The Cowboys base defense

[My3Sons]

It appears to me CP runs a modified 3/4 defense, but I am open to the fact that I could be wrong.

I always believed the 3/4 works best with a large NT and 2 oversized DEs. We are running it with 3 DTs. This would explain to me the lack of pass rush push, but why is the run defense so bad?

I also remember the concern in TC over lining up Downs at a hybrid slot/ safety position as opposed to a more traditional safety position.

Barham has looked like the only LBer qualified to play his position.

Bland is either completely awful now or should be in the slot where Downs is playing.

I am looking for feedback on here to my above observations. Admittedly, there are better football minds on here than mine. So, any help explaining the above is appreciated.

 

[big dog cowboy]

The big question is whether this is a personnel problem, a scheme problem, or a combination of both. Even a good scheme won’t work if the players don’t fit the roles they’re being asked to play. For example, we know Bland plays better inside. But he is paid to play outside. Stupid.

This is a line I've repeated a few times the last few days. On paper we are a better team than on the field. That is a coaching problem. Get better coaching and you will see a better team on the field.

 

[DuncanIso]

Kid Wonder loves Cover Read.

Not exactly an attacking defense.

It’s a BBDB scheme.

Create pressure with overloads.

Tampa did this with AA gap blitzes.

Brian Flores.

 

[VaqueroTD]

I thought it was interesting how it was completely ignored in TC that Q just came from a team where he openly complained about playing in a 3-4. Yet somehow this time will be better? There were other obvious things like Overshown not lasting more than a week taking that type of damage. The whole 0 missed tackles in preseason game 1 fooled me and I thought they would catch on faster. But here is some statistical hope for everyone. This is the first half of NFL season vs second half of NFL season with teams that transform their defense like that. (4-3 to 3-4, or vice versa) There are some obvious growing pains for most teams in NFL history.

Defensive Metric	First Half of Season (Weeks 1–8)	Second Half of Season (Weeks 9–18)	Trend / Variance
Points Allowed Per Game	24.8 – 27.2 PPG	21.2 – 22.5 PPG	Immaterial to Moderate Improvement
Total Yards Allowed / Game	365 – 385 YPG	330 – 345 YPG	Noticeable Tightening (30–40 YPG reduction)
Rushing Yards Allowed / Carry	4.6 – 4.9 YPC	4.1 – 4.3 YPC	Significant Stabilization (gap control improves)
Sack Rate / Pressure %	Lower (Bottom third of NFL)	Higher (League average to Top 10)	Scheme chemistry unlocks edge rushers

When Bill Parcells said "Efff it" and converted our undersized fast defense to a 3-4, we didn't go through as many growing pains because we had an amazing draft with guys like Demarcus Ware, Marcus Spears, and Jay Ratliff becoming instant contributors. I don't think it's fair to hold anything against Caleb Downs yet. Dude is trying to learn the NFL, much less a unit full of guys trying to get chemistry in a new scheme.

 

[starz88]

I honestly don’t even know if the cowboys have a scheme. Like at this point do they know they are supposed to cover the teams with the opposite colored jerseys??? Do they know they are supposed to get off the field on third down? At this point they are the 3rd and 1st defense, horrible to have to watch

 

[uvaballa]

They need to bench Bland and have Overshown blitz more when he returns. Too much soft coverage and not enough pressure. They can’t let teams hold the ball for 10+ minutes.

 

[exciter]

It appears to me CP runs a modified 3/4 defense, but I am open to the fact that I could be wrong.

I always believed the 3/4 works best with a large NT and 2 oversized DEs. We are running it with 3 DTs. This would explain to me the lack of pass rush push, but why is the run defense so bad?

I also remember the concern in TC over lining up Downs at a hybrid slot/ safety position as opposed to a more traditional safety position.

Barham has looked like the only LBer qualified to play his position.

Bland is either completely awful now or should be in the slot where Downs is playing.

I am looking for feedback on here to my above observations. Admittedly, there are better football minds on here than mine. So, any help explaining the above is appreciated.

This was discussed fairly extensively during the offseason.
The old 2 gap system required 3 320 pound plus d linemen. Hardly anyone plays it anymore because it's long since transitioned to a passing league. This is basically Fangio's penetrating one gap system.
Denver was a top 5 defense last season with 2 starters who weighed less than OSA in this system.
Regardless Ogbonnia played nose and DT in this system in San Diego, Clark played nose in the system for 7 seasons in Green Bay and QWilliams played DE in his 1st 2 seasons in this system with the Jets and at Alabama.
All 3 have the prerequisite size to play in either one or 2 gap.

Downs played fairly extensive snaps a the free safety position vs Tampa with Reddy playing the slot and was invisible.
They took their rookie who was starting to flash and negated his strength which is playing up close to the line and factoring in in run support.

Bland is an outside corner.
He's started a whopping 8 games in the slot for his career and yet the false perception is that's his position. He's a #2 corner being asked to be a 1 with little help or didn't get it when he was supposed to along with virtually no pass rush!

 

[fivetwos]

Base…..how low can you go??

 

[StarGazer1]

Poor tackling is to blame for some of the run defense woes. How many missed tackles were there on those long runs?

 

[Flamma]

Base…..how low can you go??

Forget the base defense, we're losing at the point of attack. At the LOS. All night against the Giants, and most of the night against Tampa. That's not a good sign. That looks like a talent issue.

 

[BlindFaith]

The 3-4 came about as a run stopping scheme.

3 big dudes occupying blockers with the 4 LBs filling gaps.

But the OLBs do still have some coverage responsibilities. At least one of them.

We dont have 3-4 outside LBs. We have 4-3 DEs pretending.

As Ive said before, we basically run a 5-2. And we tell all 5 upfront guys to play the run first, stay in your lanes and then get to the QB.

Play action and passes to the TEs have KILLED us. Because we have a tentative, read and react front.

CP needs to let Gary, EZE and Lawrence rip. I know these guys have more pass rush ability. Let them do it.

And CP does nothing to confuse a defense. No stunts, no games, very little to no blitzes, either run blitz or pass.

So CP doesnt try and manufacture pressure, but yet still has our secondary playing soft zones.

Bland is an outside Corner. His strength is man coverage. Porter is the same. I think Revel is the same. Let them do their thing.

Taking Fangios defense, drawing up a bunch of cool plays like in Madden, being chill with the players doesnt make a good, let alone, great DC.

Football is more chess than checkers. We are being outcoached. Plain and simple.

 

[fivetwos]

Forget the base defense, we're losing at the point of attack. At the LOS. All night against the Giants, and most of the night against Tampa. That's not a good sign. That looks like a talent issue.

I think the talent is there on paper, so either it’s going to take time or they just can’t do anything right.

I’m confident on this one…if they were this aggressive with adding players when MM and Quinn were here they’d have probably actually accomplished something.

There’s still time to turn this around, but I don’t know. It’s still the same old deal of everyone thinking they are better than they are. From the fans that run the team down to us regular folks.

 

[Acceptablename]

It appears to me CP runs a modified 3/4 defense, but I am open to the fact that I could be wrong.

I always believed the 3/4 works best with a large NT and 2 oversized DEs. We are running it with 3 DTs. This would explain to me the lack of pass rush push, but why is the run defense so bad?

I also remember the concern in TC over lining up Downs at a hybrid slot/ safety position as opposed to a more traditional safety position.

Barham has looked like the only LBer qualified to play his position.

Bland is either completely awful now or should be in the slot where Downs is playing.

I am looking for feedback on here to my above observations. Admittedly, there are better football minds on here than mine. So, any help explaining the above is appreciated.

Maybe Clark isn't the big NT (320) but he's still talented

 

[RS12]

This team doesnt do the most important fundamental on defense well. Which is tackle. Lets start there.

 

[cowboyec]

switch back to 4-3.
fire christian parker.

at seasons end...if schotty remains...hire dan quinn or todd bowles as def coord if they are available.
if not...and schotty remains...hire jim schwartz.
if schotty is fired.
hire mike tomlin as the new hc.

 

[Flamma]

I think the talent is there on paper, so either it’s going to take time or they just can’t do anything right.

I’m confident on this one…if they were this aggressive with adding players when MM and Quinn were here they’d have probably actually accomplished something.

There’s still time to turn this around, but I don’t know. It’s still the same old deal of everyone thinking they are better than they are. From the fans that run the team down to us regular folks.

I agree. I think this is where coaching matters. It's no surprise that our best teams were when we've had our best coaches.

 

[RS12]

168 ysrds a game allowed in rushing and 6.5 yards per play. Its a miracle they won 2 games.

 

[fivetwos]

I agree. I think this is where coaching matters. It's no surprise that our best teams were when we've had our best coaches.

Yeah Jerry is gonna keep taking his shots. He claims to have earned the right to do so because he took a chance on buying the team.

He isn’t qualified and he knows it, but he isn’t sharing “credit” with anyone else. He has all but said so. So, we continue with hideous coaching.

That’s really obvious lately. There’s some talent on this team, but the coaching is either on a different page or just awful. Either way that ain’t good.

There’s no real direction. It’s grasping at straws with all over the place type of philosophy that never adds up.

Never wanted to believe that we are stuck under these Jones idiots…maybe they could do the blind squirrel thing….but that’s not gonna happen.

Honestly, I can see Jerry still trying to do this ten years from now at 94. It’s ridiculous and getting to where the 90s part wasn’t worth this.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Run defen

It appears to me CP runs a modified 3/4 defense, but I am open to the fact that I could be wrong.

I always believed the 3/4 works best with a large NT and 2 oversized DEs. We are running it with 3 DTs. This would explain to me the lack of pass rush push, but why is the run defense so bad?

I also remember the concern in TC over lining up Downs at a hybrid slot/ safety position as opposed to a more traditional safety position.

Barham has looked like the only LBer qualified to play his position.

Bland is either completely awful now or should be in the slot where Downs is playing.

I am looking for feedback on here to my above observations. Admittedly, there are better football minds on here than mine. So, any help explaining the above is appreciated.

Run defense is about discipline, containment, tackling and winning your individual battles. From time to time one or two players lose their battles and after all this is the NFL. But being consistent leads to good results.

Where we really suck is lack of discipline in containement and poor tackling. Also they look very hesitant to hit the running lanes.

in onenplay I saw Winters sit in the lane waiting for the runner and then had poor tackling technique because he was flat footed, instead of playing down hill like braham and hitting the hole. A loss turned into 8 yard gain.

On the 70 yard run in start of second half, they should have contained Irvin, but they all played individual defense, running into the same area, lacked discipline to guard their lanes and were out of position with multiple defenders ending up in the same spot. Irvin just ran to day light and found open lanes.

Our DEs and OLBs carry most of the fault.

 

[Flamma]

Yeah Jerry is gonna keep taking his shots. He claims to have earned the right to do so because he took a chance on buying the team.

He isn’t qualified and he knows it, but he isn’t sharing “credit” with anyone else. He has all but said so. So, we continue with hideous coaching.

That’s really obvious lately. There’s some talent on this team, but the coaching is either on a different page or just awful. Either way that ain’t good.

There’s no real direction. It’s grasping at straws with all over the place type of philosophy that never adds up.

Never wanted to believe that we are stuck under these Jones idiots…maybe they could do the blind squirrel thing….but that’s not gonna happen.

Honestly, I can see Jerry still trying to do this ten years from now at 94. It’s ridiculous and getting to where the 90s part wasn’t worth this.

At some point they have to figure out what got success. Taking stabs at unproven coaches doesn't always pan out. Do not give unproven talent guaranteed contracts.