News: BTB: Dallas Cowboys Run Defense: Why It Is So Bad This Preseason

[CCBoy]

Dallas Cowboys Run Defense: Why It Is So Bad This Preseason
By Dave Halprin
http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2014...s-run-defense-why-it-is-so-bad-this-preseason

Just what is wrong with the Dallas Cowboys run defense? We take a look at four plays and reveal that poor angles, bad gap coverage and the occasional missed tackle are all in play for the Cowboys.

Play 1



This first play was from the Dolphins first offensive drive of the game. At the start of the play, the Cowboys are in good shape. They are playing three linebackers, with Justin Durant (SAM) and Anthony Hitchens (MIKE, red arrows at second level) in the middle of the field. Davon Coleman (red arrow on d-line) is getting a little penetration.



As the play progresses, Ken Bishop (red arrow) starts getting pushed back, leaving a huge gap between him and Coleman. Meanwhile, Durant (green arrow) starts sliding outside to seal the edge. The problem is with Hitchens (yellow arrow), he does not enter the gap in the middle of the field.



Somehow, Hitchens (red arrow far right) allows himself to get caught up in the block of Bishop. Durant has gone to the outside and out of the gap, which opens up a huge hole (yellow lightning bolt) that the Dolphins back runs through untouched. Bishop getting pushed off the line is part of the problem, but Hitchens doesn't read the play and fill the gap and Durant decides to go outside and over-commits. The Cowboys linebackers are not playing fundamental gap coverage...

 

[DandyDon1722]

Thanks for that CC.

 

[Staubacher]

Dang why would Hitchens even do that?

 

[CCBoy]

Rod Marinelli Technique
Steven Van Over
http://cowboyszone.com/2014/08/rod-marinelli-technique.html

The Cowboys practice it every day in camp. The defensive line does it. The linebackers do it. The defensive backs do it. Special Teamers do it. Pretty much every body does it and they do it more than once. There are drills specific to it and the skill is used in other drills as well as any full contact work.

Attack the football as well as the man. Through the Rod Marinelli Technique via Terrance Mitchell (above) we can view direct cause and effect of teaching the D to attack the football as well as the man. You separate the two. Mitchell had long runs of denying catches through camp by playing tight coverage and attacking the ball all the way to the ground when he engaged a receiver attempting to bring a catch in. It works. Marinelli requires players to focus on it every play.

Tyler Patmon showed a prime example of it when he tracked down the Miami runner who broke free through the middle of the Cowboys defense. Without a horse collar tackle he managed to get the runner down AND take a swipe at the ball. That’s focus.

Watch for the different iterations of the Marinelli teachings on the subject thusly:

One on One – Tackle with one arm while punching from underneath when tackling from behind.

One on One – Directly strike the ball when tackling from the front.

Team Tackle – First man holds player up while the second one focuses on the ball.

Throw in a flood of players that run towards the ball en-masse and you have a prescription for turnover success. This was also in evidence versus Miami. As a quick note, the Cowboys are taught whenever possible to punch the ball from underneath as a player has less to counter the force with when the ball is attacked from that angle versus slammed into the body with an overhand chop...

 

[d_dub88]

I can't really fault Hitchens for this play. I don't think he has a firm handle on the MIKE position so putting him in situations against Miami's ones is an almost a guaranteed no win situation. I hear weekly that Durant is leading the competition at MIKE, Durant is taking Carter's spot at WILL, Carter and Wilbur taking snaps at DE. None of these guys will have enough reps at any given position to be ready for the start of the season.

 

[CCBoy]

We'll have to see how far they get in about two more weeks now.

They now start to prepare for a specific team each week...

 

[Screw The Hall]

I can't really fault Hitchens for this play. I don't think he has a firm handle on the MIKE position so putting him in situations against Miami's ones is an almost a guaranteed no win situation. I hear weekly that Durant is leading the competition at MIKE, Durant is taking Carter's spot at WILL, Carter and Wilbur taking snaps at DE. None of these guys will have enough reps at any given position to be ready for the start of the season.

I'm giving all the LBs a break until we find a tackle who can anchor. It's gotta be difficult to do your job with a DT in your lap on almost every interior run. It just happens over and over again. The DT position is making it absolutely impossible to evaluate the rest of the defense. They are that bad.

 

[d_dub88]

I'm giving all the LBs a break until we find a tackle who can anchor. It's gotta be difficult to do your job with a DT in your lap on almost every interior run. It just happens over and over again. The DT position is making it absolutely impossible to evaluate the rest of the defense. They are that bad.

Understandable. But this is the exact same problem Hitchens had in the first preseason game. Even if he moved to his right, and was totally wrong, I would feel better about him but letting a lineman get walked into your lap without moving shows indecision and indecision means you are not prepared.

 

[Screw The Hall]

Understandable. But this is the exact same problem Hitchens had in the first preseason game. Even if he moved to his right, and was totally wrong, I would feel better about him but letting a lineman get walked into your lap without moving shows indecision and indecision means you are not prepared.

I agree with you. It's just they have such a small margin of error with the way these tackles are playing it's hard for me to be hypercritical. I think Patrick Willis would be having a hard time with these guys in front of him.

 

[xwalker]

I'm giving all the LBs a break until we find a tackle who can anchor. It's gotta be difficult to do your job with a DT in your lap on almost every interior run. It just happens over and over again. The DT position is making it absolutely impossible to evaluate the rest of the defense. They are that bad.

This was a misunderstood play by most including the writer of the article.

The run was to the opposite side of the line from Ken Bishop. He has to give ground and flow towards the ball. It was the other DT that was the top problem.

They do like LBs to delay committing to one side of a blocker too early, but Hitchens had to recognize that he needed to commit to the gap to his left.

 

[CyberB0b]

This was a misunderstood play by most including the writer of the article.

The run was to the opposite side of the line from Ken Bishop. He has to give ground and flow towards the ball. It was the other DT that was the top problem.

They do like LBs to delay committing to one side of a blocker too early, but Hitchens had to recognize that he needed to commit to the gap to his left.

Flowing with the ball is different than being pushed 4 yards deep. I don't know of any play design, other than a designed coverage drop back where the DT is supposed to allow himself to get pushed 4 yards deep.

 

[d_dub88]

Flowing with the ball is different than being pushed 4 yards deep. I don't know of any play design, other than a designed coverage drop back where the DT is supposed to allow himself to get pushed 4 yards deep.

Bishop was doubleteamed so Coleman has to at least hold ground. Carter set the edge on the right and Durant on the left with Church blitzing. There is no reason in the world that Coleman should be rushing the guard's outside shoulder. Coleman is the man who has to win that one on one because the help is there for him. Coleman got initial penetration and for some reason made a move outside.

 

[Floatyworm]

Dang why would Hitchens even do that?

1. Having Bishop pushed into his lap....he's gotta go around that pile to get to where he is supposed to be.

2. He is a rookie and is slow to diagnos the play.

 

[morasp]

On other plays Hitchins had good recognition. Lee probably would have been in the gap before the DT got pushed back but he is a pretty experienced LB.

 

[bark]

This looks like a basic dive play. No misdirection or deception. Hitch should have been waiting in the hole for the running back. I'm sure the kid is over whelmed right now and should get better at play diagnosis with more playing time. Lot of thinking and little reacting right now from hitch.

 

[conner01]

Flowing with the ball is different than being pushed 4 yards deep. I don't know of any play design, other than a designed coverage drop back where the DT is supposed to allow himself to get pushed 4 yards deep.

you cant flow across the field and hold ground against two defenders. as you flow you are going to give ground. the only way to anchor is stop