Cardinals vs Cowboys Week 9 | Gruden’s Preview

Cardinals vs Cowboys Week 9 | Gruden’s Preview

Okay, Monday Night Football. We have the Arizona Cardinals at two and five. They’re on a five-game losing streak heading to Dallas to play the Dallas Cowboys who are three four and one. I’m wearing my AC/DC hat because I think both of these teams, they need to get fired up, man. Like, you know, I remember I got to go up on stage and sing Dirty Deeds Thunder cheap with Brian Johnson. The thrill of my life, but it charged me up. And that’s what these two teams need. They need to jump start their seasons right now because their backs are against the wall. [Music] This top of mind is brought to you by Chevrolet. Football season’s in full swing. And whether you’re grinding through the week or gearing up for kickoff, there’s one ride that’s always game ready. The Chevy Silverado. Built for the hustle, ready for the game. Silverado is America’s most dependable full-size truck. Head to Chevy.com to learn more and build your own Chevy Silverado. [Music] Okay, Monday Night Football. It’s a two and five Arizona Cardinals who have lost five straight games heading to Dallas to play the Dallas Cowboys who are 34 and one and they’re coming off a tough loss at the hands of the Denver Broncos. It was ugly. Both of these coaches, head coach Brian Shottenheimimer, Jonathan Ganon, know their teams need a win in the worst way. And when you’re losing, when you’re struggling, I think you do things to jumpstart your team. And I think both of these teams are going to make some changes in their scheme. And I think they’re going to make some changes in their lineup to get some people’s attention. Coach Shottenheimimer came out and said he was not happy. They got gashed on defense. They couldn’t protect Dak Prescott and they got beat up on both sides of the ball. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if you see some changes in the lineup on both sides of the ball for the Cowboys. And head coach Jonathan Ganon, he’s coming off a by-week with his Arizona Cardinals. They needed to get reset. They needed to get rejuvenated physically, mentally, and emotionally because they have lost five gut-wrenching games in a row. And it’s tough. And I got a feeling there’s a lot of change that could happen in this Arizona lineup. I think they have a quarterback controversy. They may not want to say it, but I think Jacobe Brassette has outperformed Kyler Murray. They’re averaging 25 points a game the last two weeks. That’s why I think Jacobe Brassette is starting. They cut their feature back, Michael Carter. Hell, the guy had 34 carries. They let him go. They got a new feature back in Bam Knight. And there’s a chance Garrett Williams, their star corner, could be available on Monday night. And that’s a gamecher for this defense. And there’s a chance Walter Nolan, their first round draft choice, big defensive tackle from Mississippi, might play. So, I think there’s some changes in the lineup to spark this Arizona football team coming off the buy. The Dallas Cowboys have had a roller coaster season. They haven’t won two games in a row. They haven’t lost two games in a row. They’re up. They’re down. They’re up. They’re down. Mostly down on defense, but they’ve been really up on offense. And Arizona Hell’s Bells, they started off 2-0. They were all excited. And they have been screaming down, man, on this roller coaster for the last five weeks. They got to put a stop to this. The Cardinals are the third team ever to lose five straight games by four points or less. Hell, they got beat on three walk-off field goals in three weeks in a row. Jake, wouldn’t that break your heart? Look at this. This is how close Arizona is. Can you imagine being 2 and 0 and getting beat on the last second field goal 1615 by the 49ers. Then they get beat on the last second field goal by the Seattle Seahawks 23 to 20. Then they get beat on the last second field goal by the Tennessee Titans 22 to 21. Then they go down to Indianapolis and play the best team in the NFL. They got the ball at the nine yardd line on fourth down. They can’t get it in on four tries. And then last week against Green Bay, it’s 2723. They’re driving for the winning touchdown. And Micah Parson ends their day. They’ve been this close to being 7 and0. That’s the National Football League. And I think this hat, okay, this hat should represent what I expect from the Arizona Cardinals. Jump start at quarterback with Jacobe Brassette. Let’s hope we get a couple injured guys back. Hopefully off the buy, we become emotionally rested and we get a chance to show the world on national television what the Arizona Cardinals are made of. Let’s go. The Cowboys are the most lopsided team in the NFL I think I’ve ever seen. I mean, they’re really good on offense. They’re second in the league in scoring, second in the league in total offense. They’re number one in the NFL in pass offense, but they’re really bad on defense. Arizona has mediocre statistics. But there’s one statistic that you guys got to know and it’s unbelievable. Do you know that Arizona in the first three quarters is outscoring their opponent 124-78? That’s a plus 46 differential. But in the fourth quarter, they’re getting outscored 76-29 – 47 in the fourth quarter. So the theme has to be finish. When this game gets in the fourth quarter, keep reminding yourself of that stat. Arizona, let’s freaking go, man. Let’s finish the game with authority. And I know that’s what Jonathan Ganon has been preaching probably for the last three or four weeks. Dallas is 3-0 against teams that are under 500. But when they play teams that are 500 or better, they’re 04 and one. And the Cowboys, they got to get their act together. They should be favored in this game, and they are. And then they’re going to be favored next week when they play on the road against the Raiders. But after that, they got to play some really good teams. They got the six-2 Eagles, the five-2 Chiefs, the five-2 Lions, and the five and three Chargers. So, they better make do. You know what I’m saying? You know, Arizona, this was supposed to be a breakout year. That’s what everybody was saying back in the preseason. All of us podcasters and geniuses behind the mic. Hell’s bells. Jonathan Ganon was going into his third year. They won four games his first year. Then they won eight. Then they went out and bolstered their defense. They drafted Walder Nolan, a big defensive tackle. They got Josh Sweat. They even got Kus Campbell to come back. It was supposed to be a breakout year. Kyler Murray’s in his third year. We got Marvin Harrison in his second year. Well, it hadn’t happened. And right now, the Arizona Cardinals are on a fivegame losing streak. You could say they’re the most disappointing team in football. Take a look at the standings in both divisions. In the NFC West, the Arizona Cardinals are in deep trouble. If they don’t win tonight, you can pretty much say good night. The Seattle Seahawks and the Rams are both 5-2. San Francisco’s 5 and3 and Arizona’s bringing up the rear at 2 and five. And in the NFC East, it’s all Philadelphia right now. They’re 6-2. They found their passing game. And the Dallas Cowboys are 34-1. Both Washington at 3 and five and the Giants at 2-6. struggling, man. The Dallas Cowboys are second in the NFL in penalties, and it’s really hurt them. They have got to eliminate the penalties to have a chance to hover around, hang around, and perhaps sneak in the playoffs. They have 67 penalties, man, for 555 yards. 29 on the offense, 25 on the defense, and 13 in the kicking game. And they have had too many false starts. They had five I think last week against the Denver Broncos. One on the oneyd line going in for a touchdown and they had to settle for a field goal. God, I hate false starts. Another thing to look at in this game tonight is the Cowboys are really good at home, especially on offense. They’re 20 and one. They average 41.3 points per game at home and 441 yards. That’s number one in the NFL. I think these guys like playing in that big dome, man. I would. Arizona is just five and 15 on the road. They have struggled under head coach Jonathan Ganon. On Monday Night Football, Dak Prescott, you know, he loves the lights. He’s 5-1 as a starting quarterback on Monday Night Football. Though Dallas is 01-1 in prime time this year. Arizona won their last Monday Night Football game last year. They beat Malisk’s Chargers 17 to 15. You know, this is a funny series. The Dallas Cowboys have really struggled against Arizona. Arizona’s won seven out of the last eight meetings. They’ve won the last three meetings in Arlington. So, they’re not afraid of going on the road. Hell, Kyler Murray was 42-0 as a high school quarterback down the street at Allen High School. He won three state championships. Maybe they should play Kyler Murray. I don’t know. The last time these teams met was week three in 2023 at Arizona early in the season. Josh Dobs at quarterback for Arizona shredded Dallas 28-6. Dak Prescott got sacked a couple times early. Arizona got a big lead and hung on. Couple cool things to remember about Dak Prescott. 45 wins, 18 losses, and a tie at home. I love seeing how quarterbacks play after a loss. And Dak Prescott is 3114 and one after a loss. That says a lot about his mental toughness. And I think Prescott’s going to be on the screws on Monday night. When you look at the Arizona quarterback situation, you got to study the numbers. I know Kyler Murray, he’s 38 and 48, one tie as a starter. He’s taken Arizona to the playoffs one time. They got beat 34 to11 a few years ago by the Rams in a wildcard game. But when you look at the performance this year of Murray and Brassette, they’re averaging 20.6 points a game with Kyle Murray. They’re averaging 25 points a game with Jacobe Brassette. And Brassett played against two top 10 scoring defenses, Green Bay and Indianapolis. Passing yards, Murray 186 yards a game, Jacobe Brassette 300. And the football team moves the ball better with Brassette under center. 288 yards a game with Murray. 385 for Jacobe Brassette. So, you gotta be honest, there is a little bit of a controversy. And if Jacobe Brassette shreds this struggling Dallas Cowboy defense, it’s going to really make a case for him to remain a starting quarterback. When you look at these two triggers, Dak Prescott has again proven he’s one of the most prolific passers in the NFL. Statistically, 70% complete, almost 2100 yards, 16 touchdowns, five interceptions. He’s fifth in the league in completion percentage, third in the league in yards, and he’s also number one with 204 completions, and he leads the NFL with 290 attempts. What I love the most is his tight window accuracy. There is a stat out there and I get access to these stats because I just sit in here and crunch numbers all day and watch tape. Prescott has completed 20% of his throws in tight windows. That’s one yard or less of separation. And it’s not really even close over the last couple years. Who’s the most daring, confident tight window passer? It’s Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys. He also has some of the best freaking wide outs you will see. The addition of Pickkins, CD Lambs, healthy again, and Ferguson, their tight end. He’s got over 50 grabs as well. Don’t go to sleep on Jacobe Brassette. This guy is dangerous. He’s very tough and athletic in just two games, 599 yards passing, four touchdowns, and a pick. He’s got Arizona on the move. I think both coaches are in desperation mode. Think about it. If you’re Jonathan Ganon and you got a fourth down situation, go for it. We got to score, man, because you know Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys have the potential to put numbers up. I think this is going to be a go for it situation. Wouldn’t be surprised if we saw some trickery in the kicking game from Arizona. And if you’re Brian Shottenheimimer, all you got to do is go back to last week’s game in Denver. It’s fourth and four. You’re on your own 45 yardd line. You’re down 30-7. He chose to punt. He trusted his defense. Bam. 3717. Game over. I think Brian’s going to go for it. Take some aggressive shots. He’s going to do everything he can to keep the ball in Prescott’s hands. If they have to outscore people to win, he’s going to really go all out to do that with his decision-making. Finally, we have two very good kickers in the game. I think the best kicker I’ve ever seen is Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys. I mean, this guy’s 29 out of 32 from over 50 yards. I’ve been on teams where we didn’t even let our kicker try a kick over 50 yards. Hell, if you miss a 52 y, you give them the ball at the 42 yardd line. Jake, you guys know the risk involved. But with Aubrey, holy he’s like Mr. Automatic. And this kicker for the Cardinals, Chris Ryland, he’s had a nice year as well. 13 for 15 on field goals, 16 for 16 on Pats. And there are some injuries, some really important things to look out for for the Arizona Cardinals. Garrett Williams, if he plays, if he’s healthy, that is a significant change of scheme for Arizona. He can play outside. He can play the nickel position. He allows him to play a lot more man-to-man and free up Buddha Baker. Garrett Williams, before you do anything, see if he’s active. And then Walter Nolan, where the hell has he been, Walter? He hurt his calf in training camp. He’s a number one pick. Supposed to go in there and raise hell so guys like Josh Sweat and Baron Browning can get off on the outside. I think he might play. BJ Oilari, he’s coming back, but not this week. Outside linebacker, another pass rusher. Kyler Murray, his foot, is he active? If he is, there could be some plays for Kyler Murray in this game to use his legs against this struggling Cowboy defense. And then De Marcado, the running back, he had an ankle. He was inactive last week against the Green Bay Packers. Demercado. Okay. You don’t know who the Arizona Cardinals running backs are, do you? I bet you don’t because I don’t. I’m just learning who Demercardo is. Now, for the Dallas Cowboys, I have never seen safeties get hurt like they get hurt in a Dallas football team this year. Donovan Wilson, he might play. He’s got shoulder issues. He’s got a lot of issues with his body. Number six, Donovan Wilson. We need him to play if you’re a Cowboy. Thomas, number two, the other safety. He had migraines the last couple weeks. We don’t know what his status is. And then Elijah Clark, who started at safety last week, I believe he’s out. Then if you throw in Hooker, who is their opening day starter at safety, that’s your top four safeties. So I would do a lot of due diligence on Donovan Wilson and one Jay Thomas. see if those guys are playing because if they aren’t, Advantage Arizona, they are going to welcome back Cooper BB. I believe BB will be the center. He’s missed the last six weeks. It’ll be good to have him back in the pivot. And linebacker Jack Sandborn, third leading tackler, who came over from the Bears, looks like he’s out. Let’s go. Let’s get into this matchup. We have two teams that desperately need a win. This offense defense matchup is brought to you by Fox 1. On Fox one, you can stream your favorite live sports so you never miss those did you see that moment. That means Fox NFL Sundays are now on Fox 1. It’s NFL Sundays all streaming live the way it was meant to be watched. It’s also the best way to stay locked in on your action. Whether you’re sweating your fantasy matchup, tracking a parlay, or just riding the chaos live as it happens. I can’t stand watching things on delay. I got to see it live. Start your 7-day free trial today. Offers are subject to change. Go to Fox1 for complete terms and conditions. [Music] Okay. The Dallas Cowboys offense against this Arizona defense. You’re going to get a chance to see one of the best, if not the best offense in football. This Cowboy offense is complete, man. They’re athletic up front on the offensive line. They’ve got gifted receivers. And Javvante Williams one-year $3 million contract. He has done things at the running back position that the Cowboys haven’t seen in some time. This is a balanced offense with a veteran quarterback in the perfect indoor conditions. These guys are really good at home. When I look at the Cowboys, I think they got to play a perfect game on offense. I think they have the coaches and the players to play even better than the numbers show. And the numbers show a lot of great things. They got to eliminate the penalties. I’ve said that already. In particular, the pre- snap penalties. You can’t jump off sides on the one yard line and expect to win a football game on the road against the Denver Broncos. Some of the penalties are ridiculous. Holding calls, false starts, lining up off sides. Hell, I even saw CD Lamb jump off sides. They got to concentrate. They got to wire in down after down after down if they want to get back in this race. Most importantly, they have to protect Dak Prescott. And they all got to do their part. Chips by the backs. Tight ends nudging on your way out. Offensive line, the help system. If you’re uncovered, look for work. Kapow. You got to make sure we go all in on protecting Dak Prescott. Look at the numbers. When he gets hit and sacked like he did last week, the Cowboys aren’t going to win. He got hit eight times. He took two sacks. They ran a trap pass. He threw a sight adjustment to his left and got pulverized. Then they ran some tricky playaction pass where the center pulled around and did some crazy stuff. He threw a 28-yard pass. He got hit by a truck. I mean, they hit him hard, man. And they sacked him twice. And it affect the play of Prescott. When you take a good look at Prescott’s numbers, when he’s been sacked two or more times this year, he’s thrown three touchdowns and five interceptions. But if you look at the games where he has only been sacked one time or less, guess what? 13 touchdowns, no picks. And I used to say this a lot as a coach. You know, hey, we only got sacked one time today. The guy got hit 12 times. So you raise hell on the sidelines. You raise hell in the meeting room. You raise hell on the practice field until the protection is at an elite level. That’s what Prescott needs. And if he gets it, you better look out cuz they can move the ball and thrash anybody. The run game of the Dallas Cowboys might be the biggest surprise. I mean, they got a lot of young guys. I know they’re high picks on the offensive line, but who’s the running back? Everybody said, “Who’s the running back?” I don’t know why they let Rico Dowel out of here in the first place. He had a thousand yards last year and if Carolina just gives him the ball, he might break an NFL record. That’s for another day. They signed Javvante Williams, the ex Denver Bronco. He had a major injury in Denver. This guy is on a mission. And you talk about numbers. Javvante Williams 124 carries, 635 yards, eight touchdowns in seven games. And he’s caught 24 passes. the last Cowboy running back to catch 24 passes, run for 635 and eight touchdowns in the first seven games. You know what his name was, Jake? Emtt Smith, man. 1995 from right here at the University of Florida. So, if you’re a Cowboy fans, get a Javvante Williams jersey. He has really helped the Cowboys legitimize the running game and it has set up some beautiful playaction passes for Prescott. My god, the numbers in this playaction offense are awesome. They’re running play action off the duo. They’re running trap pass off the one back power play. They’re moving the pocket with Prescott. They’re playaction pass offense. I’m making cutups of it right now. So when I come back and coach and I’ll be back. It might be a Jones Junior high, but I’ll be back. I’m going to run some of these exact plays and I’m going to say, “Look what Prescott does. We want to do this.” 84% complete, man. And a 137 QBR on playaction passes. That’s phenomenal. And you know what? When you study Prescott, which I have because he’s been on Gruda’s QB class, you know, coming out of Mississippi State, 10th year, every year he’s got over 100 QBR in play action. He’s a great ball handler. He’s willing to turn his back to the defense. I’m not talking about these RPO bubble passes. I’m talking about turning your back to the defense, extending the ball, trusting your protection, setting up, and having the intent to throw the ball down the field to these great receivers. It’s a lovely thing. 30% of the Dallas Cowboy passing game are some form of playaction passes. And I think that’s a big reason why they’re on top of the league throwing the football. The Cowboys use 11 personnel almost 70% of the time, which is pretty high above the league average. What is 11 personnel, Clay? How many backs? One, Jake, how many tight ends? One. Therefore, how many receivers, Clay? Three. That’s right. And wouldn’t you play three receivers at a time? If you had George Pickin, CD Lamb, and you had about five other guys that are badasses. I mean, they got Cavante Turban, Jaylen Tolbert, and they got this kid out of southeast Missouri named Florinoi. They’re all badasses, man. Play three at a time. Hell, if I didn’t have Jake Ferguson, I might play 10 personnel. That’s one back and how many tight ends? Zero. How many receivers would that be? Four. Don’t be surprised. But they got Jake Ferguson, another great receiving tight end. But they’re using 11 personnel with Javvante Williams as the back. And I’m convinced Dak can walk up there in a trip’s formation. And if it’s cover two, they’re doubling pickings or doubling CD. They’ll hand the ball to Javvante Williams and he’ll bam right down your throat. If you play a single high defense, you load the box. God help you. Good luck against Pickkins and CD Lamb. They can kill you. It’s a really well orchestrated offense. They average seven yards per play in 11 personnel. That’s outstanding. And they use that threeletter thing. I love RC. Prescott has a lot of freedom when he recognizes a matchup. He’ll communicate whether verbally or non-verbally and they’ll execute at a high level. It’s fun to watch. I can’t wait to see the Cowboys at home where they average 41 points a game. The offense has to carry the team. We’ve said that. We got to keep maintaining that thought throughout the game. They’ve scored in 20 straight quarters. That’s how consistent they have been. You know, in the NFL, there are four players with 40 catches and six touchdowns or more. Think about it. Four players that have 40 or more catches and six or more touchdowns. Two of them are on Dallas. Which two are they, Clay? Pickings and Lamb. You would think so. One of them is Pickkins. The other one is Jake Ferguson. He’s got 51 grabs and six touchdowns. Remember, CD Lambs missed a few games. So, just think about the firepower that they have. I bet it keeps Arizona’s defensive coordinator Nick RS up at night. Let’s talk about this Arizona Cardinal defense. You know, their statistics aren’t great. They’re not bad. They’re kind of down the middle, but the biggest thing they got to do better is close games out fourth quarter. And I know that’s a big issue with this defensive coaching staff and all of these defensive players. Who do we trust in the fourth quarter pass rush? And if we can’t get there with four, should we consider more blitzing? But when you look at the fourth quarter pass rush, we don’t want to point fingers, right? But what did Micah Parsons do a couple weeks to Arizona in the fourth quarter? Kaboom. He ended their day. What did Charles Haley do for the Dallas Cowboys when Aman and Irvin and all the guys got a big lead? Kapow. You guys know what I’m saying? Yes. What do you think Chris Jones just got paid for in Kansas City? You got to have closers in the fourth quarter on your defense right now. Josh Sweat, the ex- Philadelphia Eagle, he’s the guy they’re counting on to rush off the right side. Galas Campbell, he’s a guy they got to count on on the inside. They’ve been using two guys coming off the other side. Baron Browning and number 25, Zavan Collins. They need those guys to raise hell. And then these inside guys over here, where in the heck is my man Darius Robinson, first round pick out of Missouri? I haven’t felt him yet. Still’s 55. Maybe it’s Walter Nolan. Bottom line is when you get outscored like this in the fourth quarter, you got to take a good look at your fourth quarter pass rush and why we’re not able to end the day. I mean, you can’t be this kind of a defense where you go the whole season, in seven games, they’ve given up 20 points in the first quarter. That tells you you have the guys you need to get it done. Do you guys agree or not, Jake? Hell yeah, you agree. But in the fourth quarter, you’ve given up 76 points. That’s 10.9 points a game in the fourth quarter. That’s 31st in the league. Only the Steelers have given up more points in the fourth quarter. So, when we get to the fourth quarter tonight, everybody do this with their hands. Let’s go, Arizona. Close the deal, man. If they don’t close the deal, there’s going to have to be more changes made. Arizona only blitzes 20% of the time. This is the fewest amount of blitzes in the NFL. A lot of it might have to do with the injuries they’ve had in the secondary. I’ve told you Garrett Williams is a very important guy. And not only do they not blitz much, they don’t get much pressure. Right now, Arizona has a 4.1% [Music] sack rate. They’re not getting to the quarterback enough. And if it wasn’t for Josh Sweat and Kus Campbell, I wouldn’t know if any of these guys are even on Arizona’s pass rush unit. They’re just not getting home enough. and it’s really hurt this team, especially in obvious passing situations in the fourth quarter when you get tired. So, when you think about this, if you don’t get near Dak Prescott, and we’ve already said this team, they don’t blitz. They play a lot of three safety looks at a time. They have Jaylen Thompson, a hell of a kid playing in the nickel, number 34, but he is technically a safety. So, you know, they’re going to play a lot of zone. They don’t want to have him in there playing a lot of man-to-man against some of these crafty receivers that have three-way goes, man. So, when you play a lot of zone, you don’t get a lot of pressure. Dak Prescott, he might open a case of whoopass, man. It might be a long day for you. They have got to hit Prescott. I told you that early. When he’s been hit and sacked, he’s not as effective. And Arizona’s got to find a way to blitz more or get more pressure. That’s why I think Nick RS I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t heat up Prescott more than he has anybody else. The whole defense really has been set up around their seventime Pro Bowl safety Buddha Baker number three. Whether you like football or love football, do yourself a favor and watch number three. Just zoom in on him with your eyes for a few plays. Every single play is exactly the same. He never misses a snap. He’s 100 miles an hour. He’s totally invested in this defense and he plays his ass off. He’s a great communicator. He’s doing a nice job. They try to determine the situation, the formation, the personnel grouping, where they think the ball is going. What do we call to get Buddha Baker in position to make the most plays? And I think it’s really important to keep an eye on that. If you’re the Dallas Cowboys, they are going to bring Buddha Baker. If they bring anybody on a blitz, it’s going to be number three. and he’s a hell of a prime time player. I love him. Last thing with coach RS, he’s a very young defensive coordinator and I’ve been really impressed with the progress he’s made yearby year, the improvements in this Arizona defense. Yes, they have to address the fourth quarter, but he’s got some stuff in his history that’s pretty cool. Against Dallas in 2023, Arizona ran this amoeba defense I called it. You know what a amoeba is? It’s like an organism with no cells. I don’t know what it is, but they had these guys just walking around. They had like four or five guys walking around the center, walking around here, walking around in the secondary. Boom, the ball be snapped. Three come over there, one come over there, and they confused Dallas a couple times early. I look for some confusion fronts from Coach RS against this young offensive line of the Cowboys because they have had some injuries. Cooper BB’s been out six weeks. Let’s do some things to screw up the young center who’s just coming back. Who’s the mic? I don’t know. It looked like an amoeba. All right, let’s talk about the personnel matchups. The Dallas Cowboy offensive line, I give them credit. They’re in the top 10 in every major category. They’ve only given up 10 sacks. The sack percentage, the pressure rate, they’re in the top 10. And their yards per game rushing the football, they’re all in the top 10 in every major category. The four guys from right guard to left tackle have all missed time. That’s why they’ve done a hell of a job keeping things operating under these adverse circumstances. Tyler Gton at left tackle, Tyler Smith at left guard. First round draft choices. The left guard Smith is outstanding. He’s a hell of a player. He can do a lot of different things. Gayton is getting confidence. He’s on the rise. He’s getting better in one-on-one pass protection. He can really recover and when they help him, he’s doing a pretty good job. It’s just when you help him on the outside, he can’t overset and get beat inside like he did last week against Denver. But I like the progress. Cooper BB, he’s a work in progress, but he’s a secondyear player out of Kansas State. He’s coming off a six-game absence. And Brock Hoffman, number 67, really played well. So, it’s a real positive to have two centers with a veteran quarterback like Prescott. Really like their first round pick, Tyler Booker, 52, out of Alabama. He has a playing style I love. How many guys would love to put on all these pads and go blasting into people? This guy loves it, man. He has a great energy about him. Perfect temperament to be a right guard for the Dallas Cowboys. and Terence Steel, he’s the only guy on the front that has started every single game. So, it’s a good offensive line is playing really good together. And if they can play great, like some of these former Dallas Cowboy offensive linemen, their quarterback will shred you. That’s really important for the defensive line of Arizona. There’s so many names up here, you know, I don’t know how I ever go out to go golf anymore. My wife is like, “Are you going to play golf with your friends?” I’m like, “Shit, I got to watch Arizona to see who’s playing.” Josh Sweat is the man. Came over from Philly. He’s got five sacks, two force fumbles. He has more pressures than anybody on Arizona’s team. He’s going to rush over here against Steel. So, if you’re sitting at home, that’s the matchup that would really bother me if I was Dallas because I think Sweat has an arsenal of moves and if they can get Dallas behind in the chains, he can ruin the game. They got to get help. uh Josh Sweat on the other side. It’s going to be a combination of guys. I see Baron Browning playing about 50% of the time. He’s number five. He’s an outside linebacker in their base defense and he has some production. He’s intercepted a pass. He’s got a couple sacks, but they use Xavan Collins, number 25, former linebacker, if you remember, at Tulsa, number one pick. He’s kind of a guy looking for a home, man. I’ve seen him play over the guard. He’s played outside linebacker, inside linebacker. Xavan Collins, 17 tackles and a sack. And Baron Browning are going to switch switch it up over here against Tyler Gayton on the left side. And inside the player you got to see is Kas freaking Campbell. He’s number 93. He’s 39 years old. He’s in his 18th season. You know, Kas Campbell, he’s only playing 50% of the snaps, but which inside pass rusher has the most pressures, Jake? Kus Campbell. I mean, the guy’s unbelievable. He’s got three sacks. He’s hit the quarterback more than anybody on the Cardinals, and he’s got five tackles for loss. He came off the ball against Green Bay and made a TFL on the backside. He looked like Kas Campbell from 19, I don’t know, 90, maybe that was a little early. He looked like Kas Campbell when he was young. Dalvin Tomlinson 94 is the nose. He’s not much of a pass rusher, but he’s still a good run defender. You’ll see Dante Stills. He’s got 10 tackles and a sack. Number 55. I want to know where Darius Robinson is. Number 56. He’s a first round pick. Come on, Darius. Let’s go, man. It’s a Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. And where in the heck is this Walter Nolan at? He’s missed the whole season. He’s had a calf. I’m hearing he’s gonna play. We need Nolan and Robinson to go inside with Kusas Campbell and raise hell so guys like Josh Sweat, Xavan Collins, and Baron Browning can go to work. It’s going to take a hell of an effort to get to Prescott, knock him off the spot. The running back for the Cowboys, we talked about Javvante Williams and the production that he has had. Remember this though, they’re missing Miles Sanders who got hurt. He was the backup running back who had done a real nice job. The secondary back is number 23 Jaden Blue out of Texas. He hasn’t gotten started yet. 22 carries, 65 yards. That’s under three yards a pop. Both of these backs, I think, better be ready for number three blitzing off the edge somewhere. Buddha Baker, they got to pick up blitzes. They got to be a big part of the help system. Their pass protection, as I said at the start of this, is as important as their production with the football. They also use a fullback number 40, Hunter Lipkkey. You’ll see him in there. Some short yardage, goal line situations. Mike McCarthy even used him as a third down back last year. Hunter Lipkkey number 40. Old school. Remember Moose Johnson playing in front of EMTT. Sometimes I have flashbacks watching these two back sets. The linebackers for Arizona, they’re led by number two, M. Wilson. This guy comes over in free agency. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him leave the field. He leads the Arizona Cardinals in tackles. He’s missed a few tackles, but son of a The guy’s got to be tired, man. He goes a 100 miles an hour. He’s got six PBUs, man. So, he is a factor in zone coverage. Keying a quarterback, breaking drive kind of linebacker. He’ll spike you in the ground, man. 53 tackles. He loves playing football. And the ex Cincinnati Bengal, Hakee Davis Gaither, has come over and done a nice job. Now, he only plays about 70% of the plays. They do use some dime defense where just M. Wilson will play by himself. But Aake Davis Gaither, I bet the Bengals are wondering why the hell did we let him out of here? He’s wearing number 27. And those are two pretty good linebackers that can play in some of these open formations like 11 personnel that Brian Shottenheimr uses. You will also see Darren Hall. I saw him number 30. He comes in as an extra linebacker. He’s a DB, but when they want to get more speed on the field, they’ll leave M. Wilson in the game. They’ll bring in 30 Darren Halls, a dime linebacker to match up better with tight ends and backs coming out of the back field. The matchups on the outside will be critical. It’ll be interesting to see their left corner, Will Johnson, number zero. He’s the guy from Michigan who fell into the second round. Everybody was up in arms. He didn’t run at the combine. Whatever. He is a good young player. He wears number zero. You know how much I like that. Don’t you? I hate that number. But I like this player. He missed a couple games with the groin. He’s got a couple passes broken up. He shows good patience. He’s been a good wrap-up tackler and he’s avoided the big plays, which is pretty good for a young guy. But keep an eye on the rookie because he’s going to see a couple guys that are really good, man. I mean, how would you like to be a rookie corner? I don’t care who you are, and you run out there, here comes CD Lamb, number 88. Lamb is healthy. He’s had four healthy games. 110, 112, 110, and 74 yards. He just needs eight catches. This is how good he’s been in 86 games. Eight more catches for CD Lamb. And he passes Dez Bryant as the number three all-time receiver in Cowboy history. Can you name the top two? Of course, Jason Whitten and the playmaker, Michael Irvin. Man, I love Michael Irvin. Anyways, to be in that category this fast tells you how good he is. He is unbelievable after the catch. He is built like a running back. He’s got great stamina and they’re going to line him up everywhere. But keep an eye on number zero. I would love to see Will Johnson meet the challenge. Man, this is when you make a name for yourself. Monday Night Football against receivers like this. On the other side, I can’t say enough about this George Pickins. If I had to take one receiver right now, I’d probably take Pickkins. You know, they gave up a third round draft choice to get George Pickkins. I tried the same thing with the Steelers. I gave up a third round pick for Mark Davis Bryant. WW didn’t work out. Then I wanted to have Antonio Brown in the worst worst way. I gave up a third round pick for him, too. He didn’t like me either. It didn’t work out. But the dog gone Cowboys, they get pickings for a third round pick. He’s got 43 catches, man, for 685 yards and six touchdowns. He’s running all kind of routes. It’s not just a 50/50 guy. He runs a slant route against Carolina. Plus it like boom, gone, touchdown. I love the way he’s playing. I said earlier, Prescott leads the league in tight window passes. Who do you think is the number one tight window receiver in all of football, Jake? George Pickicket. I mean, you could throw that ball over his head, down on the ground. He has hands like this, like suction cups. Is that a good analogy? Or a vacuum cleaner. And this guy’s hands are unbelievable. He catches this some better than anybody I’ve ever seen. I love him. He’s wearing number three. When he lines up over here, he’s going to see number 16, Max Melton. Max Melton, the young corner out of Ruters. I’ve seen this guy Clark number 13. But you can see why Arizona’s playing a lot of zone. Maybe some cover, too. Because if it becomes a single high defense and I’m Dak Prescott, I’m looking for the rookie Johnson and I’m looking over here for Max Melton and I’m going to find out about these guys. And it’s a real cool operation Dallas has the slot receiver for the Cowboys. Well, Hell’s Bells. Who’s it going to be? Gavvante Turpin is back. He’s a Pro Bowl kick returner. Talk about fast. He’s like a light switch. He goes over there on a jet sweep. Turpin. He’s got 13 catches, 174 yards. They’ve handed it to him six times. And how about this number one guy, Jaylen Tolbert? Last week against Denver at the end of the game, a lot of you guys quit on the game. You probably went out, got some dinner. Tolbert, boom, touchdown against Riley Moss on a go ball. That guy’s got 14 for 172. And over here, this Florenoi kid, he’s got 14 for 182. They got three backup receivers that could be starting for a lot of teams, man. And that’s no I mean, they got a lot of depth and they really keep coming at you. So when CD comes out of the game, you’re like, “Thank God he’s out.” They bring in one of these guys and it’s like, man, it’s it’s a really high impact offense. They got a lot of good skill. The tight end for the Cowboys, they use three of them. When they throw the ball, they throw it to Jake Ferguson. What a year he’s had. You can see why they gave him the big contract in training camp. 51 grabs, only 334, 6.6 yards a catch, but he has six touchdowns. What happens is you get all this zone. All these people are playing on top of CD and Pickings. And here’s Ferguson. Six, eight, nine, five, seven, six touchdowns. What a pain in the ass Ferguson is. Prescott did have an interception throwing it to Ferguson last week against Denver. Covered two man. I thought Ferguson could have shook that guy off a little bit more, but he’s been really, really good. They use this Brevin Span Ford guy, number 88, Brevin Span Ford. I love that name. He’s 87. He comes in, does a lot of dirty work in the running game, man. Whamming guys, pulling on counters at the point of attack, sifting across. The guy’s a good run player. Then they got Skoona Maker. How about that name, Skoona Maker? He had a big catch in the red zone last week. Scooter Baker has seven grabs. Span Forward has three. It’s not like they don’t use him in the passing game. And for the two safeties, Arizona’s got a couple guys playing well. Don’t lose sight of Taylor Demerson, number 42. This guy’s a good young player, man. Taylor Demerson, he’s got two interceptions. He’s got 33 tackles. Most of the time, he plays in the post. He plays deep. And that allows Buddha Baker to shake and bake down low around the line of scrimmage. So Taylor Demerson has been pretty reliable deep. He’s got some range and ball skills. And Buddha Baker is a guy they like to bring around to get in the action in the Brier Patch. But both of those safeties will have a lot to do with negating Ferguson in the passing game. Arizona’s going to have their hands full and they’re going to have to play their ass off. Hopefully Garrett Williams and Walter Nolan can come back and help because Arizona’s in for a real workout. You know, I get tired sometimes hearing these offensive coordinators get thrown under the bus by their own team. I mean, I remember when they lost to the Tennessee Titans, Drew Petting, the offensive coordinator, they’ve got the ball with three minutes left and they’re ahead 21-9. And Ping calls running plays. Run, run, run. making Tennessee use their timeouts, try to get a first down and end their day. Well, they run a power play on third and one. They get the first down, but number 84 Elijah Higgins, he missed at the point of attack. It might have been a 15yd gain, but they got the first down. So, they come back with an outside zone to the tight end side. And I swear Paris Johnson, the left tackle, if he gets that block on the second level, that thing could come back for about eight yards. But they don’t get that block. And then on second and eight, they ran a 96 power king. And there’s my guy number 84, Elijah Higgins, playing fullback. He misses at the point of attack. Man, it could have been a hell of a play. And then on third and eight, they ran a 97F counter to the backside. They pulled the guard, they pulled Higgins, and both tight ends at the point of attack with. So here’s the challenge. You guys want to run the ball, you got to block people. And I encourage Arizona, every guy, all hands on decks. Let’s turn this thing up. It’s these little details that are killing us in the fourth quarter. But let’s pick it up. Okay, the Arizona Cardinal offense and the Dallas Cowboy defense. There’s a lot of interesting things here for sure. Drew Petting is the offensive coordinator of Arizona. He’s in his third year. Normally you see offenses go here to here and they keep getting better and better. So far this year, the Arizona offense has been a little bit sluggish. They’ve had the same group for the most part on the offensive line. Not like they’ve had injuries. They’ve lost their top two backs. That hurts them. James Connor out for the season unfortunately. Trey Benson got hurt. He won’t be back for another couple weeks. That has hurt Arizona. But they’ve had pretty much the same receiving core. They have a Pro Bowl tight end and Trey McBride. Kyler Murray, he has missed the last two games, but it wasn’t like he was lighting the world on fire the first four or five weeks. So, Arizona’s been disappointing. They’re 19th in scoring, 22nd in total, 20th in rushing offense and 23rd in pass offense. But the running game, 173 yards of it, their number one rusher is Kyler Murray just running around making plays. They’re really not a top 20 rushing team. They’re really in the bottom five if you ask me. If you take out Kyler Murray’s runs, this offense to me has raised more questions than answers this season. I mean, I got to ask you, is Kyler Murray the guy that you want going forward? He’s 38 and 48. His one loss record against the NFC West is not good. He’s had some injuries. He’s hurt now. And is Marvin Harrison, is he all that he’s hyped up to be? Not to be negative, but when I’m watching the tape, I just see a lot of drops. I don’t see the firepower that I was hoping to see, especially in your second season. We got to see Harrison come to life Monday night and just jump on this Cowboys secondary with all the injuries and all the problems they have had. So, who is the quarterback moving forward at Arizona? What if Jacobe Brricette lights it up? That’s going to be interesting. I’m glad it’s not my problem. Arizona has had very few explosive plays. It’s not been a fun offense to watch. They don’t have very many runs that go over 10 yards. They’re at the bottom of the league. They don’t get many plus 20 explosive plays in the passing game. They’re at the bottom of the league. They’ve had to do it the long hard way. They do get a lot of time of possession. 31 minutes and 40 seconds per game. That’s seventh in the league. So, they’re out there a lot. They’re just not making a lot of plays, chunk plays, and scoring enough points. There really hasn’t been much of a running game in Arizona this season. We talked about losing James Connor, but even Connor averaged just barely three yards a carry when he was out there. It was all Murray scramble yards that maintained a lot of these drives. And now when you look at the running back, the go-to runner is going to be Bam Knight. That’s right, Bam Knight out of North Carolina State. He has 29 carries, 102 yards, 3.5 yards a carry. Who the hell’s Bam Knight? We’re going to find out. And then the backup is Amari De Marcado. He wears number 31. So these are two obscure backs that get the opportunity of a lifetime. They need to jumpstart this Arizona run game so they can get after this 29th ranked Dallas Cowboy run defense. When I look at Arizona’s passing game, everything goes through Trey McBride. You know, Trey McBride, he’s had a really good year. He’s got 47 catches, 421 yards, four touchdowns, had two last week against Green Bay, but he only averages nine yards a catch. And they’ve targeted him 67 times. It almost looks like it’s one and done to McBride at times. They’re just not getting enough from this receiving core. And Marvin Harrison, as much as I get excited to watch him, number 18 has been awful quiet. 24 catches is all he has. That’s 74th in the NFL. He has 396 yards receiving. That’s 34th in the NFL. I’m hoping he can be number one sometime in his near future. I think that’s the billing that he has. He’s got two touchdown catches and I have them for four drops. So, it’s been really helter skelter. been hard to watch. He hasn’t reached the true potential. I don’t believe they only have two receivers on this football team that have 15 or more catches. Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison. Where the hell’s everybody else? Z Jones, former Raider, 12 catches, 183 yards. He’s coming on 15.2 yards a catch. And Michael Wilson, he wears 14. He’s got 13 catches, 136 yards. I think this is just me, Clay. I think Arizona walks into Dallas, has a lot of respect for the history the Cowboys have offensively. Has a pretty good anticipation Dallas is going to score. Are you guys with me? Let’s throw it 50 times. 50 times. Let’s not feature Bam Knight. Let’s not feature De Marcado yet. Let’s get Marvin Harrison his AC/DC hat. Let’s freaking go. Turn this up, man. Let’s go Arizona. We got McBride. Let’s believe in Zay Jones and Michael Wilson. And let’s get after Dallas in the passing game like everybody else. You guys love it. Love it. This is an opportunity it looks like on paper for Harrison and this Arizona receiving core to get right and do some great things and gain some confidence down the stretch. But when you look at Arizona play coming into this game, they use multiple tight ends almost 45% of the time. Trey McBride is out there. Hell, they’re using Kelvin Beechum, number 68, a veteran offensive tackle. He’s 35 years old. They’re using him as a tight end to help in pass protection or help in a running game. Well, Hell’s Bells, we’re not going to throw it to Kelvin Beach. Get him off the field. Let’s throw it, man. remember this hat, AC/DC. Let’s get it going. But Beachham, he’s played 13 plays, 19 plays, and 11 plays in the last three games. And according to my math, that’s 43 plays he’s out there. And right now, he has no catches. So, if you’re not throwing it to him and you’re not throwing it to these running backs and you’re not throwing it to the receivers, you’re just throwing it to McBride, you’re playing right into the Cowboys hands on defense. I think it’s really important in this game. I know the Cowboys aren’t a really highrespected pass rush unit, but let me tell you, they got guys that are very dangerous. We’ll get into that in a second. But the pass protection plan of Arizona’s got to be scrutinized. I hope they did that during the by-week because Micah Parsons, he got 11 pressures. He had four sacks. One of them got called back, probably because he hit the quarterback too hard. They gave him way too many one-on- ones. They gave Parsons more one-on-one opportunities than I’ve ever seen. It’s almost like saying, “Hey, hey, Otani, I’m throwing you a fast ball.” Boom. You got to help, man. We got to get chips over here for Paris Johnson. We got to help Jonah Williams in some critical passing situations. We can’t let these defensive ends get off on us and ruin our day. Jacobe Brassette in his two starts, he’s been really impressive to me. Forget the 600 yards and four touchdowns. I’m telling you, he’s been under pressure over 50% of the time. He’s getting out of the trouble. He’s having to make throwaways. And he’s been sacked eight times. I think he’s been hit 15 times in two games. They got to address their protection plan. Keep their quarterback clean with the same details that the Cowboys have keeping their guy clean. Very important. Brissette is very aggressive on third and long. If you look at the Green Bay game, third and 17, he kept it alive. Big play to McBride. Third and 23. Hard count, threw it over their head for a huge 40-yard gain. Third and 14, another conversion down the field to Marvin Harrison. So on third and long, Dallas, you better not go to sleep because this guy Brassette, he’s airing it out. Really cool thing about Drew Petting, the offensive coordinator, he’s got a big sideline sheet. They got a lot of plays. They got a lot of personnel groupings. They have no back sets. Brassett’s always like that from the days he was at North Carolina State because when you spread out the defense, scramble lanes develop and Brassette can still take you on like a running back. They’ll use 13 personnel, three tight ends. They’ll use jumbo formations with Kelvin Beichum playing tight end. They’ll use 11 personnel and 12 personnel. They have it all. They use two back sets. They’ll bring in number 45, Josiah Dguera. He’ll sneak in the game and be a fullback. They create two back sets, a lot of playaction passes and movement. But I think this is the game coming off the buy. We’re going to open it up. We’re going to protect our quarterback and we’re going to rip it. As John Daly said, we’re going to grip it. And we’re going to rip it. This Dallas Cowboy defense, you know, when you think of the Cowboy defense, you think of the doomsday defense. Chuck Howie, Leroy Jordan, Mel Rimfro, Bob Lily. Good God, they had a lot of great players. Right now, this defense is kind of the gloom’s day for us defense. I mean, it’s been gloomy, man. I mean, I’m not going to sit up here and just pile on the negative statistics. We’re not going to blame it on the owner for trading Micah Parsons. I don’t even know if Micah Parsons could have saved the stuff I’ve seen on tape. Well, maybe he could have if he played like he did last week. Holy Right now, it just seems like this defense is battling Cincinnati for who’s going to have the worst statistical season in the NFL this year. It’s just not been good. The sheer numbers, 31.3 points a game, 405 yards per game. You’re not going to win like that. You’re just not going to win. I hear they’re going to make a trade before the trade deadline. You know, I’ve been there before. You might want to consider making a couple trades, honestly. or you got to start poaching players off of other teams practice squads. You know, if guys aren’t taking advantage of these opportunities to play if they aren’t getting better and eliminating the mistakes, you got to do whatever you got to do to find more players, different players. You know, you can blame the coaches for just about everything, but sometimes, you know, you got to look really hard at your roster and find out, are there other ways to get better? The thing I know is I know Matt Eberfloose, a defensive coordinator, and I know a lot of these coaches on this staff, they’re going to keep working. They’re going to keep believing in these young guys. And I’m challenging you young players. Take advantage of these reps. Walkth through reps, practice reps, game reps. Problem is, Dallas has too many guys that are freaking hurt that don’t practice and miss practice time. Got to eliminate the big plays. My god, you talk about the number one problem. It’s guys making mistakes and they’re getting gashed. 35 runs of 10 or more yards, number one in the NFL. Eight passes of over 40 yards, number one in the NFL. And 28 passes of 20 yards or more. That’s at the top of the league. You know, I used to stand down there when you have a struggling defense, you’re like, can we get off the field? Can we get him to third down? That’s some of the problem right now. Last week at halftime, Shawn Peyton’s Denver Broncos had four touchdowns and they only punted three times. So, they got to do a lot of things better on all three levels. The biggest problem with this defense is the inside of the defense. I mean, the communication, the coverage, and it starts at the back end. We’ve talked about the injuries they’ve had at safety. Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, those are your starters. Hell, both of them are out. Then you look over here at one J Thomas. He’s wearing number two. He’s got migraines. He’s out for two weeks. Then they find Elijah Clark on their practice squad. He goes out there. He’s running down the field. A rib pops out. He’s out. They’ve lost four safeties. So now they got to go to Ready Stewart. Ready Stewart, who’s a rookie nickel corner playing his ass off. And they say, “Hey, Ready, the emergency glass just broke. You got to go back here and play safety.” That ain’t fair to Matt Eber flu. That ain’t fair to Ready. That ain’t fair to this defense. These safeties are all hurt and they got to get well. I’m hoping that one Jay Thomas and Donovan Wilson are back because they desperately need them. You know, I look back at the last Super Bowl champion, 1996 Dallas Cowboys. You know who the safeties were? Darren Freaking Woodson, fivetime Pro Bowler. He never missed a start. The other safety was Brock Marion. Okay, he never missed a start. Marian ended up going to Miami making a few Pro Bowls. They had great safety play. Hell, the Super Bowl MVP Larry Brown was at one corner. He never missed the game either. And they had another guy who’s pretty good named Prime something over there at the other corner. Jesus Christy. Let’s get this secondary healthy, man. Let’s start playing like Cowboys. Sorry for yelling. Cowboys are playing a lot of zone for obvious reasons. 78% zone. They did play more man-to-man against Washington in that victory a couple weeks ago. I would like to see them do that. Hopefully, they got enough healthy bodies to go challenge this receiving core of Arizona. They don’t even throw some of these guys the ball. The other area that has really hurt Dallas is their linebackers in coverage. I mean, they’ve blown coverages inside. Last week, they had a threeman rush, and there’s a receiver for Denver standing right over the middle, wide open for a 20-yard gain. man-to-man against Dallas. Nobody covered the back. He went for 70 yards. The coverage of Sheamar James, Jack Sandborn, and Murray hasn’t been good enough. It’s been inconsistent, incomplete. And when you have breakdowns on the back end, and at the intermediate level, you get gashed. The run defense hasn’t been up to speed either. I’ve seen runners come in here. Dobbins of the Broncos had 111 yards last week. Rico Dowel called him out. He had 183 yards for Carolina. Bree Hall had 113. Josh Jacobs had 85. Two touchdowns. Hell’s Bells. They got to stop the run. They got to eliminate the passes on the back end. Call two or three coverages. That’s it. But let’s keep the ball in front of us. Let’s let them self-destruct. Let’s give our defensive line a chance. And I think if they do that, they can outscore Arizona and win some football games here down the stretch. The defensive line, they use a lot of guys, kind of like Arizona. They’ve got seven different defenders that have 10 pressures or more and one sack. They’re led by James Houston, believe it or not, the ex Cleveland Brown. He wears number 53. He’s got three and a half sacks and 18 tackles, but he rarely plays. When he does get in the game, he makes plays. The guy I’m most excited about in Dallas is their rookie draft choice from Boston College, Donathan Esaraku. He’s number 41. Forget about the season. Just look at the last three games. He’s got three tackles for loss, four quarterback hits. He got his first sacked and he forced the fumble. Ezrau 41 and Houston 53. They can give these tackles of Arizona hell, man. Especially if they don’t get help and chip like they did against Green Bay. I like those two rushers. Dante Fowler, he’s been a very good professional pass rusher his whole career. They got you Devian Clowny here number 42. I saw that guy. What the hell is he wearing at number four? But he’s out here in Dallas. They use Neland number 94. They use Sam Williams number 54. They have so many different guys. It’s like hell’s bells. I’m never going to go golfing again. I wish they’d give Ezaraku a lot of work. I wish they’d bulk up on James Houston’s work in some passing situations. Let these guys go to work. Inside it’s Odigi Zua number 97 and it’s Kenny Clark number 95. The guy that came over from Green Bay. Clark has a sack and a half, 16 tackles. Hell, I’ve seen Clark rushing as a power rusher on the outside kind of like Chris Jones. Odigua 97. He’s got a sack. But it’s not about the sacks. It’s about stuffing the run, taking on double teams, knocking people back in the back field, pursuing, poking the ball out. We got to have a bigger factor grade from Clark and Odigizua. You’ll see 90 Solomon Thomas. You’ll see this rookie from UCLA, Hell’s Bells. You’ll see a lot of different guys coming and going. But the key is we got to get a couple of these guys to consistently be part of our future. And I’m hoping it’s Ezrau and I’m hoping to see more of Houston. The offensive line for Arizona, they’ve been intact pretty much the whole season. Paris Johnson at left tackle. He missed a game earlier in the year, but he’s healthy. He gave up a sack to Parsons in a one-on-one situation. I think he’s got to do a better job on the second level in the running game. You got Adams, Froh Holt, and Brown, the interior three have been together playing for some time. And at right tackle, Jonah Williams, just help the man out a little bit in pass protection. But these guys, I think, need a meeting the night before the game. Let’s put the AC/DC hat on, man. Let’s come off the ball. Let’s kick some freaking ass, man. They got to get these young running backs. Bam Knight. And this guy over here, D Marcado, he’s the guy that was running for the touchdown. He got stripped against Tennessee. Guy has some playmaking. Show some confidence. Give these guys some good looks and let’s pass protect our ass off. The matchups on the outside are very concerning to me if I’m a Dallas Cowboy right now with the injuries and all the stuff that they’ve had happen. Remember, Trarevon Diggs is a high paid corner. He hasn’t played. He’s been on IR three straight years. He’s out of the building right now with a knee or a concussion. He’s not in playing shape. He’s out. We’re not even going to have digs. I wouldn’t expect to see him anytime soon. So, at right corner, it’s the ex Buffalo Bill. It’s Cir Elum. He’s wearing number 20. I don’t understand Elum in the running game last week. He takes two terrible angles and Dobbins is just scot-free. He’s got to play better in the running game. And his pass coverage needs to get better, too. I mean, I got 38 targets against Elum, 24 complete for 342 yards and three scores. So, number 20, Elum. He’s been a liability in the passing game and in the running game. And they got to play better there. I do believe you might see Cory Ballentine, the ex Green Bay Packer. They got to get better consistency from their right corner. The left corner is going to be Don Bland when they’re in a base defense. When they go to their nickel, Don Bland is going to come inside and play over the slot. Bland is overworked. He’s playing multiple positions. He was hurt at the start of the year. He had the interception on a careless scramble play against the Commanders. But Bland, he’s been targeted 32 times. He’s got a 104 QBR against him. He’s got the pick. He’s got 35 tackles. I love him in the slot. Land’s got to play better, too. I mean, this guy’s got the new contract. He’s one of the key figures in this Cowboys secondary for years to come. When Bland goes into the nickel spot, they’re bringing in the rookie Taqu Bridges. I don’t know much about Bridges. I know this, he gave up a couple big plays last week against Denver. He’s another young player. And these young guys, man, you got to take advantage of these opportunities. He’s got to play better when Bland goes inside. And the safeties, hell, ask me who the safeties are going to be, Jake. How the hell do I know, man? They’re all hurt. Last week, Marqueis Bell, number 14, started at strong safety. He has 87 career plays in his life, and he’s the starting safety against the Denver Broncos last week. The other safety was Elijah Clark, number 38, off the practice squad. He’s hurt. So, I’m hoping one Jay Thomas comes back at free safety, number two, from the migraines. And I’m hoping at strong safety, it’s number six, Donovan Wilson. Wilson is a stinger. When he comes around the line of scrimmage, he’s a strong safety blitzer. You got to be alert for number six. He’s got two interceptions, 30 plus tackles. He gives them some veteran stability in the back end that they desperately need against a tight end like Trey McBride. Good guy. Where are they throwing the ball every play? Trey McBride. You have to assume with 67 targets that McBride is the man they’re looking for, number 85, especially against the defense that has this limitation at safety with these injuries. You know, Trey McBride has five or more catches in every game this year. That’s seven straight games. And Mike Dickin did that and Zack Z did that and Trey McBride did that. If he catches more than five passes in this game, he’ll be the first guy in NFL history to start the year at tight end with five or more catches. Knock on a grease board if you’re with me. Take the over on McBride is what I’m saying. I really want to emphasize this runner. Bam Knight. I hope he has a hell of a night. He’s a young back just getting his first opportunity. And I hope this de Marcado guy gets another shot, too. But they got to be ready to pick up some blitzes because I expect Matt Eber flu after what he’s been through with all these injuries. Don’t be surprised if your linebackers can’t cover very well. What could you do? Blitz them because that’s kind of what Dallas needs to do. So they got to be ready to pick up some blitzes. Kenneth Murray, who came over from Tennessee, leads the Cowboys in tackles number 59, but he had a couple really bad run fits last week against Denver. He has struggled against the pass. Shamar James has been a bright spot. He’s had a lot of tackles. Boy, did he get knocked around last week on that long RJ Harvey touchdown run. Quinn Miners, he knocked him head over heels. He’s just got to get better in the passing game and keep working on the details. But Dallas’s defense, they got a lot to prove. So does Arizona’s offense. What gives? You know, one of the plays Dallas loves in 11 personnel, it’s a quick pass. We call it stitch. It’s stick routes by the inside receivers with hitch routes on the outside. It’s a Mike McCarthy favorite way back when Aaron Rogers and McCarthy were in Green Bay. But it’s a three-step drop. The back has aggressive protection. He checks over the ball. If it’s cover two, I’m convinced Dak Prescott will check to a running play. But if it’s a single high defense, he’ll work away from rotation and throw the stick or the hitch. But if you’re like Washington and you come up and play manto man, what happens to the hitch route against man-to-man coverage, Jake? They’re gone. And CD Lamb and I’m telling you this guy pickings stitch. It’s just a quick little play with hitches on the outside. Be careful. If you play man-to-man, bump and run because the hitches convert to fly routes. And if you play cover two, you’re going to see a little bit more Javvante Williams. Pretty cool what they let Prescott do. This is a tough one. You got to pick somebody. Both these teams need a win. Dallas playing at home. We know they’re going to score a lot of points. They’re exciting. But I’m going to go with Jonathan Ganon and the Arizona Cardinals. They’re going to wake up off this by week. They’re going to come into Dallas and win for the fourth straight time. Arizona 37, Dallas 35.

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