles are like dominant like they were.
Like, I don't think they're gonna be like as the dominant team they were two years ago.
So like if we're talking about like a 10-11 win Eagles team, then I think the door is open for the other three teams to, to, to, to step through.
And, and honestly, like I think all three have.
At least reason to believe that they can be that team.
So it should be interesting in that division.
One of the reasons that I'm less concerned about Dallas's left tackle situation .
And I know it's not a permanent fix, but they have one of the great dirty work players, one of my favorite dirty work players in the NFL in Brevin Spanford, and he's a top 15 pass blocker, run blocker as a tight end, uh, in the league, does a lot of things to help the development and the flow of this offense, doesn't get any of the credit for it.
And you line him up next to the left tackle and you're at least mitigating, I think, some of the damage that could possibly happen.
And what he was on the field for 350 snaps or whatever it was last year.
Maybe the Cowboys do a little bit more 12 personnel with Ferguson and we see how that looks because you can still have, um, Pickens and CD Lamb on the field at the same time when you're doing something like that.
But I, I love, I love him and I think that put, you know, at least he helps kind of band-aid that left tackle situation where again, I think it goes back to the Bengals where I just don't think some of these teams have that essential dirty work player where you're like, OK, well, I'm, I, I'm not as worried about that because I know this guy will come screaming out of the H-back spot and knock somebody's head off.
Um, I, I, Christian Parker, it's going to be such a Big test.
And this is for someone like me who is obsessed with the coaching position in particular.
Christian Parker's been coming up for years now.
I mean, this is 4 or 5 years of everybody saying this guy is brilliant.
And it's true.
And now that he's over that threshold, over that hump.
Is he an elite play caller?
And what happens here is this tends to go two ways.
Either you're calling a defense or you're doing what the greats do, Patrick Graham, Brian Flores.
Um, you know, Matt Burke in Houston, um, uh, uh, you know, Mike McDonald in Seattle and, and, and Adden, uh, Durda, you're, you're creating something that can run without you and can run really effectively with the players on the field.
I think Christian Parker is capable of doing that.
I think he knows that that's the way to do it.
He's been working with Vic Fangio for years.
He's probably the closest thing that we have, Albert, to like a Vic Fangio disciple, which is cool, um.
That's the big question mark this year for Dallas, right?
We know Clayton Adams can play.
We know he can ball out and help Brian Schottenheimer run that offense.
Now it's on the change in defensive coordinator, and we got to see what happens here, right, right, for sure.
I'm excited.
I'm gonna see him next week.
So I like, I think.
Again, like there's I think they're just like a big variable team, you know what I mean?
Like, I think, I think that there's, there's a lot of different ways their season could go.
Oh, I'm disturbed at how all in on the Cowboys I am after just a, like literally a year ago at this time, I wrote that Jerry Jones is a troubled old man and we need to take the keys away from Grandpa, and now here I am saying that they're a possible Super Bowl contender.
Life comes at you fast.
