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Cowboys Defense: All About Getting Turnovers Like They Did In 2014
http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2016...about-getting-turnovers-like-they-did-in-2014
In 2014 the Dallas Cowboys defensive unit generated 31 turnovers. That translates into 31 times that they took away an opponent's opportunity to put points on the board and 31 additional opportunities for Tony Romo and the Dallas offense to put additional tallies on the scoreboard. It does not take a genius to figure out how a defensive performance like that can help a football team to finish the regular season with a 12-4 record.
2015 was a dramatically different season as evidenced by the 4-12 record that the squad turned in. A defense that was pushing nearly two takeaways per game the year before only managed to create 11 additional opportunities during the most recent campaign. It was the worst performance, turnover-wise, of Rod Marinelli's career as a defensive coordinator.
"Not good enough. It’s everything. I think the hustle, the effort, the hitting, all those things were good. We didn’t finish games like we should have, but the takeaways are the No. 1 thing in football." - Rod Marinelli
I doubt that you could find a defensive coordinator at any level of the game that would dispute Marinelli's words. Winning football begins and ends with stopping the other team and the easiest way to stop an offense from scoring is to take away the one thing that every team needs to score, the football.
http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2016...about-getting-turnovers-like-they-did-in-2014
In 2014 the Dallas Cowboys defensive unit generated 31 turnovers. That translates into 31 times that they took away an opponent's opportunity to put points on the board and 31 additional opportunities for Tony Romo and the Dallas offense to put additional tallies on the scoreboard. It does not take a genius to figure out how a defensive performance like that can help a football team to finish the regular season with a 12-4 record.
2015 was a dramatically different season as evidenced by the 4-12 record that the squad turned in. A defense that was pushing nearly two takeaways per game the year before only managed to create 11 additional opportunities during the most recent campaign. It was the worst performance, turnover-wise, of Rod Marinelli's career as a defensive coordinator.
"Not good enough. It’s everything. I think the hustle, the effort, the hitting, all those things were good. We didn’t finish games like we should have, but the takeaways are the No. 1 thing in football." - Rod Marinelli
I doubt that you could find a defensive coordinator at any level of the game that would dispute Marinelli's words. Winning football begins and ends with stopping the other team and the easiest way to stop an offense from scoring is to take away the one thing that every team needs to score, the football.
"The ball matters." - Jason Garrett
It certainly mattered to the NFC Champion Carolina Panthers. In contrast to the 11 turnovers that the Dallas Cowboys generated, Ron Rivera's charges took the ball away 39 times during their journey to the Super Bowl. It mattered to Josh Norman and his counterparts on the back side of the Panthers D. Their 24 picks this season was more than double the entire production of Marinelli's unit. Their 15 fumble recoveries also outpaced the 'Boys entire defensive effort. The difference, and the result, is clear. One team is playing February football while the other is watching it.
This will be the area of focus for the defense during the off-season. Marinelli's defenses have always had the take-away mentality, this edition simply failed to execute the gameplan. That will not change...
It certainly mattered to the NFC Champion Carolina Panthers. In contrast to the 11 turnovers that the Dallas Cowboys generated, Ron Rivera's charges took the ball away 39 times during their journey to the Super Bowl. It mattered to Josh Norman and his counterparts on the back side of the Panthers D. Their 24 picks this season was more than double the entire production of Marinelli's unit. Their 15 fumble recoveries also outpaced the 'Boys entire defensive effort. The difference, and the result, is clear. One team is playing February football while the other is watching it.
This will be the area of focus for the defense during the off-season. Marinelli's defenses have always had the take-away mentality, this edition simply failed to execute the gameplan. That will not change...