📅 Published on: 2024-12-23 18:21:58
⏱ Duration: 00:19:28 (1168 seconds)
👀 Views: 37 | 👍 Likes: 1
📝 Video Description:
This week on Cowboys Overtime sponsored by Window Nation, Nick Harris goes over the Dallas Cowboys’ win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the upcoming game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
🎙 Channel: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
🌍 Channel Country: United States
📂 Tags:
[vid_tags]
🕵️♂️ Transcript:
e [Music] [Music] hello and welcome into cowboys overtime presented by window Nation shout out to our friends at window Nation I am Nick Harris ma Engel decided to dip out and not join us this week uh we’ll we’ll pressure him about it next week probably get him get him to talk on the uh uh the abolishment that he he did not show up today but uh we have a lot to talk about uh this last weekend of football it was a busy weekend of football not only in Dallas and in DFW but uh all across the state of Texas we can start with the Cowboys win over the Buccaneers last night it’s it’s largely interesting because you look at this win on the surface and it really doesn’t mean anything because going into this game the Cowboys already knew that their playoff chances were thrown out of the window uh with the commanders coming back and beating the Eagles last night uh up in DC in in a wild game and uh we’ll talk about the Eagles a little bit later and how that might affect going into next week’s game for the Cowboys but the Cowboys were eliminated before the game even started so knowing that going into the game you know talking to a couple players after the game in the locker room they said yeah I was watching it on my phone as I was pulling up to the stadium and then you know it was like okay let’s go ruin as many teams Seasons as we can that’s what Brock Hoffman had to say starting Right Guard and they they did exactly that going in uh to AT&T Stadium last night defeating the Buccaneers at 26-24 I I do have to give credit to this offense and even the offensive play caller Mike McCarthy in this game specifically because going up against a Tampa Bay defense that Stacks the Box more than any other team in the NFL they knew that the consistency that they’ve built off of Rico D over the course of the last three weeks him getting over a hundred yards in each of the last three weeks they knew that they were not going to have those same opportunities going into this game uh Tava Bay they love to load the box they’re the 11th best Rush defense in the entire NFL but on the flip side they’re the 30th best pass defense so third worst in the NFL there were going to be some opportunities there for Cooper rush and this offense to get going now they win the coin toss they take the opening possession and then they start to build confidence for Cooper rush they run Bunch formations on the opening drive Cooper Rush goes six for six for 21 yards just quick game quick game quick game trying to build confidence for that quarterback and that offense and that passing game and they did just that they took the lead on that opening possession and they never relinquished it throughout the entire game you have to give credit to the offensive play call or the decisions M the decision makers in that process to be able to say hey we need to take the ball we need to build some confidence for this quarterback we need to make sure that this passing game can get going um so that we are not playing from behind at any point and especially knowing that they were not going to have the Run game most likely at their disposal and that’s exactly what happened they only finished with 31 rushing yards uh they did really well then you have to look on the defensive side being able to have impact plays from Jordan Lewis a huge interception in the end zone that he ripped away from the rookie Jaylen McMillan uh and then in the final possession of the game donon Bland being able to rip away a fumble from Rashad white on the T Tampa Bay’s best opportunity to take the lead all night and it came in the game’s final minute uh a really good job by this defensive by this defensive crew for a team a Tampa Bay team that is averaging more points on the road than any other team in the NFL coming into this with 31.6 points they limit them to 24 and uh complimentary football really benefited both sides of the football uh in in the this one and and as far as implications go again this largely this win was largely for nothing but you ask players in the locker room after the game there’s still a lot to play for you know there are a lot of guys that are playing on on contract years there are a lot of guys that um are trying to build a little bit more of a resume before they hit Petree agency in 2025 and you know that that kind of goes on to our next point of guys like Jordan Lewis guys like Osa digua guys like chony Goldston they are starting to build a price tag going into these next few games that uh is going to make it very interesting for the Cowboys uh during this off season you look at Jordan Lewis’s play and as specifically they were able to sign him for almost a veteran minimum last year on a one-year deal to bring him back and have him start at nickel corner and not only has he been healthy and available for every game this season which was huge him you know starting to uh Turn the Page to his 30s him being able to be available was the biggest Factor but also him having his best season since he arrived with the Cowboys eight years ago I think that’s probably the biggest development for this defense I you look at what he has brought how he has been able to play and how he’s been able to been an impact player he’s played at a pro bowl level potentially an all pro level I’m curious to see what the respect around the league ends up being for him when it’s all said and done but uh you look at a guy like that that price tag is only going to go up and you look at the 26 free agents that this Cowboys team will have have whenever that League year hits on March 14th you look at guys like Jordan Lewis and man that’s going to be a tough one to be able to figure out I I think it’s going to make you have to make some tough decisions with guys like Zack Martins guys like Demarcus Lawrence guys like Brandon Cooks you know how do you factor all of these guys in you look at Rico D him being able to have the the three games of uh 100 yards consecutively over the course of uh over the course of the last month that’s huge and he’s going into a contract year he’s most likely going to command something in the3 to4 million per year range you know can the Cowboys be able to withstand that and then Osa digua chony Goldston Carl Lawson Eric Kendricks the list goes on these are all Impact players that have been a big reason why this team has been able to stack four wins in the last five weeks and if you’re looking for confidence to build on going into 2025 and you want to find some consistent factors to make sure this momentum that they kind of generated over the course of last month carries into next season because that’s obviously going to be the uh that’s obviously going to be the mindset now with playoff hopes out of the equation then you have to be able to bring some of those consistent factors back and and that’s going to be that’s going to be the task of the front office to be able to figure out is hey what can we do financially to be able to bring as many of these impact players back as we can so that we can make sure that consistency is created going into 2025 because I think if you look at you know the biggest things that part to this team going into 2024 was that there wasn’t a ton of consistency and there was a lot still being figured out in those first few weeks you had a new defensive play caller you had a new uh defensive communicator and Eric Kendricks uh you had new faces on the defensive line uh you had new faces in the secondary even it was tough you had a lot you had a couple of guys returning from injury there wasn’t consistency until week eight week nine of the season and now we started to see what that consistency has brought to the rest of the team and you you can say the same thing offensively now I think offense there’s still going to have to be some major changes made there I think you know the Mike McCarthy discussion is a larger one that we’ll get into here in a bit but you know does a play caller stay the same um does certain Factor stay the same as far as offensive line coach running back coach and if those things change that’s going to create schematic changes as well and how can they adapt to that going into 2025 because I do feel like there might need to be some larger there might need to be some larger implications factored in there whenever that does come around but we’ll take a quick break and hear from our friends at window Nation window Nation the star of window replacement and proud partner of the Dallas Cowboys can help you fill the house this season with savings buy two windows get two free and make no interest payments for 60 months five full years fill your house for a customized authentic Dallas Cowboys jersey while supplies last you could even help fill the Cowboys house and win tickets to a game visit windownation.com slowboys now for details call 866 95 Nation window Nation proud partner of the Dallas Cowboys Mike McCarthy he has been the the topic of discussion for most of the year he’s playing or he’s coaching out his final year of his five-year contract with the team and when this team was three and seven off of a five game losing streak it seemed that his fate was all but written going into the off season of okay hey it started it’s time to start looking around we got to look at Bill belich Mike frel this that the third and now you look at four wins in five weeks has Mike McCarthy saved his job and I think I think the answer is yes um you look at what Jerry Jones has been communicating Steven Jones has been communicating over the course of the last few weeks uh in their public availabilities and their radio availabilities they are preaching nothing but confidence in McCarthy going into this uh going into these final two games and then going into his free agency in the offseason I I think uh you look at Jerry Jon’s excitement after that win last night and he preaches about the fight that this team has he he credits the culture and the coaching staff I think I think a decision is close to being made about Mike McCarthy returning not only for 2025 but an extension being done over the offseason to bring him back uh for the foreseeable future and you know what does that look like from an offensive standpoint is there a deal that has to be made maybe where he comes back but they need to bring in a different offensive play caller I think those discussions still do need to be had at the end of the day because at times this offense has been stagnant and the the the running game being able to pick up how it has over the the course of the last four weeks granted it did not last night against Tampa Bay but Rico D’s emergence has helped this offense quite a bit Mike McCarthy’s offens is predicated around the running game being able to produce and it being able to uh find some consistency with that in hand it has helped Mike McCarthy as a play caller don’t get me wrong but the lack of creativity the uh the stagnant play sometimes I mean you look at last night four straight punts in the fourth quarter that allow Tampa Bay the opportunity to score at the end and potentially win that game I I think you need I think you need an offensive play caller next year that brings a little bit more creativity and also can just know how to play from ahead there’s been multiple opportunities over the course of these this last few weeks where they’ve won four out of the last five where they’ve allow teams to creep back in you think back to the Washington game obviously this Tampa Bay game where in the final moments these teams had opportunities to win and that would not have happened had the offense just been able to uh keep the ball hold on to the ball and finish the game with points and you look at the Bengals game four and a half minutes left in that game they get the ball at the 40 yard line they get a 11 yard rush with Rico D and then they go pass pass pass incomplete incomplete incomplete and it leads to the Bengals eventually winning that game you have to put that on the offensive play caller so if Mike McCarthy is back which I think he will be at this point you’re looking at reading the T Le and understanding what Jerry Jones is communicating I think there still needs to be a conversation had about the offensive play callor now on the other side of the ball defens coordinator Mike Zimmer I I think I think he is starting to prove his value and his worth as far as bringing him back as well um you look at the first half of the season and it was absolutely awful it was putrid as far as how this defense was not able to stop the run how they were consistency allowing big plays in the past game um and it was a complex scheme you had every player in that locker room telling you that hey you know there’s a there’s a lot going on uh that it’s it’s very detail oriented and guys are not paying attention to the details guys are not sticking to their assignments or trying to play Hero as Michael Parson’s put earlier in the year but now you look in this back half of the Season specifically over these last five games you see the pass rush thriving you see guys staying in their pass rush Lanes you see uh the run defense being able to limit big big production I me Bucky Irving running back for the Buccaneers last night there was no reason why he couldn’t have gone for a 100 yards had this Rush defense not been playing at the level it had been playing over the course of the last month uh and I I think you have to give that credit uh to Mike Zimmer and you look at how he’s Unleashed Donovan Wilson as a situational Blitzer from the safety position he’s gotten in the sack category in three out of the last four games which coming from that third level it’s pretty impressive you can’t you can’t discount that that uh that ability to be able to do that for for number six and you have to give that credit to Mike Zimmer I I think with a full off season with mostly consistent Personnel on all three levels both on the defensive front linebackers and safeties I I think Mike Zimmer could could have a defense ready in week one of 2025 to be ready to go unlike how they were this year and I I I think that would be a major difference um for the potential of this team moving forward as well stepping aside from the Cowboys looking at the college football playoff first round this past weekend uh two Texas teams in the mix over the course of the weekend uh Texas hosting Clemson at home down in Austin and SMU traveling up to Happy Valley to take on Penn State we’ll start with SMU uh with that being chronologically the first game that happened it was a it was a tough outing for the Mustangs and and they they were completely overwhelmed by the environment you look at the uh the loss and at 38-10 the two pick sixes in the first half did not help Kevin Jennings and this offense uh even when they had opportunities to drive down the field it was immediately eradicated by turnovers and then the third turnover uh where he threw an interception right at the goal line it eventually led to another Penn State score that just kind of put it Out Of Reach before it could even get going but you know talking about this SMU program just to be at this stage is is a huge uh is a huge accomplishment for the Mustang and I think um you know moving forward with the nil era in full effects and SMU we’ve known for 40 years that they can Pony up the money no pun intended when it’s time and uh I think SMU is going to get ready to do that you see how they have had success in the portal over the course of the last couple of weeks you see the success that they have had in recruiting DFW uh I I think SMU is going to be a contender not only in the ACC but I think if you look forward five years from now and they’re able to stack this confidence and if Rett Lashley sticks around head coach for the Mustangs then I think you could see them start to be a contender but I think it’s too early to to do that and you saw that because they go up to uh Penn State really tough environment a power program even though they they’ve had their fair share of losses over the course of the last few years but it’s still a power program and they play up to a certain level a certain standard SMU is not quite there yet but I there’s no reason to believe why three four years from now they should not be in that discussion each and every year they have the resources to do it it’s just about putting those resources in the place because there’s a lot of teams around the country that don’t put the resources in the right place and it it ends up in you know disappointment every year look at a team like Miami they couldn’t even squeak into the 12 team playoff this year with a Heisman Contender at quarterback and a strong running game with two running backs strong defense you just have to be able to know where to allocate the resources and at least the early indications are is that SMU is starting to figure out where to allocate those resources and it’s starting to benefit them it’s just maybe not benefiting them in the playoff picture just yet then later in the day Texas being able to defeat Clemson 38-24 uh got to give credit to uh got to give credit to that run game and and specifically running backs coach jard Choice who is a former Dallas Cowboy uh at the beginning of the season they lose two running backs to a torn ACL and fall camp and before the season even starts they are already having to figure out their depth chart at the running back position they’re scrambling they they ended up taking a very very late transfer from a guy who expected to be done playing football in belon Gardner he hasn’t played much this season but that that just goes to speak how much that depth was really tested at the running back position before the year even started and now you look up almost 14 weeks later and they have two running backs in a college football playoff game go over a 100 yards you have J Jayden blue that accounts for 177 total yards and Quon wiser and the doto product accounting for 110 this running game is humming right now and I wrote about it after the game you know there’s a lot of discussion around Quin huers or Arch Manning who should be the guy that that starts for Texas and I I really don’t think it matters I I think their ceiling is the same no matter who the quarterback is and that ceiling is a national championship and the floor is losing at any point in this playoffs and I think that’s all predicated on the Run game you look at the two games that uh Texas has lost this season uh and you see 64 and a half rushing yards per game in those two games against Georgia and they were not able to get the running game sustained in either of those contests and and and up leading to losses and I think as far as this team can go is dependent on how far this running game goes and that starts with the match up against Arizona State in the Peach Bowl on January 1 and if they win that one they will be right at AT&T Stadium playing in the national semifinal and the Cotton Bowl so uh we’ll be sure to stay locked in with that and moving on to picks for uh this weekend we got uh the Cowboys playing the Philadelphia Eagles which while we are on this uh podcast here it’s been announced that that game is actually going to be slotted up to a noon game on Sunday up in Pennsylvania at Lincoln Financial Field this is an interesting one uh you look at Jaylen Herz coming out of the game yesterday against Washington with a concussion uh and and backup quarterback Kenny picket coming into the game Eagles end up blowing a lead and losing that game um you know if Jaylen Herz maybe makes a difference there then maybe we’re having a different discussion here today but uh you know that’s going to be certainly something to keep an eye on going into the week is Jaylen herz’s health so if if Jaylen Herz is not playing in this game I I think with the way the Cowboys have played and the way they’ve been fighting they have a chance to win this ball game however I think one key factor is going to play into this week you know they didn’t know that they were not going to be into the playoffs until they showed up to AT&T Stadium yesterday how does the approach in the week leading up to this game against Philadelphia now take effect knowing that hey in a couple weeks I’m out of here are they already starting to plan vacations where’s the intention behind planning and preparing over the course of this week it’s going to be a lot different now that you know that you don’t have a shot going into the weekend I I I like the eagles in this one for a multitude of reasons um but I I think it it could be it could be a tossup if Jaylen Herz is not playing in this one we appreciate you joining us here on uh star telegram’s Cowboys overtime presented by window Nation we’ll get on Mac next week for not making it out but for uh but for me Nick Harris and Candy Bol the producer behind we’ll see you next week
🚀 Related Hashtags: #Cowboys #Overtime #Postgame #analysis #Philadelphia #Eagles #preview
Disclaimer: This video is embedded directly from YouTube. All rights to the video and content belong to the original creator, Fort Worth Star-Telegram. For more details, please visit the original source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BQb2WYavSY.
