Byron Jones and Interceptions

Loso86 · Feb 14, 2020

Manster_Mash said:
There were a lot of people mad at this defense last year too.

And he still was one of the better defensive players, and so maybe I should use the words angry

cern · Feb 14, 2020

Future said:
No they didn't. They schemed to not give up any big plays - which they were generally very good at.

their schemes worked on first and second down. but on third and long we were almost guaranteed to give up the big play for a first down. reason was poor scheme. no heat on the opposing qb's gave them too much time to sit in the pocket and pick us apart. time after time after...………………………...

Future · Feb 14, 2020

cern said:
their schemes worked on first and second down. but on third and long we were almost guaranteed to give up the big play for a first down. reason was poor scheme. no heat on the opposing qb's gave them too much time to sit in the pocket and pick us apart. time after time after...………………………...

The Cowboys had the most consistent pass rush in football and ranked second in third-down stops....

They didn't play with a scheme that allowed DBs to attack and take advantage of that front four, which meant fewer turnovers and fewer sacks. But it also meant not giving up big plays.

Aviano90 · Feb 14, 2020

DasSchnitzel said:
When people discuss paying Byron Jones, the strongest (and sometimes only) argument against signing him is his lack of interceptions.

I'm not saying we shouldn't hold that against him. He doesnt intercept the ball. That's a fact.

I was thinking about this, and the thing I keep coming back to is that nobody intercepts the ball on this defense, and they havent for years. Jeff Heath of all people has been our best interceptor for years. This makes me think that perhaps any corner would have lower than typical interceptions in the scheme we've played for years.

So I'm wondering what people's opinions are on this. Are we going to see Byron Jones go to another team and start pulling down interceptions? If so, then maybe he could do that for us under a new coordinator in a new scheme. Theyve already stated that turnovers are going to be a priority for once.

Or is it that Byron Jones himself is the problem? Does he just not have that aspect to his game?

This is a really important question to answer before deciding his future.

For the sake of this thread, please just focus on whether Jones should be paid, and not on whether there will be room left to pay him pending Dak, Cooper, etc. We've got enough threads about the cap space they may command.

I'm not sure honestly, but it will be interesting to track. Byron Jones has been here 5 years and has 2 interceptions. One was a hail mary he should have batted down and the other was a pick 6 he got because the ball was batted at the LOS and deflected right to him. He hasn't made one individual play to intercept a ball his entire career...no jumping a route, no baiting a QB, no turning his head around and picking off an under thrown ball, etc.

That said, we obtained Brandon Carr who could intercept passes. He had 3 interceptions in each of his first two seasons with the Cowboys. That changed in 2014 and he only had 1 interception in his final 3 years with the Cowboys. He then moves on to Baltimore and has 4 interceptions his first year there and 2 more the next season. Last year he had 0.

I really want to say coaching has a lot to do with it and it will be interesting to see how Byron performs this year regardless of which team because of the change in coaching staffs.

TwoCentPlain · Feb 14, 2020

Pros: Decent to good cover skills and stays healthy.
Cons: No INTs and does not elevate game in the big games.

BoysfanfromCanada · Feb 14, 2020

Creeper said:
I wish I had an answer to this question. I asked the same question when they decided to let Morris Claiborne walk. Claiborne was only marginally better playing for the Jets than he was for Dallas.

The one question I have is about the Cowboys technique. They all watch the receiver and turn for the ball too late to pick if off. But I am not sure if this is just poor recognition or bad coaching. The thing about Dallas is they don't even seem to be there to intercept the errant or tipped passes.

My gut tells me its the players not the coaching. The guys who get a lot of INTs seems to be able to stay with their receivers but still turn and look for the ball. Maybe the problem is the Cowboys CBs just aren't that good. But I thought Jones was supposed to be a smart guy academically. I guess we'll have to watch some Broncos games to find out. (But I still think he winds up with the Giants or Eagles next season)

I think Kris Richard starting having them look at players hands and then knock the ball away. And rely on zones to get picks, but we never did. We just rally and tackled.

Ranched · Feb 14, 2020

DasSchnitzel said:
When people discuss paying Byron Jones, the strongest (and sometimes only) argument against signing him is his lack of interceptions. I'm not saying we shouldn't hold that against him. He doesnt intercept the ball. That's a fact.

Wie gehts miene gute?!

Very true. Jones has just two career interceptions and he's started 73 games. That is a concern. But it's not a deal breaker. It could simply be our opponents QBs are avoiding him in coverage, but it could also be that he's just not a very instinctual ballhawk.

mattjames2010 · Feb 14, 2020

ninja said:
Pros: Decent to good cover skills and stays healthy.
Cons: No INTs and does not elevate game in the big games.

He's better than just "decent to good"

Oz-of-Cowboy-Country · Feb 14, 2020

Here is how I see it. Sticky coverage rarely results in interceptions. Because, the type of corner that prides himself on sticky coverage, is paying attention to the receiver and not the ball or the QB.

There are other teams that play the same type of scheme we do. But their guys end up with more interceptions than our guys. The lack of interceptions is solely on the type of player not the scheme. Byron and Chido are sticky coverage type cornerbacks, to me.

Cowboyny · Feb 14, 2020

Bryon Jones is in essence the same player as Brandon Carr. Very durable, solid corner but far from elite. This team has shown us, they pay elite talents, not solid starters, like a Hitchens for example. Team needs to find a true #1, elite corner,.

cern · Feb 14, 2020

Future said:
The Cowboys had the most consistent pass rush in football and ranked second in third-down stops....

They didn't play with a scheme that allowed DBs to attack and take advantage of that front four, which meant fewer turnovers and fewer sacks. But it also meant not giving up big plays.

I googled 3rd down stops and the cowboys came up 3rd at 33.33%. Far better than I thought.

mattjames2010 · Feb 14, 2020

Cowboyny said:
Bryon Jones is in essence the same player as Brandon Carr. Very durable, solid corner but far from elite. This team has shown us, they pay elite talents, not solid starters, like a Hitchens for example. Team needs to find a true #1, elite corner,.

Carr was never as good in coverage. Never. Not a single time in his career. Not remotely the same player. Jones is more comparable to Adoree Jackson.

And Jones ranked within the top 10 and top 20 the past two seasons. Good luck trying to replace this.

Manster_Mash · Feb 14, 2020

mattjames2010 said:
Carr was never as good in coverage. Never. Not a single time in his career. Not remotely the same player. Jones is more comparable to Adoree Jackson.

And Jones ranked within the top 10 and top 20 the past two seasons. Good luck trying to replace this.

Pay a top 10 or 20 CB like a top 3 or 5. Great argument.

mattjames2010 · Feb 14, 2020

Manster_Mash said:
Pay a top 10 or 20 CB like a top 3 or 5. Great argument.

He won't be getting "top 3 CB" money. He is expected to get 16-17 million, which isn't shattering the market. That's a money top CBs got 2-3 years ago.

snapper · Feb 14, 2020

mattjames2010 said:
He won't be getting "top 3 CB" money. He is expected to get 16-17 million, which isn't shattering the market. That's a money top CBs got 2-3 years ago.

For the record, I like Jones and hope the Cowboys keep him. My thought is no team will offer him something crazy enough for the Boys to say adios. In a dream scenario, he and Quinn come back at reasonable salaries.

ondaedg · Feb 14, 2020

DasSchnitzel said:
When people discuss paying Byron Jones, the strongest (and sometimes only) argument against signing him is his lack of interceptions.

I'm not saying we shouldn't hold that against him. He doesnt intercept the ball. That's a fact.

I was thinking about this, and the thing I keep coming back to is that nobody intercepts the ball on this defense, and they havent for years. Jeff Heath of all people has been our best interceptor for years. This makes me think that perhaps any corner would have lower than typical interceptions in the scheme we've played for years.

So I'm wondering what people's opinions are on this. Are we going to see Byron Jones go to another team and start pulling down interceptions? If so, then maybe he could do that for us under a new coordinator in a new scheme. Theyve already stated that turnovers are going to be a priority for once.

Or is it that Byron Jones himself is the problem? Does he just not have that aspect to his game?

This is a really important question to answer before deciding his future.

For the sake of this thread, please just focus on whether Jones should be paid, and not on whether there will be room left to pay him pending Dak, Cooper, etc. We've got enough threads about the cap space they may command.

Byron's technique sacrifices INTs for tight coverage. He plays with his back to the QB and reacts to the WR's eyes and movements. If he gets more INTs at another team it won't be significantly more.

Then again since Garrett became head coach of the Cowboys no team has had fewer INTs than the Dallas Cowboys. :huh:

ondaedg · Feb 14, 2020

817Gill said:
There’s also an element of him having terrible hands. I’ve seen him on the jugs machine and some casual shots of him trying to catch at practice and dude just has no hands.

J.Lew was cracking some jokes at him during an interview I saw once, making fun of his hands lol. It looks like he tries to clap the ball together with his hands. If you ever watch some missed interceptions by him it’s always the same. Tries to clap it together and it goes right though his hands. He certainly is an elite athlete playing CB, good enough to be a solid #1, not good enough to be a top 5 guy.

Hrmm never noticed this. Could be part of his problem. Then again when you play the WR and not the ball INTs are hard to come by no matter how good your hands are.

Cowboyny · Feb 14, 2020

mattjames2010 said:
Carr was never as good in coverage. Never. Not a single time in his career. Not remotely the same player. Jones is more comparable to Adoree Jackson.

And Jones ranked within the top 10 and top 20 the past two seasons. Good luck trying to replace this.

Carr was considered an excelled press cb, kind of like Bryon. Both struggles badly in zone coverage.

Hawkeye0202 · Feb 14, 2020

Cowboyny said:
Bryon Jones is in essence the same player as Brandon Carr. Very durable, solid corner but far from elite. This team has shown us, they pay elite talents, not solid starters, like a Hitchens for example. Team needs to find a true #1, elite corner,.

I'll go a step further and also add T-New (lol)

mattjames2010 · Feb 14, 2020

Cowboyny said:
Carr was considered an excelled press cb, kind of like Bryon. Both struggles badly in zone coverage.

By whom? His best season was his final season with KC, as a #2 opposite of Brandon Flowers. He never ranked remotely close to where Jones ranked the past two years. The comparison is stupid. Jones is one of the best man to man corner in the NFL, Carr was a decent corner with a fat contract forced to being a #1. Again, the comparison is from a bubble - he's nothing like Carr outside of the two always being available.

Byron Jones and Interceptions

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