News: Cowboys Can Pressure From the Inside Out

CCBoy

Well-Known Member
Messages
47,030
Reaction score
22,617
Cowboys Can Pressure From the Inside Out

Cowboys Can Pressure From the Inside Out | Cowboys Nation



http://cowboyszone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2015/07/2015_Day2-038-300x200.jpg


Randy Gregory hasn’t learned his lesson yet, so the Dallas Cowboys will be without one of the pass rushers who offers the most potential for terrorizing the quarterback in 2016. It’s another hit to a defensive end position that couldn’t afford to take a hit.

However, since Gregory has yet to record a sack in his career, perhaps the issue is less about the offense and more about the offender. It’s a blow to the defensive line, but the team was already preparing to play without the second-year edge rusher, the timeline just got extended. And let’s not assume that Gregory would come back and be the walk-in starter, the team seems to believe defensive end Benson Mayowa is ready to blossom.

The suspension to Gregory also doesn’t mean the team doesn’t have potential to sack the quarterback. There’s more than one way to skin a cat and the Cowboys have some players that have had success rushing the passer, they just rush from the inside.

Dallas has more sacks on the roster from the defensive tackle position than they do from their defensive ends. The inside players on the defensive line account for 21.5 combined sacks, while the outside guys total only 10 take-downs.

Tyrone Crawford leads the way with eight career sacks for the defensive tackles, followed by Jack Crawford with six and Cedric Thornton with four. Three other tackles on the current roster combine for the remaining 3.5 sacks, while just two ends on the Cowboys have recorded a sack. The only Dallas defensive end that has more than two career sacks is Tank Lawrence, and he’s suspended for the first four games of the season.

It doesn’t matter how the Cowboys get to the quarterback, just as long as they get there. Right now, their defensive tackles do it better than their defensive ends. The potential is there for that to change, especially if David Irving plays more end than tackle, if Mayowa rewards the team for their faith and if second-year defensive end Ryan Russell turns his rave off-season reviews into production. That’s a lot of ‘ifs...’
 
Top