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Yeah, and so much for that.

It's time for The Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com right with Mbar Garcia, Brian brought Us, Votch Lombardi and Derek Eagleton.

It is Friday, December nineteenth, twenty twenty five, Season twenty one, episode number ninety seven.

Welcome to the latest edition of The Break.

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But we got Brian, we got Amber, we got a little.

Talk for you guys.

Get you guys ready for Cowboys versus Chargers.

That'll be happening.

Field goal kickers, you know, it's crazy.

Last night, after it was it was I think it was thirty to sixteen, thirty fourteen something like that, I was like, this game's over and I went to bed, and then I woke up this one.

I was like, no, please don't tell me I miss that game.

Is you always do that?

You always risk that in the NFL.

And that was the cardinal sin too, like when it's two good teams, you should never just say, oh, this game's over, because you just never know how what's going to happen.

And sure enough I woke up this morning, I was like, I missed it, missed.

A great game.

But it looked like it was a great game.

Two really good teams too, evenly match teams that looked like the playoffs will be interesting, and you know what's interesting, Amber and Brian.

As you look around the NFL, I feel.

Like you're getting it word in ed twice today.

Maybe not oh yeah, yeah yeah, maybe maybe I actually can talk for a little bit.

Sorry Bo, but no, it feels like it feels like this year not only is there a changing of the guard because the typical teams that have been in the mix don't seem to be there as much, but it also seems like there's this theme of defense that is also the best teams in the league.

They're probably the best defenses in the league as well, which in a league, where offense has been everything for so long.

It's a kind of refreshing to see all these really really good defenses now sitting atop the league.

Yeah, they've You're seeing some young coaches too that are involved as well, you know, with with Seattle and what they have going, and I mean around the league, there's the young coaches.

It's it's it's that part of it's refreshing as well.

I think the thing that that's that makes this so much fun watching these teams play is the level of talent, the quarterback play.

I know, in last night's game, you know you got two quarterbacks and a lot of people gave up on Sam Arnold.

It just kind of shows you, though, you're one of these teams that all of a sudden you don't have a quarterback.

You don't have you know, you think you don't have a quarterback.

You draft a quarterback, you play with him for a couple of years, and you just get rid of him, and then he goes on the Baker mayfields, the Sam Darnold's.

These guys go on and play other places and and just thrive, like what they thought about Matthew Stafford too.

I mean at Detroit everybody's like, yeah, he's washed up, he's done and all of that, but you're right, the offenses have been outstanding.

These defenses.

Defenses have come a long way because you're looking at a situation where the league is really geared towards offense.

The rules are geared towards offense.

You see a lot more calls towards the offense when it comes to some of the penalty stuff.

But man, these guys that can they can dial up the defenses, you know, can get their guys to play at a very very high level.

You saw it firsthand last week.

You know, a team like Minnesota, their offense has been struggling all year because of the young quarterback, but here they go.

They've got a they got a defense that's very well coordinated.

And you're about to play another win with the Chargers.

That's a very well coordinated defense with a with a young coordinator heading it up.

This is gonna be a weird question because I'm not quite sure how to properly phrase it, but you know, sometimes because we're so close to the Cowboys, and I'll speak for myself, I'm so close to the Cowboys that sometimes it's hard to put yourself in other teams, like think about their own situation where you feel like, oh, this just happens to us and we're struggling with this or that.

Obviously knowing there are much worse teams out there, but you tend to completely eliminate those every year regardless.

But my question to you guys, and I know the Cowboys have had successful years in recent years, they haven't made it that's the first round of the playoffs.

But my question is, don't even know how to say it, but is there a team out there that you would compare to the Cowboys where they've had similar struggles but have been able and I'm talking about in the last five years to overcome those things and get further into not to the super Bowl obviously because we know the Super Bowl teams and all that, but have had much success into the playoffs.

Does that make any sense?

Yeah.

You know what's interesting is there have been some teams that I thought, because of the situation that they found themselves in, whether that be something happened with their quarterback, a lot of turnover on their roster, I thought, oh man, it's gonna take them a while to rebuild that.

And then in short order.

They're right back in the mix out out.

The Rams are a good example of that.

Like we thought a few years was that maybe two years ago there were questions, A.

Yeah, there were questions like did they they basically sell them?

Did they basically sell their future for a Super Bowl run?

And and so you know there's a question of you know, how can they get back, how soon can they get back?

Yeah, and now they're right back in it and one of the best teams in the NFL.

That's a great example of a team that knows free agency pretty well, plays in that game.

They've drafted third, fourth, fifth round really well and when they've.

Had some because that's all they had.

Yeah, yeah, it's like verse and others they've drafted.

I'll give you a team Amber.

I think they kind of maybe could be like that, and I might be wrong about this.

The Denver Broncos.

The Denver Broncos are.

A team that have had a great history.

You know, been around, an old AFL team that had you know, they had a little bit when they started a run, they had to run through the seventies.

The Cowboys played them in a Super Bowl in seventy seven.

They kind of went through the eighties with the Dan Reeves administration.

Yeah, they've had a great history.

They've had probably very good playoff success, and then kind of went away.

We're struggling to find a coach kind of We're like looking at their roster.

It wasn't really built exceptionally well, went through some general managers.

But they're a team that has had a history of being really, really good, kind of falling off a little bit, and then all of a sudden getting really good again.

We look what Sean Payton's done, But they went through a spell there where they went through two or three coaches and the roster of the general just wasn't good.

So very much similar to the Cowboys.

They've they've had more success I think in playoffs here lately as opposed to the Cowboys.

But to me, I kind of look at the way that the history of their team seems very similar to what the Cowboys have been.

Yeah, let's talk real quick.

We're talking about defense.

Yesterday we find out the Cowboys have made an interesting change to their defense, not necessarily to a player, but with the coach defensive coordinator Matty Eberflus, the decision has been made that as opposed to him being on the sidelines during the game, they're going to move him.

Into the booth.

Obviously, in the booth, you can see the feel better, you can see what's happening, you.

Can see all the mistakes that Matt's making.

Well yeah, but also I mean where we're I mean, you know you can do it, you see it, you absolutely and you can as we're watching the game from us both we can always see.

Things that it's it's easy to be like, oh, that quarter, they do that, but it's not the same view from the field.

But from a coaching standpoint, and this is something I was I was kind of looking around yesterday and seeing different perspectives and I can't remember who it was, but someone, a former coach was saying, yeah, that's nice, but what you give up is being able to see your players, being able to see their eyes reaction, know what you need to be doing with them, know if you need to be encouraging them or if you need to really be pressing on them right, being able to coach them in the moment.

Those are the things that you kind of miss when you're up there in the boots.

You're removed from the game a little bit.

The emotion of the game, and you're more just tactically thinking, Okay, here's what I need to do here, here's what I'm saying here, and make a decision.

Brian, which do you think is better?

I think personally being upstairs is the best because what happens is it's upstairs.

It's a very much.

You can can see the entire field.

You can see their sideline, you can see their substitution patterns.

You can get an idea of who you have on the field, who you don't have on the field.

You see guys running on and off.

The coordination has to be you have to be very quick.

But once you're able to see their sideline and who they've got coming on, you could quickly adjust and like you know, bass Nickel, dime dime, get the dime out, get the goal line out, short yard and short yards.

You know you got people.

Kind of when people in the box they're telling you those things on the field, but being upstairs you can actually see it with your own eyes.

You could see, Oh man, we blew that coverage.

Our rotation was bad.

We were I tried to I tried to call a Cover two look, but we stayed in Cover three and our safety went down and that's a mistake.

And you're like, oh, no, no, no, no, So you're able to kind of convey that, Yeah, do you miss the opportunity of walking up and saying, hey, listen, man, we have got to find a way too, you know, and this is sideline conversations and stuff.

We've got to find a way to be I was part of a when they used to have the cords.

When they used to have the chords in the.

Game in Green Bay one year we had a defensive core named Fritz Shermer had a guy get sick.

Who is his cord holder?

They asked me, because I was on the sideline, would you hold Fritz's cord.

I learned so much about being on the field and coaching that day.

Listen the interaction that Fritz had with the players.

That's the one thing that you kind of miss is being now you could pick up the phone and and but dan quinn had really good success being upstairs.

Will McClay was a huge help with him.

The coaches.

They were able to identify personnel.

But you're you're away from the action, You don't you're away from two The sidelines could be a very emotional place and you see those reactions and you see that and it can affect how you kind of call the game or look at the game.

Being upstairs, you could kind of be in your own little world.

You can make your notes, make your adjustments, think about the next series.

That The question I'm going to ask Stephen Jones today when we have him on this afternoon on one five three of the fan is I'm going to ask him why now?

That's what I want to know.

I mean, if this is something I see it as a positive, but why now there's you know, there's three there's three three games left?

Here?

Was this something that should have been was thought about earlier?

Now the answer Steven might get me, I might not.

Like it might be a thing where where last week we saw a little bit of some what they had to use a time out and Brian Schottenheimer emotionally said, what the effort we doing out there?

And so sometimes maybe having somebody somewhere else might be a little thing.

That's just me speculating right there.

It's not anything I know, but maybe having that you know, maybe hey, we we kind of messed that up.

You need to you need to get upstairs and figure it out and you know, and I think that maybe is where we're at.

But I plan on asking Steven Jones that question, why now?

Why not?

You know?

And feluc even said he hadn't called.

He hadn't been in the press box for seventeen years.

It's a pretty long time not to be up there, and all of a sudden decided we need to go in the press box.

Shody did say, I think it was yesterday.

It maybe may have been this morning one oh five dot three the fan, but he did say, and I read the comment he said he was asked a similar question.

His response was, you know, we feel like we got on a run and played some good defense in those three games that we won in a row, and then we lost to Detroit.

So it wasn't a situation at that point where we were just going to make a wholesale change after one game that we didn't play well and then obviously you lose the next and that's where it falls off.

But he said he didn't think that that it was a situation where they should have necessarily done it earlier.

It really they thought that maybe they solved a lot of the problems when they got the new players in they got on that run and then things started to fall apart.

So I get that it does feel like no matter what, no matter even if they played really well, it does feel like it's still gonna be like did we wait too long?

And that's my question for you, Amber, if you as you look at this, is there anything that this defense can do in the last three games?

Because Jerry said these games are going to be a part of the conversation on you know, what they're gonna do with defensive coordinator going forward?

Is there anything they can do if they pitch a shut off these final three games?

Is that enough for you to feel confident that going into next year, Matt Ebraflus is the right got to lead the defense.

I'm so sorry, but no, I mean, it's just a little too late for that in my personal opinion, because you have to look at who you're playing against as well.

Yes, you have a tough matchup this weekend against the Chargers, but after that you have Washington and then the New York Giants.

You're not gonna impress me by playing a really good game against those two offense right there.

And to your original question, Derek and I've been on both I've experienced a game on the sideline and at the press box too.

On the sideline, we all know the game happens so much faster, faster, so much faster is insane, and it's so hard to see what exactly is going on.

And I mean credits to all those coaches who do that and have that ability, but it's very difficult.

And this is why I think this change will actually be beneficial to Eberflus and his future because even if it's not here with the Cowboys, let's say he still has to look for a job, you know, and finish the season strong.

Iberflus And I'm saying this from my own point of view.

I have a soft spot for him, because I think he's a very nice guy and I have so much respect for him, But based on all the things I've always seen pre game on the sideline, he doesn't seem to have the type of personality that connects with the players.

And he tries, he tries, but in my eyes, there's some type of disconnect just because it's it's not the right personality.

It doesn't seem to be the right fit to have that type of communication or relationship with those players and there's nothing wrong with that.

It just happens, you know.

It's not that he's being a jerk or not trying.

He's trying, but it's just sometimes doesn't work.

And I think that's why when you mentioned the communication with the players and being there, because there's that lack of relationship there.

I think he's just gonna find more, much more success just being up there bird's eye view and just seeing the game differently and taking that part of the game out and just focusing really on the changes, and maybe we are able to see some positive adjustments from him watching the game up there.

Yeah, Derek, a couple a couple of things though on that, And to me, I'm to the point where right now I think Ambro's right.

It doesn't affect me because if the fact that Philadelphia wins on Saturday and the divisions wrapped up and you're completely out of the playoffs that way, I'm playing these last two games in a different light.

I'm you know, I'm now thinking more about twenty twenty six, so you know, and with also with Bland and already being out and stuff like that, looking at new guys, it's kind of that's kind of what we're at right now, I'm going to take the last two weeks and evaluate more of the players than I am the coaches, you know, and see how that goes.

I think, to be honest with you, I think the die has been cast here.

I think the die has been cast.

That's just my personal appearent opinion and anything from anybody at the Cowboys have told me a thing.

I just kind of feel like though that this right now is probably going to be a change.

We saw it happen.

With with when When you look at Mike Nolan, they played a game on the third of January, the fifth of January, the eighth of January, he was relieved of his job.

By the eleventh of January, they had another defensive coordinator in Dan Quinn.

I don't know if they'll go that fast, but I think the first and the second might happen that way.

That's just my opinion on this.

All Right, we're gonna take our first break.

We'll come back.

It's yeednytime, It's Friday, Hamer Scott some good questions chorus.

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All right, okay, so today let's see if this works out or not.

But this is all Christmas theme and I'm posting I'm bringing some Christmas movies.

Christmas characters.

I'm gonna give a quick description of the theme of that character or movie, and then I want it.

I want you guys to relate it to somebody or a situation, whatever it makes whatever that description or character reminds you of about the team and the Cowboys or whatever.

Does that make sense?

So it's a Christmas movie?

Yell?

For example, I'm gonna give the first one.

Okay, and I I haven't seen many of these, but I'll give it a go.

But I'll give you descriptions.

Okay, okay, So that for the first one, Buddy Elf, he's overly positive, believes no one can stop him, and he always brings chaotic energy wherever he goes.

If he had to think of somebody or a situation that gives you that vibe, Who is it?

Oh, we don't have the same one, Go ahead, I'll let you go first.

Is it George Pickens?

That same kind of that energy.

There's chaos, but there's always something kind of always positive.

But you know, he's he's kind of been a situation where it's still some chaos around him.

He's always bringing like people are always kind of critical of him in a way.

But I think since the cowboys have been, he's been.

He's been a super positive guy, even after some of the games where it hasn't been.

So I know, I didn't take your guy, then who is it, Derek?

My guy's Cavante Turpin.

I'm just like with the stuff, like with the whole you know, fair catch not fair catch.

It just seems like this year has been moments, moments where it's like he can break one any play, but it's like these just weird moments, like what is going on?

And he does have supreme confidence, and it's really interesting.

I love it because you know, I'm not a guy that's particularly tall, so I love it when guys that are particularly tall supreme confidence, like I don't care how big you are, get after it, let's go.

And I think Avante has that.

He has that a lot.

So yeah, I would say Cavant took there.

All right, that's the right answer, by the way, thank you, So I went.

I went.

There's no right or wrong one.

Feel free to throw in yours if you.

If something comes to.

My Turpin is definitely buddy elf, like just watch I haven't seen the movie, so I'm guessing that's.

A good Oh my god, Yeah, crazy that's.

But she's the way you described the character is like super positive but chaos.

He's one of the funniest art actors ever.

Yeah, so soon as you said movies, I almost send Josh in there.

Well, I'm sure Josh over there.

He's got a million, a million different nancewers.

Reach these all right.

Next one, Home Alone with Kevin.

He always he always succeeded when he's left on his own and forced to improvise.

Hmm.

Is there anybody that reminds you of Home Alone?

Kevin?

Is that Dak in the pocket when he's kind of when he has like everything's kind of breaking down around him.

Not likely, I know, but no, but but but things are like going kind of he's get you leave him, leave him alone, you let him kind of you snap him the ball.

He kind of moves around, but like it looks like it's something bad's about to happen.

Then he finds a way to kind of make a play that's kind of very Dak.

Like that's the perfect one, Brian, because when you think about it, like you watch that movie and there's just stuff coming every few minutes.

There's a new challenge, and he figures out the perfect way to defeat it, and it's like, that's really I'll say that's Dak against Green Bay against Micah.

Yeah, because Michah just kept coming, he was coming, and Dak would be like not today, Nope, not today, and so yeah I would I would say dok too.

That's the chat agrees with you guys.

Everyone's mentioning who they mentioned it for the first one?

Who did the chat say for the first.

One I saw someone mentioned that was pretty mixed.

CD for terb Sam, So it's most kind of all over the place.

First Sam was interesting, all right.

A Christmas story Ralphie.

He wants one thing all season long and everyone keeps telling him it won't happen.

It's Jerry Jones.

I was gonna say Trayon Dicks.

Yeah, it could be anything.

It could be it's Jerry Jerry, It's Schary.

He wont every year it's this.

He talks in talks and he talks and talks at the and then now we're down to the end and people.

Just want that one Christmas wish today?

Do you take responsibility for this season?

And he went into his yes, I do I make responsibility for it.

Every year he's he opens, he opens the press conference and ox start and everybody's like listening, and by the end everybody's going, poor Jerry.

You know, he's once again has to be reminded that they're not going to be in the playoffs and stuff like that.

So I would say that would be him, that.

Mine's Jaden Blue.

Oh that's not a bad one, yeah, because you know he wants all the nice things, the cleats and stuff like that.

Then he shoots his eye out.

It's almost up there.

Okay, wh would you say it was yours?

What I say was mine?

Ohon, he just wants the field I want to play.

Like and then gets a concussion at the house.

It's a it's a rough year.

From a man, all right.

The Grinch he shows up and ruins Christmas for everybody.

Mm hmm.

This is kind of mean.

I hate it and saying it.

But Matt, I don't think you're wrong.

I mean, like that's been Look look let's and I say it in jest's if we have fun.

Yeah.

Well, also the French turns out to be a good character.

Yeah he's got a good heart.

He means well, but like, yeah it worked out, it hasn't worked out, Yeah, it had it's been.

Rough and and especially when you think about it from the standpoint of how good the offense is.

And I'm telling somebody that yesterday, I was like, that's the part that really sure makes me feel some kind of way about this season.

And I'm like, this offense is really really, really good, and and just the defense just couldn't get to a point where it was complimentary, where it can give up some big plays but just be complimentary.

It couldn't get to that point.

That's the part that's just so I.

Would say how about this one amber this would be a little different.

I'd say how.

About the NFC North, And I'd say it in this way three and one Yep, against the NFC North, that would be but stole your Christmas.

Even the worst of their one beat you at your place.

Yeah, that division, I think coming into the year, a lot of people thought that was gonna be the best division in football.

Oh No, and outside the outside the a f C West West, I think it probably is.

Yeah, but yeah, your your.

Christmas got stolen When you couldn't win a game against the NFC North, that was a problem.

I say, I meant NFC West, NFC West, the West you're right.

Not the f C West.

N f C West, all right, Frozen Elsa.

Elsa's power is unstoppable when she's confident, but dangerous when she loses control.

Maybe that's George Pickens.

No, uh uh, actually really George.

Yeah, it George Pickins.

Yeah, or CD.

It could be I'll tell you, it could be Jake.

It could be Jake Ferguson, Ferston catches it makes great plays and then he's he's whirling around, spinning around, and then the balls on the ground kind of guy.

So it's like that's kind of something that loses control.

You're like, oh my gosh.

But and actually I think it's CD.

I think this is CD.

Yeah.

I think I would go with Pickings on that one.

Okay, I think he he has a.

Ways time yeh yeah.

But you know what's interesting might be turping for me.

I would say, like Dak wouldn't be bad for this neither, just because we see when Dak he doesn't get mad often.

But you could tell, like what if you saw a sound of the sideline.

I think it was the Eagles game, Dak was fired up.

I don't know, somebody from the Eagles guy under his skin or something.

But before that game, it was some f bombs flying like yeah, you know them, and he was like very animated and uh and went out and played like it.

But yeah, that that can get going when he's when he gets hot, you know.

Okay, that's Santa.

That Santa shows up when you least expect him and causes damage.

Is this Billy Bob Thornton?

This is I think so, So I'll post this question with that White Cowboys weakness always seems to pop up at the worst possible time.

M run defense because you think every time we've thought and I'm talking not just this year, I'm talking years past.

Every time you think it might be fixed.

You get to that game where it's like, yeah, it's not fixed yet.

They still got some work to do on this.

It's a pass rush, man.

We can't real it's bad.

Santa show you're right best rushing every year, every every week for sixteen weeks, Me and Watch have come in here and said, this team has a compromised offensive line.

This is a compromised offense.

I only tell you, guys, it's a compromised offensive line.

Man.

Where are the sacks?

We're the finishing How about finishing in the pocket.

That's bad, Santa.

Get somebody back their home and all of a sudden you can't get the quarterback on the ground.

This pass rush has been bad, Santa.

To me, I think the run defense has gotten better.

I think the past, I think the I think the pass rush has been been a big problem this year.

And you know the reason why I said the run game the run defense is because it's we talked about with that Detroit game, even though the numbers were less, it felt like they could run the ball whenever.

And that's where I'm just like, I expected this run defense to be a lot more of a of an asset.

I think right now, it's okay, Right, that's the thing, it's okay.

I think they're okay.

I think they can pretty pretty much tested this week.

They will, they absolutely will.

Were good testing.

But but I thought they were fixed and Detroit showed me they're not fixed.

They they're just.

This defense is really kind of who it is.

It really is.

I know we have to go, I have four left.

Sure, let's go another one.

It's it's Christmas, don't know, okay, last one to end it?

Then sure, let's do it.

And if we have time, we come back for the next segment.

Okay, the Polar Express.

The Polar Express is all about believing, or I would say, what do you what did Cowboys fall have to believe in the most?

Right now?

Their quarterback?

Yeah, there's yeah, it's a quarterback they got.

They got one of those quarterbacks in the league.

Now you have to say, he's aging, and so you always wonder at how long does this last?

Well, right now, Dak Prescott.

We're aging.

We all are aging.

But but right now, not right now, right that's facts.

Right now, Dak Prescott is one of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League.

That's what the Cowboys fans can at least hang their hat on.

I would say maybe two three years ago you could say their ability to draft that that, you know, like it used to be like, boy, look at them, look at man, they're they're making these picks work and all that.

There was a time been a little bit we'll see what this past class.

I think there's been some some positives that you've seen, But there was a time where I really did believe you can hang your hat on the their ability to draft players.

And so but to your point, Derek, I think that I think you could really believe in.

I think you could really believe in I think you could believe in Ceedee Lamb.

I think you could believe in I think you could believe in in Tyler Booker, by the way, I think you can believe in him.

That's something that should give you a hope of a young guy that's.

Even with that whole interior of the offensive line.

Yeah, I think you got.

Something the future.

You guys do believe in Schottenheimer.

I do until for the notice, Like that's the thing about about all those kinds of things.

You believe until you don't.

Right now, I believe he's putting this position.

I think he's taking this team in the right direction.

Now we'll see ultimately what that ends up meaning as far as wins and losses on the field.

I think he is building what he said he wanted to build the right kind of culture.

I think he's building the right kind of culture.

I think he's figuring out what players fit into that culture and which ones don't.

I think he's holding players accountable, which I've always thought is necessary in order to have a good team in the National Football League.

So I think he's doing the right things.

The question just becomes how does he get like, how does he handle a situation like this year where you fall short?

Does he get them to a point next year where they can recover from those things.

They see the areas where they were really weak, and they improve on those things in the off season so that by the time they gets next year, we aren't talking about the same things as problems.

In this next year as we talked about in twenty five.

I'd love to see him nine to seven and one, finish this out because I think it buys some credibility.

Then the next thing I would like for him to do is to go and be that guy that you know now you know he's navigated the season.

They had a winning season it you know, maybe expectations were a little low because he was a first time head coach.

But I'd love for him to be able to finish nine seven and one, the three game winning streak, go into the offseason, and then go in there with the Joneses and say, listen, we've got to do something different with our roster.

We've got to go out and maybe playing free agency a little more.

Let's not bottom fish on this thing.

You know, I'll make a change at the defensive coordinator spot.

If you allow me to do that, I'll be happy to I'll get some guys study this, we'll get it done the right way.

But I just want him to finish good so he can go in there and then the Jones this.

Could say, you're right, you're right, you're right.

If they go out there and they lose.

Three straight and all of a sudden, it kind of sputters and you're, you know, and you're kind of looking at it.

You know, the things that he really the culture, the things, the words that he was saying with the players, Hey, got to do this, got to do this.

Got that falls on kind of depth.

He said it last year.

But when you finish with a winning record, and you finish on a good streak and you want to go out there and then okay, that's not good enough.

But this is what we're going to do.

That's what I want for him.

That's when I'm going to believe when he walks in there and tells them, listen, we need to get better at these positions.

You know, instead of just hey, it's okay, guys, whatever you want to do in the off season, if you want to sign your own and bottom fish and all that that's great, Please don't do that, because if you do that, I have no confidence in him.

The other thing I'll give him a lot of credit for is this offense is an offense that took that next step, and I think not as much attention has been given the fact that he's the one running this offense and moving from Mike McCarthy's offense to this offense.

I think he does deserve some credit for how good this offense has played this year.

Now you got to give some difference.

Also, the fact that you got George Pickens out.

I think that makes a huge Yeah.

But all that being said, you coach, you you have, and I do think that he's taken them.

He's made the most of that, and I think as a result, you've had one of the better offenses right now, the top offense when it comes to passing yards in the National Football League.

I just wish and I appreciate what you said there, Derek, But the thing that bothers me right now is we've seen two games where somebody and you said it, I know you and I got in.

This discussion yesterday.

Just just free him up a little bit more, you know, if it means the vertical passing game.

It turns into fast interferences and stuff max that thing up and run George Pickens on these corners.

And all season long they've struggled with him.

They figured out how to play the slant on him.

Now kind of get him back in that mode.

And that's Schottenheimer's done a nice job.

But man, the last two weeks, you need to get one of your best players.

Going and maybe the double move off that slant.

There are some things you can do with that.

But but you know, also that's where I get time.

That's where I will also give him some some some a little bit of grace and say, Okay, you've learned some things this year from you your team.

You've learned that this is how teams are going to want to take away George Pickens.

So, by the way, if you keep George Pickens and you go into next season, they should not be.

Able to do those same things to you.

That's where I'm like you to correct that and that that was my point about That's where I will learn a lot about Shoddy is if we're talking about the same storylines of the challenges that they've had this year next year.

Now My question starts to be how are we not adjusting, How are we not adapting?

How are we not getting better?

But if those things are no longer problems, they're always going to be problems.

They're always solving problems.

As you say, Brian, is kind of like running a marathon.

It's just a.

Series of problems that you're solving, right, And so I do think that that's a part of it, and I think that's that's where I look at him and I'm saying, if they can figure that part out, if they can solve these problems going into next year, then I think that's where I really look at him and say, he's taking a next step and he's a really, really great coach.

Are we gonna take our final break when we come back, We'll give you, guys what we think is gonna happen this weekend Cowboys versus Chargers till we'll be right back Dallas, Cowboys dot Com.

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They have some talent.

You have some great talent and they.

Got some fight hoping this is the year me too.

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Let's see what we think going to happen real quick before we make our picks.

I did have one question for you guys about this game.

I'm going to give you four names.

Which one of these offensive players do you think you really want to see more of this week or in the subsequent two games beyond that in order to help you with evaluations going into the offseason.

Nate Thomas, Luke schoon Maker, Jalen Tolbert or Jonathan Mingo.

Nate Thomas.

Nate Thomas for me, okay, I just feel like to me though, because I've got to figure out the right tackle thing.

And Jeff Cavan I had a discussion this morning on a podcast we do and we had the discussion about he didn't feel like that that Nate Thomas was all that great and he's going to have to address it with the fourteenth pick potentially, and that I disagreed with him.

I think with this offensive line coaches that you have the offensive staff that you have, I really have a lot of faith.

This kid basically played his rookie year at tackle.

There were some really some good things you saw.

There's some bad things you saw.

I want to continue to see him play because now I have a decision to make it right tackle, you know, and I want to make I want to make sure that okay, I left tackle, you know.

But I've got some situation I go think about with Guidon because my guy guiding can't stay healthy right now.

I mean it's a young guy that's now kind of been banged up.

But I want to see I want to continue to see more from Nate Thomas.

I know the thing with Mingo and all, it's a wide receiver thing and all that.

I think that's going to take care of itself.

But I just want to continue to get Nate Thomas.

More reps for me.

And all of these are great names.

I think all of them are the right answer to above.

With me, I've still seen very little of Mingo, And you know, going back to last year when he got on the team, there wasn't enough time there for him, and then this year still not enough time.

So I don't want to go into next year being like, oh, I want to see Mingo, see what he's got, Like I want to know.

I want to know and have a better eye idea of what exactly we have with Jonathan Mingo.

Now I'm curious to see, does Dak, let's say they're out this weekend, does Dak continue to play for the rest of them?

That's that's now.

This thing if also turns Saturday and they and Philly wins, my attitude, Yeah, you're gonna try and win the Chargers game.

Play it.

I'm not playing on that bad turf with the Commander's field, that that thing late in the year, that's a nightmare.

And then the thing at the Meadowlands there at that MetLife Stadium, that turf, I'm not playing.

You're not playing any Dak.

I agree, you could, you could, You can tell you can take everybody off the practice squad and play them and all that.

You know, Yeah, they're gonna want to win games.

We as a whole when you work in this organization.

You want to win games, you don't want to tank games.

I wouldn't be complaining about the spot.

You know, if I could go up a little bit and pick a little bit better player, I'd be happy about that.

But to me, Dak Prescott, if you're eliminated and you want to play this game against the Chargers, try and win it.

I guess with Shot he's trying to do win games.

I think it's important.

I just told you how important it was.

But man, I'm thinking about Dak Prescott and maybe with Joe Milton, I could beat the Commanders, and I can and I can find a way to beat the Giants, so that that would be my I.

Give him your experience.

Well that's the thing.

And I don't know if they will do it.

I think they'll play that.

But in my opinion, I actually think it's a great thing to evaluate Milton, Like, you still want to find out can Milton be your backup?

Can he a sustainable backup for the next several years?

And I think you got to get him into some game situations.

See he played, he played in Buffalo last year a game in the final game of season, played really really well.

To me, give him these next two games.

If that, if you in factor eliminated, you know, and I would even consider maybe not even playing Quinn Williams and some other guys like that.

I am not interested.

I'm not interested in having my star players playing meaningless games.

I'm already worried about what's going to happen with with Deron Bland and whatever might come of that.

If he's going to have to have surgery, I don't.

Say what of that.

I think I know what's going to happen here.

If I could just quick, they're gonna look at the screw that's in his foot.

Screw might have to be replaced.

That's what they're kind of talking about right now.

Maybe not a full on, completely reconstructed kind of thing, but right now there's some concern about the screw.

Yeah.

I mean, at this point, I just want him to be able to get an off season.

Yeah, I think it's important for him to get an off seas And I wanted to be able to play pain free too, because that's also part of it.

I wonder how much of the struggles that we saw this year are related to that.

You know, there's probably some there too.

Yeah, real quick, give me some picks for this game.

What do you think is gonna happen?

Cowboys versus Chargers.

I give flip flopping in my head because the Cowboys are one of those themes that they can very much, They can very well go out and win and then you're like, well, what where was all that last week?

Where was it?

But I am picking them to lose.

I think one more team has a lot more to fight for at the moment.

And again, like we said, we'll find out on Saturday if the Cowboys are in or out, which we Okay, that's not right, but I think the they're still gonna show up.

They're gonna put up a five.

But the Chargers get the win on this one.

I would say thirty five twenty three, okay.

Yeah, this is Dallas is probably gonna lose this game.

I would say this game is going to be in the range of thirty to twenty.

Four, right, And of course I'm gonna pick the Cowboys, but I will say this, I do think, actually, what the surprise of this.

The surprise of this will.

Be the Cowboys defense will play better, and then everybody's gonna be left saying.

Why didn't I do this?

A few weeks ago, but I do think they will play better.

I do think it will help having Eva Flus up top and being able to really just evaluate what's happening in the moment, make decisions and adjustments a lot quicker, which could affect at and I think this offense will continue to do what this offense does.

I don't think I don't think that was their best game last week at home.

Certainly this season, I think they'll get back on the track of what they've been at home offensively, and so I do think they'll get a win.

Give me, I don't know, thirty three to twenty seven.

How about that?

All right?

I appreciate you guys, Joes.

We'll be back on Monday, which you know what went right and wrong.

Next week we're gonna have a really altered schedule because we'll have the Christmas Day game on the road, so we'll only be doing shows on Monday and Tuesday for all of our podcasts, So make sure you check us out next week.

We'll be on for those two days and then we'll get you guys ready for Christmas.

Till then.

For Brian brought u Sanregarci.

I'm Derek Eigltan This has been The Break live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.

This has been a production of Dallascowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.