Can Dallas Cowboys Copy Seattle Seahawks BLUEPRINT For Postseason Success | How Far Away Is Dallas?

Summary

Locked On Cowboys Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: Can Dallas Cowboys Copy Seattle Seahawks BLUEPRINT For Postseason Success | How Far Away Is Dallas?
Date: February 9, 2026
Hosts: Marcus Mosher & Landon McCool

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into how the Seattle Seahawks’ blueprint for winning Super Bowl 60 could inform the Cowboys’ approach to building a true championship contender. Marcus and Landon compare Dallas’ current roster and philosophy to Seattle’s, debating how close—or far—the Cowboys are from replicating that kind of postseason success. The discussion balances analysis of offensive, defensive, and special teams units, reflecting on what roster and strategic moves might help Dallas break through.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Super Bowl 60 Takeaways (01:14–06:33)

• Defensive Dominance by Seattle:
  Landon emphasizes Seattle’s defense as the game’s defining element. The Seahawks front generated relentless pressure on Patriots rookie QB Drake May, with their coverage smothering New England’s receivers.

  “That was the kind of the predominant part of the game ... the Seattle front was able to harass Drake May almost the entirety of the game ... he really had nowhere to go with the ball even when he did have time." (02:24 – Landon)

• Game Script and Conservative Approach:
  Marcus highlights how Seattle intentionally played a more conservative, run-heavy game—comfortable kicking field goals, trusting their defense to stifle New England.

  “Seattle is perfectly content just running the ball and kicking field goals because they’re not afraid of New England’s offense at all.” (03:16 – Marcus)

• Contrast with Cowboys' Playoff Identity:
  Marcus and Landon agree that Dallas has traditionally relied on outscoring teams in shootouts, unlike Seattle, which finds ways to win multiple styles of games.

  “That’s just something the Cowboys...didn’t have this year. Their game plan was let's throw the ball all over the yard...” (05:27 – Marcus)

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2. Multiple Paths to Victory & Roster Construction Lessons (06:33–10:42)

• Seattle’s Flexibility:
  Seattle’s ability to win both shootouts and defensive struggles showcases their roster versatility—a major contrast with recent Cowboys teams.

  “Seattle just has a lot more ways to win these football games. And Dallas specifically, for years built themselves to win a very certain way, to be front runners to a certain degree.” (07:50 – Landon)

• Balanced Team Building:
  Marcus points out Seattle’s balance—top five in both scoring offense and defense—and excellent special teams, stressing that Dallas can’t just rely on a high-flying passing game if they expect to make deep playoff runs.

  “Until the rest of the roster gets to be even at a competent level, you're just never going to be able to compete in these big games.” (09:25 – Marcus)

• Winning with Mediocre QB Play:
  They note Seattle often survived modest games from Sam Darnold, an advantage Dallas lacks if Dak Prescott isn’t exceptional.

  “Darnold didn’t have a good game and Seattle still won ... that's been the knock of the Cowboys the last, what, five years…” (10:42 – Marcus)

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3. Cowboys Offense vs. Seattle's Offense (14:06–19:06)

• Personnel Comparison:
  Landon feels Dallas stacks up well with Seattle at WR, TE, and OL, with Dak Prescott an advantage over Darnold.

  “On a personnel level...the Cowboys probably are one of the few teams...that might be able to match up with the talent there.” (14:06)

• RB Room & Explosiveness:
  Both hosts admire Seattle’s backfield, especially Kenneth Walker’s ability for explosive runs and how the Seahawks kept him fresh with Charbonnet, something Dallas failed at with Javonte Williams.

  “I thought Kenneth Walker on Sunday did a really good job of creating some big runs to flip the field.” (15:46 – Marcus) “It’s very rare to have players that can carry the load by themselves … you need two solid backs…” (18:36 – Landon)

• Downfield Aggressiveness:
  Marcus points out Seattle’s willingness to take deep shots, occasionally missing but keeping safeties honest, opening up their run game—a mindset he wants Dallas to adopt, perhaps by utilizing George Pickens more in 2026.

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4. Defensive Gap: How Far Is Dallas? (21:22–28:42)

• D-Line & Edge Parity:
  The hosts see the Cowboys fairly even with Seattle on the defensive line—Dallas might be even better at DT—but the gap widens significantly in the secondary.

• Secondary as the Difference:
  Both agree the biggest difference is at corner and safety; Seattle’s DBs are more physical, sticky in man coverage, and outstanding tacklers, consistently stifling YAC and frustrating opposing offenses.

  “It’s unbelievable how well Seattle tackled … both of these teams tackle so well in the secondary and it makes all of the difference.” (23:02 – Marcus) “The cornerback room is where you feel like there’s the most distinct difference between what the Cowboys have and what Seattle has.” (23:18 – Landon)

• Seattle's Defensive Philosophy:
  Landon spotlights the draft and attitude difference, citing Devon Witherspoon’s presence as a slot/versatile corner who blitzes, tackles, and brings tenacity—a prototype the Cowboys currently lack.

  “Seattle’s defense erases pathways. When your solution to their pressure is to dump it off quick… their solution is physical players who play on the edge and tackle well.” (26:30 – Landon)

• Pragmatic Path Forward:
  Marcus advocates for Dallas to draft secondary players with their first-rounders and supplement D-line/LB in free agency for the fastest defensive improvement.

  “Why not just draft two secondary guys in the first round, really improve that unit, find some veteran pass rushers and just that’s probably your quickest way to getting back to being a competent defense.” (27:37)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “[Seattle] just has a lot more ways to win these football games. And Dallas specifically, for years built themselves to win a very certain way.” (07:50 – Landon)
• “Until the rest of the roster gets to be even at a competent level, you're just never going to be able to compete in these big games.” (09:25 – Marcus)
• “When they really, really needed a big play, you saw Kenneth Walker breaking it loose for 15, 20 yards.” (17:42 – Landon)
• “Seattle’s defense erases pathways … their solution to your solution is physical players who play on the edge and tackle well and they’re going to limit your ability to get big downs.” (26:30 – Landon)
• “Why not just draft two secondary guys in the first round, really improve that unit, find some veteran pass rushers… probably your quickest way to getting back to being a competent defense.” (27:37 – Marcus)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Super Bowl 60 Recap & Takeaways: 01:14–06:33
• Cowboys' Lack of Multiple Paths to Victory: 05:27–10:42
• Special Teams & Full-Team Balance: 08:33–09:36
• QB-Centric vs. Team-Centric Wins: 10:42–11:58
• Cowboys Offense vs. Seahawks Offense Comparison: 14:06–19:06
• Running Back Usage and Wear: 17:50–19:06
• Where Cowboys’ Defense Falls Short: 21:22–28:42
• Secondary Difference & Blueprint for Dallas: 23:02–28:42

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Conclusion

The hosts agree: if Dallas wants to copy the Seattle blueprint, the team must diversify its pathways to victory, placing a premium on defensive and special teams balance and, above all, radically improving the secondary with both talent and attitude. Running back depth and the willingness to attack downfield are also key lessons to take from the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run.

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For listeners seeking takeaways:

• Dallas stacks up on offense, but must add explosiveness at RB and aggressiveness downfield.
• The biggest hindrance is the secondary; immediate investment is required.
• Building a team with multiple ways to win—defense, special teams, not just passing—mirrors what’s working in the NFC.
• The quickest defensive fix: draft premium secondary pieces and sign veteran defenders this offseason.
• The Seattle model shows the championship formula is more holistic than ever.

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Stay tuned for more Cowboys offseason analysis, and find Marcus (@Marcus_Mosher) and Landon (@mccoolbcb) on Twitter for daily updates!

Transcript

[Marcus Mosher]

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[Marcus Mosher]

The Seattle Seahawks 1 Super Bowl 60. How far away are the Cowboys debate? Next. You are Locked On Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network. Your team every day. Welcome back to the Locked On Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network. Your team every day. We'd like to thank you for making us the number one sports podcast network. And today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel, the winner. Games are on, and there's no better way to follow them than with a bet with fanduel. Fanduel, Play your game. Welcome back. I am your host, Marcus Mosher. He is Landon McCool. And on today's show, we're talking about Super Bowl 60, the Seattle Seahawks defeating the New England Patriots. And we're going to talk about how the Cowboys match up compared to the Seahawks team that we just saw play this awesome Super Bowl. But, Layla, let's start with this. What were your biggest takeaways coming out of this game between the Seahawks and the Patriots?

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean, it's hard not to have the biggest takeaway be about the defense, right? It's, it's. That was the kind of the predominant part of the game. It was really a defensive struggle and, and specifically the. The most dominant force, and it's not a surprise, was the Seattle defense. The Seattle front was able to harass Drake. Drake May, almost the entirety of the game, kind of really kept things in a box for them for a long point of the game until they kind of opened things up a little bit later to try to throw things down the field and then get Drake May opportunities to, you know, pick up some first downs with this feat. But at that point it also felt a little bit too late. Right. And I think that's the kind of main takeaway I got there was that the kind of dominance by the Seahawks up front, but also in the back end, the ability to kind of just completely shut down the Patriots receivers. And Drake May really had nowhere to go with the ball even when he did have time to throw the football.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, we're going to talk about that Seahawks defense in a little bit. I will say I think this was a lower scoring game to start. I think it was 120 at one point with four straight field goals. But that also felt a little bit by design. We've seen Seattle this year score 30 and 40 points against some really quality opponents. I mean, I was telling the people at the party, like, I think Seattle is perfectly content just running the ball and kicking field goals because they're not afraid of New England's offense at all. So they went to like a super conservative style of game plan.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah.

[Marcus Mosher]

And it worked because New England really didn't score anything, you know, any points until midway through the fourth quarter.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean, I, I think Seattle played at their strengths. Right. I mean, the. Seattle is a strong run offense and they play really good defense. So why put themselves into a game where they are forcing Sam Darnold to throw the football a whole bunch of times when, you know, obviously even they had some, some pass protection problems against the, the pass rush against the Patriots at certain points. So, yeah, I think it was smart of them. They got, you know, just enough out of, out of Sam Darnold and some big times to make some big conversions. But honestly, most of the big plays that they were getting were getting for their run game. We're getting from Kenneth Walker. So, yeah, I think the gameplay and the game script all kind of played out exactly the way that Seattle wanted it to. Right. A defensive struggle early on where they kept points low and they kept the run game relevant for their offense and they were able to control the game. And with Drake May and the Patriots office unable to kind of. I mean, they went, they went a stretch from the end of the first quarter until, I'm pretty sure, like near the middle of the third quarter where they didn't even complete a. Have a first down. So, yeah, I mean, like, when you can, you know, hold an offense to something like that, it Gives your, your, your, your offense a more opportunity to kind of try to control the game a little bit, bleed some clock and, and, and be a little bit more conservative if you want to be, you know, kick the field goal instead of going for it because you feel confident that your defense can just kind of strangle out the offense.

[Marcus Mosher]

I also one of the things you've noticed throughout the playoffs is that you need to have multiple pass to victory and that's just something the Cowboys, yes. Didn't have this year. Right. Like their game plan was let's throw the ball all over the yard and we're going to try to win a 35 to 31 type of game and get one or two stops late. We saw Seattle have that game playing against the Rams twice this year, right with they were playing in very, very high scoring games where Sam Darnold had was it 330 yards passing and three touchdowns in the championship round. And then they're able to play this kind of slobber knocker slugfest game, you know, against New England where they just run the ball, play conservative, rely on your defense. And that's something that the Cowboys just haven't been able to do over the last really couple decades. No, they've only had one path to doing this. You've got to be able to win in multiple different ways. And I think Seattle showed that over the course of the season that hey, they can even turn the ball over. I think they had the second most turnovers in the league this year and they still with 13 in 4 in the regular season.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean that's what I was going to just say is that like this is not new. I mean this is something that, I mean I would say that that is what I hope that we're starting to see change a little bit more under Schottenheimer. I think you added a little bit more of a reliability in the run game. But I think you could argue that this team has been pretty heavily past game centric for quite a while to the point where offensive past game centric, you know that, that they've built a whole defense and they're and their most successful years in recent history on defense was also still built on the idea of just them getting a lead and sending pass rushers and not worrying about the other team running the football with Dan Quinn. So to see the Cowboys kind of develop more paths to victory with the positive investments in the run game over the last year and then hopefully to do the same on the defensive side of the ball with hiring Christian park, kind of adding some more elements to your defense in this rebuild of the defense. I think it's hugely important because you can't just. For years and years we've tried to kind of build these teams to play with the lead and consistently fail to get the said lead, consistently failed to gain an early lead, and then it ends up hurting you because you can't, you don't have the other available paths to victory that some other teams have. So, yeah, I mean, I think that's kind of the big, you know, big thing that, you know, see between the difference between the Cowboys, we're going to break it down even further. But you know, from a 10,000 foot view point of view, from what you have, you know, when you combine both the offense of the defense and you look at what Seattle does, Seattle just has a lot of lot more ways to win these football games. And Dallas specifically, for years built themselves to win a very certain way, to be front runners to a certain degree. And now we've started, I think under Schottenheimer, the slow process of building out those other elements that kind of allow you to win games in, in other ways that don't just include Dak Prescott's arm.

[Marcus Mosher]

The other part of it is you don't have to have a dominating defense now Seattle does, right? I mean, they have a very, very good defense. But what we've seen the last couple years and it's really on the NFC side, I, I don't want to say to ignore the afc, but those teams have been so flawed the last couple years that it's, it's almost best to ignore them. But you look at like Philadelphia last year, I think that was top five offense, top five defense. Seattle was number three in scoring offense this year and top five in scoring defense. You kind of have to be really well balanced. And Seattle was great on special teams all year long. I mean, Dixon, their punter, is unbelievable and he saved them several times on Sunday night by pinning New England inside the five yard line. I mean, I know it sounds really cliche to say, but it's, you've got to have a really good overall football team. And we always talk about having one of the strongest strengths and the Cowboys do with their passing game, but until the rest of the roster gets to be even at a competent level, you're just never going to be able to compete in these big games.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I think having a strong passing offense is the probably the single facet that has the most paths to victory available to it. Passing is the most Important probably aspect of the game even still. Right. With run game of defense, even with all what we saw tonight. But again, I think what we're seeing is that more paths are being opened up on the run side, defensive side of things. And again, it's not enough to be just so excellent at throwing the football. It's not a formula that's won, you know, a Super bowl like that consistently in a little while now. We've seen the game kind of trend away from it. I think if you want to win a bunch of football games, you need to throw the football well, and I think the Cowboys can do that. But if the Cowboys want to advance and win games later in the season, they have to have the ability to win a game on special teams. They've got, you know, good kicker and good punter. They, they got to find a way to increase their special teams. We saw that was a huge component tonight when the win the games on defense, you know, strip sack, don't let them score in the last, in their last possession. There are other ways to win these games. The Cowboys have to avail themselves of those ways.

[Marcus Mosher]

And Sam Darnold had an unbelievable year and honestly, he's had two really good seasons, you know, back to back years. Yeah, but there were times where Darnold didn't have a good game and Seattle still won. I mean, the best example of this is in, you know, round two of the playoffs against the 49ers. I think Darnold had like 150 passing yards and they beat the 49ers by 30 points. Like that just shows you like this is not a quarterback centric team the way that like the Chiefs have been or the Bills have been or even the Ravens have been. And I know the Cowboys are that way right now with Dak. I think the hope is that they're not always that way and they can find ways to win. Even if your quarterback has a C plus game, because that's been the knock of the Cowboys the last, what, five years that could play a B plus game. And a lot of times that doesn't matter because the rest of your team isn't good enough.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, and I think we saw having a good offensive line is important not just because you need to protect your quarterback, but having a good run game is something that you need to be able to rely on for throughout these games in order to win some of these good games against good defenses. So, yeah, I think the Cowboys have already made the investments to kind of balance out their offense last year. We hope some more. Get some some more returns over development this year. Now it's time to work on the defense.

[Marcus Mosher]

All right, let's compare the Cowboys offense to Seattle's offense and talk about where they could improve in 2026. We'll get to that next. This episode is brought to you by fanduel. The Winner Games are officially here and if you're anything like us, you're locking in for the events that you only get to see on the biggest stage every four years. And the fan and this is why the winter games on FanDuel just make sense. From medal counts to individual events to finding your angle on the sports that you care about the most, FanDuel gives you more ways to stay connected to the action. I love the speed skating. Like that's one of my favorite events. My wife loves the drama of these curly matches. It's hard to take your eyes off of them. FanDuel keeps the entire Olympic experience engaging from start to finish. The Winter Games are on, and there's no better way to follow them than with fanduel. Fanduel Play your game.

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[Marcus Mosher]

Welcome back to the Locked on Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen every single day. If you haven't done so already, go check out the new everyday club you're going to get ad free episodes to the Locked On Cowboys podcast for just $5 a month. Go to locked on cowboys.supercast.com or check out the link in the show notes to learn more. All right, Lane, let's talk about the Cowboys offense. Compared to this version of the Seahawks offense. I know it's going to change in 2026 with Clint Kubiak leaving, but how do you think the Cowboys offense matches up to this super bowl champion offense?

[Landon McCool]

I think they match up pretty well. I mean, I think on a personnel level, like it's pretty easy to point to some spots where you feel like you have some comparable talent, right? I think the Wide receiver position is, is one where the Cowboys probably are one of the few teams in the league that, that might be able to match up with the talent there with, with Jackson, Smith and Jigba and Coop. So I think that you've got two guys that combined are probably of equal talent. I think the tight end spot, you know, there that you saw that, that Seattle kind of has used several different position at different points throughout the season. We saw Barner go in there and get into touchdowns tonight. I think the Cowboys have a good, have a good crew in there with Ferguson and, and, and let's see what Brevin Span Ford does next year and we'll see what the deal is with Schoonmaker. But I do think the Cowboys have a comparable talent there, if not maybe a little bit better receiving threats with Ferguson when he's on right offensive line. I, I think the Cowboys are, are in a better spot than where Seattle is. I think Seattle's offensive line is overachieved quite a bit. They' down the stretch, specifically in the run game. So I don't want to like, you know, you know, down. Downgrade them too much or, or put them down too much because I think they've, they've played quite admirably. But I think especially going into year two with, with Connor Riley and Clayton Adams, I, I think it's, it's going to give the Cowboys a chance to kind of take a bigger step forward with some of these younger guys. So I, I think that they're kind of not only headed in the right direction, but I think there's their, their curve is a little bit steeper up and then quarterback. I mean, look, I think Sam Darnold played fantastic, but I think if you're asking me who I want to win a game, I think I'm going to take Dak every time.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I mean this is where the Cowboys stack up really well. I mean there's no doubt. I think the only things that we'd like to see the Cowboys improve on is maybe try to get a running back in here that can help you hit some more big plays. I thought Kenneth Walker on, on Sunday did a really good job of creating some big runs to flip the field. And Javonte Williams was awesome last year, but he was never a guy that you were afra of on these 25, 30 yard runs outside of a couple right before halftime, which is funny. And then one thing that I really do admire about Seattle is they take a lot of shots down the field now. They didn't connect on any of them, I don't think against New England, but there is a willingness to throw the ball down the field. And I think that matters because your safeties now are always going to be a little bit hesitant to come up and support the run game and to fly in and try to stop these tight ends. And I think if the Cowboys bring back George Pickens, who is not going to be traded, just want to put that out there. I think maybe next year the plan should be to take more of these shots down the field to at least keep the safeties at bay, because I do think it's going to have some impact on your run game.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I think, you know, I think we would both agree that Javante Williams probably had more explosives than we expected him to. That's for sure. But. But yes, I agree that, like, it's not still to the level that we were hoping for, that we need. Right. We needed that kind of secondary explosive back. We talked about this and, and I feel like, you know, they. The kind of slow roll development of Blue probably hurt them a little bit here and then, you know, just. Just not kind of getting an opportunity to. To get that. To spend a higher draft picked on that player earlier on probably is really the original sin of the running back position. Right. So, you know, we'll see how that gets corrected. But I agree, like, even though I feel good about Javante Williams, I want him back. And I. I think that he's a guy that should be the lead in the role. Role in a, you know, backfield role. I still think that you still need that kind of explosive element that you felt like you had with Seattle tonight when they really, really needed a big play. You saw Kenneth Walker breaking it loose for 15, 20, well, yards.

[Marcus Mosher]

And we should mention, like, Seattle did a really good job all year keeping Kenneth Walker fresh because there were times where, you know, he would. He would have these awesome runs and it would be Zach Charbonnet coming. Coming in and stealing a lot of these goal line and short yardage touch touches. Now, Charbonnet got hurt, I believe it was in the San Fran game, but you saw a very fresh Kenneth Walker for the NFC Championship game in the super bowl because they didn't put a ton of miles on him in the earlier part of the season. And this is something that you and I talked about as the year went on. Like, we thought Javante looked incredible for the first two months and then started to wear down as those, you know, touches racked up. They've got to find a better complement to him in 2026. Again, assuming Javante's back.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, this is it's very rare to have players that can, you know, carry the load by themselves for at the current length of the NFL season, it's gotten longer. It you need two solid backs that you can rely on to distribute the backs throughout the season so that by the time of the end of the year you haven't just worn one of down or you you know, you haven't used and you haven't used the other one. You need to kind of use them both throughout the season to evenly distribute the touches so you have a whole running attack by the time you hit the end of the year.

[Marcus Mosher]

So yeah, Kenneth Walker this year had 220 rushing attempts. Javonte Williams hit that by like December. And it's just, it's too many attempts. You've got to figure out a way to keep him fresher, especially if you have any postseason hope. Talk about the Cowboys defense, because this is where the gap is pretty big. How big is the gap between Dallas's defense and Seattle's defense? We'll debate next. This episode is brought to you by Indeed. If you've ever hired someone who looked good on paper but wasn't the right fit, you know how important that is when you want candidates who truly match what you're looking for. Trust Indeed. Sponsored Jobs Hiring Indeed is all you need. Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other sites. Indeed's Sponsored Job puts your post at the top of the page and helps you reach the right candidates faster. I know that if I ever needed to hire someone for this show, I would go straight to Indeed and be very specific about what I need, which is real experience and not just some resume buzzwords. So spend more time interviewing candidates who check all of your boxes with less stress, less time, and more results using Indeed. Sponsored Jobs and listeners of this show. Get a $75 sponsored job credit to help give your job the premium placement that it deserves@inn Indeed.com lot done NFL just go to Indeed.com lot NFL right now and support the show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring do it the right way with Indeed.

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[Marcus Mosher]

Welcome back to the Lockdown Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen every single day. Lana. Let's talk about this Cowboys defense because the gap between them and Seattle right now is pretty wide. How far away is this Cowboys D? I know they're not going to get to where Seattle is at in year, but how far away are they from being a championship caliber defense?

[Landon McCool]

Well, it's funny because I heard Witherspoon after the, after the game being interviewed and he talked about, you know, him being drafted in the first round with his teammate and how they had made a practice, you know, a promise to each other. They wanted to make the super bowl. And it reminded me of what's going on with the Cowboys. Right. They've got two first rounds picks this year. They're likely going to be spending both of these picks on, on defenders. Right. And, and I think the Cowboys have had success kind of doing that. But I, I think it's pretty clear that the, that the, the gap is, is pretty wide. I think maybe wider in some areas than, than others. But.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, can we talk about where, where the gap is at? Because to me it's very obvious. Like I think Seattle's defensive ends are better than the Cowboys. Like there's no doubt.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah.

[Marcus Mosher]

But it's not significantly better. Right. Like it's, it's DeMarcus Lawrence who had a really strong year. It's Derek hall and it's Boy Mafa, which is again, it's a good edge rusher room. Would I be surprised if Dallas got similar production next year? No. And I think the defensive tackle spots, honestly, I think the Cowboys are better with Quinn and Williams. O said Kenny Clark. That is at least comparable to Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy.

[Landon McCool]

100.

[Marcus Mosher]

The difference is the secondary and you and I were texting during the show or sorry, but during the game and it's unbelievable how well Seattle tackled and really New England as well. Both of these teams tackle so well in the secondary and it makes all of the difference.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And you know, it's not even just that. It's, it's the stickiness and coverage. It's the forced incompletions. It's the, you know, just, it's making all the throws difficult, like no gimmes. Right. And that's what was kind of just so stark to see, really. And we haven't really seen. Even when the Cowboys defense was good. Right. Like you didn't necessarily see, I mean, I mean the last five, six years. Good. Right. Like you didn't necessarily see a physical group outside of what you saw at the safety position. You didn't necessarily see a, a truly sticky group. You saw guys that were opportunistic and made plays in the ball and were smart and savvy and, and took advantage of a pass rush in front of them. So I do think that you're right just to kind of claim that, that the sec, I mean, to me specifically the cornerback room is where you feel like there's the, the most distinct difference between what the Cowboys have and what Seattle has. And not even just, just the talent, but the type of talent. Right. And the kind of way that they play and the attitude they play with. I think that's something that's going to have to be instilled by Parker and brought in a little bit with the players they draft as well.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, and it's funny because Seattle for a long time was known as a franchise that liked these long arm athletic cornerbacks and they still have a couple on their team. Tyreek Wolin is a good example of that. But their best corner and the guy they took at 5 overall is a 180 pound, 5 foot 11 cornerback that really plays in the slot. And he's their best defensive player by far because he blitzes, he tackles, he can play on the outside. He's just got a tenacity about, about him. And there's just. And you mentioned like the Cowboys have had these defenses that have created a lot of turnovers, but play to play, they're not super consistent. And I think that's what was so stunning in this game. The first half. I don't think Seattle had a turnover on defense. And I believe New England had 65 yards. Like they, they punted on every drive. It was tough for New England to even get a first down because the secondary was so good and none of these receivers were getting open.

[Landon McCool]

You know, they couldn't breathe. I mean, like, you know, it was like watching somebody in quicksand. Right. They were just spinning out. And you know, even when he had time, it's like he would get time to throw the ball. Drake May, I would say, I'm saying he would get time to throw the ball like one out of every, you know, especially in the middle part of the game, it felt like maybe one out of every three, three or four attempts, he would get opportunity to kind of like sit in the pocket and throw the ball. And it just didn't feel like anybody was open. Right. It just didn't feel like he had anybody. He didn't have any opportunity to get it to him or. And when he did, like, he, you know, he's so disrupted at the point where he's releasing the ball that he would throw it high because he couldn't get the follow through going. So, yeah, it just, and it just felt like they could not get any momentum going. They couldn't find any running lanes. They were, they weren't having any. And because of the tackling was so good. The kind of natural way to solve that, that sort of smothering effect that they were getting because of their inability to block up front was to kind of throw it out to get some screens going or just short in the short passing game. But they couldn't get that going because Seattle's defensive backs and specifically their corners were tackling so well. So, yeah, I just think that it's one of those things like we talked about, having answers, right. Having pathways to win these games. Seattle's defense erases pathways. Right. Like when your solution to their pressure is to dump it off quick or to get out into the flat, swing it out there, their solution to your solution is, hey, that's great. We're going to have physical players who play on the edge and who are going to tackle well and they're going to limit your ability to get big downs. And sure, you can get 2 yards on first down if you want to swing it out to your wide receiver here. But it's going to be frustrating on third down when you can't find anybody open and you don't have time to throw it anyways.

[Marcus Mosher]

And we should mention Seattle's linebackers. They're fine. They're not anything to write home about. Ernest Jones is somebody they acquired via trade for a late round pick. It's a very middling linebacker core, but everything is achievable.

[Landon McCool]

It's achieved. The Cowboys could get, could get to.

[Marcus Mosher]

That level this, this off season very, very easily. Am I wrong, though, at thinking coming out of this game you don't want to try to replicate the previous year super bowl champion, because then you're always going to be chasing.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Marcus Mosher]

But am I, am I wrong of thinking, like, why not just draft two secondary guys in the first round, really improve that unit, find some veteran pass rushers and just that's probably your quickest way to getting back to being a competent defense.

[Landon McCool]

I mean, it just feels like we've seen several examples of this now in a row, right. Where teams did this specific thing and found a way to kind of have success. So, yeah, I mean, it certainly needs to be investigated as a potential path here because it does feel like when you look at the, again, the three positions, linebacker, I mean, the defense. Right. All three levels. Right. And if you needed to find, if you need to find that the talent, to me, you can find the defensive line talent, especially considering what you've got on the team. I think you can find the whole, the spots you need to fill in in free agency at both the linebacker and the defensive line line position. I think cornerback, it becomes a little bit problematic to try to completely fill that in free agency the way you did. You could maybe the other two lines that you have to fill up.

[Marcus Mosher]

All right, that is it for today's show. We want to thank you for making Lockdown Cowboys your first listen every single day. If you never miss an episode, the everyday club is built for you. Get locked on Cowboys ad free members only, discord access and so much more. Head over to lockdown cowboys.supercast.com to join the club. And for those of you on video, we can send you the first ever 24. 7 national NBA YouTube channel and on audio. Make your second listen to lockdown NFL podcast. Follow Landon on Twitter @mccoolvcb. I'm @Marcus Underscore Moser and we will see you right back here tomorrow.

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