For OTAs, your favorite S is still starting

Ring6

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I question the decision-making of anyone who is thinking that "Heath is the best man for the job", all evidence to the contrary.

Anyone who is making that decision should have their decision-making questioned.

Four Downs: NFC East

by Bryan Knowles

Welcome back to our offseason series of Four Downs. Over the next three weeks, we'll be reviewing each division one-by-one, looking at each team's biggest hole going into free agency as well as the most important players who may be on the market (provided they aren't franchise tagged or re-signed before March 5).

Dallas Cowboys
Biggest Hole: Secondary

In prior years, we have identified safety or cornerback as Dallas' biggest need in 2012, 2013 (twice), 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018. We also included the secondary in questioning Dallas' "entire defense" in 2014.

Writing the Cowboys' biggest hole piece is one of the easiest jobs we have here at Football Outsiders. We have now used that opening paragraph in three straight seasons, and it still rings true -- the Cowboys' defensive backfield has needed major help for years. The good news for Cowboys fans is that 2018 saw Dallas take several strides to fixing their eternal secondary issues. Byron Jones moved back to corner, which better fits his skill set, and sophomore Xavier Woods represents a new day at free safety. That's half the starting secondary sorted, meaning they just need to fix the other half.

Jeff Heath can not tackle. We noted last year in this space that Heath had more missed tackles (11) than defeats (six). The problem got worse in 2018, as Heath's 22 broken tackles were the second-most allowed in the league. Heath just isn't a starting-caliber strong safety; he's a quality special teams player who has been promoted beyond his skill set. Bringing in a new safety -- either strong or free, as Woods would do just fine moving into the strong safety position -- would help a defense that ranked 19th or worse when covering tight ends, running backs, or third wideouts. In addition, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie finished 81st out of 85 qualified cornerbacks in success rate. Replacing either Heath or Awuzie, or preferably both, would help a defense that hasn't finished in the top 10 against the pass since 2007.



https://www.footballoutsiders.com/four-downs/2019/four-downs-nfc-east


Wow, the Awuzie reference is what got my attention. Success rate, huh.
 

Stash

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Wow, the Awuzie reference is what got my attention. Success rate, huh.

Yeah, that was pretty bad too. But I remember that really being the case to start the season and Awuzie greatly improving as the season progressed and looking much better at the end.
 

Stash

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It is a forum. Know won care aboot spewllun.

Keep telling yourself that.

giphy.gif
 

Melonfeud

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It's OTA's lol If any starter loses his job in ota's he may as well go outside and hang himself.
Naw,,they need to do it inside their personal gear locker man,,,as it's guaranteed to scratch that jersey # off the teams issue list

*,,,er,,, that's about too morbidly twisted for a person to think, let alone post, huh,noshame?
:rolleyes:



:oops:o_O:oops:
 

LACowboysFan1

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If Heath or Iloka is the starter, if the pass rush is good, and with J. Smith and LVE at linebacker, don't see that the safety position is a deal breaker as far as post season success goes.

NO team has top notch players at DE, DT, ILB, OLB, MLB (talking 4-3 base defense of course), SS, FS, LCB and RCB. At least one position is the weak link, with proper coaching schemes (if the Cowboys coaches can do that) you can compensate for the weak link.

Heath ain't no Woodson or Renfro, but at least he's familiar with the defense and has size and speed, and who knows? The 6th round safety might be a hidden gem.

In any case, if Heath is the starter day 1 of the season I'm not wringing my hands and saying "woe is us" over it...
 

Stash

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Continue to wallow in your ignorance. Look stupid trying to use words you clearly don't know. And take the low road when someone tries to educate you.

You do you.

And show me and everyone else who you truly are.

:clap:
 

Idgit

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This thread is sure taking a long time to get to the obvious conclusion that the Cowboys don’t value the S position very much at all.

Heath’s getting starters snaps again this season, barring injury. Illoka gets some snaps on running downs. Unless the rookie explodes—and he’s really here just to play ST this season and to take Frasier’s snaps next year, that’s not going to change.

Y’all might as well get used to it. No amount of complaining how much you don’t like it and pretending it’s criticism is going to change it. And I’m a guy who was al for making the easy obvious S upgrade in the draft.
 

Big_D

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This thread is sure taking a long time to get to the obvious conclusion that the Cowboys don’t value the S position very much at all.

Heath’s getting starters snaps again this season, barring injury. Illoka gets some snaps on running downs. Unless the rookie explodes—and he’s really here just to play ST this season and to take Frasier’s snaps next year, that’s not going to change.

Y’all might as well get used to it. No amount of complaining how much you don’t like it and pretending it’s criticism is going to change it. And I’m a guy who was al for making the easy obvious S upgrade in the draft.


Some used to say the same thing about DT and they finally took one early. That should happen next year at safety. Seems like the glaring hole atm. Possibly in the 1st.
 

Sydla

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If Heath or Iloka is the starter, if the pass rush is good, and with J. Smith and LVE at linebacker, don't see that the safety position is a deal breaker as far as post season success goes.

NO team has top notch players at DE, DT, ILB, OLB, MLB (talking 4-3 base defense of course), SS, FS, LCB and RCB. At least one position is the weak link, with proper coaching schemes (if the Cowboys coaches can do that) you can compensate for the weak link.

Heath ain't no Woodson or Renfro, but at least he's familiar with the defense and has size and speed, and who knows? The 6th round safety might be a hidden gem.

In any case, if Heath is the starter day 1 of the season I'm not wringing my hands and saying "woe is us" over it...

This fallacy needs to die. It's always the comeback when defending our mediocre players.

No one said they needed to bring in a top notch player to replace Heath. There were names out there that were fairly cheap and better than Heath.
 

Idgit

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Some used to say the same thing about DT and they finally took one early. That should happen next year at safety. Seems like the glaring hole atm. Possibly in the 1st.

They said the same about the 1-tech, but then that's because 1-tech is another position they actually don't value that highly.

They always valued the 3-tech. It's just a position where there wasn't obvious value there when they were drafting in the first or 2nd rounds, or they had better value at another critical position on the board.

This draft setup pretty much perfectly for them to take a quality S in the 2nd round, and they didn't do it in favor of (what I think of as) a risky pick at 3-tech. They may well take a S high next year, but if they do, it's because it's literally one of the last holes the team's got. Of course, by next year that probably won't be the case, either, as a hole will spring up someplace else. We're probably looking at 4th round and lower draft picks spent at the position on players they had 3rd round grades on who happen to drop--at least until they change their defensive philosophy.
 

Melonfeud

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They said the same about the 1-tech, but then that's because 1-tech is another position they actually don't value that highly.

They always valued the 3-tech. It's just a position where there wasn't obvious value there when they were drafting in the first or 2nd rounds, or they had better value at another critical position on the board.

This draft setup pretty much perfectly for them to take a quality S in the 2nd round, and they didn't do it in favor of (what I think of as) a risky pick at 3-tech. They may well take a S high next year, but if they do, it's because it's literally one of the last holes the team's got. Of course, by next year that probably won't be the case, either, as a hole will spring up someplace else. We're probably looking at 4th round and lower draft picks spent at the position on players they had 3rd round grades on who happen to drop--at least until they change their defensive philosophy.
It kinda' seems to me that there defensive philosophy done got changed,bro,,, when coach Richard's Mic's up& sez' it's a big mans game up front at the los,,,? well now my brother,,,that philosophy
( obviously) done been dialed-up & zeroed-in for maximum effect posthaste & riky-tick,,TOO!,o_O
 

cern

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You a school teacher? You know its Summer
here's a sheldon cooper factoid for you. in the states, "moot point" means it's not arguable. in Britain, "moot point' means it is arguable. i'll assume you already know about fig newtons.
 
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