Defensive Line review, where's the beef?

[BlindFaith]

I appreciate the work you put into this but ....

Tyrone Crawford was seriously injured most of the year. His production from 2014 would be far higher on these lists except the fatty list.
If you have a fat fetish, Marinelli, is not your guy.
We can agree there.
But TC is definitely a 3T. He was tried along the line and 3T is where he made plays.
He won that job, he wasn't handed it.
He just wasn't right physically this year.

I know he was hurt. And he's a warrior and will play inside. And be productive until he gets hurt again. Will he ever put up numbers like the top 20 guys on this list? Productive against the run and provide pass rush? I don't know. He may show in flashes or if he stays healthy.

He was going to be our SDE until Melton couldn't go and we drafted no one else to play inside. So they moved him there. He was never really given a chance to show what he could do at SDE. I personally believe he could be good there and it could save some wear and tear.

 

[BlindFaith]

I appreciate the work you put into it but you do realize you're judging Crawford off a year where he was playing with one arm, right? I'm not normally one to make excuses for players but unless you believe that injury is BS it's certainly significant and play altering.

Who didn't know Marinelli ~head bowed~ liked lighter quick twitch interior linemen?

I'm not judging him based on the numbers solely. Yes, he was hurt. I think he's still a very good player.

I want to get bigger on the Dline. Moving him to SDE gets us in that direction. Replacing Hayden gets us there. Getting a true 3T gets us there.

We can keep playing small ball and keep having smaller guys get hurt. Keep being below average. Keep giving QBs all day to throw. I'd personally not do it that way.

 

[BlindFaith]

Not to mention, statistically...Crawford was still solid. Not elite, not worth the contract (yet) but still solid for an interior linemen.

He was serviceable against the pass and below average against the run. And yes, he was hurt and I'm sure that contributed. But if he was so hurt that he was even at 70% he probably shouldn't have been playing. If you play, you perform. That's the motto. And the point of this is that he will, in my opinion, continue to get banged up and hurt by playing inside. He's not built for it.

 

[BlindFaith]

According to the great Mike Fisher, the Cowboys are "changing their thoughts" about the 1-Tech position, and they will "no longer put JAGs there".

Take that for what it's worth.

Great. Then I hope they go out and get Ian Williams. And hopefully they will change their thoughts about drafting a 3T as well.

 

[stilltheguru88]

He was serviceable against the pass and below average against the run. And yes, he was hurt and I'm sure that contributed. But if he was so hurt that he was even at 70% he probably shouldn't have been playing. If you play, you perform. That's the motto. And the point of this is that he will, in my opinion, continue to get banged up and hurt by playing inside. He's not built for it.

I hope youre wrong

 

[Alexander]

According to the great Mike Fisher, the Cowboys are "changing their thoughts" about the 1-Tech position, and they will "no longer put JAGs there".

Take that for what it's worth.

Was this extra special "Insider" information? I hope you paid for that. It is earth shattering.

 

[Risen Star]

I'm not judging him based on the numbers solely. Yes, he was hurt. I think he's still a very good player.

I want to get bigger on the Dline. Moving him to SDE gets us in that direction. Replacing Hayden gets us there. Getting a true 3T gets us there.

We can keep playing small ball and keep having smaller guys get hurt. Keep being below average. Keep giving QBs all day to throw. I'd personally not do it that way.

You're preaching to the choir. I'd like to get bigger too but I don't think that's happening under this defensive coordinator.

 

[Zimmy Lives]

I'm not seeing it. All of this talk about "Rushmen" and sacrificing size for speed and all I see is a group that still fails to get pressure while also getting moved off the ball.

Marinelli got the benefit of the doubt in the past due to injuries and a lack of personnel. But even after getting just about everything he wanted, his vision has still not come to fruition. I see little reason to make excuses for a lack of production any longer.

I agree with you; Marinelli has had way too much input in player procurement. Jerry has given him more respect than he deserves. If I was Jerry, I would selected the best players on the board and told Marinelli to use them.

Where I will disagree is, the Cowboys have had just enough injuries (and not enough reliable backups) on the d-line over that last few years that I would still consider them a work in progress.

If I'm Jerry, at the first opportunity I'm picking the first stud d-lineman and forcing Marinelli to put him to use.

 

[Stash]

I agree with you; Marinelli has had way too much input in player procurement. Jerry has given him more respect than he deserves. If I was Jerry, I would selected the best players on the board and told Marinelli to use them.

Where I will disagree is, the Cowboys have had just enough injuries (and not enough reliable backups) on the d-line over that last few years that I would still consider them a work in progress.

Prior to this year, I would have agreed. But Marinelli got everything he wanted, his way, and the results were still underwhelming.

If I'm Jerry, at the first opportunity I'm picking the first stud d-lineman and forcing Marinelli to put him to use.

As for me, I'm not forcing it either. Two wrongs don't make a right and all. What I am doing is expecting more results from the group considering my investment. I'd let Marinelli do his thing for another season, but make him well aware of the expectations to deliver.

 

[BlindFaith]

You're preaching to the choir. I'd like to get bigger too but I don't think that's happening under this defensive coordinator.

So that's why I'm not posting what I think the Cowboys WILL do. I'm posting what I'D do. I'm done trying to figure this front office/coaches out and quite frankly don't support either anymore.

I've supported Jerry over the years. But we've been average at best for the last 20 years. He has not gotten it done and I don't think he can. This includes his decision on Garrett etc.

 

[Zordon]

The team overall looks small. Sheldon Richardson called us a small team after the Jets game. We need some serious size in the middle. Marinelli's stubbornness is starting to annoy me.

 

[Texas_Pete]

We need a run stopper to keep Sean Lee clean and compliment our pass rushers. I would love Robinson from Alabama, but I don't think Marinelli would want him which is crazy.

 

[khiladi]

If his defense wasn't consistently in the bottom quarter in sacks every year, then I may be ok with what he was doing. Small and no pressure is a bad combo and has gotten us to a below average defense. Time for a change. Get big or get out.

Dallas defense is predicated on generating TOs... Garrett has always ranted about that, because he needs the excuse to get his inefficient offense more chances... Marinelli was getting it done in Chicago. We apparently got it done last year, but we had an offense that other teams had to worry about and keep pace with, besides chewing up the TOP... Garrett nor Jerry seem to realize that there is a dynamic between a good offense and a defense that forces TOs...

 

[khiladi]

The team overall looks small. Sheldon Richardson called us a small team after the Jets game. We need some serious size in the middle. Marinelli's stubbornness is starting to annoy me.

Sturm point that out as well. He said if one looks at TOP this year, we often controlled it, but we still collapsed late in games. He attributed this to being small up-front as well, eventually just wearing out by games end.

 

[Zordon]

Sturm point that out as well. He said if one looks at TOP this year, we often controlled it, but we still collapsed late in games. He attributed this to being small up-front as well, eventually just wearing out by games end.

i never expected to say this but t mcclain was a huge injury this year. after him, their main philosophy was to play hayden 500 snaps and spin down ends inside. position flex is nice but we fall back on it too much. run defense used to be decent in the 3-4. we were always in the top quarter of the league. other than last year we haven't figure out how to consistently stop the run w/ this 4-3 defense.

 

[BlindFaith]

We need a run stopper to keep Sean Lee clean and compliment our pass rushers. I would love Robinson from Alabama, but I don't think Marinelli would want him which is crazy.

Yes. We need push from the middle and guys who can control blocks to keep our Linebackers clean.

 

[Oh_Canada]

I appreciate the effort but Crawford played almost the ENTIRE season with one arm, so you cannot draw any conclusions based on this fact.

 

[Craig]

Isnt aaron donal about the same size as crawford? I dont think hes too small. I think they want a guy that size. I want to see what he does when healthy.

 

[Alexander]

Isnt aaron donal about the same size as crawford? I dont think hes too small. I think they want a guy that size. I want to see what he does when healthy.

The 3-T can be a smaller quicker guy who can penetrate. But when you have a light in the pants nose tackle and small ends like Gregory, it is easy to see why we would be called too small.

 

[mattjames2010]

Not to mention, statistically...Crawford was still solid. Not elite, not worth the contract (yet) but still solid for an interior linemen.

Haha, I'm still trying to understand what you guys think Crawford should be making. He's not getting elite DT money, he's getting good DT money.