2012 Cowboys' Defense: Pleasant Suprises And Surprising Unpleasantries

[RS12]

The 2012 edition of Rob Ryan's defense has been at once everything and nothing that we have expected. We've had some disappointing (injured) starters and some impressive depth. A fairly sound pass coverage but an unexpected scarcity of press coverage. An as-advertised effective pass rush, but an unexpected lack of blitzes. We've seen the results we've expected but they've come about in unexpected ways.

What ever happened to that ferocious defense Rob Ryan has been promising us? Through 11 games, we've likely seen most of what this defense has to offer, and I can't say it at all resembles what I was expecting - at least from a schematic point of view.

As we spent last summer charting the Cowboys' offseason moves, transcribing press conferences and watching practices, we felt we knew what this defense would try to be this year. We saw Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne as direct indicators that we would be running a pressure defense, at least in the secondary. Drafting Tyron Crawford and Kyle Wilber showed some continued commitment to 3-4 pass-rush players. The promotion of Barry Church seemed to signify the coming of safety blitzes and one-deep coverages, and the faith in Bruce Carter stepping up seemed to show a desire for 'multiplicity.'

Remember that term? Multiplicity was supposed to be the identity of this defense. Primarily based on the assumption that our corners could lock down any receiving corps one-on-one, we believed we would be able to alternate any player between pass rush and zone coverage, confusing opposing offenses and filling highlight reels with splash plays. That's not what we've seen.

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2012/...unpleasantries

[rash]

post of the year thus far.

if everyone has the time, read this from start to finish.

[Chuck 54]

The only issue I have with this article is that the defense cannot play its own game regardless of offense and special teams.

In a season when your offense is struggling to do much of anything the way ours has struggled all year, maybe you need your defensive coordinator to be a bit more exotic and try to be a big play defense. If the offense was putting up points as expected, then bend but don't break and get off the field on third down would be great.

It's a team game, and we're playing lots of tight games where an occasional short field could mean a win.

[Eddie]

Maybe the reality is that players make the coach.

Rob Ryan was supposed to be some Defensive genius who could conjure up exotic blitzes from his arse. I've seen nada.

When he has good players ... the Defense plays well. When he doesn't have good players ... the Defense stinks.

Insert ANY DC ... and this applies. Ryan is over-hyped.

[Future]

Originally Posted by Eddie

Maybe the reality is that players make the coach.

Rob Ryan was supposed to be some Defensive genius who could conjure up exotic blitzes from his arse. I've seen nada.

When he has good players ... the Defense plays well. When he doesn't have good players ... the Defense stinks.

Insert ANY DC ... and this applies. Ryan is over-hyped.

I agree that he's overhyped, but he had just as strong of a defense in Cleveland as he has here, and you can't say that Cleveland is as talented I don't think.

I really think that JG must have some influence on his defensive schemes, because they are entirely vanilla. I don't understand why, all of a sudden, he just completely changes his way of coaching a defense. The similarities, in terms of lack of variation and predictability, between the offense and defense are striking. That points to the head coach imo.

[fanfromvirginia]

Originally Posted by rash

post of the year thus far.

if everyone has the time, read this from start to finish.

To be fair, the entire post is an excerpt from an article. It is a great article, though. And you are right, well worth the read.

In particular, I really liked the unexcerpted part about multiplicity and our linebackers' abilities (when healthy!)