Cowboys cornerback grades: Why this group will surprise people this season

waving monkey

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In a matter of just two seasons, the Cowboys have completely blown up their cornerback position. That’s great news or terrible news based on how you perceived the old group. Both the team’s starting cornerbacks from last year, Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne, left in free agency. Carr was a model of consistency - consistently average. As great as he wasn’t, he could always be counted on to show up on Sundays and play average football. Claiborne on the other hand was close to the opposite. He had developed into a good corner, flashing some skills that reminded people why he was one of the top corners coming out of the 2012 draft. But unlike Carr, he wasn’t dependable. He missed games in every one of his five seasons in the league. Of the 80 possible gamesduring that span, Claiborne only played in 47 of them.

But that’s all in the past. It’s time to put on our forward faces and I can’t help smiling about the potential of the Cowboys new-look cornerbacks. The group now consists of three new rookies, one draft pick from last year, a free agent from Philadelphia, and Orlando Scandrick. None of these players played a single snap for the Cowboys in 2015. Only Scandrick was on the team, only he missed the season due to a knee injury in training camp.

link/https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/201...ll-surprise-people-this-season-chidobe-awuzie
 

BotchedLobotomy

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In a matter of just two seasons, the Cowboys have completely blown up their cornerback position. That’s great news or terrible news based on how you perceived the old group. Both the team’s starting cornerbacks from last year, Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne, left in free agency. Carr was a model of consistency - consistently average. As great as he wasn’t, he could always be counted on to show up on Sundays and play average football. Claiborne on the other hand was close to the opposite. He had developed into a good corner, flashing some skills that reminded people why he was one of the top corners coming out of the 2012 draft. But unlike Carr, he wasn’t dependable. He missed games in every one of his five seasons in the league. Of the 80 possible gamesduring that span, Claiborne only played in 47 of them.

But that’s all in the past. It’s time to put on our forward faces and I can’t help smiling about the potential of the Cowboys new-look cornerbacks. The group now consists of three new rookies, one draft pick from last year, a free agent from Philadelphia, and Orlando Scandrick. None of these players played a single snap for the Cowboys in 2015. Only Scandrick was on the team, only he missed the season due to a knee injury in training camp.

link/https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/201...ll-surprise-people-this-season-chidobe-awuzie
I have to chuckle every time I hear someone downgrade the Cowboys because they lost most of their secondary to free agency. While it is true they lost most of their secondary, the truth is, the quality they they lost was minimal.
 

Hawkeye19

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I really like the guys we have added-- but I am a realist.

You simply don't turnover 75% of your starting secondary in one offseason without there being a few bumps in the road.

The young guys are definitely athletic-- but they will all take their rookie lumps-- together.

I have a feeling there will be some highlight reel plays where we are ecstatic as well as some frustrating moments where we give up more big plays than we did last year.
 

Stash

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I really like the guys we have added-- but I am a realist.

You simply don't turnover 75% of your starting secondary in one offseason without there being a few bumps in the road.

The young guys are definitely athletic-- but they will all take their rookie lumps-- together.

I have a feeling there will be some highlight reel plays where we are ecstatic as well as some frustrating moments where we give up more big plays than we did last year.

I don't consider it "75%" myself. Byron Jones is back at free safety and Anthony Brown and Scandrick return as well.

When Brown started 9 games as a rookie, that's obviously more than the 7 games we got before Claiborne pulled up lame again.
 

kevm3

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The problem wasn't the secondary last year as much as it was the D-line. I'd love to be pleasantly surprised, but I'm not expecting these rookies to hold receivers for hours while the D-line is stonewalled.
 

jazzcat22

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Most mediates are using this reasoning against our D too. Saying we lost 4 starters plus their leadership and experience.....:huh:...
As then they say how the pass defense needs to be improved. Well, is not that the reason why they were replaced.

we have veteran leadership still. As mentioned. Scandrick, who has also taken Brown under his wing to teach him more so to play with that chip on his shoulder attitude, being a 6th round pick.
Jones and Heath are there too. And Sean Lee is there for the entire D.
 

haleyrules

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With Smith looking good, l feel better about the defense. It will be a tough season defensively...expecting a slow start but a solid finish to the season. Smith has been a pleasant surprise up to this point.
 

big dog cowboy

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I'm still thrilled the Cowboys have rebuilt the secondary. Allowing the JAGs (including the overrated Church) to walk in FA was a very smart move. While the new bunch may experience growing pains, by the time the playoffs roll around they will be good to go.
 

EST_1986

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Most mediates are using this reasoning against our D too. Saying we lost 4 starters plus their leadership and experience.....:huh:...
As then they say how the pass defense needs to be improved. Well, is not that the reason why they were replaced.

we have veteran leadership still. As mentioned. Scandrick, who has also taken Brown under his wing to teach him more so to play with that chip on his shoulder attitude, being a 6th round pick.
Jones and Heath are there too. And Sean Lee is there for the entire D.
Brown literally has a chip on is shoulder
 

Stash

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I'm still thrilled the Cowboys have rebuilt the secondary. Allowing the JAGs (including the overrated Church) to walk in FA was a very smart move. While the new bunch may experience growing pains, by the time the playoffs roll around they will be good to go.

I'm not even too worried about growing pains.

The one young guy I can see forcing his way onto the field early is Awuzie in place of Nolan Carroll. And Chidobe is not a guy that I worry about not knowing his assignment.
 

MichaelWinicki

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I have to chuckle every time I hear someone downgrade the Cowboys because they lost most of their secondary to free agency. While it is true they lost most of their secondary, the truth is, the quality they they lost was minimal.

Agreed. It was a ****** secondary no matter how you sliced it. Not enough playmakers and too many guys that couldn't play zone defense.
 

casmith07

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I really like the guys we have added-- but I am a realist.

You simply don't turnover 75% of your starting secondary in one offseason without there being a few bumps in the road.

The young guys are definitely athletic-- but they will all take their rookie lumps-- together.

I have a feeling there will be some highlight reel plays where we are ecstatic as well as some frustrating moments where we give up more big plays than we did last year.

This is literally the most reasoned post about this situation I've seen on this or any other site and this thread should therefore be closed.
 

casmith07

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Agreed. It was a ****ty secondary no matter how you sliced it. Not enough playmakers and too many guys that couldn't play zone defense.

"Playmakers" is too cliché, Mike. Every time an opposing QB couldn't go deep, a play was made.

Turnovers are a different story. We simply did not have enough athleticism in the secondary to make up for the lack of mistake-generation by the pass rush. Getting interceptions when the QB doesn't make mistakes requires a level of talent on par with Ed Reed. Otherwise, INTs are a product of the unit playing well as a whole - forcing bad throws, risky throws, etc.

I think - and hope - we'll have a combination of the two now just by virtue of getting younger and more athletic on the back end and by adding some more talent up front to see if we can finally get a consistent rush. I don't even expect us to be top 5 in sacks (another mis-used statistic, in my opinion), but I expect us to generate a little more traffic and a little more pressure around the pocket forcing guys to make throws they're not 100% comfortable with.

Good QBs will still perform under some pressure, like Eli Manning (yes, he's good, not great), but in the last three years or so we've made average and even bad QBs look competent because of their ability to just play 7 on 7. I think that begins to stop this year with Taco, Collins, Tapper, Irving, Crawford all hopefully being together and healthy, and additions like Jaylon Smith.

Time will tell - I'm pretty pumped to watch them grow, for better or for worse.
 
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