I'm Gonna take you to the Stars & Then Jerry did | Joseph Hoyt

Show Notes

What happens when you put Mike Rhyner, Shoopy, and a sportswriter with too many deadlines in the same room? You get equal parts wisdom, sarcasm, and a peek behind the curtain at how the sausage of sports journalism actually gets made.

In this episode of Your Dark Companion, Joseph Hoyt joins the crew to talk about life as a sportswriter in the Twitter age—where breaking news moves faster than a Micah Parsons blitz and one bad lede can get you roasted before halftime. Rhyner and Shoopy pry into everything: the chaos of press boxes, the weird pressure of writing “instant history” after big games, and what it’s like trying to cover athletes while also dodging fan bases that think they could do your job better.

It’s funny, it’s raw, and it’s a little too honest—basically, the perfect companion for your drive, your beer, or your Monday morning “I hate my boss” walk.

Chapters

0:00 – Welcome to the Chaos

4:22 – Press Box Theater

10:09 – Twitter Ate My Job

16:47 – Instant History, Zero Sleep

23:31 – Fans with Pitchforks

31:02 – Surviving the Grind

41:19 – Closing Time

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Creators and Guests

Host

Mike Rhyner

Mike Rhyner… "a little on the bumpy side, but rather likable"…so stated famously by a grade school teacher in Oak Cliff, where Mike grew up. A complicated guy, yet a guy who can do long division and remember call strike three to A Rod. Probably best left unattended. Don't expect assistance from him if a medical situation arises.

What is Your Dark Companion Podcast?

"Whatever I want it to be about on a given day; is what it is." Your Dark Companion couples your familiar friends from radio, Mike and Grubes! Mike brings his classic interviews that draw you in, and Grubes—The Devil—drops…well the drops, and throws the occasional grenade. Mike likes to draw on his fascinating acquaintances and friends allowing them to tell their stories as you've never heard them. But he also goes outside his network, sharing Grubes' network, and often outside of both, to bring you those they don't know, but believe have a story that will make you laugh, make you think, think differently, or just entertain you…"that's what we are trying to do here."

0:00:02 - (Mike): Don't forget to check out the Sunset lounge. Check out patreon.com sunsetloungedfw There you will find, among other things, beer 30, sports O'. Clock. This is your favorite go to for discussing craft beer and breweries. All things sports, but mainly college football. Ziggy is the host. He gives you real barbershop sports talk and gives you the tips you need before you lay down those bets. So check out beer 30, sports O'. Clock.
0:00:35 - (Mike): And all the great stuff we have for you here at the Sunset Lounge. Nobody would have thought that I would be the one. Reiner. Sports talk. Baseball. Baseball. Baseball. Oh, with the big mic. Oh, okay. All right. Yeah, okay. Now I get it. Isn't that a lightning strike, boys? What happened over there, Grego? We had a little light right outside the window. All right, all right. Here's a tip for all these Americano League teams.
0:01:13 - (Joseph Hoyt): Don't. Wait, you said tip.
0:01:14 - (Mike): Yeah.
0:01:14 - (Joseph Hoyt): Okay.
0:01:15 - (Mike): The P. Keep jamming the ticket colon. Nothing but a big Gen X jerk off. This is a cool night or what? Although somebody would hear that. Go. Oh, I'm back. What? Did I say something?
0:01:36 - (Grubes): You're all good.
0:01:37 - (Mike): Shine down.
0:01:39 - (Joseph Hoyt): Okay.
0:01:40 - (Ashlea): Shine down.
0:01:40 - (Grubes): I don't want to.
0:01:42 - (Joseph Hoyt): How dare you.
0:01:42 - (Mike): Oh, is that a band?
0:01:44 - (Grubes): They're a band. I feel like you've heard them. Let's see.
0:01:47 - (Mike): Would I know them? Shoopy?
0:01:49 - (Grubes): Probably.
0:01:53 - (Mike): I made it through the day.
0:01:56 - (Joseph Hoyt): I watched the world outside.
0:02:01 - (Grubes): Shinedown is like Ashley's family's band. Yeah.
0:02:11 - (Joseph Hoyt): Our guest likes new know. I do know.
0:02:13 - (Mike): Shine down. I don't think so.
0:02:15 - (Joseph Hoyt): I do know Shined out.
0:02:18 - (Mike): Why? Look, I'm not cool. I know it.
0:02:23 - (Grubes): I feel like here.
0:02:32 - (Mike): I don't recall hearing this. If it did that, it didn't stick. Have they got anything else?
0:02:38 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, let's see.
0:02:41 - (Grubes): Sound of Madness, maybe.
0:02:42 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah.
0:02:49 - (Mike): Boy, this is cool. Three heads box and then I'm going. The hell, man? I get it.
0:02:54 - (Joseph Hoyt): You're an outcast. Always under attack. Always.
0:02:57 - (Mike): No, don't know that either. Don't know that.
0:03:00 - (Grubes): Let's take it onto his iPad for his long walks.
0:03:04 - (Mike): All right. So anyway, the thing hasn't even started yet and we've determined that I don't know shined down.
0:03:11 - (Ashlea): Like the fifth time we've had this conversation.
0:03:16 - (Mike): I've totally forgotten the other four. I know. Well, anyway. Hi, everybody. This is another episode of your Dark Companion. I believe the number is 146.
0:03:27 - (Joseph Hoyt): Hell, yeah.
0:03:28 - (Mike): Today. God, that's a lot.
0:03:31 - (Grubes): We're still here, man.
0:03:35 - (Mike): And this is the 1st of September, which means that we are through with the worst month of the year.
0:03:45 - (Grubes): We made it.
0:03:46 - (Mike): We survived it. Once again.
0:03:48 - (Grubes): We cleared it.
0:03:49 - (Mike): We cleared August. Now, let's just get through this. This will be the final month of mandatory summertime gear. Then we're home free.
0:04:00 - (Grubes): We're flying, we're wearing hoodies.
0:04:03 - (Mike): We are. So it's all good here inside the nurturing biosphere of the mothership. Hopefully it's good wherever you are. And also hopefully you like the Cowboys, because today, if you like the Cowboys, you are going to like this. Because joining us today is the guy on the beat for the Dallas Morning News these days. He is Joe Hoyt.
0:04:34 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah.
0:04:36 - (Mike): Thank you for doing this.
0:04:37 - (Joseph Hoyt): Of course. Thanks. Did anything happen recently with the Cowboys? Any.
0:04:42 - (Mike): Well, that's what we got you in here for.
0:04:43 - (Joseph Hoyt): Oh, yeah, sorry. You know, if you need to run.
0:04:46 - (Mike): Out there, make a couple phone calls.
0:04:48 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, let me. Let me do a Google search. No, it's been, it has been a crazy time for the Cowboys. But, you know, it's funny, I say that and then, you know, you watch the documentary, you kind of think about everything with the Cowboys amidst the Jerry Jones era, and it, it's always a crazy time covering this team.
0:05:02 - (Mike): Yeah, it's really not much more than par for the course.
0:05:05 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, no, no doubt. Yeah, it's. I will say this was shocking, though, this past week.
0:05:11 - (Mike): Well, we're definitely going to get into that, but I have a couple questions here about you.
0:05:15 - (Joseph Hoyt): Let's do it.
0:05:16 - (Mike): Because I don't know you very well, but it seems like I remember. I could be dead wrong here, but it seems like I remember you having a previous swim through the Dallas Morning News before this. Is that so?
0:05:31 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, technically, this is my third time, so it's the. The Return part three. I was an intern at the Dallas morning news in 2016. Then I went to Iowa, then I went to Portland. Then I came back to Dallas in 2018, covered high school sports for the Dallas Morning News. Whoop, whoop. Then I went on to cover college sports. The Texas Rangers had a sink covering the stars in the playoff run, too. And then, you know, I went to go cover the Cowboys. That was always a dream of mine to cover the NFL. Went to a startup to do it.
0:05:59 - (Joseph Hoyt): Took a chance there, went to another place to do it, another startup. And the goal was always to come back to the Dallas Morning News. And to be honest, I'm blessed to be able to do that two years later.
0:06:07 - (Mike): And it worked out for you.
0:06:08 - (Joseph Hoyt): It worked out. Yeah, it was. It was definitely. I'm a Big believer in terms of career stuff that, you know, you got to know when to make risks and whatnot. And I took a chance, went to a startup, and it's funny, the startup doesn't even exist anymore. It was called Lone Star Live. It doesn't even exist, but it was, what, 8 was able to kind of get me on the beat and prove that I could cover the Cowboys. And, you know, when I was at the DMN the first time or the second time, one thing they, they told me was, hey, I asked them, how do I cover the Cowboys? How do I get to that point? And they said, you know, to be honest with you, you can't just rise here.
0:06:41 - (Joseph Hoyt): We're gonna need to see it somewhere else. This is a big time beat. And so I took that to heart, took a risk and kind of worked out.
0:06:48 - (Mike): For a good chunk of my time paying attention to who's on the cowboy beat and how it's covered and everything. It's a two man gig. Is it a two man gig for.
0:06:59 - (Joseph Hoyt): You or two man gig for us? Right now? It's been a three person gig sometimes, you know, with so much going on and three people definitely helps. But with two people, right now, it's me and Calvin Watkins. And then I'm replacing David Moore, who was just fantastic. And, you know, that's some big shoes to fill, for sure.
0:07:18 - (Mike): And that is some big shoes to fill.
0:07:19 - (Joseph Hoyt): He's fantastic.
0:07:20 - (Mike): Yeah, he is fantastic. He's a longtime good pal of mine, and I hope to have him in here someday. By the way, by the way, we've already had Calvin Watkins in that chair.
0:07:30 - (Grubes): His butt has been.
0:07:31 - (Joseph Hoyt): I could feel a presence here, you know, I mean, as you know too, if you want to get David in, just. Just bring a Pinot noir. That's. That just that that brings David. That is the. That is the moth to flame for David. Willamette Valley Pinot. I'm sure he'll love that.
0:07:45 - (Mike): Well, it's very unfortunate for you that you picked up the cowboy beat when nothing was going on.
0:07:51 - (Joseph Hoyt): Nothing. No. Yeah. A lot has happened. Yeah, this, I mean, the Micah Parsons trade, we can, we can talk about it. So much led up to it. So much. When you start looking, kind of in hindsight, so many things happen that would kind of predict this outcome. But the thing was, you know, and you, you know, the Cowboys, you know, Jerry Jones, there was never belief pretty much from anyone else that he would ever make this kind of move, that he would not pay the guy. In the end, he's done it so many times. And the fact that it happened was shocking, you know, franchise altering potentially. Yeah, it was an insane couple. Couple hours there for sure. Once it actually happened.
0:08:31 - (Mike): My take on it when it first started coming down and everything was okay. This is just nothing more than a little training camp kerfluffle. And when training camp is over with and the season rolls around, it'll get done because that's the way it always had happened before. I do see now that there are a couple of signposts along the way that I probably should have paid a little bit more attention to.
0:08:58 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah.
0:08:59 - (Mike): Most of those having to do with what Micah Parsons is about and the kind of guy he is because he seemed really, really dug in from the start. But because of the way it had always worked out before, I didn't pay that much attention to that.
0:09:15 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, I mean, no doubt, because. And I said this. And it's funny, being a new guy on the beat, sometimes you have to guard against a little bit of your naivete a little bit. It's like, hey, you know, I think this is the way things are going, but maybe this is just me being kind of new and learning things a little bit. And I kind of felt very from the very beginning that this was different, that this was a little bit weird because I had seen what happened with Dak Prescott last year. You saw it with CD Lam. Obviously you paid attention to Zeke Elliott, Zach Martin, all these guys. Yeah, they had their things, but that's just Jerry being Jerry. You got to do business with him like that.
0:09:43 - (Joseph Hoyt): That's one thing. DeMarcus Lawrence, who is now in Seattle, he talked about that if you're going to do business with the Cowboys, you're going have to do it Jerry's way, but ultimately it'll work out. But there was just from the very beginning, things felt a little bit different with Micah. And obviously Micah, you know, he's so conscientious of his brand. He's so conscientious of public outward facing things that, you know, you started to wonder were some of these little cracks just kind of showmanship in terms of a negotiation.
0:10:07 - (Joseph Hoyt): But you come to find out that I think the turning point, the big pillar, was the fact that the two negotiated Micah Parsons and Jerry Jones directly. Jerry Jones thought they had a deal. Micah Parsons, you know, then turned to his agent and said, hey, you know, I've talked to Jerry Jones. Now I want you to do it. And by the way, where we kind of agreed that's going to be the starting point for the new Negotiations with David Mologhetta. And, you know, it didn't. It didn't work out in terms of Jerry Jones being too thrilled about that idea.
0:10:36 - (Mike): Why? I mean, that's the way this is done in the NFL.
0:10:41 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah.
0:10:41 - (Mike): You know, if you're going to negotiate a contract with a player, you're going to go through his agent. The agent's going to be there, he's going to be present, he's going to be involved, he's going to be giving feedback to the player. Why was Jerry so reluctant to do this the way it's normally done?
0:10:57 - (Joseph Hoyt): I think it's because Jerry, you know, and he's kind of talked about this. He believed that when he entered a negotiation with Micah Parsons, those were the two principles involved is what the words he keeps using. And he believed that when he talked with Micah Parsons and they negotiated, he gave in a little bit. He. He moved off his mark is the wording he keeps using. And he. I even asked him, like, do you plan to continue this type of negotiation tactic in the future? And he said, yes, because.
0:11:22 - (Joseph Hoyt): Completely. Because one thing I love to do is I love to see. I want a player to see the look in my eye when I say, you know what? You got me there. I'll give you that money, or I'm going to be the one that kind of changes your life with these millions of dollars. And I think Jerry Jones thought that he had that moment with Micah Parsons, and it didn't work out. It didn't happen. And so, you know, but as you kind of pointed to, this is, this is not how things go. You know, you know, lawyers, agents, these things are the guys that make these deals happen. This is what puts, you know, words to writing. He thinks that that didn't have to happen.
0:11:54 - (Joseph Hoyt): And honestly, I think when you look at. From Micah Parsons perspective, there's a lot of belief that David Mulligetta, a guy that Micah Parsons cares about, was disrespected throughout this process.
0:12:04 - (Mike): Yeah.
0:12:04 - (Joseph Hoyt): Jerry Jones wouldn't say his name. Jerry Jones wouldn't call him. This is the most powerful agent, according to Forbes, in the NFL.
0:12:10 - (Mike): Yeah, that's what I was going to say. I mean, this is a name that, if you pay any kind of attention to this stuff, you see that name all the time.
0:12:17 - (Joseph Hoyt): 100%. Yeah. I mean, and David Mulligett has earned that. I mean, he's also kind of had a clear path, though, in terms of. With his star players, how they kind of do business, too. And that is to be dug in. That is to say, you know, hey, we're willing to miss games. We're, you know, back tightness is a thing that, you know, that might not. That might be a thing in terms of negotiations. And I do believe that that first negotiation between Jerry Jones and Micah Parsons was the thing that kind of started the rift.
0:12:41 - (Joseph Hoyt): I believe the straw that broke the camel's back, though, came in the last couple weeks when it was pretty evident that Micah Parsons was not going to play without a new deal. You know, Micah Parsons had the back tightness. He'd been saying that for a long time, but it never healed. Micah Parsons got a second opinion, external opinion on his back. And if you kind of look at how the CBA is formulated, that was definitely them trying to guard against a potential injury grievance, you know, that could come out if this thing continued on. And I think if you looked at the path, if they didn't trade Micah Parsons and they didn't pay him because they clearly didn't want to, David Mulget and Micah Parsons went back to Jerry Jones last minute and said, hey, you know, let's do this. Let's. Let's have a negotiation. And Jerry Jones confirmed this. He said, play on your fifth year option for $21 million or get out.
0:13:25 - (Joseph Hoyt): And ultimately, I think if this thing didn't get resolution, we were. We were on course for a very, very, very set of messy circumstances.
0:13:34 - (Mike): Wow. Do you think this is the best trade the Cowboys could have made for him personally?
0:13:41 - (Joseph Hoyt): You know, I know that they had interest from other places, and if you kind of look at their thought process, they wanted to get a defensive tackle to stop the run, and they wanted to get draft capital, Right? And they looked at all the teams, said which teams could actually afford Micah Parsons and who could bring us a defensive tackle that can stop the run. They believe they got the best deal because they got, you know, Kenny Clark, who's a guy that can step in right away and definitely be kind of what they've been missing in the middle in terms of a nose tackle, I don't think this is the best deal they could have done. No, I think that if you open up the trade lines, and it's funny because I was talking to someone with the Cowboys who kind of pushed back on this narrative, and then I pushed back, too, and said, if you.
0:14:16 - (Joseph Hoyt): After that March and April meeting between Micah Parsons and Jerry Jones, if you say, you know what? I don't like the fact that Micah Parsons then said, hey, we're gonna have to start over with my Agent, I think we should trade him. And that's one thing Jerry Jones has said, like they've been considering a trade for a while. Well, if you trade him before the draft, you might get three first round picks. You might get a first round pick in 2025, 2026 and 2027.
0:14:36 - (Joseph Hoyt): Maybe it's a first round pick in 2025,2026 and a second rounder in 2027. I think you get more draft capital to, as Jerry Jones likes to say, cut and shoot and make some moves. If you do it before the draft, that can help you immediately. While I do think Kenny Clark is a guy that can help them immediately, they're putting a lot of pressure on him to be the solution. The fix in the defensive line, the kind of antidote for, you know, something that's been plaguing them for years. And that's their run defense.
0:15:03 - (Joseph Hoyt): That's a lot of pressure. So I think that they probably could have got a better deal if they did this earlier, frankly. But right now, right before the season, they believe that they got someone that could fix something that really has bothered them.
0:15:14 - (Mike): Do you remember a point as all this was playing out where you thought to yourself, oh, this is really going to get bad and the end is probably not going to be a real good one for anybody?
0:15:29 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, I think at the end of training camp I, I had, I was resolute in this idea that things had gotten weird. Like, you know, that naivete I was talking about earlier being on the beat, I kind of pushed that aside. I said, things are getting weird. This is not, this is not going well. And I do think as Micah Parsons kind of kept citing the back injury once he made the trade request, obviously things were set course.
0:15:50 - (Joseph Hoyt): But I, I, I think once the back injury stuff came up and came to a head and you start talking to people and, you know, not only were the Cowboys or were the David Mulgetta and Micah Parsons preparing, I think for a potential injury grievance from the Cowboys as they were preparing to miss games, I think that that side was also preparing to potentially file a grievance against the Cowboys for the way they negotiated. Yeah, so you might have had grievances back and forth, you might have had lawyers back and forth.
0:16:15 - (Joseph Hoyt): You might have not had resolution on what was going to happen with him for a while. And the other thing too was the pending grievance that the NFLPA and the Cowboys or Micah Parsons had already filed against the NFL and the Cowboys regarding his fifth year option and what position he was they were trying to argue. So he was slated as a defensive end, which is pivotal because that meant that he got paid $3 million roughly less on his fifth year option than he would as a linebacker. But he was drafted as a linebacker. They believed he was a linebacker and they wanted to go set a grievance. There was a pending grievance over that too. So if they were already getting messy over $3 million in a fifth year option, that might become moot.
0:16:52 - (Joseph Hoyt): I thought that things could get really messy from that point if they wanted to keep pursuing this.
0:16:56 - (Mike): Boy, that's a lot of stuff. That is just a world of stuff that we as fans, you know, either don't know about, or I know in my case, I only have a certain tolerance for it before I start getting down all fours and barking like a dog, just doing all kinds of weird stuff. But, man, that's, that's just an amazing story and an amazing, amazing set of circumstances to watch play out for you 100%.
0:17:28 - (Joseph Hoyt): And a very dramatic one. And it's funny, I have a story coming out soon. Looking at how much value there is in that actually, though, in terms of the drawn out negotiations, in terms of what they've done with Dak Prescott and the will they or won't they Remember, they signed him literally the morning of the season opener last year in Cleveland, the CD Lamb, drawn out negotiations. There is value in controversy, and no one knows that better than Jerry Jones himself.
0:17:53 - (Mike): Yeah, I mean, if there's one thing we've learned from him, being what he is around here, it's that 100% and that nobody, nobody knows it. Nobody plays it out like he does.
0:18:06 - (Joseph Hoyt): No. And no one kind of relishes that, that frontward facing controversy like him too. I mean, I just keep thinking there was a moment when we're covering the premiere of his documentary, you know, a week before it comes out, and we're at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, California. And I, like had just, we had just talked with him and it was funny. One thing, when he walked to his local media, the first thing he says to us is, you know, I told you if you guys stuck around me, I take you to the stars.
0:18:30 - (Joseph Hoyt): I was like, that's classic Jerry. But there's a moment when I'm like leaving this and I'm about to write a story about, you know, a scene setting piece a little bit. And I'm walking down and I look down, I see Dolly Parton star, and I'm just like, only covering the Cowboys, would I be in Hollywood, California, after a Netflix documentary premiere about something that was 30 years ago and then writing about it there and having to pull into, you know, a random restaurant to write there while it's just. Anyways, it's a, it's a, it's a dramatic, controversy filled team, but people, people love to hate it or love to love it.
0:19:05 - (Mike): What do you think about that documentary?
0:19:08 - (Joseph Hoyt): You know, it's. It's interesting because as someone who didn't grow up in Dallas and, you know, all these things did happen when I was a little bit younger, I, I didn't really have a full sense, believe it or not. I know it's been a while. I didn't really have a good, like, full sense of it. You know, I had heard stories and obviously I knew some things, but I thought from that standpoint, you know, it was fantastic in terms of kind of just going over things that we kind of knew if you have, have done research or paid attention.
0:19:37 - (Joseph Hoyt): It was funny though, because we watched it before it came out.
0:19:40 - (Mike): Yeah.
0:19:40 - (Joseph Hoyt): You know, we got a chance to look at it before and I thought it was good. I didn't think it. The reaction that actually people had to it and kind of, you know, all the, you know, applause and credit it got. I was a little bit surprised by that because I was like, oh, I thought it was good. I didn't know it was going to be that good in the community. A lot of people really liked it. A lot of people, you know, thought it was very dramatic. And, you know, the other thing too is I had someone tell me, like, man, I was surprised that it wasn't a puff piece for Jerry Jones. And, you know, I was like, yeah, Jerry Jones wouldn't want a puff piece.
0:20:11 - (Mike): Like, no, you could say what you want to about him.
0:20:13 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, 100%.
0:20:14 - (Mike): But he's not going for any kind of puff piece on something like that.
0:20:17 - (Joseph Hoyt): No, he wanted real and he doesn't mind.
0:20:20 - (Mike): He wanted real and he got real.
0:20:21 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, he doesn't mind at all. I've had people tell me it's funny, Mike. Like, you know, I'll do like a podcast in, you know, inside the studio, you know, the Cowboys headquarters, and I'll, you know, be saying, hey, Jerry Jones is, has been a bad gm, for example. Right. And people be like, how do you say that? And, you know, not worry about your credentials getting removed. I was like, you think Jerry Jones cares about those kind of comments? No, he, he welcomes it. He loves it.
0:20:45 - (Grubes): Yeah, you're talking about.
0:20:46 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, exactly. And that's ultimately the, the biggest Thing when it comes to Jerry Jones loves, I think, to be in the conversation and loves to have kind of the camera's on him, frankly. I think he'd tell you that, too.
0:20:56 - (Mike): Yeah, yeah. It's. I mean, people say. Have said, and I know you've heard it, you probably thought it yourself, that that's what matters most to him.
0:21:06 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, Forbes. Forbes tells you that too, right? And just how valuable they are. And I think that is ultimately, you know, something that I think has carried with him in this franchise for a long time. What other note about just kind of this Micah Parsons trade? And speaking of the documentary, one thing Jerry Jones told us at the premiere was one of the best things that ever happened to him was the Herschel Walker trade.
0:21:26 - (Joseph Hoyt): And he was so adamant about this premiere. And I kind of remember, like, you know, ears pinning up a little bit. I'm like, that's kind of interesting how adamant he was. And then for him to go around, turn around and trade Micah Parsons for what he believes can be a Herschel Walker type thing. Obviously not the same hall, and he was never going to get that type of hall in today's world, but he believes that this is something that could be similar to the Herschel Walker trade.
0:21:48 - (Joseph Hoyt): I genuinely think from the filming and from watching the documentary, he was inspired to make this Micah Parsons trade because of the Herschel Walker trade. Because of what he saw his former self do in terms of being the gambler, the cut and shoot, the take risks. I think he was inspired by it.
0:22:03 - (Mike): Man. I got to tell you, one thing it did for me was put me back in that place.
0:22:08 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah.
0:22:09 - (Mike): And bring back the vibes of those times. Like, you know, all the stuff with all the off the field stuff with the White House and all that, you know?
0:22:19 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah.
0:22:20 - (Mike): I mean, back in the day, I don't know if you know this or not, but I used to be on the radio and we got a little mileage out of that.
0:22:26 - (Joseph Hoyt): Oh, I can imagine. Yeah. That's the thing about this beat. It's. It's always giving. There's always stuff to talk about. There's always stuff to write about. And, you know, it's fascinating, man. It really is.
0:22:37 - (Mike): Well, sooner or later, and probably sooner rather than later, you're gonna have an actual football.
0:22:44 - (Joseph Hoyt): I know.
0:22:45 - (Mike): To write about.
0:22:46 - (Joseph Hoyt): I know I got the Marriott notification, you know, saying, hey, time to check in for your Philadelphia hotel. And I was like, oh, my God, it's actually here. Yeah, I'm excited.
0:22:55 - (Mike): It is actually here. So what have we got?
0:22:58 - (Joseph Hoyt): It's a great question. The official prediction I went with was 8 and 9. And I think ultimately my rationale was they're too good to be bad, but they're not good enough to be good, frankly. And I know that's a very rudimentary kind of way to look at it, but I think if you look at what they have in terms of Dak Prescott when he's been healthy, they win. You know, whether or not you think he's a great quarterback or not, that's obviously very polarizing topic. They do win.
0:23:27 - (Mike): He's a great quarterback.
0:23:29 - (Joseph Hoyt): I don't think He's a tier one quarterback by any means. I think he's a top 12, top 10 on a good season quarterback in the NFL, which in my opinion is good enough to win.
0:23:39 - (Mike): Yeah, for me I see him as an upper second tier quarterback, but hey, there's been a lot of winning done big and otherwise with upper second tier quarterbacks.
0:23:49 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah.
0:23:50 - (Mike): You know, not every quarterback who's won the super bowl has been a upper first year guy.
0:23:55 - (Joseph Hoyt): Trent Dilfer might have been a fourth tier.
0:23:57 - (Mike): Yeah.
0:23:58 - (Joseph Hoyt): You know, and I think about Dak being healthy, they've won. Right. But I also think when he's been healthy and CD Lamb's been healthy, they've been very productive. Dak Prescott and CD Lam were the probably one of the best or maybe the best connection two years ago when Dak was a MVP runner up because they were fantastic. And I think CD Lam has taken another step too. Last year he dealt with the contract negotiation stuff. I think that affected him a little bit last year.
0:24:26 - (Joseph Hoyt): Obviously Dak then getting hurt didn't help him either. Now that those two are healthy and they've had it, you know, been able to really work together this offseason, I think that chemistry is going to go. And then I do think that the addition of George Pickens is a catalyst on the field. I think George Pickens is a top 15 to 20 wide receiver in the NFL. The fact that he was averaging a thousand yards over in Pittsburgh when they had no quarterback play I think is a really testament to his ability.
0:24:53 - (Joseph Hoyt): I think those two are going to be really, really good. But the questions they have on this team, there's a lot, the running game, we don't know the offensive line, what they can do at left tackle. Can Tyler Guyn actually take the next step and be a serviceable left tackle? I think that's a huge X factor for them. Whether he'll play in week one or not. Still also an X factor. I think Defensively, they've got a lot of questions, a lot of holes. I do think Kenny Clark helps in terms of, you know, stopping the run a little bit, but now it's okay. Who's going to be your closer on the edge? Who's going to be the guy that goes out and makes sacks, that wins games? And Micah Parsons, whether you liked him or not, whether he was a diva or not, this was by all measures, in elite pass rusher and one of the best players in the NFL. And now you've lost him.
0:25:37 - (Joseph Hoyt): That's got to have some effect.
0:25:39 - (Mike): How is the coach playing in the room? I think all you can tell.
0:25:45 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, I think, you know, it's a fascinating storyline, and I think it's something we're going to be watching for this entire season. I like to think in terms of covering a beat and covering a season, that there's themes that define it from the beginning, the middle, and the end. And you always kind of have to do temperature checks a little bit with those themes. And Brian Schoenheimer is a pivotal theme for this Cowboys team. And this is a guy that used to be kind of the up and coming young, you know, head coach in waiting.
0:26:11 - (Joseph Hoyt): He missed his chance, and then, you know, the iron got cold. You know, you couldn't strike it then. And then the Cowboys were willing to do it. But I think a big reason why is because they got to know Brian Schonheimer. You know, he started as a defensive analyst for them, then he was, you know, an offensive assistant, then he was an offensive coordinator. And it's funny, the first time I ever heard Brian Schneider talk in a press conference, and this was first year on the beat. You know, I remember just thinking, that's a head coach. Like, you know, I, you know, take all the. Take all the history out of it, like just the way he talked. Yeah, that's a head coach, and I think that that's something that's been able to carry him to being a head coach.
0:26:48 - (Joseph Hoyt): Now the question is, can you actually be a good head coach?
0:26:51 - (Mike): Yeah.
0:26:51 - (Joseph Hoyt): I'm not surprised that he's in this chair, but I'll be honest, I don't know what to expect from him as a head coach.
0:26:59 - (Mike): One of the things that I, in fact, the main thing that I've been using to gauge him is been by the stuff that he says.
0:27:07 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah.
0:27:08 - (Mike): And you know how Cowboys coaches can be sometimes under when they're standing there talking to everybody and they know that Jerry's leering in the background somewhere and that that can make you. That can make your train of thought go off the rails pretty quickly, and you wind up saying something that you wish you hadn't.
0:27:27 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah.
0:27:28 - (Mike): And I've been measuring what I've heard Brian Schottenheimer say, and so far, so good, man. You know, I mean, I don't hear much out of him. That's really given me pause. No, in fact, I don't think I've heard anything that just sounded like maybe go, man, that's kind of weird.
0:27:47 - (Joseph Hoyt): I think it's. I mean, flip it on its head, too, a little bit. I think everything he said has almost made you believe him.
0:27:51 - (Mike): Yeah.
0:27:52 - (Joseph Hoyt): Like, he is a very. The one thing about Brian Schneimer, very genuine guy. Like, you talk to people around the facility. You talk to. You talk to people that hold, you know, the security people at Cowboys headquarters, and they'll say, oh, Brian shot. And I were asked how my day was doing and checks in with me. You know, he will buy donuts for random people in marketing. Like, this is a guy that I think everyone loves to be around, and I think he's a genuine dude.
0:28:13 - (Joseph Hoyt): As a reporter, even, like, you know, we have. We're very cynical, and one thing that we kind of guard against in press conferences is like, okay, that what this coach is saying, that's coach speak, you know, that. That's something that's not real. He's just trying to kind of. There's been very few times where I say, Brian Schottheimer is doing coach speak right here. Like, and usually it's because he kind of has to, frankly, to kind of COVID something, you know, about maybe the mica stuff, you start to wonder, like, when he was saying, hey, he's gonna play, it's like, is he gonna play? You know, but in terms of, like, if you ask Brian Schadenheimer, any question, usually genuine answer every time, you know, if you ask him, like, why did that defensive end, you know, do that in that situation, he'll explain to you the coverage that they were running behind him, the. The blocking scheme that the running backs, you know, were trying to follow in front of him.
0:28:59 - (Joseph Hoyt): You know, maybe the fact that the defensive tackle, like, whispered to him and said, hey, I want you to run this instead of that. Like, he goes out of his way to be very genuine. And I think it's the reason why a lot of fans, there is actually a little more excitement than when he was hired.
0:29:13 - (Mike): Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I respect that out of him, and I know guys like you.
0:29:16 - (Joseph Hoyt): Do, too, 100% yeah, but in the NFL, can you win? That's. That's the whole thing that comes down to Brian Genderman. He'd be the first one to tell you that.
0:29:25 - (Mike): This is Joe Hoyt. He covers the Cowboys for the Dallas Morning News. And we'll be back with Joe in just a second. But right now, it's time for the dreaded and feared mid show read.
0:29:44 - (Grubes): Don't be scared, Joe.
0:29:46 - (Mike): The highlight of every one of these. We do Joe.
0:29:49 - (Joseph Hoyt): I love it.
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0:30:33 - (Mike): or go there and see them for yourself. Grab a slushie. They're at 8550 Plano Road, Suite 101. That is in the northeast quadrant of that burgeoning intersection of Plano Road and Northwest highway here in Dallas. Begin your healing at the House of Healing. Effective now. All vape products will be sold online [e-mail] is that it? That's all we got here.
0:31:01 - (Grubes): We nailed it. Wow, we made a chubby.
0:31:05 - (Mike): That's pretty good.
0:31:05 - (Grubes): Yeah. Let's get back to Joe.
0:31:09 - (Mike): All right. I have to.
0:31:10 - (Grubes): You gotta recollect.
0:31:11 - (Mike): I have to. Yeah. To regather myself here.
0:31:13 - (Joseph Hoyt): That music got me a little scared. That little. I just saw Jaws for the first time, and, you know, that kind of gave me some Jaws vibes. I was a little stressed out and anxious, you know, you saw it for the first time. For the first time. Yeah. It was in. They're doing the 50th anniversary, so they're putting it in theaters. And me and my wife, when we were in New York once, we saw a play called the Shark is Broken.
0:31:35 - (Joseph Hoyt): And it was the backstory about how the shark was broken and all the stuff that happened on scene. And I finally, you know, I told her, like, hey, by the way, great play we just saw, but I've never seen Jaws. And she was jaw dropped, ironically, so we had to see it. And it was good. I was. I was anxious, but it was good.
0:31:55 - (Mike): How old were you when Jaws came out?
0:31:58 - (Grubes): Negative.
0:31:58 - (Joseph Hoyt): Negative 19. Good Lord. Yeah. Negative 19, man.
0:32:05 - (Mike): You have no idea. Of the furor that that film calls.
0:32:09 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah.
0:32:12 - (Mike): I saw the theater, and everybody wanted. Everybody had to see it. You didn't just want to see it. You had to see it. It was one of those. The. The biggest pop culture culture things that we had long before that term had been adequately defined.
0:32:29 - (Grubes): Well, I know that, but you also haven't seen Star wars, so. No, no, I. I gotta make sure. Like, I. I figured you were more likely to see Jaws, but I'm definitely.
0:32:39 - (Mike): More likely to see Jaws than Star Wars.
0:32:42 - (Joseph Hoyt): So Star Wars. Is it like just a stance thing at this point or you're just not into the sci fi?
0:32:47 - (Mike): Well, it started off as not being into the sci fi thing, but now. And I hate to be this guy because it's kind of get off my lawn guy.
0:32:58 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah.
0:32:59 - (Mike): But I've been so dug in on it for so long that I might as well just ride it out.
0:33:03 - (Joseph Hoyt): That's fair. That's a. That's what David Mulligan and Micah Parsons were doing with their stance in negotiations, too. So sometimes you got to be dug in. You got to believe in it.
0:33:11 - (Mike): Now that is bringing it back to football.
0:33:12 - (Grubes): See, that's what Joe does.
0:33:17 - (Mike): All right, let's talk a little bit about the. The coming up, the coming season. Are you free to talk about the larger NFL stuff?
0:33:26 - (Joseph Hoyt): Of course, yeah. I would love to. I'm a big football fan. Okay. Yeah, I. That's how I. The reason why I wanted to do it and got in the business. And that's. I love football.
0:33:37 - (Mike): It looks to me like the NFC east is getting strong again.
0:33:43 - (Joseph Hoyt): Oh, yeah.
0:33:43 - (Mike): And when I say getting strong again, you know, there have been a couple of years where the good teams were. You know, there was one good team, there was another team that was pretty good, and then there were a couple of teams that weren't very good at all. And now it's looking like you got two teams that are really strong. You got another one that's on the way up. And then there's the Cowboys. Where do the Cowboys fit in on this?
0:34:10 - (Joseph Hoyt): I think they're third. But it's funny you bring that up, because I was thinking about this kind of recently. I'm like, if you kind of look what the Giants are doing, too. And it's funny because they've also been the. Also ran in the NFC now for a little while, obviously, with Eli Manning, had the super bowl wins and. But things have kind of kind of fallen off in the last few years there. If you look at their pass rush, they might have one of the best pass rushes in the NFL. They drafted Abdul Carter out of Penn State with the second overall pick. That's a guy who Micah Parsons like.
0:34:36 - (Joseph Hoyt): And you add that some what they already had with their pass rush. In terms of Dexter Lawrence, defensive tackle, one of the best nose tackles in the NFL. You have cave on Thibodeau, extremely talented. Brian Burns is a guy that has had Pro Bowls and can kind of take him over. I mean, that's going to be a game for Dak Prescott to be uncomfortable twice. Yeah, I mean, they got some guys 100%.
0:34:54 - (Mike): You know, they don't have everything in place yet. There's still some things that are missing there. There are a lot of guys that are going to have to come through for them, for them to really do anything and really, you know, contend with. But we've seen stranger stuff than that happen for a bunch like that.
0:35:10 - (Joseph Hoyt): 100%. Yeah. And then you kind of turn your attention to Washington and, you know, I think the one question there is, can Jaden Daniels repeat what he did in terms of that fantastic rookie season? Is there a sophomore slump emerging for him? To be honest with you, I don't think so. I think that what they have in place kind of makes it seem that he can be able to just keep rising. I'm a big fan of Jaden Daniels, and I think the Washington is just a great example of, to be honest, what happens sometimes when change happens.
0:35:35 - (Mike): Yeah.
0:35:35 - (Joseph Hoyt): You know, finally they get rid of Dan Snyder and that regime. And, you know, I've always been a believer that success starts at the top and culture is defined by what's the top. And they made changes. They use their money appropriately, they got a franchise quarterback with the second overall pick, and instantly they become a team that not only contended last year, but a team that looks like it's going to contend for NFC east titles for a long time. And that's got to be.
0:35:57 - (Joseph Hoyt): It's got to be a little unnerving for Cowboy fans, frankly.
0:36:00 - (Mike): Yeah. And then you have the dreaded and feared Philadelphia Eagles, who when last seen, were raising the Lombardi.
0:36:08 - (Joseph Hoyt): Oh, yeah, yeah. And they look good again. And that's another one where you start to wonder success. You know, maybe not at the top top in terms of Jeffrey Lurie, their owner, but Howie Roseman, I think, has just been, you know, he's kind of had the Midas touch, frankly. And this is. This is a guy that didn't have that for a while, was demoted, was pretty much sent out of the entire scouting office. They.
0:36:27 - (Joseph Hoyt): They Kind of sent him to the Siberia of the front office just to get away while they kind of waited to get rid of him. And they said, you know what, Howie will bring you back into the fold. And since then, this is a guy that's had the minus touch. He's been fantastic. He's a guy that has identified Zach Bond as an edge rusher. One plays, moves him inside. Next thing you know, he's an all pro player.
0:36:46 - (Joseph Hoyt): Everything he does kind of seems to turn to gold right now. And I think that that's scary for the Cowboys right now because of his hit rate. Everything that they've been doing has been working. And, you know, they're going to raise a banner on Thursday night against the Cowboys. It's funny, we're talking to CD Lamb about this today, and he's like, oh, I want to watch. I want to watch that happen. I don't want to kind of, you know, ignorance is bliss. And disregard that. And the big thing he says, because that's motivation, because that's something we're chasing.
0:37:12 - (Joseph Hoyt): Eagles. Eagles are chasing another one, too. I think that they're going to be really good. Full disclosure, I have Washington in my predictions, winning the NFC east this year. There's been a different NFC east champion, I think, each of the last 21 years, and I think that that continues with Washington taking over this year.
0:37:30 - (Mike): What about Detroit? Detroit was another team that came on strong last year. Are they well poised to add on to what they did?
0:37:39 - (Joseph Hoyt): For sure, yeah. That's actually my super bowl. Nfc. Oh, it is, yeah. My NFC pick out of the is the Lions. Because in my one pause is. And I think he's been really, really good in Detroit and I love his story and kind of being a number one pick that, you know, was kind of shipped off, you know, out of this original home and has found a home in Detroit. Jared Goff in the playoffs still gives me pause. Whether that's fair or not, you know, I don't know.
0:38:02 - (Joseph Hoyt): I think in terms of clutch time, we'll see if that can actually get over the hump. And that's the big question with them. Otherwise, they are supremely talented at so many positions, and I think they're a great example of what a culture can do. I think a lot of people, you know, we're talking about cynical reporters here will kind of poo poo a culture. Like, oh, everyone talks about culture. It doesn't matter.
0:38:21 - (Joseph Hoyt): Dan Campbell has instituted a culture in Detroit. This is, you know, Texas A and M guy. He's tough Gritty, you know, obviously a former Cowboy, too. And it's, you know, Jerry Jones has talked a lot about his affinity for Dan Campbell since what he's been doing in Detroit. He has instituted just a tough, tough team, and I think that that's going to be a tough team every week and every week out injuries is something that caught up with him last year. Will that happen again?
0:38:45 - (Joseph Hoyt): It's another X factor for him. But I love what Detroit's done. They've got a lot of studs.
0:38:50 - (Mike): He was up at the radio station a time or two, and I would just pass him in the hall. He's got a vibe, man. The guy really has a vibe about him. Yeah, you know, I mean, he was friendly, he was accommodating. He would look at you in the eye, but, man, there's just something about that guy. Yeah, I was thinking, man, man, it'd be neat if the Cowboys could see that in him. And, you know, this is when he was playing for him, you know.
0:39:15 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, no, I think that they recognized, I mean, Jerry recognized that, too. And, you know, I, I, you wonder, there's so many what ifs, Mike, about this just franchise over the course of, like, oh, I know, the last 25 to 30 years, and that's one I kind of wonder about, too, is Dan Campbell. But he's doing well in Detroit.
0:39:32 - (Mike): He is. It's all worked out for him.
0:39:35 - (Joseph Hoyt): No doubt, no doubt.
0:39:36 - (Mike): What about Green Bay? As long. As long as they're kind of a topic of things today.
0:39:43 - (Joseph Hoyt): You know, it's funny, because the Cowboys have hammered home this idea that they got better by trading Micah Parson. They've hammered home this idea that stopping the run is of premier importance. And it's funny, one thing I push back on them, too, is stopping the run was such an important thing. Why don't you go and sign someone in free agency, you know, of a bigger name that can kind of come in and be that solution for you. So, anyways.
0:40:06 - (Joseph Hoyt): But wouldn't it be crazy if Micah Parsons goes to Green Bay? Is that missing piece for them, and they end up going to an NFC championship game, something that the Cowboys haven't done in 30 years? I mean, gosh, how much would that hurt Cowboy fans to see Micah Parsons in that number one green jersey, you know, shoot, seeing how far they get and they've got the talent to do it, Mike, like, that's the scary thing about it, I mean, is they could turnaround this year and be a team that's in the NFC Championship and could potentially Win one that they're that good.
0:40:38 - (Joseph Hoyt): Jordan Love is a question in terms of what he can do. You know, I thought he took a step back last year. A lot of talent there. But Micah. They looked at Micah Parsons as the missing piece.
0:40:49 - (Mike): So anybody else in that division doing anything for you? The Vikings or Vikings?
0:40:54 - (Joseph Hoyt): I love everything about the Vikings except the question mark. That is J.J. mcCarthy, their quarterback. I mean, you just don't know. Justin Jefferson is just so good. Now they have, you know, Adam Thielen to go back with Jordan Addison. They are just another team that has got a lot of firepower.
0:41:11 - (Mike): Chicago I'm not pretty outrageous division.
0:41:13 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah. Chicago I'm still not that worried about. I don't know. They've got talent. I like Ben Johnson. It's a guy the Cowboys weren't interested in, you know, even though he's the hot head coaching candidate. I wonder what the he'll do with Caleb Williams. And we'll find out pretty quickly in week three when the Cowboys go to Chicago. But I don't. I don't have too many concerns there. I think the Cowboys might win that game.
0:41:37 - (Joseph Hoyt): One of their eight is my projection. So. But that division is good. They kind of like the NFC east where there's just a lot of talent. And even the worst team arguably has a lot of talent too.
0:41:47 - (Mike): How do you see the west shaping up?
0:41:49 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, I think if you look at the NFC west, the Rams are the hot pick, you know, and the Rams are a great pick to not only win the NC west, but to win the nfc. You know, a lot of people look at them as a talented team that was able to rebuild the right way and all of a sudden they're back in the fold. Matthew Stafford's back gives me a lot of concern. He's going to play the Sunday, it sounds like, but the will here won't he? And the one thing I know about backs, I mean, I'm already feeling in a 31 when I go out and golf how just tough and lingering a back injury can kind of be. And if you're playing quarterback and getting hit by, you know, some of these elite athletes that kind of take mass times acceleration and create a lot of force that worries about, you know, his longevity there.
0:42:30 - (Joseph Hoyt): I think I'm going with San Francisco to win the NFC west and that's not a common pick because everyone thinks that San Francisco lost a lot. They lost Deebo Samuel, they lost Talanojo Funga, Dre Greenlaw. A lot of talent, but they have the easiest schedule in the NFL. By a large margin and I think one of the easiest schedules that you'll see in a long time. I think they're going to make the playoffs, I think they're going to win the division and then we'll see what happens there.
0:42:55 - (Joseph Hoyt): But Arizona is also sneaky. Always to Seattle with Sam Darnold is a kind of a big question mark. But Sam Darnold looked good up until the end of last season with Minnesota. I mean, he can truly spin it. I think San Francisco wins it, but that's another wild card division.
0:43:11 - (Mike): Yeah. What about the South? Anybody there do much for you?
0:43:16 - (Joseph Hoyt): Nah, not really. The NFC south just kind of, you know, it's funny because we look at the NFC landscape and there's so many talented teams. Right. We talked about the NFC east having multiple talented teams. The NFC north is just, you know, a lot. Right. The NFC south is kind of, I think, where push comes to shove or, you know, Peter Rob's, Paul a little bit in terms of the conference outlook. I think Atlanta has got some potential.
0:43:41 - (Joseph Hoyt): I'm excited to see Michael Penix and what he can do. I think Bijan Robinson is, I'll tell you this, you know, see, there's a difference between what you see on TV and what you see with your own eyes. Right. When we were in Atlanta and I saw Bijan Robinson move, that is the most shifty running back I've ever seen ever. And I haven't been around that long, so, you know, take that with a grain of salt.
0:44:02 - (Joseph Hoyt): But that guy is a human joystick. It is so, so fun to watch. I'm excited to see what he does. Tampa, I think, still wins that division though. I like what Baker Mayfield has become. I like what they got at running back. Mike Evans Is Mr. Inevitable at this point. I mean, the fact that he just keeps stacking up thousand yards receiving seasons, guys, incredible. It's such a spectacular achievement, man. And I think he might do it again. He's just that good.
0:44:27 - (Mike): What do you think the Cowboys biggest on the field problem is going to be this year?
0:44:32 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, I think to be honest, that's.
0:44:34 - (Mike): It's running back, run defense. Oh, running back.
0:44:37 - (Joseph Hoyt): I think it's running back because their answer, their solution for it, we still haven't seen. And Javante Williams could end up being really good for them. Right. This is a guy they targeted in free agency. He's a pros pro is one thing I've heard. He's very physical. But Javante is not in Denver for a reason. Right. And Miles Sanders is another guy that if you look at both those acquisitions and free agency, one of my favorite stats for running backs, advanced stats, is rushing yards over expected, which means, hey, when the offensive line blocks for you, you're supposed to get an expected amount of rushing yards.
0:45:14 - (Joseph Hoyt): They had negative rushing yards over expected. So rushing yards under expected, which means that they were not getting everything that was available to them.
0:45:21 - (Mike): Yeah.
0:45:22 - (Joseph Hoyt): And that concerns me. Jaden Blues. I think a lot of people are counting on him. 5th round pick out of Texas. But, you know, I think that's a lot of pressure to put on a guy who was a fifth round pick and, you know, split carries with another guy in the backfield of Texas wasn't the guy. So I'm really curious to see how it goes. And they're putting a lot of pressure on Tyler Booker to be an instant impact guy too. I do believe he can be that. I don't have much concerns about Tyler Booker as a first round pick, but that's still a lot of pressure.
0:45:48 - (Mike): Did you see enough of him in training camp?
0:45:51 - (Joseph Hoyt): I mean, the thing is, we didn't see enough of him in preseason for sure. You know, in terms of games, he only played one game, about 25 offensive snaps, everything I watched. So there were so many times in training camp. And I think that that's kind of one thing. Training camp's a long time out there in Oxnard. It's just day in, day out. And yeah, I would just catch myself looking at Tyler Booker on occasional plays and be like, let me just check in and see how he's doing.
0:46:13 - (Joseph Hoyt): Every time I looked at Tyler Booker on those occasions was not only like handling things, but like, most of the time he was excelling. Yeah, like. And whether that's a bad run defense the Cowboys might have, that's another question. I thought Tyler Booker looked really good. I personally have no questions about whether or not he'll be ready to go. It's more a matter of how high can he go in terms of being an instant impact guy his rookie season. So.
0:46:36 - (Joseph Hoyt): But the running game, we'll see. It's a mystery.
0:46:39 - (Mike): What do you think the candidate for disappointment is this year? What's the biggest. The thing that you think might let people down the most about the Cowboys is.
0:46:50 - (Joseph Hoyt): It's a good question. I think a common pick might be like, George Pickens and like, you know, but I think George Pickens is going to be really good. I think there's a lot of eyes on, on how Jake Ferguson responds. They signed him to a big extension. And full disclosure, I Believe he will respond. I think last year was just a weird fluke, you know, had a knee injury in week one, had a nasty concussion that lingered with him for a while.
0:47:14 - (Joseph Hoyt): Comes back from the concussion and then he's playing with backup quarterbacks and he's been Dak Prescott and had such a good connection. But there's still pressure on Jake Ferguson to now be the guy after he signed a big extension to, to prove that last season was a fluke. I think that between him and Jaron Bland, there's now in terms of potential disappointments. It's because of the extensions that both these guys got.
0:47:35 - (Joseph Hoyt): And it's like, can you take that next step? Can you continue, you know, excelling there? You know, and I think those are both high bars to kind of reach for both those guys. I think they're both possible, but that's something that's. The onus is on them to now go out and not be a disappointment. So I think that's probably where I would go. You know, I think Trayvon Tiggs is going to be extremely interesting to watch. This is a guy that might play Thursday, which is kind of surreal a little bit considering his offseason knee surgery and the fact that he spent time away from the facility and was, um, you know, it triggered a $500,000 decrease in payment this year because he didn't, you know, participate in rehab at the facility.
0:48:12 - (Joseph Hoyt): But he's looked good. Uh, I'm really curious to see what he does. That's another big storyline, not only in the season, but in the early part of this.
0:48:19 - (Mike): Yeah, I mean that, that's a name you didn't even hear in training camp much this year.
0:48:24 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, because I mean, when you're just kind of off the field and doing your own thing, it's. And the Cowboys were reluctant to give any timetable on him. They still aren't. And we're, you know, two or three days away from the season opener. He told us today that there's a 75 to 80% chance he plays in week one, which is pretty surreal. And if he doesn't, that's another question mark for this team is what they do at slot corner with Daron Bland bouncing outside. And against that vaunted Eagles passing attack too, there's questions about. And that's why, like, I couldn't give them anything more than eight wins because there's so many questions. And I think when you start adding these questions up, you start adding losses, frankly.
0:49:02 - (Joseph Hoyt): But I do think that their high end talent puts them in that Kind of threshold.
0:49:05 - (Mike): One guy you don't have to worry about is the great, the incredible Brandon Aubrey.
0:49:11 - (Joseph Hoyt): No, Yeah, I don't worry about him at all. At all. I mean, he's. It's funny because I even asked Nick Sorensen, their special teams coordinator today, and I was like, okay, well, how do you go about determining what his maximum yardage will be in a given game? And he's like, yeah, you know, one thing with Brandon, though, is like, I'll just tell him anything. And he goes, yeah, okay, sure. Brandon Aubrey is this chillest, smoothest, just automatic thing I think that I've ever seen in terms of sports. He.
0:49:38 - (Joseph Hoyt): He doesn't like to focus on what's actually going on in the game because he believes that that really kind of eliminates stress or anxiety and just makes him just go out and focus on the function of kicking.
0:49:49 - (Mike): Gotta kind of like wake me up when it's time for me to go kick a 65 yard field goal.
0:49:53 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah. And then literally. And then he'll say, you know what, I'm just gonna focus on the process. Like, he, he's very like engineer brained, I think, in terms of like, okay, one. One plus one equals two. Cool. And then I'll go out and just kind of then go back into my zone and not think about things. He's fascinating. I also think he's an incredible X factor for this team because if you look at the new kickoff rules, one, he's really good at the low kind of curve kick that allows it to hit in the landing zone and then go out of bounds, so. Or go in the back of the end zone so the ball would start at the 20, kind of like old touchbacks were.
0:50:26 - (Joseph Hoyt): But if the Cowboys, because they have given to Turpin as well as a returner who's arguably the best returner in football, they're going to put teams in a tough positions because teams are going to have to say, hey, do I kick to Kevante Turpin or do I kick into the end zone and for a touchback and then put them on the 35 yard line. And if they put them on the 35 yard line, that means that the Cowboys are only 15 yards away from Brandon Aubrey's field goal range. Yeah.
0:50:48 - (Joseph Hoyt): So that means that they are 15 yards away every single drive from scoring potentially. And I think that that's a unique X factor this year for the Cowboys thanks to Brandon Aubrey and Kevante Turpin.
0:51:00 - (Mike): Do they plan to use Turpin in the offense? A little bit More this year?
0:51:03 - (Joseph Hoyt): I think so, yeah, 100%. I think he's their third wide receiver and I think that that's not something we'd be able to say previously. I think he was more of a gadget guy.
0:51:11 - (Mike): Yeah.
0:51:11 - (Joseph Hoyt): I think they truly believe he is their number three wide receiver and I think that they're going to use him a lot.
0:51:16 - (Mike): Did they work him that way in training camp?
0:51:17 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yep. They use him a lot in the slot. But to your kind of point too, about kind of the gadgety stuff too, is like they put him in the backfield a lot too. And I was talking to someone about this. He is a small guy, but he's got a lot of ability to run through tackles. He's small in stature, but he, he can really break through things. There was a play last year against Carolina when he was playing running back and Josie Jewell, linebacker for the Panthers, is a 250 pound, just tough linebacker and he hit Kavonte Turbin the hole and I was thinking that he was going to send Kevonte Turbin flying. He, Kevante Turbin ran right through him.
0:51:50 - (Joseph Hoyt): And I think it's because of his like small stature, but plus his speed. I think he can actually withstand a lot of things that a lot of guys his size usually can't.
0:51:59 - (Mike): Who is your Cowboys surprise that nobody's talking about?
0:52:03 - (Joseph Hoyt): Oof. That nobody's talking about.
0:52:07 - (Mike): Or that not many people are talking about? Maybe.
0:52:10 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah.
0:52:11 - (Mike): What do you know that nobody else knows?
0:52:13 - (Joseph Hoyt): I'll tell you this. I think, I think Jack Sanborn is going to be a really good starting middle linebacker for them. And Jack Sanborn is a guy that was undrafted out of Wisconsin, was in Chicago when he was in Chicago. He was only a rotational guy, but he earned a spot as being the, the kind of, hey, we've lost this guy. What do we do, Jack? Get in there. Be our, Be our, be our savior. And Jack did really well in that role.
0:52:36 - (Joseph Hoyt): I think Jack Sanborn, now that he has an elevated role, he is one of the leaders of this defense. He's the starting middle linebacker. I think Jack Sanborn is going to have an excellent season for the Cowboys. I think in terms of their linebacker depth, this is one of the better linebacker groups they've had. They might not have the high end power that they've had. You know, when Layton Vanderash was.
0:52:56 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, obviously playing well when, you know, they kind of had a lot of guys playing when demarvi and Overshones out there and the kind of high end ability he Brings, obviously, he's targeting Thanksgiving, and when he comes back, he'll be an X factor. I think Jack Sanborn is going to just be a rock for this defense, and I wouldn't be surprised if he plays really well for him.
0:53:15 - (Mike): Has the Dallas Morning News got any surprises for us in the way the Cowboys are going to be covered this year?
0:53:22 - (Joseph Hoyt): No, nothing.
0:53:23 - (Mike): I will take no for an answer.
0:53:24 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah, nothing really surprising, I think, to be honest with you. They keep us. They keep us busy. And, you know, I think, to be candid, you know, when you have a new guy in the fold, again, even though I have familiarity there, like, there is a learning process in terms of chemistry, in terms of aspirations, in terms of, you know, what we want to do on a given basis. You know, I'll tell you this, Mike. We plan to cover the heck out of the team every single day.
0:53:47 - (Mike): Does it take a guy like you who's new on the beat, does it take them a little while to get used to you and get to know who you are and everything like that? Oh, like, is there kind of a curve there for them with you, for the Cowboys?
0:54:00 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah. Oh, yeah, 100%. It's it. Yeah. I mean, my first season, it was funny because Lone Star Live was started. It had a launch, I think, the week before the season started. And I announced on social media, like, I'm gonna beat the Dallas Cowboys. Beat reporter. Beat reporter for Lone Star Live. Because the site launched and then I emailed the Cowboys said, hey, how do I go about getting credentials? And they go, who are you?
0:54:21 - (Joseph Hoyt): And they go, you want credentials? So my whole first year was me trying to build relationships, and I didn't get credentials to every game. I was, you know, because I was on a, you know, extended list. And so that whole first year was about building relationships and trying to prove that, hey, I am a beat reporter that can cover this team. And then I went to dls, and now with the dmn. So it. There was a learning curve there.
0:54:47 - (Joseph Hoyt): You know, I think with new coaches, too, there's always the fun learning curve of getting to know them. Some of the players, you know, obviously you gotta. It's more of a face thing. And then you start to learn names and get to know them. But there's definitely a learning curve when you're trying to get on the beat for the first time, for sure.
0:55:01 - (Mike): But, I mean, you're surely the coaches, you know, get to know you pretty quickly, don't they? Because you're around them a good bit more. Yeah, yeah, a little Bit more consistently, right?
0:55:10 - (Joseph Hoyt): 100%. Yeah. There's organized schedule things. And I also think when you have to introduce your name every single time that, like, that starts building. Like, oh, okay, that's Joe right there. Like, yeah, okay, so that's, that's been cool.
0:55:23 - (Mike): Has Shoddy called you Joe yet?
0:55:25 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yes, yes, but shot. This is. Shoddy's just a good press conference coach because he also understands that, like, he listens to the name intro.
0:55:33 - (Mike): Yeah.
0:55:33 - (Joseph Hoyt): And he'll repeat it back to, like, to you. And like, he knows, I think, that that, like, oh, okay, that builds familiarity with us. And it's just little things like that. That's like smart pr, frankly. You know what I mean? Like, he'll say good question a lot. Yeah, you know, he'll, he'll, he'll answer questions. I think he handles press conferences really well.
0:55:50 - (Grubes): Does it make you feel good when he says good question?
0:55:52 - (Joseph Hoyt): I, you know, it's funny. Like, reporters I think would be like, no, it doesn't. Like, like, we all have egos. Like, you know what I mean? I think people like to be like, oh, yeah, that was a good question. You know what? I did have a good question.
0:56:03 - (Grubes): That was kick ass.
0:56:04 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah. And to be honest with you, like, that's why I think it's good pr, because it almost makes reporters. Like, that's, it's. It leaves a different feeling than, like, oh, that's a stupid question. You know, I mean, it truly, it makes you kind of look at things differently. And as reporters, you got to be cynical with yourself and guard against that stuff, obviously. But I think it's smart PR to do against people who are not being conscientious of that.
0:56:24 - (Mike): Have you ever had a coach tell you that's a stupid question? Yes.
0:56:28 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah.
0:56:29 - (Mike): Who did that?
0:56:30 - (Joseph Hoyt): It was a high school coach has told me. I'll tell you, some of the toughest interviews I've had are on high school football fields after. After tough games.
0:56:39 - (Mike): They're not used to it. You know, those guys aren't used to, you know, being interviewed and, and you have to extend a little attitude, don't you?
0:56:46 - (Joseph Hoyt): 100%. And I'll say this, too. Sometimes I ask them questions. Sometimes we all ask really stupid questions. And it's funny because sometimes you have this question in your mind and then a word salad comes out and it doesn't make any sense. And you're like, dude, why did you ask that? Like. Or why did you ask like that? And I think it's natural, and I think it's one of those Things that kind of, you know, humbles you as a reporter, frankly. And, But I think you got to be aware of it if, like, you know, if sometimes if you ask a stupid question, you deserve to have an answer that's not great.
0:57:15 - (Mike): Do you ever ask a question where once you ask it, you realize that the question was not as organized and well thought, oh, 100% as you think you thought it was?
0:57:26 - (Joseph Hoyt): Oh, 100%. Yeah, it happens all the time where I'm just like, you ask it and you're, you're like almost looking down. You're like, dude, why did you, how did you. What? Like, that's what came out. And, you know, I think in terms of, I mean, being an interviewer, like, it, you know, as, you know, sometimes, like, just, it's not perfect and you kind of got to ride with it and hope for the best and. But I'll never, if I ask a dumb question, I'll never be offended by an answer that is equally either, you know, not on par. Par or is mean, frankly. So that, that never gets me.
0:57:58 - (Joseph Hoyt): I, I, the only thing that, like, we're like, I try to, if I ask a question I think is pretty clear and the subject does not take it that way and, or takes offense where it's like, you know, that wasn't, that wasn't meant to be offensive or, you know, I mean, I'm just asking a question and that stuff can be a little different.
0:58:15 - (Mike): Do you think about aves any stupid questions today?
0:58:18 - (Joseph Hoyt): No, not one.
0:58:21 - (Mike): I've got a stupid question, you got a stupid question.
0:58:23 - (Grubes): What's your favorite condiment on a hot dog?
0:58:25 - (Joseph Hoyt): Oh, my gosh. So, Mike, I'm curious to see what you think about this. Okay.
0:58:29 - (Mike): Okay.
0:58:30 - (Joseph Hoyt): You're not gonna like it. You're not gonna like it. I don't like ketchup. I don't like mustard. I don't like relish. I don't want like, a dry hot dog. So I put mayo on hot dogs.
0:58:44 - (Mike): That's weird.
0:58:45 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah. 100. But the same way that I don't get offended by a dumb question that has, like, a bad answer.
0:58:50 - (Mike): Yeah.
0:58:51 - (Joseph Hoyt): I don't get offended by that response because.
0:58:52 - (Mike): Okay. I mean, you be you man.
0:58:54 - (Joseph Hoyt): Have you ever had a Seattle dog? Have you heard of Seattle dog?
0:58:56 - (Grubes): No.
0:58:56 - (Joseph Hoyt): So Seattle dogs are cream cheese and onions, like, you know, like caramelized onions on top of it. That one's pretty good too.
0:59:05 - (Mike): Wow.
0:59:06 - (Joseph Hoyt): So you gotta watch Star wars and have Seattle dogs soon. Those are your two things.
0:59:11 - (Grubes): Yeah. Not just a mayo and a hot dog. But I have seen Kennedy, Landry and Joe going back and forth on Twitter quite a bit about the hot dog situation. And I felt proud of myself because at one point I called him May Yosef.
0:59:23 - (Joseph Hoyt): Mayosif was good. I think Kennedy's tried it, too. I think maybe. Maybe I'm. Maybe I'm lying here. Kennedy, if I am. Correct me. I. I think. I think that she's maybe tried it and at least gave me that, but it didn't go well.
0:59:36 - (Ashlea): So is this just mayo or, like, mayo and cheese or anything else?
0:59:40 - (Joseph Hoyt): I wouldn't be opposed to cheese, but I'm. I'm totally good with. When I was a kid, sometimes my Auntie Judy would make me just bread, white bread, and just put mayonnaise on it. And that was my lunch for the day.
0:59:50 - (Ashlea): Mayo sandwiches are a thing.
0:59:52 - (Joseph Hoyt): I know.
0:59:53 - (Ashlea): Like, that was like, can you sub.
0:59:54 - (Mike): Miracle Whip for it, though? Or does that straight up mayo?
0:59:58 - (Ashlea): Miracle Whip only.
0:59:59 - (Joseph Hoyt): Yeah.
0:59:59 - (Grubes): He's a Miracle Whip guy.
1:00:00 - (Mike): Yeah.
1:00:01 - (Grubes): He can't do mayo.
1:00:01 - (Joseph Hoyt): Oh, no, I do, I do. I do. Straight mail.
1:00:05 - (Grubes): Oh, Shoopy doesn't like eggs.
1:00:07 - (Joseph Hoyt): I will say, though, you know the Mayo bowl in college football, you know how they, like, dump mayonnaise on that is disgusting to me. Like, that is too much. I can't have just. Just mayo. I need. I need at least bread and a hot dog.
1:00:19 - (Ashlea): I refuse to go to that bowl. I will only choose the pop Tart bowl at this point in time.
1:00:24 - (Joseph Hoyt): It's fantastic.
1:00:25 - (Ashlea): To food.
1:00:27 - (Mike): Far out, man.
1:00:29 - (Ashlea): Mike's, like, talking about mayo. What the hell?
1:00:31 - (Mike): No, that's great. It's great. What about talking about. What about ham? A question that has dogged me forever.
1:00:41 - (Grubes): Question.
1:00:42 - (Mike): What about ham?
1:00:44 - (Joseph Hoyt): Oh, there's a drop for it. Oh, yeah.
1:00:46 - (Mike): Oh, yeah, of course.
1:00:47 - (Joseph Hoyt): There's a drop for everything. There's a drop for everything.
1:00:51 - (Mike): Everything stupid I've ever said. He's gotten his computer.
1:00:54 - (Grubes): It's pretty great.
1:00:55 - (Joseph Hoyt): How many files we got now for the drops?
1:00:56 - (Grubes): Let's see, just from our time at the Freak. 48. 48, 48, 47 plus 46.
1:01:05 - (Joseph Hoyt): What?
1:01:05 - (Grubes): Couple hundred.
1:01:07 - (Joseph Hoyt): That's approaching 500.
1:01:08 - (Grubes): Yeah.
1:01:09 - (Mike): Yeah.
1:01:10 - (Joseph Hoyt): Wow.
1:01:11 - (Mike): All right. Joe Hoyt. Can't thank you enough for this, man. This has been good.
1:01:14 - (Joseph Hoyt): Of course, Mike. Thank you so much for having my.
1:01:16 - (Mike): Head right for Cowboys football.
1:01:18 - (Joseph Hoyt): I know. I'm ready. I'm ready for fall. I'm ready to get rid of, you know, the shorts. I'm ready for cozy weather, too. I give me my north face. Let's rock and, you know, enjoy some fall.
1:01:27 - (Mike): Yeah, let's put on the fleece and go.
1:01:29 - (Grubes): Let's put on our Uggs.
1:01:31 - (Mike): All right. There he is. That is Joe Hoyt. Do we have the other thing on here? The other end thing? Where is it? I don't think we do.
1:01:41 - (Joseph Hoyt): Oh, God.
1:01:43 - (Mike): Oh, yeah, yeah. Here it is.
1:01:44 - (Joseph Hoyt): Here it is.
1:01:45 - (Mike): All right. Now you just got rid of it. It's got the computer keyboard up there.
1:01:49 - (Joseph Hoyt): Now it's a whole thing.
1:01:52 - (Mike): How squared away are we? Hang on, hang on. There's something I want to tell you all before we go.
1:02:03 - (Joseph Hoyt): What's going on?
1:02:04 - (Ashlea): I don't know. I'm just here.
1:02:07 - (Mike): Well, I can tell you this. First of all, we appreciate you being by the channel for YDC and all the stuff we do here. This just ain't gonna happen today, is it? Got it. Okay. All right, here we go. You can find all of our episodes on our Patreon page, and you can find us on YouTube and spot a nice review. If you're by the channel on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, you can help others find us by leaving a review.
1:03:02 - (Mike): So you do that for us. We'll keep doing this for you. It'll work out well for everybody. For Shoopy, for Ashley, for Becca, this has been your dark companion. I'm Mike. Bye. All right, I'm gonna go take my pants. Your dark companion is a stolen water media presentation.