Cowboys Defensive Consistency Relies On Fixing the Secondary

[blueblood70]

Not even true. NE controlled the LOS w/ their D front. The backfield is irrelevant if your front 4/5 can't get pressure.

Byron screwed up, but Aaron should've been sacked long before that.

That's what I was going to post anyway it's not about that game or that play but this isn't just about the secondary All three levels need to be improved so they work together You can't have the front end not work and expect the back end to hold up your secondary needs a better pass rush or at least more consistent pass rush without blitzing all the time but also the safeties in linebackers have to do their job so it takes an option away with them being able to run the ball effectively not just inside but they were running around the corners on that defense a lot So even if we got a pass rush and decent coverage one game they just get you out of that by running the ball on you all game so yeah it needs to be fixed on all levels..

Disagree with the title, it's not just the secondary,

all three levels need to be addressed. Work together as a team defense..

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

A good defense has to have a very tough, bully mentality.

We don't have that.

We get run on, and pushed around.

Your D Backs really are kind of a moot point, if the other team is always rushing for 5 yards a pop, and it's always 2nd and 4, 2nd and 5.... 3rd and 1 or 2.

We have a soft culture....and the defense is just a symptom of that.

 

[gimmesix]

Obviously the previous group has aged/declined and some have been cut or probably not re-signed this offseason.
But the drop in play was so bad, I have to wonder if it was due to injuries to guys like Bland and a mix of MattE being stubborn on not adjusting to the players strengths last year.

People can hate on Diggs for a lot of reasons, but I think he did have a point about coverages and the wish for more man or match based coverages. No team runs more true man on man coverages anymore, even back to the Quinn days, but there are zone coverages that can act like man coverage. There's Man, zone, man match and zone match as the 4 basics.
https://throwdeeppublishing.com/blogs/news/dante-bartee-explains-basic-4-2-5-coverage-concepts

So, could we see a "bounce" back if Parker actually designs coverages to the personnel and not fit a square through a circle hole?

Diggs was declining due to injury and maybe the contract, but to be determined if Bland can get back to his old self and how much Revel can soak in his first true Training camp. Definitely need to stock up on a mix of depth/potential starters at corner.

Safety looks to be an unknown, with the hope Hooker could rebound with a change in DC. I think Wilson was just a step slower last year and not worth keeping. Thomas and Bell failed to show much promise last year but are still cheap to keep around.
Ideally, we go younger and more potential in a Downs level safety in the draft.
If not him, still a few other prospects, but at the trade down level IMO.

Could see Reed Blankenship as a "safe" FA to sort of cover for a retool of the safety position(s)

I think it was typical of this front office to count on the unreliable.

Diggs obviously was going to be out for a portion of the season and should not have been expected to return at full speed.

Kaiir Elam was a failed first-round pick that his team was willing to ship off for peanuts before his first contract expired. And one of the reasons he struggled was supposedly because he was much better at man and sucked at zone.

Shavon Revel was a value pick, but there was no way to know when he'd get back from his injury or at what level that first year.

Bland was the only corner we should have counted on and he was coming off a stress fracture in his foot the previous year.

Coaching was a problem, but this was a MASH unit with no backup plan. That was a front office failure.

 

[Coogiguy03]

A good defense has to have a very tough, bully mentality.

We don't have that.

We get run on, and pushed around.

Your D Backs really are kind of a moot point, if the other team is always rushing for 5 yards a pop, and it's always 2nd and 4, 2nd and 5.... 3rd and 1 or 2.

We have a soft culture....and the defense is just a symptom of that.

GREATEST POST OF YOU blog career!!! Hopefully this all changes


FUNNIEST thing to me is when the guy has already caught the ball or he's in the end zone, we like to make the BIG HIT instead of trying to get there before he actually catches the ball!! At that point, what good is the big hit!!?

 

[Chasing6]

Pretty good article.

Pretty sure the secondary gets better when you have a legit pass rush.

 

[ElGatoGrande]

Pretty good article.

I'm getting a flashback of when Dallas had a crap secondary and were motivated to do something about it,,,, they drafted a bunch of secondary guys and brought in a few FAs and then a few years later they were ALL gone, including the good ones. Jerry likes drafting defensive players, he just doesn't like PAYING defensive players.