DC.com: Wonder How Solid Ground Is For Spears

[CCBoy]

Wonder How Solid Ground Is For Spears
Posted by nickeatman at 6/10/2010 12:23 PM CDT on truebluefanclub.com

Personally, I wouldn’t change a thing at defensive end. Not one. The only thing I might have done different is give Marcus Spears a better one-year tender offer than the Cowboys did, paying him around $1.2 million – nearly a half-million less than his projected backups Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher.

Automatically makes you wonder how “projected” those titles are. Even Wade Phillips hinted last week that Hatcher has improved a great deal and could push for more playing time.

Still, I wouldn’t mess with a good thing and having Spears in there to stop the run is definitely a good thing. By now, I would hope we’ve all realized the nature of the 3-4 end and how you can’t measure is worth with sacks. Doesn’t happen. But you measure it by how they stop the run and the Cowboys were fourth in the NFL, allowing just 90.3 yards per game.

I think Bowen and Hatcher provide great depth and a solid rotation and they seem to be ideal fits for that four-man front that comes in on nickel and dime situations. But removing Spears for one of those two is a risky deal. And you’re already making a risk at free safety and left tackle. What’s the point of risking anything here? And it’s not like Spears is making much. For a starting defensive end who can stop the run, not to mention a leader in the locker room and a guy that really does put the team first, $1.2 million is a steal.

The only sticking point is the guys behind him. We know the Cowboys like Marcus Dixon, who has been on the practice squad for two years and rookie Sean Lissemore could factor in here as well.

Still, with no salary cap, it doesn’t make any sense to make a change for Spears.

http://clubcowboys.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1394

 

[big dog cowboy]

By now, I would hope we’ve all realized the nature of the 3-4 end and how you can’t measure is worth with sacks. Doesn’t happen.

Not according to some in here.

 

[BourbonBalz]

I happen to agree. People on this board don't give Spears enough credit for what he does well. He's not spectacular, but he's very solid. I'd hate to lose him.

 

[DallasEast]

Not according to some in here.

You ain't lying.

 

[DCBoysfan]

I happen to agree. People on this board don't give Spears enough credit for what he does well. He's not spectacular, but he's very solid. I'd hate to lose him.

I agree I hope he has a great year and earn an extension, every team can't have stars.

 

[unionjack8]

I agree I hope he has a great year and earn an extension, every team can't have stars.

+1

Spears, imo, is far better suited for a 3-4 de than Bowen or Hatcher. Hatcher has been a huge let down after a good rookie year. he's APPALLING against the run. And lets be honest he`s hardly shown much as a pass rusher, even when he comes in in KNOWN passing situations.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

if what Spears provides is all we expect out of a 3-4 DE. I hope we NEVER use a 1st round pick on this type of player again. Chris Canty was a 4th rounder coming of a serious knee injury and he provided the same thing. Igor was not even re-signed by his team. Does not look like we will re-sign Spears. That suggest that these type of players are role players to be used and discarded.

 

[21Savage]

+1

Spears, imo, is far better suited for a 3-4 de than Bowen or Hatcher. Hatcher has been a huge let down after a good rookie year. he's APPALLING against the run. And lets be honest he`s hardly shown much as a pass rusher, even when he comes in in KNOWN passing situations.

With that, you pretty much show you have ABSOLUTELY idea what you're talking about. That's one of those instant disqualifiers-fatal errors.

 

[gimmesix]

Still, with no salary cap, it doesn’t make any sense to make a change for Spears.

http://clubcowboys.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1394

We've got three guys essentially playing on one-year contracts, so it makes good sense to find out which one is worth paying starter's money.

I believe Spears is the better player on first and second downs, so he'll end up being the starter, but if Bowen or Hatcher show they deserve it, then make a change.

Hopefully, Lissemore is able to push whoever ends up at the bottom of that group off the roster (or Siavii), so some depth is set for few more years.

 

[unionjack8]

He's talking about saying Hatcher can't play the run, not the grammar.

lmao thats an even worse statement to make. Hatcher is brought in on 3rd downs beacuse he is supposed to be able to rush the passer. He's a liability against the run.

And i apologise to newnation in that case. sorry!

 

[Stautner]

The article askes a kind of stupid question. Considering the Cowboys opaid more to the backups than Spears, of course he is on shakey ground.

 

[21Savage]

lmao thats an even worse statement to make. Hatcher is brought in on 3rd downs beacuse he is supposed to be able to rush the passer. He's a liability against the run.

And i apologise to newnation in that case. sorry!

He's on run downs too. He plays 1st and 2nd downs at about the 3rd defensive series of every game-or the 1st or 2nd if the offense sustains long drives.

In limited opportunity, he's every bit the run stopper that Spears is. There are rumors right now that he's pushing Spears for that starting job. Spears came out and said last year that he was in a serious battle for his starting spot-that was before Hatcher got hurt.

Certainly not what you'd expect from a guy who's a liability against the run. Didn't Wade just say about a month ago that Hatcher was a better run player than Bowen?

Hatcher also rushes on 3rd down, which Spears cannot do. He's also our only end who can rush from the outside on a four man line. Which should come in handy in our 3-4 since he plays the strong side and we drop Spencer a lot.

Hatcher is going to get kept over Spears if it's one or the other; I have no doubt about that. You need to know more about the game you try to talk about.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Hatcher is going to get kept over Spears if it's one or the other; I have no doubt about that.

Yep, I've thought for a long time (and I think you have, too) that Wade really liked Hatcher and was just waiting for him to stay healthy so he could break out.

Obviously the CBA adds another wrinkle, but I wouldn't be surprised if we tried to extend Hatcher sometime during the year on a club-favorable contract.

 

[21Savage]

Yep, I've thought for a long time (and I think you have, too) that Wade really liked Hatcher and was just waiting for him to stay healthy so he could break out.

Obviously the CBA adds another wrinkle, but I wouldn't be surprised if we tried to extend Hatcher sometime during the year on a club-favorable contract.

Totally agree. And the sticking point here is that you don't keep a player without 3rd down ability over a player with 3rd down ability, if they're both comparable on 1st and 2nd down, especially if Spears will command a more sizeable contract on the open market due to Hatcher being more unknown.

 

[Stautner]

Yep, I've thought for a long time (and I think you have, too) that Wade really liked Hatcher and was just waiting for him to stay healthy so he could break out.

Obviously the CBA adds another wrinkle, but I wouldn't be surprised if we tried to extend Hatcher sometime during the year on a club-favorable contract.

I'm really not sure Bowen isn't better than both. He seem to be the most disruptive on pass plays anyway.