Quality vs. Quantity-What kind of D is this team trying to become?

Big_D · May 4, 2021

I definitely see a plan in place in comparison to the no plan at all Marinelli/Garrett years. Quinn seems a little more on the ball.

Irvin88_4life · May 4, 2021

DandyDon52 said:
yes Quinn.> Jones boys
To be honest, I thought jones boys were going to make quinn fix the defense they had and use whatever guys they picked.
So if they let him choose these def guys, then that is a plus.
I was fairly sure wright was a guy quinn wanted , and that is why they picked him somewhat early.
I figure maybe quinn wanted to be sure and get him, and or maybe they knew another team was interested?

We have never had any tall corners, and now we have 2 I think.
Also it was apparent they favored guys who had ability to find the ball and get it. They chose guys who are more likely to get turnovers.

Yes sir. They also took speed, just every player is fast

Bobhaze · May 4, 2021

Rockport said:
Totally disagree with your take. As far as the defensive picks it was completely targeted in obtaining players that Quinn wanted in order for him to build the type of defense he wants. You’re completely backwards on this.

You may be right about that Rock. Hope you are.

morasp · May 4, 2021

Fast players that play hard to the whistle and with a high level of production in College. The draft used to be 12 rounds. You never know which ones will make the team.

Bobhaze · May 5, 2021

Big_D said:
I definitely see a plan in place in comparison to the no plan at all Marinelli/Garrett years. Quinn seems a little more on the ball.

I wish I could believe that. Describing your plan after the draft doesn’t necessarily mean you had a plan. It’s easy to draft a bunch of guys then say, “this was our plan all along”.

Again, I’m not saying the people we drafted aren’t good football players. They may be. I’m saying I don’t think this front office has a tangible defensive philosophy in place that guides decisions. Right now, the defensive philosophy is a simple two word plan: Dan Quinn. The previous philosophy was also two words: Mike Nolan. When in reality, just basing your long term strategy to build a playoff caliber defense requires more than just the opinion of whoever your current DC is.

visionary · May 5, 2021

Corso said:
It's comically tragic how much Jerry gives the WHATEVS to true D building and the rest of the clan follow suit.
That guy has taken his glitz and glam to the extreme and doesn't get that if he were to build a true winning team he would garner even more attention and money from it.

I think he's given up on championships and given in to being the talk of the town.

One is more reliable and easily attainable than the other in his mind.

@Diehardblues
What say you?

JoeKing · May 5, 2021

Bobhaze said:
Since the Cowboys last raised a Lombardi trophy in a locker room back in ‘95, we have hired 8 defensive coordinators, including 4 DCs in 9 years: Dave Campo, Mike Zimmer, Brian Stewart, Rob Ryan, Monte Kiffin, Rod Marinelli, Mike Nolan, and now Dan Quinn.

And this team has also changed defensive schemes multiple times- From the 90s 4-3 to the 3-4 under Parcells and Phillips, then back to the 4-3, then the “hybrid” 4-3 (4-2-5?) under Nolan, and now back to the 4-3 under Quinn. This team changes defensive philosophies like underwear.

It’s hard to build a defense when you don’t even know what kind of defense you are trying to be. So what kind of defense is this team trying to become?

I like some of the players we drafted. But watching the draft last weekend, our FO appeared to favor QUANTITY over QUALITY. Having 11 draft picks was nice going into this draft, but instead of targeting players of QUALITY and using some of those 11 picks to move up and target more impactful players, the Cowboys seemed to be caught flat footed on several occasions.

Several teams made trade ups, using 3rd, 4th and 5th rounders....seems like we could have had a better draft with 8 players of higher quality than 11 players of seemingly lesser quality. When you know what you’re trying to be, it’s easier to know who you want.

When the league still places the same limit on quantity(53 man roster and 11 players on the field) it's not like quantity is a real factor. Your point is moot. Quality wins because that's the variable characteristic. We need the quality to get better. It remains to be seen.

Buzzbait · May 5, 2021

JBS said:
Everybody would rather have quality over quantity. Unfortunately, it's not that easy. It's easier to find quality when you have more picks. It's also true that more picks doesn't always equal better quality. For a team that has as many holes as we do, taking as many swings as you can is probably the right approach.

I agree with that, but when you take a swing, you need to keep your eyes on the ball or you'll strike out. With four 3rd rounders sitting there they should've been looking to trade up for the quality but instead they took their eye off the ball in the 3rd round and just drafted for quantity.

Buzzbait · May 5, 2021

atlantacowboy said:
Golston and Nahshon Wright were horrific 3rd round picks.

I didn't like the 3rd round at all. Osa was the only 3rd round pick that "might" not be too bad. They didn't even try to trade up with all those 3rd rounders, they just went with the quantity. To me, the 3rd round was an unnecessary disappointment.

atlantacowboy · May 5, 2021

Buzzbait said:
I didn't like the 3rd round at all. Osa was the only 3rd round pick that "might" not be too bad. They didn't even try to trade up with all those 3rd rounders, they just went with the quantity.

Thats my main beef. We could have used those 3rd rounders to move around the draft board and actually target players we prefer ......... like NE and Oakland did in round 2 when they jumped in front of us for Barmore and Moehrig.

Buzzbait · May 5, 2021

atlantacowboy said:
Thats my main beef. We could have used those 3rd rounders to move around the draft board and actually target players we prefer ......... like NE and Oakland did in round 2 when they jumped in front of us for Barmore and Moehrig.

Exactly! Barmore or Moehrig either one would've been better than what we did in the 3rd round.

Stash · May 5, 2021

Bobhaze said:
If that’s true, and it may be, then the Cowboys D is shaped by whoever the D coordinator is. Not the front office. Is that good? Maybe?

That's most definitely the case, as I mentioned in another thread. There is no organizational philosophy when it comes to defense, it’s essentially just left up to whoever is hired.

Someone brings up a name, or ‘someone they know’, and that guy gets to control everything that happens on that side of the ball. That includes the draft, where Marinelli cratered this team for years.

And I notice on your post that you feel that Quinn wants to run a 4-3. I think it’s the opposite and he’s looking for 3-4 players and concepts. He said something along those lines in his recent press conference. You should check it out.

And in looking at free agency and draft picks, that’s exactly the type of linemen they’ve acquired,3-4 guys, not 4-3 guys.

MountaineerCowboy · May 5, 2021

Quinn might have the easiest job ever this year.

Basically, improve on one of the worst defenses of all time is all he has to do. If he has this defense ranked somewhere between 20-23 then our FO will be patting itself on the back.

tunahelper · May 5, 2021

One could argue Jimmy used the quantity over quality approach in the 90's. We had a lot of misses when you examine the sheer volume of draft picks made back then.

Stash · May 5, 2021

MountaineerCowboy said:
Quinn might have the easiest job ever this year.

Basically, improve on one of the worst defenses of all time is all he has to do. If he has this defense ranked somewhere between 20-23 then our FO will be patting itself on the back.

Very true. That limbo bar of expectations is set awfully low this year.

Stash · May 5, 2021

tunahelper said:
One could argue Jimmy used the quantity over quality approach in the 90's. We had a lot of misses when you examine the sheer volume of draft picks made back then.

Thats very true. Even among Jimmy’s best drafts, there were some upper-round clunkers, some of whom never even played. But when you’re getting the hits that he was, the misses are forgotten and forgiven.

Majic · May 5, 2021

I've listened to the DQ press conference a couple of times. He seems to be speaking exactly the same talk as Mike McCarthy in terms of having versatility on the team. Interesting that he said he wanted to change some of the things he had done in the past, I liked the phrase he used about having 'the versatility to adapt to any offensive scheme'

MountaineerCowboy · May 5, 2021

stasheroo said:
Very true. That limbo bar of expectations is set awfully low this year.

The bar is to not be one of the worst defenses of all time like last season, not one of the worst defenses in the league next season, that's it, that's the bar.

The easiest job in NFL history is Quinns job next season. This FO will be elated as long as the defense isn't historically bad again.

Stash · May 5, 2021

MountaineerCowboy said:
The bar is to not be one of the worst defenses of all time like last season, not one of the worst defenses in the league next season, that's it, that's the bar.

The easiest job in NFL history is Quinns job next season. This FO will be elated as long as the defense isn't historically bad again.

I agree. If he just teaches the level of competent he’ll get a parade in his honor.

Of he could manage even a middle-of-the-road level defense, I think this team can make some noise in the playoffs.

Bobhaze · May 5, 2021

stasheroo said:
Thats very true. Even among Jimmy’s best drafts, there were some upper-round clunkers, some of whom never even played. But when you’re getting the hits that he was, the misses are forgotten and forgiven.

Not to mention, in Jimmy’s time here, the NFL still had a 12 round draft. Quantity was was way bigger in those days.

Quality vs. Quantity-What kind of D is this team trying to become?

Big_D

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Irvin88_4life

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Bobhaze

morasp

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Bobhaze

visionary

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JoeKing

Diehard

Buzzbait

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Buzzbait

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atlantacowboy

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Buzzbait

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Stash

MountaineerCowboy

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tunahelper

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Stash

Stash

Majic

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MountaineerCowboy

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Stash

Bobhaze