Merril Hoge On Cowboys Physicality, Analytics vs. Tape, McCarthy’s Scheme | Shan & RJ

Former Steelers running back Merril Hoge sits down with Shan, RJ, & Bobby at Radio Row to talk Cowboys toughness and how they can improve their toughness. Hoge also explains why he trusts tape more than analytics, talks Mike McCarthy’s scheme, & more

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One of the things that we in Dallas I I think from you know an analyst and a fan perspective one of the things that gets talked about a lot with this Cowboys team is they’re they’re very finesse and they’ve been very finessed for a couple years now offensively and defensively

Like pin your ears back and rush and play super fast and attack and on offense let’s you know push the ball down the field and and do things like that and we all kind of feel like they just lack that toughness and that physicality that that seems NE necessary

To to win in January and win in February as somebody who came from Pittsburgh and played in a very physical system is there a lack of respect for those types of teams do you look at them and say like they they can’t compete come January they they don’t have that

Physicality they don’t have that toughness and that’s that is a necessary component if you want to win a championship well I will tell you you know listen i’ I’ve worked for with a lot of great coaches Jimmy Johnson would be one of them did we worked together

One year during the draft um Marty shoten Heimer um um um bill parcel’s um John Gruden and then I played for Chuck null and Bill Cower so I’ve played for and worked with some of the greatest Minds in the history of our game if you would pin them down to what

Is one of the most critical components to winning successfully in the National Football League and it still exists today is that you have to control the tempo of a game how do you control the tempo of a game two ways you stop somebody’s ability to run the football now that neutralizes one

Phase of their offense and now it makes it easier to defend and then if we can establish a running attack rather that is a Power Attack which I would favor okay why do the Ravens always in it even though you know Lamar got they forced him to play

Quarterback in that game and he struggled with that but up to that point nobody could control the temple when you played the Ravens yeah they controlled the temple until Kansas City controlled the tempo one of the best ways now if you just if you toour have that discussion

With all those people I just talked about I think most of them would lead to a power type running attack to control the tempo of the game that would be their favor in their running in their running game um having a perimeter type of running game is doesn’t mean you

Can’t have a physical presence because Ron uh Ron aart um one of our offensive coordinators who won the Super Bowl when they beat the Buffalo Bills he was offensive coordinator for Bill Parcels was our office coordinator when it came to Pittsburgh and we our predominant running game was the perimeter running

Game but it was a power style of perimeter running so what I’m getting at is if you had to select a power running attack is the best is what I if I was going to establish an offense that is exactly that is the first thing that I

Would put in I’d put him here is what we are going to do every Sunday and people that do that I’ve played with coordinators I played with um um Ron aart Tom Moore Tom Moore was my first offenseive coordinator orchestrated in all of Pon Manning’s career um even in

Pton Manning’s career they had a running game but they have a unique quarterback that they could do some different things with like I used to we used to joke all the time I go why didn’t we run offense like that when we played we didn’t have payt Manny that’s right and that’s what

Good coordinators do you go to what you do well now I I think what the Cowboys did do you know you did create a little more efficiency from your quarterback position you know and I keep mind that’s new learning for him and I expect him to

Be a lot better this year than he was last year to add a a a power type phase to their running attack I I would not listen that wouldn’t bother me at all if I was a Dallas Cowboys because I think that would give me a lot better chance

To play the teams like you’re going to play in Washington New York and Philly Mar Hodge here on 1053 The Fan with all this talk about the run I’m going to venture to get guess that you’re not the biggest analytics guy you’re all right there’s one there’s there one only

There’s actually one stat and actually this is true Did you know that before you booked them RJ I know you wouldn’t have booked them if he didn’t love I don’t have a I don’t I don’t I’m not anti anti- analytic I’m not anti- the anti- analytics people Yes except for

Michael lard yes you are here’s the here this is true that there’s only one statistic only one that matters and you can’t get it until the end of the game but only it is the greatest statistic for indicating wins and losses in the National Football League and that is

Turnovers there’s nothing else that trumps that statistic none but you don’t get it till after the game so you know how how much they pull the guard you know how much the tackle pull I mean all of that stuff is listen I don’t get well here’s what I

Use analytics for to support what I see on tape T leads me to everything T tells me everything and you know I I could tell you how many runs they go to the strong side versus the weak side how many times the guards how are they a pin

And pole team you know are they a Zone reading team are they a man blocking scheme are they Zone blocking I don’t need a statist statistics don’t tell me how good they are at it anyway you know they don’t like you know people use um um completion percentage for

Accuracy that doesn’t tell you anything it tells you they completed the ball period you know and when I see these um tight window what’s a tight window you know I mean what’s i’ explain a tight window to me and if somebody’s is wide open and that’s a completion to me did

Run after the catch all these other things come into play that a statistic can’t tell you how is his pocket presence give me a statistic that tells me about pocket presence how he’s feel how he feels how he moves slides you know manages the pocket there’s no

Statistic I can tell you that tell me the statistic that’s going to give me is the guy tough yeah okay tell me the statistic that tells me the guy plays smart I don’t want to test at the stupid combine that’s that’s the dumb if anybody wants to destroy that just take

The CJ stoud garbage that you did and whatever team said oh he’s not a smart player okay he didn’t play dumb I didn’t never watch I never watched him on one game go man I question that guy’s ability to process stuff one of the most the smartest people I saw playing

Football I don’t care he did he did bad on a Tas so he’s not good on test irrelevant to football so I just that’s just how I look at statistics I don’t think they’re I don’t nor but I don’t they they do not drive me to my

Evaluation of a team or an IND an individual player Mar give us your X’s and O’s kind of story on some of our defensive coordinator names to replace Dan Quinn Mike Zimmer Rex Ryan wink marale yeah well listen I mean all three are unique and different now as soon as

I hear Rex Ryan I think of his dad because I played against his dad when he was with Houston Oilers and he did some of the most biz crazy things we actually in practice on a Thursday and this one I think they had about five first round

Draft picks for the Houston Oilers and they were all on the defensive lineman and they would play all five of them wow and what they would do is they would line them up they wouldn’t go five head up sometimes they would do but sometimes they’d start at one guard and W and they

Have two guys outside the tackle okay so we actually in practice um and since I was our third down back too um we would literally talk about that like this go our coach my coach would talk to us me about I I just can’t tell you exactly

What they’re going to do you just got to adjust to it that’s that’s how we would go into his game plan he would do some things that’ be like unsound but they would do it in such a reckless fashion and they would do it in a way that You’

Miss the guy that they didn’t account for okay so um in our second tag that’s why in within the division we started to figure him out and we had some answers for the Mysteries right um but that’s what I kind I think about Rex Ryan there’s some there’s a some wildness to

It and some some think he’s he’s a lot like his dad yeah okay so he has that they are gonna come after you though you know you better be prepared I mean there is not going to be oh after the 50 they’re going to come at you you never

Know when they’re going to come out and you don’t know what they’re coming at you with um who did you have in there Mike Zimmer I mean I’ve I’ve always loved Mike Zimmer from you know he’s an AAP pressure guy and he does so many

Things off of that and I think he is one of the best in in in football period for 20 30 years of doing that I think he does a great job that’s a stressful thing and you challenge your players they got to be really buttoned up and to

Be sound to adjust you they we all see it the same way because if you’re the guard and it’s in the a gap I know you’re going to take that and then I’m going to reach the other guy in the outside or whatever the the rule is I

Can’t have you and me blocking the same guy which that’s what he does he challenges that that everybody’s going to see it the same way all we need is one guy to see it wrong and he challenges that so I love that aspect of him and the third guy was wik wink well

Wink has always been you know all these guys demonstrate pressure you know week has been um he he’s going to create all kinds of devices and phases and ways to look what’s the best one well what’s his name zam’s been there before 13 years I

Think was it 13 seven I think he went from there to Cincinnati did he he did was Cincinnati right he he was the coordinator for seven years here he coached here for 13 yeah so they have a good feel for him um you know I then the

People that you have I don’t know I don’t think Zimmer might be a a from my perspective a better Fit For What Dallas needs so so do you you would hire based on the Personnel you have as opposed to just hiring the coach you think well you

Know each one of those guys um that’s why I like Zim because I think Zim might be the best to adjust see here’s what makes a great really good coach okay you have a philosophy I I do a but I come in I look and I’m like oh you got B andc

But I’m going to adjust to B andc and we’re going to create a blend here and I’m not going to say oh you do this because this my system and it’s one you look at and I think Zim I think all the guys do that fairly well I know Zim a

Little more in depth with how he will take his philosophy and adjust it to your personnel Marl hod sitting down with us here former NFL player analyst we grew up on on the home of the Cowboys how shocked are you that bich is not coaching I am not um and I don’t think

That what we don’t know about the bellich is the the times that he was just like you know what just doesn’t I don’t that that that doesn’t fit me I don’t have enough time now listen if you’re going to look I think any here’s where I think a

Lot of organ organizations make mistakes is you come in and you’re you’re already re you’re rebooting every two years do you know how hard it is I don’t care what business you’re running every time you’re rebooting two or three years later you cannot be successful you just

Cuz you’re rebooting all the time yeah right and I just think that both sides have to look at is the can he run a a good 5 10 year window for me and you got to be you got to think strongly about that and that’s probably a no um does he

Have a quarterback that he thinks that he can the answer to that is probably a no because of his age I think because of his age okay yeah I just think that you you have to consider that he’s like boy can I does he got does he got 10 in him

Yeah you know cuz I’d like to I’d like to give him the time to build and that’s what it’s going to take do you agree with the stylistic concerns of too rough and Gruff for today’s NFL the Personnel drafting concerns that are out there of

Him well like you know when I think what I think Bill Parcels has done a pretty good job of overall um where a lot of teams don’t is Bill Parcels I mean Bill belich sorry even Bill parcel would do this but Bill belich is when they make a

Mistake this is the this is one of the biggest mistakes that all organizations make let’s say you draft a first rounder you know your second year we made a mistake y okay you don’t say we made a mistake and get rid of him you’re like

Ah let’s hang on to him one more year and then you know then you’re in your fourth year and I’m like why did I do that cuz what are you telling your team okay I want the best of you you give me the best and I’m not going to give the

Best back to you I’m not going to put the best player out there I’m doing I’m using a guy that’s killing us and almost every team team does that I would say bill bich for the most part was probably one of the best after two years get rid

Of him do have you dinged he wasn’t guy have you dinged him as a uh his legacy post Brady like like oh is all Tom no uh listen I I say I know the value of coaching and I know the you know the value of good players too and that was a

Great mix for a long time and I’m not going to upgrade one or downgrade the other Bill bich and listen this comes from a guy played for Chuck null one of the greatest am Mount Rushmore in the National Football League that that you know would hard for me to say there was

Somebody better the reason I say bich was better than Chuck null Chuck null resigned because he did not want to play the environment of free agency like I asked him we the last game at Three Rivers we were standing there the Washington Redskins came in to

Play last game and I said you miss it and he turned to me and he said I’m not a recruiter and that hit it I was like he wasn’t going to play the free agency role he wasn’t going to go out he wanted to build be of the draft okay only

Reason I share that bill belich has won Super Bowls and won in both those environments I can’t even tell you how hard and if you if you backed up and said can anybody do that like no Bas why the environment and adjusting that has

To take place and he did it and I just and the way he’s done it is I think is extraordinary and nobody’s ever done that in the history of our game I may never do it uh ever again just because of his longevity what do you think of

McCarthy you know I’ve always liked him liked him when he was in Green Bay um now I don’t know how he is you know I I like his overall how he runs offense how how he’s run a team listen he’s taking a team to a Super Bowl so it isn’t like he

Hasn’t won there um I don’t know what he is truly like you know in the rough times I I don’t know that you know he seems like he’s he’s stable though and what I know of him and I and I I’ve met him several times and I’ve talked to him

I think he has structure and stability which you need not when it’s good when it’s when it’s bad mhm marod here in the a number one air hot seat talk to us about what you’re doing with PN medical well it’s actually a breather fit

Now did you know at age once you get to age 30 your um respiratory system starts to decline if you don’t do any cardio okay now this would mean nothing to me because I’ve been doing cardio I’ve been training my whole life but I had open heart surgery before I could leave the

Hospital I had to strengthen my respiratory system had to strength in my lung so I’m like wait a minute they had my attention I’m like what do you mean I didn’t realize your respiratory system and your heart are separate they just work together I didn’t know you could

Train your respiratory system in a way to help you breathe better so think of you don’t do any cardio by age 30 you start to slowly decline so that means less oxygen going through your brain efficiently every day well oxygen is vital component to overall health we may

Not think it like that and the ability to breathe and the easier that you breathe the Heth year you will be so I was like well I don’t I’ve done open art surgery I’ve experienced it getting out of a hospital I’m like I’m going to put

It to the test and so I actually this happened on accident I go on a trip where all I did was lift and stretch I didn’t really do much cardio I come back 10 days later and I start my cardio back up and I’m like but I kept the Breather

With me so I did it twice a day it takes about 5 minutes you can do it anywhere sitting um it’s not complicated you don’t got to go gym you got to drive but I stayed working on that and so when I went to start working I could tell

Looking at my heart that it had been off for 2 weeks you know my heart rate was getting a little higher quicker than it normally would but my ability to breathe was easier and I was like holy cow there’s so much I mean there so you wouldn’t think much of it that your

Respiratory system can be trained so let’s say you’re not doing anything cardiovascular wise anything physical wise it would be a great way to start just to improve your overall breathing ability and capacity and then hopefully that would spark you to maybe do a little more to invest in your health and

And here’s the the worst case scenario you get you get a healthier happier life out of it so it’s like this a it was a win-win and I just i’ never i’ never thought of it I had I’d love to learn about health and fitness and how can we

Improve our health and fitness and it’s a great way to start it out and it’s a few minutes a day and the value in strengthening your respiratory system um makes life better for you so encourage you you go actually go to breather fit.com that will help you with um what

We’re talking about and look into it and see if it’s something you might want to try Merl thank you so much for sitting down with again another year always appreciate it always appreciate Dallas you guys bow Hunters at all talk okay you kind of look like bow Hunters so I was

Like you you look a little like bow some bow hunt or something like d we got I got to get back up to Texas and give me a little bow hunt some white ta that’s the manliest compliment we’ve ever received I’m glad I can do it I’m glad I

Can do it marod here on 1053 the boys n