← Locked On Cowboys - Daily Podcast On The Dallas Cowboys
Locked On Cowboys - Daily Podcast On The Dallas Cowboys
COWBOYS SQUAD SHOW: IT's time for the 2nd half of the season for the Cowboys.
01:04:44
It's the 2nd half of the season for the Cowboys, who will head to Las Vegas for a MNF match-up with the Raiders.
Loading summary
Transcript202 lines
- [00:02]
Glenn Stretch Smith
It's the Locked On Podcast network. Your team every day tis the season of gifting and holes to deck and the who's in Whoville were in love with new tech. Where can we find Sonos and Samsung and Nintendo? They shouted. Would they find it in one place? This they questioned and doubted when suddenly a who yelled Walmart's the place to start. And D2 added headphones, TVs and games to their carts. With Walmart their shopping was done in a flurry. They cried out who knew? And ordered their gifts in a hurry. Shop the latest tech gifts in the.
- [00:39]
Jeff Biggs
Walmart app and now a next level.
- [00:42]
Marcus Moser
Moment from AT&T business. Say you've sent out a gigantic shipment.
- [00:45]
Landon McCool
Of pillows and they need to be.
- [00:46]
Marcus Moser
There in time for International Sleep day. You've got AT and T5G so you're fully confident, but the vendor isn't responding and International Sleep Day is tomorrow. Luckily AT&T5G lets you deal with any issues with ease so the pillows will get delivered and everyone can sleep soundly, especially you. AT&T 5G requires a compatible plan and device. Coverage not available everywhere. Learn more@att.com 5G Network.
- [01:13]
Jeff Biggs
I am Jeff Biggs, the host of the Cowboy Squad show and for all of us I would like to dedicate tonight's episode to Marcus Nyland.
- [01:22]
Marcus Moser
I'm Marcus Moser and I'm excited to watch football. The Cowboys haven't played in forever.
- [01:29]
Landon McCool
I'm Landon McCool and I'm really tired of explaining to anyone of any age what the term 67 means.
- [01:37]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Glenn Stretch Smith and I'm it just makes my rear end it's thinking about it. So thanks for getting me going.
- [01:44]
Marcus Moser
How about them Cowboys? It's the Cowboy Squad. Everything. Dallas Cowboys every week covering all the big hits and and game changing plays from America's Team the way only the Locked On Podcast network can get ready and squad up. It's the Cowboy Squad show starting now.
- [02:07]
Jeff Biggs
And welcome. I said Marcus Nealand Marshawn Neland is who we are dedicating the show to. I was just thinking about Marcus because I was going to put him up next and I was just bragging to everybody about how I got everything under control here technically and then right out of the gate right on my face. Welcome welcome to another edition of the Cowboys Squad Show. It is sincerely great to be back with you after a bye week that we talked about last time with the two big trades and then unfortunately the tragic loss of 24 year old defensive end.
- [02:37]
Marcus Moser
Hold on Jeff, did you push record yet did you put. It's just scheduled.
- [02:42]
Jeff Biggs
I want to go live. Okay, I'll do it again. Yeah, yeah, I.
- [02:48]
Glenn Stretch Smith
There you go.
- [02:49]
Marcus Moser
I just want to make sure that we're not doing a whole episode. Then I'm gonna do it again.
- [02:53]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Thank you.
- [02:54]
Jeff Biggs
All right, let's take two. I'm Jeff Biggs and I'm the host of the Cowboy Squad show. And I would like to officially dedicate tonight's episode to Marshawn Neland.
- [03:11]
Marcus Moser
I'm Marcus Moer. I'm excited to watch the Cowboys play again.
- [03:16]
Landon McCool
I'm Lana McCool and I'm tired of explaining what the phenomenon of 6, 7 is.
- [03:22]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Glenn stretched myth. I don't. I don't know. The thought of it just makes my ass itch.
- [03:27]
Marcus Moser
How about them Cowboys? It's the Cowboy Squad. Everything. Dallas Cowboys every week covering all the big hits and game changing plays from America's team the way only the Locked on podcast network can get ready and squad up. It's the Cowboys squad show starting now.
- [03:50]
Jeff Biggs
And we are squatting up and we are. Great to be back with you. Pleased to be back with you here for another edition of the Cowboys squad show following a week that started with the two big trades and then of course the tragic loss of 24 year old defensive end the Cowboys, Marshawn Neyland, who, as Jerry Jones said, was just getting started. Thank you for being with us tonight. Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5 and if your bet wins, you'll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. As always, a big time welcome to the two co hosts of the daily lockdown Cowboys podcast, Marcus mosier and Landon McCool. And of course the one and only former Cowboys coach, still a coach in his own right, Glenn Stretch Smith. Coming up on our hour tonight, we're going to have the very latest with the Cowboys on and off the field and we'll look ahead to what we can expect for the Cowboys after their bye. And looking ahead to the second week, second half I should say of the season. But Marcus Landon, I want to start with YouTube. I could be wrong about this full disclosure, but it just seems like we just have so much noise in our world today. And I just felt like maybe Marshawn Nealon didn't get the coverage or receive the coverage that, that maybe he deserved. But I knew, I know that the two of you would have a lot to say, a lot of good things to say about Marshawn Nyland.
- [05:20]
Marcus Moser
Unfortunately, it's just a 24 hour news cycle of not only the NFL, but just of the world right now. And it, you know, we had some really touching tributes from teams around the NFL. Western Michigan played earlier this week and they did a really nice tribute for him as well. But I thought Brian Schottenheimer, who was at the Cowboys podium on Wednesday talking about this situation, you can just hear in his voice how much this is still weighing on the team. This is not something that it happened a week ago and now they're moving on and they're, you know, they're excited to play the Raiders. I mean, of course they are, but this is, this is the loss of a teammate in a person, and it's more than just football, and that's just not something that you're going to get over in seven days. So this is, this is obviously a big thing for the Cowboys and it's going to be all, all season long and rightfully so.
- [06:08]
Landon McCool
Yeah, I mean, you know, I think Marcus nailed it as far as the, the news cycle aspect of this goes on. It's just the world that we live in, unfortunately. I know for me, like, it's one of those things that I kind of, I feel the pang of every, you know, few hours I, I remember and think about it and, and it kind of brings things up and, and just, you know, thinking about who he was kind of. Again, I, I didn't know him personally, but I was rounded. But around training camp and you can kind of just tell the, the, the type of person he was. And obviously he was dealing with some stuff like we all deal with some stuff behind closed doors, but he was a guy that was, you know, had a lot of light and had a lot of smiles. And I think that there's a reason that people keep pointing to that because it wasn't a fake thing like that. If we had, if none of this had ever happened and we were just talking about Marshawn Nealon, the person. I think we, one of the first things we would talk about is he's always got a smile on his face. He's kind of had a bubbling personality. You got that very clearly on a very surface level. Just talking to him closely. I, I want to just point out the one thing that I think that I really took away from the, the Schottenheimer press conference, talking about it today, which I felt like really encapsulated the, the news cycle, the, the, you know, all of this. Right. Is that we don't move on. We, we do move Forward.
- [07:33]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Right.
- [07:34]
Landon McCool
And I think that that's it is that this is something that is not like, you know, a temporary news story. Like it's not, it doesn't just adhere to the news cycle. I think we'll be thinking about him, you know, for a lot longer than, than this, just this season. And it's unfortunate that, that the way that things move, we have to get through this quickly and we don't get to spend enough time on someone who deserves that much time. A young 24 year old man who was a complicated person who we're all going to miss very much.
- [08:07]
Jeff Biggs
Amen. Coach, any thoughts from you?
- [08:12]
Glenn Stretch Smith
I mean, I think anytime you, you know, anytime you're. They're obviously back to work today. This is the first day back in the building. You know, I'm sure his lockers still there. You go into a defensive meeting, you know where he sat. People are creatures of habit. So, you know, I'm sure where he sat, I'm sure where he sat. The D line meeting. I mean I'm sure there's a lot that they're, that they're dealing with and they're, and they're going through right now. And I think that's, that's the thing that you have to try to overcome because the world's not going to stop turning. And it's really unfortunate that he had to go to this level to deal with whatever his issue was. It's a very sad process and I'm sure it's something that they're trying to work through right now.
- [09:05]
Marcus Moser
Coach, I want to ask you a question. How do you get that locker room to, you know, to look forward to this Monday night game against the Raiders? I mean it's a big game for the Cowboys. They've got a lot of games coming up. Be it. It's still just a game. But how do you get this locker room to turn their attention to a, you know, a big time contest?
- [09:24]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Yeah, I mean I, my gut feeling is, is that, you know, I'm sure the head coach spoke on it today because I believe it's the first time the team was back together was today going into the Monday practice. Tuesday was the off day. So, you know, I'm sure that he probably mentioned it. Ask a few guys to get up and maybe say a few things and you have to, as a professional now, you have to hope that you, you know, you can put somewhat of a, you know, somewhat of it, you know, part of it to rest and you, you, you try to move forward. You talk about, you Know, maybe you share one or two, you know, nice feelings about him, and you got to try to move forward. It's not easy. I don't know what the answer is. I mean, you know, I know how I would have handled it, and I know what I would have probably gone in and let, you know, let the guys speak. I mean, let the players speak. Let you, as a head coach should say something, and then, you know, let. Let your team speak and, you know, move forward and see if everybody can heal. But it. Make no mistake about it, I mean, there's 53 guys. I mean, you know, you're. You're together a huge, huge part of the time. I mean, they're in there eating. They're in there, you know, shower and traveling, everything that goes through. And we're not talking about meeting and practice. I'm talking about just a. Just a normal day, and when one of your brothers is missing. It's a. It's a very difficult thing to try to move forward from. So I don't know that I have an answer for you other than to say, you know, I'm sure that those guys had an opportunity to speak. Speak about him and speak in front of their team, you know, about how they felt about it and hopefully, you know, move forward. I was reading yesterday about Jair Alexander stepping away from football from, you know, for possible mental health reasons, and you wonder, you know, is there something here that says, you know, it's more important than football? And that's. And it's life, and it's. And it's how, you know, it's. How delicate it can be at times. So you just have to hope that. And, you know, this is where your spiritual side comes in, and you say your prayers, and, you know, you just. You have a belief that, you know, the Lord wanted a defensive end, and he. He needed a guy up there to help him. That's. That's kind of how you have to draw from it?
- [11:54]
Jeff Biggs
Amen. Well said. Well said, all of you guys. Thank you. And one thing really good of the Cowboys to move this forward, or at least try to move forward, I should say, is they have set up a memorial fund for Marshawn Neland's girlfriend and unborn child, which I think is great. And for the rest of the season, the Cowboys are going to wear a special decal on their helmets in honor of Neyland. So that. That will be. That will be a way to make sure that he's remembered and. And respectfully. So.
- [12:26]
Marcus Moser
And I think we've also heard from some of the defensive linemen that, you know, the way to remember him is to go out and play well and, you know, and, you know, don't. I think I'm trying to remember who said it, but someone said we're obviously, we're hurting right now, but we can't let that affect his play. He wouldn't want it that way. So I think it's going to be a very weird energy and vibe when the Cowboys go to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders and again, rightfully so.
- [12:50]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Yeah.
- [12:51]
Landon McCool
And I think all these players themselves are, you know, we've talked about it like they're, they're all going to deal with this, you know, on their own time, on their own level. Grief hits us all very differently. So, yeah, I think if anything, you know, it'll be a welcome relief at a certain point to go to the distraction of football to maybe not think about some of the. The kind of, you know, sadder aspects of. Of what's going on here, to say the least. But yeah, obviously something that is never gonna. Not gonna leave them, but something that they're going to have carry with them and, and, and continue on with.
- [13:28]
Jeff Biggs
All right, so with that said, I'm curious, Marcus and Landon, just the two of you, Any. Anything else come to mind for you guys about the team during the week off? What were the shows like? What, what's. What's kind of the, the feel with you guys and the fans as we head into the second half, there's a lot going on.
- [13:49]
Landon McCool
Right? Like, that's the thing is that even with, even with the, the sad news, obviously it kind of superseded just a ton of news that was happening. It feels like with the trades and all, you know, look beyond this. The trades, all the different players that you have that are going to be kind of swapping out kind of almost hockey style of this defense that coming after of the bye week. It's just interesting to kind of examine some of the angles there of. Of how. What kind of effect that will hopefully have. It's.
- [14:19]
Marcus Moser
It's fascinating, Landon, because coming out of that Monday night game, I think that's about as depressed as I felt about the Cowboys in a long time. I mean, they just, they were so bad on defense. The offense really struggled. I mean, to me that was like, it signal kind of the end of the season, like, okay, this team's not going to make a playoff run. And then on Tuesday you make the trades for Quinn and Williams and Logan Wilson, and then the following week you have a lot of Other contenders in the NFC lose, including the packers, which is great for your draft pick. And then, you know, several other teams, including, like, the Falcons, Tampa Bay, the 49ers, lost. And while your odds to make this playoffs are still relatively low, the fact that you got a lot of help during your bye week and the additions of Quinn and Williams and Logan Wilson, I do think have Cowboy fans feeling way more optimistic than they were a week and a half ago.
- [15:12]
Landon McCool
Certainly as. Certainly more than that when they walked out of watching that. That game with the Cardinals. Right? Like, yeah, yeah. I do feel like, you know, they're. They're. I mean, at the very least, you feel like they're. They're building towards something. You know, I don't know whether we can convince ourselves that there's a bunch of hope for them to make the playoffs, like you said, this year, but I do think that they at least are making moves that to improve the roster, it's at least going to hopefully be more watchable football that we're going to see on Monday night than we have previously. And again, I think we'll talk about the individual trades, but I think you certainly think that it's going to be an improvement for this year. But that's not why you do it, right. You're doing it to kind of build towards something in the next two years. And so I think, you know, you're gonna get some immediate benefit by getting to watch Quinn and Williams and. And seeing how he kind of, you know, gets into the rest of this defensive line and, and the effect that. That that has with guys on the outside and inside. And are they going to get more, you know, less double teams and more opportunities. But also, like, with the thought process of, okay, Quinn's the piece that we're building around moving forward for the next two years, what can we do to kind of put pieces around him in the draft? It just kind of reframes the future questions as well as making, like I said, the football more tolerable to watch immediately.
- [16:38]
Glenn Stretch Smith
I mean, it's a rebuild that started, right? The rebuild has started. That's. That's. It's kind of how you have to look at it. To me, it's. They've got a, you know, they've got a few pieces here. Now. Let's go see with the, you know, with the guys coming off the injury situation. Let's see, you know, Ken Overshone go out there and. And do what everybody thinks he can do. Can Rebel show you what made him, you know, a high draft pick? I mean, can you get to where you can start to plug in some pieces of. Of a defense? It's. I mean, quite frankly, it's not a mule, it's a jackass. So. So can you get this thing to, you know, to a different level?
- [17:26]
Marcus Moser
Jeff? I know that I'm like, rejuvenated after the spy week. Like, he didn't have to watch this Cowboys defense for a couple weeks. That was nice. It's snowing out. I got to watch some draft picks. I'm ready to go for the second half of the year. It's going to be fun.
- [17:37]
Landon McCool
Stop with. You're going to draw a coach offside so quick, he's going to like, be Sam Williams pretty soon. Yeah, I listen, I, I think as the weather turns cold and, and the football gets a little bit tougher, you know, the trade deadlines over, we're kind of at.
- [17:55]
Glenn Stretch Smith
At.
- [17:56]
Landon McCool
We're in the end game now. Right. So we're. We kind of have an idea of where this team is and, and I think, you know, they're trending towards A. A 2026 crescendo. Right? Not necessarily trending to try to get better for the Latter Half of 2025, where it feels like it may be getting a little too dark for this team.
- [18:20]
Jeff Biggs
All right, let's take our first time out and when we come back, I want to talk about the two new additions specifically and also the other two additions that I think everybody knows about. But just in case, we'll let you know about that as well and kind of look ahead. Start to look ahead of the second half. And I have a question for both for all of you. We'll do that when we come back. This is the Cowboys squad show.
- [18:45]
Glenn Stretch Smith
At Boar's Head. We make game day entertaining, elevated and effortless. Whether you order catering platters ahead from your local deli or create your own spread with premium deli meats and cheeses, you're sure to impress your guests with the very best. Fan favorites like oven gold turkey paired with our classic Vermont cheddar are sure to score big game winning flavor in every bite. Boar's Head, committed to craft since 1905.
- [19:16]
Jeff Biggs
And I want to talk to you about our friends at Supply House and actually better help as well because the show is sponsored by BetterHelp. And as the days get shorter and the nights come earlier, it can start to feel a little heavier. Especially when life is already packed with work, family and everything else. This season, it's so important to reach out and check in with friends, family, or even yourself. Just like checking on a teammate or recommending someone you haven't seen in a while can lift your spirits, reaching out for therapy can make a real difference too. Better help that first step easier by connecting you with a licensed therapist online from wherever you are. BetterHelp matches you with a therapist who fits your needs. And you can switch anytime if it's not the right match. Over 5 million people have used BetterHelp and with over 30,000 therapists available, finding support really is just a few clicks away. So this month, don't wait to reach out. Whether you're checking in on a friend or reaching out to a therapist yourself, BetterHelp makes it simple to take that first step. Listeners right now get 10% off their first month@betterhelp.com LockedOn that's BetterHelp H E L P.com LockedOn because taking that step forward towards support might just leave you wondering why didn't I do this sooner? All right, we are back. The Cowboys squad show Marcus Moser, Landon McCool and former Cowboys coach Glenn Stretch Smith. All right, so we've got the two new trade additions, Quinn and Williams and.
- [21:05]
Landon McCool
Logan Wilson.
- [21:06]
Jeff Biggs
Logan Wilson. Thank you, thank you. But also as coach alluded to Demarvian Overshone is back. He was back out there today and Siobhan Revelle set to return as well. So when you put all that together, what you know I kind of a two part question. What, what can we expect and coach maybe from your perspective how, how difficult is it for the coaches and then the players kind of stepping in and you know, being asked to kind of pick it up quickly in a hurry on the fly.
- [21:37]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Yeah, I mean the great thing is they're defensive guys. So this is not, not having to learn a whole new, you know, verbiage of offense. It's not having to learn where to line up, how to line up, what split to take, you know, what route to run, what protection we're going through. What's, what do I need to check? I mean defensively go over there, line up right there and go get after the football. So that that's a good thing from that standpoint. And I do believe that the upside that you've seen is, is Ravel has, he's been here through training camp so he's aware of you know, coverages and hopefully he, he can play better leverage and what they played with so far. And then you know I, I do think over shown just from his athleticism is going to make such a difference lining up at linebacker. So now You've got, you know, NFL defenses play about 95% in, in, in a nickel situation, which with for the Cowboys, that's four down linemen, two linebackers and a nickel that would replace either the Sam or the Will. So you're going to have in a sense an entire new second level group and you got a new guy coming into the first level. Now with Ravel coming in, it'll be interesting to see where they play him, how they play him and his ability to get right in to the speed of the game. And I'm saying, yeah, he's lined up, you know, he's lined up with receivers and Cowboys receivers, but knowing that, you know, you got, you're lining up guys going 100 miles an hour. So I want to see how he gets accustomed to joining the back end of the defense and hopefully, I don't know, I don't know where Wilson is, but it would be nice if, you know, if he could be back too so that you have a starter on the back end that can help him adjust.
- [23:55]
Landon McCool
Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, the first thing with, with Ravel is that, I mean the speed of the game is, is def. Is definitely the first thing. And, and it's not even just about the injury. It's not even just about coming into the NFL. I mean, he was playing at ecu, like if you go back and I mean, I remember watching his tape last year and, and it wasn't against, you know, a bunch of Alabama and Georgia tape. You know, it was, it was a lot of, you know, a little bit step below, which is fine. I mean, that's, that's, that's, that's a thing for, for a lot of these. But the problem is, is that he's had all this time off, he's recovering from an injury and the speed that he's used to is a step or two below even the top level of college football. Right. So I think it's, it is going to be a learning curve. And, and it may have been part of the reason that we've seen such a deliberate return to play for him. Right. And, and maybe they know that they needed him to kind of assess this a little bit, get extra reps in practice just to kind of get a feel for, hey, this is what CD and George are like, you know, can, and, and the guys out there are going to be similar speed, so you need to get ready. He, he's, he's kind of one of the interesting guys. I, I think that there's also a couple other guys that we should probably mention in here not not only as new guys but also returning guys that are going to help, hopefully. It sounds like we're going to get both or at least one of the two starting safeties back this week. I think that's going to be huge, especially considering we've seen that Wanye Thomas has now been put on nfi. So that that certainly helps if we can at least get Hooker back. And hopefully two of your safeties, not that they've played outstanding, but certainly it would be nice to have that experience out there like coach mentioned, while you've got some younger guys going out there with a little bit less experience. But also on top of that, the Cowboys had Kaylin Carson come back in that Arizona game. He played something like 25 snaps, so he played okay. He played pretty good. I think for the most part. When we've seen Kaylin Carson, he's been a serviceable corner at times. He definitely had a stretch last year where it was ugly and it was. He was really struggling. But I felt like he played pretty good football against Arizona. Maybe he can be useful as a fourth or fifth corner, just a guy that you're subbing in. And really, I think the overall note I've got here is that the defense may just look very different just because you're just going to have a whole bunch of people out there that haven't been playing or haven't played at all so far this year. So I'm interested to see exactly, you know, this is not a case where like, you know, you've had a guy or two out for a week or two with an ankle injury, but you see them operating in these, in this defense, you know, kind of what to expect. I have no idea what really, I mean generally what to expect from Overshown, especially Revol re Ravel and, and Logan Wilson and Quinn and Williams. I think we know kind of how they want to use these pieces, but how it actually fits and what it looks like once they're all in together and what do they all interplay with and how does that work? I I think there's a lot a wide spectrum of outcomes that we could see see from this defense. I think coming on Monday.
- [27:13]
Marcus Moser
I don't know what to expect about everybody else, but I'm excited to see Quinn and Williams because unlike all those other names, he's actually been playing right. But what's unique about Quinn Williams is number one. He's stepping into a defense. It's going to be, I think, pretty easy to Learn. And number two, he's playing with a coach that he knows well in Aaron White Cotton, so it should be an easy transition. The other thing that's fascinating about Quinn and Williams is the last game that he's played was on October 26th. So it's going to be, I think, 22 days, 23 days between his last game that he played and then this game here on Monday night. Because of the way the trade lined up, the jets had a buy in week nine, the Cowboys had to buy in week 10. So you're giving this guy who's 27 two, really, three full weeks to get ready. That just doesn't happen for veterans in the middle of the season. If you're missing games, you're missing it because of an injury. And with this being a prime time game against an offensive line that just lost their left guard in Jackson Powers Johnson.
- [28:14]
Landon McCool
That's right.
- [28:15]
Marcus Moser
That's starting probably the worst center and worst right guard in the league. I think this is an opportunity for Quinn and Williams right out of the gate to show why the Cowboys made the correct move to trade for him.
- [28:28]
Jeff Biggs
I love it. I love it. That's awesome. And, you know, I was thinking about it, too. I mean, it was only a couple weeks ago that we were giving the Cowboys offense a lot of praise. Remember? It was kind of like, okay, they're going to score 40. Can the defense get a little better? And then, you know, these last two losses kind of threw all that out of whack. So I'm kind of hoping, too, in addition, that maybe the offense kind of caught their breath and kind of regrouped and they'll come out and kind of get that swagger back that we saw early in the season.
- [28:56]
Landon McCool
Well, I mean, they're. They're also needing to get a little healthier, you know, I mean, it wasn't just that, like, they're not missing people the way that the defense were, but they were beat up. Right? I mean, Booker, bb, CD Lamb all have had previous injuries that they came back from.
- [29:11]
Marcus Moser
Tyler Smith has been dealing with tendonitis.
- [29:13]
Landon McCool
In his knee that never went away, you know, and so I. I think all of these guys getting an extra week is also going to help, especially the guys that, like, had just recently come back, like BB And Booker. Right. And Tyler Smith, too, honestly. Because just a week of not having maybe an extra week of treatment, an extra week of not pressing the tendonitis, I'm hoping that it just. And I think CD Lamb, too, CD Lam, came back from that high ankle sprain. A little bit earlier than we kind of anticipated and he played pretty well early on, but I think has been clearly injured these last two weeks. Another week away from that injury, another week off of that foot. I'm hoping to see another renewed CD Lamb in the second half of the season.
- [29:56]
Jeff Biggs
Yeah coach, how about you?
- [30:00]
Glenn Stretch Smith
I mean I, you know, I want to see the quarter. The quarterback, the quarterback's got to play better. The quarterback's got to read, recognize what's going on. He's going to have to, you know, he's going to have to be fine at some point. Taking some singles and not trying to hit the home run every time. You know, I, I think you, you're gonna have to. As much as we praised him and he deserved that in the last few games, he has not played as well. So I, you know, I, I look for him to kind of get re. Energized as well here.
- [30:32]
Marcus Moser
We should also mention he also suffered an injury in that Cardinal game. Got rolled up on a little bit. Was seen walking off the field with a limp. I got to assume the two weeks off is going to be very kind to him. And you're right coach, like he, he's played extremely well this year. He's worth the 60 million dollar contract that the Cowboys gave him. But the last couple games he needs to be, he needs to play better. And I think they've got a lot of big games coming up. I think it's going to start here on Monday night.
- [31:00]
Jeff Biggs
I like that, I like that.
- [31:03]
Marcus Moser
Do you almost had six, seven big games coming up, coach.
- [31:06]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Oh man.
- [31:08]
Landon McCool
Oh man. Please don't.
- [31:10]
Jeff Biggs
Since you brought up Dak, I'm just throwing this out there. The was it. The athletic had their poll and they had, they have Lamar Jackson ranked as the most overrated quarterback in the NFL. That came in at number four for whatever that's worth. I know these are just comment on that one.
- [31:33]
Marcus Moser
No, no, you don't need to. It's. These are just over read them.
- [31:38]
Landon McCool
Yeah, I hate overrating ones like rated over like what's the standard here? Like who's, who's rating him and how is he getting overrated? It's, it's all, it's all subjective and, and kind of allows for a lot of nonsense writing in my opinion. In just my opinion.
- [31:54]
Jeff Biggs
Yeah, that's fair. I like that. So the offense we're, we're looking for better things like to see. I would also like to see the running game kind of get re going or a reboot for the running game that Works so well, looks so good early in the season. Seems like they just were kind of on their heels these last couple of losses and were never really able to get into their flow or in a position to impose their will or do what they wanted to do well.
- [32:19]
Marcus Moser
And Jeff, that's honestly been the big thing. They've been in such negative game scripts over the last two weeks where they kind of have to throw the ball and when they run, it's kind of, you know, it's just to do it, just to give Dak a little bit of a break. And it would be nice to see the Cowboys get back to some of these game scripts where you're up, you know, 14 to 7, 17 to 7, and then you can lean on the run game, use more play action. I think that alone is going to help that get that unit be better. But you got to get some stops early in games and the offense has got to score early.
- [32:51]
Landon McCool
You got to get opportunities. That's what I was just going to say is especially in that Arizona game, they just simply didn't possess the ball very long, especially early in the game, they just didn't get a ton of possession. So I think, yeah, I mean, look, and again, the defense has got to be better. We all know that. But like, it was so bad that that Arizona was able to score and possess the ball a lot early on and it just didn't give the Cowboys a bunch of opportunities. By the time that they did get opportunities, they were in such a negative game script that they, they, you know, obviously had to throw the ball a bit more. They couldn't play a balanced game. That was a problem for the offensive line which, you know, couldn't consistently protect, which sped up Dax Processor, which made it play poorly. So, you know, all this stuff is very, I mean, all of us know this. This is all very connected, right? So we're hoping that with a little bit better defense, maybe one or two more stops, that gives you one or two more opportunities for the Cowboys offense to be on the field before they get into a situation where you're in a pass only game script and just allow them as much time as they can in the game game to kind of continue to play in a balanced game script. Because that's when the offense looks the best, right? When they can effectively run the football or throw the football whenever they need to and they're not feeling pressure to put points on the board to keep up with whatever. Offense is just absolutely mashing the Cowboys defense that week.
- [34:13]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Well, it'd be Nice for the play caller to have a little confidence in the defense, knowing, hey, maybe they can get a couple more stops. I mean, if that's, if that's the case, you're, you're calling the game a little differently. And I, you know, I think that's, that's the biggest thing is, is Schottenheimer going to have the confidence in the defense to get him, you know, one or two more critical stops in a football game where he can call it a little differently?
- [34:41]
Landon McCool
Yeah, absolutely. Well, you know, here's my question for you, Coach. Do you feel like he, he's calling the offense currently, like he's got a bad defense? Because to me, it feels like that's the one thing, one of the things that I feel like he could improve on. It feels like there could be more urgency in the play calling if, if, you know, understanding that you don't have a defense that currently is stopping anyone. I mean, this ball, all is going to change.
- [35:07]
Glenn Stretch Smith
I'll go back to the first drive in the Arizona game. He's got a third and four from the four and then, and they don't get it in. Did you have the confidence he had a better call, play call on fourth down than he did on third?
- [35:22]
Landon McCool
I, you know, I, I, I, I think that.
- [35:24]
Glenn Stretch Smith
No, no. Yes or no. Did he have a better, do you think he had a better.
- [35:27]
Landon McCool
Yes, I did. Yes, I do think he had a, I think I have questions on whether it would be executed better than it was.
- [35:33]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Yeah. No, no. Kick the damn field goal there. That, that, that. You, you, you, you guys, you, you guys want to turn it into, you know, it's, even in an improv. I'm not, I'm not in the mood for any funny on a Wednesday night. Kick the field goal right there. That's what you should have done. Or you should have had a better call on third down.
- [35:49]
Marcus Moser
I disagree. I think they should have went for it because they went, they kicked the field goal last week against Denver and it came back to bite them.
- [35:55]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Oh, there we go. Yeah, Denver. That's, that's, that's, I, I, I agree. Denver's the same defense as Arizona, man. We, we are basically that.
- [36:06]
Marcus Moser
No, that'll score more against.
- [36:07]
Landon McCool
Look, look, I, I think my call, my problem is that if you've got a great call that you liked on third, third down, then use it on fourth down and give me two more shots to try to push it, to push it in. Make the decision to go for the touchdown as opposed to kicking ever go.
- [36:21]
Glenn Stretch Smith
To Vegas and put your card out there and your credit card and just say, hell, ring it up for 500 on red right there and see if, see if they'll see if it'll work.
- [36:29]
Landon McCool
If I had, if I had, I probably wouldn't be here talking today.
- [36:33]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Look at you. Like a mule looking at a new gate.
- [36:36]
Marcus Moser
I don't need to do that.
- [36:38]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Number one sportsbook. That's what, that's what we got into. Hell with it. Just charge it. Just discharge it doesn't matter. Just charge.
- [36:50]
Marcus Moser
You're in a good mood tonight, aren't you? It's great, man.
- [36:55]
Glenn Stretch Smith
To me, like, I don't understand all of that. I don't, I don't get the, I don't get it. I don't get Siriani throwing a fade in, in the game.
- [37:05]
Landon McCool
It sounds like same thing.
- [37:06]
Glenn Stretch Smith
How the hell with it. Just charge it.
- [37:08]
Landon McCool
It sounds like, it sounds like that wasn't Sy. I don't, it sounds like that was, that was the players who called an audible on that fourth down, by the way, Coach, which is maybe Big Dom called that one.
- [37:18]
Marcus Moser
That been better.
- [37:19]
Landon McCool
I mean, it makes, it makes about as much sense. Listen, I, I, I, I don't disagree with, with, with, with what you, the way you presented that argument, Coach. But to me, it should be framed in such a way that you go in knowing that you're going for it on fourth down because your defense isn't playing in a way that it could stop a nosebleed. You need all the points that you can get to win the game. So I don't, you know, so then.
- [37:43]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Okay, so then you think about it as a play caller, as you line them up on that sheet, as they're lined up on that sheet. I mean, surely you're lining up your best play to what you feel like maybe is the seventh or eighth play, which is, is not as good a play. Correct.
- [38:02]
Landon McCool
Yeah. I mean, look, I think.
- [38:04]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Hell, let's just flip a coin. I mean, you know, this is. All right, let's see.
- [38:07]
Landon McCool
Well, but, but I think the difference is the reason that teams have success going forward on fourth down nowadays, it's not just because they're good going forward on fourth down, but because they're adjusting the play sequencing on first, second and third down knowing that they're going for it on fourth down. And, and I, that's not necessarily how they're laying out their play sheet is based on my eyes only.
- [38:30]
Glenn Stretch Smith
But I'm not disagreeing with that. But it was the same down in distance. So what, what made me so that, that's the point I'm making. So it's like, is a call you made on third down the better, the better call than the one you made on fourth or is the one you made on fourth the better than the one you made on third?
- [38:49]
Marcus Moser
Well, I don't like the play called on third down. You're throwing the ball short to Jake Ferguson in the flat. That just. No, thanks. I actually, I like that.
- [38:56]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Right, so now we're just. Yeah, so now we're just, we're just another Sunday evening village idiot. I don't like that play call. That was a terrible, terrible.
- [39:04]
Landon McCool
But you can open up more. You can open up more of your playbook if you need, you know that you're going on for. Look, you can even run the football if you know that you're going for.
- [39:11]
Marcus Moser
Probably what they should have done.
- [39:12]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Honestly, fine, but it's not what they did. He thought he had the right call on third down. He didn't. So now, now just like I said, just, just, you know, it's the paper football mentality. Just, just flip them the old visa out there and tell them put, put 500 on black. See if it'll work.
- [39:33]
Landon McCool
Hey, look, maybe that's what you need to do considering how bad your defense is at this point. Look again, this may all be moot because the defense is going to look completely different next week. But I'm saying at the state of where the defense was last week, maybe push a little bit more all in because what are you going to lose? They're going to score, so might as well try to get as many points as you can.
- [39:58]
Glenn Stretch Smith
I do not have a problem with what you're saying. What I'm saying is had they kicked the field goal there, it would have been a two score game late in the, in the entire complex of the football game would have changed. And it wasn't like you had a feel for what was happening. You had no idea Jacoby Brissette was going to respond to Monday Night Football and the Monday Night Football lights. No idea. You hadn't seen one series of how they were going to play.
- [40:22]
Landon McCool
That's fair. And look, maybe the problem here is that I accepted the premise of arguing over this one play. My, my prescription is more holistic over the course of the game, right, of just a general more aggressiveness, knowing that your defense is not going to be able to handle, handle.
- [40:39]
Glenn Stretch Smith
I mean, you've also got, you got, you've also got to understand the flow of the game. And I mean, I don't think, I don't think comparing what happened in Denver to how you started the game in Arizona, I mean we're talking about apples and oranges.
- [40:52]
Landon McCool
Yeah. And I guess that's what I'm saying is I'm not just talking about the opening, I'm talking about the entirety of the game plan and the stance of the offense should have been, hey, we should go for more of these fourth downs because of the way the state of the defense and allow that to adjust our play calling as well. But that's just my opinion.
- [41:12]
Jeff Biggs
All right, we're going to leave that right there. We're going to take a quick time out. When we come back though, I have a bye week question that I want to run by you and it kind of goes with this. So we'll do that when we return. Great to be with you on this Wednesday night. This is the Cowboys squad show.
- [41:28]
Marcus Moser
It's deal days at Volkswagen. And by deal days I mean that our numbers guys away for the winter holidays and we're offering signed and drive deals on new vw, by which I mean cars made by Volkswagen. It's a classic case of while the cat's away, the mice will play. And by play I mean offering sweet holiday deals on the most affordable German engineered car brand. And by sweet holiday deals I mean zero down, zero deposit, zero first month's payment and zero due at signing excluding tax, title and other fees on a new 2025 Tiguan just in time for the holidays. But our numbers guy won't be on vacation forever. By not forever I mean deal days like the holidays themselves is a limited time thing. And by limited time I mean you better get your took us into your VW dealership. And by took us I mean exactly what you think I mean. Volkswagen deal days claim based on US market MSRP information available at time of publication for 2025 and 2026 German engineered vehicles 0 do it signing excluding tax, title, license options and dealer fees. No security deposit required. Example 3.99amonth lease for 36 months for a 2025 Tiguan SE based on an MSRP of 33,000 hundred $545 with destination charges and excluding other noted exclusions. Limited inventory available Closed end lease financing available through January 5, 2026 on approved credit to well qualified customers by Volkswagen Credit through participating dealers Offer not valid in Puerto Rico. See your Volkswagen deliver details or call 1-800-Drive-VW.
- [42:30]
Jeff Biggs
And now we are going to talk about our friends at Supply House and everything that they've got going on when the opening whistle blows on a new repair. Get your crew moving forward with Supply House order today and see parts on your doorstep tomorrow. Over 280,000 plumbing H vac and electrical items from the most trusted brands in the business. Their real time inventory and honest lead times keep you from putting and punting projects while their industry leading customer service always has your blind side covered. So you need parts for fast for a project Supply House has next day delivery. Talk about a game changer and their trademaster perks like priority shipping and dedicated support make the whole process smoother. So right now join the free trademaster program today and score serious perks like priority shipping, lower prices and a dedicated support line. Visit supplyhouse.com to sign up for free and use promo code SH NFL5 for 5% off your first order that supplyhouse.com Real people, real service. All right, we're back to the Cowboy squad show Jeff Biggs, Landon McCool, Marcus Mosher and the coach Glenn Stretch Smith. All right. As we continue to look ahead for the Cowboys coming off of their by Monday Night Football on the road this time in Las Vegas against the Raiders coming up on Monday. So coach, let me ask you this. You're, you're, you're on a staff first year with the team, you've played nine games. You get your bi week what you know, what kind of information do you think the coaches have now at this point and what's what, what, what's the bi week like as far as maybe trying to tweak some things, improve some things and putting your team in a better position to do well in the second half?
- [44:32]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Yeah, you, you've scout, you've self scouted yourself. I mean you get that, you get that report weekly and you're, you're, you're looking at, I'm sure you're looking at some of your cutups. I'm sure you're looking at some of your run game cuts and some of the things that you can do from a blocking scheme standpoint from hey, what worked? What did you feel like didn't work? I mean I'm sure all, all of those things you go over and are going over constantly. You know I can only speak from an offensive side because I've never coached on the other side of the football but certainly the self scout and how you look at how you align your motions. Do you need more shifts? Do you need to get more players in position to make some plays? You know, I'm sure all of those things you go through and then how can you keep the things that you really like, the things that you think really worked in that, in that half, in that half season stretch. And then, like I said, then can we, can we motion, can we shift to it? Can we possibly use some different personnel groupings to get the players in those positions? All of those things are things that you have to continually look at. Because I think the quarterback, what it felt like to me in the first six games of the season, he was very in tune to what was expected of him. And then when I think he got against a Denver defense that said, we're not letting you hit the home run, he got against an Arizona defense and said, we'll give you that comeback over there all day long. If you have the patience to take it, then, you know, those are things that you have. He's got to become more comfortable doing. And like I'm saying, you've got to become more comfortable in taking what the defense gives you. NFL defenses can dictate certain things. And always you, you say, well, what do they dictate? The offense has the football. They can take certain things away from you. And when they do that, then you have to be able to be comfortable taking other things and taking what the defense gives you. So I think that's something that Dak needs to be more comfortable with. And quite frankly, I think it affects, you know, when you have, when you're bad defensively, it affects your quarterback, too. And I'm saying that because, I mean, he, he's aware. He, he sees how bad they are on defensive. He feels the pressure of, man, we, we got to score here. We got, we got to put this ball in the end zone. I mean, we've got to, we got to go up. And so anytime you can just create a little confidence or a little doubt, confidence in knowing you can make the play called doubt in knowing, man, we.
- [47:31]
Landon McCool
Can, we, you know, we, we can.
- [47:32]
Glenn Stretch Smith
This play can look exactly the same if we shift from here. We, we move from here. Those things are all what I think are critical in second half adjustments to what you want to do.
- [47:46]
Landon McCool
Can I ask a question real quick, coach? Like, you know, we, we all on the outside kind of have our own perception, and I think this happens a lot with, like, halftime adjustments as well, right? Like, everyone expects at halftime that there's a, everyone's huddled around a blackboard and you're drawing X's and O's and like, oh, we're going to change the whole offense this, the halftime. How much, how much adjustment do you feel like can actually be done. And how much of a step back and like, holistic look are you taking in these bye weeks? Is it. Is it pretty regular that to plan on, like, okay, we're going to re. Evaluate everything in the bye week and, and maybe make all the adjustments there? Or is it just a, A normal week with maybe the couple of extra sessions?
- [48:34]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Yeah, I've always, I've. I've always looked at it, you know, in kind of a reverse handicap and form. Like, what can we throw out? What. What. What doesn't feel good right now? What does the quarterback not like? Maybe what does CD not like? I'm sure he may have some say in some of that. What, what, you know, what does the offensive line coach not like what? And so what you start doing in my mind is you put a bunch of stuff up now you start eliminating a lot of things. So you eliminate that and then you. And then you reins. Reinsert shifts motions and things you can do to make the things that you were comfortable with just look a little different, feel a little different. And when you can do that and everybody can get on the same page, it helps you. It helps you immensely offensively. How can we just tweak the things that we're really good at and then. Oh, by the way, those things that we practiced that, that we didn't feel good at maybe at certain times of the year, let's just, let's just throw them out. Let's just. We're not going to run that anymore. I, I think, you know, that was what Aikman to me was always so, so in tune with doing was. You know, he would come in on Tuesdays and he would, he would usually come in and, and, and he would. A lot of times he. On, on that Tuesday night, he would eat and he would come into my office because I had the two. The, the big boards in my office. I was changing things and moving things around all the time. And he would actually watch film for about an hour and a half or two hours. When he would eat and he, he would get rid of things, he said, I, I don't like the way that looks. I don't like the way that feels. I don't like the way we're. And so you know what? We immediately just threw that out. And to me, that, that's what then that's how guys start to have confidence in what you're doing is when you scale down and you scale down and you become really good at something and then you can do that shifting in motion and it's the end picture still looks the same, even though the beginning of the picture doesn't look exactly the same.
- [50:42]
Marcus Moser
And that's why you see a lot of times after the bye weeks, these offenses really start to take off because they get back to the basics, right? They get back to the 15 to 20 plays that are kind of their bread and butter. Now. Brian Schottenheimer's promised that they're going to be creative and they're going to add things coming out of the buy. There's going to be some big personal changes. We'll see. I, I've kind of have some of my doubts about that, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see the offense kind of get back to scoring 27, 30 points a game. It also helps that you're playing the Raiders defense this week, which can be had. So we'll see what the offense can do here in week 11.
- [51:20]
Jeff Biggs
I would just like to see, and I feel like a broken record. I would just like to see this offense get to a point where literally that they stay on the field and impose their will and just keep the clock moving, keep the, keep the chains moving. Then, you know, when you feel like you're in a good position then, then go for the home runs. I mean, that's great, but make sure you do the little things first and not put yourself in a position where you can.
- [51:49]
Marcus Moser
One more thing I want to mention.
- [51:50]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Again, think about, though, how hard it is to run, let's just say a 15 play draft, 12 play draft. Think about how hard it is to not have any mistakes in that draft. Not none. Nobody jumps, nobody moves. We don't have any, we don't have any pre snap, nothing. And then we're able to look and pick up every single, either blitz or, you know, zone pressure, whatever it is that they give us. It's hard. It's hard to do. That's why, that's why offense is 10 times harder than playing on the other side of the football because you have to be in tune every single time in all 11 guys. And it's hard to do. And that's why most defensive coordinators, they'll, they'll give you five or six yards that I'm telling you, they'll give it to you. They'll tell you, they'll, they'll tell you. We'll give you four yards of snap, run the football now, see if you got the patience. Calling it 15 straight times and nobody makes a mistake. Yeah, or the ball doesn't get fumbled, or it's not wet it's not cold or it's not this or that or whatever, whatever the scenario is, they'll allow you to do that. They'll allow you, most of them allow you to throw the hit. If you want to throw a seven yard hitch out there that lets you throw the damn hitch. Are you going to be patient enough to do that? It's hard to do.
- [53:12]
Marcus Moser
Wish we had a defensive coach at this one that could push back on the offenses harder. Let's just coach, former offensive coach wanting to. No, he's right though. Like these defense, defense is very reactive. Right. And it's, it's a little bit easier. Your play call is, your play call sheet is way smaller. But yeah, I think coaches are, I just like to get a couple things out of. That's all.
- [53:32]
Landon McCool
Yeah, that's why you can afford to have the, the more athletic guys on, on the defensive side.
- [53:36]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Right.
- [53:37]
Landon McCool
Because it's, it's just about pointing and go. The instructions are pretty simple in comparison to all the checks that you have on offense. It just makes sense. And, and I think again, kind of to what coach was saying. That's why these shell coverages based defenses really work.
- [53:52]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Right.
- [53:53]
Landon McCool
Because if you can't throw the ball down the field, if you can't create except explosive plays, the only way to get down the field is to be methodical and move the ball. And not everybody has the capability of doing that. Quarterback or offense. A lot of things have to go right over and over again in order to kind of accomplish that. And defenses will take their chances on that.
- [54:14]
Jeff Biggs
All right, good stuff there. When we come back, our final segment, we'll look ahead to the Monday night matchup with the Raiders and get some final thoughts as well. Also talk about the daily Cowboys podcast with Marcus and Landon. We'll do that as we finish things up on this Wednesday night. This is the Cowboys squad show.
- [54:35]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Hello. Listen to my voice talking to you about the new Old Spice NFL collection at Walmart. Now listen to my smell. I smell like NFL stars Jared Goff, CD Lamb, Saquon Barkley, CJ Stroud and George Kittle. I smell like greatness. Why? Because I'm wearing Old Spice's new NFL collection. How can you put the greatness of the NFL into a smell? You ask? You can't. But Old Spice can and they did. Smell like suntal and speed, driftwood and drive, sea tides and toughness with the Old Spice NFL collection available at Walmart. Smell like the greatest smell in the NFL with Old Spice.
- [55:06]
Jeff Biggs
And I want to talk to you about FanDuel and what they're doing. Because the NBA is back and there is no better place to get in on the action than FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the the NBA. Even if you miss the start of the game or you want to ride the hot hand, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. Plus, you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. It keeps every game exciting, especially when your team is making that late push. So right now FanDuel is giving new customers $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. So head to FanDuel.com to sign up and play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. All right, we are back. The Cowboy squad show. Coach is not back. There he is. He's coming down.
- [56:04]
Marcus Moser
I see. He's all right.
- [56:06]
Jeff Biggs
Yeah, he's good. So, Marcus Landon, what can we look forward to on the daily Locked on Cowboys podcast as we get a little extra time because of the another Monday night game?
- [56:17]
Marcus Moser
First of all, thanks for coach for joining us today. It's always a pleasure. Second of all, we had a busy week here on the lottime Cowboys podcast. We have a show that came out on Wednesday where Landon and I looked at the top 50 draft prospects for the 2026 class. And I know it's early, I get it that it's early. But we got a very good list of some players to watch throughout all season, the college football playoffs. Keep an eye on some of these guys. So go check out that show on Thursday. We've got a crossover show with Q. Myers from Laton Raiders. We reminisced about my time covering the Raiders and how much fun that was and how some of those decisions back in 2019, 2020 are impacting the Raiders now. So be on the lookout for that as well. And then we're going to continue to get you ready for the Monday Night Football game on Friday and Monday.
- [57:06]
Jeff Biggs
I did not know you covered the Raiders, Marcus.
- [57:09]
Marcus Moser
Yeah, for most of the John Gruden tenure from 2018 to 2024. So it was a. Was a fun job for a while.
- [57:18]
Landon McCool
Wild ride, I think. Fair to say, right?
- [57:20]
Marcus Moser
Yes. A lot of different coaches during that stretch. Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce, John Gruden, something else.
- [57:28]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Wow.
- [57:28]
Jeff Biggs
Okay.
- [57:29]
Marcus Moser
Right on.
- [57:29]
Jeff Biggs
Well, we look forward to that. And you know, they're. They have Pete Carroll. Right. They've got Geno Smith and for now, Jenny for now, yeah. So what do you see from them and where do you see areas where the Cowboys can, can find a way.
- [57:45]
Landon McCool
To get a win?
- [57:45]
Marcus Moser
Well, it's a Chip Kelly offense that has one of the league's worst offensive lines. Their left tackle, Colt Miller, by far their best offensive lineman, he's out. Their second best offensive lineman, Dylan Parham, likely to be out as well. Jackson Powers Johnson, their second year guard, he's out of the lineup. They're starting guys that frankly shouldn't be in the NFL, but they were overdrafted, so that's what you'll see on Monday night. But they've got talent. Geno Smith is still a good quarterback. Ash and Genti was somebody that we talked about a lot for the Cowboys as a potential pick. Brock Bowers to me, for my money is one of the best skilled players in the league. And then there's Max Crosby on defense who we were all pleading for the Cowboys to offer whatever it took to go out and get him. He can be an absolute game record. So I know their record isn't good, but this isn't a team that's completely devoid of talent. They've got some really good players that.
- [58:36]
Landon McCool
Can fit this game well. The Cowboys record is very good. So I don't know why they would possibly overlook this at this point. So, yeah, I mean I think it's, it's. There's a lot of components about it that in the preseason, you know, kind of made us excited to see this team a little bit.
- [58:52]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Right.
- [58:52]
Landon McCool
Like, I think everyone had visions of maybe first year Eagles coach Jip Kelly offense kind of, you know, making its way. Unfortunately, they got first year San Francisco coach Chip Kelly's offense.
- [59:04]
Marcus Moser
Ucla.
- [59:05]
Landon McCool
Well, ucla, I mean, frankly, ucla, I'm even better like. But yeah, I mean I think it's, it's been a little bit of a message. There's definitely been a lot of folks that are Geno Smith fans that are surprised by the way this, the season has turned out a little bit. But I, I do think that it all kind of starts with how is this offensive line going to block. I, I understand the Cowboys aren't exactly world beaters, but we do have Quinn and Williams like we mentioned now as a rock who's playing a little bit better football. So is Clowney and, and how, how is, how are the Raiders going to block that up? Because I think it's going to be a difficult task and Geno Smith is a lot of things, but he's not necessarily someone who is going to be Evading a pocket very well or be. Be loose with his athleticism and making the Cowboys pay for it coming after him so well.
- [59:57]
Marcus Moser
And I want to mention Landon real quick. He suffered a quad injury late in the fourth quarter against the the Broncos. He's going to play this week, but I can guarantee you he's not 100. Those quad bruises, they don't go away in a couple days. So you're looking at it even more limited.
- [60:14]
Landon McCool
Geno Smith, an athletically compromised over 30 quarterback with behind a makeshift offensive line. Yeah, I think that it doesn't add up for, for a good time even for the Cowboys defensive line being the one that's coming after him.
- [60:31]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Let me ask, let me ask both of you something. We're at the midway point of the season which. Who are the three most disappointing NFC teams to both of you guys?
- [60:43]
Marcus Moser
Probably the Vikings would be one, right? Yeah.
- [60:46]
Landon McCool
Washington's got to be one.
- [60:47]
Marcus Moser
Washington would be two. Yeah.
- [60:49]
Landon McCool
Though I'm not surprised, honestly. But it is disappointing.
- [60:53]
Marcus Moser
I'm going through my divisions. Atlanta.
- [60:58]
Jeff Biggs
Yeah.
- [60:59]
Landon McCool
Yeah. Well, especially, especially considering what we saw early. Yeah, I'd say Atlanta's got to be.
- [61:03]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Up there probably in case the Cowboys aren't in that list.
- [61:07]
Marcus Moser
Stretch their over under was like six and a half.
- [61:09]
Landon McCool
It's kind of, I think again, I'm.
- [61:12]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Fully aware what they air conditioned the desert, but I know what I know I expected a 500 team, but I, I get a lot of people blowback to say after the first, you know, five weeks of the season when they were scoring like crazy, a lot of Cowboys are one of the most disappointing teams in the nfc. And I agree. I mean, I think, I think Atlanta is very disappointing. I could make an argument for Green Bay being disappointing where they're at right now, but I'm just asking because I think that a lot, you know, the Cowboys get a lot of blowback. Like they get a lot of, like they get a lot of people on the bandwagon too.
- [61:47]
Landon McCool
Well, it's like we talked about the beginning of the show, coach. Right. Who's rating them? You know, like, I mean, where's the original rating coming from? And I think, you know, anybody who saw that they traded, you know, Micah Parsons. Was it three days before the game, the first game. Like, you know, I think the expectations for this team probably should have dropped pretty precipitously at that point. So I, I don't know. I mean, I, I feel like they probably haven't played up to our expectations throughout the season as a whole based on where we Thought they were. I also think that, you know, broadly speaking, considering where Washington, Washington. And I mean, I think Green Bay is another good name to mention there because I do think that they are a team that has all those, has all those kind of lined up and still just haven't quite done.
- [62:39]
Glenn Stretch Smith
I mean, I think the point of reference is where did you have them? You know, where did you have them to begin the season? I mean, if you had to, if you had to line up the east and be honest, before the season started, you probably had them. Philadelphia, Washington, Dallas and New York, right?
- [62:52]
Marcus Moser
Hey, so they're outperforming expectations. There's second place.
- [62:56]
Glenn Stretch Smith
That's what I'm saying. I, I don't know why you don't get out and go out and just get drunk as ten little bitty some with the, with, with 3001 record.
- [63:06]
Marcus Moser
I love you, coach. You're the best.
- [63:10]
Jeff Biggs
I mean, I don't know. Am I wrong though? I mean, I, I thought, I mean, the, the opener in Philadelphia, they look really good in that first half. And I would make the case that, you know, a few weeks ago, before these two losses, we, we thought, you know, maybe that the defense, I mean, the offense was, was one of the tops in the league, right? They were scoring 40 points, running the ball. And then now you look the last two weeks and it, it's like we're back at square one.
- [63:37]
Marcus Moser
It just feels like this is probably where they should be and kind of where the expectation was. Like, we thought that the defense was going to be a disaster. It is. We thought the office was going to be really good, but there were still going to be some weeks where they are up and down. And that's the case. And that's how you have a record of three, five and one. You're a couple plays away from having a winning record. You're a couple of plays plays away from, you know, only having one or two wins this season. That feels about right.
- [64:02]
Landon McCool
Yeah, I agree. It's, you know, I mean, again, like, I don't think that you're such a good team that you should have expected to be three or four games above.500. I think there's, you know, the way they played, they could have won some of these games that they lost for sure, but also the way they played, they could have lost some of these games that they won in Tide.
- [64:21]
Glenn Stretch Smith
So, so we're at the midway point. What's the, what's the second half record here? By the way, Jeff, don't be standing over scratching your butt make sure you record this show so we can look back at it at the end of the year.
- [64:35]
Marcus Moser
I'm gonna go 6, 10, and 2.
- [64:39]
Glenn Stretch Smith
2. I guess. Hold on.
- [64:43]
Landon McCool
Why are you confusing this? Why are you making 6, 9, and 2? Yeah, I tend to think, like, probably beneath 500, you know, or maybe close to 500 at the. @ the best end. Right. I mean, if things kind of go well, I would imagine so you think.
- [65:01]
Glenn Stretch Smith
They win four games in the second half of this season? Is that fair to say?
- [65:05]
Landon McCool
Man, now that you say that.
- [65:07]
Marcus Moser
Well, I mean, you have.
- [65:09]
Landon McCool
I guess you're right.
- [65:10]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Yeah.
- [65:10]
Marcus Moser
Well, yeah, but L. You beat the Raiders, the Commanders, the Giants, and then you split between the Chargers and the Vikings. There's four wins.
- [65:19]
Landon McCool
Yeah, I mean, but I also beat the Panthers in the car.
- [65:21]
Glenn Stretch Smith
That goes against a record. You just said while ago. I know, but I was drunk doing something you won't.
- [65:26]
Marcus Moser
Dude, I know. He's got.
- [65:29]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Runaway M train there, Sparky. I get rid there, but you get up there sort of out of.
- [65:34]
Landon McCool
Good play. I was. I was making his point because honestly, like, as you line it up, I mean, can you expect the Cowboys to beat teams that they're supposed to beat? We haven't seen that evidence.
- [65:43]
Glenn Stretch Smith
I mean, we thought they were going to beat the Bears. We thought they were going to beat the Panthers. We thought they were going to beat the cardinals.
- [65:49]
Landon McCool
Yeah, 100%. I. I think beneath 500 is where I would say.
- [65:57]
Glenn Stretch Smith
All right, well, that's about what we thought they were at the beginning of the season. I mean, it really was that. That's kind of where, you know, kind of seven, eight, you know, they get lucky, maybe nine. That. That. That's about what we're looking at.
- [66:09]
Jeff Biggs
All right, well, I would like to see the team get better and improve over the second half. I'd like to see each week get better and better and better on both ends of the ball.
- [66:19]
Landon McCool
Let me be clear. They can definitely do that and still have the record that we're talking about. Because a lot of what we're talking about is how terrible this schedule is, like, the teams they have to play going forward.
- [66:30]
Marcus Moser
Yeah.
- [66:31]
Landon McCool
Marcus pointed out some teams that they could beat, but. But the other teams that he didn't mention are pretty terrifying. And I think there's a good chance you're gonna be getting better, but maybe still losing some of these games.
- [66:43]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Yeah, I think so, too. I mean, I think that's where you could be defensively as you've started to get this rebuild. I think. I think that's where you could be. And then like, you know, like we talked about, I mean their, their blueprint is out there for what they've done offensively now. Now the question is going to be how do they adjust in this second half to, to know it? I don't think the floors change. You're still going to have to score 30 ish to go win a football game.
- [67:11]
Jeff Biggs
No doubt. All right, well, it will all start on Monday night with the Raiders in Vegas. Marcus Landon, we look forward to hearing from you guys the rest of the week. Have a great weekend. We'll do it again next week. Coach, enjoy the weekend. And we will talk again on Monday night as the Cowboys get set for their Monday night matchup in Las Vegas, Monday Night Football with the Raiders. Thank you for being with us tonight. We appreciate it. We love you. Don't forget the daily Lock On Cowboys podcast. This has been the Cowboys squad show.
- [67:57]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Tires matter. They're the only part of your vehicle.
- [67:59]
Landon McCool
That touches the road.
- [68:01]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Tread confidently with new tires from Tire.
- [68:04]
Landon McCool
Rack with Whether you're looking for expert recommendations or know exactly what you want.
- [68:08]
Glenn Stretch Smith
Tire Rack makes it easy, fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection and convenient installation options.
- [68:15]
Landon McCool
Go to tirerack.com to see Tire test results, tire ratings and consumer reviews and be sure to check out all the special offers TireRack.com, the way Tire buying.
- [68:26]
Marcus Moser
Should be thank you for making Locked on your first listen every day. The NFL season is finally here and for your second listen, get a double dose of the Locked On NFL podcast. Tyler the Madman Roland gives you a shot of espresso to start your football day while Tony Wiggins takes you into the barbershop for the smoothest breakdowns to end the day. Locked on NFL brings you non stop league wide coverage daily. Find Locked on NFL on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network your team every day.
- [69:02]
Glenn Stretch Smith
It's Glenn Smith, former Cowboys assistant coach and now analyst from the Cowboys squad show. Expand your daily Cowboys obsession with an hour long deep dive as I team up with the best voices covering your favorite team after every game and every Thursday on Lock On Cowboys Squad up wherever you get your podcast live and on YouTube part of the Locked On Podcast Network.
- [69:28]
Jeff Biggs
Your team every day.