TANK: Why the Dallas Cowboys Should EMBRACE Losing in Week 18 for Draft Value and Long-Term Success!

Summary

---

Locked On Cowboys Podcast

Episode: TANK: Why the Dallas Cowboys Should EMBRACE Losing in Week 18 for Draft Value and Long-Term Success!

Date: December 30, 2025
Hosts: Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool make the case for why the Dallas Cowboys should strategically "embrace losing" in their upcoming Week 18 matchup. The central argument is that, with playoffs out of reach and draft position on the line, the Cowboys’ best route to long-term success is to avoid risking key player injuries and to maximize their draft capital. The hosts differentiate between "tanking" and simply prioritizing future value, discussing the nuances of NFL roster management at the close of a lost season. They break down the potential draft implications, examine how the team can subtly shift priorities, and offer a blueprint for handling the season finale in a way that balances organizational goals and player interests.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining "Tanking" in the NFL Context

• Not the NBA Model:
  Landon clarifies (02:24) they are not advocating for blatant, NBA-style tanking, nor do they believe it happens the same way in the NFL. Instead, the focus is on smart player management and pulling back on full-tilt competitiveness in a meaningless game.

  “We do not believe that the NFL fully tanks the way that we've seen some NBA teams do. We believe it's done...properly done, but not specifically, you know, intentionally trying to lose.” (02:24 - Landon McCool)

• Front Office vs. Players:
  Players continue playing hard due to their nature and contractual incentives, but management and coaches must take the long view for team success. (06:09)

  “This is a coaching and front office decision, not a player decision.” (06:00 - Marcus Mosher)

2. Why Lose Week 18? Long-term Value Over Meaningless Wins

• No Stakes in Standings:
  The game against the Giants offers "nothing to gain from the standings outside of going 8-8-1" (01:40). An extra win doesn’t change playoff status or bring notable achievements.

  “Is anybody really going to care if Brian Schottenheimer goes 8-8-1 versus 7-9-1? I don’t think so. They didn’t make the playoffs and that was ultimately one of the bigger goals.” (04:23 - Marcus Mosher)

• Avoid Injury on Dangerous Turf:
  Playing at MetLife Stadium, described as “arguably the worst field in the NFL,” raises injury risk with little upside. (04:10)
• Player Health and Incentives:
  Players chasing statistical or contract incentives can be managed (e.g., reached, then pulled from play), as other organizations have done. (07:03)

  “Seen other organizations, they'll pull a guy off the field, but they'll give him whatever incentive he was trying to get...Make sure he doesn't get hurt.” (07:03 - Marcus Mosher)

3. Draft Implications: How Much Does One Loss Help?

• Draft Position Delta:
  Winning bumps Dallas to pick 17 or 18, but a loss raises them to pick 12—a significant jump for roster building. (11:00)

  “If they were to win...the Cowboys would draft at 17 or 18...But if they were to lose, you climb all the way up to 12 and the difference between 12 and 18 is pretty drastic.” (11:43 - Marcus Mosher)

• Caliber of Prospects
  Landon explains that, in this draft class, being higher lets Dallas “get potentially the best player at their position”—especially valuable on defense where blue-chip prospects are scarce. (12:14)

  “At 12 you still have an opportunity to get potentially the best player at their position in the draft.” (12:50 - Landon McCool)

• Historical Examples:
  Marcus details recent Cowboys drafts (e.g., trading back in 2021 to land Micah Parsons at 12) and the difference in talent quality between pick 12 and pick 18. (15:05)

  “There is a big difference in the caliber of player you’re going to get...with value, the difference between pick 12 and like 18...is the equivalent to a second round pick.” (16:32, 17:04 - Marcus Mosher)

4. How to "Tank" Without Embarrassment: The Proper Approach

• Serving Multiple Masters:
  Coaches must balance: injury prevention for stars, meeting player contract goals, development time for young players, and not alienating the locker room. (21:40)

  “You’re trying to make sure that you have players like veteran players that are in contract situations that they get their needs… then younger players… It really becomes about when is the quarterback in the game.” (21:40 - Landon McCool)

• Staggered Starters:
  The solution: Treat the week as normal, start usual lineups, and systematically pull frontline players after a series, a quarter, or once they hit individual milestones. (24:19)

  “You play the game like Dak Prescott got injured after the first quarter and just simply pull him out.” (25:17 - Landon McCool)

• Snap Count Management:
  Monitor and reduce reps for key contributors, especially those with nagging injuries or at-risk position groups. (25:55)

  “There’s no reason for them to see their usual amount of snaps.” (27:10 - Marcus Mosher)

• Shortening the Game:
  Lean on the run game and backups to accelerate the clock and limit injury risk, even at the expense of exciting football. (27:54)

  “Shorten the game as much as we can…by running the football.” (28:27 - Landon McCool)

5. Memorable Quotes and Notable Moments

• Eliminating Risk vs. Chasing Meaningless Wins:

  “How much is one win worth it at the end of a season? We’ll find out.” (18:46 - Marcus Mosher)

• Player Mentality vs. Organizational Reality:

  “If they are healthy, these guys want to play. There’s the player side of this that we can all argue against, but they are going to feel the way they feel, because they’re driven the way that they’re driven.” (24:19 - Landon McCool)

• Draft Value as a “Free” Resource:

  “You’re not trading anything for it. You’re literally getting it just by not winning this game.” (18:54 - Landon McCool)

---

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:40 | Overview: Why Cowboys should “tank” Week 18 | | 02:24 | Tanking in NFL vs. NBA, foundation for the argument | | 04:10 | Injury risk at MetLife field | | 06:00 | Players’ mentality vs. front office priorities | | 07:03 | How other teams handle incentives and rest strategically | | 11:00 | Draft implications, pick range if win/loss | | 12:14 | Draft “tiers”: talent and draft value differences | | 15:05 | Historical context: Cowboys picks and prospects at 12 vs. 18 | | 17:22 | The need for more elite talent, historical safety picks | | 21:40 | Balancing incentives, injury avoidance, and proper “tank” mechanics | | 24:19 | Proposed plan: Start stars, reduce reps, satisfy player and org goals | | 25:55 | Snap count management: player-by-player breakdown | | 27:54 | Adjusted game plan—run focus, boring but safe, shortens the contest | | 29:04 | Final recap: Expect heavy caution, not the usual starting lineup |

---

Summary Table: Proposed Week 18 Management

| Group/Player | Approach | Reason | |----------------------|------------------------------------|------------------------------| | Starters (e.g. Dak) | Start, play brief stint, then sit | Avoid injury, satisfy routine| | Key injured players | Sharply limited or no snaps | Nagging injuries, risk aversion| | Players with incentives | Play until milestone, then sit | Locker room harmony, morale | | Young backups | Elevated playing time | Development, evaluation | | Overall strategy | Run-heavy, clock control | Shorten game, fewer risks |

---

Closing

The episode delivers a thorough, pragmatic breakdown of “tanking” in today’s NFL, especially as it applies to a high-profile, out-of-contention team like the Cowboys. More than just advocating loss, Locked On Cowboys lays out the rationale, intricacies, and ethical boundaries of prioritizing future value—including examples from league history, schematic tweaks, and the psychology of NFL locker rooms.

For Cowboys fans weighing a futile Week 18 win versus a brighter tomorrows, this episode offers both the logic and the language to understand why embracing short-term pain will likely yield long-term gain.

---

Transcript

[Marcus Moser]

Foreign.

[Landon McCool]

Your team every day.

[Marcus Moser]

Guys. Thanks for helping me carry my Christmas tree.

[Landon McCool]

Zoe. This thing weighs a ton.

[Marcus Moser]

Drewski, lift with your legs, man. Santa. Santa, did you get my letter?

[Landon McCool]

He's talking to you, Bridges.

[Marcus Moser]

I'm not. Of course he did. Right, Santa, you know my elf Drew Ski here. He handles the nice list.

[Landon McCool]

An elf? I'm six three. Well, what everyone wants is iPhone 17 and at T mobile. You can get it on them. That center stage front camera is amazing for group selfies. Right, Mrs. Claus?

[Marcus Moser]

I'm Mrs. Claus much younger sister. And AT T mobile, there's no trade in needed when you switch.

[Landon McCool]

So you can keep your old phone or give it as a gift.

[Marcus Moser]

And the best part, you can make the switch to T mobile from your phone in just 15 minutes.

[Landon McCool]

Nice. My side of the tree is slipping. Kimber. The holidays are better. AT T Mobile switch in just 15 minutes and get iPhone 17 on us with no trade in needed. And now TV T Mobile is available in US cellular stores with 24 month.

[Marcus Moser]

Legal credits for well qualified customers plus tax and $35 device connection charge credits and imbalance due if you pay off earlier. Cancel Financing Remitment 256 GS $830 eligible for in a new line. $100 plus a month plan with auto payments, taxes and fees required. Check out 15 minutes or less per line. Visit t mobile.com. The Dallas Cowboys got a really nice win against Washington on Christmas Day. But now it's time to lose. We'll tell you why next.

[Locked On Podcast Network Announcer]

You are Locked on Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast network your team every day.

[Marcus Moser]

Welcome back to the Locked on Cowboys podcast, part of the lockdown podcast network your team every day. We'd like to thank you for making us the number one sports podcast network. And on today's show, Landon and I are talking about why the Dallas Cowboys need to tank in week 18. We're going to talk about it from a draft value standpoint. We'll talk about how you do it. But landing the Cowboys go into a very meaningless week 18. There's nothing they can gain really from the standings outside of going 8, 8 and 1. You got a nice win against Washington in week 17 in a prime time, you know, spot. It does feel like now is the right time to maybe pull the reigns back in a little bit.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And again, like I think we've been very clear for people that are everydayers about what we mean here. But just in case someone is stumbling upon this podcast for the first time, we are not advocating for. And we do not believe that the NFL fully tanks the way that we've seen some NBA teams do we believe it's done. And we'll talk a little bit about that in segment three, about how we're properly done, but not specifically, you know, intentionally trying to lose. But yeah, I think to go back to the importance of it, I think, you know, we're going to get into the value and they gain, gained and lost here. But to me, you know, you get the kind of motivating win to point to the future. You know, last week in Washington, right. And this week with New York, I mean, you know, it's easy for you to find an escape route. It's the last week of the season. Clearly, as you mentioned, you weren't playing for anything last week. You certainly aren't playing for anything this week. I think especially when since you're traveling to New York again another week where you're traveling, I think it's easy for you to kind of find a way to motivate the team into having a good week of practice. But you know, through some things that we'll talk about maybe ultimately not putting your best fielding your best team to try to win the game out on week 18.

[Marcus Moser]

And there is a difference between shutting a player down or players down for two weeks rather than one. And I think it's a we talked about this during the squad show. It's a lot harder to do that when you are playing a Thursday game on Christmas standalone game on Netflix. But when you're, when you're playing a one o' clock game, when there's what, eight other games going on during that time slot, it's just a lot easier to to do it. You don't have as many eyeballs on you. Now. The Cowboys are always going to have a ton of people watching them. But what we're talking about is why this makes the most sense long term for the Cowboys. Because first of all, a couple things. You don't want to get players hurt. You want to make sure that you are as healthy as can be going into the 2026 offseason because it's going to be a really big offseason for the Cowboys. And then on top of that, you're playing on what, arguably the worst field in the NFL. If there was ever a game to pull important players to, this is it that that MetLife field is atrocious. It's all it gets worse as the season goes along. There's really no upside. Like try to tell me like what, what's the, what's the best possible outcome the Cowboys can have from a win in this game? You score 38 points, your defense holds Jackson Dart to three points, you go eight, eight and one does. Is anybody really going to care if Brian Schottenheimer goes 8, 8 and 1 versus 7 and not 7, 9 and 1? I, I don't think so. They didn't make the playoffs and that was ultimately one of the bigger goals.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean, I think it's them, they, they, they'll care. And, and, and for them, it's, it's. But, no, no, but I, I, I listen to, to your point. I get it why, but I think for them it's like this is what they do. I also think that this is why, you know, you can't, you know, tank like you would do in the NBA, right, is because these guys just aren't wired that way. That's why they have to be kind of pulled back in certain segments and, and kind of managed to do that. But the reason to do it as far as a team wide, you know, situation, I, I think that's the difference. Right. Is like, there's the coaching GM level and then there's the player level. And the player level, like, you cannot exist with the idea of going into a week where you're not trying to win. No.

[Marcus Moser]

Because you're got to, you'll get hurt if you try to play at 75% speed. It's, this is a coaching and front office decision to, not a player decision.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. So, so it's got to exist there. And so ultimately, you know, like I said, we'll, we'll get into kind of the mechanics of how to do it properly. But I think that's, you know, the motivation has got to be at that level. At the GM coaching level. You got to be, you know, taking a longer view. I think the players ultimately, kind of subconsciously, at the very least know like that if they are getting pulled for minor injury, they, that maybe that this is what's going on. But I, I think, you know, it's, it's, it's a really delicate balance that, that the coaching staff and you know, not so much the GMs, but specifically the coaching staff has to, to kind of, you know, partake in, in order to manage the situation. So you're not, you know, appearing to tank while also trying to tank while also, you know, trying to make sure that you're not screwing with people's contract situations. Right. Because they have certain goals that they have.

[Marcus Moser]

Well, and that's that was a point that I was going to make. Seen other organizations, they'll. They'll pull a guy off the field, but they'll give him whatever incentive he was trying to get. Maybe he was a sack away from a $400,000 bonus. Just give him that incentive, pull him off the field and make sure he doesn't get hurt. And again, I think, again, tanking is not the right word. But not trying everything to win. Yeah, it's more accepted in week 18 than maybe it is in, like, week 15, 16, 17. We've seen teams like the Chiefs, you know, Rashi Rice has been a little bit banged up. Do you think if Kansas City was in a Super bowl, you know, or playoff chase right now, Rashi Rice to be on the field? Absolutely. But Kansas City put on the injured reserve list because they want to make sure that he's healthy for the upcoming season. That's all you need to do here. I think for guys like Quinn and Williams, who's banged up, Javante Williams, who we've seen a lot of, CD Lamb, who's dealing with a high ankle injury, maybe you let those guys play a little bit and then you pull them, but to give them their normal amount of snaps on that field. Actually, not only do I not not think they shouldn't do that, I kind of think it's dumb because what are you trying to gain by giving those guys that many snaps on one of the worst fields in the league?

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, you know, and I, I ultimately, I think the other thing, too, is that we, as a, as a fan base, are kind of just used to it a little bit more on week 18. I mean, not only for the teams that are not successful, that are just trying to make sure that they're good players don't get hurt in a meaningless game, but. But for teams that are very successful, that are trying to make sure that their players aren't getting hurt in a meaningless game because they already have secured the number one seed or whatever, a playoff berth. So. So ultimately, I just think it's a little more couth to kind of go this route or at least to kind of handle the situation the way that, you know, ultimately we're going to prescribe.

[Marcus Moser]

Here in a bit.

[Landon McCool]

Little bit.

[Marcus Moser]

All right, let's go through the reasons why the Cowboys should consider losing. Not saying tanking, but losing in week 18. We'll get to that next. This episode is brought to you by Gusto. Let's be real. No one starts a business for the joy of calculating tax withholdings. Or managing payroll spreadsheets. But that's where Gusto comes in to take the stress out of payroll, benefits and HR so that you can focus on running your business and supporting your team. Gusto is the all in one remote friendly payroll and HR platform that makes managing your team simple, transparent and fast. Whether you're hiring, onboarding or paying employees, Gusto helps you do it all from one place without the hassle in the hidden fees. An unlimited payroll runs for one monthly price, which means no surprise charges at the end of the month. And knowing that you can reach certified HR experts anytime gives you real peace of mind. So try gusto [e-mail] lotnfl and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That's right, three months of free [e-mail] lot NFL one more time. That's gusto.com locked on NFL Locked On.

[Locked On Podcast Network Announcer]

Listeners asked for more and now you can get it with the Everydayer Club. For just $5 a month you'll get every episode ad free, plus access to our members only discord, exclusive audio from Locked On Sports Today and other perks you won't find anywhere else. If you never miss a show, this is the next step. Join the Everydayer club [e-mail] everydayerclub or visit the link in the show notes. That's lockedonpodcast.com everydayerclub part of the Locked On Podcast network. Your team every day.

[Marcus Moser]

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, check out the Everyday or club. You're going to get ad free episodes for just $5 a month or $50 a year plus exclusive discourse server access and so much more. Check it out in the show notes or at the Lothon Cowboys.Supercast.com link All right, let's talk about where the Cowboys are right now. So as of this posting, the Cowboys currently have like the 14, 18th or so pick just depending on some of the the numbers you use. It's a little bit different from site to site. However, if they were to win Landon on Sunday and they get to 8, 8 and 1 because of the way that stupid tie is going to work out, it's very likely and because of some of the way that these games are going to fall, the Cowboys would draft at 17 or 18, which is about the worst spot you could be in the entire draft because you don't make the playoffs in and you are drafting at the very, very last spot. So it's, it's a big deal. But if they were to lose, you climb all the way up to 12 and the difference between 12 and 18 is pretty drastic.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, it really is. I mean on multiple different levels, not only and draft value level, and we'll talk about that in a second, but also just in the type of player you're going to get. Right. And I think, you know, we've, we've, we haven't really dove too far into the draft prep but if, even if you stuck your toe in a little bit, you're seeing that it's, it's not a great year for top end blue chip players. It's not a great year for quarterbacks or you know, the top offensive tackles to kind of push people down. There isn't a Miles Garrett level defensive end or player like that that's going to push talent down. So you kind of want to be near the top of the first round with one of your picks because if per chance one of these, you know, few handful of blue chip defensive players happens to fall out of the top 10, you want to have an opportunity to scoop them up. And, and I think at 12 you still have an opportunity to get potentially the best player at their position in the draft. You know, specifically on defense. Right.

[Marcus Moser]

So generally let's say you're picking at 12 and honestly that's probably where the Cowboys would be drafting if they were to lose on Sunday. You look at some of the teams you know, in that range, you know Tampa Bay, they have a win or go home game against Carolina, you've got Detroit, who's playing Chicago this week. Now Chicago might be resting starters and I think, I just think Dan Campbell's going to play a lot of the guys. Baltimore has a win in your in game. Even someone like Miami, they're playing better football. I would be surprised if Mike McDaniel is kind of coaching for his job. Getting to 12 is very realistic. And if you were to look at some of the names that are likely to be available a lot of times, Landon, when you're drafting at 12, you can get maybe the seventh or eighth best player in a draft. Let's use the Cowboys history. They were drafting it. Was it 20, 21? They were drafting at 10. They traded back to 12 and they got Micah Parsons who was what, a consensus top six player in that class.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean it certainly is. Like I said, 12 is certainly in range where you know, if one more of these quarterbacks decide to come out and pushes some of these, some of this stuff down. Just because of the way sequencing happens, because of team needs and because of positional value, you, you may get an opportunity because, you know, think about what your needs are. Right now your needs are, you know, linebacker, cornerback, potentially safety. I mean, defense, basically the entire defense. But you could get like, you know, a Caleb Downs or, you know, Sunny Sykes at 12 because they get pushed out because of positional value. A combination of positional value and, and draft sequencing. And you're, because you're right there at 12, you're, you're able to kind of pick up the scraps of a top 10 player that maybe kind of snuck through a little bit.

[Marcus Moser]

All right, so you guys know that I do the consensus board every year. I take a lot of the best draft analysts that I put their boards together already starting to get some data in. And if you look at the guys, like let's say a range of four. Okay, so guys between 8 to 13, 8 to 14. I know that's six, but here are some of the names in that range who you guys will recognize. Reuben Bane, the edge rusher from Miami. Jeremiah Love, if you're interested in a running back from Notre Dame, he's one of the guys. Carnell Tate, a wide receiver. Cowboys don't have a needed receiver, but maybe that's somebody that could trade up. You know, they would. I wouldn't be surprised. Exactly. Jermod McCoy, the cornerback from Tennessee who a lot of people really like. David Bailey, the edge rusher from Texas Tech. You're getting like elite level prospects on defense that you absolutely need. But if you go down to the 17, 18 range, it's more like in the CJ Allen, the Kenyan Sadiq, the tight end from Oregon, it's Makai Lemon, it's Denzel Boston. And those are still good players, but you're getting a different caliber of player. And even if you use like draft history, and I know you can't always do this one for one, but take a look at the last five picks. At pick number 12, Tyler Booker. Bo Nix. Jameer Gibbs, Jameson Williams, Micah Parsons, probably the worst pick there is, Bo Nix. I mean, Bo Nicks is a franchise level quarterback, right?

[Landon McCool]

Yeah.

[Marcus Moser]

But you go to pick 18 and it's a lot more hit and miss. It's Gray Zable, Jack Campbell, Traylon Burks, Austin Jackson, Garrett Bradbury. Again, not. There's some decent players in there, but you're likely not choosing the best player at a respective position. Like Mike was the top edge rusher at his position. Tyler Booker was the top guard. Jameson Williams I believe was the first or second receiver off the board. Even go back a little bit further. 2020, he Ruggs was the first receiver off the board. There is a big difference in the caliber of player you're going to get. And then on top of that with value, the difference between pick 12 and like 18 or 17 or 18 is the equivalent to a second round pick. So are you willing to give up a second round pick of value for a meaningless Week 18 win? We'll see.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see exactly how they play this and, and you know, look, I, I think, you know, we'll, like you said, we'll talk about this next coming segment. I, it'll be interesting to kind of try to read the tea leaves a little bit because I do think that they're going to approach this entire week like a normal game week and we won't really know about if what their intentions are until we get into the game and see exactly how it unfolds because I think that there's a high, high likelihood that we get in there and someone like Dak or some of these starters play if a quarter or something like that or, or you know, a certain amount of into the game and then they, before they pull them.

[Marcus Moser]

The other thing that I just want to mention really quickly is that this team really needs more elite talent. And I know that this draft is not, it's not like an all time class, right. It's not, it's not super strong with like big name quarterbacks or wide receivers and that generally drives drafts. Right. But man, if you want to get like a Reuben Bain who can be a day one starting defensive end, he might be there at pick 11, 12, 13 if you want to get the best safety or maybe just the best defensive back in, you know, in the draft and Caleb Downs, like go look at the history of where safeties get drafted in round one. Minka, Fitzpatrick, Derwin James, Kyle Hamilton, I think those guys were all drafted around 13 or 14. It is a big deal. And I can't emphasize this enough, the caliber of players you're going to get at 12 compared to 17 or 18. How much is one win worth it at the end of a season? We'll find out.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, and, and I think again like it's, you're not trading anything for it. You're literally getting it just by not winning this game. Right. And so it seems like an easy proposition just to kind of value it out. The question is how do you kind of play the game in such a way that you meet all the goals, which include, you know, not winning the game?

[Marcus Moser]

So let's get to that. How do the Cowboys properly execute a tank? Again, a tank is the wrong word, but we'll get to that next. This episode is brought to you by Prize Picks. Whether you're starting a new routine or jumping into player projections for the first time, trying something new can feel like a challenge. But with Prize Picks, it always feels good to be right. And with high pressure football matchups every single weekend and elite hoops action almost every night, the action never slows down. And Prize Fix lets you stay in control. Prize Fix is the daily fantasy app that makes watching sports even more exciting by letting you build lineups based on player projections. No traps, no waiting, just pick more or less and play your way. And getting started on Price Picks is quick and simple, and the app is super easy to navigate. So download the Prize Fix app today. Use promo code Lot NFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. That's promo code Loton NFL to get $50 of lineups after you play your first 5 dollars lineup. Price picks. It's good to be right. This is Tyler Roland from the Locked on Titans podcast. This message is a paid partnership with Apple Card. I love how simple it is to pay using Apple Card. With Apple Pay, it's built right into my iPhone so it's always ready to go. I was on vacation recently. I didn't even have to bring my wallet to the beach. Plus, I earn up to 3% daily cash back on every purchase when I use my Apple Card. With Apple Pay, Apply for Apple Card in the Wallet app on your iPhone Subject to credit approval. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch terms and more at applecard.com welcome back to the Lot on Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen every single day. All right, let's talk about how do you properly execute a tank without embarrassing the franchise and not getting guys hurt? Because one of the things that I've heard is like, hey, leave Dak out there. He can protect himself. Get Jaden Blue in the game. Use some more backup offensive linemen. That seems dangerous to everybody involved.

[Landon McCool]

Well, I mean, the first thing is you have to look at all the, the masters you're trying to serve here, all the things you're trying to accomplish, right? You're, you're trying to make sure that you have players like veteran players that are in contract situations that they get their needs. And it's not even always just about contract situations. It's about, you know, goals like someone trying to reach a thousand yards or whatever. Right. So you have to put that over here. You have to, you know, handle your younger players in a way that how does it influence the older players? And you just kind of named one of those, right? Like, you know, it's easy to just say, hey, put Jaden Blue out there at running back and let him take all the snaps while, you know, you've got Dak Prescott out there. It, you can't necessarily do that, right? Because he, you, you may not trust him on blitz pickup. So it's situations like that that, you know, you have to account for. And so it really becomes about when is the quarterback in the game and when is the, when is your starting quarterback out of the game? Right? Because when your quarterback is in the game, your offense almost, except for, you know, maybe some skill positions, but really I'm just being the wide receivers at this point. Your offense needs to be the starters basically. Because if you're going to throw, if you're going to get into any kind of passing situation, you know, especially against New York, who I'm assuming that they're going to be playing because they've, they're a young team that's got a lot of young players.

[Marcus Moser]

They're.

[Landon McCool]

That they just want to see these guys play. They've got three pass rushers who can come after you. So the Cowboys need to be able to pass the football in their normal sets and be able to protect Dak Prescott. Because the last thing, like we said, the ultimate goal here is to make sure that your, your superstars and your key players get out of this game safely and don't get injured, whether that's on the field or whether it's because of a huge hit, that sort of thing.

[Marcus Moser]

Think about how much time we spent last off season talking about all these guys that were injured between, well, the, Ron Bland coming off an injury, Trayvon Diggs who had a major knee injury, you had DE Marvin Overshone who had a major knee injury. And oh yeah, by the way, Dak Prescott suffered a season ending hamstring injury. So much of the offseason was consumed of, okay, when are these guys going to be back? How do they get him on the field? You don't want to have that be an issue coming out of week 18, because if somebody suffers an injury in week 18, they're probably not going to be ready for week one. And that is going to have a massive implication on this team's future. It's just not worth it. And again, I know that Jerry Jones wants to win. I know that Brian Schottenheimer wants to get, you know, to 500. It is not. I just don't see the big goal, the big reason why to go so hard after that in already a lost season.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And those injuries completely derailed this season. Right. In a lot of different ways. So. Okay, so. So after hearing all that, you're probably saying to yourself, well, why don't they just sit these guys? Why don't they just not play them at all? Which the problem is, is that that's just not a realistic option. If they're healthy, these guys want to play. There's like the. The player side of this that we can all sit here and argue against all we want, but they are going to feel the way they feel because they're driven the way that they're driven to play the way they have to play. So I think you have to serve that master as well. And so how do you. How do you navigate all this? Right? And I think the way you do it is you go through the week like it's a normal week. You, you, you. Dak takes the first team start, starts. You play on for Dak to start and go out there, and then you play the game like Dak Prescott got injured after the first quarter and just simply pull him out.

[Marcus Moser]

Right.

[Landon McCool]

And then at that point, once, I mean, the defense, it's a lot easier. Right. The defense is already kind of backups at this point, so you just maybe shorten the leash on the rotations a little bit more with some of your superstars. But on offense, it's all about whether Dax in the game. And once Dak comes out of the game, then you can start rotating in backup offensive linemen, backup running backs, that sort of thing. And I think out before that, you could probably, you know, just similarly, as with the defense, shorten the leash on the rotations a little bit of your wide receivers. If you're worried about guys like Lamb and Pickens getting exposed and getting hurt, you know, on the last week of the season.

[Marcus Moser]

And I've got a list of some guys that I think at least you see their snaps monitored. And let's start on defense. Malik Hooker has been dealing with some kind of toe injury all season long. This one's a little more complicated because they have a bunch of injuries at safety, but I think if you can limit his snaps, I Think you do that. Demarvi and overshone, I mean, for obvious reasons. But on top of that, he suffered a concussion in week 16, I believe now, he said he would have been ready if it was a normal week. Yeah, I. He's one like, man, I. I know he's gonna want to play. Man, it would be so easy just to pull him back a little bit because of everything that's gone on with him. Quinn Williams has been dealing with a neck. Dealing with a neck injury. You have Kenny Clark, who's been dealing with an elbow injury. You had Jadavian Clowney, who's old. Maybe you pull his snaps back a little bit. Those are the guys on defense and then on offense, like, it's pretty clear that Tyler Smith's dealing with some kind of knee tendonitis. Maybe you have him play the first quarter and then Nate Thomas slides out there. CD Lamb's been dealing with an ankle injury, Javonte Williams dealing with a shoulder injury. I think all these guys play a little bit and you keep them active to help you maybe get through a game if something were to happen. But there's no reason for them to see their usual amount of snaps.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean, again, it doesn't need to be like a full line shift. It could just be a lot of key players. But it does need to kind of center around, you know, especially the offensive line and running back stuff. It does need to center around when Dak is in the game and when Dak is out of the game. So, yeah, I do think you. That's a good list. Right. And anybody that has any kind of bumps or bruises that. That maybe aren't on the injury list as well, like, it's just. It. What, what it is is that you've. You've turned the dial from outrageous pushing these guys to get on the field to airing to the side of caution. Right. And just like, do you adjust the.

[Marcus Moser]

Game plan a little bit? Like, I mean, the Cowboys have been fairly balanced all season long, but you try to maybe run the ball a little bit more for number one, to maybe reduce the number of shots that your quarterback takes, and number two, just to get out of the game faster. And honestly, number three, it's never a bad idea to work on your run game, you know, try to get downhill. Maybe we see more Phil Mafa, maybe we see more Malik Davis. That's what I would like to see, is it's going to be boring football, like, and I apologize to everybody who's watching it, but that's probably the best way to get in and out of this game.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean, I don't think it's the worst idea. I mean, again, we're trying to shorten the game as much as we can. Again, we're trying to do a lot of different things in this game. But yeah, I do think that one of the best ways to do it is just to make sure that your, your, the game is, the clock is constantly moving, your quarterback isn't standing back there and letting those three defensive ends kind of go after Dak. That's, you know, one of the only good parts of their team, honestly. So, yeah, you just, we talked about how there's very little risk and very little upside here. You know, let's reduce that by just making the game shorter and by controlling the clock a little bit better, by running the football.

[Marcus Moser]

And I think a guy like Jake Ferguson, who I didn't even mention dealing with a calf injury, we know how tricky those can be. There's no need for him to be out there. So I, I would expect the Cowboys to at least exercise some caution. We'll see if they win the game or not. But do not expect the full usual lineup that you've seen all season long. That is it for today's show. We want to thank you for making Lockdown Cowboys your first listen every single day. Make sure you make sure you subscribe and follow the podcast so you get all of the latest episodes and make sure that you check out the Everydayer Club. You'll get ad free episodes of the Lots on Cowboys podcast plus members only, Discord Access and so much more. And for those of you on video, check out the first ever 24.7national NBA YouTube channel on audio. Make sure that you make your second listen the Laton NFL Podcast. Follow Landon on Twitter @McCool BCB. I'm @Marcus Underscore Moser and we'll see you right back here tomorrow.

[Locked On Podcast Network Announcer]

Thank you for making Locked on your first listen every day. For your second listen, find the all night Locked on NFL game night before Sunday Night Football begins. Get reaction to every game every Sunday all season long. It's local analysis on a national scale. Find NFL game night on Locked on NFL on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. All part of the Locked on podcast network. Your team every day.