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On The Short End
Ellis: Spears May Be A Victim of Cowboys' Philosophy
IRVING, Texas - There's a chance Marcus Spears won't be a Dallas Cowboy for much longer. And he knows it.
It's not that Spears hasn't played well enough - his coaches and fellow defenders always give him due credit. But Spears is learning, as others have before him, or are currently, that this is a business. And every business has a budget.
Back before the draft last month Jerry Jones was talking about the need to develop young players where possible. Ideally, the Cowboys owner/general manager said, he would like to have some later-round picks turn into starters rather than be forced to spend in free agency. That's just the philosophy. Jones knows statistical production will equal big money for quarterbacks, receivers, pass rushers and cover guys. With that in mind, there must be certain positions where Jones will play things close to the vest when building a team. Offensive line, if possible. Fullback. Kicker. Maybe even safety.
Defensive end in the Cowboys' 3-4 is one of those spots as well, which brings the five-year starter Spears to the crossroads he faces now. Unless they had a chance to get or keep a truly catalytic player, the Cowboys might never spend exorbitantly for the bookends to their defensive front. And since many of the responsibilities for a run-defending lineman involve self-sacrifice, there aren't a lot of catalytic types to be found.
"If you watch the draft, the 3-4 teams, they're looking for those guys," line coach Paul Pasqualoni said Monday. "The kid (Ndamukong) Suh from Nebraska is one of those guys. Richard Seymour out in Oakland is one of those guys. If you've got one of those guys you've got a chance to be a pretty good defense.
"They are hard to find. They're going to go early, and there's just traditionally year-in and year-out not a lot of those guys. Not a lot."
Seymour and (it appears) Suh are in a different category, disruptive enough to make plays and change games on their own. Among 3-4 ends he's worked with, Wade Phillips put Hall of Famers Elvin Bethea and Bruce Smith in that group as well because of their pass-rush ability, a couple guys who could stay on the field on third downs.
As solid and stout as Spears and Igor Olshansky have been for the Cowboys, they aren't Hall of Famers. They weren't No. 2 overall picks, and no team would trade a first-rounder for them at this point in their careers.
Neither is flashy, but then neither was Chris Canty, really, and he got a $42 million contract from the New York Giants. The Olshansky-for-Canty change last March suggests the Cowboys won't overpay for players who, by their job description, are not likely to change the game themselves. Spears says he knows he's played well because the defense ranked fourth in rushing yards allowed per game, while Bradie James and Keith Brooking combined for 337 tackles.
"That's how I gauge myself, honestly," Spears said. "When I look at film, I look at 'Did I let that guard get to Bradie? Did I let those guys off the line? Are my linebackers free making plays? Am I making the plays that I'm supposed to make?' And not a lot of times this year I can say that didn't happen. I'll continue to gauge it off that because that's my job."
At that position, very few can go above and beyond the job description. Now, that doesn't mean the defense wouldn't suffer if such solid ends as Spears and Olshansky were replaced by guys off the street, but then again the Cowboys evidently don't think Jason Hatcher and Stephen Bowen are bums.
Whether or not economic realities of the uncapped year were in play, Hatcher and Bowen were tendered more lucrative one-year contracts than their fellow end Spears, the starter. Combined with the team's apparent lack of interest in extending his deal, the tender offer left Spears wondering if he would be traded during the draft.
He wasn't, and now the Cowboys seem set to let him play out the season at a bargain price, $1.226 million, non-guaranteed. If he were a guy who couldn't be taken off the field, that's one thing. But Spears doesn't offer the pass-rush ability of Bowen or Hatcher, especially not if he's going to take the pounding on the two run downs to start a series. The Cowboys like the rotation they have going along the line, which is precisely the reason they won't be paying anyone Canty money.
"I just think there's a lot of wear and tear on you," Pasqualoni said. "The good teams I've been around have got guys that are specialists. Rushing the passer is a full-time job in this league. You can't be a part-time guy."
Spears has all but resigned himself to the idea he'll have to go elsewhere for a big payday, but he's vowed to not make it an issue.
"I only know how to play one way," Spears said. "If it's not good enough for them then it'll have to be good enough for somebody else. I would like to think I've been playing at a pretty high level around here.
"I think that puts pressure on yourself when you're thinking of a contract year. I've just got to play football and it'll work out. I'm not one of those guys to start pressing the panic button."
Spears, Hatcher, and Bowen are all valuable to the team, and by excelling at their respective jobs they each drive up their own marketability. So Spears has to keep doing his thing on first and second downs, and Hatcher and Bowen have to play just as well when they're called upon. They've got to make an impact getting after the quarterback on third down.
If the Cowboys win the Super Bowl, everybody gets paid. It has happened before.
Ellis: Spears May Be A Victim of Cowboys' Philosophy
IRVING, Texas - There's a chance Marcus Spears won't be a Dallas Cowboy for much longer. And he knows it.
It's not that Spears hasn't played well enough - his coaches and fellow defenders always give him due credit. But Spears is learning, as others have before him, or are currently, that this is a business. And every business has a budget.
Back before the draft last month Jerry Jones was talking about the need to develop young players where possible. Ideally, the Cowboys owner/general manager said, he would like to have some later-round picks turn into starters rather than be forced to spend in free agency. That's just the philosophy. Jones knows statistical production will equal big money for quarterbacks, receivers, pass rushers and cover guys. With that in mind, there must be certain positions where Jones will play things close to the vest when building a team. Offensive line, if possible. Fullback. Kicker. Maybe even safety.
Defensive end in the Cowboys' 3-4 is one of those spots as well, which brings the five-year starter Spears to the crossroads he faces now. Unless they had a chance to get or keep a truly catalytic player, the Cowboys might never spend exorbitantly for the bookends to their defensive front. And since many of the responsibilities for a run-defending lineman involve self-sacrifice, there aren't a lot of catalytic types to be found.
"If you watch the draft, the 3-4 teams, they're looking for those guys," line coach Paul Pasqualoni said Monday. "The kid (Ndamukong) Suh from Nebraska is one of those guys. Richard Seymour out in Oakland is one of those guys. If you've got one of those guys you've got a chance to be a pretty good defense.
"They are hard to find. They're going to go early, and there's just traditionally year-in and year-out not a lot of those guys. Not a lot."
Seymour and (it appears) Suh are in a different category, disruptive enough to make plays and change games on their own. Among 3-4 ends he's worked with, Wade Phillips put Hall of Famers Elvin Bethea and Bruce Smith in that group as well because of their pass-rush ability, a couple guys who could stay on the field on third downs.
As solid and stout as Spears and Igor Olshansky have been for the Cowboys, they aren't Hall of Famers. They weren't No. 2 overall picks, and no team would trade a first-rounder for them at this point in their careers.
Neither is flashy, but then neither was Chris Canty, really, and he got a $42 million contract from the New York Giants. The Olshansky-for-Canty change last March suggests the Cowboys won't overpay for players who, by their job description, are not likely to change the game themselves. Spears says he knows he's played well because the defense ranked fourth in rushing yards allowed per game, while Bradie James and Keith Brooking combined for 337 tackles.
"That's how I gauge myself, honestly," Spears said. "When I look at film, I look at 'Did I let that guard get to Bradie? Did I let those guys off the line? Are my linebackers free making plays? Am I making the plays that I'm supposed to make?' And not a lot of times this year I can say that didn't happen. I'll continue to gauge it off that because that's my job."
At that position, very few can go above and beyond the job description. Now, that doesn't mean the defense wouldn't suffer if such solid ends as Spears and Olshansky were replaced by guys off the street, but then again the Cowboys evidently don't think Jason Hatcher and Stephen Bowen are bums.
Whether or not economic realities of the uncapped year were in play, Hatcher and Bowen were tendered more lucrative one-year contracts than their fellow end Spears, the starter. Combined with the team's apparent lack of interest in extending his deal, the tender offer left Spears wondering if he would be traded during the draft.
He wasn't, and now the Cowboys seem set to let him play out the season at a bargain price, $1.226 million, non-guaranteed. If he were a guy who couldn't be taken off the field, that's one thing. But Spears doesn't offer the pass-rush ability of Bowen or Hatcher, especially not if he's going to take the pounding on the two run downs to start a series. The Cowboys like the rotation they have going along the line, which is precisely the reason they won't be paying anyone Canty money.
"I just think there's a lot of wear and tear on you," Pasqualoni said. "The good teams I've been around have got guys that are specialists. Rushing the passer is a full-time job in this league. You can't be a part-time guy."
Spears has all but resigned himself to the idea he'll have to go elsewhere for a big payday, but he's vowed to not make it an issue.
"I only know how to play one way," Spears said. "If it's not good enough for them then it'll have to be good enough for somebody else. I would like to think I've been playing at a pretty high level around here.
"I think that puts pressure on yourself when you're thinking of a contract year. I've just got to play football and it'll work out. I'm not one of those guys to start pressing the panic button."
Spears, Hatcher, and Bowen are all valuable to the team, and by excelling at their respective jobs they each drive up their own marketability. So Spears has to keep doing his thing on first and second downs, and Hatcher and Bowen have to play just as well when they're called upon. They've got to make an impact getting after the quarterback on third down.
If the Cowboys win the Super Bowl, everybody gets paid. It has happened before.
