Mocking an Offseason

[cowboysfan31]

After the loss to the Cardinals, I posted a thread in the fan zone stating I believed we needed to be a base 4-3 defense next year. After a few days of kicking the idea around I thought I would expand on that idea here. I like Rob Ryan's defense, and his intensity. We just don't have the players to run the 3-4 effectively at this point, and I believe Rob may take a head coaching job elsewhere. DL Coach Brian Baker has extensive experience in the 4-3, as does LB Matt Eberflus (including as a D-Coordinator in college) and both seem to be good young coaches. Campo and Maxie both should probably be replaced anyway. So on to the offeason...

Free Agency

Current players not under contract for 2012:CB Alan Ball, TE Martellus Bennett, ILB Keith Brooking, OG Derrick Dockery, S Abe Elam, OG Montrae Holland, ILB Bradie James, P Mat McBriar, WR Laurent Robinson, S Gerald Sensabaugh, OLB Anthony Spencer, CB Frank Walker

Players Cut/Retire:CB Terrance Newman, QB Jon Kitna

Players resigned:P Mat McBriar, WR Laurent Robinson, S Gerald Sensabaugh, CB Frank Walker

Free agents signed:

DE Mario Williams- I would take the 5/$60 contract that JJ threw at Nnamdi and throw it at Williams. Thats about the same as Freeney, and putting Williams and Ware on the same DL with Rat mixed in there too would be nasty.

OG Scott Mruczkowski- Can play C or G, but he is like Gurode in the fact that he is a good C but an average G. Will turn 30 before the season starts, but he should come cheap and has starting experience.

OLB Erin Henderson- E.J.'s little brother has been playing good for Minnesota this year. Only playing on a 1 year/$1.2mil contract right now, could be fairly inexpensive and add good depth at SLB.

Draft

1. Alfonzo Dennard CB Nebraska 5'10" 205lbs Dennard has the size to match up well against big NFL receivers, and he excels at both zone and man coverage. He is a solid open field tackler, and is capable of making plays on the ball.

2. Ronnell Lewis LB/DE Oklahoma 6'2" 244lbs Nicknamed "The Hammer" for his ability to make big hits, especially on special teams. Lewis plays a hybrid LB/DE position for Oklahoma, but he is a freakish athlete that I believe will be able to stand up on the strong side in a 4-3. With 3 second round LBs in 3 years, Dallas should be set at the LB position for a long time to come.

3. Mike Brewster C Ohio St 6'4" 305lbs Still on the undeveloped side physically, but he is a mental and emotional leader on the field. His stock has slid as the year has gone on, but with time Brewster should develop into a good C in this league.

4. Ladarius Green TE La-Lafayette 6'6" 236lbs Dallas has really lacked a second TE that we can count on in the passing game. Bennett will be gone, and Phillips hasn't been the same since his injury. Green gives the us another receiving threat in the middle of the field that would open things up for everyone else. He is still improving as a blocker, but he has the right attitude to succeed.

5. George Iloka FS Boise St 6'3" 213lbs Iloka is a tall, lanky safety with loose enough hips to do a good job in man coverage. He doesn't have much force as a tackler and probably won't intimidate anyone, but he is a good centerfielder.

6. Jeff Demps RS Florida 5'8" 190lbs Demps has world class speed, and despite his small stature has good toughness and durability. His size will cause him to be drafted late, but he is a game-breaker that will play his career with a chip on his shoulder.

6.(Comp Pick) Tom Compton OT South Dakota 6'6" 312lbs He played his first 2 years at RT before switching to LT for his last 2 years. He fits as either a RT or G in the NFL most likely. He plays with good strength and a nasty attitude, but doesn't have much quickness.


7. B.J. Coleman QB Tenn-Chattanooga 6'3" 220lbs Coleman is a Tennessee transfer with a passion for football, and a quick release. He suffered a sprained shoulder and did not have a very good senior season, but he has the measurables and desire of an NFL QB and would make a good project QB.

Depth Chart

Offense

QB- Tony Romo, Stephen McGee, B.J. Coleman
RB- DeMarco Murray, Felix Jones, Phillip Tanner
FB- Tony Fiammetta
TE- Jason Witten, Ladarius Green, John Phillips
WR- Miles Austin, Laurent Robinson, Kevin Ogletree
WR- Dez Bryant, Jesse Holley, Dwayne Harris
LT- Tyron Smith, Jeremy Parnell
LG- Kyle Kosier, Bill Nagy
C- Phil Costa, Mike Brewster
RG- Scott Mruczkowski, David Arkin
RT- Doug Free, Tom Compton

Defense
DE- Mario Williams, Jason Hatcher
DT- Jay Ratliff, Kenyon Coleman
DT- Marcus Spears, Sean Lissemore
DE- DeMarcus Ware, Victor Butler
WLB- Bruce Carter, Erin Henderson
ILB- Sean Lee, Alex Albright
SLB- Erin Henderson, Ronnell Lewis
CB- Mike Jenkins, Alfonzo Dennard
FS- Gerald Sensabaugh, George Iloka
SS- Barry Church, Danny McCray
CB- Orlando Scandrick, Frank Walker

Special Teams

P- Mat McBriar
PK- Dan Bailey
LS- L.P. Ladouceur
RS- Jeff Demps

That is 51 guys. I would ideally like to add another veteran LB, and WR as well but with the limited cap room we have I'm trying to make it as real as possible.

Anybody have any thoughts on it?

[Hoofbite]

60M for a guy coming off of IR?

I'll pass.

It's not his legs so you don't have to worry about him never getting back to what he has shown he can be and what he was to start the season but 60M?

I'm sure Jerry can get it to work with the cap so I wouldn't be pissed if it happened but man......that's a lot of money for a guy who just played 5 games and was getting to the QB more in a contract year than he had in the past.

And drafting a TE, even in the 4th round, passing.

I think Philips can handle the #2 spot just fine.

Putting another "receiving threat in the middle" means you take one of the WRs off the field. I think Dallas should start moving away from the 6 OL set and start running more 3 WR.......when Austin returns. Or hell, even now. It's not like Bennett is getting much done.

[cowboysfan31]

60M for a guy coming off of IR?

I'll pass.

It's not his legs so you don't have to worry about him never getting back to what he has shown he can be and what he was to start the season but 60M?

I'm sure Jerry can get it to work with the cap so I wouldn't be pissed if it happened but man......that's a lot of money for a guy who just played 5 games and was getting to the QB more in a contract year than he had in the past.

His rookie contract paid him an average of $9mil/year, and I can't see him taking less than that on his second contract. He's still the man that made people forget about Reggie Bush. He averaged almost 9 sacks and 2 FFs a year on a DL where he always gets the majority of the attention and didn't get much help from the players around him. I didn't see him play this year, though it looks like Wade had moved him to OLB. At his size, I would much rather have him with his hand on the ground. He's every bit as good as Julius Peppers in his prime, and Williams will still only be 27 next year.


And drafting a TE, even in the 4th round, passing.

I think Philips can handle the #2 spot just fine.

Putting another "receiving threat in the middle" means you take one of the WRs off the field. I think Dallas should start moving away from the 6 OL set and start running more 3 WR.......when Austin returns. Or hell, even now. It's not like Bennett is getting much done.

The only problem with having 3 WRs on the field is that right now our best 3 WRs are at their best on the outside. I would rather have the size advantage with a 6'6" TE running against a LB/S than hoping one of our WRs can run a better route or athletically beat a DB. That's not to say that we can't put Miles, Dez, and Laurent on the field at the same time, but it is nice to have options instead of hoping that those 3 stay healthy all the time because that's all we've got.

[CATCH17]

Enjoyed the read.

Do not like the mock though.


Dennard and Lewis look like 2nd rate players with not much upside to me.

[RS12]

7. B.J. Coleman QB Tenn-Chattanooga 6'3" 220lbs Coleman is a Tennessee transfer with a passion for football, and a quick release. He suffered a sprained shoulder and did not have a very good senior season, but he has the measurables and desire of an NFL QB and would make a good project QB.

Why did he transfer from Tennessee when their QB hasnt been so hot for a while?

[Risen Star]

When you talk about going back to a 4-3 defense, you lose me as a reader of your offseason plan.

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[supercowboy8]

Why did he transfer from Tennessee when their QB hasnt been so hot for a while?

he is a very good QB and with a few years to develop could turn into a good pro QB. I live in TN and a big UT fan.

he was behind Crompton who was a Junior at the time. Coleman wanted to play now and TN just got Sims in a transfer. Coleman also had some personnel issues at the time and also the whole Fulmer leaving and Kiffen coming in. Colman and Kiffen didn't share the same style. So Coleman decided to go back home to Chattanooga to be with family and play there.

Tennessee has a very good QB now in Tyler Bray.

[cowboysfan31]

Enjoyed the read.

Do not like the mock though.


Dennard and Lewis look like 2nd rate players with not much upside to me.

Thank you. I'm not sure what you saw in Dennard that makes you think he is a 2nd rate player. IMO he will be a better NFL CB than Amukamara will be and we will probably end up with a pick close to where Prince was taken last year. Dennard is a solid open field tackler and he is able to stick with receivers. Every time I watched him he was good at finding the ball and separating it from receivers.

Ronnell Lewis is still a raw player, but I think he is just starting to blossom. He played 8-man football in high school (but was all-state both ways), and I believe he's only made 11 starts at the college level. This draft is thin on SLB. I considered taking Keenan Robinson from Texas in the 3rd round and putting Ben Jones in the 2nd round, but in the end went with what you see.

I appreciate the comments.


Why did he transfer from Tennessee when their QB hasnt been so hot for a while?

supercowboy8 answered that question even better than I could right above this post.


When you talk about going back to a 4-3 defense, you lose me as a reader of your offseason plan.


Well thanks for a giving it a chance. Out of curiosity, why are you averse to us returning to a 4-3 defense? DeMarcus Ware is an elite RDE, and Ratliff's best position is as a 3-Tech DT. If we signed Mario Williams to man the LDE spot, our pass rush with just 4 guys should be unstoppable. The only LBs we have under contract for next year in our current scheme are Ware, Lee, Carter, Butler, and Albright. So in order do continue with a 3-4 we are looking at needing 2-3 LBs, plus a CB, and possibly a DE. That's alot of holes to keep plugging and we don't have a ton of room to work with.

[Risen Star]

Well thanks for a giving it a chance. Out of curiosity, why are you averse to us returning to a 4-3 defense?

Because it's an inferior scheme to the 3-4.

[cowboysfan31]

Because it's an inferior scheme to the 3-4.

Twice you have responded with such a convincing argument, you must be right. But I still haven't seen any proof. The Cowboys are tied for 10th in points allowed right now, 5 of the 10 teams ranked higher than us run a base 4-3 defense (Titans, Jaguars, Browns, Bears, and Falcons). The Cowboys are 12th in the Aikman Defensive Efficiency ratings, and again 5 out of the 11 teams ranked higher than us run a base 4-3 defense (Lions, Bears, Falcons, Seahawks, and Jaguars). Cleveland is running a 4-3 base this year after Rob Ryan left, and they are giving up an average of 2.3 points less per game while getting to the QB at a slightly higher rate (1.8 sacks/game last year vs. 1.9/game this year). Yes, clearly the 4-3 is inferior.

Defensive performance comes down to the players on the field, and I have already pointed out that moving forward I believe our playmakers would be put in the best position to continue making plays in a 4-3, but your argument is so overwhelming I'm probably just wasting my breathe.

[casmith07]

Nope. We aren't switching to a 4-3, so the mock is invalid.

[Risen Star]

Twice you have responded with such a convincing argument, you must be right. But I still haven't seen any proof. The Cowboys are tied for 10th in points allowed right now, 5 of the 10 teams ranked higher than us run a base 4-3 defense (Titans, Jaguars, Browns, Bears, and Falcons). The Cowboys are 12th in the Aikman Defensive Efficiency ratings, and again 5 out of the 11 teams ranked higher than us run a base 4-3 defense (Lions, Bears, Falcons, Seahawks, and Jaguars). Cleveland is running a 4-3 base this year after Rob Ryan left, and they are giving up an average of 2.3 points less per game while getting to the QB at a slightly higher rate (1.8 sacks/game last year vs. 1.9/game this year). Yes, clearly the 4-3 is inferior.

Defensive performance comes down to the players on the field, and I have already pointed out that moving forward I believe our playmakers would be put in the best position to continue making plays in a 4-3, but your argument is so overwhelming I'm probably just wasting my breathe.

The 3-4 is a more versatile, flexible defense. Gives offenses more to think about, allows teams to use easier to find rush LBs than DEs who can get to the QB but also play the run well.

All the great defenses in recent years have been 3-4. Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Green Bay last year, New England during their run. It's just a superior scheme. Which is why you've seen so many teams transition to it over recent years.

No offense. I'm just not going to waste my time reading an offseason plan that includes the genius of going back to a lesser scheme.

[cowboysfan31]

A zone-blitzing 4-3 is just as flexible and versatile as a 3-4. Jim Johnson and Steve Spagnuolo never had many problems confusing offenses. Green Bay has been giving up a ton of points and yards on defense this year, only to be saved by creating alot of turnovers. The Patriots have actually switched to running a base 4-3 because they no longer had the players to effectively run the 3-4. If Rob Ryan takes a HC job, I would love to see Spagnuolo bring his 4-3 to Dallas if he's let go in St. Louis.

Mario Williams, Jay Ratliff, and DeMarcus Ware with their hands on the ground is nasty. Both Williams and Ware have experience as OLBs in a 3-4 and could still drop into coverage, but I would rather try to get pressure with 4 down lineman and let our LBs cover the underneath. Carter and Lee are both fast, if they've got guys in front of them taking up blockers they can make plays from sideline to sideline all day long.

If you stay with the 3-4, we need atleast 2 LBs if not 3. Spencer isn't cutting it at the SOLB. If he wants to come back as a backup, I'm fine with that but I don't see that happening. He doesn't bring enough pass rush, and his play is too inconsistent for us to move forward with him as a starter IMO. We also don't have a real backup at that spot, and with both Brooking and James as FA we need an ILB for depth too. Even after signing 2 DEs last year, our defensive line is still rather average and we are again possibly looking at signing another DE. We aren't 1 player away from an elite defense, we're probably only halfway there. How long do you keep failing at something before you decide to change?