The Ticket's Bob Sturm on Detroit's Dan Campbell: 'As real as it gets'

Bob Sturm of The Ticket in Dallas-Fort Worth joined Thursday's edition of TexAgs Radio to offer his take on Texas A&M's offense and the Dallas Cowboys' turnover bug. Sturm also shared his thoughts on his friend Dan Campbell's success as the head coach of the Detroit Lions.

Key notes from Bob Sturm interview

• I agree with you. That was uncommon from Miro Heiskanen last night, but it proves that sports are real. We can always see something unique for the first time.
   
• Regarding Texas A&M’s offense, that is a complex scene until you know what you're working with. The downfall of A&M's program recently has mostly been an offensive issue. Whether that's scheme or quarterback or both, we could have a long talk about that. I did a couple of segments in Dallas about what seemed to be a two-three year trend with Jimbo Fisher and their inability to get chunks in their offense that spanned Kellen Mond, Haynes King and Zach Calzada. With Conner Weigman, we're starting to see some improvements. This has not been a one-year or one-quarterback issue. There were metrics in 2020 that said the offense wasn't sustainable, and the fact that the issues persisted this year was not surprising. If Conner is the answer, then good times could start rolling pretty quickly, but it seems like it's more of a scheme and antiquated approach to the offense issue.
   
• The Cowboys’ running backs have been very good and productive. The interception thing is an issue. As a whole, the Cowboys are not terrible in turnovers, but if you look at the fact that Dak leads the NFL in interceptions since his return, that's not great. At the same time, they're scoring more points than anyone in the league since his return. Scoring 34 points a game is winning football. Since Prescott's return, they have won six of eight games, and in the two they lost, they were in a position to win. They turned it over to what we thought was a very, very good defense that let them down. I think it's a good team, but we're seeing the defense return to earth. They're in the mix, and there is no reason they can't whip up on Philadelphia on Saturday.
   
• The real catch here is the nearly three decades of Cowboys disappointment in Dallas. People are looking for anything to de-rail the train, and a bad turnover in a crucial spot in a playoff could do just that. In both of the games they lost with Dak, they blew double-digit leads in the second half. They have to turn it over to their closer, their defense and win the game. They have not. Still, it's a legitimate fear of something going wrong in a playoff game. If you say, "Bob, I'll make a trade for you: Your quarterback is going to throw it over 1.5 times, but he'll also get you in the endzone five times a game..." That's certainly an interesting trade.
   
• The Leighton Vander Esch thing is interesting because you can see the Cowboys are easier to run on when they don't have Micah Parsons or Vander Esch. If you're down to your third or fourth option at linebacker, it's not appealing, and that's something that Aggies can attest to as well. As Ole Miss showed us and as Green Bay showed us, there have been times when the defenses, which are considered the better of the two units, have collapsed.
   
• Sunday, when I was watching Jacksonville get 500 yards and 40 points, all I could think was that the Cowboys would destroy Philadelphia because that's how football works. You lose in a trap game and then take out your wrath on a game that no longer means anything. I would not be surprised if the Cowboys won by 10 points. It would not be surprising if the Cowboys beat the Eagles in a game that Philadelphia now realizes doesn't mean that much.
   
• I love seeing Dan Campbell's success in Detroit, and I reached out to him a couple of days ago. The dude is as real as it gets. He has put in his time. He put in an 11-year NFL career and then an 11-year NFL coaching career. That's 22 years in the NFL before he got his chance to be a head coach. I could not be happier. He's a real dude that resonates with players. They play hard for him. I want to see him have success, and whoever has success in Detroit is going to be a legend there. He has a great philosophy and is a great football coach, and I want the best for him.