Former Cowboys defensive lineman/linebacker and Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Haley recently discussed America's Team with the Dennis and Cowlishaw show on 103.3 ESPN Dallas. Here are some highlights from the interview.

After going 13-3 in 2016, why did the Cowboys regress to 9-7 in 2017?

"First all the controversy with Zeke [Ezekiel Elliott], injuries, and then they didn't play the top-tier guys [in 2016] like they did this year.

"I don't think they understand what it takes to win a game. If you want to look back, if that was Coach [Jimmy] Johnson, we would've worked harder than we did last year just to repeat that part of it. I don't see that maturity where guys are doing their own thing out there. When the coach says run 10, you run 15, or you grab your teammates and go run. They took 13-3 for granted and they thought, 'OK, we'll win the Super Bowl the next year.'

"I blame everybody. It's one team and everybody's together. And that's the key. I go over there and I tell guys, 'Man, Jerry built this house for a bunch of damn losers.' And they get mad. They have to do something about it. I can't do anything about it, I can't play. All I can do is give you some knowledge.

"And then the egos are so big and they're so busy getting on Twitter and Facebook and everything else - maybe they should get in that playbook. Maybe they should learn how to rush, catch and block.

"I tell those guys nobody's scared of them. Ain't nobody in the league scared of y'all. What y'all been doing is listening to people saying you've got the best offensive line in the business. I said who's scared of y'all? Huh? Those little things like that, those intangibles, the attitude you take to the field [matters]. ... I go over there and I watch guys work. I watch them go through drills. They go through three or four drills and they're gassed."

If you were Jerry Jones, would you sign DeMarcus Lawrence to a big-money extension?

"I think that he's shown the Cowboys what he can do, but it always come down to the team. I want Lawrence to get all the money he can, but I also want them to finish and get a Super Bowl. So they've got to get some offensive players, too, to help them become great. They don't have to go defense. Lawrence will be there regardless, even if he's just franchise tagged, he's going to be there. Jerry's got to be crazy not to do it when you've got somebody special like that.

"Taco [Charlton] came on at the end of the year. He's finally getting confidence in himself. You've got Tyrone Crawford, he played a hell of a year."

Have you seen enough from David Irving to keep him around? Irving missed the first four games due to a suspension and the last four due to a concussion.

"It ain't how you start, it's how you finish. I guess he finished hurt. My thing is I'm not a fan. I think that when the game is on the line, you need the dog to show up. You don't need the dog making excuses. I'm not an excuse guy, so I'm not a fan."