Did we fix the Defense?

[DallasBlockersClub]

This defense is a long way away, with holes everywhere, which explains the frustration of trading up in round two when you could have come out with Ealy and Trai Turner.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I dont think you want your lineman taking that many snaps

Yeah, I should have qualified that comment to the "front 7".

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Davon Coleman looks good also. He was playing out of position in college at the 1-tech. I think he has a good upside as a 3-tech.

Looking at the reports on Coleman... I'm impressed with the signing. The kid could stick.

 

[TheDallasDon]

This defense is a long way away, with holes everywhere, which explains the frustration of trading up in round two when you could have come out with Ealy and Trai Turner.

Who would play weakside?

And I was one of the people who never was impressed with Ealy anyway

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Who would play weakside?

And I was one of the people who never was impressed with Ealy anyway

That's it exactly. Folks invoke the name "Ealy" like he was was the missing piece to this defense, when in actuality he plays the same spot as what is arguably the strongest on the defensive front, i.e. right defensive end.

 

[Risen Star]

Fixed? No. At least not yet. We're going to have to see how Melton, Bass and Crawford come back from their injuries.

Probably need another high draft pick on the defensive line to close the gap even more.

Hatcher and Ware were big talents... And I'm not sure if they've been replaced (or close to it for that matter).

I like the direction the defense is headed but still a lot of uncertainty.

I can't believe this thread even exists. We are far from fixing this defense. Looking over the new depth chart it is still a very mediocre group of players. The question should be how much has it improved?

 

[TheFinisher]

The defense is still multiple drafts away from being fixed. Addition of Lawrence gives us a nice pass rushing prospect, but you can't expect him to come in and replace Ware. There are questions about his abililty to be an every down player and I'm not sure if he can become a premier RE, but I'm fairly confident he can be a nice cog in a rotation. The 4th Round LB was given a 7th round grade by mostly everyone and Garrett said he'll back up Lee at Mike, so maybe he can give us some depth but he's not going to make a big impact. The 7th Rounders are always crapshoots but at the least it should create competition in TC, maybe 1 or 2 stick.

We still have a long ways to go, we're lacking top end talent along the DL and while Jerry and Co are preaching strength through numbers, that's nice, but you need some impact players up front to be successful on D. We don't have that going into 2014. I think we have some nice long term rotational pieces like Lawrence and Crawford, which is key to having a good DL unit, but I have my doubts either of those guys will become lead dogs. I think they're more along the lines of really good rotational pieces.

I also don't know what we're getting in Melton, and the 1-year team option suggests the team doesn't either. I think he's a nice piece if he's healthy and can play like his old self.

I expect us to go into the 2015 draft looking to add a blue-chip lead dog up front.

And that's just the state of the DL. Our LB and secondary have their own set of issues that didn't get much outside help to improve off of last season. It may get worse before it gets better on defense, but I think we're making strides in attempting to rebuild it. It's hard to overhaul your DL when the entire group has left over the course of one season, and you had no prospects in the pipeline.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I can't believe this thread even exists. We are far from fixing this defense. Looking over the new depth chart it is still a very mediocre group of players. The question should be how much has it improved?

Agreed.

It will be a bit before we know how improved the defense is.

 

[cowboyz]

Claiborne and carter need to step up. These other guys are all lowly draft picks. Seeing what marinelli did with selvie and the other udfa, have faith lawrence will be OK.

 

[TonyRomo17]

The defense is still multiple drafts away from being fixed. Addition of Lawrence gives us a nice pass rushing prospect, but you can't expect him to come in and replace Ware. There are questions about his abililty to be an every down player and I'm not sure if he can become a premier RE, but I'm fairly confident he can be a nice cog in a rotation. The 4th Round LB was given a 7th round grade by mostly everyone and Garrett said he'll back up Lee at Mike, so maybe he can give us some depth but he's not going to make a big impact. The 7th Rounders are always crapshoots but at the least it should create competition in TC, maybe 1 or 2 stick.

We still have a long ways to go, we're lacking top end talent along the DL and while Jerry and Co are preaching strength through numbers, that's nice, but you need some impact players up front to be successful on D. We don't have that going into 2014. I think we have some nice long term rotational pieces like Lawrence and Crawford, which is key to having a good DL unit, but I have my doubts either of those guys will become lead dogs. I think they're more along the lines of really good rotational pieces.

I also don't know what we're getting in Melton, and the 1-year team option suggests the team doesn't either. I think he's a nice piece if he's healthy and can play like his old self.

I expect us to go into the 2015 draft looking to add a blue-chip lead dog up front.

And that's just the state of the DL. Our LB and secondary have their own set of issues that didn't get much outside help to improve off of last season. It may get worse before it gets better on defense, but I think we're making strides in attempting to rebuild it. It's hard to overhaul your DL when the entire group has left over the course of one season, and you had no prospects in the pipeline.

you can expect Lawrence to replace last years Ware, i think thats very realistic

 

[TheFinisher]

you can expect Lawrence to replace last years Ware, i think thats very realistic

He better be able to replace last year's Ware. I was obviously talking about the pre-2013 Ware.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

I would be satisfied with an average defense right now.

 

[Kaiser]

Ware and Hatcher are gone;. Lawrence is an undersized rookie supposed to replace Ware, which probably won't happen. Melton is replacing Hatcher yet has never had a good a year as Hatcher did last year and is coming off major surgery.

Heydon has pretty much shown he is not much better than a guy coming in off his coach, and Bishop is a rookie 7th round draft choice. Is that what you are hanging your hat on?

Yes, Ware is gone. We got more production than his 40 tackles and 6 sacks over 13 games from a guy (Selvie) who didn't even earn a training camp invite from any NFL team last year. That is the production you think can't be replaced? And Hayden may not even make the team, if he does it will be 2nd or 3rd string at a position where he took almost every snap last year because we only had street FA's behind him.

Lawrence isn't being counted to replace Ware, especially the Ware of 3 years ago. He will back up either Selvie or Spencer and play mostly on passing downs.

Its basically impossible for the defense to NOT improve. Our best DL was Ware, who was half his normal self last year because of injuries. Our second best DL Spencer missed the entire season. Our 3rd best DL Hatcher went to the Pro Bowl. Our 4th best DL quit and was cut. Our 5th and 6th best DL were hurt in camp and never saw the field.

We also had a starting LB hit wild inconsistency in some games and a Safety position that ended up being manned by an aging vet who was cut, then two college level players. Its almost impossible that this year's Defense would be worse than last year's - even if we returned the exact same players.

 

[Kaiser]

Looking at the reports on Coleman... I'm impressed with the signing. The kid could stick.

Coleman was a guy I was thinking of listing in my sig predictions but I thought he would already be gone. Brugler had him going in the 6th round, this is the writeup -

STRENGTHS: Excellent body thickness and stout frame…very good functional strength to take on blocks and redirect his man…anchors well at the POA and takes on double-teams well…smooth lateral range with terrific pursuit skills, showing the ability to break down in space – very decisive player with no passiveness to his game…keeps his eye level up and locates well, displaying a knack for quickly finding the ball…balanced and squatty and rarely see him on the ground…usually quick snap reaction and initiates contact in a hurry…try-hard player with a competitive streak…hard worker in the weight room and has developed his body well, adding 40 pounds since arriving at Arizona State…versatile skill-set and lined up all over DL in college, including DE and the 0-, 1- and 3-technique spots.

WEAKNESSES: Some bad weight on his frame and his pounds have fluctuated over the years…lacks natural explosion and doesn’t display much suddenness to his game…shows some hip stiffness and appears tight with some of his movements…needs to improve his pass rush arsenal and use his hands more consistently…will get hung up on blocks and needs to improve his ability to disengage…part of a heavy rotation and was kept fresh in college…will allow his fundamentals to get sloppy at times and allow the pad level to rise…lacks a natural position and won’t be a fit for everyone…needs to sustain his focus and drive at the next level, something that wavered earlier in his career…had some past attitude issues and his maturity needs to be investigated.

 

[kevinhickey]

Realistically its going to take 1 more draft to fix that thing we call a defense and Im being positive when I say that

Your so right, the switch from a 3/4 to a 4/3 and the loss of Hatcher, Ware, and will take another year.

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

Best Player Available, the influx if youth and the drafting of need positions is about all Fans can ask, Go Dallas Cowboys!

Nice Draft

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

I think the defense will be better, but it's hard to say how much at this point. Too many question marks.

 

[Rockport]

You can't say the defense is fixed without even seeing the new players play. Not to mention we're not even sure that Melton or Spencer will play. You spurted a little too early.

 

[Ren]

Its going to take years to fix this D

 

[JPostSam]

i think the rebuild of the d line is going abou the same as the ebuild of the o line, just about two years behind. cutting gurode and flozell adams, plus busting on some draft picks, really set us back there. did drafting tyron smith "fix" the o line? no. were livings and bernadeau the answer? no. but they started to turn the tide. add in frederick, leary and, now, martin, and that thing looks like a strength instead of a liability. i would expect an attempt to find a premier right tackle in next year's draft and comparisons to the lines that rolled this team to dominance 20 years ago.

so, what about the d line? ware, ratliff, hatcher and spears are gone. most of the folks we brought in last year, despite being try hard guys, were not even close to being the answer. but if demarcus lawrence can justify his draft pick (and trade), if melton plays like he did in 2012 and if mincey and mcclain can provide something like livings and berny did, then this thing will start to turn around.

they've got spencer for one more year, a "let's see what you've got left deal, and i think they'll try to use him on obvious passing downs to manage his wear and tear. i imagine they think of selvie as a guy whose contributions are a bonus. they seem to think that crawford has something to special to offer and are probably hoping he wins the starting role; if gardner shows he can add value once spencer's gone, well, great.

if bass and bishop can provide some quality snaps in a rotation in the middle, we'll all be happy, but i think they'll look for a stud tackle in next year's draft, too.