plasticman
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Interceptions - When you look at the profiles of past SB winners there are a few attributes that almost always exist. One of those are takeaways.
That is bad new for the Cowboys. Since 2000, they are ranked at the bottom of the league in takeaways. They are actually average in terms of fumble recoveries but their interceptions are historically dismal over the past 20 seasons.
In four of their last five seasons they have single digit interceptions. In the only season they had more, 2017, they had 10 interceptions. If you listed all the NFL teams over the past five years then you would have 160 seasons. All five of the Cowboys seasons are ranked in the bottom 30. That is pathetic.
From there, it only gets worse. Over the past five seasons, the defender with the highest number of INT's in one season was safety Jeff Heath. In 2017, he had three.
The last time a cornerback had 4 or more interceptions was 2011. That was Terrence Newman in his last season as a Cowboy. The last time any defender had 5 interceptions was 2014, linebacker Bruce Carter.
Here is the Dallas Cowboy "Top 20" in interceptions for the decade of 2010 to 2019:
1 Sean Lee 14
2 Terence Newman 9
3 Jeff Heath 8
4 Brandon Carr 7
5 Orlando Scandrick 7
6 Gerald Sensabaugh 7
7 Bruce Carter 5
8 Barry Church 5
9 J.J. Wilcox 5
10 Xavier Woods 5
11 Anthony Brown 4
12 Morris Claiborne 4
13 Jourdan Lewis 4
14 Chidobe Awuzie 3
15 Alan Ball 3
16 Rolando McClain 3
17 Mike Jenkins 2
18 Byron Jones 2
19 Danny McCray 2
20 Leighton Vander Esch 2
Only three of the top ten were cornerbacks. When your INT leader.....by far.....is your middle linebacker, for an entire decade, then there is a problem.
55 NFL defenders had more interceptions then Lee from 2010 to 2019. One of them was Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
Yes, there are less INT's recorded in the NFL these days. Over the past five seasons, a player could lead the NFL with 7 or 8.
However, while the Cowboys average 8.5 a season, there are a handful of teams that have 15 or more INT's three or more times in the past 5 seasons. The Kansas City Chiefs had 15 or more INT's in all five seasons. The Steelers and Eagles did it three times as did the Bills. I believe this is where the greatest area of improvement must be made.
Again, according to the statistical profile of past champions, here is the high probability that in order for the Cowboys to acheive their goal of a championship, INT's must be the area of greatest improvement.
That is bad new for the Cowboys. Since 2000, they are ranked at the bottom of the league in takeaways. They are actually average in terms of fumble recoveries but their interceptions are historically dismal over the past 20 seasons.
In four of their last five seasons they have single digit interceptions. In the only season they had more, 2017, they had 10 interceptions. If you listed all the NFL teams over the past five years then you would have 160 seasons. All five of the Cowboys seasons are ranked in the bottom 30. That is pathetic.
From there, it only gets worse. Over the past five seasons, the defender with the highest number of INT's in one season was safety Jeff Heath. In 2017, he had three.
The last time a cornerback had 4 or more interceptions was 2011. That was Terrence Newman in his last season as a Cowboy. The last time any defender had 5 interceptions was 2014, linebacker Bruce Carter.
Here is the Dallas Cowboy "Top 20" in interceptions for the decade of 2010 to 2019:
1 Sean Lee 14
2 Terence Newman 9
3 Jeff Heath 8
4 Brandon Carr 7
5 Orlando Scandrick 7
6 Gerald Sensabaugh 7
7 Bruce Carter 5
8 Barry Church 5
9 J.J. Wilcox 5
10 Xavier Woods 5
11 Anthony Brown 4
12 Morris Claiborne 4
13 Jourdan Lewis 4
14 Chidobe Awuzie 3
15 Alan Ball 3
16 Rolando McClain 3
17 Mike Jenkins 2
18 Byron Jones 2
19 Danny McCray 2
20 Leighton Vander Esch 2
Only three of the top ten were cornerbacks. When your INT leader.....by far.....is your middle linebacker, for an entire decade, then there is a problem.
55 NFL defenders had more interceptions then Lee from 2010 to 2019. One of them was Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
Yes, there are less INT's recorded in the NFL these days. Over the past five seasons, a player could lead the NFL with 7 or 8.
However, while the Cowboys average 8.5 a season, there are a handful of teams that have 15 or more INT's three or more times in the past 5 seasons. The Kansas City Chiefs had 15 or more INT's in all five seasons. The Steelers and Eagles did it three times as did the Bills. I believe this is where the greatest area of improvement must be made.
Again, according to the statistical profile of past champions, here is the high probability that in order for the Cowboys to acheive their goal of a championship, INT's must be the area of greatest improvement.