Cowboys Weekly Edition (vs Commanders)

Summary

The Musers The Podcast: Cowboys Weekly Edition (vs Commanders)

Date: October 16, 2025
Hosts: George Dunham & Bob Sturm
Network: Cumulus Podcast Network

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Episode Overview

This Cowboys Weekly Edition dives deep into the Dallas Cowboys’ troubling road loss to the Carolina Panthers (30-27) and previews the upcoming matchup against the Washington Commanders. George and Bob break down the game with trademark sharp analysis, cowboying up as they dissect roster failures (particularly up front), recurring defensive woes, and lingering optimism for the offense led by Dak Prescott. Their wit, banter, and historical context keep the discussion engaging, insightful, and frequently self-deprecating.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cowboys vs. Panthers: Examining the Loss

• Final Score: Carolina 30, Cowboys 27
• Theme: “The Cowboys got pushed around” — the score was closer than the game.
• Defensive Failure: Another “horrific day” for the defense; offense was productive except for “the last six plays and the first three plays.”
• NFL Parity: “This is not college football… You better bring it every Sunday or you’re going to get your butt beat.” – Bob (01:15)

The Game Is Won Up Front (02:31)

• O-Line & D-Line Issues: Cowboys backup offensive linemen showed cracks; defensive line lacks quality picks and development.
• Front Office Critique:
  • “The Cowboys have put themselves on NCAA probation with their drafting habits of defensive players.” – George (03:11)
  • “They’ve invested a lot, they just don’t hit on these investments.” – Bob (03:29)
  • Lack of contributors from the 2022-2025 drafts (nine DL picks, “not sure we’ve got a guy amongst them”).

Development vs. Drafting (07:06)

• Coaching Point: “...the developed part. I don’t think you and I know how to do that. That’s what the coaching and development part is all about.” – Bob (07:37)

2. Defensive Meltdown: Layered Problems

Poor Drafting

• Broken “draft and develop” pipeline — nearly all recent defensive picks failing.
• “They have almost no dudes up front, despite investing a lot in trying to get dudes.” – Bob (10:26)

Defensive Coordination & Coaching

• Matt Eberflus Under Fire:
  • “All of it’s not his fault, but he’s responsible for it.” – George (22:13)
• Defensive Confusion and Lapses:
  • “You drop back in zone and it looks like they’re all playing it for the first time.” – George (22:17)
• Multiple Defensive Coordinators:
  • “If we keep saying this guy doesn’t have a single clue, at some point we’re digging in the wrong place…” – Bob likening it to “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (24:26)
• Specific Run Defense Breakdown:
  • “Rico Dowdo can’t believe all he’s looking at is grass.” – Bob, breaking down the 3rd snap of the Panthers’ opening drive (27:38, see also 11:59 Q1 game time)

Linebacker Play

• Linebackers “brutal”; “processing is so slow” (34:41).
• Overreliance on struggling defenders, e.g., Kenneth Murray.

“What’s the Use?” Vibe

• Fixable? Hosts express increasing skepticism but emphasize the need for accountability and culture.

3. The Historic “Bad Day” For the Defense

• Rico Dowdle’s monster game: 239 yards from scrimmage, 4th most ever against Cowboys (15:21).
  • “His longest run was 15 yards… He did it by nibbles.” – Bob (18:52)
• “If you put the average American back there…maybe you could’ve gone over 100 [yards] just because the alleys to run through…” – George (19:06)

Cowboys’ Historic Defensive Failures

• 20 games in team history with a 200+ yard opponent — Cowboys are 2-18 in those. (17:45)
• Notable Opposing Performances: Jim Brown, Calvin Johnson, Deuce Staley, Troy Stratford, Alfred Morris.

Success Rate Stats

• Panthers: 25/38 on successful runs; Cowboys: 2/19 (21:02).
• “If one team gets 25 successful runs and the other team gets two…it might actually be a miracle you have a chance to win.” – Bob (21:05)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Defensive Draft Woes:
  “The Cowboys have put themselves on NCAA probation with their drafting habits of defensive players.” – George (03:11)

• On Failing to Develop Talent:
  “The developed part, I don’t think you and I know how to do that…That’s what the coaching and development part is all about.” – Bob (07:37)

• On the Matt Eberflus Dilemma:
  “All the trimmings of a coordinator that doesn’t know what he’s doing... But I know that’s not true. He’s got a horrible set of cards in front of him.” – Bob (23:27)

• Run Defense Lowlights:
  “Your defensive end should never get bullied by a tight end. That should never, ever, ever happen.” – Bob (26:58)

• On “Culture” in the Locker Room:
  “You don’t find out about your culture when you’re all playing paintball in August… This is culture.” – Bob (46:01)

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Offense Shines Amid the Wreckage

Dak Prescott’s Underappreciated Performance

• Dak’s Game vs. Carolina:

  • 261 yards, three touchdowns – “good as any quarterback in the league this year” (39:27).
  • Playing with patchwork offensive line, missing key weapons.
  • “Dak is playing fantastic football right now.” – Bob (40:45)
  • Making quick reads, few sacks despite weak O-line.

• Missed Opportunities:

  • Breakdown of the red zone drive: “The offense has to be almost perfect… when they don’t score on six out of eight, it stands out.” (44:45)
  • Pre/post-snap decision making dissected on multiple key downs (36:44, 38:47).

• Pickens’ Emergent Star Power:

  • Repeatedly torched smaller defenders from the slot.
  • “Haven’t seen a wide receiver physically toy with his opponents in a Cowboys uniform since Terrell Owens.” – Bob (42:40)

• “Hot Fried Georgie” Player of the Game:

  • George selects Dak; Bob nods to George Pickens for highlight-reel moments (57:41–58:18).
  • “Just George Pickett’s just randomly jumping…” (58:40 – on Pickens’ wild YAC antics).

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Preview: Cowboys vs. Commanders (Sunday)

Setting the Stage

• Divisional Stakes and Parity:
  • Both teams in “stay alive” mode; Cowboys feel heat at 2-3-1, Commanders would go to 4-3 for first time in over 20 years with win (48:32).
  • “Not a single team in the NFC is just going to walk into your building and obliterate you… This is a get-right opportunity for the Cowboys, but Washington feels the same way.” – Bob (51:53)

Washington’s Profile

• Offensive Strengths/Weaknesses:
  • Good running team with Jaden Daniels at QB, but generally inefficient passing and banged up (missing Terry McLaurin).
• Old, Expensive Roster Around Cheap Young QB:
  • “This is their bonus window… they can go get Bobby Wagner and Von Miller and sort of have a 2020 All Star team in 2025.” – Bob (56:51)
• Crosby Merritt, 7th Rd RB:
  • “Day 3 running backs pop all the time… but especially paired with a running quarterback.” – Bob (53:15)

Matchup Outlook

• Both teams struggle defensively, especially Washington (8.2 yards per opponent pass attempt).
• “If you love a shootout, this one might be 38-35.” – Bob (57:05)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment/Topic | |--------------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:50–04:28 | Panthers loss breakdown; “anonymous” teams & NFL parity | | 03:07–11:01 | Cowboys’ defensive line draft history and failures | | 11:01–16:37 | Defensive meltdowns, eye discipline, historic bad games | | 19:06–21:02 | Success rate stats, run failures, cause-and-effect on LBs | | 22:03–24:26 | Matt Eberflus as scapegoat; system vs. coordinator issues | | 27:38–28:28 | Play-by-play defensive breakdown; hopelessness setting in | | 32:15–33:20 | Cowboys band nostalgia, Wayback Machine, old-school gripes | | 34:01–35:07 | 4th-and-4 coverage gaffe; overvaluing Kenneth Murray | | 36:23–44:45 | Dak’s performance, offensive highlights, missed chances | | 46:01–47:17 | Cultural challenges and locker room dynamics | | 48:32–53:15 | Commanders matchup, roster profile, rookie RBs | | 57:05–58:10 | Player of the Game selections, light banter |

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Additional Memorable Moments

• “Fourth down… you paid Duron Bland $92 million. Let him press on fourth and four!” – Bob (33:58)
• “There are guys who don’t run fast 40s who play faster… That’s the computer between your ears.” – Bob (34:56)
• “My sister got an A one year… my parents always expected it from then on out. That’s where we are with Dak.” – Bob (44:45)

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Tone & Final Thoughts

Classic Musers: deeply knowledgeable, self-aware, banter-filled, occasionally nostalgic and always realistic—giving Cowboys fans both a reality check and a little hope.

“It’s a mystery box as the Cowboys turn and another matchup with Washington on Sunday. We’ll be back next week to talk about it.” – George (60:26)

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For a Cowboys fan—this episode delivers the hard truths with wit, perspective, and a little wistful longing for a functional defensive line.

Transcript

[George Dunham]

When did making plans get this complicated? It's time to streamline with WhatsApp, the secure messaging app that brings the whole group together. Use polls to settle dinner plans. Send event invites and pin messages so no one forgets mom 60th and never miss a meme or milestone. All protected with end to end encryption. It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone. Learn [e-mail] it's the musers the podcast Cowboys edition Football friends George Dunham and Bob Sturm. On the heels of the Cowboys going on the road in Carolina and Getting pushed around 30 to 27, Final Score doesn't sound bad.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah.

[George Dunham]

But when you watch the details of this game, it is alarming again because it's another horrific day for the Cowboys defense and for the offense, a really productive day. Except for their last six plays and their first three plays of the game. You take those out and it's a, it's an A plus for the offense, don't you think?

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah, I do. Except I guess what we say all season long, which is the offense is going to have to drag them along and the offense is going to have to be perfect to save the day. And they were far from perfect. So you look at this game, Georgie, and here's where I net out on this whole thing. It's an incredibly difficult league where if you were to take the most anonymous team in the league, which might be Carolina, I don't know if you were to rank the teams based on what. Have you ever met a Panthers fan? I guess you have, but the general idea that they never get talked about, they're never not playing at noon, just all these things. So let's call them roughly the most anonymous team in the league. And when you play them, you find out real quick they have dudes and you better be ready. And this is not college football where with all due respect, some of the powers in our country can just show up and win seven games without even playing. Well, that's not the NFL. You better bring it every Sunday or you're going to get your butt beat. And the Cowboys learn that on Sunday in Carolina.

[George Dunham]

Boy, if there was ever an example of the game is played up front and we spend so much time talking about quarterbacks. Well, is he, this is he, that is he. And obviously you have to have a good quarterback. You have to have speed on the outside, you have to have a running game. Yeah, all those skilled positions, but what a dominant performance up front. And it makes you realize a couple of things. Okay, maybe These backup offensive linemen are as good as we thought they were when they played the jets because they had a major problem. And then on the other side, just, it highlights how this team has not drafted well.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah.

[George Dunham]

When it comes to the defensive line last 20 years.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah.

[George Dunham]

But in particular the last couple of years, as you said in our station here in Dallas, the ticket, if you go look at the 23 and 24 draft, basically the Cowboys have put themselves on NCAA probation with their drafting habits of defensive players.

[Bob Sturm]

Right. Yeah. And that is killing them right now because they will tell you, they'll be very quick to tell you they're a draft and develop team. And when you look at why does this team stink right now, which unfortunately they do. Not to completely kill the buzz here early in the episode, but. And we were a little more optimistic after the jets game and honestly, jets and Panthers feel like they're in the same basic tier in the NFL. You know, again, if you were to look at a power poll, people would say, okay, well those are two similar teams. And they are. But you caught one team feeling good about itself and one team feeling awful about itself. So go back to the draft situation. It's not that they haven't invested, because they have. They've invested a lot. They just don't hit on these investments. Their best defensive lineman of this generation was drafted as a linebacker and then traded to Green Bay.

[George Dunham]

Yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

So we all know who that is, but that wasn't even one of their draft picks. So the, the last four drafts, which just to make sure people follow along, every rookie in the NFL who's not a first rounder is on a four year contract. And so we call that the conveyor belt of talent where your cheap labor is all on a four year timetable and of course it overlaps each year. So right now we're in year four of the 2022 guys and then year three of the 2023 and so on. So where the Cowboys are right now basically are, they have their big ticket players, your Dak and your ceedees and it would have been Micah and guys, then you have your cheap labor which fills out your entire roster, which is the four year guys. And so your entire roster is kind of your 22 to 25 draft. Okay. So 2022 you took Sam Williams in the second round defensive end and unfortunately to the best of our knowledge, can't play. I've seen it. No. And in 2023, you took Mozzie Smith at defensive tackle in the first round and again, can't Play. You also took Junior Fujoko in the fourth round. We've never seen him play because I don't think he's ever played a game as a NFL player, but definitely as a Dallas Cowboy. Also, if you want to go back to 2022, they took a defensive tackle, John Ridgeway, who has played in the NFL, but not for the Cowboys. He didn't even make their team out of camp. So four defensive linemen from those two drafts, and to the best of our knowledge, maybe Sam Williams can play and that's it. Then you move to 2024. Okay, let's fix our mistakes. In 2022 and 2023, they took two more defensive linemen. They took Justin Rogers, who has never played a game for the Cowboys, who was from Auburn and didn't make the team. And then in the second round, they took Marshawn Nealon from Western Michigan. And once again, see Sam Williams for his report card.

[George Dunham]

He was last seen on roller skates getting pushed back in Carolina by 10.

[Bob Sturm]

Yards by a tight end, by a. Which is not what you want your defensive ends to do. So again, six guys from three vital, vital drafts. And do they have a single player amongst them that you would say, let's get a contract in front of him to make sure he doesn't go anywhere?

[George Dunham]

No. And this is not meant as an excuse for the organization. This is just fact. If you are drafting and then trying to develop. Is it tough to develop that some of these players are now in their third defensive coordinator in three years?

[Bob Sturm]

That doesn't help. That doesn't help at all. And I think we're seeing a lot of that. And the draft part you and I can do, like, if. Seriously, if the Cowboys all got sick the same weekend.

[George Dunham]

And I would lean on you, Bob, because I don't watch all these players like you do.

[Bob Sturm]

Bob and George, we need you to draft our team. Well, we can do it. I mean, it's not hard. Heck, we might Google some cheat sheets and so forth. But we're going to. We're going to get you some guys. The developed part. I don't think you and I know how to do that.

[George Dunham]

No.

[Bob Sturm]

Like, I don't think we can take the raw piece of clay and mold it into something beautiful. That's what the coaching and the development part is all about. Weight room and technique and just all these things that go into being a pro football player. By the way, they took three more defensive linemen in 2025. Donovane Ziraku, Jay Toaya and Tommy Ekin. Bissote, I believe. A king of bissote.

[George Dunham]

I'm.

[Bob Sturm]

And of course, we don't need to learn his name because he didn't make the team. Toya has been active a few times and doesn't seem quite ready for prime time. And as a rocku. So now we got nine. Nine defensive linemen from these last four drafts, and we're not sure we've got a guy amongst them. And, you know, so I guess when I come in here to talk about this game, the biggest flashing light for me is this defense is really bad. And then say, okay, well, Bob, that's very general. Tell me more. Get more specific. Okay. I think the linebackers are brutal. And you're like, okay, well, why are the linebackers so bad? Well, I think they're just not very good at football. That's a big part of it. But also when you have a defensive line in front of you that we just described, they're like almost 0 for 9 on their draft and develop plan. Now you kind of see where the rubber feeding the road is. How's a linebacker supposed to excel? And by the way, this isn't just about Kenneth Murray or Shamar James or whatever. I mean, this goes back to 2024. This goes back. I mean, we've talked about this for several years now. Is that the linebackers aren't very good. Why are the. You know, there was a time where Leighton Vanderesh and Jalen Smith in 2018 were fantastic.

[George Dunham]

Look at the future of the Cowboys. Yes, this is really something.

[Bob Sturm]

In fact, if you want to get crazy, I bet you Leighton Vanderush just now is probably reaching his 30th birthday. So there's a universe under which he is still a Pro bowl linebacker. He's your modern day Leroy Jordan. That has really served a real solid nearly a decade for the Cowboys defense. But of course, we know that that didn't work out. Jay Smith didn't work out. They both quickly fizzled after 2018. And ever since, they've been chasing linebackers, the one they found they've turned into their best defensive lineman of the generation and then traded him. And so when you're saying, what's the biggest problem with the Dallas Cowboys right now? It's the fact that they have almost no dudes up front, despite investing a lot in trying to get dudes up front.

[George Dunham]

Okay, so let's stay here. I'm going to make a call at the line of scrimmage. We were pregaming that we were going to maybe talk offense here. And then let's put that off just for a sec because we're here. Let's just drill down on the problems defensively because that is going to be the biggest anchor for this team moving forward. It's the reason why they won't do something this year. They won't have a winning record, they won't make the playoffs. Whatever you want to say a level of success is, it's, it's going to be because of the defense. So the guy in town that is taking all the grief is Matt Eberfluss.

[Bob Sturm]

Right.

[George Dunham]

And again, all the precursors. I'm not a defensive coordinator. I'm not a coach at any level outside of youth. And that was very questionable. And I disqualify myself on a lot of different levels.

[Bob Sturm]

But yeah, yeah, neither of us are going to can.

[George Dunham]

Yeah. But.

[Bob Sturm]

Except if we buy a ticket.

[George Dunham]

I watched this game and you can't bring it. You can't bring 65 plays down to about six or so. But there were at least a half dozen plays or a dozen plays where either. I don't know how you fix a defensive line, including Kenny Clark, who was supposed to solidify your run defense. Carolina, to me, had a pretty simple plan. Let's just maul these guys up front. Yep. If Clark is on the field, let's, let's double him and everyone else up there with him. You can, you can probably push one way or another. That was just a manhandling. And then to your point, the linebackers, Schottenheimer talked about that this week, that they need better eye discipline when a look happens in front of them. They've got to react faster and, and help the guy who's getting double teamed and help, you know, an area that maybe they should, you hear, run fits and things like that.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah, man.

[George Dunham]

If you're getting beat up front, maybe the linebackers could save you on some of those plays. But they're slow to react or they misread. And you put those two things together and you get an afternoon for Rico Dowdle like he had. Yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

And you know, it's funny, the further we get from the game, the less we're convinced Rico Dowdle did anything special. And I don't.

[George Dunham]

And I feel the same way. And I thought he ran really hard, but. Oh my gosh.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah. Well, I mean, in one respect we should probably recognize and I don't know how good you are at cowboy trivia, nor do I know if, if you read the little trivia I put out there. So let's do it. For folks that are hearing it for the first time. So this is yards from scrimmage against the Dallas Cowboys all time. And there, believe it or not, have been 20 occasions, 20 in 66 years of Cowboys football, where a player has amassed more than 200 yards of yards from scrimmage in a game against the Cowboys.

[George Dunham]

Was it Eric Dickerson one?

[Bob Sturm]

Eric Dickerson.

[George Dunham]

He may have been under 200.

[Bob Sturm]

No, no, no, no. In fact, Jim Brown is one.

[George Dunham]

Okay, so. So if you want way back.

[Bob Sturm]

If you want to go to the way back machine. One of the earliest occasions where the Cowboys were shredded by somebody was Jim freaking Brown on September 22, 1963 at. @ the Cotton bowl, where I believe a friend of ours might have snuck in that day, as I recall.

[George Dunham]

But.

[Bob Sturm]

But that's what we're talking about. We're talking about Jim Brown. We're talking about Calvin Johnson as Megatron caught nearly an NFL record 329 yards. Didn't quite catch Flipper Anderson that day, but of course it was clearly the biggest day any player's ever had against the Cowboys. That was in 2013. I'm trying to think of those two defensive backs, Lynn Scott.

[George Dunham]

Oh, wow, is it.

[Bob Sturm]

I wanna. I'm sorry if Lynn Scott's listening, but Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford just destroyed Monty Kiffin and The Cowboys in 2013. Deuce Staley, I was gonna guess Do.

[George Dunham]

Staley from In the Pickle Juice game. Pickle Juice game, start of 2000.

[Bob Sturm]

The September 3rd of 2000. Very good. Week one when Andy Reid was a guy, we were wondering, does this guy know anything? And I think that might have been his first game as. Yeah, I think. I'm not sure, but definitely the. The one and only game of Joey Galloway's first season with the Cowboys, as I recall. Here's one. So. So those are the top two. Calvin Johnson, Deuce Staley, the third one. The only other guy with a bigger day than Rico Dowdle against the Cowboys on Sunday. What do you got on Troy Stratford?

[George Dunham]

Troy Stratford. I do not remember this one.

[Bob Sturm]

Okay, Corby. I'm going to give Corby credit because I threw that name out to him and he had nothing. And then he said, wait a minute, was that a little running back? And I looked up and he's five, nine, like 190. So that qualifies. Troy Stratford apparently played on the 1987 Dolphins, but after the strike. So he's not a replacement player. He played about nine years in the league and I think ran in or seven. I think in those Many years in the league, he ran for about 1300 yards total. But on this one day against The Cowboys in 1987 at Texas Stadium had 252 or at least yards of scrimmage.

[George Dunham]

And that was with Dan Marino.

[Bob Sturm]

I'm guessing it had to be Dan Marino. Yeah, so. So those are the three in front of Rico Dowdo. Those behind him include Harold Jackson. And that famous performance for the Rams against what? Charlie Water. Charlie Garner had a big day three weeks after Deuce Daley did in the year 2000. Sorry. Dave Campbell, Jim Brown, James Cook for Buffalo two years ago.

[George Dunham]

Just two years ago. Yeah. How can we forget that?

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah. Here's Warwick Dunn also in 2000 against poor Dave Campo in year one. And that Cowboys defense, the great Greg Bell in 1984. Desean Jackson, Todd Gurley.

[George Dunham]

So anyway, such a bad loss in 84 that cost Gary Hogeboom his job and got Danny the job back.

[Bob Sturm]

Yes. By the way, you might remember Alfred Morris's big day against the Cowboys in the playing game in 2012 when rookie RG3 with a blown out knee still beat the Cowboys. And Tony Romo on that day at I guess FedEx field. I can't remember. But that win in your end game for.

[George Dunham]

Is that where he patted him on the top of the helmet?

[Bob Sturm]

Yes. Where he consoled Tony Romo and said, little buddy, you'll get back here someday. Hedger and James in 99 against the Cowboys at home. Dorsey Levins at lambeau in that 97 game against the Cowboys. And now one more from 2000. Holy heck, dude. There are five games from the year 2009.

[George Dunham]

Bad year.

[Bob Sturm]

Apparently Jamal Lewis also killed the Cowboys that year. Ooh, 1974. Chuck Foreman had a big day against the 44. The point is there are 20 times where 201 yards or more the Cowboys are 2 and 18. When that happens, somehow they actually won two of these games. And Rico Dowdo sits fourth now with a 239 yard effort. The wild thing about this is his longest run was 15 yards. Yeah, I'm positive on this list everyone else had at least one giant play, if not multiple. He did it. Aside from that 34 yard touchdown where nobody decided decided to cover him. Sorry, Kenneth Murray, I'm going to say that that this was just nibbles. So was Rico Dowdle great on Sunday or could Junior Miller have run for 100 yards on Sunday?

[George Dunham]

Yeah, we've talked about that. I do wonder if you put the average American back there if he could have gone over 100 just because the alleys to run through. If you have the bravery to hit it up in there, maybe you could have.

[Bob Sturm]

Which we don't have.

[George Dunham]

Nobody has that except for those few who play in the NFL.

[Bob Sturm]

We all might need to wear a diaper.

[George Dunham]

First down, first down. Yardage on these are the possessions for Carolina in the game. They average 10 yards per first down, and only one of those was a pass, and that was caught by Dowdle for 12 yards on the first possession. Average 5 on the second possession, 10 on the third possession, 23.6 yards on the fifth possession. That only took about five plays to get him in the end zone. And then 6.2 on their seventh possession. And, well, you say, yeah, he didn't break up a 50 yarder or something like that, but if you're getting yards, 8, 912 yards at a time, yeah, that's death to a defense. You can't play like that.

[Bob Sturm]

No, you can't. And it sets up second and one. And there's no defense for second and one. No. They can literally call whatever they want against you and you're at their mercy. So. So let's go back to success rate, Georgie, because this is a stat I follow every week and I think it's kind of measures what you're talking about, which is first down success rates and running success rates. And just to review for people, success rate in football is very simple. It's a formula that's based on how much do you get for each play. So on first down, if you get 40% of the required yards for four yards, it's a success. On second down, if you get half of what you need for the first down, whatever it is, second and eight, second and three, that's a success. And then third down and fourth down, do you move the chains? So that's. It's a yes or no. Did you get what you needed? Success, successful runs. On Sunday, The Cowboys had two out of 19.

[George Dunham]

Wow.

[Bob Sturm]

11%.

[George Dunham]

Longest of six.

[Bob Sturm]

The longest of six. The Panthers had 25 out of 38. So I think that's 65, 66%. So if. Let's just, let's just say this for what it is. If one team gets 25 successful runs and the other team gets two and you actually have a chance to win that game, in the end, it might actually be a miracle. The Panthers obliterated the Cowboys on both sides of the ball and probably worse, their offense versus your defense. But you could also flip it around on the. In the Cowboys running game. But let's not let's stick on the defense for a second here because we have to provide answers for the people. Let's try without saying, without giving the answer, what's the use?

[George Dunham]

Right. You can't do that.

[Bob Sturm]

What do you do about Matt Eberflus and what do you do about this defense?

[George Dunham]

I don't think you can fire your defensive coordinator, number one. I don't think all of it is his fault. What do you.

[Bob Sturm]

Okay, let's. Let's drill down on that. All of it's not his fault, but.

[George Dunham]

He'S responsible for it.

[Bob Sturm]

But it's some of it his fault. Does.

[George Dunham]

Yeah. The fact that you drop back assignment football, you drop back in zone and it looks like they're all playing it for the first time. They have no idea what's going on. Now, maybe you can fix that by changing because guys are going, okay, what are we running now? And they'll believe in it. They don't have belief in this guy, which I don't get that. And I personally, I would not do it. I still think. Am I crazy to think that they can at least be the 22nd best defense in the NFL?

[Bob Sturm]

I mean, and if they do that.

[George Dunham]

I think you can win games.

[Bob Sturm]

Well, that's the thing. This has been said a lot. If the Cowboys could just find an average defense, they could contend for the Super Bowl. Right now. Yeah, right now their offense is good enough. Their quarterback is good enough. Their play calling is good enough. Their playmakers are good enough. If they could just. And we're not saying the best defense, we're saying dead bang average, somewhere between 15 and 18. If you could have that defense now you're saying 22. And I admire your realism. Let me go crazy.

[George Dunham]

You can go crazy.

[Bob Sturm]

Just say dead bang average. They could win a Super Bowl. That's how. That's how dire things are right now. Because they're 32nd in nearly everything.

[George Dunham]

Yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

And that's why when I look at the Eber flu thing, I am saying these are all the trimmings of a coordinator that doesn't know what he's doing. And I say that reluctantly because I know that's not true. I know he's a good coach. I know he knows ball. I know he's got a horrible set of cards in front of him. But if you just said, okay, I'm going to pop in a tape, watch it, and then tell me this guy is coaching well or not, you would have to say no. Now, here's why I'm reluctant. Because last year I saw The Lions, the Ravens, the Saints and the 49ers absolutely make a mockery of a Mike Zimmer defense.

[George Dunham]

Right.

[Bob Sturm]

The year before, I saw the Niners and the Bills and the Dolphins and the packers make a mockery of a Dan Quinn defense. And if you want to go back to 2020, we can make a list of Mike Nolan defense the whole season.

[George Dunham]

That's a mockery.

[Bob Sturm]

So what we have here, guys, is four different defensive coordinators. And if we keep saying this guy doesn't have a single clue, at some point we're digging in the wrong place to steal a Raiders of the lost archism. I mean, we don't know. We don't have the back print on the headpiece of the staff of RA if you remember. And so we're looking for the Ark of the Covenant way over there, but it's actually way over here. That's a sweet reference, by the way. The kids will love it.

[George Dunham]

Yeah, yeah, sweet.

[Bob Sturm]

So.

[George Dunham]

So now you come back to sick.

[Bob Sturm]

Are they being coached well? Okay, well, where are my run fits? How come I don't know the coverage? What's going on here? Okay, well now let's go back to the players. Why are so many players looking clueless on that one play that Georgie tweeted out? And, and it would really help if we could all look at the film here together, but we'll have to do it in a, in a spoken word form because that's who we are. But there's a. In the game where Kenny Clark is getting absolutely thrown out of the club, as they say, he is being driven hard and fast in the wrong direction. And if you want to go back and look at the game, the play in particular happened on the very first drive, on the very third snap of the Panthers offensive day 11:59 first quarter. If you go back and look at it, it's a 12 yard run for Rico Dowdo. And I described it as one of the worst snaps of run defense you will ever see. And I said, it's just awful on every level. Which player busted? Well, honestly, let's find out which player didn't bust of the 11 or get beat. Yeah, yeah. And so just to quickly go through that play, Marshawn Neyland is getting pushed back 10 yards by a tight end. Your defensive end should never get bullied by a tight end. That should never, ever, ever happen. Kenny Clark is double teamed and he's moved so far out of the play by the left tackle, left guard that he's actually facing the wrong direction on his knees way away from the play and smoked. He. He is. Now it's 11 on 11, and their quarterback is not going to participate in the run game. So it's actually, you know, nine on 11. So if your guy gets double teamed, that has to leave numbers for the other guys to come get him. So Kenny Clark's taking two guys now. He's taking a massive loss. But okay, now I've been eliminated, Kenny, and I've eliminated two more of their guys. So now seven guys are playing my 10. Yeah, I've got to win now. Well, actually, the motion takes both my linebackers to clear the other end of the pile. So now they are walled off from the mission. They have no way back. And I'm not even sure they what they're looking at. Donovan Wilson is actually following the tight end out past the play and he's, you know, probably doing his job, which is following the lead blocker. But now he's run himself out of there. The point is, at the end, Rico Dowdo can't believe that all he's looking at is grass. Yeah.

[George Dunham]

And this happens repeatedly the back of his offensive lineman.

[Bob Sturm]

So, you know, again, can you replace the players? It doesn't appear so. Can you replace the coach? I guess I said the answer can't be what's the use? But we're getting really close to what's the use? Because they have 11 games to go, they don't really have help coming. And I just don't know how they fix this defense because the first three games, they couldn't stop the pass. These last three games, they can't stop the run. And it now appears that every team that plays them is. Is. Is actually torn in indecision on how do we want to destroy these guys?

[George Dunham]

Gouge them the worst.

[Bob Sturm]

Literally every idea is a good one. Now to play the Cowboys defense.

[George Dunham]

All right, there's so much with the Cowboys defense. Let's try to make ourselves feel better and hear from a listener to football friends, the podcast and also talk about a forgotten game for Dak, because I think we're going to forget all about what he did last Sunday. And I thought it was pretty darn good. We'll talk about that on the Musers, the podcast Cowboys edition coming up next. Imagine fast hydration combined with balanced energy. Perfectly flavored with zero artificial sweeteners. Introducing Liquid Ivy's new energy multiplier.

[Bob Sturm]

Sugar free.

[George Dunham]

Unlike other energy drinks, you know, the ones that make you feel like you're glitching, it's made with natural caffeine and electrolytes so you get the boost without the burnout. Liquid IV's new energy multiplier Sugar Free Hydrating Energy Tap the banner to learn more. Football season is in full swing and underdog is the best place to get in on all the action. And it's really easy to play. Just pick your favorite player and then you go either higher or lower on stats like rushing yards, receptions, touchdowns and more. Get your picks right and you could win up to 5,000 times your cash. This Thursday, I'm taking higher on Aaron Rodgers 214.5 yards passing for the Steelers. Download the app today. Sign up with the promo code musers to score $100 in bonus funds and bonus entries when you play your first $5. That's promo code Musers. Underdog make picks win money must be 18 or older, 19 or older in Alabama and Nebraska, 19 or older in Colorado for some games 21 or older in Arizona, Massachusetts and Virginia and present in a state where underdog fantasy operates. Terms apply. See assets.underdogfantasy.com web playandgetterms dfs.HTML for details. Offer not valid in Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Concerned with your play? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit www.NCPCambling.org in New York, call the 24-7-HOPE line at 1-877-HOPE NY or text Hope NY 2467369. It's the muse, the Podcast Cowboys Edition Football friends George and Bob trying to work our way through what is. We thought this may be an insane cowboy season, and it is. Okay, here's a little bit of levity. Last week we talked about the Dallas Cowboys Band. We had Bill Lively on, who told us the story about how the Cowboys had a live band at Texas Stadium. They went to the two of the Super Bowls in the 70s and went to London with the team in 86. We heard from a listener, Sam, whose late father, he passed away in 2023, was a part of the Cowboys band. And he just wanted to thank us for bringing that up, bringing up Bill Lively, who he said was really a kind man, very kind to his dad, who was a musician and he was a part of it for 14 years, as he said, until Jerry came along and screwed things up and got rid of the band. But yeah, it was cool because I've even sent some pictures of his dad in the Cowboys band there at Texas Stadium way back in 1976 and getting ready before a game. And yeah, thanks Sam, for listening to the podcast and thanks for Bringing back memories of the Dallas Cowboys band.

[Bob Sturm]

That's awesome, man. And if people miss that, they should go back and listen to that episode in the. And yeah, it's great. And I am as you know, really, really enjoying the Wayback Machine as a way to cope with the present tense with this team a little bit. As just to give you the update, the 1975 Cowboys got another win this week.

[George Dunham]

Heck yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

As they played in Shea Stadium.

[George Dunham]

Oh, yes.

[Bob Sturm]

I don't know if you remember this one, but this was like a dust bowl.

[George Dunham]

Yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

As they're playing as windy as all get out. No, it was an ugly, ugly pillow fight. 137 was the final. The Cowboys defense had to carry the day and, and, and Mark Washington with an interception late set them up for the. The. The winning touchdown. But a man who would have a.

[George Dunham]

Tough super bowl just months later. Yeah, big game there.

[Bob Sturm]

That's right. So they go to four and. Oh, and somehow, because I might have cheated on this somehow, they're going to lose to the stinko packers in Week 5 at Texas Stadium against John Hadle, which I think is the only game he ever won as a Packe quarterback.

[George Dunham]

That's the only game.

[Bob Sturm]

No, it's definitely on the short list. Like George, he was so bad for the packers.

[George Dunham]

So bad when he was like 40 though, I think.

[Bob Sturm]

Yes. And I. They traded two number ones for him. So basically the. The price of Micah. But, but if you. If you want another source from the good old days, my dad will. Will come on and complain about John Hatell as a Packers quarterback anytime you want.

[George Dunham]

Really?

[Bob Sturm]

Oh, he's still mad about it. Still mad about the John Hatel trade. He's so bad.

[George Dunham]

Okay. We've talked about how bad the cowbo by the way, I never got so you would fire Matt Eberfluous just as maybe it's a jump start that well could save a season.

[Bob Sturm]

You know what? I. I would definitely give it a lot of thought, especially after that fourth and four gamble that. That they took with Duron Bland playing off so that they could play that cover one lurk by trying to get Kenneth Murray to. To ambush the slant to Hunter.

[George Dunham]

Right. What a bad decision. Coach down and really four.

[Bob Sturm]

You paid Duron Bland 92 million.

[George Dunham]

Yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

Let him press on fourth and four.

[George Dunham]

Freak Young out a little bit. Like man, this is going to be.

[Bob Sturm]

Tough and let's get a stop. I'm telling you right now, the amount of trust they have in Kenneth Murray is crazy because he might be their worst defender and they literally treat him like He's Leroy Jordan.

[George Dunham]

I know.

[Bob Sturm]

It's weird to me.

[George Dunham]

I mean, he doesn't cover. Dowdle was wide open.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah.

[George Dunham]

Several times.

[Bob Sturm]

No, he's, he's, he's lost and he's supposed to be your compass.

[George Dunham]

He's late getting there. And we talk about run fits. I think that's who Schottenheimer was talking about. We said, yeah, sometimes that's why we're late from the linebacker position because they're trying to read and figure out where.

[Bob Sturm]

It'S going well and they're processing is so slow. And that's, that's the thing, you know, we would talk about this with Sean Lee is, is there are guys who don't run fast 40s who play faster than guys who run fast 40s and.

[George Dunham]

They recognize process when they get there.

[Bob Sturm]

That's the computer between your ears. That's what the film is for, right?

[George Dunham]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Bob Sturm]

So I just gave you a non answer again.

[George Dunham]

Come on, Bob.

[Bob Sturm]

You keep asking when I fire Eberfluss and I keep hedging that somebody in the front office loves Kenneth Murray so much that Matt Eberfluss is taking the blame. Unless. Unless they're connected. Unless Eber Flutes is pounding the table.

[George Dunham]

I think Eber flu may like him.

[Bob Sturm]

Well, and that's wild.

[George Dunham]

Okay, well, this is going to be one of those games we always talk about because there will come a time, it may be this week in Dallas Fort Worth that people start jumping on the quarterback. Yeah, it's one of our favorite sports here in Dallas Fort Worth. Kick the quarterback, it goes all the way back to Don Meredith. And it's, it's the case in every town. I really think you're going to forget about this game for Dak, who given the circumstances, you're still down. CD Lam, you're still down. Several offensive linemen, you're still down. Kevante Turpin, who means something in field position on returns and he means something to this offense. He is a weapon. Pickens has been great, but we're going to Forget all about 261 yards and three touchdowns because they didn't get enough. And how it ended where they're given the defense finally makes a stop, you're given the ball midfield.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah.

[George Dunham]

40 something yard line and you go backward. It was a terrible set of downs for Dallas. The possession before where they didn't punch it in and had to settle for a field goal that started with a fumbled snap. And that may have been one of Dax best plays to get back on the ball just to save him three points there.

[Bob Sturm]

The next play was the big opportunity and I'm sure you saw this, but it's so it's. Now it's second down from the nine.

[George Dunham]

And they talking about where Pickens was wide open.

[Bob Sturm]

Well, yeah, they had the COVID zero and I don't. Wide open's a little rough, right? He's open, he's open.

[George Dunham]

If we're talking about the same play, go ahead.

[Bob Sturm]

Well, the play in the end zone where Pickens is trying to find it in the air and.

[George Dunham]

Oh, no, no, no, no. I was talking. Okay, keep going. I'll bring up second and goal.

[Bob Sturm]

The. The Panthers send an all out blitz. And so it's. It's cover zero. And that means you have this wonderful opportunity if you can get the ball out that. That Pickens versus his guy. And it's a two way go, which means the dude can't really keep Pickens from going to the post or the corner. And if Pickens and Dak are on the same page, this should be easy money.

[George Dunham]

Touchdown.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah, unfortunately, this is one of those deals where year one with CD Lamb, they probably don't hit on this, but now with CD Lamb, this would be easy money. And that is you just kind of know what each other are thinking where Pickens is thinking, I'm going to sort of, you know, wall off my route along the goal line. And Dak is thinking, let's throw it to the back line. And so Pickens beats his guy, but the throw and the route do not mesh. And so it falls incomplete. Now it's third and go from the nine. And now the Panthers don't rush hardly anybody and they drop everybody into coverage. And Dak has to eventually check it down to Javante who gets nothing. And then they kick the field goal. Okay, so. So that's a killer right there.

[George Dunham]

Okay. I was going to bring up his play, which is actually going back to their second possession. First half, they had to settle for a field goal. This is where he misses Flournoy as he's rolling out. But if you back that play up at the very beginning, and it was the same play that he made, I think two weeks ago, where you have a single high safety and he looks right to look off. The safety fires back left.

[Bob Sturm]

Okay.

[George Dunham]

He's got the same thing with Pickens, but I think he read it as he was going to have Ferguson wide open to the corner on the right.

[Bob Sturm]

Okay.

[George Dunham]

Then the pressure came, then he had to bail out.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah.

[George Dunham]

And he's a little late getting at the Flannoy. But had he made, had his read been, hey, I think we've got this thing where I'm going to have Pickens wide open if I just look off that safety. He was in his right. Pickens started to raise his hands.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah.

[George Dunham]

And that's when he had to spin out.

[Bob Sturm]

Okay.

[George Dunham]

But man, outside of that, I don't know what you can say about Dax game outside of the dude is having. You could throw in a few other quarterbacks, including Baker Mayfield.

[Bob Sturm]

Right.

[George Dunham]

But a few others. But Dax is good as any quarterback in the league this year.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah, he is. And what makes it amazing to me is he's doing so many little nuance things that I think people might be missing. And that's fine. But I think to those of us who try to study his every move, it's, it's dazzling. And what I'm speaking of in particular is he's not taking any sacks hardly. And please don't confuse that with the offensive line is protecting perfectly because they're not. Terence Steele's having a really hard time. Brock Hoffman's having a tough time. There are guys who, who aren't pass protecting real well. And Dak is doing such a great job of being his own best pass protector while he's reading defenses and while he's finding the open guy that, that I try to be fair to him when he makes a less than perfect choice once or twice or three times, because for the most part, he's not ever getting sacked. George. And yet. But the trains continue to run mostly on time. Now, this was not as good. This was a 292 yard game for the offense, which is not good enough. You got to be up in the three 50s and preferably 400.

[George Dunham]

But how about that for the quarterback to be able to operate like that, score 27 points with zilch of a.

[Bob Sturm]

Ground game, no running game whatsoever, and really just one wide receiver that you trust. And George Pickens is insane. But, but, but just Dak is playing fantastic football right now.

[George Dunham]

Yeah. And this is my favorite one. This is on the. Your second possession of the game. And I do believe this is a, a third down.

[Bob Sturm]

And they were so good on third.

[George Dunham]

So many third and sevens. Third and eight. And again, the ball's out in three seconds. And if there's any sort of vintage stall back to Pearson kind of hookup, I mean, to me that was just a thing of beauty. And again, doing that with an inexperienced offensive line where you know you're probably going to get pressure and the ball probably Ought to get out within three seconds. And to make those throws is just. It's a lot harder than we. Than we give it credit.

[Bob Sturm]

No, and that's the thing is when you make things look easy, sometimes they go underappreciated. And he's making it look easy because his pre snap reads and his adjustments are so good right now. And when they can put Pickens in the slot and teams do not try to match up, they just slide over their slot guy. Against George Pickens, it is stealing. It is just pick. And that play right there was Pickens in the slot. And then you run the outside guy on an end breaker and then you know, Pickens isolates these and slot guys are small. Pickens is a massive human being and so that entire game he's toying with them. I haven't seen a wide receiver physically toy with his opponents in a Cowboys uniform since to like Terrell Owens to me like DEZ was great, but DEZ was not this type of athlete. Des was not jumping guys.

[George Dunham]

Yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

Terrell Owens was a freak like George Pickens in my opinion. Who against NFL defensive backs, it's like he's playing against fourth graders at times where he's just swatting them out of the way and pushing them down and running past them. And I dream of a day, George, maybe this week, maybe in three weeks when CD Lamb and George Pickens are both out there and they can both play in the slot. And with Dak at this level they should be able to put up some 40 burgers and they might need to to get wins. But this offense. I see this goes back to our earlier conversations. How much of your pie are you willing to put on the offense? Because if you're willing to resign Pickens, I support you. But just know that's less to go to the defense.

[George Dunham]

Yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

And now we're going to try to just draft our defense next year which. Which is going to mean we're going to have a bunch of rookies running around who might be really good, but it's going to take a while. So you have to figure this out. And. And this does look like a team that has put all of its assets on offense.

[George Dunham]

Yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

All their first round picks and all their money look like they're on the offense. And that's exactly what the team looks like.

[George Dunham]

Here's your hurdle play. When he finds Pickens and dangerous pass. And yet I remember when it was thrown watching the live, I thought well yeah, that's a completion. Yeah, just get it around him.

[Bob Sturm]

And J.C. horn was thinking, pick six.

[George Dunham]

People, go up and get it, and then hurdle a guy. And this is the drive that ends in it in a field goal. And just like their second to last drive ended in a field goal. And that's where we are with this team. And we said this way back in the beginning, you're going to have to be almost like eight for eight on possessions, right? Or, you know, six for six. And that's not scoring. That is all of a sudden plays are going to stand out where you miss. And a receiver, or in this case, you know, if you get first and goal at the eight, I think two of those plays are probably going to be running plays with this team for the most part.

[Bob Sturm]

But.

[George Dunham]

Yeah, well, not in this game.

[Bob Sturm]

And I think of it this way, George. My sister got an A one year, one semester in a report card, and my parents always expected it from then on out.

[George Dunham]

Yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

So I was younger and I knew that I can't get A's. Like, if I get a B, they'll just think, well, he can only do B's.

[George Dunham]

Good job.

[Bob Sturm]

And what I mean by that is Dak plays so well and the offense plays so well. And I leave the game Sunday mad at Dak because I know he can do better. And I'm not really even mad at the defense because I know that's the best they can do.

[George Dunham]

You didn't make 100 on the test, so therefore, what's wrong with that?

[Bob Sturm]

Right? Like, he only got a 95 on Sunday, and that wasn't good enough to win. I know. And that's where we are right now. I mean, this is. This is Peak Romo. This is exactly where we were with peak Romo in 2013, where he's going to score 48 against the Broncos and lose, and we're going be mad at him for throwing that pick at the end.

[George Dunham]

So how do you keep. Because I did talk to someone this week whose biggest fear was, and this is someone who works for the Cowboys, that the biggest fear is now you're going to start maybe within even the coaching staff, between players, bickering of stinking defense. You know, what are we going to do with this?

[Bob Sturm]

Well, this is your culture. You hired Brian Schottenheimer to build a culture. This is where you find out if you have it. You don't find out about your culture when you're all playing paintball in August, when you're going to play putt putt. That isn't culture. That's just hanging out and having a barbecue. This is Culture. Okay, now we're taking on water on our ship right now, and this sucks. And our food is. We're running out of food and boy, it's scurvy and what's going on? We got all these problems. Well, now we find out, are we going to stay together and are we going to believe in each other? And I think that has to start with the guys in charge showing that you're not entitled to your job. You have to earn it. Again, back to the meritocracy. If you're not performing, we need to find somebody else. We need to scour practice squads to find guys to compete. Because if I let a guy stink every week and then keep running him out there because I don't have any better choice, that's when you start to get other guys saying, you guys, you're paying that dude 7.5 and he's horrible and he's. He plays every down and you guys don't do anything about it. So. So this is where we find out what culture is really worth. Not. Not in August or July when everybody.

[George Dunham]

That's a good point. No, that's a good point. This is a big week for Brian Schottenheimer. The commanders come to town.

[Bob Sturm]

Oh, boy.

[George Dunham]

Washington commanders coach Bro Q Guys, they know very well. Yes, and let's talk about that matchup next on our the Musers, the podcast Cowboys edition.

[Bob Sturm]

This episode is presented by State Farm. Having insurance isn't the same as having State Farm. It's like expecting the leadership of a team captain on the football field.

[George Dunham]

But getting a sea captain, you wouldn't.

[Bob Sturm]

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[George Dunham]

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[Bob Sturm]

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[George Dunham]

We have Cowboys and Commanders on Sunday, and we're talking about it here on the Musers, the podcast Cowboys edition. It's George and Bob. And Bob, did you know that if Washington would win this game, they'd go to 4 and 3 and that would be the first time since the 992000 seasons that they would have back to back years where they've won at least four games in their first seven weeks. That's how bad it's been in Washington.

[Bob Sturm]

That's crazy.

[George Dunham]

And what's on the board for both of these teams? The Cowboys feel under the gun at 2, 3 and 1, as they should. And at 3 and 3, Washington's maybe starting to wonder, is our guy having a sophomore slump? Are we starting to take a dip here? What's both on the line is. Let's stay within shouting distance of Philadelphia because I don't know if the Eagles are all that yes this year.

[Bob Sturm]

Right.

[George Dunham]

That's what's on the line on Sunday. And I would just say get ready, have some popcorn, maybe some daisy dips.

[Bob Sturm]

Right.

[George Dunham]

If you'd like. If you like to dip, you probably should. And it will be entertaining. It may be frustrating, but. But this is a big game on Sunday for both teams.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah. And our first instinct is to be terrified and to project the loom and doom. I would say the thing to remember in this crazy league is everybody has got their own problems. And so when you say, oh no, here comes Washington and Dan Quinn and Cliff Kingsbury and Jaden Daniels and boy, they're just going to open up a can on our poor Cowboys. Well, just know that Washington has not strung together consecutive performances. They've got a really banged up offense that is really struggling in a lot of categories. And you know, we could detail some of those, but let me just tell you right now, their bottom five in third downs, their bottom 10 in passing and doing a lot of the thing now, they're a very good running team. That's. That's part of having Jaden Daniels and that's going to be the big test on Sunday. But they've got their problems and we don't know if they'll have Terry McClaurin because he's been injured. They say he'll be at practice this week, but he's far from game ready. Debo's banged up, they've got. They're damaged and they played Monday night and so short week and they're traveling and they're coming off a loss. And so there's a lot of reasons why Washington is, is, is down and maybe that means they're ready to bounce back. But if you look at their defense, they have a lot of trouble kind of stopping everything. They're not really good defensively and we kind of thought that would be the case as they're scrambling for 35 year olds to Help them on the defense. No disrespect to your Von Millers and so forth, but, you know, they're a flawed team.

[George Dunham]

Yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

And I kind of predicted a 9 and 8 regression for them this year, something along those lines. Which might still make the playoffs, but.

[George Dunham]

They'Re in the division.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah.

[George Dunham]

Well. And it's. I mean, Philadelphia has deep problems, but.

[Bob Sturm]

Honestly, you look at this NFC and you're going to say there's not a single team on here that is just going to walk into your building and just, you know, obliterate you. Because they're good. Everybody's fighting it. This is the dog days of the season. This is a great challenge for the Cowboys and a get right opportunity for them. But Washington rolls in feeling the exact same way, and that's why it's a very compelling game.

[George Dunham]

So tell me the story. I just know a little bit of it. But doing the draft research that you do, tell me about Bill or Jakory, Crosby. Merritt, who went in the seventh round out of Arizona.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah.

[George Dunham]

Where did you have him? And I. I've seen. I didn't see him play Harley at all.

[Bob Sturm]

Yeah, well, no, let me be completely honest with you. I don't go that deep in the draft. He wasn't on my radar either, so.

[George Dunham]

It makes me feel a little bit better.

[Bob Sturm]

No, I mean, you talk about how far down he was taken. He was nearly the final pick in the draft at like pick 245. And so when a guy like that gets gets completely discarded, you're like, okay, well, I'm not even sure this is worth the time to research. What we have to remember is running back is different in the sense that day three running backs hop all the time.

[George Dunham]

Yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

Now, it doesn't mean that's where you should always shop, but it. And it doesn't mean that just because you took one on day three, he's going to be great.

[George Dunham]

Right. It also doesn't mean you can find a running back anywhere. Right. Which I think are dangerous.

[Bob Sturm]

Right. But let's put it this way. Day three positions where you can find a starter running back is at a higher percentage than almost any other spot on the football field.

[George Dunham]

Yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

You know, you can't find a corner on day three very often. You definitely can't find a wide receiver on day three very often. Like, yeah, Pukinakua does exist, but we're talking 1 in 100 running back feels more like 1 in 8. You know, something like that. Where you can find really good contributing running backs. Now, does it? Does Crosby merit have staying power. I don't know, but doggone, he's been so good already that they would already tell you that this is a very, very smart, profitable seventh round pick. I mean, heck, we just told you about. The Cowboys have had several seventh round picks who did not even play a snap for them. And then this guy, you know, runs for 111 and two touchdowns in a win against the Chargers a couple weeks ago. And you're like, okay, this is a dude. Now may I take you back to another previous part of our show where we mentioned Alfred Morris. Alfred Morris had a real, real big year in 2012. Why? Because he was the running back standing next to RG3. And when you have that combination, you can actually cheap out on running back because your feature runner is actually your quarterback. And so when RG3 was great, Alfred Morris was great. You took away RG3 and Alfred Morris was just a dude. And I think, I think, you know, again, we talk about fit and where does a guy get drafted is like the single most important factor for a football player is your, where do you go and what situation do you fall in? So Koski Merritt is, we need to give him a lot of credit because he's been great. At the same time, we need to say, you know, if I was the running back with Jaden Daniels, I bet you I would do okay. And that's, that's kind of what you're dealing with here is they have a scheme that perfectly fits Jaden Daniels. So he is the sun in their solar system. There's no doubt about it. Nobody disputes that. And he's been banged up. Remember he missed a couple starts. And so overall we're trying to figure out who these commanders are and they're trying to figure it out. And you'll remember in the preseason some of us talking about the fact that they are trying to, to actually field one of the oldest teams in the NFL around Jaden Daniels. This is sort of like a bonus window. Yeah, he's so cheap right now that they're trying to, let's go get a.

[George Dunham]

Bunch of 30 year olds who cost.

[Bob Sturm]

A lot, let's short term this thing, try to win because we think the NFC is gettable. And then when Jaden is actually in year five and we're paying him 80 million a year, whatever quarterbacks make by then, then we'll, we'll try to have a draft and develop supporting cast around him where he is our veteran leader. But right now they're, this is their bonus window. So they can go get Bobby Wagner and go get Von Miller and go get Laramie Tunsil and these dudes and sort of have a 2020 All Star team in 2025 around Jaden Daniels and try to win that one.

[George Dunham]

I think the Cowboys can score on Sunday, but we all know that people can score on Dallas and I'm sure they're licking their chops thinking, okay, we've been up and down offensively, we're going to score this week. We looking at 38, 35.

[Bob Sturm]

I think you better plan on scoring 35, whatever it is. The crazy thing, you know, when you look at Washington, they are allowing 8.2 yards per attempt for opposing quarterbacks. And we're hearing there's at least a snowballs chance that CD Lamb might be good to go. And that's delicious. And so if you, if you're the type of person that loves a shootout, this one, this one might. This one might be 38, 35.

[George Dunham]

Hot fried Georgie. Player of the game.

[Bob Sturm]

Let's go.

[George Dunham]

I gotta go with Dak. I know I only made a 95 on the test, but I was really impressed with what he did. Yeah, three touchdown passes. He kept him. I mean, this is a game where you, I think, could easily have been run by two or three touchdowns if you don't have a quarterback playing at that level and this level he's playing at is at the very top of the league.

[Bob Sturm]

Or George Pickens is just like, dude, what do I gotta do to get George?

[George Dunham]

I probably should have given my name.

[Bob Sturm]

Is George, for crying out loud.

[George Dunham]

For the hurdle and the karate chop that he gave a defensive back while running down the sideline.

[Bob Sturm]

Did you hear someone. So that fourth down where they threw it out to Pickett and he fell down and got back up and caught it.

[George Dunham]

Amazing.

[Bob Sturm]

And then oddly seemed to try to jump a guy even though there was no. He didn't have a running start. Somebody said it looked like somebody was just hitting all the buttons on their controller.

[George Dunham]

Arms to go everywhere. Yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

Like when you had the controller, your wife and she doesn't know which button which. That's just George Pickett's just randomly jumping.

[George Dunham]

Okay. Yeah.

[Bob Sturm]

And so I had to ask you this though, is what sort of, what sort of history do we have with first name George's on the Cowboys?

[George Dunham]

George Peoples.

[Bob Sturm]

Who is that?

[George Dunham]

George Andre.

[Bob Sturm]

Okay, George Andre.

[George Dunham]

George Peoples was a running back out of Iowa, drafted in 84 and rarely played special teams player. Not a lot of Georgia's though. George Andre. George Peoples. I know, I'm leaving One out.

[Bob Sturm]

Did you ever think we would get to another George on the Cowboys?

[George Dunham]

No. And I think the name George. George is coming back.

[Bob Sturm]

Do you?

[George Dunham]

It's in the royal family now and yeah, I do.

[Bob Sturm]

I think George is coming back amongst NFL players.

[George Dunham]

Well, I don't know about that. Just in society amongst wide receivers, George Pickens is kind of a standalone because. Yeah, it's good to see a George out there. I should have given it to George Pickens.

[Bob Sturm]

No, no, I don't. Second guess yourself. I just wanted to say as a Bob, in the 70s, I believe Bob was one of the most popular names in professional sports. And now I feel like there's no Bob's left in professional sports.

[George Dunham]

Do you wish Jecore would have taken Bob instead of Bill as his first name?

[Bob Sturm]

Yes, of course. But I guess what I'm saying is we are not in the heyday of Bob's and George's in professional football. But if you're at least calling for a revival, maybe, maybe the second wave of Bob's is right around the corner as well.

[George Dunham]

Bob Lilly, Bob Lily, Greatest Bob's of.

[Bob Sturm]

All time, Bob McAdoo.

[George Dunham]

Yes.

[Bob Sturm]

I mean, they were there. Yeah, but not so much.

[George Dunham]

Well, I had fun. Bob, it's always fun talking football with you. Let's see what we have. Let's see what we have this week. It's a mystery box as the Cowboys turn and another matchup with Washington on Sunday. And we'll be back next week to talk about it. Thanks to our producer, Peter Welton. Always so patient and doing such a good job with a couple of goofs like me and Bob who just like to sit around and talk football on the musers the podcast Cowboys edition.

[Bob Sturm]

The United States soccer Federation presents the U.S. soccer Podcast.

[George Dunham]

Searching for an insider inside look at the people, stories and passion that fuel the state of soccer in America.

[Bob Sturm]

Who's going to be the key man.

[George Dunham]

For the US Men's national team?

[Bob Sturm]

First and foremost, they need to win. There's something so fun about being the underdog. You're playing with house money almost. But what does this success mean for the future of U.S. soccer? Oh, you're getting deep now.

[George Dunham]

This is where soccer will come to life.

[Bob Sturm]

The U.

[George Dunham]

S Soccer podcast.

[Bob Sturm]

Follow and listen on your favorite platform.