FROM HOME, Texas – Still here.
What about you? Still at home? Still wearing a mask?
Tell you what, and not sure when this will take place, but the Cowboys can't get Gerald McCoy in the locker room at The Star soon enough.
And this doesn't have anything to do with football.
Now don't get me wrong. Even at 32 years of age, the Cowboys will need his talent and experience playing defensive tackle. Come on, a six-time Pro Bowler during his 10-year career in the NFL with Tampa Bay and last year with Carolina? Look, the recently-signed free agent's got to have something left, the Cowboys with little to no proven talent at the 3-technique, aside from Tyrone Crawford. And who knows, Crawford might be of more help at defensive end to start this season than playing inside after dual hip surgeries, and let's remember you only have two of 'em, so that means one on each.
But the more we hear from this McCoy, the more interviews he does, this guy just might make as big an impact – if not bigger – inside the locker room than between the white lines.
For real, now.
The Cowboys need to put his locker right between Trysten Hill and Neville Gallimore. And not far from Antwaun Woods, either, entering just his third season. Hill just his second, and he could have used a little @Geraldini93 influence during his false start of a rookie season last year. Gallimore, he's a rookie. And just guessing, but bet having played at Oklahoma, he's heard his fill of this former Sooner, a first-round draft choice in 2010, third overall pick. Gallimore probably doesn't need to be told just do what "G" does.
And to understand what we're talking about here, do yourself a favor if you just need to know. Call up the June 9 Colin Cowherd interview with McCoy on The Herd show. Be the best 20 minutes you've spent. He's personable. Charismatic. He's smart. He has great perspective on life that is verbalized. Has passion and compassion.
Most of all, common sense.
And here is just one exchange to exemplify some of that, Cowherd wanting to know if possible marketing opportunities at this stage of his career had something to do with McCoy choosing to sign that three-year, $18 million deal with the Cowboys:
Cowherd: "You will be on television every weekend, your game will be the highest rated every week. So from my takeaway, the advantage to playing in Dallas is that you probably, because you have a personality, you're probably going to make marketing deals. And I'm sure the Cowboys weren't the only team that wanted you. Did you consider that going in? That, I'm on television every week; this is good business?"
McCoy: "Can I answer that with a few questions?
"Who is one of the top, if not the top analyst on Fox? Troy Aikman.
"Who took over for Jon Gruden right after he left Monday Night Football? Jason Witten.
"Who is going to be the highest paid analyst next year? Tony Romo … and I'll leave it there. … If you don't think being a Cowboy doesn't have its advantages, its benefits, it does."
McCoy then points out that in his nine years with Tampa, he only played in a nationally-televised game four times, and that "now I'm going to play in five this year alone."
Might be the shot, uh, herd 'round the locker room.
- LVE Update: Realized a couple of weeks ago when interviewing Aldon Smith's agent Ron Slavin that the locally-based guy also is the agent for Leighton Vander Esch. So got this update from Slavin on the third-year Cowboys linebacker, whose 2019 season ended prematurely in surgery to repair the ruptured disk in his neck by removing it and filling in the vacated space between the vertebrae. "Leighton feels great," Slavin says. "We actually went fishing the other night and he pulled in a monster bass like the first five seconds he put his pole in the water. … Leighton is awesome. He does everything right. He works his butt off. Armchair quarterbacks, 'Oh they drafted a guy with a neck injury.' It's not the truth. It's not what it was. Mike Mayock said it on NFL Network and everybody took off and ran with it. He was born with a condition a lot of guys play with – got surgery and says he feels better than he ever has in his life because he doesn't have that tightness in his neck anymore. I mean, last year he was playing with one arm. Now he's going to be out there 100 percent rarin' to go."
- Hall Is Opening: Three months after the coronavirus forced the closure of the Pro Football Hall of Fame – president Dave Baker pointing out that being the first time for more than two days in a row in its history – the doors swung open on Wednesday, with the first two people in a Cowboys fan and a Saints fan. We are now 57 days away from the Hall of Fame preseason game between the Cowboys and Steelers, Baker also pointing out on NFL Network that there are five different scenarios in place for this year's game/induction. From playing the game on Aug. 6 at full, sold-out capacity to playing the game later in August if the NFL shortens the preseason to just having the induction ceremony in September, or even next spring, or in August of 2021. Stay tuned, as the Cowboys will, since the timing of the game will affect when they can report to training camp.
- Speaking Of The Hall: Was told by Burk Murchison, son of Cowboys original owner Clint Murchison Jr., that their group still is petitioning the Hall of Fame to again consider his dad for induction as a contributor. Clint was on the ballot for induction this year, but did not make the final cut. I'll continue to say it, if not for Murchison's contribution, who knows, the Cowboys might never have become the Cowboys as we know them today.
- some Mike.
- Tag, You're It: Including now Dak Prescott, there have been 11 instances numbering eight NFL quarterbacks facing the franchise tag, going back to Steve Young in 1993. There have been only two actually having played under the tag, most recently Kirk Cousins in 2016 and 2017 with the Redskins and Drew Brees with the Chargers in 2005. Each time those guys turned the tag into long-term deals with other teams, Cousins with the Vikings and Brees with the Saints. The other guys, Peyton Manning (twice), Michael Vick, Matt Cassell, Jim Harbaugh and Young, all ended up signing contracts before the deadline, although Harbaugh just a one-year, $4 million deal with the Colts. So the percentages are with Dak signing a long-term deal, although the calendar is shrinking, just 35 days until the July 15 deadline strikes at 3 p.m.
- QB Shot: Hadn't even considered this, but Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians has this thought concerning his quarterback position, knowing if a quarterback tests positive for the coronavirus, and has to be quarantined for two weeks, he might be down to just two quarterbacks, and worse, what if that causes another QB in the room to test positive. Says Arians, "So I might have to (self-) quarantine a quarterback just in case of a quarantine," to keep one out of the room and away from the team, though on the roster, at all times. Crazy times.
Last word, as usually is the case with him, goes to Michael Irvin on Twitter, when told by someone he'd be frustrated playing with Dak Prescott because "he hasn't proven that he can put the team on his back, or be consistently accurate enough …"
Mike's response: "That is ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE! I would win #CHAMPIONSHIPS with @dak just like I did with every other QB I have played with. That just for your edification. So run that mess by another receiver bro! NOT THE PLAYMAKER!! I have SHIPS all over the place."
All followed by pictures of five trophies
Gotta love me
