BTB Mailbag: Will a smaller defensive line compromise the run defense and Sean Lee?

[waving monkey]

It’s no secret what Sean Lee means to this defense. All one has to do is look at the Cowboys’ record with and without him. When healthy, Lee is one of the very best linebackers in the league, and his ability to read the offense, fly to the ball, and make the play so quick the offense hasn’t even been fully set up is astonishing.

Part of this success has to do with Lee’s ability to run through gaps that are opened up wide by the defensive line. But the defensive line has recently been looking to get smaller for the purpose of more speed when rushing the passer. Tyrone Crawford is most notable for this slim down after calling out Madden 19. But this brings us to a mailbag question from Landon in Charleston, South Carolina:

We always see Sean Lee flying around the field seemingly making every tackle in the run game. I always valued Tyrone Crawford at the right end for his ability to hold up the line and shut down the edge. With everyone ready to get smaller and faster (including Crawford himself) do you think that will have any effect on the key to our run defense - Lee’s ability to operate in space?

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/201...-the-run-defense-and-sean-lee-tyrone-crawford

 

[glimmerman]

Yeah it puts more pressure and contact on the LB with a smaller DT. I think especially later in the game when the smaller DT start to tire.

 

[CelticPunk]

I keep hearing multiple "reports" of how Randy Gregory is smaller and Ty Crawford is smaller... But, then I also read that Randy Gregory looks bigger and Taco is massive now... I'm not sure what to believe any more - haha.

 

[CATCH17]

Yes.

We are built to play with a lead.

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

I was listening to Jamie Duke and Lance Meadows on Mad dog yesterday, he was talking about how the titans fans should be feeling pretty good about there DL, cause if all the big boys they have on the team and depth to compare to the Jags. I was thinking how most teams values big bodies along there lines except us.

 

[ShiningStar]

this goes back to Parcels, rotation. I hope we keep the guys as fresh as possible and we gotta get them off the field. No more 3rd and 30s as gimmies.

 

[kskboys]

It’s no secret what Sean Lee means to this defense. All one has to do is look at the Cowboys’ record with and without him. When healthy, Lee is one of the very best linebackers in the league, and his ability to read the offense, fly to the ball, and make the play so quick the offense hasn’t even been fully set up is astonishing.

Part of this success has to do with Lee’s ability to run through gaps that are opened up wide by the defensive line. But the defensive line has recently been looking to get smaller for the purpose of more speed when rushing the passer. Tyrone Crawford is most notable for this slim down after calling out Madden 19. But this brings us to a mailbag question from Landon in Charleston, South Carolina:

We always see Sean Lee flying around the field seemingly making every tackle in the run game. I always valued Tyrone Crawford at the right end for his ability to hold up the line and shut down the edge. With everyone ready to get smaller and faster (including Crawford himself) do you think that will have any effect on the key to our run defense - Lee’s ability to operate in space?

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/201...-the-run-defense-and-sean-lee-tyrone-crawford

Absolutely. It always does. I can't figure out how they haven't figured out that the tradeoff is not worth it.

 

[kskboys]

I keep hearing multiple "reports" of how Randy Gregory is smaller and Ty Crawford is smaller... But, then I also read that Randy Gregory looks bigger and Taco is massive now... I'm not sure what to believe any more - haha.

Alcohol helps determine the truth!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[beware_d-ware]

In a sense, having smaller DTs won't compromise our run defense, because our run defense is already compromised from the word go. We don't really play much gap control, force/spill, etc on this D. What we do is pretty much let the front seven just jailbreak it and attack however possible. As PFF said "in some defenses, a star defender gets to run free and make a play. In Dallas, everyone gets to be a star player". D linemen gap shoot, LBs run and hit. You don't need size to hold the point, you just need to attack and cause problems. That's why the linebackers and SS are so critical in this scheme, cause one of them usually ends up cleaning that mess up, and that's why a 320 pound DT that can't slant or gap-shoot is counterproductive for the system.

I don't know what to think of it. On one hand, we've seen it work and punch above its weight in years like 2014 and 2016, where we basically had Lee and little else. No big names, a D line of scrubs, and we still finished top half in run defense. And it tears up the right teams like Kansas City, where we locked down the edges and just went Hungry Hungry Hippos on Kareem Hunt when he was forced back inside. But on the other hand, it can get you absolutely screwed if your opponent starts hitting blocks and clearing that mess of small bodies out of the way, or just baits them out of position. For example, Philly eviscerated us with trap runs last year - letting those aggressive DTs run up the field, whamming them, then giving the RB a hole the size of a truck to run through while the "trap" guard who let the DT through takes out an LB upfield It was pretty much 7-10 yards whenever they wanted it. Or the Rams, who figured out that a hobbled Jaylon and an ancient Durant weren't going to run like Lee and Hitch did and abused us with Gurley outside runs and cutbacks.

Again, it's a goofy idea and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Kris RIchard looks like the heir apparent for DC in Dallas - the Seahawks ran a very simple, very traditional 1 gap run defense that also let players play fast like Rod does but also gave everyone a job to do. Part of it was talent, but they were a perennial top 5 run defense so the scheme can't have been that bad either.

 

[kskboys]

In a sense, having smaller DTs won't compromise our run defense, because our run defense is already compromised from the word go. We don't really play much gap control, force/spill, etc on this D. What we do is pretty much let the front seven just jailbreak it and attack however possible. As PFF said "in some defenses, a star defender gets to run free and make a play. In Dallas, everyone gets to be a star player". D linemen gap shoot, LBs run and hit. You don't need size to hold the point, you just need to attack and cause problems. That's why the linebackers and SS are so critical in this scheme, cause one of them usually ends up cleaning that mess up, and that's why a 320 pound DT that can't slant or gap-shoot is counterproductive for the system.

I don't know what to think of it. On one hand, we've seen it work and punch above its weight in years like 2014 and 2016, where we basically had Lee and little else. No big names, a D line of scrubs, and we still finished top half in run defense. And it tears up the right teams like Kansas City, where we locked down the edges and just went Hungry Hungry Hippos on Kareem Hunt when he was forced back inside. But on the other hand, it can get you absolutely screwed if your opponent starts hitting blocks and clearing that mess of small bodies out of the way, or just baits them out of position. For example, Philly eviscerated us with trap runs last year - letting those aggressive DTs run up the field, whamming them, then giving the RB a hole the size of a truck to run through while the "trap" guard who let the DT through takes out an LB upfield It was pretty much 7-10 yards whenever they wanted it. Or the Rams, who figured out that a hobbled Jaylon and an ancient Durant weren't going to run like Lee and Hitch did and abused us with Gurley outside runs and cutbacks.

Again, it's a goofy idea and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Kris RIchard looks like the heir apparent for DC in Dallas - the Seahawks ran a very simple, very traditional 1 gap run defense that also let players play fast like Rod does but also gave everyone a job to do. Part of it was talent, but they were a perennial top 5 run defense so the scheme can't have been that bad either.

Yup, that's the problem w/ this small gap shooting DT's idea. It only works sometimes, and often gets abused by the complete teams you mostly find in the playoffs. I watched both DEN and MINN try this idea years ago, and it always got obliterated at some point in the playoffs. The teams in the super bowls mostly have big fronts on D. I actually cannot think of even one super bowl winner who had a small DLine.

A similar theory on O that generally doesn't work in the playoffs is the run and shoot, or a variation thereof. That O almost won ATL a super bowl, but in the end allowed NE to make a ridiculous comeback. W/ just the slightest ball control in mind, ATL wins that super bowl, but those O's just don't seem to care about TOP and ball control, and in the end it gets them.

I have a ton of hope for Kris being the DC. Brandon Mebane, Jarran Reed, Rubin Ahtya, Jesse Williams, SEA always acquired big guys for up front. Maybe he'll help this org to understand why a D should first close up the middle. Makes every player on D better when you can do that.

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

In a sense, having smaller DTs won't compromise our run defense, because our run defense is already compromised from the word go. We don't really play much gap control, force/spill, etc on this D. What we do is pretty much let the front seven just jailbreak it and attack however possible. As PFF said "in some defenses, a star defender gets to run free and make a play. In Dallas, everyone gets to be a star player". D linemen gap shoot, LBs run and hit. You don't need size to hold the point, you just need to attack and cause problems. That's why the linebackers and SS are so critical in this scheme, cause one of them usually ends up cleaning that mess up, and that's why a 320 pound DT that can't slant or gap-shoot is counterproductive for the system.

I don't know what to think of it. On one hand, we've seen it work and punch above its weight in years like 2014 and 2016, where we basically had Lee and little else. No big names, a D line of scrubs, and we still finished top half in run defense. And it tears up the right teams like Kansas City, where we locked down the edges and just went Hungry Hungry Hippos on Kareem Hunt when he was forced back inside. But on the other hand, it can get you absolutely screwed if your opponent starts hitting blocks and clearing that mess of small bodies out of the way, or just baits them out of position. For example, Philly eviscerated us with trap runs last year - letting those aggressive DTs run up the field, whamming them, then giving the RB a hole the size of a truck to run through while the "trap" guard who let the DT through takes out an LB upfield It was pretty much 7-10 yards whenever they wanted it. Or the Rams, who figured out that a hobbled Jaylon and an ancient Durant weren't going to run like Lee and Hitch did and abused us with Gurley outside runs and cutbacks.

Again, it's a goofy idea and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Kris RIchard looks like the heir apparent for DC in Dallas - the Seahawks ran a very simple, very traditional 1 gap run defense that also let players play fast like Rod does but also gave everyone a job to do. Part of it was talent, but they were a perennial top 5 run defense so the scheme can't have been that bad either.

2 games that comes to mind, where we got gashed along the DL, was GB and Denver where both backs just went hog wild against us and l think the GB guy was there 3rd string back.

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

Yup, that's the problem w/ this small gap shooting DT's idea. It only works sometimes, and often gets abused by the complete teams you mostly find in the playoffs. I watched both DEN and MINN try this idea years ago, and it always got obliterated at some point in the playoffs. The teams in the super bowls mostly have big fronts on D. I actually cannot think of even one super bowl winner who had a small DLine.

A similar theory on O that generally doesn't work in the playoffs is the run and shoot, or a variation thereof. That O almost won ATL a super bowl, but in the end allowed NE to make a ridiculous comeback. W/ just the slightest ball control in mind, ATL wins that super bowl, but those O's just don't seem to care about TOP and ball control, and in the end it gets them.

I have a ton of hope for Kris being the DC. Brandon Mebane, Jarran Reed, Rubin Ahtya, Jesse Williams, SEA always acquired big guys for up front. Maybe he'll help this org to understand why a D should first close up the middle. Makes every player on D better when you can do that.

You would think they would have learnt that like the OL base they built.

 

[kskboys]

You would think they would have learnt that like the OL base they built.

They were so focused on OL's being able to block at the 2nd level, they forgot to make sure they could block at the 1st level. They finally started taking OL's early in the draft, which means they got guys who can do both.

And that's where the problem lies. You can get DT's who both control the LOS and push the pocket. However, most of those guys get drafted in rounds 1 and 2, and we refuse to address the position that early. So, we're left w/ slugfooted DT's for big guys, as opposed to guys like Wilfork who have quick feet and have to be doubled to keep them out of the QB's face.

 

[ElGatoGrande]

Yes.

We are built to play with a lead.

Exactly what I was thinking,,, the Giants an Eagles plan on pounding the rock too, so the Cowboys offense needs to start clicking.

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

They were so focused on OL's being able to block at the 2nd level, they forgot to make sure they could block at the 1st level. They finally started taking OL's early in the draft, which means they got guys who can do both.

And that's where the problem lies. You can get DT's who both control the LOS and push the pocket. However, most of those guys get drafted in rounds 1 and 2, and we refuse to address the position that early. So, we're left w/ slugfooted DT's for big guys, as opposed to guys like Wilfork who have quick feet and have to be doubled to keep them out of the QB's face.

This

 

[Melonfeud]

I keep hearing multiple "reports" of how Randy Gregory is smaller and Ty Crawford is smaller... But, then I also read that Randy Gregory looks bigger and Taco is massive now... I'm not sure what to believe any more - haha.

COPY THAT! & help yer' self to as much of this cyber HOBO STEW yer hunger keeps you in search of,FRIEND,,,

 

[Melonfeud]

2 games that comes to mind, where we got gashed along the DL, was GB and Denver where both backs just went hog wild against us and l think the GB guy was there 3rd string back.

Eddie' cannonball' Lacy continually ripped our late game casing-liner,,, REPEATEDLY

 

[kskboys]

N our small DL indeed kept getting Sean Lee hurt. Not sure anyone can play MLB on this D w/o getting injured w/ this herd of mighty mites we're trotting out up front.

 

[GenoT]

N our small DL indeed kept getting Sean Lee hurt. Not sure anyone can play MLB on this D w/o getting injured w/ this herd of mighty mites we're trotting out up front.

Hopefully, they keep Lee outta the MLB spot.

 

[charron]

Rod always uses a smaller 1DT when he can. And that is why we see injuries to Lee IMHO. A bigger run stuffing DT who can not only take on 2 OL but shed them and tackle the RB is what helps keep these big OL off our LB's.