The Musers The Podcast – Cowboys Weekly: Draft T-minus 99 Days

Date: January 15, 2026
Hosts: George Dunham & Bob Sturm

Episode Overview

This episode finds George Dunham and Bob Sturm (pinch-hitting for usual host Junior Miller and Gordon Keith) in the first week of the Cowboys offseason following another missed playoff appearance. They dissect the franchise’s continual postseason struggles, leadership press conferences, the complex Dak Prescott debate, and the aftermath of the Micah Parsons trade. They also preview possible defensive coordinator candidates and reflect on HBO’s Hard Knocks: In Season – NFC East. The episode concludes with a look at what a wild NFL Wild Card Weekend reveals about the Cowboys’ current state, before teasing a special retrospective on Super Bowl X for the next show.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cowboys Playoff Disappointment: Another Early Offseason

• Context: Cowboys have now missed the playoffs for two consecutive years, making the divisional round a distant memory.
• Historical Drought: Bob and George lament that from 1991–96, the Cowboys made the playoffs six years running, but since then, three straight postseason appearances have been rare (last achieved only 2021–23).
  - Quote – Bob (02:59):
  "They never even made the playoffs in two consecutive years, George. I hate to say it, but that is such a low bar."
• Expectations Reset: Despite disappointment, the hosts resolve to “slog through the offseason”—still talking Cowboys, only weeks after another “end of season press conference” by Jerry and Stephen Jones.

2. The Dak Prescott Question: Leadership, Accountability, and Cap Economics

Dak's Postseason Quote (04:38–08:14)

• Bob reads and reacts to Dak’s statement after the season:

  "This is one of the first seasons, if not the first of my career, I can't directly correlate my play to the wins or losses...So that makes it frustrating."

• Hosts’ Reaction:
  • They appreciate Dak’s on-field season, but are irked by comments distancing himself from the results.
  • George insists the quarterback, especially as the team’s highest-paid player, must own more responsibility:
    • George (08:14):
      "You have to say, I didn't do enough. And it starts with me. I'm the quarterback of this team."
• Bob pulls salary cap numbers:
  • $205M on offense, $114M on defense, with the bulk soon to be allocated further to offense.
  • Insight:
    • The way the team structures its resources necessitates the offense bears the load. Therefore, when the attack falters in crucial games, the quarterback (Dak) cannot wash his hands of the outcome.
    • Quote – Bob (12:17):
      "They are the fifth highest allocated offense...That's going to make them the highest paid offense in the league next year."
      • Dak must "understand how the math works" when assigning blame.

3. Quarterback vs. Defense: What Makes a Winner?

Ed Werder’s Essential Question (14:31–22:02)

• Would you rather have a great QB and okay defense, or a great defense and good but not elite QB?

  • Both hosts wrestle with the modern NFL’s shift: now, dominant defenses can still carry teams, with “functional” offenses under less-superstar quarterbacks.

  • Bob:

    "If I can have [Josh Allen or Mahomes], I got to have one of those. But 30 other teams can't. So I think this is where the league is going: Build a defense, absolutely."

  • Cites teams like the 2025 Seahawks and 49ers as evidence that you don’t need a top-10 QB if your defense is elite.

4. The Micah Parsons Trade: Did Jerry “Herschel Walker” It?

Owner’s Messaging & Math (22:36–28:18)

• Jerry Jones, in his season presser, keeps comparing the Parsons trade (sending an elite edge rusher away for picks/players) to the legendary Herschel Walker deal of the 1990s.
  • Quote – Jerry (23:32):
    "The very best of what we are trying to get involving the Micah Parsons trade is all out there ahead of us. We've got some of it on the field already..."
• Bob’s Rant:
  • Breaks down, number-by-number, how Jerry’s narrative that you build depth with Parsons’ $45M/year is mathematically unsound:
    • The Cowboys are attributing several new contracts (Kenny Clark, Daron Bland, Tyler Smith, Quinnen Williams, George Pickens) to the flexibility created by trading Parsons—but their combined values ($115M+) far exceed the $45M Parsons would have commanded.
  • Quote – Bob (28:18):
    "Jerry is obsessed with convincing you…that this can be another Herschel Walker trade. There will never be another Herschel Walker trade…that math doesn’t math."
  • George suggests there were behind-the-scenes chemistry issues with Parsons (“I was told…he was a pain in the ass…”), but time will tell.

5. Rebuilding the Defense—Who Runs the Show Next?

Defensive Coordinator Carousel (33:43–41:51)

• The defense still needs major help; hiring a new defensive coordinator is a pressing offseason story.
  • Front-runner – Jim Leonhard:
    Both hosts tout his football intelligence and fit alongside offensive coordinator Schottenheimer.

    "I think Leonard is ready to roll...they have a relationship. When I hear one of them talk, it sounds like the other guy is talking."

  • Alternative – Zach Orr:
    George highlights his personal connection to former Ravens DC Zach Orr; smart, young (33), respected, local ties, Baltimore pedigree. If Leonhard lands elsewhere, Orr is on their shortlist. - Memorable Moment (41:11): - "Anyone you talk to that knows Zach Orr is just a huge fan of his...a name in case the top names go somewhere else."
• Roster implications:
  • The defense needs 11–12 real contributors; not just paper names but regulars and rotational players after big holes at DT, Edge, LB, and Secondary.

6. Football Through the Lens of 'Hard Knocks: In Season – NFC East'

The Power of Narrative and Humanity (41:51–49:24)

• George and Bob adore the show but note this season’s diminishing returns—the NFC East proved less compelling as all its teams faltered.
  • George (42:51):
    "I could talk Hard Knocks every day. I just think it’s the greatest show on television."
  • Bob confesses to falling behind, but emphasizes the show’s human element:

    "Every one of these stories is founded on the premise that this is a human and this is their story and they get one shot at this..."

  • Favorite scenes include Schottenheimer’s impassioned sideline moments (“You love football? Yeah, I f***ing love football!” – 44:46–44:47) and his urging coaches to call and support fired Matt Eberflus.
  • They remark on how the show underscores the fleeting nature of NFL careers and the real pain in failure:
    • Bob (52:42):
      "Every year there will be a Cowboys roster and we will watch...but the names change, and these guys get one shot at things..."
  • There’s skepticism about authenticity due to cameras but praise for elevating “the human side” beneath the stats and strategy.

7. NFL Wild Card Weekend: Reflections on the League & Dallas

Are the Cowboys Close or Far Off? (53:38–64:15)

• The hosts agree: the weekend’s action demonstrated just how razor-thin the margins are in the NFL.
  • Bob argues,

    "They're not far away…this league is designed to make you feel like the 12th best team…actually isn’t that far away from the top." (54:16–56:24)

  • George, however, is daunted by the caliber of the defensive units on display:
    • "The only thing that really made me think, holy cow, how much work do the Cowboys have to do, was watching some of these defensive units…"
  • They marvel at the 49ers’ 'next man up' culture and point to Erik Kendricks’ resurgence as a timely pickup for SF, asking why the Cowboys failed to extract value from such veterans.
    • Bob (58:57):
      "Yet [the 49ers] roll out a team of kind of no names who understand the assignment…that is the most important tackle of my life."
  • Legendary stories: George Kittle, after tearing his Achilles, only asks for "a bottle of tequila" to mask the pain—“legendary status.” (61:28)

On Being a Fan

• George confesses to rooting mostly against NFC rivals (Packers, Eagles) as a way to find postseason “happiness,” arguing it’s mathematically more rewarding (64:15):
  • "There’s a 3% chance your team wins a championship in any given year…So sometimes just embrace the 97% and cheer against your enemies."

8. Next Week: A Super Bowl X Deep Dive

• Special Announcement:
  In next week's podcast, George and Bob will re-watch and analyze Super Bowl X: Steelers-Cowboys (“the first time I ever cried over a sporting event” – 67:53).
• They invite listeners to watch along with the recently released, high-quality broadcast version on YouTube.

Memorable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• Bob on playoff futility:
  "They never even made the playoffs in two consecutive years, George. I hate to say it, but that is such a low bar." (02:59)

• George on quarterback responsibility:
  "You have to say, I didn’t do enough. And it starts with me. I’m the quarterback of this team." (08:14)

• Bob, crunching the Micah Parsons trade math:
  "He’s claiming the 45 million a year that Micah would have got now equates to the six players I kept when I traded Micah that now cost $115 million. That math doesn’t math." (28:18)

• George, on Zach Orr as DC candidate:
  "Anyone you talk to that knows Zach Orr is just a huge fan of his... it’s a name in case the top names go somewhere else." (41:11)

• On Hard Knocks:
  "Every one of these stories is founded on the premise that this is a human and this is their story and they get one shot at this..." (52:42)

• Bob on NFL margins:
  "That is the margin in this league. That is the margin from top to bottom. The parity is real." (54:50)

• George, on Kittle’s painkiller of choice:
  "What do you need? And he said, a bottle of tequila. And that was delivered to the locker room." (61:28)

Important Segments (Timestamps)

• [00:53–04:38] Cowboys’ playoff history & disappointment
• [04:38–08:14] Dak Prescott’s comments & leadership
• [10:47–14:31] Salary cap allocations & performance expectations
• [14:31–22:02] QB vs Defense: Team-building philosophies
• [22:36–28:18] Micah Parsons trade—Jerry’s narrative & financial analysis
• [33:43–41:51] Defensive Coordinator candidates (Leonhard, Orr)
• [41:51–49:24] Hard Knocks: In Season—behind-the-scenes value & human stories
• [53:38–64:15] Wild Card Weekend review—how far off are the Cowboys?
• [65:12–69:48] Preview: Deep dive into Super Bowl X, personal reflections

Tone and Style Notes

• Conversational and humorous, balancing both fan emotion and analytic depth.
• Honest and at times self-deprecating, particularly about the Cowboys’ futility and the challenges of fandom.
• Deep dives into “football as life,” especially in the Hard Knocks and Super Bowl memory segments.

Next Up

• Super Bowl X Retrospective: Join George and Bob as they relive the heartbreak and drama of Cowboys-Steelers, 50 years later—inviting listeners to watch (and feel) the pain all over again.