Cowboys news: Jayron Kearse embraces the Mamba Mentality

Kearse speaks on Mamba Mentality in 2023 Cowboys – Patrik Walker, Dallascowboys.com

Kobe Bryant coined a popular phrase many athletes believe in.

With the Cowboys leading 27-10 early in the fourth quarter, Kearse grabbed his first interception of the season and returned it 32 yards. A few minutes later, leading 30-10, it was fellow safety Malik Hooker matching serve with his first interception of 2023. On the very next drive by the Jets, it was First-Team All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs getting in on the action with — you guessed it — his first interception of the young season.

Mamba mentality, indeed.

“[Our offense] takes care of the ball,” Kearse explained. “They’re doing their job. Coach Mike [McCarthy] is calling the right things and understanding that we have a defense that’s opportunistic, and we’re gonna go out there and make a play, create a play, whatever. I probably just used the wrong word. We’re not opportunistic.

“We’re just the best in the business.”

Given they’ve led the league in takeaways for two consecutive seasons and now do so through the first two games of 2023, it’s impossible to argue against the point.

That said, on more than one occasion in 2022, e.g., versus the Green Bay Packers and the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Cowboys had a commanding lead that was ultimately deleted en route to two losses that cost them the shot at a 14-3 season and a potential first-round bye; along with home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Report: 49ers sign cornerback Anthony Brown to 53-man roster – Angelina Martin, Yahoo Sports!

It’s great to see the long-time Cowboy land on his feet, even though it’s with the 49ers.

The 49ers appear to have addressed their need for depth in the defensive backfield.

San Francisco has signed former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Anthony Brown to its 53-man roster, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday, citing a source. The 29-year-old was on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad this season after tearing his left Achilles in Week 13 of the 2022 NFL season with Dallas.

The 49ers had an open roster spot after placing second-year corner Samuel Womack on injured reserve last week with a knee injury. While Tre Swilling was elevated from the practice squad to face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, the undrafted rookie was not added to the 53-man as San Francisco explored its options for the open spot.

Searching for cornerback depth, the 49ers reportedly had a visit with former New Orleans Saint defensive back Bradley Roby on Monday. But they seem to have decided on Brown to fill the void, who started 69 games for the Cowboys across seven seasons after Dallas selected him in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

James Franklin explains how Penn State product Micah Parsons’ success story extends beyond football – Carter Bahns, 247Sports.com

Micah Parsons’ old head coach still holds him in high regard.

Parsons played just two years of college football and rose to stardom right out of the gate, becoming the first true freshman in program history to lead Penn State in tackles over the course of a season. He closed his short Nittany Lion career as a 2018 Freshman All-American and 2019 Consensus All-American.

“I’m really proud for a lot of different reasons, and football is one of them, but it’s a small one,” Franklin said Tuesday in his weekly press conference. “He came and spoke to the team two weeks ago, I think, and just did a phenomenal job and talked about the game, but talked specifically about Penn State and this community. He sent me and Brent Pry just kind of out of nowhere the other day a beautiful, heartfelt, thoughtful message.”

Parsons was an elite contributor to Penn State’s defense, having closed his two years with 192 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and six forced fumbles. But he only continued to improve upon landing in the NFL, where he posted 13 sacks in each of his first two seasons with the Cowboys and already has three through the first two games of the 2023 season.

“I think there was a stat that went out the other day about, I think he’s in the top 10 all-time sacks for the Dallas Cowboys in year two or whatever it is,” Franklin said. “But he gets very little credit for graduating from Penn State in three years. I see on social media how frugal he is. I love that.

Big Picture: 10 Storylines for Cowboys & Cardinals – Nick Eatman, Dallascowboys.com

It’s never too early to start looking ahead at the matchup with the Cardinals.

Cardinals

The Cardinals seemed poised to bounce back after a Week 1 loss, cruising out to a huge lead over the Giants. But in the second half Sunday, the Cardinals blew a 21-point lead and eventually lost to the Giants, 31-28. New York erased a 28-7 deficit in the third quarter and rallied for the win on the road, thanks to a 34-yard field goal by Graham Gano with 19 seconds to play. The Cardinals are looking to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2018, when they finished 3-13.

So far, the first two games for the Cardinals have been a tale of two halves. They led Washington 13-10, only to lose 20-16. Against the Giants, they were up 20-0, only to see the Giants rally for the win. In the second half, the Cardinals have been outscored a combined 41-11.

With Kyler Murray still on Reserve/PUP, he will miss at least two more games after suffering a torn ACL at the end of last season. The Cardinals have gone with Joshua Dobbs as their starting quarterback so far this year. Dobbs has an 89.5 QB rating this year, with 360 passing yards, 1 TD and no interceptions. In his career, which includes two starts with the Titans, Dobbs is 0-4.

Cowboys

Injuries continue to be the big storyline for the Cowboys, entering this game with the Cardinals. While being without three starters on Sunday, it appears the trio of Tyler Smith, Brandin Cooks and Donovan Wilson all have a great chance of returning to the field. Smith (hamstring) and Wilson (calf) have yet to play in the games this year and have been listed as “doubtful” for each of the first two games. Cooks was questionable with a knee injury and it was decided before game-time that he would sit. Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones said he’s optimistic about all three making it back for the Cardinals game.

After leading the NFL in interceptions last year, despite missing four games with a broken thumb, Dak Prescott is taking care of the football better in 2023. The offense alone has put up 27 and 30 points, respectively in the last two games but have not turned the ball over with an interception or a fumble. With Mike McCarthy calling the plays this year, the ball is coming out quicker, plus the Cowboys have been a little more conservative down in the red zone, leaning heavily on the defense.

Blogging The Boys Podcast Network and YouTube Channel

We offer a different show every single day on the Blogging The Boys podcast network, and on weekdays we offer two different shows every single day.

• Monday: 1st and 10 with Tony Catalina & Aidan Davis
• Monday: Hidden Yardage with Mark Lane and Sean Martin
• Tuesday: The Writer’s Block with Brandon Loree, David Howman, Brandon Clements and Chris Halling
• Tuesday: BTB Roundtable with various BTB Staffers
• Wednesday: NFC East Mixtape with RJ Ochoa and Brandon Lee Gowton
• Wednesday: Talkin’ The Star with Connor Livesay and Joey Ickes
• Thursday: The Ocho with RJ Ochoa
• Thursday: Ryled Up with Roy White and Tom Ryle
• Friday: Girls Talkin’ Boys with Kelsey Charles and Meg Murray
• Friday: The Star Seminar with Danny Phantom and Rabblerousr
• Saturday: The World’s Team with Meg Murray and Paul Stewart

We also offer live shows every weekday afternoon on the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel.

The Blogging The Boys podcast network is available on all major podcast platforms.

Subscribe here on Apple devices.

Subscribe here if you are a Spotify user.