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IRVING, Texas—There is no denying the Dallas Cowboys' formula to shocking success in 2014 is based on a ball-control offense, featuring league-leading rusher DeMarco Murray and the team's dominant offensive line.
It has taken pressure off of quarterback Tony Romo and kept the defense off the field and fresh.
The Cowboys defense has played the fewest snaps of any unit in the league.
But there is also no debating the surprisingly strong play of the defense has also played a huge role in their success.
The Cowboys wouldn't be 5-1 for the first time since 2007, riding a five-game winning streak for the first time since 2007, if not for the defense showing some back bone for the first time in years.
The defense is no longer a liability.
"I think our defense just needed to take that same step that we were kind of making on offense," Romo said. "And they’re doing that this year and they’re doing the things that are needed. I trust them throughout football games to get us the ball back in key situations and they’re really playing outstanding ball. They’re fast. They’re aggressive. They’re starting to make a name for themselves and I’m excited about that. It gives us a chance to win every week we go out.”
Certainly, the numbers for the Cowboys defense aren't gaudy. They ranked 15th overall, including 17th against the run and 12th against the pass.
But remember this was a unit that gave up the most yards in the league last year, the most in team history and the third most in league history.
The 2013 pass defense was historically bad from a team and league standpoint. Not only did the Cowboys become the first team in league history to allow four 400-yard passers, but they set a team record for passing yards allowed in a season.
And there was good reason to think the Cowboys might be even worse in 2014.
They let perennial Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Ware go in the offseason for salary cap reasons. They allowed defensive tackle Jason Hatcher, the top pass-rusher in 2013, to walk in free agency.
They lost middle linebacker Sean Lee to a season-ending knee injury in OTAs.
And that was before cornerback Orlando Scandrick, who was the team's best defensive player in training camp, was initially suspended for the first four games of the season by the NFL for violating the policy on performance enhancing drugs.
And before rookie defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, picked in the second round to replace Ware as the team's primary pass-rusher, was sidelined for the first eight games of the year with a fractured foot.
Owner Jerry Jones was admittedly concerned, telling Cowboys fans at the kickoff luncheon that the team was heading into the season with their backs against the wall because of their obvious challenges on defense.
"Of course, after we lost Sean Lee, it looked like we were going to be challenged on top of the fact that we lost Ware and we lost key players like Hatcher," Jones said. "So it feels good. That defense certainly deserves every part (of our success) that anybody wants to give them. We’ve made some very conscious decisions to have the team out there that we have. We decided not to renew DeMarcus Ware, we decided not to have Hatcher, and so what we got is a result of our decisions. Are the guys who are out there, are they stepping up and filling that void? Yes they are. So my point is the decisions we made is working out for us right now."
It's working because defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is living up to his billing as the best coach/motivator in the league.
He is likened by the Cowboys defenders as Master Splinter, the rat sensei of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They fear him. They follow him. They want to run through a wall for him.
But most importantly they listen to him. It has paid off for a Cowboys defense that's short on proven playmakers but has succeeded because they play fundamentally sound football and swarm to the ball.
"He’s indispensable," Jones said of Marinelli. "His spirit, the way he expresses himself, what he asks his defensive players, has impacted the entire team. It sounds corny almost, when you see him talk about, 'I just want some guys, he may not be the biggest, I just want some guys who will run and every day at practice give it to me'. Well, yeah, but don’t we need somebody who is bigger and faster? Well, Marinelli is showing us just give me somebody who will go out there and give me 20 plays when we got them and we’ll take care of business."
Cornerback Brandon Carr said Marinelli acts like a maniac at times in how he addresses the players but it has brought a level of accountability not seen before in the Cowboys locker room.
It’s not just one person trying to fill the leadership void left by Ware, Hatcher and Lee but all 22 defenders who are active on game day.
"It's 22 men buying in to a system," Carr said. "We have a heck of defensive coordinator that puts in the right position to make plays. And guys just showing max effort. Accountability is there. It hasn't been in there in the past. It's showing up all across the board, just every phase of the game right now it's showing up."
The decision to sign middle linebacker Rolando McClain has also made a huge difference. He leads the team in tackles, tackles for loss and interceptions.
Coach Jason Garrett said McClain has brought a physical style to the defense that has become contagious, as well as feisty.
"There are a lot of things you can point to but it starts with being physical," Garrett said. "You have to be physical at the line of scrimmage and you have to be physical tacklers. There is no back down."
Not in this defense. It's no longer a pushover.
And the thing that excites the Cowboys even more is they have a chance to get better. Scandrick returned after two games when the NFL rescinded his suspension. He has resumed his role as the team’s top defensive back and prickly playmaker on the back end.
Defensive end Anthony Spencer is starting to get stronger after missing the first three games of the season while recovering from micro-fracture surgery that sidelined him for the final 14 games in 2013.
And Lawrence is expected back in a couple of weeks to help the team’s struggling pass rush.
The Cowboys are 5-1, led by a dominant rushing attack, with a defense on the rise.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...
It has taken pressure off of quarterback Tony Romo and kept the defense off the field and fresh.
The Cowboys defense has played the fewest snaps of any unit in the league.
But there is also no debating the surprisingly strong play of the defense has also played a huge role in their success.
The Cowboys wouldn't be 5-1 for the first time since 2007, riding a five-game winning streak for the first time since 2007, if not for the defense showing some back bone for the first time in years.
The defense is no longer a liability.
"I think our defense just needed to take that same step that we were kind of making on offense," Romo said. "And they’re doing that this year and they’re doing the things that are needed. I trust them throughout football games to get us the ball back in key situations and they’re really playing outstanding ball. They’re fast. They’re aggressive. They’re starting to make a name for themselves and I’m excited about that. It gives us a chance to win every week we go out.”
Certainly, the numbers for the Cowboys defense aren't gaudy. They ranked 15th overall, including 17th against the run and 12th against the pass.
But remember this was a unit that gave up the most yards in the league last year, the most in team history and the third most in league history.
The 2013 pass defense was historically bad from a team and league standpoint. Not only did the Cowboys become the first team in league history to allow four 400-yard passers, but they set a team record for passing yards allowed in a season.
And there was good reason to think the Cowboys might be even worse in 2014.
They let perennial Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Ware go in the offseason for salary cap reasons. They allowed defensive tackle Jason Hatcher, the top pass-rusher in 2013, to walk in free agency.
They lost middle linebacker Sean Lee to a season-ending knee injury in OTAs.
And that was before cornerback Orlando Scandrick, who was the team's best defensive player in training camp, was initially suspended for the first four games of the season by the NFL for violating the policy on performance enhancing drugs.
And before rookie defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, picked in the second round to replace Ware as the team's primary pass-rusher, was sidelined for the first eight games of the year with a fractured foot.
Owner Jerry Jones was admittedly concerned, telling Cowboys fans at the kickoff luncheon that the team was heading into the season with their backs against the wall because of their obvious challenges on defense.
"Of course, after we lost Sean Lee, it looked like we were going to be challenged on top of the fact that we lost Ware and we lost key players like Hatcher," Jones said. "So it feels good. That defense certainly deserves every part (of our success) that anybody wants to give them. We’ve made some very conscious decisions to have the team out there that we have. We decided not to renew DeMarcus Ware, we decided not to have Hatcher, and so what we got is a result of our decisions. Are the guys who are out there, are they stepping up and filling that void? Yes they are. So my point is the decisions we made is working out for us right now."
It's working because defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is living up to his billing as the best coach/motivator in the league.
He is likened by the Cowboys defenders as Master Splinter, the rat sensei of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They fear him. They follow him. They want to run through a wall for him.
But most importantly they listen to him. It has paid off for a Cowboys defense that's short on proven playmakers but has succeeded because they play fundamentally sound football and swarm to the ball.
"He’s indispensable," Jones said of Marinelli. "His spirit, the way he expresses himself, what he asks his defensive players, has impacted the entire team. It sounds corny almost, when you see him talk about, 'I just want some guys, he may not be the biggest, I just want some guys who will run and every day at practice give it to me'. Well, yeah, but don’t we need somebody who is bigger and faster? Well, Marinelli is showing us just give me somebody who will go out there and give me 20 plays when we got them and we’ll take care of business."
Cornerback Brandon Carr said Marinelli acts like a maniac at times in how he addresses the players but it has brought a level of accountability not seen before in the Cowboys locker room.
It’s not just one person trying to fill the leadership void left by Ware, Hatcher and Lee but all 22 defenders who are active on game day.
"It's 22 men buying in to a system," Carr said. "We have a heck of defensive coordinator that puts in the right position to make plays. And guys just showing max effort. Accountability is there. It hasn't been in there in the past. It's showing up all across the board, just every phase of the game right now it's showing up."
The decision to sign middle linebacker Rolando McClain has also made a huge difference. He leads the team in tackles, tackles for loss and interceptions.
Coach Jason Garrett said McClain has brought a physical style to the defense that has become contagious, as well as feisty.
"There are a lot of things you can point to but it starts with being physical," Garrett said. "You have to be physical at the line of scrimmage and you have to be physical tacklers. There is no back down."
Not in this defense. It's no longer a pushover.
And the thing that excites the Cowboys even more is they have a chance to get better. Scandrick returned after two games when the NFL rescinded his suspension. He has resumed his role as the team’s top defensive back and prickly playmaker on the back end.
Defensive end Anthony Spencer is starting to get stronger after missing the first three games of the season while recovering from micro-fracture surgery that sidelined him for the final 14 games in 2013.
And Lawrence is expected back in a couple of weeks to help the team’s struggling pass rush.
The Cowboys are 5-1, led by a dominant rushing attack, with a defense on the rise.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...