4 games with our young D: Strengths and Areas for Improvement

[Bobhaze]

We are all rightly excited about the young, talented and aggressive defense we’re building in big D. I haven’t been this excited about a Cowboys defense since the days of the Big Tuna. It should only get better.

Through 4 games, our defense has picked up 10 TOs. But here’s where the defense can really show us how effective it can be: How will they perform in a game when they don’t get turnovers? That will indicate how much it has really improved.Teams in the playoffs are usually the ones who don’t turn the ball over much. This young group’s ability to get off the field without giving up points will ultimately determine how good it is.

Through 4 games, let’s look at the Defense’s strengths and areas for improvement:

STRENGTHS

• Ability to get TOs- we are 2nd only to the Bills in getting TOs with 10 so far.
• Ability to pressure the QB. We have 9 sacks, which is 17th in the league. Also have 17 hurries. We are getting pressure with 27 QB hits- an avg of nearly 7 a game.
  
• We are 9th in the league in opponents QB rating at 89.5.
• We are currently 6th in the league on rushing D, averaging only a little over 80 yards per game. (Happening because opponents are playing from behind)
• The young talent we are developing- Micah Parsons, Osa Oghuizuha, Tavon Diggs, Chauncey Golston have all had a major positive impact. And they are all 24 or younger!

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

• Currently Giving up too many points per game- We are 17th in PPG, averaging giving up about 25 points per game. Not terrible, but still needs to improve.
• Giving up too many splash plays- we have given up way too many plays of over 20 yards, especially in the passing game.
• Improving yards per rush- Our D still needs to improve its ability to stop the run. We are currently giving up 4.7 yards per carry. Because teams have been playing behind in most games, the running game has been eliminated. We WILL have some close games where we need to stop the run.
• Being able to stop opponents without getting TOs- at some point we’re going to have a game where don’t get any TOs. We need to see our D be able to stop opponents anyway.

To me, the best thing about this defense is it’s youth and enthusiasm. If they continue to develop and grow as players, we could really have something special.

Imagine having another “Doomsday Defense”!

 

[JJHLH1]

We have some excellent young players.

I kind of expected Parsons and Diggs to play well.

I had no idea that Osa would be playing at such a high level, but love it!

 

[Bobhaze]

We have some excellent young players.

I kind of expected Parsons and Diggs to play well.

I had no idea that Osa would be playing at such a high level, but love it!

Having Osa and Golston shine early has been so encouraging.

 

[Dalmations202]

Strengths -- I agree

Areas for improvement: (all you have said plus)
1) NT/1T -- Did anyone catch the Bucs/Pats game and watch Vita Vea late in the game. Lined up inside shoulder of guard and drove off the ball to the outside forcing the guard to keep his head in front of Vea. Vea just kept driving into the tackle and wiped him out. DE looped inside for the sack. Nothing in the stat book, but all Vea for that sack as he took out two linemen with superb inside play. Dallas is missing this one guy who can be a game changer.
2) TE -- I like both of the TE's Dallas uses, but neither can block in space, and neither are excellent in line. Neither are massively sure handed, and neither are true speed threats. Need better TE play. (Sorry, I am talking young guys and not just the D - realized your title says D) Schultz/Jarwin are not Witten or Bennett.
3) LB's -- Parsons is great. I think Dallas could improve with a better MLB player that would allow Parsons to float between pass rusher, and Will. So far none of the rest of the LB's have impressed me with their physicality.

Time and health are the only other things I think Dallas really needs right now to be a contender this year.

 

[9of11]

Im loving the D and the young guys...they really showing up more and more which makes the D better going forward. My only concern is the DQ effect....I know its only been four games and the D is young and improving but I dont like what we are doing when we have an opposing team down and out. We let up too much late in the game and make it closer than it should be. I saw shades of DQ defense in Atlanta giving up too many big plays and letting the other team score easily late in the game and it came back to bite them because he let their offense start clicking and gaining momentum...We need to finish strong and play hard the entire game....I dont care if were up by 40....No more DQ effect....play hard, play strong and finish the game strong.

 

[johneric8]

I'm going out on a limb here, but I honestly believe that Bossman fat will be starting by the third of the season. He has all the traits that quinn likes, and he isn't as far behind as people think.. Remember, if brown or lewis goes down next up is Fat just based on his abilities alone.. Quinn and McCarthy aren't afraid at all to throw a player into the fire, bank on that.

 

[CATCH17]

Keep yards lower and don’t bust coverages as much.

That’s about all you could ask for more.

I really don’t care about the yards.. I prefer turnovers and keeping points low. No excuse for blown assignments.

 

[DanA]

The best thing about it is that most of what’s good about this defense is coming from Diggs and the 1st year players while most of the concerns are players that are temporary starter and likely not here for long.

I really think our success hides how compromised we’ve been on the D-line. Our projected starters coming out of training camp seemed to be D-Law, Gallimore, Watkins, and Gregory. All have missed games but also, so have many backups (Golston, Armstrong, Anae). The success of Parsons as a pass rusher, Odigi, and then Diggs getting takeaways masks a lot of adversity we’ve faced. Really, it’s at the level of what the O-line faced last season.

 

[jazzcat22]

Too many wide open receivers. I know they want to keep the players in front of them, but til too many are left open with room to run.
17th in sacks, but they should be doing better. Maybe they miss DLaw more than fans think, though we are pretty depleted for now along the DL. So what they are doing is decent considering being down players.

As they get a few players back here and there, and can get through the next 5 games. Then we could get DLaw back for the KC game.
Does NYG offense really scare anyone, other than a rival, which may ,are it more tough, but their defense can be scored upon as well.
At NE, was that them playing TB tough because Bill knows Tom, was Brady off and did the weather play into NE Defense looking good. Is Mac for real or not.
Vikings, in their house, that could be a tough game, but winnable.
Then home against Denver, as are they as good as their record, then the Falcons. 2 more winnable games.

If Dallas plays within their game, don't screw up. They could win the next 5 games. Be fully healthy going into the KC & LV games, and the stretch run.

 

[TequilaCowboy]

It seems many of those splash plays given up have been coming on 3rd and 10+ Could be a breakdown on the defensive assignments for these down and distance sets and formations. Need to find the problem and work on that.

 

[Bobhaze]

It seems many of those splash plays given up have been coming on 3rd and 10+ Could be a breakdown on the defensive assignments for these down and distance sets and formations. Need to find the problem and work on that.

If we can clean up the big plays, this D can really progress. TOS can cover a multitude of sins.

The best thing about it is that most of what’s good about this defense is coming from Diggs and the 1st year players while most of the concerns are players that are temporary starter and likely not here for long.

I really think our success hides how compromised we’ve been on the D-line. Our projected starters coming out of training camp seemed to be D-Law, Gallimore, Watkins, and Gregory. All have missed games but also, so have many backups (Golston, Armstrong, Anae). The success of Parsons as a pass rusher, Odigi, and then Diggs getting takeaways masks a lot of adversity we’ve faced. Really, it’s at the level of what the O-line faced last season.

The most impressive thing this whole team has done in my book is win games with multiple starters missing on both sides of the ball. Something that never seemed possible in the Clapper era.

 

[JohnsKey19]

We are all rightly excited about the young, talented and aggressive defense we’re building in big D. I haven’t been this excited about a Cowboys defense since the days of the Big Tuna. It should only get better.

Through 4 games, our defense has picked up 10 TOs. But here’s where the defense can really show us how effective it can be: How will they perform in a game when they don’t get turnovers? That will indicate how much it has really improved.Teams in the playoffs are usually the ones who don’t turn the ball over much. This young group’s ability to get off the field without giving up points will ultimately determine how good it is.

Through 4 games, let’s look at the Defense’s strengths and areas for improvement:

STRENGTHS

• Ability to get TOs- we are 2nd only to the Bills in getting TOs with 10 so far.
• Ability to pressure the QB. We have 9 sacks, which is 17th in the league. Also have 17 hurries. We are getting pressure with 27 QB hits- an avg of nearly 7 a game.
  
• We are 9th in the league in opponents QB rating at 89.5.
• We are currently 6th in the league on rushing D, averaging only a little over 80 yards per game. (Happening because opponents are playing from behind)
• The young talent we are developing- Micah Parsons, Osa Oghuizuha, Tavon Diggs, Chauncey Golston have all had a major positive impact. And they are all 24 or younger!

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

• Currently Giving up too many points per game- We are 17th in PPG, averaging giving up about 25 points per game. Not terrible, but still needs to improve.
• Giving up too many splash plays- we have given up way too many plays of over 20 yards, especially in the passing game.
• Improving yards per rush- Our D still needs to improve its ability to stop the run. We are currently giving up 4.7 yards per carry. Because teams have been playing behind in most games, the running game has been eliminated. We WILL have some close games where we need to stop the run.
• Being able to stop opponents without getting TOs- at some point we’re going to have a game where don’t get any TOs. We need to see our D be able to stop opponents anyway.

To me, the best thing about this defense is it’s youth and enthusiasm. If they continue to develop and grow as players, we could really have something special.

Imagine having another “Doomsday Defense”!

If we can make it to November with no major injuries and have Lawrence and Gallimore added to the mix, you'll see a more consistent and sturdier defensive unit. And you have to somehow limit the combined snaps of LVE/Jaylon to basically giving guys a few snaps of rest. Sunday was embarrassing. You cant consistently force punts when you don't have a LB who can do basic LB things around the line of scrimmage. What should be 2 yard gains at times are turning into 7-8 yards - basically another 1st down

 

[Ranched]

The Boys have allowed nearly 400 yards per game to opposing offenses. They're giving up nearly 10 yards more per game this year than last year. If not for their impressive offense, they'd currently be 1-3.

 

[Bobhaze]

The Boys have allowed nearly 400 yards per game to opposing offenses. They're giving up nearly 10 yards more per game this year than last year. If not for their impressive offense, they'd currently be 1-3.

I would add if not for the TOs, we would not be as impressed with the D.

 

[john van brocklin]

We are all rightly excited about the young, talented and aggressive defense we’re building in big D. I haven’t been this excited about a Cowboys defense since the days of the Big Tuna. It should only get better.

Through 4 games, our defense has picked up 10 TOs. But here’s where the defense can really show us how effective it can be: How will they perform in a game when they don’t get turnovers? That will indicate how much it has really improved.Teams in the playoffs are usually the ones who don’t turn the ball over much. This young group’s ability to get off the field without giving up points will ultimately determine how good it is.

Through 4 games, let’s look at the Defense’s strengths and areas for improvement:

STRENGTHS

• Ability to get TOs- we are 2nd only to the Bills in getting TOs with 10 so far.
• Ability to pressure the QB. We have 9 sacks, which is 17th in the league. Also have 17 hurries. We are getting pressure with 27 QB hits- an avg of nearly 7 a game.
  
• We are 9th in the league in opponents QB rating at 89.5.
• We are currently 6th in the league on rushing D, averaging only a little over 80 yards per game. (Happening because opponents are playing from behind)
• The young talent we are developing- Micah Parsons, Osa Oghuizuha, Tavon Diggs, Chauncey Golston have all had a major positive impact. And they are all 24 or younger!

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

• Currently Giving up too many points per game- We are 17th in PPG, averaging giving up about 25 points per game. Not terrible, but still needs to improve.
• Giving up too many splash plays- we have given up way too many plays of over 20 yards, especially in the passing game.
• Improving yards per rush- Our D still needs to improve its ability to stop the run. We are currently giving up 4.7 yards per carry. Because teams have been playing behind in most games, the running game has been eliminated. We WILL have some close games where we need to stop the run.
• Being able to stop opponents without getting TOs- at some point we’re going to have a game where don’t get any TOs. We need to see our D be able to stop opponents anyway.

To me, the best thing about this defense is it’s youth and enthusiasm. If they continue to develop and grow as players, we could really have something special.

Imagine having another “Doomsday Defense”!

A big concern for me is giving up first downs on 3rd downs.

 

[Bobhaze]

A big concern for me is giving up first downs on 3rd downs.

Our fans have been so hungry for better D we have been a little early in declaring this defense as “really good”. If they can continue to improve, they certainly can be. But there is still so much room for improvement.

 

[glimmerman]

A big concern for me is giving up first downs on 3rd downs.

Agreed. Turned down a flag and then gave up a 3rd and 12. Not happening as much as last year but it’s happening. Nice to see we aren’t getting gashed against the run.

 

[Doomsday101]

We are all rightly excited about the young, talented and aggressive defense we’re building in big D. I haven’t been this excited about a Cowboys defense since the days of the Big Tuna. It should only get better.

Through 4 games, our defense has picked up 10 TOs. But here’s where the defense can really show us how effective it can be: How will they perform in a game when they don’t get turnovers? That will indicate how much it has really improved.Teams in the playoffs are usually the ones who don’t turn the ball over much. This young group’s ability to get off the field without giving up points will ultimately determine how good it is.

Through 4 games, let’s look at the Defense’s strengths and areas for improvement:

STRENGTHS

• Ability to get TOs- we are 2nd only to the Bills in getting TOs with 10 so far.
• Ability to pressure the QB. We have 9 sacks, which is 17th in the league. Also have 17 hurries. We are getting pressure with 27 QB hits- an avg of nearly 7 a game.
  
• We are 9th in the league in opponents QB rating at 89.5.
• We are currently 6th in the league on rushing D, averaging only a little over 80 yards per game. (Happening because opponents are playing from behind)
• The young talent we are developing- Micah Parsons, Osa Oghuizuha, Tavon Diggs, Chauncey Golston have all had a major positive impact. And they are all 24 or younger!

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

• Currently Giving up too many points per game- We are 17th in PPG, averaging giving up about 25 points per game. Not terrible, but still needs to improve.
• Giving up too many splash plays- we have given up way too many plays of over 20 yards, especially in the passing game.
• Improving yards per rush- Our D still needs to improve its ability to stop the run. We are currently giving up 4.7 yards per carry. Because teams have been playing behind in most games, the running game has been eliminated. We WILL have some close games where we need to stop the run.
• Being able to stop opponents without getting TOs- at some point we’re going to have a game where don’t get any TOs. We need to see our D be able to stop opponents anyway.

To me, the best thing about this defense is it’s youth and enthusiasm. If they continue to develop and grow as players, we could really have something special.

Imagine having another “Doomsday Defense”!

I will say out 3rd down defense is pretty good giving up 37.5% on 3rd down conversions

 

[ConstantReboot]

Too many wide open receivers. I know they want to keep the players in front of them, but til too many are left open with room to run.
17th in sacks, but they should be doing better. Maybe they miss DLaw more than fans think, though we are pretty depleted for now along the DL. So what they are doing is decent considering being down players.

As they get a few players back here and there, and can get through the next 5 games. Then we could get DLaw back for the KC game.
Does NYG offense really scare anyone, other than a rival, which may ,are it more tough, but their defense can be scored upon as well.
At NE, was that them playing TB tough because Bill knows Tom, was Brady off and did the weather play into NE Defense looking good. Is Mac for real or not.
Vikings, in their house, that could be a tough game, but winnable.
Then home against Denver, as are they as good as their record, then the Falcons. 2 more winnable games.

If Dallas plays within their game, don't screw up. They could win the next 5 games. Be fully healthy going into the KC & LV games, and the stretch run.

I don't think they are missing Dlaw. But I think they were missing someone like Randy Gregory. Randy seems to get pressure every time. Since he's been in the lineup the passrush has turned it up another notch.

 

[MapleLeaf]

No excuse for blown assignments.

This is the one fault I see with the defence. We need a QB on that side of the ball who can keep assingments clean and do pre-snap diagnosis to help settle the guys in their roles.

Smith and LVE are not the ones for that job. We need someone to grab the bull by the horns and lead this young and new to all of us defence.

They are playing on adrenaline, team speed and talent. We need to sprinkle in some strategic leadership on the field, and we might just have something here.