Brandon George and Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News are back for another episode of Candidly Cowboys. Listen to the podcast below or read up on some of the highlights.
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On Dak's sophomore season
Brandon George: He said 'I expect things to get harder in year two, and I wouldn't want it any other way.' He knows defenses are going to change the way they play him. They're gonna have more film on him. Coming off the rookie year like he had; it's hard to match that rookie season for any quarterback. Just the few interceptions he had. What did he have? Four? He realizes there's a lot of challenges ahead. But he also is not gonna back down from that.
Jon Machota: I think the thing with this offense ... as long as there's good health, I think that they'll be fine. There's gonna be things that teams do to take away some of Dak's strengths. But if you tell me that offensive line is intact; you tell me that Ezekiel Elliott is gonna be out there the entire time. Cole Beasley, Terrance Williams, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten. You get the same production you got out of that crew that you got last year. The interception numbers are gonna go up. But I don't think that they'll win 13 games either, though. They had a lot of stuff go the right way in 2016. As long as they stay healthy, I think that they're gonna be one of the best NFC teams out there. But I still think that they can get that done by only winning 10 or 11 games. I don't think Dak is gonna necessarily take another step forward numbers wise. But I think he'll make progress in a lot of key areas. But the big thing is that there's gotta be balance on that offense. And to have that balance, you're gonna need good health.
Tony Romo comeback possibilities
George: You think Tony Romo is gonna come back and play or do you think he's done?
Machota: I totally think he's coming back to play. I shouldn't say totally. I'll be like Tony. I'm not gonna say 100 percent on anything because the right situation has to come up. But, if you told me that Dak Prescott got hurt within the first few weeks or in training camp or something like that, I think Tony Romo is the first call the Cowboys would make. If there was a huge injury to Dak, I think Tony would seriously consider coming back. He's obviously familiar with the team. And then even if it goes beyond this year. I think throughout the year there's gonna be injuries that happen that Tony's name is gonna come up with. Then in the offseason, I think it's gonna come up all over again. Depending on how much he likes his TV gig and where he's going with that ... I just really think he's not done giving it another try and getting back out there. He's been given so many chances to say that he's retired. He won't say it. Over the years, seeing what kind of competitor he is and hearing the words that he says about his passion for the game. I just find it hard to believe that he's completely in his mind done with playing football.
George: You think this is kind of why the Cowboys haven't done anything (to honor Romo) yet?
Machota: I think it plays a factor in it. If somebody told me that Jerry Jones, in one of his last conversations he had with Tony before they released him, said 'we're gonna let you go. Do this TV thing if you want.' Maybe even helped him get the job. I've heard reports of that. And said, 'hey, if anything happens over here, you're gonna be the first guy we call.' Jerry and Tony have that kind of relationship. That would not surprise me at all. How much respect Jerry has for Tony ... I don't see why he wouldn't want to have this big ceremony where he honors him and has a retirement press conference. I don't think Tony wants that right now, so that plays a big part in it. If Tony Romo is gonna play any football in the future, I'm sure Jerry Jones would prefer it's with the Dallas Cowboys. What will be interesting is if Dak just isn't playing well and they start the season 2-4 or something like that. There's gonna be a lot of people talking about 'well, if Tony was with this team, he could be doing this.' A lot of people think that because Tony's no longer in the locker room there's not gonna be a distraction. It's the Dallas Cowboys. They're talked about even when there's nothing going on. If they get off to a slow start, there's gonna be a lot of Romo talk.
George: So basically, you have penciled in as your backup. But in reality, Romo's probably the backup. If we don't see them pursue another quarterback ...
Machota: They basically got a backup that's not on the 53-man roster.
George: I think that theory makes a lot of sense. My question has always been, what kind of shape is he gonna keep himself in. And you haven't played a full season in, what, three years now?
Machota: Sure, but he also went through training camps where he wasn't doing a ton either and then went out there and played during the season. He works out on his own. He'll run on the treadmill. He'll stay in shape. He's not gonna want to let himself go when he's gonna be on TV all the time. I find it hard to believe that he's not gonna be trying to keep himself in shape if he's not gonna use the word retirement.
George: We need to get into some Zack Martin talk here. The Cowboys picked up his fifth-year option, paying him $9.3 million in 2018. They did the same thing with Tyron Smith, same thing with Travis Frederick. And like those two other guys, the Cowboys plan to come back and sign Zack Martin to a long-term contract extension.
Machota: Martin's been first-team All-Pro twice and a Pro Bowl selection all three years he's been in the NFL. You're looking at a guy who's gonna be the highest-paid offensive guard when his new deal is done. And I would think he'll be the highest-paid Cowboys offensive lineman. He'll get something that will top what even Tyron Smith got. That makes sense. Tyron Smith plays the top offensive line position, but you can certainly make the argument that Zack Martin is the best offensive lineman on the team, you can make the argument that he's the best offensive lineman in football. That's been the goal to keep that nucleus together.