Generating Takeaways

[TheFinisher]

This team has been horrific at creating turnovers on the defensive side of the ball, specifically in the INT department. Why has this been the case?

With the offensive philosophy we have engineered, highly efficient at moving the chains and bleeding the clock with an elite ground game, wouldn't turnovers have a greater effect on this team than most others in the NFL?

How do we fix this? If we can even slightly move our defensive takeaway output back to the league wide mean it would have a substantial effect on our W/L outlook.

Doesn't playing conservative defense negate our advantage on offense?

 

[Doomsday101]

This team has been horrific at creating turnovers on the defensive side of the ball, specifically in the INT department. Why has this been the case?

With the offensive philosophy we have engineered, highly efficient at moving the chains and bleeding the clock with an elite ground game, wouldn't turnovers have a greater effect on this team than most others in the NFL?

How do we fix this? If we can even slightly move our defensive takeaway output back to the league wide mean it would have a substantial effect on our W/L outlook.

Doesn't playing conservative defense negate our advantage on offense?

Getting talent. I think much of it starts up front and being able to create consistent pressure where you not only get sacks but force a QB to get rid of the ball before he wants leading to bad passes that can get picked off. Rod does a great job of having players strip at the ball to create fumbles but ints will come when you can force QB into bad throws.

 

[LandryFan]

This team has been horrific at creating turnovers on the defensive side of the ball, specifically in the INT department. Why has this been the case?

With the offensive philosophy we have engineered, highly efficient at moving the chains and bleeding the clock with an elite ground game, wouldn't turnovers have a greater effect on this team than most others in the NFL?

How do we fix this? If we can even slightly move our defensive takeaway output back to the league wide mean it would have a substantial effect on our W/L outlook.

Doesn't playing conservative defense negate our advantage on offense?

I'm admittedly no expert, but my takeaway is that we simply haven't had the talent. Our scheme has moved players a bit off the ball in an effort to prevent being beat with long gainers...we have preferred to die a slow death.
Having said that, I have a feeling things are about to change. It may take a little while for the youngsters to get up to speed (no pun intended), but they'll get there.

 

[GhostOfPelluer]

Lack of pressure on the QB is part of it. Lack of ball skills on the back end is part of it. I'd say those are the two biggest issues.

 

[Doomsday101]

I'm admittedly no expert, but my takeaway is that we simply haven't had the talent. Our scheme has moved players a bit off the ball in an effort to prevent being beat with long gainers...we have preferred to die a slow death.
Having said that, I have a feeling things are about to change. It may take a little while for the youngsters to get up to speed, but they'll get there.

I think it is pretty common to hide a lack of talent on defense by tending to keep plays in front of you and force the offense to drive the length of the field while avoiding mistakes. Closer an offense gets to the endzone the harder it is to get in as defense only has to defend a shorter and tighter area as opposed to taking big risk and allowing offense to do it in 1 or 2 plays. You figure along the way an offense picks up a hold or an off side and in having to overcome poor down and distance situations.

 

[LandryFan]

I think it is pretty common to hide a lack of talent on defense by tending to keep plays in front of you and force the offense to drive the length of the field while avoiding mistakes. Closer an offense gets to the endzone the harder it is to get in as defense only has to defend a shorter and tighter area as opposed to taking big risk and allowing offense to do it in 1 or 2 plays. You figure along the way an offense picks up a hold or an off side and in having to overcome poor down and distance situations.

Nail..meet hammer!

 

[MileyDancer]

Lack of pressure on the QB is part of it. Lack of ball skills on the back end is part of it. I'd say those are the two biggest issues.

Yeah, Carr and Claiborne both can't catch. There was a TD in the Tampa game that literally went into Carr's hands and it bounced off like his hands are made of bricks.

 

[GhostOfPelluer]

Yeah, Carr and Claiborne both can't catch. There was a TD in the Tampa game that literally went into Carr's hands and it bounced off like his hands are made of bricks.

Combine that with Scandrick's propensity to be in great position yet not get his hands even on the ball and the CBs earned their low INT totals.

 

[Ranching]

This team has been horrific at creating turnovers on the defensive side of the ball, specifically in the INT department. Why has this been the case?

With the offensive philosophy we have engineered, highly efficient at moving the chains and bleeding the clock with an elite ground game, wouldn't turnovers have a greater effect on this team than most others in the NFL?

How do we fix this? If we can even slightly move our defensive takeaway output back to the league wide mean it would have a substantial effect on our W/L outlook.

Doesn't playing conservative defense negate our advantage on offense?

Our talent base did not allow us to be an attacking team, just weren't good enough up front to put pressure with a 4 man line. If we sent extra people, we weren't good enough to cover downfield. That's why we had to zone and drop 7 or 8 players at times. These new DB's may allow us to send an extra player, if that happens the DL will get better because they won't be double teamed as much. works hand in hand. At least that's how I see it through my beer googles.

 

[diefree666]

when you target players that did not get turnovers in college then why should you expect them to get turnovers in the Pros? THAT was the problem for years.

 

[Plankton]

Adding secondary guys who are proficient in playing zone defense will help a lot with generating turnovers. Combine this with an offense that plays with the lead, and I would expect that number to go up this year.

 

[Ranching]

Adding secondary guys who are proficient in playing zone defense will help a lot with generating turnovers. Combine this with an offense that plays with the lead, and I would expect that number to go up this year.

Can't get much worse. At least, I hope not. But, you are right, i expect a big improvement now that Marinelli has a few toys to play with.

 

[LocimusPrime]

I love getting turnovers

 

[tm1119]

Unpopular opinion but I don't think the secondary was the problem. Good QB's don't throw INT's with time and a clean pocket...change that and more INT's and strip sacks will come.

 

[diefree666]

Unpopular opinion but I don't think the secondary was the problem. Good QB's don't throw INT's with time and a clean pocket...change that and more INT's and strip sacks will come.

You need pressure and you need aggressive DBs going after the ball. Both or you get little.

 

[xwalker]

This team has been horrific at creating turnovers on the defensive side of the ball, specifically in the INT department. Why has this been the case?

With the offensive philosophy we have engineered, highly efficient at moving the chains and bleeding the clock with an elite ground game, wouldn't turnovers have a greater effect on this team than most others in the NFL?

How do we fix this? If we can even slightly move our defensive takeaway output back to the league wide mean it would have a substantial effect on our W/L outlook.

Doesn't playing conservative defense negate our advantage on offense?

They are replacing guys like Carr with guys that can catch the ball. I've seen many NFL WRs that didn't have as good of hands as the new CB Lewis.

Heath has shown to be decent at getting INTs and he is likely to be the starter at the beginning of this season unless one of the young guys does something amazing.

If Jaylon plays that improve the pass defense significantly.

Last season Byron Jones had to cover for the limited range of Carr, Church and Hitchens. If those 3 are replaced by players with more ranges, then Jones and everyone will have more opportunities to take some chances.

It's not just INTs either. Safety Woods seems to have a knack for causing fumbles.

By next season, they'll likely move on from Scandrick who has the worst hands I've ever seen. If I could have had the chance to catches all the footballs he's dropped, I would have had multiple INTs per season. Too bad we don't have a time machine where we could freeze it right before Scandrick dropped a ball and each of us go take turn trying to catch the ones he dropped. I don't think anybody here would drop as many as he has dropped.

With smart players that they added to replace dummies like Claiborne, they can play more Zone and otherwise use a more complicated coverage scheme. Zone and mixing it up more often is a good way to increase INTs. Claiborne struggled to even run the 2 man zone when there were 2 WRs on his side of the field. CBs have to be able to switch things up in that situation with 2 WRs on that side; otherwise, they'll run pick plays on you all day. Claiborne seemed to improve on this a bit in 2016, but in the past he would almost always make the wrong decision when they were required to make a decision to play man or switch off based on the routes and alignments. Many times he and Scandrick would be covering the same WR because Claiborne switched off when he should not have, or the didn't switch off when he should have done it.

 

[Cowboys_22]

Maybe secretly over inflating our opponents footballs

 

[haleyrules]

I love getting turnovers

Apple or cherry?

 

[Trouty]

Apple or cherry?

Ooooh!! I vote apple!!!!

 

[haleyrules]

The Cowboys need a bloodthirsty, QB hating, mentally disturbed passrusher that crashes through Offensive Lineman and totally smashes the QB, and hopefully kills him dead, while ripping the football from his dying hands and runs it into the endzone! Simple...