RS12
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Cant say I disagree. Team has not been able to pick up the blitz in years.:starspin
The dark side: All is not swell at Dallas Cowboys camp
Here are five concerns that the Dallas Cowboys need to address before the season begins
01:09 PM CDT on Thursday, August 20, 2009
Column by TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News | tarcher@***BANNED-URL***
IRVING – The Cowboys are home after spending some three weeks inside the Alamodome for training camp.
Having seen every practice, charted almost every seven-on-seven and team period and putting it against camps of the past, the 2009 Cowboys' training camp was a success.
No major injuries. Tony Romo and Roy Williams have gotten better together. The defense looks to be more active, especially new safety Gerald Sensabaugh. There is a more serious approach by everyone involved, especially compared to last year.
But – and there had to be one of those – there are some concerns.
Here's a look at five:
1. Picking up the blitz
I asked Wade Phillips about the trouble the offense was having in picking up the blitz the last 10 days or so of training camp. He said the defense doesn't blitz and what they do is pretty exotic. I understand the offense doesn't game plan for practices. I get it, but too many times the quarterbacks would have been sacked, drilled into turf or forced into early throws.
At the mini-camp in June, the offense had the same problems. Last season they had trouble, too. When teams do exotic things – Philly, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, the NY Giants – the Cowboys don't seem to have an answer. Or if they do, not enough of the players know the right answer. Late in camp, the offense had three repeats in one practice to make sure they knew how to pick up a blitz.
Thinking of the Sept. 13 opener at Tampa Bay, Bucs coordinator Jim Bates is not a big blitz guy. But at some point during the season, the Cowboys better figure out how to handle the blitz.
2. Young LBs need time and they don't have a lot of it
Third-round pick Jason Williams is a tremendous athlete. He can run like a safety and hit like a linebacker. The talent is there. But he needs a ton of time to be able to be counted on. As Bill Parcells would say, he's like a ball in tall grass – lost. He is making a big jump from Western Illinois and switching positions, but he's not ready to contribute in the sub packages just yet. He has to be one of the best special teams players, or else.
Outside linebackers Victor Butler and Brandon Williams showed flashes. Butler did a better job in the last few practices inside the dome, especially against the run. Williams has been bothered by sore shoulders. He might be a more natural pass rusher. Phillips' defense is predicated on pressuring the quarterback, and the Cowboys are going to need one or both to help DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer.
Speaking of Spencer ...
3. Anthony Spencer as a pass rusher
Every time Phillips talks about Spencer's development, he mentions how dominant Spencer is against the run. That's a good thing, but the Cowboys drafted Spencer because of his pass rushing skills.
In camp, I can't remember a "wow" moment from Spencer as a pass rusher. For as much as Greg Ellis complained, he could roll out of bed and get eight sacks a season. Without that security blanket, the Cowboys need Spencer to do something or Ware will be suffocated by the opposition.
4. I'm not sure the backup nose tackle is on the roster
Junior Siavii was among the final cuts last year, and Phillips thought he would hook on with another team. He didn't, and the Cowboys re-signed him in January. He has not been as consistent in this camp as he was last year. The Cowboys also cut Tim Anderson and have Jonas Seawright as the third-team nose tackle. The Cowboys have a Pro Bowler on the nose in Jay Ratliff , but they will be looking closely at the waiver wire to find a guy who can give him 10-15 plays of rest a game.
Siavii still has a chance to play his way onto the roster with his performances in the next three preseason games.
5. It's not a snap
Unofficially, I had Jon Kitna and either Cory Procter or Montrae Holland with nine poor snap exchanges in training camp. That's way too many. And Kitna and Procter had the same problem in the off-season workouts.
The good news is that if nothing goes wrong with Romo and Andre Gurode, then this isn't really an issue. I only remember Romo and Gurode having one poor snap.
Kitna has a strong arm, is pretty accurate and can move around. But if he can't get a snap, then what's the use? He says it's not a big deal and they have figured out the issue. We'll see.
The dark side: All is not swell at Dallas Cowboys camp
Here are five concerns that the Dallas Cowboys need to address before the season begins
01:09 PM CDT on Thursday, August 20, 2009
Column by TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News | tarcher@***BANNED-URL***
IRVING – The Cowboys are home after spending some three weeks inside the Alamodome for training camp.
Having seen every practice, charted almost every seven-on-seven and team period and putting it against camps of the past, the 2009 Cowboys' training camp was a success.
No major injuries. Tony Romo and Roy Williams have gotten better together. The defense looks to be more active, especially new safety Gerald Sensabaugh. There is a more serious approach by everyone involved, especially compared to last year.
But – and there had to be one of those – there are some concerns.
Here's a look at five:
1. Picking up the blitz
I asked Wade Phillips about the trouble the offense was having in picking up the blitz the last 10 days or so of training camp. He said the defense doesn't blitz and what they do is pretty exotic. I understand the offense doesn't game plan for practices. I get it, but too many times the quarterbacks would have been sacked, drilled into turf or forced into early throws.
At the mini-camp in June, the offense had the same problems. Last season they had trouble, too. When teams do exotic things – Philly, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, the NY Giants – the Cowboys don't seem to have an answer. Or if they do, not enough of the players know the right answer. Late in camp, the offense had three repeats in one practice to make sure they knew how to pick up a blitz.
Thinking of the Sept. 13 opener at Tampa Bay, Bucs coordinator Jim Bates is not a big blitz guy. But at some point during the season, the Cowboys better figure out how to handle the blitz.
2. Young LBs need time and they don't have a lot of it
Third-round pick Jason Williams is a tremendous athlete. He can run like a safety and hit like a linebacker. The talent is there. But he needs a ton of time to be able to be counted on. As Bill Parcells would say, he's like a ball in tall grass – lost. He is making a big jump from Western Illinois and switching positions, but he's not ready to contribute in the sub packages just yet. He has to be one of the best special teams players, or else.
Outside linebackers Victor Butler and Brandon Williams showed flashes. Butler did a better job in the last few practices inside the dome, especially against the run. Williams has been bothered by sore shoulders. He might be a more natural pass rusher. Phillips' defense is predicated on pressuring the quarterback, and the Cowboys are going to need one or both to help DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer.
Speaking of Spencer ...
3. Anthony Spencer as a pass rusher
Every time Phillips talks about Spencer's development, he mentions how dominant Spencer is against the run. That's a good thing, but the Cowboys drafted Spencer because of his pass rushing skills.
In camp, I can't remember a "wow" moment from Spencer as a pass rusher. For as much as Greg Ellis complained, he could roll out of bed and get eight sacks a season. Without that security blanket, the Cowboys need Spencer to do something or Ware will be suffocated by the opposition.
4. I'm not sure the backup nose tackle is on the roster
Junior Siavii was among the final cuts last year, and Phillips thought he would hook on with another team. He didn't, and the Cowboys re-signed him in January. He has not been as consistent in this camp as he was last year. The Cowboys also cut Tim Anderson and have Jonas Seawright as the third-team nose tackle. The Cowboys have a Pro Bowler on the nose in Jay Ratliff , but they will be looking closely at the waiver wire to find a guy who can give him 10-15 plays of rest a game.
Siavii still has a chance to play his way onto the roster with his performances in the next three preseason games.
5. It's not a snap
Unofficially, I had Jon Kitna and either Cory Procter or Montrae Holland with nine poor snap exchanges in training camp. That's way too many. And Kitna and Procter had the same problem in the off-season workouts.
The good news is that if nothing goes wrong with Romo and Andre Gurode, then this isn't really an issue. I only remember Romo and Gurode having one poor snap.
Kitna has a strong arm, is pretty accurate and can move around. But if he can't get a snap, then what's the use? He says it's not a big deal and they have figured out the issue. We'll see.
