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Want to know which Cowboys defensive players were on the field for how many snaps against the Dolphins? We've got you covered.
While watching a game like last Saturday's preseason game between the Cowboys and Dolphins, it can get hard to keep up with who is on the field and who isn't - especially because teams trot out almost their entire roster over the course of a game. Things can get so confusing, that the NFL doesn't even bother trying record the snapcounts for preseason games, even though they do it for regular season games.
But with roster cuts looming, it can be pretty interesting to understand which player played how many snaps - and when - which is why I reviewed the entire game against the Dolphins and charted which defensive player was in on which defensive play.
Overall, there were 82 defensive snaps in Saturday's game. This excludes all special teams plays like field goals, kickoffs and punts, but I did include the nine plays that were blown dead due to penalties, because this post is about understanding who was lining up where in which situations, not the results of the official plays. I have also excluded the three plays in which the Dolphins QBs kneeled to run out the clock.
Before we get into the details of each snap, here are a couple of topline thoughts:
- In the first half of the game, the Cowboys lined up in the nickel on 23 of 33 snaps. The Cowboys then started the second half by lining up in the nickel seven consecutive times. After that, the defense reeled off 49 consecutive snaps until the end of the game in their base formation, regardless of down and distance. When you hear about "vanilla schemes" or "vanilla playcalling," this is it.
- The Dolphins scored 14 of their points in the fourth quarter. This is the lineup for the majority of those snaps: Bush, Bishop, Minter, Boatright | W. Smith, K. Smith, Sapp | Patmon, Mitchell, R. Smith, Dixon. How many of these players do you think will be on the 46-man active roster against the 49ers?
- The Cowboys brought in Kyle Wilber as a defensive end three times on third downs in the first half of the game (marked in yellow in the detailed snapcount table below). The Dolphins drives ended on each of those three snaps. Probably a coincidence, but still...
- For all the talk about versatility on the defensive line, the only player who actually played both DT and DE was Caesar Rayford.
- Defensive players who didn't take a single snap in the second half: Crawford, Hayden, Mincey, Selvie | Carter, Durant | Carr, Scandrick, Moore, Wilcox, Church. While this looks like the starting nickel defense (excluding Scandrick for the first four weeks), keep in mind that likely starters Henry Melton, Terrell McClain, and Morris Claiborne (plus DeMarcus Lawrence) did not suit up.
- Top five players in terms of overall snapcount: Patmon (65), Dixon (51), Bishop (49), Mitchell (49), R. Smith (49).
- When Brandon Carr left after 16 snaps, Tyler Patmon took his place. Not Sterling Moore (who took the nickel corner snaps), not Terrance Mitchell.
With all of that out of the way, here's a simple snapcount which details which player was in on how many plays, split by first and second half.
Cowboys' Defensive Snapcount, 1st Half vs Dolphins (33 total snaps)
Defensive Tackles Defensive Ends Linebackers Cornerbacks Safeties
Player Snaps Player Snaps Player Snaps Player Snaps Player SnapsDefensive Tackles Defensive Ends Linebackers Cornerbacks Safeties
Coleman
22
Mincey 31
Carter 26
Scandrick 33
Wilcox 33
Hayden 22
Selvie 20
Durant 20
Moore 23
Church 31
Bishop 10
Crawford 15
Hitchens 17
Carr 17
Dixon 2
Minter 9
Wilber 8
Patmon 16
McClain 8
19 players played in the first half, 20 played in the second half. But only eight players played in both halves: Coleman (22 first half snaps, 16 second half snaps), Hitchens (17/11), Patmon (16/49), Bishop (10/39), Minter (9/30), Wlber (8/10), McClain (8/17), Dixon (2/49).
Cowboys' Defensive Snapcount, 2nd Half vs Dolphins (49 total snaps)
Defensive Tackles Defensive Ends Linebackers Cornerbacks Safeties
Player Snaps Player Snaps Player Snaps Player Snaps Player SnapsDefensive Tackles Defensive Ends Linebackers Cornerbacks Safeties
Bishop
39
Wilson 30
Sapp 32
Patmon 49
Dixon 49
Minter 30
Bush 30
W. Smith 32
Mitchell 49
R. Smith 49
Rayford 19
Boatright 26
K. Smith 26
Green 7
Coleman 16
Ojomo 7
McClain 17
Lawrence 12
Hitchens 11
Wilber 10
Note that Wilber, McClain and Hitchens all left the game after the first two drives in the third quarter. Lawrence stayed in for one more drive before W. Smith, Sapp and K. Smith played the three linebacker spots for the rest of the game.
If you want to get a feel for who the first Cowboys cuts will be tomorrow, look at the down-roster guys who didn't get a lot of snaps.
Here's the full overview of which Cowboys defensive players were on the field for which plays, again split into the first and second half:
Play No. Down Play DTs DEs LBs CBs S
60 Coleman, 96 Hayden, 66 Bishop, 79 Minter 92 Mincey, 98 Crawford, 99 Selvie 54 Carter, 52 Durant, 51 Wilber, 55 McClain, 59 Hitchens 39 Carr, 32 Scandrick, 26 Moore, 35 Patmon 27 Wilcox, 42 Church, 36 Dixon
MIA Drive No. 1 60 96 66 79 92 98 99 54 52 51 55 59 39 32 26 35 27 42 36
1
1-10-MIA 17 (12:55) R.Tannehill left end for 7 yards MIA Drive No. 1 60 96 66 79 92 98 99 54 52 51 55 59 39 32 26 35 27 42 36
1
x x x x x x x x x x x
2
2-3-MIA 24 (12:20) PENALTY O.Scandrick, Holding, No Play 2
x x x x x x x x x x x
3
1-10-MIA 29 (12:15) L.Miller right guard for 3 yards 3
x x x x x x x x x x x
4
2-7-MIA 32 (11:39) Pass short left to B.Hartline for 4 yards 4
x x x x x x x x x x x
5
3-3-MIA 36 (11:06) L.Miller left end for 11 yards 5
x x x x x x x x x x x
6
1-10-MIA 47 (10:40) Pass short left to L.Miller for 1 yard 6
x x x x x x x x x x x
7
2-9-MIA 48 (10:06) L.Miller left guard for 3 yards 7
x x x x x x x x x x x
8
3-6-DAL 49 (9:19) Pass short left to C.Clay for 18 yards 8
x x x x x x x x x x x
9
1-10-DAL 31 (8:34) K.Moreno right guard for 19 yards 9
x x x x x x x x x x x
10
1-10-DAL 12 (7:55) K.Moreno right end for -2 yards 10
x x x x x x x x x x x
11
2-12-DAL 14 (7:21) K.Moreno right guard for 4 yards 11
x x x x x x x x x x x
12
3-8-DAL 10 (6:44) Pass short right to L.Miller for 2 yards 12
x x x x x x x x x x x
MIA Drive No. 2 60 96 66 79 92 98 99 54 52 51 55 59 39 32 26 35 27 42 36
13
1-10-MIA 21 (2:27) Pass incomplete short left to L.Miller MIA Drive No. 2 60 96 66 79 92 98 99 54 52 51 55 59 39 32 26 35 27 42 36
13
x x x x x x x x x x x
14
2-10-MIA 21 (2:20) K.Moreno right guard for 11 yards 14
x x x x x x x x x x x
15
1-10-MIA 32 (1:45) Pass short right to M.Wallace for 14 yards 15
x x x x x x x x x x x
16
1-10-MIA 46 (1:14) K.Moreno left guard for 8 yards 16
x x x x x x x x x x x
17
2-2-DAL 46 17
38) L.Miller up the middle for 3 yards x x x x x x x x x x x
18
1-10-DAL 43 (15:00) Pass short right to M.Wallace for 6 yards 18
x x x x x x x x x x x
19
2-4-DAL 37 (14:29) K.Moreno left guard for 1 yard 19
x x x x x x x x x x x
20
3-3-DAL 36 (13:56) FUMBLE RECOVERED by B.Church 20
x x x x x x x x x x x
MIA Drive No. 3 60 96 66 79 92 98 99 54 52 51 55 59 39 32 26 35 27 42 36
21
1-10-MIA 39 (12:25) Pass incomplete MIA Drive No. 3 60 96 66 79 92 98 99 54 52 51 55 59 39 32 26 35 27 42 36
21
x x x x x x x x x x x
22
2-10-MIA 39 (12:20) L.Miller right tackle for 3 yards 22
x x x x x x x x x x x
23
3-7-MIA 42 (11:41) Pass incomplete 23
x x x x x x x x x x x
MIA Drive No. 4 60 96 66 79 92 98 99 54 52 51 55 59 39 32 26 35 27 42 36
24
1-10-MIA 11 (8:28) K.Moreno up the middle for 4 yards MIA Drive No. 4 60 96 66 79 92 98 99 54 52 51 55 59 39 32 26 35 27 42 36
24
x x x x x x x x x x x
25
2-6-MIA 15 (7:57) K.Moreno right end for 3 yards 25
x x x x x x x x x x x
26
3-3-MIA 18 (7:23) Pass incomplete 26
x x x x x x x x x x x
27
1-10-MIA 23 (7:05) Pass short left to M.Wallace for 10 yards 27
x x x x x x x x x x x
28
1-10-MIA 33 (6:31) K.Moreno right tackle for 9 yards 28
x x x x x x x x x x x
29
2-1-MIA 42 (5:53) Pass deep right to B.Hartline for 16 yards 29
x x x x x x x x x x x
30
1-10-DAL 42 (5:20) K.Moreno left end for 7 yards 30
x x x x x x x x x x x
31
2-3-DAL 35 (4:41) Pass incomplete 31
x x x x x x x x x x x
32
3-3-DAL 35 (4:35) PENALTY on MIA-S.Satele 32
x x x x x x x x x x x
33
3-10-DAL 42 (4:06) Pass incomplete 33
x x x x x x x x x x x
MIA Drive No. 5
1-10-MIA 20 MIA Drive No. 5
24) R.Tannehill kneels60 Coleman, 96 Hayden, 66 Bishop, 79 Minter 92 Mincey, 98 Crawford, 99 Selvie 54 Carter, 52 Durant, 51 Wilber, 55 McClain, 59 Hitchens 39 Carr, 32 Scandrick, 26 Moore, 35 Patmon 27 Wilcox, 42 Church, 36 Dixon
With the Cowboys holding a slim 6-3 lead, they sent their backups (and the guys backing up the backups) onto the field.
Play No. Down Play DTs DT/DE DEs LBs CBs S
60 Coleman,66 Bishop, 79 Minter Rayford 56 Wilson, 63 Ojomo, 91 Boatright, 70 Bush 51 Wilber, 55, McClain, 59 Hitchens, 53 Lawrence, 40 W. Smith, 43 K. Smith, 45 Sapp 35 Patmon, 28 Green, 30 Mitchell 33 R. Smith, 36 Dixon
MIA Drive No. 6 60 66 79 95 56 63 91 70 51 55 59 53 40 43 45 35 28 30 33 36
34
1-10-MIA 12 (14:56) PENALTY A.Hitchens, Face Mask MIA Drive No. 6 60 66 79 95 56 63 91 70 51 55 59 53 40 43 45 35 28 30 33 36
34
x x x x x x x x x x x
35
1-10-MIA 34 (14:49) L.Miller right tackle for 4 yards 35
x x x x x x x x x x x
36
2-6-MIA 38 (14:01) PENALTY on MIA-D.Colledge - No Play 36
x x x x x x x x x x x
37
2-11-MIA 33 (13:48) Pass short right to M.Wallace for 13 yards 37
x x x x x x x x x x x
38
1-10-MIA 46 (13:14) Da.Williams right tackle for 4 yards 38
x x x x x x x x x x x
39
2-6-DAL 50 (12:39) Pass short left to B.Hartline for 5 yards 39
x x x x x x x x x x x
40
3-1-DAL 45 (12:13) Pass incomplete 40
x x x x x x x x x x x
41
4-1-DAL 45 (11:59) Da.Williams left guard for 3 yards 41
x x x x x x x x x x x
42
1-10-DAL 42 (11:37) Pass deep left to M.Wallace for 21 yards 42
x x x x x x x x x x x
43
1-10-DAL 21 (11:13) Da.Williams left tackle for 2 yards 43
x x x x x x x x x x x
44
2-8-DAL 19 (10:24) INTERCEPTED by T.Patmon 44
x x x x x x x x x x x
MIA Drive No. 7 60 66 79 95 56 63 91 70 51 55 59 53 40 43 45 35 28 30 33 36
45
1-10-MIA 29 (6:51) Da.Williams up the middle for 1 yard MIA Drive No. 7 60 66 79 95 56 63 91 70 51 55 59 53 40 43 45 35 28 30 33 36
45
x x x x x x x x x x x
46
2-9-MIA 30 (6:27) PENALTY on MIA-J.James - No Play. 46
x x x x x x x x x x x
47
2-19-MIA 20 (5:53) Da.Williams left end for 20 yards 47
x x x x x x x x x x x
48
1-10-MIA 40 (5:43) Pass deep middle to D.Williams for 54 yards 48
x x x x x x x x x x x
49
1-6-DAL 6 (4:33) Pass short right to J.Landry for 5 yards 49
x x x x x x x x x x x
50
2-1-DAL 1 (4:06) Da.Williams up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN 50
x x x x x x x x x x x
MIA Drive No. 8 60 66 79 95 56 63 91 70 51 55 59 53 40 43 45 35 28 30 33 36
51
1-10-MIA 35 MIA Drive No. 8 60 66 79 95 56 63 91 70 51 55 59 53 40 43 45 35 28 30 33 36
51
16) O.Darkwa left tackle for no gain x x x x x x x x x x x
52
2-10-MIA 35 (15:00) Pass incomplete 52
x x x x x x x x x x x
53
3-10-MIA 35 (14:57) Pass short middle to J.Landry for 15 yards 53
x x x x x x x x x x x
54
1-10-DAL 50 (14:23) O.Darkwa right guard for 2 yards 54
x x x x x x x x x x x
55
2-8-DAL 48 (13:47) Pass short left to O.Darkwa for 3 yards 55
x x x x x x x x x x x
56
3-5-DAL 45 (13:27) Pass incomplete 56
x x x x x x x x x x x
MIA Drive No. 9 60 66 79 95 56 63 91 70 51 55 59 53 40 43 45 35 28 30 33 36
57
1-10-MIA 4 (8:14) Pass short right to K.Cone for 6 yards MIA Drive No. 9 60 66 79 95 56 63 91 70 51 55 59 53 40 43 45 35 28 30 33 36
57
x x x x x x x x x x x
58
2-4-MIA 10 (7:50) O.Darkwa left guard for 6 yards 58
x x x x x x x x x x x
59
1-10-MIA 16 (7:50) INTERCEPTED by T.Patmon, TOUCHDOWN 59
x x x x x x x x x x x
MIA Drive No. 10 60 66 79 95 56 63 91 70 51 55 59 53 40 43 45 35 28 30 33 36
60
1-10-MIA 11 (7:10) Pass short middle for 3 yards MIA Drive No. 10 60 66 79 95 56 63 91 70 51 55 59 53 40 43 45 35 28 30 33 36
60
x x x x x x x x x x x
61
2-7-MIA 14 (6:41) Pass short left to E.Wilson for 6 yards 61
x x x x x x x x x x x
62
3-1-MIA 20 (6:13) O.Darkwa left guard for 53 yards 62
x x x x x x x x x x x
63
1-10-DAL 27 (5:46) Pass incomplete 63
x x x x x x x x x x x
64
2-10-DAL 27 (5:46) Pass deep right to G.Hoskins, TOUCHDOWN 64
x x x x x x x x x x x
MIA Drive No. 11 60 66 79 95 56 63 91 70 51 55 59 53 40 43 45 35 28 30 33 36
65
1-10-MIA 45 (3:54) PENALTY on MIA-B.Turner, False Start - No Play MIA Drive No. 11 60 66 79 95 56 63 91 70 51 55 59 53 40 43 45 35 28 30 33 36
65
x x x x x x x x x x x
66
1-14-MIA 41 (3:54) Pass short right to O.Darkwa for 15 yards 66
x x x x x x x x x x x
67
1-10-DAL 44 (3:54) PENALTY on MIA-J.Fox, False Start - No Play 67
x x x x x x x x x x x
68
1-15-DAL 49 (3:26) Pass short right to A.Binns for 5 yards 68
x x x x x x x x x x x
69
2-10-DAL 44 (3:10) M.Moore sacked for -1 yards 69
x x x x x x x x x x x
70
3-11-DAL 45 (3:01) Pass deep middle to R.Spadola for 27 yards 70
x x x x x x x x x x x
71
1-10-DAL 18 (2:36) PENALTY on MIA-J.Fox, Holding - No Play 71
x x x x x x x x x x x
72
1-20-DAL 28 (2:27) Pass incomplete 72
x x x x x x x x x x x
73
2-20-DAL 28 (2:24) PENALTY on DAL-K.Smith, Illegal Contact - No Play 73
x x x x x x x x x x x
74
1-10-DAL 23 (2:20) Pass incomplete 74
x x x x x x x x x x x
75
2-10-DAL 23 (2:17) Pass short left to O.Darkwa for 6 yards 75
x x x x x x x x x x x
76
3-4-DAL 17 (2:12) PENALTY on MIA-S.Brenner, False Start - No Play 76
x x x x x x x x x x x
77
3-9-DAL 22 (2:11) PENALTY on DAL-A.Dixon, Unnecessary Roughness 77
x x x x x x x x x x x
78
1-10-DAL 11 (2:08) Da.Williams up the middle for 2 yards 78
x x x x x x x x x x x
79
2-8-DAL 9 (2:00) PENALTY on DAL-T.Mitchell, Holding - No Play 79
x x x x x x x x x x x
80
1-4-DAL 4 (1:58) M.Moore left end for -5 yards 80
x x x x x x x x x x x
81
2-9-DAL 9 (1:53) O.Darkwa up the middle for 8 yards 81
x x x x x x x x x x x
82
3-1-DAL 1 (1:48) O.Darkwa up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN 82
x x x x x x x x x x x
MIA Drive No. 12 60 66 79 95 56 63 91 70 51 55 59 53 40 43 45 35 28 30 33 36
1-10-DAL 37 (1:01) M.Moore kneels for -1 yards.MIA Drive No. 12 60 66 79 95 56 63 91 70 51 55 59 53 40 43 45 35 28 30 33 36
2-11-DAL 38
35) M.Moore kneels for -1 yards.60 Coleman,66 Bishop, 79 Minter Rayford 56 Wilson, 63 Ojomo, 91 Boatright, 70 Bush 51 Wilber, 55, McClain, 59 Hitchens, 53 Lawrence, 40 W. Smith, 43 K. Smith, 45 Sapp 35 Patmon, 28 Green, 30 Mitchell 33 R. Smith, 36 Dixon
Like most preseason games, Saturday's game featured lots of playing time for downroster guys, especially in the second half.
In the first half, both teams played their starters for the most part, and battled to a very unexciting 6-3 halftime score. After that, the Dolphins scrubs got the better of the Cowboys scrubs.
As fans, we are often (some would say: permanently) blinded by the Star. As such, some fans took the loss against the Dolphins to heart, because their Dallas Cowboys lost a game. But when you understand exactly which players were wearing that Star in the second half on Saturday, you'll understand that many of them will not be Dallas Cowboys on opening day, and that you probably shouldn't lose any sleep over the final result of the game - like in any presason game.
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