Woody, Roy Lee... Davis??? - Dallas Cowboys Forum

Lord Sun · 05-11-2004

The Dallas Cowboys have an odd number one defense. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is constantly castigated and derided for his lack of daring. He appears to prefer fielding a "vanilla" defense, a little blitzing now and then, but no big risks. It's been posited, however, that Mr. Zimmer's hand has been forced by the paucity of stars (pun not intended) on this current incarnation of America's Team. Well, let's look at what he has to work with, shall we?

The defensive line is decent - solid is another word often ascribed to this group. They don't produce big numbers, but like their leader, Pro Bowler La'Roi Glover, they are consistent, and consistently good. They lost one starter from 2003 (more on that in a minute) but brought in free agent end Marcellus Wiley, a hard worker, and another disciplined player whose numbers have slipped in his last two seasons with San Diego.

The linebacking corps is simultaneously the best unit, and the one with the most immediate promise. Dexter Coakley, Pro Bowl anchor man Dat Nguyen and Alshermond Singleton are a formidable trio. Second-year head coach Bill Parcells has expressed his confidence in second-year player Bradie James, although the only snaps the college standout has had in the pros are on special teams. Another special teams dynamo, Markus Steele, is considered by many observers to be another up-and-comer.

It's in the secondary that things begin to get sticky. It says here that Jerry Jones allowed last year's starting cornerback, Mario Edwards, to sign a fat free agent contract with Tampa Bay for the same reason he let starting defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban go join his old defensive coach, Dave Campo, in Cleveland. Neither player was good enough. Now, after two years in the league, Pete Hunter will test his size (6'2", 212 lbs), speed (4.34 40-yard dash) and wits (an honours degree in criminal justice) as a starter opposite the phenomenal Terrence Newman. The coaches either have more faith in him than they did in the several free agent corners that were available, or the front office did not see the fiscal merit of giving big money to the birds in the bush. The problem with the corners, aside from Hunter's lack of experience, is that there is little depth behind Hunter and Newman. Donald Mitchell was signed last year as a nickel corner, a job he's done very well with previously in the NFL, but he never got to play a down for the Cowboys, having sustained a season-ending injury early on.

In the deep secondary, there are more questions than answers. Darren Woodson above is a former Pro Bowler, and it's arguable that he has not lost much of a step. Conversely, the consensus position on Dallas' 2002 first-round pick and (alleged) free safety is that he's grown tremendously since entering the league, and that he is just about as good a safety (qualify that: young safety) as the NFL has ever seen. Sounds good, huh?

Well, Woodson is 35. He is still playing well, but he is on borrowed time. Roy Woodson, barring injury, will be nonpareil for the Cowboys for years to come. But who plays behind them? Fourth-year players Tony Dixon and Lynn Scott, that's who... for now. Dixon is built like Woodson, and he's started for this team, when Woodson went down with an injury in 2002. He's also played a lot of nickel defense. With Mitchell healthy, Dixon is no longer likely to form part of that package. Scott is a special teams demon, a fierce hitter, but he's only really seen the field when Dixon has gone down with an occasional hamstring injury.

Then there's the amazing story of Keith Davis above. A fine special teams player in 2002, his rookie season with his hometown team, Davis was cut last year, part of a remarkable chain of events. In June 2003, he was shot outside a nightclub - it was accepted that he was not at fault, but the Cowboys have had their share of unsavoury incidents over the years, and this was one too many, for the club and for new head coach Bill Parcells.

Here's what this highly conditioned athlete did next: "September and into October I was in a rut, looking at games and watching guys on TV and thinking, 'I should be out there.' I had that type of attitude." Fortunately, for the man himself and perhaps for the Dallas Cowboys, he didn't mope through November and December. "One night I realized that I can feel sorry for myself," he said, "or I could get my tail up and start working out and getting ready because I'm going back. At that moment I just started to do my own thing. I knew what to do."

"What to do" was head south, to Houston, not his alma mater, Sam Houston State, but the home of the Texans. There, Davis began preparing for 2004, working out, watching tape, running, training. Someone in Dallas was watching, because Davis was re-signed in January, and allocated to NFL Europe. So far, it's been an unqualified success. Through five games, he'd had one pick, defensed six passes and recorded 37 tackles, 28 solo. In his sixth game, he got two more picks, three more passes defensed and three more tackles. He leads NFLE in interceptions. Well, perhaps it could be a qualified success - you see, I omitted to mention that Davis broke his left hand during training camp. he's left-handed.

One thing's for sure. Keith Davis is getting an audition in Germany. He could end up being the long-term solution for Dallas' conundrum as to how to replace Woodson, and how to do it gracefully. The old war-horse would share time with Davis, in the best-case scenario, which means assuming that Davis earns the right to stay on the field ahead of Dixon and/or Scott. Williams would move (seamlessly, we would like to believe) between free and strong safety, depending on who he's in with. Zimmer and Parcells could even create a flexible formation with all three safeties on the field. For Davis, it would be a far cry from Berlin, where he's one of just three safeties on the roster. But with this kid, perhaps it's best to see the glass as half full - at least playing in a short rotation means he's getting more reps.

Lord Sun · 05-11-2004

They don't get much tougher than Davis

By Seth Polansky
NFL.com

(April 9, 2004) -- He's almost as powerful as a locomotive, just about as fast a speeding bullet and can leap most buildings in a single bound. Meet Berlin Thunder safety Keith Davis, a player as close to Superman as you will get.

Davis could have earned the distinction of NFL Europe's toughest player even before training camp let out. After breaking his left hand in a scrimmage, all Davis needed was one week away from the game and he was back on the field. In the final tuneup for NFL Europe, Davis, who is left-handed, took on the Cologne Centurions with a cast on his hand that resembled the hammer on Berlin's logo.

"I was tackling the running back, and when I wrapped him up around the waist, our other safety (Oliver Celestin) was coming from the other side," Davis said. "His facemask crushed the bone in my hand against the runner's waist. I knew when he hit me that something wasn't right. I tried to go back in that game, but the trainer wouldn't let me. There were only two other safeties and I knew those guys were tired. I was like, 'Man, those guys are dying, just let me get back out there.' "

Davis might have been forced to exit early in that game, but he didn't stay on the bench for long. After taking a week off to rest, he went right back out there for the team's final scrimmage against the Centurions. X-rays at the time showed the broken bone already had started to heal within the first week of the injury. So as long as Davis could handle playing with a cast on his hand, it looked like he would answer the bell on opening weekend.

Week 1 provided a matchup at home against Scotland, a team known for its offense and one that lost a tiebreaker the previous season to qualify for the World Bowl. So stopping the Claymores would be a big task, especially for Davis and the appendage he had on his dominant hand.

Despite that inconvenience, Davis managed four tackles on defense and one on special teams, and the Thunder came out on top 20-14. Not a bad way to start the season, especially since the organization had never won a home opener in its five previous season of existence.

"That was real big for us," said Davis. "You want to come out of the starting blocks pretty well at the beginning of the season. You don't want to start the season 0-1. ... Also, for the people here in Germany and in Berlin, that was real big for them. The fans really enjoyed it and we enjoyed the game.

"For us to be a defense, we are all going to have to run to the ball. Our defensive linemen are coming downfield to make tackles because they are hustling to the ball. If we keep that effort up and that pursuit, we can stop anybody."

Stopping anybody with a smaller roster takes a fair amount of hustling. And hustling is a word Davis doesn't use lightly. In addition to being one of only three safeties on the team, he stars as a special-teams player. There isn't much time to catch a breather on the sidelines. So Davis has to keep practicing and working out so he can stay useful on the field with a broken hand.

In practice, he makes interceptions one-handed and still tackles at game speed. It's not so much that Davis' teammates have to worry about him injuring himself further, they have to worry about not getting hurt themselves by a guy who is not even at 100 percent.

"To hit someone coming from the safety position is a lot of fun because you're back there and you can't really be accounted for in the blocking scheme," Davis said. "So most of the time you get about a 10- to 15-yard running start at the running back before he even gets five yards. When you get a chance to have that kind of running start and to get a chance to just run through a guy, that's the best feeling ever to me. I love the contact more than I like interceptions sometimes. In this business, in this game, you're either going to be the hitter or the hittee. I always try to be the hitter."

Of course Davis would never hurt any of his teammates on purpose. They're all friends. He credits the season-opening victory and the great team play to the way everyone jelled right off the bat at training camp. Players routinely hang out with each other and help each other out on and off the field at all times. This could be the major factor to turning around a team that was a league-worst 3-7 last season.

All of this might not have come to fruition after one of the scariest situations possible occurred late last June. Following his rookie year, Davis continued to train and prepare for the upcoming 2003 season. It would have been better than his rookie year of 2002 because he would have been a bigger part of the game plan. Instead of being relegated strictly to special teams, Davis probably would have seen some time in nickel and dime situations.

But his life almost came to an end. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when someone pulled out a gun.

The cliché of whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger was very true in this case, and it's more proof Davis is one of the toughest players around. Even though he almost died that Saturday night, Davis checked himself out of the hospital Sunday morning. One week later he started working out again and was preparing for Dallas' training camp in July.

Davis said, "I would go in and work out at night when no one was there. I would always go in around 11, 12, even 1 in the morning. I would do it by myself because I needed to be in my own world. I needed to be in touch with me. I needed to do everything to get ready."

All the training and rehab in the world couldn't save Davis from what happened next. The organization, under a new coach in Bill Parcells, took a hard stand against outside elements taking their toll on the team, and subsequently Davis was waived. He was in shape and not feeling any effects from the incident, but a line was drawn in the sand. The next two months was full of nothing but sitting on the couch and watching the Cowboys on television.

"Through September and into October I was in a rut, looking at games and watching guys on TV and thinking, 'I should be out there,' " he said. "I had that type of attitude. Then one night I realized that I can feel sorry for myself or I could get my tail up and start working out and getting ready because I'm going back. At that moment I just started to do my own thing. I knew what to do."

Since then, Davis spent the rest of the year training in Houston and getting ready for 2004. And why shouldn't he -- Dallas is Davis' hometown team. He described it as a dream to come true to play with the guys he idolized growing up. So it was one of the happiest days in Davis' life when Dallas eventually re-signed the defensive back and allocated him to NFL Europe to make sure he can still hit 'em like he used to.

Preserving an season-opening victory with a broken hand is an obvious sign Davis still can.

"I just wanted to come over here and be the best player that I could be," Davis added. "I wanted to put myself in a situation to be one of top defensive players over here. I just want to stay healthy and do what I know how to do, and that's play football and make plays like I love to make."

AmericanClass · 05-11-2004

I like Keith Davis. I want to see him beat out Tony Dixon and definitely Lynn Scott. You know you're battle tested if you're playing football well after two gun shot wounds.

The kid is a warrior. He should make the roster again this year.

TruBlueCowboy · 05-11-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Sun

The Dallas Cowboys have an odd number one defense. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is constantly castigated and derided for his lack of daring. He appears to prefer fielding a "vanilla" defense, a little blitzing now and then, but no big risks. It's been posited, however, that Mr. Zimmer's hand has been forced by the paucity of stars (pun not intended) on this current incarnation of America's Team. Well, let's look at what he has to work with, shall we?

Is Zimmer criticized for not blitzing? Hell, the Cowboys defense was one of the most blitz happy defenses last year. I don't think many teams took as many chances as the Cowboys, especially with our safeties. What more can the man do to make fans happy?

jdnalls · 05-11-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by TruBlueCowboy

Is Zimmer criticized for not blitzing? Hell, the Cowboys defense was one of the most blitz happy defenses last year. I don't think many teams took as many chances as the Cowboys, especially with our safeties. What more can the man do to make fans happy?

Yeah, and the only reason why we blitzed so damn much was because Zimmer's style of D doesn't know how to generate a pass rush without blitzes.

VThokie7 · 05-11-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdnalls

Yeah, and the only reason why we blitzed so damn much was because Zimmer's style of D doesn't know how to generate a pass rush without blitzes.

Could it be we didn't have the defensive line to create a pass rush without blitzing and not Zimmers scheme? When you have Ellis and Glover getting all the attention and nobody else on the line can step up and do anything with a one on one situation, I think its more a victim of talent than scheme.

jterrell · 05-11-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdnalls

Yeah, and the only reason why we blitzed so damn much was because Zimmer's style of D doesn't know how to generate a pass rush without blitzes.

LOL. Vince Lombardi couldnt get a pass rush out of Ekuban and the bums we had playing DE other than Ellis who himself is a great all around DE but not an elite rusher.

Zimmer has done a remarkable job which has him mentioned in coaching hires.
The fact he lived through the Campo era says all you need to know about the job he has done.

BP is harder on assistants than anyone so his stamp of approval says anyone else's disapproval is offbase.

TruBlueCowboy · 05-11-2004

Our linebackers don't get enough credit. Not only are Dat and Dexter undersized, they've been working with that defensive line for so many years. I hope Wiley returns to Pro Bowl form this year. We could use some help.

Reef Engineer · 05-11-2004

Quote:

"When you get a chance to have that kind of running start and to get a chance to just run through a guy, that's the best feeling ever to me. I love the contact more than I like interceptions sometimes. In this business, in this game, you're either going to be the hitter or the hittee. I always try to be the hitter."

I love that about him. It's a game of contact - why not be the one inflicting the pain? Call me a homer but I say this kid makes the squad - no question about it. You can "book it" as they say.

Reef Engineer · 05-11-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdnalls

Yeah, and the only reason why we blitzed so damn much was because Zimmer's style of D doesn't know how to generate a pass rush without blitzes.

You can't be serious with that. "Zimmer's style" is basically the Tampa Bay Bucs style ... and the Bucs don't seem to have a problem creating a pass rush. You think personnel might have something to do with it?

Zim should make the assistant's HOF for the job he's done over the last few years with the talent he's had to work with.

Unreal.

VThokie7 · 05-12-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reef Engineer

You can't be serious with that. "Zimmer's style" is basically the Tampa Bay Bucs style ... and the Bucs don't seem to have a problem creating a pass rush. You think personnel might have something to do with it?

Zim should make the assistant's HOF for the job he's done over the last few years with the talent he's had to work with.

Unreal.

From what i've seen of Davis while hes been on the roster I've liked him. I thought he was pretty good as a UDFA and expected him to make the squad last year until he was waived. Hopefully he can make the team and be a upgrade over Lynn Scott, Scott has to finally go

jdnalls · 05-12-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by jterrell

LOL. Vince Lombardi couldnt get a pass rush out of Ekuban and the bums we had playing DE other than Ellis who himself is a great all around DE but not an elite rusher.

Zimmer has done a remarkable job which has him mentioned in coaching hires.
The fact he lived through the Campo era says all you need to know about the job he has done.

BP is harder on assistants than anyone so his stamp of approval says anyone else's disapproval is offbase.

Okay, so what's going to be our excuse for a mediocre pass rush this season as well? Is it going to be all the DL's fault yet again or will the DC actually step up and finally take some blame.

Smith22 · 05-12-2004

I don't understand why so many people have this built up hate for Zimmer. We had ONE guy last year who excelled at blitzing, Roy Williams, that is it. Then add in the fact that we had Ekuban and Blade out there, what did you expect him to do. Blade has shown improvement, but he is still a player that has bounced around from team 2 team early in his career.

We add Wiley at DE but lose Edwards at CB. Right now, I would have to consider that a wash until we see how well Hunter/Thornton can play. At least we get Mitchell back as the NB.

Clay_Allison · 05-12-2004

Keith Davis gives me a small glimmer of hope, Tony Dixon flat out is NOT a football player. He can't tackle OR cover, it bodes ill for his future.

Kendo · 05-12-2004

Come on now Keith

I realize that things are starting to turn around for you, but do you really need to start gloating about yourself on cowboys message boards.