News: Cowboys strong side could be the secondary in the 2016 season

Bullflop

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I'm tellin' ya Bull he was impressive yesterday. He was all over guys with no separation. We need one of those late round picks to emerge so bad on defense.

Much like Broaddus, many are saying he's a lock to make the roster as it now stands. Here's hoping his excellence continues, bigtime.
 

CATCH17

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Much like Broaddus, many are saying he's a lock to make the roster as it now stands. Here's hoping his excellence continues, bigtime.


Josh Thomas has looked alright from the very little I can see on TC live.
 

Jstopper

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I can't think of a reason. Just looking for other people's opinions since this thread is talking about safties.

Oh okay. I can only see positives coming from him staying at safety. I think it will turn out great for us to have that rangy center fielder who won't be taking horrible angles like Wilcox :banghead:
 

GimmeTheBall!

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Cowboys strong side could be the secondary in the 2016 season
Cowboys strong side could be the secondary in the 2016 season




While none of the players in the Dallas Cowboys secondary have made a pro bowl, there is no absence of strength on this defense entering 2016.

Without Orlando Scandrick, the Cowboys defensive backfield was the NFL's 5th highest passing defense in 2015, and only gave up 19 touchdown passes which ranked 3rd. If there is one area to improve, its creating turnovers, which Dallas was dead last in.

But with Scandrick back from a knee injury, Byron Jones moving to free safety, Morris Claiborne, Brandon Carr, Barry Church and company feel like the sky is the limit in 2016.

"I feel like we could be as good as we want to be. Obviously, all of us have talent. I feel like all of us can go out and get the job done. We just have to put it all together, and all of us have to stay healthy as a collective group," said Brandon Carr, Dallas cornerback.

"Last year the ball didn't bounce our way. I think the major takeaway is to play sound defense earlier in the game, earlier in the downs. Running to the ball, sprinting to the ball and taking shots at it. Strip it, being disruptive on the quarterback. Stuff like that can help us get turnovers," said Morris Claiborne, Dallas conerback...
Camp fluff. Every camp brings tidings of optimism. All I want is one lousy INT out of this second-rate unit.
 

TheDude

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No, it doesn't always work out that way, prior to the Ware draft, the Cowboys secondary was posting up decent numbers from about 2000-on even though and I'm too lazy to look up the numbers yet again, but year after year the Cowboy defensive line was near the bottom of the NFL in sacks yet the pass defense was regularly ranked much higher in terms of yards/attempt which is the real measure of a pass defense IMO. Woody had a lot to do with that. But also Zimmer should get some credit. Then we had the Newman draft and the Roy Williams draft which continued to build talent back there.

For the last 10 years the secondary has been a sieve more often than not, not matter when the Cowboy defense ranked as far as sacks.
we didnt score prior to that. other teams had no need to take much risk.

That said Woody was worth 3 players on the current roster
 

CCBoy

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Camp fluff. Every camp brings tidings of optimism. All I want is one lousy INT out of this second-rate unit.


You really can't read a positive report of what is going on against a top shelf offense...and come up with ANYTHING positive?

Thought you were obligated to put a negative post in a thread that I started?:popcorn:
 

GimmeTheBall!

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You really can't read a positive report of what is going on against a top shelf offense...and come up with ANYTHING positive?

Thought you were obligated to put a negative post in a thread that I started?:popcorn:
Sorry to stray from the party line, mate!
All for one and one for all!!
 

CCBoy

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...It goes further than that, though. On a personal level, two of the team’s top three corners – Carr and Morris Claiborne – are entering contract years. Barry Church is in the same boat, which means three of the Cowboys’ top five defensive backs are playing on expiring contracts.

Carr said the motivation is simple.

“Get the ball, get this money,” he said. “Keep it simple. Get the ball, make some plays and you’ll see what happens when it’s all said and done.”

As has been discussed thoroughly in recent months, Carr himself took a pay cut during the spring, dropping his 2016 pay day from $9 million to $4.25 million. But if Carr and Co. can get their hands on the ball, the results should be pretty good – for both the Cowboys and for their upcoming contract negotiations.

For his part, Carr hopes that an uninterrupted camp can help him fine tune his technique and keep focused. He hasn’t always had good luck with that. In 2013, he departed camp briefly for the birth of his son, and in 2014 he had a lengthy absence after his mother passed away following a battle with cancer.

Last season, a broken hand limited him at training camp, while an ailing shoulder plagued him for most of the regular season.

“That’s the biggest thing -- to be able to focus for an entire camp, knock on wood,” Carr said. “And it’s fun out here. You don’t want to be at home watching from television or sitting in a hospital bed. I’ve always been blessed to battle back from those, but hopefully I can stick around for the rest of this camp and we can get some great energy flowing for this season.”...

Brandon Carr Losing Sleep About Cowboys' Takeaway Problems In 2015
 

TheDude

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You're on...prove your case.

2000 -18.4 pts per game (25th)
2001 - 15.4 pts per game (29th)
2002 - 13.6 pts per game (29th)
2003 - 18.1 pts per game (15th)
2004 - 18.3 pts per game (15th)

your turn
 

Bullflop

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Something I've waiting an actual decade to hear.

Anytime we hear something exciting about our secondary, it's extraordinary.

Let's just hope we won't have to wait nearly another decade to hear it again.

Seeing we have guys like Anthony Brown and Byron Jones now feels good.
 
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Bullflop

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Josh Thomas has looked alright from the very little I can see on TC live.

My reference to probably being a guy to make the roster was with regards to Anthony Brown but yes, it'd be outstanding if he made it too.

The more the merrier. It's high time for our secondary to get an infusion of youth with a capacity to add something special to the defense.
 
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Primetime42

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I think they were only ranked so high because teams were content to play small ball with us since they didn't fear our offense one iota. Would also explain the low INT #'s.

Gotta get a lot of things cleaned up.
 

CCBoy

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Finally Healthy & Producing, Mo Claiborne Excited To Love Football Again
Monday, August 08, 2016 3:44 PM CDT
helman_david.jpg

By David Helman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer

@HelmanDC

Finally Healthy & Producing, Mo Claiborne Excited To Love Football Again


OXNARD, Calif. – It’s old news by now that Morris Claiborne is playing well at training camp.

After six full practices, no one on the Cowboys’ roster ranks higher than Claiborne in terms of on-field production, not to mention day-to-day consistency so far this summer. The fifth-year corner might be pleased to hear that, but he was sure to also downplay it.

“It’s been solid,” he said. “It’s a long way from where I want to be right now, and I’m just continuing to work every day – come out here and try to be better than I was the day before.”

Claiborne was again solid on Sunday, as he continues to build toward the start of the season. But what stood out during Sunday’s Blue-White Scrimmage, moreso than any actual gameplay, was his unbridled enthusiasm for the game – even from the safety of the sidelines.


When the second-team defense was playing in the red zone, there was Claiborne – cheering them on and offering pep talks. When the backups allowed a completion, he was quick to consult with fellow veteran Orlando Scandrick about what went wrong – was there a miscommunication, or had the technique been wrong?

And, of course, when his understudies made a play on the ball, Claiborne was the first to rush the field in celebration for his young teammates.

“I’m enjoying it, man. I’m just excited about it,” he said.

For a guy who’s had as tough a go of it as Claiborne, it was a welcome sight. And if you’ve followed his story since he was drafted more than four years ago, it’s obvious that it hasn’t always been the case.

“It’s like I was telling Sean Lee earlier today – it’s been a while since I’ve actually loved football the way I love it right now, and I’m just so excited about it,” Claiborne said. “I get so excited for the young guys that’s out there, because I want those guys to do well. When they make plays, it puts something inside of me.”

That’s an encouraging statement from a guy who has had so many ups and downs in such a brief amount of time. Claiborne’s story feels beaten into the ground at this point, but for the sake of reminder: since the Cowboys traded up to draft him No. 6 overall in 2012, Claiborne has appeared in just 40 of 66 possible games, logging a total of just three interceptions.

Injuries have plagued him throughout his career – most notably, when he missed the team’s 2014 playoff run with a torn patellar tendon.

Claiborne bounced back in time to produce one of his better – and arguably his healthiest – seasons to date in 2015. He was good enough and reliable enough to earn a one-year, $3 million contract to remain with the team.

With all of that in mind, it’s not surprising to hear that Claiborne’s re-discovered energy coincides perfectly with what has been the healthiest stretch of his career. Unlike past years, where he has had to work with athletic trainers on rehab and conditioning, Claiborne is in the thick of things – and loving it.

“I’d definitely say it’s because I’m healthy enough to go out and do it,” he said. “Healthy enough to be out on the field with my teammates and not in the training room or not standing on the sideline watching. I’m with them every step of the day right now.”

That isn’t lost on the Cowboys’ coaches, as they’ve watched him throughout the offseason program and into the early portion of training camp. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said he thinks Claiborne’s setbacks will help him develop as a player and a person.

“Mo’s handled a lot of different injuries over the course of his career, a lot of different adversities,” Garrett said. “For me and for our staff he’s kind of come out the other end of it in a real positive way. I think he’s benefitting and grown from the experiences that he’s had.”

It’s still just one step out of many. Camp goes on for several more weeks, including preseason games. After that comes the grind of the regular season, where Claiborne has never managed to put together a full 16-game campaign.

For the time being, though, it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
 
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