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By Will Parchman | August 3rd, 2008
As this years’ training camp continues on, it’s becoming clear that it’s strikingly, well, typical. No huge stories, no uber intriguing battles between fan faves and established vets — which is odd considering Hard Knocks picked this year to visit. The Amendola vs. The World, Anthony Henry vs. his own ego and Marcus Spears vs. his own inadequacies are what we’ve had to settle for, what with all the “Romo ready for action” and “TO gelling with Pacman” fluff pieces. So while the offense still has a few unknowns, the defense pretty much has its top 11 or 12 guys… it just depends on where you’re playing them. So I’ve taken the liberty of arranging the D how I’d like to see it in Cleveland Week 1.
This is how I’d like to see it in the 3-4:
Ratliff — Tank — Spears
Ellis — Thomas — Bradie — Ware
Jones — Hamlin — Henry — Newman
And then Nickel:
Canty — Ratliff — Tank — Hatcher
Roy — Ware – Jenkins
Jones — Hamlin — Henry — Newman
That’s, of course, contingent on Henry proving his worth at SS, but there’s no reason to think he can’t. The only worry is Roy’s fragile ego cracking even more. His progression probably has to start at the line of scrimmage. If he can pile on a few big hits like he used to, he’ll start his confidence back up again. Who knows if that’s realistic, though. I like seeing Roy closer to the line because he doesn’t have enough time to improperly diagnose plays like he’s wont to do, overthinking the situation and allowing the play to roll right by him, which happened more frequently by the week last season. His speed and agility is fine — he’s just got to take more time to break down on his tackles and less time breaking down how quickly that tight end just came out of his break.
Upon closer inspection, the D-Line is really better suited for a four-man set. Canty and Spears seem to understand fine that 3-4 linemen don’t produce numbers, but they don’t seem happy about it. The more they fail to generate a pass rush, the more the media starts asking questions, and then you get their defensive sides in spades. They have a point, of course — 3-4 d-linemen aren’t really supposed to do much aside from eat blockers. I can’t imagine getting double-teamed on almost every play, having to fight off blockers constantly so the guys behind you can reap the benefits. Has to be frustrating then when people say you’re not producing. If Bradie James is getting 100+ tackles, these guys are over-producing. But still, we’d probably have a 10+ sack guy on this line (my bet’s on Ratliff) if the Cowboys played a 4-3 more often. But the team is more skilled and deeper at LB as is, so I wouldn’t change the base set back.
I’ll come back to this list throughout the preseason, editing as necessary depending on player performance, injuries or anything else that crops up.
Some quick shots:
* Doug Free is following up on his solid August from last year with a repeat performance. Numerous reports say that Free looks as good as any young lineman on the roster, and the fact that he can swing to either tackle position is equally as impressive. He’s been working primarily behind Flozell at LT, where he’s been impressing with a combination of quick choppy footwork and strong arms. Personally, Free’s my favorite young backup, and his injury last year was pretty disconcerting. But he appears not to have lost a step. Unfortunately the team seems content on shepherding Hotel out into pasture with his recent contract extension. He’s falling into the Larry Allen trap, allowing his size and brute strength to carry him in his old age. He’s okay for now, but he’s undeservingly called a top 3 tackle in the league. He’s top 10 at best, and he declines exponentially with age. Having a guy like Free in the backburner will be a welcome relief. This is a wait-for-preseason kind of position.
* Oft overlooked is the decision on who returns kicks and punts. It seems a given that Pacman will get punt detail and some kind of Felix/Austin combo on kickoffs, but watching Stanback and Mike Jenkins fight for those positions will be an interesting watch in the coming weeks
http://mvn.com/nfl-cowboys/2008/08/03/figuring-the-roster-defense-edition/
As this years’ training camp continues on, it’s becoming clear that it’s strikingly, well, typical. No huge stories, no uber intriguing battles between fan faves and established vets — which is odd considering Hard Knocks picked this year to visit. The Amendola vs. The World, Anthony Henry vs. his own ego and Marcus Spears vs. his own inadequacies are what we’ve had to settle for, what with all the “Romo ready for action” and “TO gelling with Pacman” fluff pieces. So while the offense still has a few unknowns, the defense pretty much has its top 11 or 12 guys… it just depends on where you’re playing them. So I’ve taken the liberty of arranging the D how I’d like to see it in Cleveland Week 1.
This is how I’d like to see it in the 3-4:
Ratliff — Tank — Spears
Ellis — Thomas — Bradie — Ware
Jones — Hamlin — Henry — Newman
And then Nickel:
Canty — Ratliff — Tank — Hatcher
Roy — Ware – Jenkins
Jones — Hamlin — Henry — Newman
That’s, of course, contingent on Henry proving his worth at SS, but there’s no reason to think he can’t. The only worry is Roy’s fragile ego cracking even more. His progression probably has to start at the line of scrimmage. If he can pile on a few big hits like he used to, he’ll start his confidence back up again. Who knows if that’s realistic, though. I like seeing Roy closer to the line because he doesn’t have enough time to improperly diagnose plays like he’s wont to do, overthinking the situation and allowing the play to roll right by him, which happened more frequently by the week last season. His speed and agility is fine — he’s just got to take more time to break down on his tackles and less time breaking down how quickly that tight end just came out of his break.
Upon closer inspection, the D-Line is really better suited for a four-man set. Canty and Spears seem to understand fine that 3-4 linemen don’t produce numbers, but they don’t seem happy about it. The more they fail to generate a pass rush, the more the media starts asking questions, and then you get their defensive sides in spades. They have a point, of course — 3-4 d-linemen aren’t really supposed to do much aside from eat blockers. I can’t imagine getting double-teamed on almost every play, having to fight off blockers constantly so the guys behind you can reap the benefits. Has to be frustrating then when people say you’re not producing. If Bradie James is getting 100+ tackles, these guys are over-producing. But still, we’d probably have a 10+ sack guy on this line (my bet’s on Ratliff) if the Cowboys played a 4-3 more often. But the team is more skilled and deeper at LB as is, so I wouldn’t change the base set back.
I’ll come back to this list throughout the preseason, editing as necessary depending on player performance, injuries or anything else that crops up.
Some quick shots:
* Doug Free is following up on his solid August from last year with a repeat performance. Numerous reports say that Free looks as good as any young lineman on the roster, and the fact that he can swing to either tackle position is equally as impressive. He’s been working primarily behind Flozell at LT, where he’s been impressing with a combination of quick choppy footwork and strong arms. Personally, Free’s my favorite young backup, and his injury last year was pretty disconcerting. But he appears not to have lost a step. Unfortunately the team seems content on shepherding Hotel out into pasture with his recent contract extension. He’s falling into the Larry Allen trap, allowing his size and brute strength to carry him in his old age. He’s okay for now, but he’s undeservingly called a top 3 tackle in the league. He’s top 10 at best, and he declines exponentially with age. Having a guy like Free in the backburner will be a welcome relief. This is a wait-for-preseason kind of position.
* Oft overlooked is the decision on who returns kicks and punts. It seems a given that Pacman will get punt detail and some kind of Felix/Austin combo on kickoffs, but watching Stanback and Mike Jenkins fight for those positions will be an interesting watch in the coming weeks
http://mvn.com/nfl-cowboys/2008/08/03/figuring-the-roster-defense-edition/
