How does this team get to being an average defense?

J12B said:

Cowboys drfense ranked 23rd in yards against per game. Averaged giving up 29 points a game (28th) and opponents rushing against them averaged 5 yards per attempt (29th). That's flat out awful.

What moves need to be made to just be average?

I like the idea of signing the best NT in free agency, or going after Justin Simmons. Drafting a CB or DE round 1, and pretty much drafting best Defensive Player available throughout the rest of the draft.

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Raise your expectations. An average defense is not taking this team to a Super Bowl.

DandyDon52 said:

Dont worry Jones boys will find some "bargains" lol
I dont see the defense getting much better anytime soon. they like their guys, and will keep any that will sign cheap.
And hey they have the cornerstone Jaylon !

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..yes indeed, we have The Swipe. The East will be ours again. ..

TwentyOne said:

1. You dont have the money to sign great players in FA. Sure you can manipulate the cap in a way (release players, restructure contracts etc.) so you can sign them this year. But then the problems will arise 1 or 2 year later. Depts are depts. They have to be paid. If you push them into the future they wont go away. They only accumulate.
2. If you sign one great NT and he gets hurt you are right were you started. Its a high risk solution when you put your whole faith on one player.
2. You said your aim is to build an average defense. So you dont need great players.

Our LBs are not run stoppers. They are side to side LBs. So you need a front who can reroute the run to the sideline.
Right now our DEs constantly arent able to set the edge not are our tackles able to stop the run thru the middle. We need upgrades on both positions.

You need 2 DEs and cut DFlaw (contract doesnt match productivity).
You need 2 new tackles (we have backup material but no starters).
Then you need at least 2 new corners (draft one very high, maybe with our 10th and one in the 3rd or 4th round).
You need 2 LBs (Sean Lee is finished and Smith is crap) and hope LVE can play thru a whole season.
You extend Woods and hope he will find his 2019 form again.

I guess that will give you an average defense.

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Good post, Dflaw is ok, just not much help. Hard for 1 guy to make a difference. otherwise I agree on all you say.

This makes me wonder about Dan Q. Why would he want to be DC here?? He has to know Jaylon is crap yet jerry thinks he is great, and
aside from that all positions are weak, avg or less than avg. What does he think he can actually do here>?
I will give him a chance, but I dont think just scheme or coaching can help these guys play good enough each game.

Hmm, tough question. You might start by not being turnstyles against the run. Much harder to play defense when you constantly with 2nd/ 3rd and short.

Upgrade the D-line. Do this, and all of a sudden your LB's, CB's, a safeties start looking a lot better.

In the last 15 years, the Cowboys have spent just 1 first round pick on the D-Line: Soft Taco

During that same span, the team used 2 first round picks on RB's, and 4 first round picks on WR's (including first round picks traded for WR's)

J12B said:

Cowboys drfense ranked 23rd in yards against per game. Averaged giving up 29 points a game (28th) and opponents rushing against them averaged 5 yards per attempt (29th). That's flat out awful.

What moves need to be made to just be average?

I like the idea of signing the best NT in free agency, or going after Justin Simmons. Drafting a CB or DE round 1, and pretty much drafting best Defensive Player available throughout the rest of the draft.

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simple. draft better. 44 picks. 15 years and one impact defensive player, Lawrence.

Jfconrow said:

I say fix the offense, that’s the best defense. Make sure the OL is solid and they have a QB.

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A defense that get's stops & turnovers helps the offense with better field position.

stop slighting that poor ol' s position.

beef up the interior of our dline.

draft a LB or two....with Bernard thats 3 young'ns behind Van Jaylon.

keep Awuzie or Lewis...develop Reggie Robinson and draft a couple.

get Anae into the DE rotation.

Drafting average players...duh

We absolutely have the personnel to become a mediocre defense. I think with a real offseason and TC, they can rise to glory in the middle of the pack.

Immediate fix would be to upgrade the interior to stop the run game. Then safety

However long answer would be culture change and dismissing 90% of the current players on defense

1st and foremost is run defense has to improve and upgrades on interior DL. If teams can pick up consistent yardage in the run game keeping themselves in 2nd/3rd and short it keeps an entire defense off balance and opens defense up to giving up big plays in the passing game.

Vinnie2u said:

Cowboys can’t get both sides of the ball competent at the same time. They always concentrate on one side of the ball and let the other get bad. Then they decide to fix the other side.

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no, they just draft poorly on defense.

DandyDon52 said:

Good post, Dflaw is ok, just not much help. Hard for 1 guy to make a difference. otherwise I agree on all you say.

This makes me wonder about Dan Q. Why would he want to be DC here?? He has to know Jaylon is crap yet jerry thinks he is great, and
aside from that all positions are weak, avg or less than avg. What does he think he can actually do here>?
I will give him a chance, but I dont think just scheme or coaching can help these guys play good enough each game.

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DFLaw is ok. You are right. But to me he is way overpaid. He is a run stopper, and in that he is not very good. You dont pay 4-3 DEs big bucks for just being a run stopper. Every year he has an excuse for his mediocrity becaus he was hurt or else.

• Either his shoulder or his butt did hurt.
  
• Either he had such a strong supporting cast around him that others made plays and so he couldnt or he lacked the supporting cast and he cant do it alone.
  
• Idk whatelse he has in petto.

If he had a contract in the range of 8-10 mils / anno i'd say keep him.

Seriously idk about Qinn. But in my experience (i follow Dallas Cowboys now for around 30+ years) JJ is not about winning. His main goals are power and money.
People who come here are not stupid. They know what JJs goals are - and those are not success in sporting terms.
Seriously i wouldnt come to Dallas if my main goal was to achieve sporty success. And i dont even want to start a discussion about the incompetence at the top level of our franchise. Its the goals that are not set the right way.

So DC wont (and is not able to) attract (especially) coaches who are interessted in such success. It attracts people who want to make money. Maybe squeeze some last cents out of their already finished career (see our HC). Or give their careers a much needed push.

Until i am proven wrong, i see Quinn in the same mold of coaches.

TwentyOne said:

DFLaw is ok. You are right. But to me he is way overpaid. He is a run stopper, and in that he is not very good. You dont pay 4-3 DEs big bucks for just being a run stopper. Every year he has an excuse for his mediocrity becaus he was hurt or else.

• Either his shoulder or his butt did hurt.
  
• Either he had such a strong supporting cast around him that others made plays and so he couldnt or he lacked the supporting cast and he cant do it alone.
  
• Idk whatelse he has in petto.

If he had a contract in the range of 8-10 mils / anno i'd say keep him.

Seriously idk about Qinn. But in my experience (i follow Dallas Cowboys now for around 30+ years) JJ is not about winning. His main goals are power and money.
People who come here are not stupid. They know what JJs goals are - and those are not success in sporting terms.
Seriously i wouldnt come to Dallas if my main goal was to achieve sporty success. And i dont even want to start a discussion about the incompetence at the top level of our franchise. Its the goals that are not set the right way.

So DC wont (and is not able to) attract (especially) coaches who are interessted in such success. It attracts people who want to make money. Maybe squeeze some last cents out of their already finished career (see our HC). Or give their careers a much needed push.

Until i am proven wrong, i see Quinn in the same mold of coaches.

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So the coaches and the players are all here for the money lol.
sounds about right. I figured Quinn just wanted the money, I know MM just wants the money. Same for many of the players.
Add to that how inept they all are, and yep no SB's in the near future lol.

Doe's EVERYONE in the NFL have better players than the Cowboys?
It has to start with a mindset. It has to start with the atmosphere, the setting. The practice facility. When you walk into your work area. Is it soft and fuzzy? Are you tended to by little happy gnomes with big smiles on their faces and they say "yes Mr. Big Football Player" to all your request. Or are you required to work your tail off for everything you get? Does it look like an NFL locker room? Can the Position coaches do their jobs? How about down the chain of command? How far down is JJ's reach? How much control does MM have? Everyone gave JG a ton of grief (including me) but I don't think he picked Moore to be the OC. JJ wants the players to love him, he gives them too much in fringe benefits. Big stadium, great practice facility, who knows what else. Things the league probably doesn't even know of......YET.
Bottom line, as long as he is interfering with the actual coaching of players, the development of players and schemes, he is impeding upon the franchise and the chances of this franchise winning. I think he is too bullheaded to see that. He is too stubborn, and too determined to prove that it was he that was the cause of the success of the early '90's not Jimmy, to now get out of the way. Or, just to accustomed to the routine the fame and whatever else may come with it.

Like Fat Mike said, fit the scheme to players strengths, watch film see where they excel and find a scheme that caters to that. If you have 4-3 defensive players do not expect the 3-4 philosophy to work, if you have 1-Gap players do not expect them to do well in a 2-Gap system.

Shore up two of the three positions in the middle with GOOD players. DT - MLB - FS

Honestly? Dak accepting a reasonable contract that allows us to bring in competent players.

It's all going to depend on how much Jerry is willing to sacrifice to sign Dak.

J12B said:

Cowboys drfense ranked 23rd in yards against per game. Averaged giving up 29 points a game (28th) and opponents rushing against them averaged 5 yards per attempt (29th). That's flat out awful.

What moves need to be made to just be average?

I like the idea of signing the best NT in free agency, or going after Justin Simmons. Drafting a CB or DE round 1, and pretty much drafting best Defensive Player available throughout the rest of the draft.

Click to expand...

I know it is hard for some people to accept...I am not saying he is the only liability....but the BIGGEST liability on this defense is Jaylon Smith. He is targeted week after week after week....

People that brag about his "tackle" numbers don't grasp that the opposition designs plays to force him to make the play...and most of the time he does not.....OR...he makes it after the opposition picks up lots of yards.

I have keyed on him every week and it is alarming how useless he is on a football field. New coaches cannot fix him. He is not instinctive enough. Physical enough. Or agile enough to play at this level. It's that simple. This defense will NEVER improve with him on the field.