COWBOYS SQUAD SHOW: The Cowboys were stunned by Rico Dowdle and the Panthers in Carolina.

COWBOYS SQUAD SHOW: The Cowboys were stunned by Rico Dowdle and the Panthers in Carolina.

I’m Jeff Higs and I am the host of the Cowboys Squad Show. I wanted to see if the Cowboys could do it in back-to back weeks. They could not. I’m Aisha Morrison and I am disgusted right now. Literally, non-figuratively. Glenn Stretch Smith. Cowboys can’t score 30. So guess what? They get the L. How about them Cowboys? It’s the Cowboy Squad. Everything Dallas Cowboys every week, covering all the big hits and gamechanging plays from America’s team the way only the Locked on Podcast Network can. Get ready and squad up. It’s the Cowboys Squad Show starting now. [Music] How about them Cowboys? And how about that loss today? Wow. A Carolina shocker to say the least as the Cowboys can’t handle their business and they fall to the Panthers on the road by the final of 30 to 27. Welcome to the Cowboys squad show. As you heard, that is Aisha Morrison along with former Cowboys coach Glenn Stretch Smith. This episode is brought to you by Mazda. Like our players, we sweat every detail because when you make every move count, pulling off the unexpected is only the beginning. Stay tuned later for highlights in this week’s moving the game forward. Mazda move and be moved. Well, we were waiting uh for the Cowboys to make their move, Aisha and coach, and it just did not happen. It was, as I said, I wanted to see if they could handle their business in back-to-back weeks on the road and they could not. And while it was a huge win for the Panthers, obviously this was a a big-time loss for the Cowboys. And it just exposed kind of, for lack of a better phrase, one step forward, two big steps back. uh as good as last week was, uh the defensive issues are still there. And and you nailed it, coach. I I kept thinking of that 30 number the entire game. Got to get to at least 30 or so to win it. And they could not do it, right? Yeah. It’s going to happen every I’m sorry, Aisha. It’s going to happen every week. I mean, this is going to be an every week ordeal. This is a defense that does not play with great technique. They do not play with great leverage. They do not do a lot of things that you would expect guys to do. And guess what? They got you a critical stop. They got you a stop. They got you a three and out. And you you offensively you couldn’t go get it done. So go get on the airplane. Don’t do any fingerpointing. You had an opportunity offense. You make all the money. You get Hey, go down and score. And they did some great things today. Pickings did some great things. I mean, there was some really good things to to to show on offense, but you had your chance and you didn’t get it done. So, guess what? You get your ass a loss and going on back home. I mean, I know that’s the Listen, I don’t get paid. I You know, you’ve been a coach before, coach, so that’s the stuff you you supposed to say. But, uh, for for me, as for me in my house, uh, I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that your offense has to put up 30 every week. I think it’s off I think I think at some point in time the imbalance in offense and defense is going to start showing up and I just think the idea that your offense is going to play clean football every single drive is not even realistic in football stance. So for me I agree the offense did get an opportunity to go up um they had an opportunity to kind of work the clock. I don’t know why they decided to go east to west when they had been going north to south all game. um especially in the passing game and some of those zones. But this defense, I mean that front the front seven to the back end, the miscommunications, the busted coverages, guys not being able to sh I mean your edges got killed all day. All day. Your defensive tackles could not shed all day. They were I mean it was a lot of uh defensive tackles just catching Rico Dat’s uh shoulder pad all day. It’s unacceptable. And I’m hot. I ain’t going to lie to y’all. Like I know we got a we got a job to do and everything, but this is ridiculous. It it just the defensive effort was just so all over the place today. I just feel like there has to be some real conversations about what they’re going to do moving forward or if even this season is salvageable at this point if this defense keeps playing like this. I think Rico Dattle uh just ran again. He just ran out ran to the parking lot. He please please. He just got 20 yards on that carry to his car. And he told you he told you Monday what he was going to do. That’s the thing that really is so bothersome is he went out and challenged you and said, “Buckle it up. Buckle up.” And and and and you know what? He backed up what he said. That’s not what I believe in. I’m one of those guys that believes in you talk with your helmet and your shoulder pads. But you know what? He spoke and then he went he went out and backed it up. And there’s something to be said for that. Yeah. I mean, he said and and the reason why he was able to back it up because he seen what other people seen on felt. He saw the opportunity there. He saw that, you know, that he could get that they could pro he felt like this offensive line, like you said, coach, I’ve been talking about it all week. They have some talent on this offensive line. He felt like they was going to be able to move Dallas off the ball and they did all game. I mean, I if we’re going to be able to look at the advanced statistics as the week goes on, but I can guarantee you he wasn’t getting touched for five, six yards. And if it was if it was a touch, it was a love touch. It was a a gentle caress. There was no physicality that there was nothing to deter him from continuing to hit the hole like he needed to. Your defensive tackles left your linebackers out to dry and vice versa. Some of the best run stops you had were from a safety from Donovan Wilson playing the line of scrimmage. Your your safety is filling in the run better than anybody in your front seven. It’s unacceptable. I’m hot. I’m know y’all ain’t seen me turned up like this, but I’m telling y’all like I’m I I learned football at a Barney level because I am just now getting into film and stuff. So what I know to be true is the base level things in football. That’s what I’m still getting a grasp on. So coach, when you don’t see for even for me, when I don’t see the base level done being done, base level things being done from a technical level, from just a soundness level like we were talking about offline coach, it infuriates me because to me that’s that’s just you should just be doing that like that. Some of this stuff is just you’ve been doing this since pee-wee straight up. You’re right. You have you have every right to be upset. You have every right to be in the same position that there are a lot of fans in right now, which is they’re they’re very upset. They’re very upset that a guy that was on this team could challenge your defense a week prior to playing them and go out and and have 15 seven plus yard runs. 15. It was 14 when I tweeted about it. Ain’t that better? Come on. And then he got a nine yard run at the end. So I I hear you. It was, you know, it’s it’s it’s a maddening scenario. And guess what? Now the blueprint is out there for that. So the blueprint’s out there with a secondary that doesn’t play with great leverage. Now the blueprint’s out there. They can run the football at you. You know what the blueprint is? Go score 30 plus to win. It’s that simple. I this is I I know it’s hard to get on here and hear, but this is not going to change. I’m just telling you it’s there’s there’s there’s no change in this. They there’s no personnel coming in here. There’s no quick fix. There’s no firing the defensive coordinator. There’s no score more than 30 if you want a chance to win. It’s just and and it’s hard to say because guess what? That’s not football. Football’s about running and chasing the ball and like you said Aisha being physical up front and you know what your want to run starts with you and your want to stop the run it starts with you. So the the it it did not look like the want to was even there when you talk about a safety coming up and he’s the hardest hitting guy on your defense straight up or even even for the fact that he’s just reading the run better than your linebackers at that point. It’s just it just it was too much. And then coach you talked about you know the will to want to run and the will to stop the run. I thought that the offensive line, I know we’re going to take a look, but I thought the interior of this offensive line really struggled with um that rotation, that healthy rotation that uh the Panthers have at defensive tackle. Um they just they could not move those guys off a spot and Dallas just could not get to the second level at all in the run game today. Um so that I think that was a huge reason why Dallas elected to just start passing the ball more. But yeah, I guess they were trying to keep him honest, but you honestly were getting behind the sticks, so it didn’t help you for real. Well, Rico Dattle, a career-high 30 carries in this game today, 183 yards. He also had the big uh touchdown catch, which was a huge uh emotional play before halftime. Uh four catches for 56 yards. And that was uh like you said, I mean, he literally he called them out like a bingo number and delivered. And you don’t see that a lot. You don’t see that very often. Normally you would see Yeah. Normally you would see someone respond to that with a you know after outcome than what you saw. And the other thing that I thought was is that, hey, we’ve given a lot of and and and they deserve a lot of credit, the Dallas offensive line, but guess what? They got whipped up front today, too. I mean, sure did. Javvante could could got nothing going and got hit in the back field multiple times. And so there’s a lot of there again blame to go around here, but it certainly is hard to get on here and talk about a defense that just I mean against Bryce Young. I like Bryce Young, but I mean there there were he threw probably three or four balls today that if he was if if if he was at the beach wouldn’t hit the ocean and and and you let them win. I’m tired of you. Um I’m sick of you. But also too, I mean, coming into this game, you look at Bryce Young, the numbers drastically drop against pressure. And I just and I just I don’t understand some of the decision making when it comes to, you know, I don’t know if Dallas doesn’t feel like they have the guys to get there in enough time to pressure. If you leave, you’re back in more susceptible if you pressure. I mean that also came out that came to hurt you as well today is the lack of pressure and the affecting the quarterback. I mean he just had so much time to sit back there and operate and the way that the run game was going for them. Then you know your guys are biting on every play action that I watched Carolina. They’re not a heavy play action team but they did it today. They’re not a heavy underenter team but they did it today. You know why? Because it’s a copycat league. So, people are going to keep doing this against you. They’re going to keep misdirecting you. They’re going to keep they’re going to keep using their running backs in play action and and and using them in the flats in the intermediate game, and there’s nothing you can do about it. And also too, they’re going to hit a couple deep plays because they know your guys can’t cover long enough for your uh front seven to get home. It’s just ugly. And I like I like coach said, I’m at a point to where I don’t know if there’s solutions either. I don’t know if there’s solutions either. And what I’m most worried about is coach, you talking about no f finger pointing. Yeah, there’s about to start being some fingerpointing. There’s about to start it’s come on. Like, let’s just keep it a let’s keep it a bill. There’s going to start being some tension. And I hope that, you know, I think Shotti is capable of working through that, but it’s it’s a lot to ask. It’s a lot to ask. No, there’s there’s there’s plenty of blame to go around. Again, there is plenty there. And I I think you’re correct. I think you’re going to see some frustration from within, which which could happen. But I I I think more than anything more than anything, my my real concern about this football team is you you’ve talked about it. It’s a plagiarism business. Everybody watches the film and then they implement things that they think they can do that you’ve shown that you can’t stop. And so that definitely what’s going to happen here. I keep saying this and I I don’t want to sound like like a damn parrot, but go score go score 35 and you don’t have an issue. All right. So, let me ask you both this. So, in addition to what you both have already said, which has been spot on, but last week really good game for the defense against the Jets, the five sacks, everything. Everybody was feeling good. What happened today? What went wrong? What where was not only what happened, but the the lack of any kind of real adjustment? Although, as coach pointed out, they did get that fourth quarter stop that they needed, but still by and large giving those big plays, big first down runs every single possession. Um, what I mean, what what did they miss? What what do they I mean other guys are on now the other guys are on scholarship too the last I checked they pay the other better they they pay the other team and and they’re a very good offensive line they’re a very good offensive line and you know what they they were banged up though they went out yeah they were a little banged up and that’s part of the NFL you get six or seven weeks in the year you’re you’re banged up you think M Jones didn’t banged up going out to play today against Tampa is banged up All you had to do was watch last week and know I mean they’re banged up. But at the end of the day, Carolina has the highest paid offensive line in the league. And you know what? I’ll bet you whatever I got in my pockets that and what Dave Canales told his guys was, we are going to go assault this defense. We’re going to go assault a defense that we should go assault. And that’s exactly what they did. You’d like to see the other side of it. You would like to see Matt Eberflu’s flip on the clip of Rico Donald telling telling you Monday buckle it up. I would like to have seen him flip that switch and challenge the defense. If if he did, they didn’t take the challenge very well. No. And the and and a few of the guys that was chirping, I seen them out there struggling to deep. So I listen what went wrong uh your question uh Jeff I think a big part of what went wrong is the fact that you were un unable to run the ball and sustain drives in that way as well. Um you know Dallas Dallas did have to play most of the length of the field. You you didn’t get a whole bunch from your return game today with uh Turpin being out. But their inability, Dallas’s inability to run the ball today, I think took away their their opportunities to really win time of possession and at some point in time have to play keep away from an offense that you can’t really stop defensively. Um, like I said before, I thought the interior of the uh offensive line struggled. We’re going to look at film and see that, I’m sure. Um, so that was part of it. Um, the second part of it was the other side of the ball is that they couldn’t stop nothing. nothing. They got two stops the whole game. So again, and and and that’s what I’m saying, coach. Like that’s what I’m saying about like I understand they got the big stop in the fourth, but baby, if they got one earlier in the game, maybe you’re not even in that position. Maybe you’re not even in that position to where your offense is in the fourth quarter again having to put together a drive. It is not complimentary. And I think that that is what is wearing on, you know, your team at this point. Also too, coach, I wanted to talk to you about this this defensive tackle room. I’m wondering um that rotation is not a strong rotation. Kenny Clark is a you know, not a super young guy. I wonder we’ve seen I feel like on film I’ve seen this last two weeks him not be as efficient as he was in those first couple weeks of the season. Do you think this rotation has anything to do with you know guys not getting adequate breathers or needing enough time? You know what I’m saying? Because I just feel like Yeah, I do. Yeah. So, sorry. I think there’s some of that and I think that you also have Jay Toy who’s seventh round pick out of UCLA who’s, you know, he’s just a guy. He just kind of a plugger in there. You have Mazy who I think I don’t even know if he was active today. He was not active today. So, so right. So that tells you how they feel about that scenario. And you know, Solomon Thomas to me is a little light. He’s a little light in the rear end to be in there. And I I’m telling you the very the third play of the game and it was I mean it was I’m not going to call any names, but I’m telling if you watch the third play of the game, one of their guys got and I’m talking about ejected out of there. I he got knocked eight yards off the football. And so what you’re saying is correct. They don’t really have anybody that they trust physically that can do what Clark and and Odigua can do. And then you saw Odigy Zulu one time he’s stunt and I don’t know what the call is but I mean he’s stunted out and the ball goes and you would think if he’s stunting out somebody’s got to be coming into that B gap whether it’s a linebacker or a linebacker and a safety and literally nobody comes into the gap and it’s he’s eight yards and and so he was eight yards down the field before anybody ever touched him. And so that’s that’s the other thing is at the point at the line of scrimmage and at the point of contact. I mean this is not a very big or a very physical front and so they just they just flat got exposed today. That’s all there is to it. Yeah. No, I I think you make a good point about um Jay Tia being, you know, a young and he’s and and even for a defensive tackle, like his size, like he’s still kind of light in the butt. He’s more of a up get up field type guy. Um I I think my concern also too is with the edges, y’all. My god, the way that they were getting pinned inside today and they just could not. I mean, I don’t know how many times I seen one of those tight ends take them out of there, a tight end, right? But think about this now. When we’re talking about guys who are light on the inside, what is your natural reaction as a defensive guy to say, I got to get some guys kind of down come help? Yes. And then when you Right. And then when you’re not physical enough and I I think Ezrau is going to be in time, but he’s not physical enough. Then once he comes hard inside, uh oh, I got a wrong shoulder this deal and I got to set the edge on this play. He’s not physical enough to do that. And so it really is. That’s why I’m saying there’s no magical fix here. There’s no, well, let’s let’s flip this tarot card over and and and and read my palm and give me some amazing turnaround. It isn’t going to happen that way. No, I agree. And uh you you mentioned some of the stunts, coach, there was instances where I thought that the the I don’t know and I know co different coaches are different because I know Dan Quinn allowed the defensive line to call their stunts. So, I don’t know who’s calling what, who has the liberties to do that. So, I’m going to be careful with it. But I will say the timing they were catching you running some of these stunts, some of those big runs were doing stunts. So, I also think the timing in which that they’re deciding to bring some pressure and stuff like that, whoever’s decision this is wasn’t well executed either. Um, and so I I mean, you’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t. It feels like right now, coach. No, you’re you’re right. You’re right. It’s it’s it’s a day I you said it a little different than I did. I mean, I I thought we get I thought we were going to get get the card flipped over and it was going to be the oneeyed jack and all of a sudden we can make some magical call. It didn’t happen that way. So, and I don’t think it’s going to happen that way. I just don’t think, you know, I just don’t think it’ll work. Um All right. Well, when we come back, uh I have a little bit of an update on the defense. I want to run by you and also we need to talk about the offense a little bit. You already hit on that a little bit, but I want to dive a little bit deeper. Talk about Dak and his performance as well. Uh monster game quietly unnoticed uh for George Pickkins. And so, uh we’ll get to that when we come back. Great to be with you. Wish it was after a win. This is the Cowboys squad show. All right, guys. Uh, want to let you know that you know the saying, look good, feel good, right? The problem is that most dress clothes only check one of those boxes. They they look sharp but may feel stiff or kind of hot, maybe high maintenance. That’s why there is Mizen and Maine. Mizen and Maine makes classic men’s wear and performance fabrics. So, it’s effortless to look sharp and feel comfortable. They actually invented the performance fabric dress shirt over 10 years ago and they have perfected it ever since. If you’ve worn Misin, you know how excited you get and it’s the feel of athletic wear but the look of professional men’s wear. So, right now, Mizen and Maine is offering our listeners 20% off your first purchase at mizenandmain.com with promo code locked on NFL 20. 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So, join the free Trademaster program today and score serious perks like priority shipping, lower prices, and dedicated support line. Visit supplyhouse.com to sign up for free and use promo code SHNFL 5 for 5% off your first order. That’s supply.com. Real people, real service. All right, back with you on the Cowboys Squad Show. Aisha Morrison and the coach Glenn Stretch Smith Cowboys fall in Carolina 30-27. really quickly. Um, this is just one, but uh Todd Todd Archer, who covers the Cowboys for ESPN, uh, did his little quick recap of the game, and he made a little note. He says, “Is it time to make drastic changes on defense? Is it time to make uh a trade for a legit pass rusher, a linebacker, or is it out of the realm of possibility they do something the Cowboys have not done before, and that is make an inseason coordinator change? So, that’s that’s kind of setting the tone, I think, for what the week is going to be like um back here in Texas. Yeah. You know, I I questioned that a few weeks ago as far as a the possibility of a a a coordinator change. Here’s what I’m going to say is it’s so hard to at this point start changing verbiage and changing things that are said. Um I I hate the thought of riding I I don’t even want to say it’s it’s like it’s not riding this horse out. It’s riding this mule and it is a mule right now in a damn thoroughbred race. But you can’t even get you can’t even ride this thing out. So I don’t want them to make any kind of had they won today and had they had they beat Washington, I’d be all on board for a trade. But I’m not on board for a trade right now. I mean, this is a football team that’s it’s probably, you know, right where we thought they were, a seven, eight win team. And we get excited from week to week because everybody’s starved for a winner around here. We get excited thinking, “Okay, man, this thing this thing could flip right here.” And and and and then we go get, you know, we go get this big piece of humble humble pie and and start questioning where we’re at. I don’t think this is time for a kneejerk response. I think it’s time to say, okay, let’s point to Thanksgiving. Let’s see if Overshon can give us a little help here. Let’s see if Rall might give us a little help. I’m I’m not I I I just don’t know that you can right now. And God, this is hard to say. I mean, I just don’t know that you can perfume this pig right now. And that’s what it is. They’re they’re not good on defense. And this is not anything new. This is not some sort of boy, we have really done us our homework here and we’ve come up and figured out this that this is not a very good team on that side of the football that they’re just not. And and they had a guy they I mean they had the best pass rusher in the league and I don’t think he would have made a whole hell of a lot of difference today when they were getting gashed in the running game. Yeah. I mean I don’t know. I felt like coming into this game, um, my feelings about the Tarder conversation would have been more so, um, if they were able to win this these two games, Carolina and then, um, who do they play next week? Broncos, Washington. Washington. Yeah. I was thinking to myself that maybe if they were able to get a couple wins that they that you should go try to figure out what you could do because this offense clearly has has some pop to them. They have some skilled players. They have the quarterback playing well. Um I think the play caller has been pretty good outside of that crazy drive. You know, I I thought that you could try to get something out of what you have offensively, but at this point, like coach was saying, I don’t know if it’s salvageable in that sense. I I mean, I wouldn’t touch the back end at this point. I would do what coach was saying is wait on Revel to come back and figure out that side of things. But your front seven, I think adding another pass rusher and a linebacker would most definitely help you. You’re not getting anything from your veteran linebackers that’s killed you. Obviously, Sambourne was out today with the concussion. Um, Mury uh Murray was man in the mic, but those guys triggered so late. And uh shout out to Zack Woolchuk from 105. Um he said their math isn’t correct. They don’t they’re not sure if it’s correct, but he had a Rico D had at least 61 yards before contact today. Wow. I mean, it’s just egregious, you know? So, so I guess I’m at the point, too, where I’m questioning what the right thing to do is. I just don’t want to go through a whole season of the offense always feeling like they have to press and then us just knowing that if you need to stop, you’re not going to get it. Nothing about what they’ve shown you to this point should give you any faith at this point. You should be going for it on every fourth if you get one. You’re going to have to I mean the pressure that it puts on the offense is just and for them to have to operate that way for the rest of the season I think would not be healthy in a sense. So for me, I guess I’m in the same place where I’m just like I don’t know what the right thing to do is because it feels like way too much to fix. I’m just concerned about what the offense feels like and what things are going to be like on that side of the ball moving forward. Well, I think the other point you make is great without saying it and that is you are you might be wasting one of the greatest offensive years in NFL history. You could be just wasting that and wasting uh pick. I mean, you don’t even have your best receiver and you’re the number one offense in the NFL and and and you’re wasting an unbelievable effort by by Pickings. I mean, you’re just I mean, to think that this is going to be I don’t have any reason. Nothing points me to say this team is going to slow down any offensively. No. Minus the quarterback getting hurt. Yeah. Your offensive line, you still had guys out today. You know what I’m saying? Like I I think you’re going to get healthier there. I think you’re going to the play callers going to continue to jail with guys and get guys involved. We saw he’s been setting up that Hunter Lipkkey uh pass, you know, like to the red zone for the last couple weeks, I want to say. So, you know, I think you got a smart smart play caller and those guys, but like you that’s my biggest concern. That’s my biggest concern because Pinkkins is Pickkins is cuckoo for a little cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs and I just I just don’t know how you keep these guys to together cuz again at some point in time it’s going to become lip service. I’ve been in a locker room. I know I know Stretch. I know you coached, but I’ve been in a locker room enough. I’ve had enough conversations with players enough and at some point in time it does start to irk them. it starts to bother them and I don’t want to see, you know, there being any issues in the locker room because of this and difference in opinions and all that type of stuff because it sounds like from what I know defensively there’s been some tension over on that side of the ball anyway, discussions being hel talked with like being held with coaches and and and players trying to suggest things and favorites and all this stuff. So, it’s already boiling over on the defensive side. How do you keep this offensive side of the ball encouraged and keep them working as a team? You know what I’m saying? Like that’s that’s something I’m concerned about. You gota rely you got to rely on the guy that’s making the most money to hold it together, which he’s shown that he can. But you’re right. I mean there’s going to be there’s going to be when you’re two, three, and one. And realistically, we we could we could see a path here where certainly they had opportunity to win the Philadelphia game. If CD makes either one of those catches that you had an opportunity today, you mentioned a bad play call. That was a bad screen at the wrong time that was called. And then Dak tries to throw the football away on second down. And of course, you know, he doesn’t know that he’s trying to throw it away. So he fields the other swing and it is backto back plays where you lose five and then six for seven and it’s third and 21 when your defense just went three and out. And so that was to me that was really the difference right there in in losing the football game because you had a chance to win it. Is that the reason you lost? No, I’m talking about the reason you didn’t win because you had that chance to get it done. But I’m still saying it it will make the the personnel side of Jerry Jones what what how he sees and what he sees. They’re going to lose they’re I’m serious. They’re going to lose their mind at the thought of we are wasting an unbelievable offense here. We’re because we can’t do Rudy Pooh nothing on the other side of the football. There we go. Another part uh another thing that I wanted to bring up and since we’re if we’re going to go there I’m an analyst I got to do my job. Um if we are going to talk about the offense in any way and and you know their lack of you know efficiency um I I definitely want to talk about you know some of the the pre- snap penalties came up. I think Tyler Smith had a false start. I think we had a couple guys we had a few illegal motions and shifts. Those were some issues. Also too, uh, coming into this game, something that I was really looking out for is that the Carolina Panthers, they play zone at the second highest clip in the NFL, only second to who? The Cowboys. And so I looked at, you know, Dak Prescott has been nails against the zone. And guess what? Carolina comes out and does plays man. Plays man more than what I think they’ve played all season. And so I think that at the beginning of the game might have gave Dallas some, you know, they had a couple three and outs. They weren’t that efficient. I think that Dallas also had to figure out some of what they were doing on the back end that they hadn’t really seen to that point because Carolina just hasn’t done that as much. So, um I want the offense to get into more of a rhythm to start some of these games. It seems like they take a little time. It’s not until about halfway through the first, maybe the beginning of the second that we see them actually get into a a rhythm where you’re like, “Okay, they settled in. They know what’s going on.” And I understand I understand their scripts. I understand coach that, you know, you got to feel the game and that takes some time. But, um, yeah, just hopefully that they’re able to to pick up on that a little bit more because that was a big change that I didn’t expect to see in this game from Carolina because it’s kind of bold of them to be honest. So, yeah. Yeah. And I think initially they were trying to travel, you know, they were trying to travel horn with Pickkins and I think that kind of I think it caught him a time or two and then they got really exposed when they tried to put Jackson on him. And then they, you know, they hit the slant for the touchdown. And so, uh, you know, they were trying to figure it out, too. And I I keep giving the Cowboys a lot of credit. Yeah. They had a couple of rough You’re like you were saying. I mean, you got to eliminate the free snap penalties. You can’t fumble the ball down there first and goal. Oh, that hurt. Get under center and fumble the damn football. Definitely. But but what we’re say I think what we’re saying here is the same thing, Aisha. We’re nitpicking the offense because they have to be perfect playing with that kind. I’m tired. That’s why I’m not cursing. I’m not going to curse today. So Sunday I’m be kind. Yeah. Rico D said they wasn’t buckled up. That’s what he said. So it wasn’t the wall then flew out the window. Flew out the windshield at this point. Roadkill. Roadkill. All right. When we come back, I have, uh, two specific questions about the offense for both of you. We’ll do that when we return. And also, uh, coach, I thought of you during the game about something you said a while back that I think really fits into what we’re talking about. We’ll do that coming up as the Cowboys squad show continues. All right. Well, as we mentioned earlier, this episode is brought to you by Mazda. And Mazda’s moving the game forward. For those who believe it’s not just about playing the game, it’s about redefining it. There are moments that do more than put points on the board. They move crowds, move culture, and keep moving the game forward. So when you follow what moves you, the unexpected is only the beginning. And just like there’s more to every highlight, there’s more to every Mazda vehicle. Mazda, move and be moved. All right, welcome back to the Cowboy Squad Show. Aisha Morrison the coach. Glenn stretch after the Cowboys fall in Carolina 30 to27. So we talked about the offense there a little bit. Um I think huge disappointment though with the running game specifically. Uh Javvante Williams who has just been outstanding. 13 carries, 29 yards. The Cowboys had 31 yards rushing total the entire game. Uh, what went wrong with the run game today? What did you guys see? They just got their a word whooped. Yeah, I’m going to tell you that again. They just got their a word whooped up there. You are you the those guys on the other side of the football that they get a check too. And guess what? They can they can make you become onedimensional. I don’t care I don’t care if we’re talking about the Carolina Panthers or Baiji State. They can make you become one-dimensional if they want to. And quite frankly, they boat up and they were not they’re not heavy up the field guys. They really are their squared stance guys that kind of play up and down the line of scrimmage. And so they just they they just basically said, “We’re not going to let this running back beat us.” And you know what that that’s what they did. They they were there to stop the run. Played physical. Aisha said it. They got they got they got whipped up. They got out physicalled in this football game on both sides of the football and that’s sometimes that’s hard to take. Yeah. Um the Panthers have a a good defensive especially a good defensive tackle uh rotation there with um Derek Brown, Aan Robinson. Those guys really came up and put a lot of stress on your interior. I mean you just saw them in the back field getting penetration all day. Um, I thought that their corners, uh, which is something I expected from them, their corners and their safeties also too, they flood the flats really well and they they were able to come out and tackle. Dallas wasn’t able to get much going on the outside. Um, we haven’t talked about it much, but Jaydon Blue got a few opportunities and it feels like, I could be wrong, it feels like he’s not being decisive enough and also to the offensive line has to adjust to a player like him. Like that’s something that I’ve talked to numerous offensive lines about is that, you know, you have different clocks for different runners. You have different angles for different runners. You have to get a feel. Like I think they both like the running back and the offensive line need some time to get a feel for each other. But I all in all feel like Jaydon Blue is just he seems unsure out there. And that’s that’s not helping your run game at all because there were times that they gave him the ball on first down, second down, and Dallas was behind the chains a lot this week. And and that’s not and Dallas and Dak was able to get them in some third and manageables and then some of those big third downs to Pickins. But other than that though, they were not they did not play well ahead of the sticks. I thought that uh Trevan Wallace and uh Christian Rosenbomb uh Rosenbomb if I’m not mistaken was in a position to where he almost had his job taken. So for him to come out and play the way that he played kind of man in the middle of the field today as well. So I just felt like Dallas just couldn’t win off the line today. It’s as simple as that. They weren’t strong enough at the point of attack. And to your point, coach, we should expect that now, right? Is that PE teams are not going to let Javvante Williams beat you beat them. So then you have to attack them in the passing game. And Dallas was able to do that. They just couldn’t run the ball to sustain drives the way that that I think that they needed to to at least give the defense some breathers if that would have made a difference to be honest. Oh, you made good point. I mean, they they they played behind the sticks, but they played behind the sticks because they couldn’t run the football on first and that that’s, you know, that’s that’s something that they become somewhat accustomed to. Second and six, second and five. And when it’s second and nine, second and 10, it becomes a different call. You’re looking at a different call on the call sheet. And so that that’s the thing that and I thought Shottenheimer did a good job at adjusting to that. He allowed him to get to get some plays made down the field and and and I loved how he schematically he got pickings open on that big ball. He was short and then they ran the motion all the way across. They bump out. He runs the inside big and gets a big first down catch on third down. So, they did some really good things, but they weren’t perfect because and because of that, I mean, I you know, we we can sit here and just keep cutting this thing up, but the quarterback has to be perfect and they have to be perfect offensively. And I’m afraid this is something we’re going to be What do we got 13 more games left? 12 more games left. Yeah. What? What was this? Five. Six. 11. Yes. This was six. 11. Yeah. Yeah. So, we got we got 11 more and and a by week, right? We we’ll get on here and be saying the same thing when they don’t play anybody. They’re not going to lose that week. Bye. Um yeah, a stat that stick out sticks out to me, uh Dallas was five of 12 on third down day. Um they were two of two on fourth. So, just the fact that they had to go for it on the fourth twice, yuck. Um, Carolina was three of eight on third down. However, they have they had 11 rushing first downs. They had 27 passing first downs. I mean, talk about you not being able to get off the field. And, you know, we’re talking about Dallas. The intro like the opposite is Carolina was able to get third I mean, first downs at will today. They weren’t even having to be in third down situations. That’s the key. He didn’t even have to get third down. That’s insane, you know, and and so I mean, it’s just it I just think it’s just it’s just unacceptable, y’all. I I just find this just I just I find it egregious that it was that bad today. I mean, these guys just moved you off the ball like it was nothing. I don’t I don’t even want to watch the the tape and how efficiently they were able to to run the ball today. And Bryce Young, he he got out the game chilling. He was I mean, he’s I’m sure he don’t even he might not even need to get ice or treatment or nothing because you you you you barely uh pinched him today. So, it just it’s just not enough. And to you know, your point, coach, I I guess I will say about the offense, um I thought the tight end usage was helpful today. I was looking for uh Ferg, you know, I thought that he looked a little bit more spry than what I’ve seen him in some of his routes today. Um shuffle was good, too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. But that’s about that’s about all you can talk about at this point. Dak Piggins. Yeah. Yeah. Ryan for a couple Ferguson Florenoi made a few plays again for you. He’s starting to he’s starting to feel comfortable in the offense. the offense, you know, we we we had a couple things and a couple of breakdowns there, but hey, it you got to be perfect. It’s just it’s just just where we’re at with it. And it’s just where we’re at with it. I I find it interesting that somebody like Todd Archer start start, you know, kind of throwing out there a coordinator change because uh I just I I don’t know what that I’m not sure what that angle would be. I don’t I’m not sure where you would maybe anybody within I I don’t know anybody or anything. No, there’s not any Oh, no. No. Todd Todd Todd is the most in that there you can be. So we It’s little we No, no, no. I mean I mean I mean could could Could Could Could Could Could Could Could Could Could Could the Cowboys promote somebody? You’re talking about an in You’re talking about an onstaff coaching change from somebody? Yeah, I just I don’t think so. I mean they’re most of those guys are his guys from Chicago. That’s what I was about to say. I don’t think anybody’s going to feel comfortable and you know you know who hasn’t gotten a lot of talking about that I think does matter is David Overreet the secondary coach as well I mean coach we’ve been sitting up here confused about technique communication what’s going on here Ille is the DC but the there are positional coaches as well so maybe we need to be trying to find ask more questions to him and find out you know what’s going on with those guys because if I know what I know from what I have heard in the building, there is some miscommunications through the secondary from the secondary to the secondary coach and vice versa. Yeah. And usually and usually if you hear that that’s right. I mean usually if you’re hearing that that’s that that’s good information. Barnacles. Well, coach, the thing I thought of, uh, you’ve said this from the beginning and and Todd Archer also brought up about maybe making a trade, but something you said early on, and I agree with you. Um, you got to you’ve got to hit with the picks that you have. Th this team needs some good draft talent uh in the next couple of years and I think it would be a mistake to give that away or to burn through those for for something that’s really not going to make a difference. I you know Jeff can I say something I as someone that has covered the draft I got to say this in a nice way Dallas also depending on the draft and way they they they have done is what’s hurting them right now also. Yeah. Oh yeah. Well the coach said that also. Yeah. like a a coach I mean yeah coach talked about it last week like we talked about it last week is that this you know that’s their they take it as their calling card that they draft and develop but development takes time. You know progression takes time. You need adequate veterans in some of these spots so these guys so these young guys can come along and get to a point to where you’re confident in them. And that’s not that’s not that’s not what’s happening. And that’s what we’re seeing on the defensive side of the ball like coach was talking about last week. So whereas I’m like, yes, you want to hit on some of these draft picks. You got to do something to help this offense now because this offensive staff is going to be here. If I’m not mistaken, they’re under contract for three years. Unless that either one of them gets a head coaching job, they’re going to be here. You’re going to have the quarterback. You’re going to have this young offensive line. Maybe you bring back Devonte Williams and you can get him another running back. Like you have something to build upon offensively. Do something on the defensive side of the ball, whether it’s the offense or whatever. You got to figure out how to make this more balanced. And I don’t know if the draft is the only way that you can do that. Like coach was saying last week, you need Can you can you can you phrase it in a plural format, Aisha? Something they need to do some things. Some things they need to address some Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right now you you’ve got a first round pick in Mazy Smith that you can’t even get active. You’ve got Marshon Neland who just kind of looks like a guy running around out there. Sam Williams doesn’t look like he’s giving you much. And so when you have those first and second round guys that aren’t that aren’t producing right now. And the other thing I I think you’re making a good point too is from a free agent standpoint. I’m not talking about just evaluating from a draft standpoint. Talk about it. I’m talking about evaluating from a free agent standpoint. Talk to me about who is the best young linebacker that’s out there. Who is the best young cover safety that’s out there? Who is the best, you know, defensive tackle? And I get it. The the whole league is looking for him. I got that. But I I want you to go, you know, go go tell me go find me the next Fred Warner. Go find me the next uh uh uh what’s the Denver safety that Hanga go find me go find me one of those guys and prioritize that. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Coach, wait, wait, wait. Jeff, Jeff, wait. Coach, say what’s his name again? Who’s the safety name? What’s his name? Uh uh is it Hanga? No, the damn guy for Denver. How’s that? He used to play for San Francisco. I don’t give a damn what his name is. What is his name anyway? It’s It’s You pronounce it. I’m all ears. Oh, it’s Huanga. But I’m screaming because I just thought it was just your twang. I didn’t think you was saying it wrong. I thought it was just your accent. I was laughing at how I want to play. Get the cards out. I ain’t here to play. Oh, but you’re right though. You’re right though. Free agency as well. They have They did have some decent free agent pickups in the off season that’s helped you, but as of right now, it’s just not enough and you’re not supplementing these young guys and you’re not giving these young guys an opportunity to make mistakes either cuz we being really hard on I know I am once I go back and watch the film uh film. Shamar James. Um, also two Maris Leaf foul. Like these guys don’t even have the opport they don’t got the time to make mistakes. Great point. Because you’re depending on them. They’re both playing out. They’re both balling out though. I mean, uh, James had a lot of tackles today, even after coming out briefly, and Leaf Foul had the big hit. So, all right. Uh, final timeout and when we come back, our final thoughts. We’ll do that coming up. This is the Cowboys Squad Show. All right, got to give it up for FanDuel and what they’re doing. The NFL season is here and FanDuel has an offer you do not want to miss. Right now, new customers can bet just $5 and get $300 in bonus bets if you win. That’s right. Pick a bet, put down five bucks, and if it hits, you’ll unlock $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Whether you’re a casual fan or love diving into the stats, FanDuel makes the game day experience so much better. So, what are you waiting for? Visit fanuel.com to download the FanDuel app today and get started. Okay, final segment of the Cowboys squad show after the Cowboys were stunned in Carolina 30 to 27. So, hey, the NFL doesn’t wait for anybody. Every week is a brutal week. Every week is a tough week. And the Cowboys come back home and they take they will host Washington next Sunday. Short week is Washington’s playing tomorrow. But again, I mean, especially now when you’re at 2, three and one. Uh, every game, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing is going to be a big game. And so, and it’s for the other team. The Cowboys are always a big game. Well, I guess a big game for them to break records. Um, you know, have hit right games. Uh, you know, do things that have never been done before. Bryce Young today looked like an all-star. Caleb Williams today, the the when Dallas played him look like an all-star. I mean, you have quarterbacks coming here like people are literally marking you as a good right get right game. It’s nasty. I’m tired. Um, uh, what are we doing? Our last little points. Is that what you said? Yeah. Okay. My last little point is Dallas, if you are not going to figure out what you’re going to do defensively, if you’re not going to do anything for the rest of the season, you going to keep it how it is. You better be aggressive in the draft and aggressive in free agency. And a part of that free agency probably needs to be resigning George Pickkins. Because if you’re not going to nourish your defense, you at least need your offense to stay the way that it is and not have a drop and continue to try to do what you need to do to build the defense. That’s where I’m at. I think he’s remarkable. Um, everything I know about him is that he’s been fantastic in the locker room, fantastic for the locker room. What he is doing right now and see these absence is something you have not had on this team for a long time. And I also think that Dallas having a true X, now they moved him around today, but I think having a X, which Dallas hasn’t had in quite some time, is really opening up the field for the rest of the guys to operate. So that’s my point. Do what you got to do because he’s a hell of a player. No, I I I think he is absolutely needs to be a priority. The problem is he has the same agent that that Micah had. So, I’m I’m not sure that uh Jerry’s going to have much luck dealing with him from an agent’s standpoint. Now, I’m you you you since you belly laughed at me, I’ve got I’ve got his name pulled up. And Jeff, I’ll let you I’ll let you pronounce it. H U F A N G- A is a spelling. How do you pronounce that, Jeff? I would say Hanga. That’s an asset. Na laughed at me like she was on the front car of the Runaway Mind Train. Listen, I was laughing at the twang the That’s what I was laughing at. I wasn’t laughing at you how you was saying it. Well, I got Hey, I’m I’m from Texas. That’s just that’s just how that’s just how it goes. I’m I’m I’m from down here in God’s country. I’ve been called a hillbilly lots of times. And if that’s the worst, I’m in good shape. My god. What you got, coach? What’s your last point? I just I think at the end of the day here, I don’t want to It’s painful to see it that them wasting this type of offensive output, but I I say that kind of and and then the other part of me says, do I want them to go make a trade? Let’s just say I mean, you know, let’s just throw out there. Would would would Trey Hendrickson be a good one-year rental for the Cowboys? I don’t think so at this time. I think would he make your defense better? Hell yeah, right now. But is it really going to get you where you want to be? And here’s the other thing. Let’s be honest. At the beginning of the year, they’re they’re two, three, and one. If you didn’t look at the schedule and check the games and think they should be four and two, well then you’re you’re not being realistic with yourself because they’ve lost two games in the Bears and the Panthers that everybody thought the Cowboys were going to win. Now, they tied a game that everybody thought they were going to lose, but you know, there’s 11 games left here. And do I think that this team, you’ve got Philadelphia now has two losses. You had a chance to put yourself within a half a game of being at the top of the division. Talk about it. You had a running back who ch who used to play for you, who challenged you, and you didn’t step up to the challenge with a chance to get within a half a game of first place. I mean, what what more do we have to play for here? And I think that’s the most frustrating thing to get on here as analyst and talk about this because it was right in front of you. You had every opportunity. It was right in front of you and you know, you you you you didn’t get it done. So, I I I’m just not for making some sort of a knee-jerk change. I think if there’s a young guy out there, if he can find whoever that young guy is and make a play, I I’d be fine. But I I guess I’m not for a defensive rental at this time. And I’m not because Aisha, what you said is there are multiple needs on that side of the football. Yeah, that’s where we’re at, man. All right. Well, just hearing you talk about that. I mean, the Bears loss was really was ugly, and this loss today, I think, was uh ugly in a different way. And I think it exposed even more. And like I said, it it felt like a one step forward last week, two steps back this week. And so, hey, it’s about adjustments and what do you do? And when you get a bad like bad loss like this, may you know, maybe they didn’t get the uh the Rico buckle up message, but they got it now and they’re going to have uh, you know, all week to think about it before a huge game next Sunday at home against Washington. So, we shall see. We shall see how they respond and and we’ll see what the defense plays like uh on Sunday against the Commanders. All right. Uh Aisha, quick shout out for your your indiv your show, your separate show. When when is that on this week? When comp Oh, yeah. Um y’all can catch me on Girls Talk Boys Talk um at 800 a.m. Central time on skyboys.com. Come see me. Nice. Breaking it down, talking about this ugly loss. So, yeah. do a great job and we look forward to that. Coach, I know you’re going to be all over the place, TV tonight and your radio show during the week and we’ll be back with you on Wednesday for our midweek squad show. That’ll be fun. We look forward to that. All right, have a good week. Uh we’ll see what the Cowboys can do. Thank you to everybody for jumping in with your comments and for watching us. Love you guys. Appreciate it. Wish it was after a win today, but we’ll see what they do next weekend. Huge game coming up. Final score today though, the Cowboys fall in Carolina 30-27. This has been the Cowboys squad show.

LIVE Post-Game reaction after the Cowboys stunning Week #6 loss at Carolina. Iisha Morrison, Coach Glenn ‘Stretch’ Smith, and Jeff Biggs talk Cowboys-Panthers.