The Hardline - Cowboys Football Is Back

0:00I'm Sam Slaton, CEO and co-owner of Sante Center for Healing. We're celebrating 30 years of transforming lives. Every day, families call us in crisis, and every day we show them that recovery is possible. If you or someone you love is struggling, Sante is here for you right now. Please reach out at SanteCenter.com. We believe Gordon has been kicked out of Thursday, and he will not be able to join us and deferred his space to Joe Klat, who was on before E-news. That opens up a conversation that we weren't sure if we were going to have room for, even though in some ways we've been having the conversation for nine months. Just to let you know, tomorrow will get you all geared up for the football weekend, specifically week one, Giants Cowboys, but also Texas Ohio State and Oklahoma Michigan and Texas A&M Arizona State. We're going to be busy tomorrow. We just are. It's going to be glorious, but our first football Friday of the year will be happening.

1:02We may even have Rams-9 or stuff to talk about tomorrow, probably will. That means our last global discussion about the 2026 Dallas Cowboys. Where does this thing go? So we be accused of falling for it as people look back at our commentary in July and August and early September. Or were we right? Is this team really going to be good this year? And then people say, well, what does that mean? And I'll be honest, I don't know what that means. Georgie put them in the Super Bowl. I'm not ready to go to that crazy, but I do think they're going to win double digit games. They're going to be really good. But let's get it on wax. Let's say if Dej is going to mark some times to make us look bad around Christmas, this would be the opportunity because I believe here we can declare definitively and individually

2:06where we think this team is going in 2026. I mean, I think it's a 10 or 11 win team, and I think that wins the division. And so if you want to go further than that, I don't think they're going to the Super Bowl, but I do think that it's going to be a fun year. And potential for really fun, depending on how you look at it. But we've had so many years where it's like, okay, so what is the threshold here? What's the expectation level where so and so is not going to get fired and so and so and so is not. We're not going to move on from this guy at this position. I just think we need a full reset and not look at things that way anymore. It's almost like Texas A&M when we just had Mike Elko on. And he is incredibly realistic about the history of the program. And you know, honest to a fault, probably as far as a lot of their fans like it, I think

3:06it's great though. Like look, we have not been successful. We haven't been. And but we're doing that now. We're building it. And we're now we feel like we're in a really, really good spot moving forward. And I think you have to look at it that way with the Cowboys because for all intents and purposes, it's not been a successful franchise for three decades. So let's reset with new coach, with new scheme, with new coordinator, with, you know, a whole new defense, everything. And let's start here and not let the expectation level be ackman and stall back. And I just think that's completely unfair. And so if you look at it from that perspective, and you have a good year this year, you maybe want to play off game and your competitive in the next one, that's a building block for the next couple of years, which I think this is like a three or four year window that they have, depending on how you look at it with the quarterback. And so let's start now. Let's start fresh here and go from there.

4:07Yeah, I think that's an interesting way to look at it. Dave, do you have thoughts on that? Well, yeah, I mean, when we talked about our, our just general predictions yesterday, I also had them down at 11 wins, give or take. But I do think they win the division. I do think they have double digit wins. And so we're back to the same argument that we were having in the McCarthy area, era, in the three straight 12 win seasons is what, what do you do in the playoffs? And I know just getting to the tournament is the goal right now because last year was so abysmal and you are trying to reset and start a four year window, as Corby said. But I do think that at least at the beginning of the season, probably only the, the sea hawks and rams in the NFC are definitively better than the Cowboys. I think there's a second tier that the Cowboys are definitely in, you know, with the lions

5:08and packers and the 49ers and, you know, the Eagles, of course. And so I feel like if they can avoid either of those teams in the divisional round or God forbid the wild card round, I do think they have a really good shot to get to the NFC title game. And at that point, that is a incredible success because they haven't been back in 30 years. So I would say that that is the bar for me. Yeah. I heard Corby talk about it. I mean, he's, he's not wrong. But it's just crazy to me how the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Cowboys accomplished so much and get credit for almost nothing. Like those three years. And I, I, I understand why I understand that it don't mean a thing if you don't have that ring. But do you know how hard it is to win 12 games and then to do it three consecutive years

6:09and to win two division titles and I mean 36 NFL wins in three seasons. And I almost think that's exactly the opposite of what you just said about detaching from the 30 years if you can and judge this on its own because if you do, and I remember this, we had this conversation, the Dallas Cowboys had not made consecutive playoffs in 20 years or actually 2006, 2007. So 15 years to 2021, 2022, and then they did it again in 2023. So they went to three consecutive playoffs seasons and they had not done three in a row in ever. I mean, since the 90s, the mid 90s and that is a real accomplishment. Now it's not winning the Super Bowl. And it's not even going to an NFC championship game. But if we can look back at those three years, almost like they never even happened and

7:14that they did mean a thing and there's nothing good that can come out of those three Mike McCarthy 2021 through 23 seasons. I remember looking at the numbers, only one team had more wins than them and that was the freaking dynasty chiefs. And you're in a 32 team league. But to the chiefs, I mean, look, everything's punctuated by the Packers lost to and that's the culmination of those three seasons. Unfortunately, perception wise, it just is. Well, yeah, but I'm saying you just discussed though, like setting a proper perception, like Mike Elko is trying to set a proper perception in the other direction of like, look, let's talk about what actually matters here. 1939, 1998 are significant dates. And let's let's not run from them. Let's own them and let's say that this is what our plans are moving forward. But let's not even talk about our plans. Let's just do it. And then people will respond accordingly.

8:14I think the 2026 cowboys can be really, really good. But I guess what I'm saying is if the only outcome that will please people is literally a super bowl and not a super bowl birth, but you have to win it, then what are we doing? Right. It's absolutely stupid knowing where you've been and how if you do feel you're on the right path. And we'll know a lot here in eight weeks after they get through that run of those five games that are really, really difficult, which by the way, I mean, find me a harder stretch than what the cowboys are going to have with Ravens Texans, Bucks, Packers, Eagles, All-in Succession, three on the road. That's really, really difficult. And I just think that if you get through the season and you feel that if you didn't quite meet your goals, which they'll tell you we want to win a super bowl, okay?

9:17But if you're on the right path, which I don't even think, maybe we thought they were before they got beat by Green Bay by a hundred, but that game so tainted everything that I just have this awful vibe about it. But if you have this vibe that you are in the right going in the right direction, then I think that's what you should feel best about. And there's no shame in that whatsoever. Yeah, I think it, oh, go ahead, Dave. Well I was just going to say that I do think, and I know we get accused of glazing, shoddy and certainly Christian Parker when we haven't seen him call a single game yet. But I am encouraged by the direction that they're showing and that there is a definitive plan. And I don't know that you could totally say that during the McCarthy era. The offense was always baffo, but you had such just disorganization towards the end with

10:21the defense once you lost your coordinator. And so that's what to me makes those three years. Yes, 36 wins is tremendous. And it's towards the top of the league. But then you pair that with one playoff win. It does cut the legs out from those seasons. And I do think that you've got to win at least one and maybe two depending on if you win the division in order to get people excited because people just feel like it's the same old. That's the bar is the NFC championship game. And I think that is a reasonable expectation. Now I will concede though the reason we say that specifically is because every NFC team has been there since 2010, but the Cowboys and the Cowboys haven't been there since 1996. And so it's not just the chiefs or just the chiefs and the bills and the 49ers. It's every single team in the NFC.

11:23And that one is a tough one to shake because there are some stinko franchises in the NFC and they've managed to make it. I mean, the Arizona Cardinals have been there, right? Yes, but even in Washington a couple years ago, I mean, come on. But you know, you look at your main rivals in that conference and it's the Eagles and it's the Packers and it's the Niners and count how many games those three have been to combine. Is it 15? I want to say, I want to say and I need to look this up, but I want to say the Packers have been to eight and the Eagles have been to eight and the Niners have been to eight. I think they think combined they've been to 24 NFC championship games since the Cowboys have been to one. Right. And those are your main three rivals, period end of story. So that's a rough look. And that's why I think that's why you got to hit the reset button and just say, let's be realistic here. It has been 30 years.

12:24I mean, you look at these guys that that played for those teams in the 90s and how old they are now and they're collecting social security. Think of it that way. They're collecting social social security, dude. It's crazy. Yeah, I just looked at the off to Oxnard column and it says, yeah, filled off your green bay and said, just go evolve into eight NFC championship games since the Cowboys have less been to one. New England has been to 15, by the way. They've been to 15 conference championship games since the Cowboys have been to one. So that's got to be the goal this year. I think it's a reasonable goal. I think it can be done. But then we'll quickly raise the bar again to win this and get to the Super Bowl and then win the Super Bowl. But yeah, if you, I'm going to agree with you guys. I like double digit wins and I would say the goal must be you're there in the final NFC

13:27game of the year playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. And if you do that, I think everybody has to at least nod their head and say a massive step forward and a belief that 2027 can be the next, the next step maybe. Okay. Or maybe you just haul off and win the NFC championship game. And we're actually doing a Super Bowl week and radio row about the Cowboys return to the Super Bowl. Yeah, great luck with all that. Good luck with all that. Truck drivers, the holiday rush is here. Now is the perfect time to become a Schneider team truck driver. Schneider team drivers can earn over $4,000 in incentives when they work between November 2nd and December 23rd. Schneider team drivers also enjoy no touch freight, access to Schneider's newest equipment and sign on bonuses up to $20,000. Need a driving partner? Schneider will help you find one. Don't let the holiday rush pass you by. Apply now at Schneiderjobs.com.

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