Talkin’ Cowboys: The Road Ahead

Summary

Talkin’ Cowboys: The Road Ahead — Episode Summary

Date: May 19, 2026
Hosts: Kyle Youmans, Patrik Walker, Isaiah Stanback, and Josh Rodriguez
Special Guest: Nick Eatman

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Episode Overview

This lively episode of Talkin’ Cowboys dissects the official release of the Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 season schedule, unpacks the biggest surprises, previews pivotal matchups, and debates the team’s readiness for another playoff run. The crew mixes film-room insight with locker room anecdotes, keeping things energetic and candid as they examine the highs, lows, and question marks of the upcoming season.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cowboys’ Schedule Release – Reactions & Surprises

• Hosts react to the 2026 schedule drop: The energy is upbeat as the crew discusses their favorite schedule release videos, with shoutouts to Tyler Smith’s and Jake Ferguson’s standout social media moments showing player personalities.

  • “Tyler Smith is a bona fide star.” – (03:16, C)

• Biggest schedule surprises:

  • Nick Eatman highlights the tricky setup following the Brazil game, with a Thursday night game against Tampa Bay and Houston at noon, noting its physical toll.
    • “You just have to… play the Bucs on a Thursday night, right? ...That just seems like a tough one.” – (03:41, B)
  • Isaiah Standback appreciates the late bye week (Week 14), contrasting it to last year’s challenging stretch. He stresses the importance of bye week timing for player recovery and postseason readiness.
    • “The worst thing as a player is to have an early bye... You want that break as late as possible...” – (04:43, A)

• The Gauntlet: Both hosts discuss the four-game stretch after the Brazil opener as this year’s “gauntlet,” highlighting the physical and mental demands on the roster (05:04, A).

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2. Schedule Breakdown & Positional Analysis

Early-Season Tests:

• The first seven weeks feature matchups with Baltimore (in Brazil), Houston, Tampa Bay, Green Bay, Philly, and Arizona.
• Josh Rodriguez is surprised Green Bay is so early in the season, assuming the league preferred a later return for Micah Parsons (12:32, C).

Defensive Focus:

• All hosts note a run of strong defensive opponents, requiring the Cowboys’ offense to prove its identity quickly:
  • “When I look at this, I see defense popping off the screen... The defenses pop off.” – (14:03, A)
  • “You’re going to get tested really early.” – (14:45, A)

Offensive Critique:

• The group debates if the Cowboys’ offense is “overrated,” with Nick suggesting last year’s numbers were boosted by necessity due to defensive lapses, not necessarily elite performance.
  • “...the offense from last year is overrated because... there were times when the offense wasn’t good enough. It just wasn’t good enough.” – (15:07, B)
• Key area for improvement: Red zone play-calling and situational decision-making, with the need to trust the run game and manage field position better (16:35, C; 17:00, B).
• They argue that a stronger defense this year could mean the offense won’t need to press so much. “The offense numbers will go down and that’s a good thing.” – (18:40, B)

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3. What Defines the 2026 Cowboys? Measuring Stick Games

• Baltimore (Brazil opener): Isaiah chooses this as his “measuring stick” game because of the challenge presented by Lamar Jackson and a revamped Ravens defense.

  • “You’re going to face one of the most dynamic players in the NFL at the most important position...” – (24:21, A)

• Green Bay: Josh designates this as his crucial matchup due to last year’s tie and ongoing drama from the Micah Parsons trade.

  • “All of the drama, the storyline, the cinematic element of it all is Green Bay.” – (27:13, C)
  • Nick calls last year’s result “the weirdest sound after the game.” (27:27, B)

• Early Division Games:
  Nick spotlights Week 2 as a critical moment to reveal the team's true character post-opener and to avoid falling into a mediocre start:

  • “Week two is always a measuring stick for me because... you start to see what they are.” – (28:51, B)

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4. Training Camp & Roster Readiness

• Joint Practices: Isaiah and Nick reminisce about how joint practices, particularly against the Rams, offer the truest preseason team evaluation. These sessions reveal hidden weaknesses in positional groups, often more so than actual preseason games.

  • “When we hit that [Rams] practice, I’m like, oh – that’s when I readjust [expectations].” – (30:51, A)

• What to Watch: The group hopes for joint camp work against a formidable opponent like the Chargers, stressing the value in testing the new-look defensive line against massive, talented offensive lines (33:53–34:59).

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5. The Most Impactful Schedule Quirks

• Post-Thanksgiving Run:
  The chunk of games after Thanksgiving is traditionally a make-or-break period for the Cowboys. This year’s stretch is seen as lighter than usual, but hosts caution not to underestimate revamped teams like Jacksonville and Tennessee.
  • “For me, it’s what the schedule looks like after Thanksgiving.” – (40:38, C)
  • “...Giants at home, Washington—those last two games are typically the divisional battles.” – (42:34, B)
• Divisional and Conference Game Positioning:
  Isaiah argues that the grouping of NFC and division games can swing a season’s fate (43:25, A).

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6. Locker Room Culture & Rookie Impact

• Caleb Downs Hype:
  Late in the show, the hosts praise rookie safety Caleb Downs for his preparation, leadership, and football-first mentality, labeling him the de facto “face of the defense.”
  • “He just wants to watch film. He just wants to come in and study.” – (45:32, B)
  • “It’s a very mature [defensive] unit... IQ heavy team.” – (47:11, A)
• Importance of Leadership:
  Nick and Isaiah discuss the need for strong, positive examples from star players, suggesting previous leadership fell short.
  • “You want your best players to set the best example, you know? ... Not laying on the table at preseason games.” – (48:21, B)
  • Isaiah emphasizes a desire for mature leadership at every level, particularly at linebacker (49:27, A).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the late bye:
  “Getting this bye week towards the back half of the season, I think absolutely awesome.” – Isaiah Stanback (04:43)

• On the defensive schedule:
  “I’m not thinking about offenses... the defenses pop off.” – Isaiah Stanback (14:03)

• On the need for offensive growth:
  “Red zone play-calling... that was one thing that I... definitely gave Shoddy a lot of criticisms before last year.” – Josh Rodriguez (16:35)

• On Caleb Downs:
  “He just wants to come in and study... his focus is football.” – Nick Eatman (45:32)

• Team leadership:
  “You want your best players to set the best example.” – Nick Eatman (48:21)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:41 – Biggest surprises of the schedule
• 04:43 – The impact of a late bye week
• 05:31 – How players view the gauntlet stretch
• 12:32 – Green Bay’s placement on the schedule
• 14:03 – Defensive challenges in early games
• 16:35 – Red zone play-calling critique
• 24:21 – Baltimore as a “measuring stick” game
• 27:13 – Green Bay and unresolved storylines
• 28:51 – Why Week 2 sets the tone
• 30:51 – Joint practices as real benchmarks
• 34:59 – Discussing the size of new defensive line
• 40:38 – Why the post-Thanksgiving run matters
• 45:32 – Rookie Caleb Downs’ preparation and leadership
• 48:21 – The weight of locker room leadership
• 49:27 – Need for a “mature” linebacker to anchor all levels

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Tone & Style

The episode blends barbershop banter with film-room sharpness, offering die-hard Cowboys fans both laughs and meaty, inside-the-helmet analysis. Hosts maintain candid, conversational tones, sometimes ribbing each other while staying respectful and focused on football substance.

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For listeners wanting an in-depth, authentic look at how the 2026 Cowboys are shaping up – on the field and in the locker room – this episode is a must.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Go Cowboys.

[A]

This is talking Cowboys streaming live from the Dallas Cowboys world headquarters at the

[C]

Star in Frisco CD Lamb Touchdown.

[A]

It's on Jake Ferguson.

[B]

Prescott keeps it and he bangs it in for the touchdown.

[A]

And your hosts, Isaiah Standback, Patrick Walker,

[B]

Josh Rodriguez and Kyle Yeomans.

[C]

Welcome to Talking Cowboys presented by Black Rifle coffee, the official coffee of the Dallas Cowboys. We are live from the star and Frisco here in the SWBC studios. I am here with Isaiah. Stand back. Christopher Bartholomew Beamers in the back. I am Josh Rodriguez and I am here with one special guest. What?

[B]

I know the energy on this.

[C]

You got to bring it up.

[B]

I know for sure for the people out there.

[A]

Nick Eatman is on the show at freaking night.

[C]

We got some audience. I don't know.

[B]

It's good enough.

[C]

Maybe we have a little clap.

[A]

We get a clap from the back.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. I feel like that was Monday night Raw. Like.

[A]

Oh, yes.

[B]

You know, which I think that's not as. No, that's a lot more excitement to start a show that I got to talk to the guy that starts my show up. I gotta conversation.

[C]

Turn it up on storyline. What's more tame on Storyline.

[B]

Oh, hey, welcome to storyline. I'm switching it up. Wait till tomorrow. I'm gonna do something different.

[C]

It's always the live for me. You gotta, you know, hit live. Yeah, we are live, you know.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, we are.

[C]

Anyways, the schedule is out. It's official.

[A]

Oh, it is.

[C]

Schedule's out. We know what it is.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

The 2026 Dallas Cowboys season schedule. It's on Dallas Cowboys.com schedule.com. we worked hard at putting that together for you fellas. Hope you guys like had it on

[B]

the fan couple hours early.

[C]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. They just guessed it. I don't know. That's weird. They're so good at guessing that. Anyways, it's on Dallas cowboys dot com. They had a schedule release video which performed really well.

[A]

That was multiple.

[C]

Genuinely my favorite.

[B]

We had a Lot of videos. Yeah.

[A]

Multiple videos.

[C]

Oh, yeah, multiple videos. But yeah, the.

[A]

The Tyler's, the.

[C]

The tia. That was one of my favorite.

[A]

That was pretty dope.

[C]

Release videos that we've had.

[A]

And then you had. On the social front, you had the. All the guys doing all the.

[C]

What was it, the act out.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Scenario. Things kind of charade. It was interesting situation.

[A]

A great peek behind the veil in terms of guys personalities, though. I thought it was great in terms of access for the fans to be able to see the personalities of guys.

[C]

Tyler Smith is a bonafide star.

[A]

Jake Ferguson, I don't think people knew that about him. Knew that he was a little. Little crazy. He's a little crazy.

[B]

They might.

[A]

They know that a little bit, maybe.

[C]

So we got the schedule to talk about, lots to discuss. I mean, there's so many different benchmarks here on the schedule that we need to look at. But first I want to ask you guys, what is the biggest surprise of the 2026 schedule for you? Nick, you want to kick us off?

[B]

For me, it's. It's not. It's post Brazil. That. That was a surprise that, you know, you just have to. I mean, you have to play the Bucks on a Thursday night, right? I mean, you just have to. You can't. You can't like, not play the Bucks on. I mean, not. Not given Houston at noon after the Baltimore game.

[C]

Like, okay, you'd argue they kind of did us a favor there with the noon. With the noon Houston game. It's an away game, but it's Houston.

[B]

Right. I think the Cowboys asked for that, but what they didn't think was going to come back was, oh, yeah, we'll give you noon Houston because you're going to have a Thursday night game against Tampa. That one that just seems like a

[C]

tough one, but against one Ruben Bane. That's tough.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[C]

A personal like that's.

[B]

Yeah, that hurts. Even with Caleb Downs. You still. You hurting on the.

[C]

Reuben Bane, he was still there, you know.

[B]

Oh, you're saying trade back? Yeah, trade.

[C]

Trade up a little bit more. I don't know. I know, I know. It's just a me thing. I'll leave it alone.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Isaiah, what was the most. The biggest surprise on the schedule for you?

[A]

Biggest surprise for me is that I will not be going to Brazil. That's the biggest surprise. No, no, the surprises. I'm not sure that nothing really stood out to me. I think that there are. I like the way that the schedule is laid out this year. Last year, I felt like we Got a bad deal.

[C]

Oh my goodness.

[A]

Last year was a bad deal.

[C]

Especially the latter half of last year. Schedule was crazy.

[A]

I feel like this season they put the really on the heels of the, of the Brazil game. To your point, Nick, that's really the challenging portion, what I foresee. Right. Right to current outlook of this season. That's that four game run, right? You're always looking for those three or four games straight where it's like, okay, this is kind of the gauntlet. Last year the gauntlet was at the end of the season, right? This year it's, it's games, you know, four through seven.

[C]

You bring up the gauntlet as a player, as a former player. Was that the first thing you would look at when a new schedule would be released? You were looking for that sort of gauntlet or that?

[A]

I was looking at the bye week. The bye week was always the first thing that I looked at.

[B]

What did you want? Week?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Middle to the, to the end. Middle to the middle to the end because you're, you're fresher, obviously. You know, coming off the training camp and all that stuff, right? You want to get into it and get rolling. The, the worst thing as a player is to have an early buy because you know that injuries are going to happen. You know that the grind is going to catch up with you. You know that physically you're going to be exhausted. So you don't want that to. You don't want that break early, right? I want that break as late as possible because, you know, everybody has the foresight of going to the playoffs if you have a late buy. Now all of a sudden your body has more rest closer to the playoffs versus having it early and you got to have a 12 to 14 game run, you know what I'm saying? Where you have zero breaks. That's not what you want as a player and that's not what your body wants. So getting this bye week towards the back half of the season, I think absolutely awesome, right? I think that is awesome. With four games left, that's huge because then you take those four games and if say you have to go to a wild card, you know, you got another four games, that's an eight game run, right? If you envision yourself going all the way to the super bowl versus if that was to happen on the front end of the schedule, say week four, week five, that's a lot of freaking games straight that your body doesn't get any rest, right? In terms outside of those Thursday night, you know, Thursday night turnarounds where you

[C]

get a couple more days and you don't necessarily get to get in a groove. If you have that week four, week five buy. I mean, you've been resting all of the off season and then only four or five weeks of football. And then all of a sudden you're, you're getting under the break and then not another one until the playoffs. So getting one this late, I don't know that I've seen that. I can't tell you the last time I saw a week 14 buy.

[B]

No, that's. They did it in like 1990. I mean that was, it was way back then. But you know, the interesting thing too is when you look at right before the buy, you've got Seattle on a Monday night from a Thursday game. So going up against the defending champions, you've got. What is that, 11 days, 11 days from Thanksgiving to that, then you get a buy the Rams. Help me the Rams in the NFC championship game or I don't remember who Seattle beat to get to. Okay, so you got the two best teams from last year and you're going. And you're getting 11 days for the, for one of them and then the next one you're getting, you know, a bye week. And so you're getting, you know, probably about.

[A]

I don't.

[B]

What is that? About 13 days.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So that's the, you know, I just Wonder about the 14 weeks leading up to it. Like that is a, that is a grind.

[A]

No, I mean, but I think. I, I don't know. Right. But I would assume that when the coaches receive the schedule, that that plays a part into the grind at training camp.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I really do. I, I believe that when you have that early buy, you can be a little bit more aggressive physically in your training camp. And some coaches might not care. Right. But I'm just thinking if I were to wear a coach, I'm gonna look at this schedule and say, okay, I might want to pull back on the physicality on, in, in training camp because I know we have a, we got a 14 game run here that we got coming up, right. We got to be able to get through the front half of the season. There is no breaks outside of those, the Thanksgiving games and all those things. So that's this management. It is what it is, right. It's not old school football no more. It's. It's a new age of ball. Right. So these coaches have to look at load management and getting their players through the season. You're now understand that. I'm not saying that they should Take it easy and all this stuff. I know the fans going to jump to it. But you. It's your responsibility as a coach to ensure that your players are as healthy as can be to get from week to week. And taking into account by week, taking into account extra days off. Those are all things that are the responsibility of the head coach and the nutrition staff and. And obviously the strength and conditioning staff.

[C]

And obviously you only get a certain allotment of the padded practices. And do you think that is more capped at training camp because of a laid by?

[B]

I don't think so. I think that that's the way that they try to do it anyways. I mean I don't think it has anything to do with the bye week. I think that that's kind of the structure. I think the NFL PA has jumped in on that too. So I don't know if it has anything to do with your buy. Could be in week four, could be in week 14. You know, I think that it important for them to keep them off their feet. And it's, it's. It's not like it used to be like. I know like Nate Newton's other world are like oh my God. You know. And even, even you. I mean it was game change.

[A]

We had four 2A days.

[B]

You did have two A days back then. So when I think of training camp and I think of Isaiah, I always think of this one story. No, it's. It's you like you could throw the ball like there's no doubt about it. College quarterback. We've seen the 75 yard Hail Mary. But I remember you, you were doing some kind of stretches. You were on your knees and, and you were throwing the football and you threw the football from the 40 into the net from your knees. I was like, this guy's not a quarterback. We have Stephen McGee. Like. No, no we didn't. Steve McGee. Then who was the backup at 07?

[A]

Bart Barton.

[B]

No, seven. Oh, Brad. Not Brad Jones.

[A]

It was Barton. I can't remember his first name.

[B]

Barton.

[A]

Barton. Barton. Barton.

[B]

Quarterback. Yeah. Romo was the quarterback at 07 as the starter.

[A]

They told me to stop throwing a ball in pre practice.

[B]

Yeah. Why?

[C]

Wow.

[B]

Just because the coaches did show him who's the backup of 07. It's not. Pardon. I don't even know who you're.

[C]

I can look it up.

[B]

You go ahead. Yeah. Anyways. Anyway, that's what I think about training camp. You. I was just thinking you just throwing the ball and they were. You were making that transition to receiver.

[A]

But I Was a quarterback.

[B]

I still think the coaches did not

[A]

want me like that. A lot of people don't know that. Coaches told me to stop throwing the ball in pre practice.

[C]

Was it Richard Bartel?

[A]

Bartel.

[C]

Bartel.

[A]

Richard Bartel. I knew it was a Bart.

[B]

It wasn't the backup backup though. Oh, I mean like there was, it was like third.

[A]

We had Kitna and we had Brad Johnson.

[B]

Okay, yeah, Brad.

[C]

Fourth.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, Brad Johnson for sure. Richard Bartel. Yeah, I got you. But the day that you signed with the Patriots and they moved you to quarterback with Belichick, you're like, oh God, this guy is on to something again.

[C]

No, it was, it's one of those situations. At least we're at camp. Like that was my, the first time I met you at camp and it was Nick explaining to me like, oh, I, I, because I knew you from, you know, special teams be on the Cowboys and all that. But it was Nick explaining the, There was a, Was it Felix Jones touchdown return where Isaiah with the speed. Yeah. Unreal, Unreal. And, and we sat down and watched the play and then Isaiah walked into the room at the same time. I was like, oh, wow, it's this dude. Yeah, it's, it's fascinating. But going back to the schedule a little bit, I want to get you what was yours?

[B]

What was your thought or your, what

[C]

was your biggest surprise? Yeah, I couldn't believe that Green Bay was so early. I was sitting here, you know, pounding on the table that like there's no way that the Dallas Cowboys get Green Bay. Like it was probably gonna be Thanksgiving was my.

[B]

You're thinking because of the weather, because of Micah.

[C]

I'm thinking because of Micah.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Like getting back.

[B]

He's back.

[C]

Yeah. I, I, I think that they wanted him on the Dallas's schedule as late as humanly possible just so that he could get back from that injury.

[B]

Chris Beam, you okay with that? October 18th at Green Bay.

[C]

I'm good.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Seriously.

[A]

I mean, how do you feel about that five week stretch though?

[C]

How do I feel about the fact.

[B]

Where are we starting? Baltimore. Brazil. Oh, yeah. You know, it's funny you say that because I, I thought after that seven games after that first seven games going into Arizona. And I'm not saying that Arizona games are going to be easy.

[C]

No, those are always weird.

[A]

But one of previous years success.

[B]

Right, but I'm just saying those seven just don't be two and five. I don't think you will be.

[C]

But let's run it down. Baltimore Ravens in Brazil at Houston. The Next week, home game against the Bucks again, that's Thursday night at Green Bay at Philly, than the Arizona Cardinals.

[A]

And. And if you want to, I mean.

[C]

Yeah, and you can lump into the Colts, too, because they got. They got old Indiana Jones out there as well.

[A]

I believe that this schedule, defensively, when I look at this, I see defense popping off the screen. I'm not. I'm not thinking about offenses, opposing offenses. When I think, when I look at this schedule.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The defenses pop off and Baltimore is not going to suck on defense. They haven't been great as of late, but obviously Mentor is in. He's going to change things up. You know what Houston's defense is.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Right. You know what? Todd Bow's defense is. Right. We know Green Bay's defense is solid. Phillies defense is always solid. And then, okay, Arizona, we don't really know who they're going to be, but we know Indianapolis's defense, that's their calling card as well. Right. So you're talking about, you know, of those, you know, from Baltimore to Indianapolis.

[B]

I mean, there's the 49ers right after that.

[A]

In the 49ers. Exactly. I didn't even want to look down there. You know, Tennessee, they. They freaking revamped their entire defense. Right. So. And then you go Philly, Seattle.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So the defense, you. I mean, offense, you're going to know who the heck you are.

[C]

Oh, for sure.

[A]

You're going to get tested really early. I know everybody's been feeling really secure about the offense and all analysis. The offense is solid. But you're. You're going to. That's a gauntlet now, I think.

[B]

I think that. And I hate to say this because it sounds so bad, but I think the offense from last year is overrated because it overranks. Maybe not so much overrated.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But. And I only say this because you go off of how many yards you put up and you put up all these yards because your defense. Let's think about that Detroit game. You couldn't stop anyone, so you had to keep scoring and keep scoring. It wasn't enough, though. And I say overrated only because there were times when the offense wasn't good enough. It just wasn't good enough. But they did have great numbers, a lot of. A lot of points because they needed to. But I don't know if you necessarily say that they were the elite. Elite.

[C]

No. And I think question marks. I think the fact that the offense hasn't changed much since that time, I think it just bodes well for the chemistry going forward season. Because you want that consistency there, especially the offensive line. I had a lot of criticism for the offensive line because I just didn't think they were performing to the same level that we were all kind of considering. I mean, granted, Tyler Booker started really quick and. And like you felt good about that pick, but BB For a minute there I was like, I don't know that we necessarily made the right decision in starting him over Hoffman. And then that kind of. It felt better halfway through the season. I think just more consistency with that line together is always good.

[A]

And you talked about overrated. Right. Or overvalued or.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What aspect of this offense do you feel needs to make the biggest jump? Because there. A lot of attention has been on defense. Right. Everybody's been talking about defense, defense, defense. Right. Christian Parker, the additions, all that stuff to leave the offense mostly intact. What is it that they need to improve on?

[C]

Let me say red zone play calling. Yeah, I agree that that was one thing that I. I definitely gave shot a lot of criticism. Criticisms before last year is that I felt between.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

In the red zone. It just didn't feel like there was a lot of.

[A]

Felt like the system got abandoned.

[C]

Yes, yes, yes. And especially running the ball. That was a big thing for me. It's like, I mean, he got you,

[A]

got you down there.

[C]

He got you down there. You start throwing it and then you start throwing her. You start getting cute with. With play calling.

[B]

I kind of think, you know, you. You're talking about 20 in the inside. From 20 to the 40. I'm talking about the next 20 yards. I don't love that play calling either. And I feel like Shoddy's got to figure out Aubrey a little bit and not. I mean, not figure out Aubrey. We know what he is, but let's not lean on the fact that he can. He can make a 60 yard. Like there's no doubt. Yes, he can make it. But if he misses, you're putting your defense even worse situation. To me, it's okay to. I mean just keep playing downhill. Downhill instead of. There were some times where I thought they would take a sack. Didn't need to unwarranted risk. Just thinking, well, we do have Aubrey. Yeah, he can miss a 58 yarder.

[C]

And I think your offense was so good that you were kind of banking on like the. The playmake ability of a George Pickens to get yourself out of really bad field position. And they weren't by doing that didn't necessarily play very well to the field position game all season. You know, like, like you said.

[B]

Right.

[C]

You would go for a 60 yard kick as opposed to pinning, giving your defense an advantage and pinning their offense back a little bit. I think some of that is just going to come to shoddy as the season rolls.

[B]

I'm going to, I'm going to go back and I say this. Overrated is a bad word for sure. What I'm, what I'm saying is, is okay. Offense is good. Don't worry about the offense. Let's fix the defense.

[C]

It's not perfect.

[B]

Offense wasn't perfect last year and it had to be and it just wasn't. So that's really why I'm saying it's not an untouchable thing. It's still the very best thing you do and it's still very elite. But it's the defense needs. I think the defense can be better. The offense numbers will go down and that's a good thing.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah. They won't need to score as much 100%.

[C]

You want a complete team, right?

[B]

Right.

[C]

Right. We need to go to break real quick. When we come back, I want to ask you guys, what is your measuring stick game on the schedule? All right, we'll be right back after this.

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[A]

Hey, mom, before you ask, I've done my homework and the dishwasher's unloaded.

[C]

Nice.

[A]

Hey, can you. Hey, hon. Yes, I've got the finale ready to play.

[B]

Here's your wine.

[A]

Wow. Isn't it nice not having to ask? We think so. That's why if there's a network interruption, AT&T will proactively credit you for a full day of service. Guaranteed credit for fiber downtime lasting 20 minutes or more or for wireless downtime lasting 60 minutes or more caused by a single incident impacting 10 of war towers. Restrictions and exclusions apply. See att.com guarantee for details. Back to Talking Cowboys.

[C]

Welcome back to Talking Cowboys this summer train where stars are made at Dallas Cowboys youth football and dance camp. Let's go. Athletes of all skill ages 6 to 16 are invited to learn from forever. Our former NFL players and Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Step onto the field and practice like the pros. Register now@dallas cowboys.com camps.com all skill levels. You said all skill levels. Six to 16 are invited.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Do it for Danny.

[A]

Just missed.

[C]

He knows a thing or two.

[A]

He does. He does a great.

[C]

He's a survivor.

[A]

If you will, shout out to Danny McCrae for what he's done with all the youth sports aspects of this, of this company. He's done an amazing job, man. You talk about somebody transitioning. You hear so often about people transitioning in a struggle. He's killing it. Like he's really killing it and genuinely

[C]

One of my favorite people to talk to.

[B]

I.

[C]

You sit with him every single day. I'm sure that's kind of.

[B]

He's hilarious. He was getting after Beam's ass yesterday. I mean, that's the thing, though. That's a daily. Danny is a, is a he. He's a analyzer, man. I mean, I mean, he'll sit there

[C]

and he doesn't forget things.

[B]

No. He'll be like, what you eating there? What you got here? Oh, okay. You're going terror toss today, huh? You know, you're like, why? He's like, oh, I'm just saying, you know. Yeah.

[C]

What is it? An instigator.

[B]

No doubt that he's find a little. A great, great job. And like you said, with girls, flag football, I mean, killing it. I mean, he's a trailblazer.

[C]

Yeah, he is.

[B]

He really, he really is. He's been, he's been amazing with that. And it's fun to kind of watch that he tries so hard. And you know, as a, as a former player, you see it differently. Like, you see the way what you're doing with your businesses and he's doing is like, there's no time to, to be lazy. I'm sure there are players that aren't as successful and that's probably. But the ones that really want to do something and I, I, I admire.

[C]

They have that competitive spirit in anything that.

[B]

Yes, right.

[C]

I mean, clearly.

[B]

And don't just fall back on the fact, well, I'm a former player. It's like I'm actually. Yes, I am. Thank you for opening the door. But now I'm going to bust it down, you know, and that's kind of the way it is.

[A]

Definitely.

[B]

He's done that. And he, and he's.

[A]

Brett hearted it

[C]

the best there is. The best. All right. Before the break, I teased the game on the schedule. That would be your measuring stick. What is the game that you're looking forward to that kind of tell you what the 2026 Dallas Cowboys are going to be.

[A]

Yeah, I'm going to go with the real game. I'm going to go with Baltimore simply because of the fact, I think you're going to face one of the most dynamic players in the NFL at the most important position in the NFL. You talk about, you talk about his ability, Lamar Jackson, that is to just create. I think that what they're trying to do offensively now, they, they still want to go downhill at you. You know, you talk about him, you talk about their running game between him and Derrick Henry. And then, you know, defensively, they're going to be completely revamped.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Their organization. You. When you think about the Baltimore Ravens historically, you think about their defense. You don't think about their offense. You think about their offense kind of, you know, kind of just floating, you know, just floating along and doing enough to get through. But their defense has always been the dominant portion.

[C]

And I would say last year was pretty much unacceptable in terms of, like, their culture.

[A]

And the last, like, three years, their defense has not been great, which is

[C]

why they made a change, a big change. I mean, one that not a lot of people expected. And granted, you know, you could be on either side of it. But I feel like the consensus from Baltimore is like, it was time for a change, and everybody outside of is like, well, he's a great coach.

[A]

What are you doing?

[B]

Yeah. So. But yeah, when he goes to the Giants, you're like, why they let him go?

[A]

You know, seriously brings like half his team with him.

[B]

I just, I always think it's weird because they had a missed field goal on the final play of the regular season to make the playoffs. They would have made it. And it's, you know, a shocker that missed it. Yeah. Is Harbaugh still a good coach? I mean, like, like, you know, they go to the playoffs, maybe, then maybe they win because you host a game at that point, you win a game, you go to the division round, maybe you win that, maybe you don't. You still letting go of the coach all because a guy missed the field goal. I just think that's weird. But like you said, there seemed like there was a lot more to it, but.

[C]

And if the.

[B]

Maybe he needed a fresh.

[C]

Oh, yeah. I'm sure that was part of it, too. Because, you know, what is it? Diminishing returns after a while, you know, coaching be that good and just not necessarily have it in that organization anymore. And they're thinking of a different way to go forward. Of course, the Lamar Jackson's kind of. The team is built around him, and obviously they want to capitalize on what they have in him.

[A]

And you're finding out that he was a part of his head coaching search.

[C]

Exactly. Yeah.

[A]

He had a word, supposedly. Right. Supposedly he had a word on who was going to be the head coach.

[C]

That's one thing. It's like, is that coming from Lamar or, you know, like, is that the front office saying, like, oh, no, we let him have a say?

[B]

Sure.

[C]

For me, the measuring stick was Green Bay. Of course. I know I keep bringing it up, but I mean, if Mike is healthy by that game, there's unfinished business there. There was a tie last year. Nobody wanted to see that. I mean, it's great for headlines and all that, but, like, to me, that is such a business. Unfinished game that you can really. Because the trade talk is still in the air of, like, who won the trade. And there literally, it was a tie last year. And we're still at a point where it's like, we got all of these players and they have Micah Parsons and he's paid X amount of dollars, and, you know, they're getting one of the best defensive players in the league because of this. To me, all of the drama, the storyline, the cinematic element of it all is Green Bay.

[B]

I can't. Yeah, I mean that. You're right. I like how you say that, too. This is unfinished business. That was the weirdest sound after the game. Oh, just. What is.

[A]

What just happened?

[B]

It was like soccer. It was like week three of the preseason.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I don't even know who won, like,

[C]

and adrenaline is so high the entire time. And if that was the way that that game ended, everyone was just like,

[B]

you know, the irony.

[C]

I don't feel good at all.

[B]

Irony there. This is. This is. This is next level, I think. But it probably. Please, Jack Sanborn. He didn't. He didn't cover very well at all. Right.

[C]

Arguably.

[B]

Arguably, he is right up on the defender on that last play. So much so that the ball hits him in the back and go straight down, one second left. If he was back a little bit like he usually was, and he's back where that ball hits him in the shoulder. Not the back, the shoulder. Because he's back a little bit, still struggling, pops up just a little bit. Maybe someone tips it. 0. You win the game. Jack Sanborn had to cover that play that one time. He actually was just a little bit closer. You know, he wasn't where he normally was, which was back a little bit,

[C]

honestly, that'd be good. Deep blue one day. Go through the whole play. Yeah. At least that's it for me. What about you, Nick?

[B]

For me? And I steal this point all the time. And so I'm sure people have heard me say this, but to me, it holds true a lot. And especially this year, week two is always a measuring stick for me because, you know, first week of the season, everyone's excited and you're going to. You're going to get, you know, a lot of emotions, a lot of excitement there. Cowboys, Giants, and what happens there. Okay, say you win the Game great. But then come back week two, what are you really, how many times have you seen in week one somebody had a bad or great, you know, game, and then you, everyone likes to think this is how they are. And then you come back at week two, it's like, well, wow, they didn't see that coming. Week two is when things calm down a little bit, but you still start to see what they are. If you lost that first game, you better win, especially in the division. You can't be 02 and lose to Washington. And if you win that first game, you know what? Why don't you stack a win together? Because the 1 and 1, 2 and 2, 3 and 2, that's how you get to Jason Garrettville in the 8, 8 or 8, 8 and 1 or Shoddyville too. Like, let's just be it is what it is until he changes it. So I think for, to me, week two is always important of what are you going to be? Are you going to be 0 and 2? Are you going to be 1 and 1? How about B2 and O? Especially with that big game you're talking about with Baltimore in the travel. So I think that this, this year, you say you go get a win against the Giants, don't come back and ruin it with a loss.

[A]

I like to go back a little bit further. I know we're talking about measuring stick games.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But every year, historically in training camp, since I've been around, my measuring stick for the team always occurs in a joint practice and that's myself and Nate Newton. Nate and I typically get together on this. We historically, I'm not sure if it's going to happen this year. You might know more than me. I don't know.

[B]

I haven't heard.

[A]

We normally practice against the Rams, Right. We normally play against the Rams, but we don't have them this preseason. So I'm not sure if that happens. Whenever we have a joint practice with the Rams, instantly I know exactly where our team is at.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So we make all of our, all of our, you know, projections in terms of schedule, you know, in terms of the schedule and, you know, what our record is going to be. And then I, I, I don't remember what I said last year, but. And then when we hit that practice, I'm like, oh, that's when I readjust. Because we know exactly where we are compared to a team that is always in the conversation for going to the Super Bowl. And if you want to know where you're at as an organization when you face a Sean McVeigh team, both offensively and defensively. You know where you're at. You know where your offensive line's at. You know where your pressure rates at. You know where your guys can cover because you got Puka, Nakua, Devonte, Adams. You knew of your DBs. That's the day that I recognize that DBs weren't going to cut it last year. Aren't the DBs that we currently. That we had last year? Yeah, I knew that day. I was like, oh, these boys are catching everything. These guys are open by 2 or 3 yards on routes. Right. I knew that we couldn't get to the quarterback. I said, that's going to be a problem. You know, I saw their defensive line a couple years ago, you know, get after our boys in one on ones. I was like, ooh, our offensive line's not as powerful as we thought.

[C]

And by that same metric, last year, when you saw George Pickens at that same practice against the Rams, you're like, okay, like, we actually have something here. It's one thing to see players perform well playing against each other. And at least this offense versus scheme. Last year, I mean, you were like, oh, wow, this is going to be one of the greatest offenses ever of all time because of the. The combination of Pickens and Lamb. But when you saw him go up against the Rams in that way and still make those plays, you were. You felt really confident about that. I remember my first camp where I was like, this defense looks really good. You got Leighton Vanderesh coming off the edge. You know, I was like, this looks really impressive. Until the Rams came to town, and you're like, oh, all right. I guess I don't know how to look at linebackers here.

[A]

This is.

[C]

This is interesting.

[B]

You know, the joint practice has begun. Become the preseason game.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

For the.

[A]

For the.

[C]

More so than the preseason.

[A]

For the front.

[B]

Well, because they don't play. Yeah. Lisa, you're going to see Dak and you're going to throw the ball around a little bit. And, yeah, they don't get hit, which is fine, but.

[A]

But you can see what would happen.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right about that. I don't know if. If the Chargers are coming in or the Rams or. Or.

[A]

I hope so. Yeah, I really do hope so, because I think it.

[B]

I think it's becoming a very important thing. And I think I could say this. I. I think that they. The teams have. Have stopped the fights or at least controlled them a little bit.

[C]

Well, Brock Hoffman is on the Steelers now, so.

[B]

Yeah, True.

[A]

But I mean, and I think that's one of the reasons why the Cowboys, or at least, you know, coach Shoddy, you know, when he was even underneath McCarthy, why they went with the Rams. Because McVeigh has a way about his team.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What's allowed and what's not allowed. Right. They have a way about going about their business. Yeah. And I think it's a very well respected organization. I think they're very well coached, obviously, and their players understand it. Right. And I think that you get really good work on both sides of the ball and special teams.

[B]

I hope it's the Chargers, though, because I still think you'll get some good work. I think hardball does a good job scheme wise, but also from a fan standpoint. I mean, the Chargers only have like 50, you know, fans total.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So, I mean, are they going to be there in Oxnard?

[C]

It would be fun to see this defensive lineup against their offensive line.

[A]

Yes. That's why, that's the first thing that came to mind because their team is built like the Monstars. Like, they're just, they're gigantic. Gigantic. Like, and I know people say, oh, they're all NFL players. Everybody's not built the same. And certain coaches, especially the hardball size, the Harbaughs go about their business a certain way and it's in the trenches and they like their guys 6 6, 6, 66 to 6, 8 on the offensive line. And they like them to be £350 across the board. Like, they walk in and all you hear is hit him high. Hit them high. Hit them.

[B]

I mean, that's a good point though, about this defensive line. I mean, it, yes, it's. I mean, Overton is like the fifth lineman and he looks like, you know, I mean, he, he looks like a little kid compared to what these other defense. Because every defensive tackle on this team, it weighs 325 massive. They, they, they, they traded OSA. They let go of Solomon Thomas. They wanted a different guy. I mean like body tape.

[A]

Body types are different.

[B]

And Obanya, Those are the two backups.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

To Quinn and Kenny Cloy, the backups.

[C]

Toya's 340.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Abanya's 320. I mean, these are big dudes. So we haven like that type of defensive lineup. Obviously they're changing scheme.

[A]

Didn't call for it.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. But now, you know, now so big, nasty. But you're right. Like that matchup against the Chargers, that would be fun. And you know, just to, just to kind of see that. I don't know if they're coming in or not. I mean, I haven't really heard that we haven't gotten that far. But that's one of those things that they'll trickle out here at some point. But I mean, you got, you know, you got the Seattle. I mean, everybody's got to go to Seattle twice, right? Golly. But you know, I was a little surprised by that one.

[C]

Yeah, a little surprised by that. Okay, in the preseason, we have to go to break real quick. When we come back, I want to ask in your career with the Dallas Cowboys, I mean, you just celebrated your 25th season.

[B]

28.

[C]

28. 27.

[B]

27.

[C]

Excuse me.

[B]

Congratulations, Spring chicken.

[C]

I got a question for you that is exactly about that. We'll be right back after this.

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Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. What would you like the power to do?

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Will a broken nose break you?

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Or will it make you?

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Diego Luna retakes the field bank of

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America champions U.S. men's national team player Diego Luna and everyone who dares to ask what would you like the power to do? Bank of America proud to be the Official bank of US Soccer and FIFA

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World Cup 2026 bank of America NA

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Member FDSE if you're looking for fresh American roasted coffee that gives back, you need to head to your local grocery store and pick up a bag of Black Rifle coffee. That's right, America's coffee is now available in the coffee aisle of a grocery store near you. Black Rifle Coffee Company is veteran founded with a mission to give back to those brave men and women who have served our nation. Every bag, box or can you purchase helps Support that mission. Head to your local grocery store and roast yourself some black rifle coffee today. Every day begins with a promise. A promise to work hard and to build a future. That's why we're here providing the tools, expertise, and John Deere equipment you have relied on for generations to help you get the job done right. We're with you. That's our promise to you. Because no matter the project or the challenge you're facing, we're with you. We're united.

[C]

I'm home.

[A]

Hey, mom. Before you ask, I've done my homework

[B]

and the dishwasher's unloaded.

[C]

Nice. Hey, can you.

[A]

Hey, hon. Yes? I've got the finale ready to play.

[B]

Here's your wine.

[A]

Wow. Isn't it nice not having to ask? We think so. That's why if there's a network interruption, AT&T will proactively credit you for a full day of service. Guaranteed credit for Fiber downtime lasting 20 minutes or more or for wireless downtime lasting 60 minutes or more caused by a single incident impacting 10 or more towers. Restrictions and exclusions apply. See att.com guarantee for details. Back to talking cowboys.

[C]

Welcome back to talking cowboys, here with Nick Eatman. Here with Isaiah. Stand back. Christopher Beam is in the back. Nick, before we went to break, I wanted to ask you specifically about, like, your career here with the Cowboys. 28 seasons.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Eight season. Congratulations to you, by the way.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Catching you.

[C]

I want to ask you in your.

[B]

My 28th. I've been 27 full.

[C]

Okay. So in your 27 years around the team, what schedule quirk tends to matter most by season's end?

[B]

Matters most to the team, not to me. Right?

[C]

I mean. No.

[B]

I mean, you could be. No, because. Because.

[C]

But yeah, like, in terms of the schedule and what matters.

[B]

Sometimes when people ask that question, I'm like, okay, you're asking me because, I mean.

[C]

I mean. I mean, obviously you didn't. You don't want to go to Seattle twice. That was one thing that you brought up.

[B]

Yeah, well, you know, the way. The way that the travel is from Oxnard is not the best because it's not from Oxnard. It's from L. A. So you got to go to l. A And then Seattle. Not a big deal. But which schedule quirk matters the most to the.

[C]

In terms of the season and how the Cowboys are performing and, like, by the season's end, what quirk about the schedule kind of gives you that upper hand or could sink the ship?

[B]

That's a tough question. Do you have an answer to that, I'm not 100% sure. I'm not sure I understand the question fully. Okay, what would your answer be? Do you know. I know that you haven't been here as long, but what was your. Would be your answer?

[C]

To me, it's. It's what the schedule looks like after Thanksgiving.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[C]

To. To me, it's like, what about that. That run of games taking you, of course, into December as well? What about that sets the Dallas Cowboys up? Because to me, that's always. By the time I figure out, okay, are we solidified a playoff team by this time? And for me, Thanksgiving is always the benchmark in that respect. Obviously, you have enough games under your belt. You kind of know who the team is by that point. But I mean, like, typically, as long as I've been watching the Cowboys, it has been after Thanksgiving. They have a run of games that's. That is your in or out. That's. And it's always the tougher games this season. I'm looking at it, and I'm saying this is a relatively light December, aside from the Seahawks. And then, of course, we're talking about the Rams, who you are familiar with for the most part. But then you have Jacksonville, then you have New York.

[A]

Don't sleep on Jacksonville.

[C]

I mean, yeah, that's an explosive team. That's fair. But obviously, compared to their records last year going into this year, not withstanding the changes that they've made, for me, it's always after Thanksgiving where I kind of look at like, okay, what gauntlet is it that we have? And this doesn't seem to me as daunting as years past.

[B]

Yeah, I could. I could go with that. I mean, usually, I don't know how many. I don't know how many years this has been, but usually in December or January, you're going to face the Eagles. I, at some point. You know what I mean? I think last year might have been. You definitely faced them at the. I think at the end of the year. Am I missing that?

[C]

Oh, my goodness.

[B]

Yeah. No, no, no, no, you didn't. You played Philly week one and then right before Thanksgiving. So this is the second year in a row, I guess you didn't play Philly, but you know, you're going to play division games, and in this case, you got at Washington and you got the Giants. I, I'm. I was with you on that when you were talking about schedule, courts. I'm thinking the last couple of games, you know what happens in these final NFC east games. Giants at Home, Washington. But.

[C]

And that's always the case. It's like those last two games are typically the divisional battles.

[B]

It's tough because we could be sitting here in last year's schedule and some, some team could be looking at their schedule last year and be like, we got to play the Chiefs, and then at least. At least we got the Bears because they're not very good. And then, you know what I mean? And, you know, it flips. So, like, which, which one is it this year? Which. Which team is it that you're thinking is not that bad and they're going to be really good, and it could be, you know, the other way, too.

[C]

And I think you brought up a good point because, I mean, those teams are not the same teams as they. They were last year. Those records don't carry over. You're looking at a Jacksonville Jaguars who definitely have rebuilt themselves in a lot of different ways.

[A]

They were a playoff team last year, weren't they?

[C]

Yeah, that too. And Tennessee Titans talking about rebuilding their entire defense. They have Robert Sala, who you know is going to turn their defense around. So it's not necessarily about, like, confidence level on these games. It was just more so, like, historically, what is it about the schedule that kind of.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Gives you that.

[A]

Yeah, I think for me it's like the division and conference game. So where are those located and how they kind of group together? Because you can make or break your season, obviously, with those, those conference and divisional games. Right. Depending on how you perform there. Obviously when you play the afc, it's like, okay, cool. Right. You kind of have a measuring stick, and obviously the record matters. But more so, you. You need the nfc, you need that good ranking there.

[B]

That titans game on November 22nd is really big. And I know that. I'm not joking around like, like, that's a game you should win. I think, we think by then, who knows what Tennessee looks like, but. Or anybody what they look like. But you know that the 49er game the week before is going to be tough.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And that's going to be physical. And then you got to go in and you're at home and you stay at home and you play Tennessee and then you got the Eagles on Thanksgiving. You. You better win that one. You better win that Titans game right there because you know you're sandwiched in between playing the 49ers and the Eagles three home games in a row. You better win that second one for sure because you want. Because you need to steal one of these other ones.

[A]

Do you think that there would have been a bigger game based upon the teams that you have on your schedule this year. A bigger Thanksgiving matchup than the Eagles.

[C]

No, no. I mean Green Bay was my, was my lock in and I've talked about that ad nauseam on the show, but

[B]

yeah, lock in for, for Thanksgiving.

[C]

I thought that was a no brainer to me.

[B]

It was at Green Bay.

[C]

Oh, it was at Green Bay.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Well, yeah, I wasn't considering that at all.

[B]

That factors in. That does factor. I mean the 49ers, I, I kind of thought that was sort of my, my prediction that it could be the 49ers.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

On Thanksgiving. But yeah, Eagles. And they'd never beaten the Eagles on Thanksgiving. Only played them twice, but they've never beaten them. That's like the biggest do that giving

[A]

game that I could imagine.

[C]

Oh yeah. That's going to set every record. Okay, so pivoting a little bit for our last segment for the show ends. Actually we only have a few minutes. Home run Derby. A lot of players were talking about Caleb Downs. Just the veteran speaking on Caleb Downs and of course getting to talk to him a little bit. Can you tell me at least what the vets are speaking on?

[B]

Yeah, the preparation. It's kind of like, you know, doing an awesome rundown before a show like this. You know what I mean? Just, just being prepared.

[C]

Of course.

[B]

So you're kind of the Caleb Downs.

[C]

That's what they call me.

[B]

For sure. For sure. No, I think this guy, and it's not just him, but I think he has a chance to be a really big leader because of, you know, he's the leader of the draft class, but he just wants to watch film. He just wants to come in and study. You know, no offense to the social media team and all the stuff that they try to do and it's cool. And he plays along. He's not, you know, who are cooking.

[C]

By the way. Social's doing a great job.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Especially that schedule.

[B]

No doubt about it. But what I'm saying is is his focus is football. He wants to do football. And there's been players that love what football brings to them. Martel's, Bennett, but there's been, you know, and Martell's, he's doing.

[A]

We just watched his cartoon the other day on Disney plus he's killing, killing it.

[B]

I give him credit because he played, he played about 10 years and he made some pro bowls and he was really good early on in his career though. He loved what football brought to him. Maybe more than football but he figured it out. And his brother, him and his brother together. But I'm saying that Caleb Downs comes in and he loves football, he wants to study. And Dak noticed that as well. Dak was like this guy come in. He's serious minded about what he's doing. And so I think that that's a really good start. I think it's a great pairing for Christian Parker who's kind of the same way. He's kind of like, no nonsense, let's just get to it. And I think Caleb Downs, I think it's a perfect match.

[C]

I mean the face of the defense already at this point and our expectations now too high for Caleb Downs, having not seen him actually practice with the Downs Cowboys at this point. I mean, you know, granted, yeah, I'm

[A]

always, I'm always a believer that expectations are always too high no matter who you're really putting them on. But I think you have to let the young man get in here and figure it out. I like the direction of the locker room. I'll say that, I'll say of years past not to say that the locker room was bad, but there's always room for improvement. And I think that the maturity of the locker room, across the board, there's always going to be the unique players, I'll say that. But across the board I think you're having a very mature defense in terms of the personnel that is now in there. And that's not just Caleb Downs, that's some of the other players that they've acquired as well and in free agency and the guys that were already remaining on the roster. It's a very mature unit that they're going to be putting out there. You don't, you're not too concerned about guys being selfish. This is a very selfless and a very, you know, you know, IQ heavy team. You know that you're putting out the defensive, you know what you have on offense already. But these guys are, these are smart players.

[C]

I think playing along Jalen Thompson is going to be the big, the biggest advantage for Caleb Downs. I mean, those two together I think are going to change the faces of this defense. It's not going to look the same you want last year in any stretch of the imagination.

[B]

You want your best players to, to set the best example, you know, and so if Caleb Downs is the best

[C]

player you want saying we weren't doing that before.

[B]

No, I'm not.

[C]

The best players weren't setting.

[B]

No, they were laying on the table at preseason games or they were or two of them, you know, I mean, acted like they were at 7:11, if you will, throwing the ball around over here on the side, best players on your team, but not setting the best example. So when you get on to this backup safety here, when you get on a marquis bell or whatever to say, hey, make sure you're doing this, it's like, whoa, what about him? What about, you know, and you. I've heard Romo tell that story a lot about to. How it was hard with him because he'd jump off sides and they didn't get mad at him. But then if Creighton did it or if Sam heard did it, then they would do that. It's like, wait, you can't do that the same. That's why leaders, first of all, they have to be great players. You can't. I mean, you can't just be a good player. You got to be a great player to be a leader. But you also have to do it, lead the right way, because you've seen leaders that aren't leading the best way. You know, you've seen followers to, you know, he's a leader. But we don't necessarily want that.

[A]

Yeah. And I mean, I. And I will push back on the fact. I don't think you have to be a great player to be a leader. I think you have to have. Be a great player to have maximum influence, be a great teammate. Right. But there are plenty of guys who go about it the right way. But what happens is when you have that permeating through the entire locker room, instead of it being a outlier. Yeah, right. That's where I think that the ball is dropped in terms of locker room maturity is when you have. Okay, well, that position. Yeah. We have one guy who's doing it the right way, but this group, okay. They really don't have anything like. Yeah, but when you have it across the board, and it's one of the main reasons why I still think that, you know, who I want at linebacker. I feel like there's a missing piece there and a missed opportunity currently that that exists to bring somebody in that room who maybe. Maybe he's a starter for you, maybe he's not. But if you bring him and put him in that room and now you have that at every single level of your defense, there's a huge opportunity. Just from the maturity aspect and the preparation aspect and the way in which they approach the game, I hope that they don't. They don't allow that to pass them by.

[C]

I wholeheartedly agree. All right. Fellas. That'll do it for Talking Cowboys. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you, Nick Eatman for coming on the show. Isaiah, stand back. Chris Beam. We'll see you next time on Talking Cowboys.

[A]

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