Cowboys Middle Linebacker

[DogFace]

Last year was an anomaly.

You absolutely can and should find a better MLB this offseason. If that means moving Lee to MIKE and finding a legit WILL, fine.

But this team is not winning a SB or being a legit threat to make the SB with Hitchens in the middle.

You’re saying we weren’t a legit threat last year or moving forward from here? Because we were very close last year and I think we had a good chance at beating Atlanta.

Either way I guess your point is we must get better at mlb.

 

[Sydla]

I didnt say he is a high quality MLB. I said he excells at MLB. Its his best position. But just becasue he isnt great doesnt mean he is bad as you trying to put it. Black and white views arent right most of the time.

He is good in coverage and very good in filling wholes. He is good at analayzing plays. He is a good MLB. We could be batter at the position but i can live with him. He gets the job done.

This defense was #1 against the run last year. And it got good again against the 49ers. This is also because of Hitchens.

I never said he was awful.

He's average. He's better suited as a back up, special teams guy. If we are talking about fixing the LB position, the reason this thread was started, Hitchens is a guy that can and should be upgraded as soon as possible.

 

[Sydla]

You’re saying we weren’t a legit threat last year or moving forward from here? Because we were very close last year and I think we had a good chance at beating Atlanta.

Either way I guess your point is we must get better at mlb.

Pretty much. I never trusted that defense last year to think we had a great shot at winning the NFC or winning a SB.

And yes, we need to fix the MLB position. What we have isn't good enough.

 

[tyke1doe]

I do not see Jaylon as a perfect fit, would rather have someone else. Mostly it is the lack of ability to shed blockers and his mobility that paints a bulls-eye on his jersey.

Assuming he never gets fully healthy, right?
Healthy, he should be able to do all those things, right?

 

[Vinnie2u]

I like drafting mlb

Need to find 2 Lb’s next Draft.

 

[bayeslife]

Assuming he never gets fully healthy, right?
Healthy, he should be able to do all those things, right?

It's also his first year playing football since his injury. Look how much better he looked without having to worry about getting the defense set.

 

[Macnalty]

Assuming he never gets fully healthy, right?
Healthy, he should be able to do all those things, right?

I think fully healthy he plays better than Lee, but we need a crystal ball for that and the one we are currently viewing is very clouded ...

 

[HungryLion]

Last year was an anomaly.

You absolutely can and should find a better MLB this offseason. If that means moving Lee to MIKE and finding a legit WILL, fine.

But this team is not winning a SB or being a legit threat to make the SB with Hitchens in the middle.

What was the anomaly exactly? The 13-3 record or Hitchens quality of play?

Again Hitchens isn’t an all star but he is a solid starter. The team should always be trying to improve, so if they find somebody better, that is fine. But Hitchens isn’t a liability and he isn’t the reason our defense sucks.

 

[Sydla]

What was the anomaly exactly? The 13-3 record or Hitchens quality of play?

Again Hitchens isn’t an all star but he is a solid starter. The team should always be trying to improve, so if they find somebody better, that is fine. But Hitchens isn’t a liability and he isn’t the reason our defense sucks.

The defense was the anomaly. They were protected by an offense that limited their time on the field as evidenced by the fact that while Top 5 in scoring defense they were well back in the pack at points given up per drive. They also were pretty porous in the secondary if you looked stats like opposing passer ratings, completion percentage and various advanced stats like Football Outsiders. Then throw in the fact they struggled to get to the QB last year and didn't get many turnovers, it's pretty clear their "effectiveness" on D was largely an anomaly - a bit of good luck, etc.

Hitchens is a solid role player. He's absolutely a guy they should upgrade and if they don't that is a major mistake on their part this offseason.

No one said Hitchens is the reason the D sucks. But he's a reason why this defense will never be really, really good either. He's not a high quality starting MLB that you need to have a great defense.

 

[Zman5]

You need a big athletic MLB in Marinelli's scheme. Due to his "rushmen" mentality, it leaves the LBs exposed to OL getting on them.

Rolando was perfect for this scheme. He was big enough to take on the blocks and athletic enough to cover the middle. It's too bad he enjoys sipping on purple drank more than playing football.

 

[CF74]

Hitchens is a good MLB. The team was 13-3 and the #1 rushing defense with him at MLB last season. That doesn’t happen with poor MLB play.

I’m not a stat guy or a numbers guy but how many of those 13 games did Hitch play? One thing that is different about our defense is that we had a decent 1-Tech rotation when we won those 13 games, now we got scrubs since Paea got hurt and retired..

I don’t think Hitch is Top 10 but if we had a better 1-Tech in front of him he would be good enough, not elite, maybe average..

Having said that we Better draft 2 LB’s or bring in some younger FA’s, Lee is getting long in the tooth and everyone else is average at best when Sean isn’t on the field..

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

I’m not a stat guy or a numbers guy but how many of those 13 games did Hitch play? One thing that is different about our defense is that we had a decent 1-Tech rotation when we won those 13 games, now we got scrubs since Paea got hurt and retired..

I don’t think Hitch is Top 10 but if we had a better 1-Tech in front of him he would be good enough, not elite, maybe average..

Having said that we Better draft 2 LB’s or bring in some younger FA’s, Lee is getting long in the tooth and everyone else is average at best when Sean isn’t on the field..

He started every game last season.

 

[goshan]

My experience tells me to put Lee at the MIKE would be the best (provided Lee stays healthy). Reminds me of Kuechly's first season when he started at the WILL and Jon Beason was at the MIKE. The defense wasn't playing that well, but it wasn't because of Kuechly who was playing the WILL very well. But, once they switched him to the MIKE the defense progressed tremendously.

My belief is that it has to do with how offenses are designed these days. While the passing charts show a lot of throws out to the perimeter, the MIKE has to be able to effectively throw receivers off their route as they run drags and crossers over the middle while not getting caught up in the wash for the easy flare route to the TE or the back. Then they have to defend TE's up the seam and get proper depth against Y-receivers up the seam on on slants while not getting fooled. All the meanwhile they have to take on and avoid blockers to defend the run up the middle and out on the perimeter and be able to blitz effectively as well.

It's a big reason why I think the MIKE is one of the top-5 most important positions on the team (QB, Center, MIKE, FS and SS)...it not only requires athleticism, but you're asked to a lot more things than from other positions.





YR

Are those really your top 5 positions on the team?

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

Are those really your top 5 positions on the team?

Shouldn't you be out chasing ambulances?

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Of course he is. Hitchens excells at playing MLB. He disappered when playing other positions.

He played well at WILL. He just cannot take on blocks or get very deep in his drops.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Are those really your top 5 positions on the team?

In terms if a team is good there, then they'll be a tough team to beat. If they're not good there, then it's going to hold them back.

I don't believe you can have a top-5 O-Line without having one of the league's best centers. Too much responsibility that has to be given to the center. The MIKE usually QB's the defense and the safeties end up QB'ing the secondary. Every top team that makes it deep into the postseason almost always is pretty strong on those positions. Teams like the Cowboys that can go 13-3 or 12-4 but are not particularly strong in all of those positions end up losing early in the playoffs.

A good QB can help make WR's look better than they are. Good safeties can cover up for weak corners. If you have a good MIKE and safeties, you can play a lot zone and get by with average corners. And in today's game pass rushers can be negated by the quick passing game and shotgun formations. But a good MIKE and Safeties can really eliminate the quick passing game.

Weak OT"s can be protected by TE's, RB's helping to block and the quick passing game.

This is a big reason why I think Belichick's teams are good every year. They are strong at QB and always seem to have a good center. Usually their MIKE is really good and Belichick is still the best coach of safeties in the world.





YR

 

[percyhoward]

The team was 13-3 and the #1 rushing defense.

Just to be clear, the Cowboys were #1 in total rushing yards allowed, but also #1 in fewest rushing attempts faced. On a per-carry basis, Dallas allowed 3.9 ypc to rank 8th in the NFL, which is still very good. Football Outsiders ranked our run D 13th in adjusted line yards allowed in 2016, and even that is still above average.

This year, we're 21st in total rushing yards allowed (per game), 25th in ypc, and 28th in adjusted line yards allowed. On runs between the (offensive) tackles, FO says we're the league's worst run defense by far.

 

[Ranching]

Need to find 2 Lb’s next Draft.

Atnsome poimt We may need to sign FA, we can't take wait on rookies.

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

Just to be clear, the Cowboys were #1 in total rushing yards allowed, but also #1 in fewest rushing attempts faced. On a per-carry basis, Dallas allowed 3.9 ypc to rank 8th in the NFL, which is still very good. Football Outsiders ranked our run D 13th in adjusted line yards allowed in 2016, and even that is still above average.

This year, we're 21st in total rushing yards allowed (per game), 25th in ypc, and 28th in adjusted line yards allowed. On runs between the (offensive) tackles, FO says we're the league's worst run defense by far.

What's the splits with/without Lee?

 

[conner01]

LOL, excels.

He is not very good in coverage. He's limited athletically.

If this team is counting on Hitchens to be the MLB for their revamped defense, that's a mistake.

Hitchens might be one of the most overrated players for this fanbase. He's a nice backup, flexible LB that can play all three LB spots in a pinch. He's not a high quality starting MLB.

Hitch is a solid player who is really nice to have because he does several things good
Excel’s is a bit over the top but he is a nice player to have
Smith may be the answer but don’t think we will know till about this time next year