Hangin' With The 'boys

The Commanders are ready to pack it up and go home, so if the Cowboys don’t beat them by 20 will they have played a bad brand of football? Do they need to make a statement to erase any doubts heading into the playoffs? Speaking of, there’s a mess at the bottom of the NFC as far as team’s fighting for position. Who is the biggest worry for the Cowboys among that group? And congrats to the Pro Bowlers, although one player for sure was snubbed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Cowboys have two of the best guards in the NFL, so why do they seem to have so much trouble running up the middle? Are they light at center? Are they missing a big, bruising running back? Does Hunter need to be given another chance? Let’s ask a former Pro Bowl guard what he thinks about all this. Either way, as we get closer and closer to the playoffs, is more falling onto the shoulders of Dak Prescott? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nate tells us stories about his night celebrating Jimmy Johnson and being surrounded by teammates, Ring of Honor members, broadcasters and more. But want to know the first thing Jimmy said to him? Plus, are we feeling good about beating Detroit? Or are there still question marks that have us worried? Hey, a win is a win. Also, a couple of familiar faces are getting tryouts. Can they really help this late in the season? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nate Newton tells stories from his days with Jimmy Johnson and the crew takes a few fan calls and make their picks for Cowboys vs Lions.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The crew discuss the two-headed rushing attack and speedy receivers on the Detroit Lions, how the Cowboys defense can keep the ball in Jared Goff’s hands, and what to expect from the Jimmy Johnson Ring of Honor induction ceremony.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The crew discuss the latest Dallas Cowboys news and notes, take a look at the bigger picture going into the playoffs, and welcome Nick Eatman to talk “StoryLine.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happened to CeeDee Lamb in the second and third quarters? Why did he disappear from the game plan? Was it Mike McCarthy trying to spread the ball around? Did Dak Prescott not get the reads he wanted? And why aren’t we seeing more of Tony Pollard? One of the team’s top playmakers only got 13 touches. Plus, when it had to make a stop, the Cowboys defense wasn’t good enough. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The crew discuss the latest Dallas Cowboys news and notes, the status of Tyron Smith and Zack Martin, take listener calls, and bring in Nick Eatman for the last segment!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Dolphins are No. 1 in the NFL in using motion, which is where they beat you. They want you to go horizontally, so they can go vertically. So how do the Cowboys defend that? Jam the receivers? No. Try to stop the running game? Good luck. They got to do what they do best – pressure the quarterback. And, as Nate says, “If you’re not going to play smart, you’re just wasting everybody’s time.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like Dallas, the Dolphins defense is at its best when they’ve got the lead. But is it an even better version? Is this a physical defense or a fast one? Offensively, do the Cowboys need a bounce-back effort from Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott in their play-calling? Do they have to go after Miami on the ground? Plus, should they let Zack Martin play if he’s not 100 percent? Join us as we celebrate Nate’s birthday! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Cowboys defense has a bunch of pass-rushers. Some of the best, in fact. So how do you get those guys to become strong run-stoppers? Is it up to the coaches? The players themselves? Or does this defense simply need the lead to truly be successful? Plus, Nate shares stories of how he benefited from the locker room leadership of those 1990s Cowboys teams. And hey, let’s all enjoy a little Eagles self-hate with our man, Newy Scruggs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The same concerns from the past came back to haunt them in the present with worries about what might happen down the road. Once again, the Cowboys couldn’t match their opponent’s physical play, especially on defense as the Bills ran wild. Should Dallas have made adjustments? Is it simply a mindset? Or is this only a good defense when it has the lead? And how much of the offensive effort was the fault of the quarterback? Shakin’ off the Monday blues (and silvers). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Cowboys have beat up the bad teams, won a tough one against the Seahawks, a .500 team, and then took down a good team at home in the rival Eagles. So what do the Cowboys need to do now to prove they’re elite? Defeat a good team on the road, of course. But can they stop the Bills running game? Can they keep their quarterback in check? And what about that rainy weather? Will that be a disadvantage? Plus, Josh jumps on, fan calls and predictions. Here we come, Buffalo! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do the Cowboys adjust their run defense without the big man in the middle, Johnathan Hankins? Quite simply, other players have to step up because the Bills can run the ball, especially on the left side, which might be right at Micah Parsons. The real key, though, is stopping Josh Allen. Will he play like an athlete who can throw, or a quarterback who is an athlete? (Better hope for the former.) And does he have revenge on his mind? Time to talk some defense. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thanks to Aaron Donald, today’s defensive tackles aren’t the space eaters they used to be. They’re trying to get to the quarterback. Can the Cowboys use their ground game to take advantage of the Bills’ defensive linemen keeping their pad level high? Will it be more difficult to win if they don’t commit to the run this week? Also, going to Buffalo means playing outside in the cold. Can that really be a factor in the game? Y-y-y-yes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Cowboys finally won a big game, defeating the rival Eagles handily in a showdown between division powers. So how we feeling? Is this team ready to battle for the NFC crown? Do the players believe now? Are they ready to take down San Francisco? And Dak Prescott is playing at an MVP level. Is this just a hot streak or is this the player we should expect going forward? Has his mental maturity in knowing the game finally matched his physical talent? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No ref talk here. Don’t let it go to the judges. Got to knock the man out. So is this a statement game for the defense? Can Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and the gang make a play when they have to? Or is it really about which quarterback makes the fewest mistakes? Let’s thrown in a little Load Left story time with Nate as well. Plus, Shannon chats up a Philly fan, a few phone calls and our predictions. Sunday is coming! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So the 49ers found success against Philadelphia by not necessarily going after sacks, but rather focusing on containment of quarterback Jalen Hurts. Can the Cowboys duplicate their success? To do so, can they sustain coverage longer in the secondary? Or should they turn Micah Parsons loose while the rest of the line contains? Also, just what are the mechanics of the Tush Push? We’re talking rugby, folks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are these birds about to get cooked? Jesse has some bold predictions about the Cowboys feasting on the Eagles secondary, but there’s also that little matter of Philadelphia’s front four. How can the Dallas offensive line keep things in order? Get them moving side to side, says our resident expert Nate. And can the Cowboys take advantage of a weak linebacking corps? How often should they run the ball? Time to talk our offense vs. their defense. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We present to you … Philadelphia. That’s all these Cowboys players should need. No rah-rah speeches from the coaches, no outside motivation. Just how do you prepare, how do you perform when their players are equal or better? Who has the advantage? The Eagles need to win to keep control, Dallas needs to win to gain control. As Coach Johnson used to tell Nate and his teammates, nothing else matters now in December. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices