DL Review

[JohnsKey19]

I was just reviewing the DL after the Josh Brent announcement. I'm still confident in the players they have including at DT. I prefer Ken Bishop over Josh Brent long term anyway.

Many are worried about DT, but they have a lot of options. McClain was never healthy last season, Bishop now has some NFL experience. Whaley is like having a mid round draft pick this year. Some of the DE(s) can play inside like Hardy and Mincey.

IMO, they might not be stacked with elite talent at DT but they have some depth and are going to cut some players that will likely get a job somewhere as a rotational DLineman.


76 DE Hardy, Greg - RDE
94 DE Gregory, Randy – RDE. Can play inside also.
90 DE Lawrence, DeMarcus - LDE
92 DE Mincey, Jeremy – Probably LDE this year. Can play inside also.

99 DE Russell, Ryan – Seems ideally suited to LDE but might project inside also.
93 DE Gardner, Ben – Probable LDE but played inside at times in college.
58 DE Crawford, Jack – Best game in 2014 was at DT.
64 DE Edwards, Lavar – Played some in 2014 then got injured.
79 DE Boatright, Kenneth – Promoted to the 53 late in the season.

98 DT Crawford, Tyrone – Starting 3tech
64 DT Whaley, Chris – Like having an extra draft pick this year after being on IR all of last year. Probably a 3tech but played both in college.
66 DT Bishop, Ken – More of a Marinelli type 1tech than Brent was because he has quickness to provide some pass rush but is also very strong. Did a decent job in limited action last season including a playoff game.
60 DT Coleman, Davon – Jokester with some talent.
96 DT Hayden, Nick – Marinelli seems to love him, but he is not very talented. He does get outside and to LB depth to make some tackles that you wouldn’t expect of a 1tech, but not strong at the point of attack and not much of a pass rusher.
97 DT McClain, Terrell – Combo 1/3 tech. Another Marinelli type 1tech that has pass rush ability. Was never completely healthy last season but showed flashes of being a good pass rusher.

46 DE Efe Obada – Appears to have been switched to TE.

They probably keep 10 on the 53 although they had up to 11 at times since switching to the 4-3.
The top 6 or 7 seem like locks for the 53.
Hardy
Gregory
Lawrence
Mincey

Crawford
McClain

Hayden – Sadly probably a lock again this year.

That leaves 3 or possibly 4 spots for 8 players.
Bishop – Seems like the idea Marinelli 1tech that is strong but has some pass rush ability.
Whaley – Probable 3tech but also played 1tech in college.
Russell – Physically seems ideally suited to LDE. Has good size, strength and long arms.
Gardner - Good short area quickness and explosive measurable(s) but really short arms.
Coleman – Good physical ability as a 3tech but immature.
J. Crawford – Looked really good at 3tech in 1 game, just OK at DE.
Boatright – Probably has PS eligibility remaining.
Edwards – Might be out of PS eligibility. Has good physically ability considering he’s about the 15th ranked DL on the team.

My guess if they carry 11:
1, Hardy
2. Gregory
3. Lawrence
4. Mincey
5. Crawford
6. McClain
7. Hayden
8. Bishop
9. Whaley
10. Russell
11. Gardner

I think the last spot comes down to Gardner or J.Crawford. That should be a good battle.

While Hayden is mobile and hustles, fundamentally as a 1T he is poor. It's the oddest thing especially with a coach like Marinelli. You would think first and foremost Rod would want a 1T who can at least stalemate a double team to maintain the integrity of the defense. And someone who can also push some upfield. Not a guy who gets single blocked or destroyed by double teams. I just don't understand.

 

[reddyuta]

So Dlaw will play LDE now ? I still think he is the best option at RDE till Hardy comes back,we can give Gregory some snaps every game.

 

[xwalker]

Out of all the rookies DL last yr, word from both Talkin Cowboys and Cowboys Break was the team liked Gardner and what limited action they saw from him. But what they loved was, that while other rookies like Coleman, Bishop and Whaley did just enough to get the coaches off their backs Gardner was at VR every day rehabbing and getting bigger. They said multiple times that he was basically Sean Lee's shadow and Lee even had Gardner at VR in the weight room on Christmas.

They say his body has transformed, and bigger. He was pretty big before, as he looked like a man amongst boys last yr with other rookies. Would not suprise me if he starts at some point this yr at LDE. The guy would have easily been a 2-3 round pick if it wasnt for his torn pec, hell round 1 wasnt out of the question either. Guy started 2013 very hot and was manhandling everybody he went up against, and then got hurt.

Dont sleep on Gardner, the guy is a beast with the talent to back it up. Dallas wasnt suprised when he went on IR Spagnola reported because of the injury to his pec already.

Another guy to watch out for is Whaley. Him and Gardner is going to provide production in the rotation. Whaley can just flat out disrupt the middle because he is so athletic. He gives you something at the 3tech that Crawford doesnt have and that speed. He has that closing speed to get that QB in pursuit that Crawford doesnt have. Too many times last yr we saw QBs just roll out the pocket to escape Crawford pretty easily.

I'm very optimistic on Whaley. He looked like a future NFL player in this college game footage to me.

I'm also optimistic to see Gardner; however, IMO, he was not close to the same talent in college as Whaley. I'm not certain what position Gardner will play. He was a 3-4 DE in college and primarily rushed as an inside type guy. Even when they went to a 4 man line in the Nickel he was often inside. In general, his extremely short arms would be less of an issue inside at the 3tech spot over playing the SDE spot where most teams like to have players with good length. I have no doubt that he is a super high motor guy and the announcers in preseason will take about his high motor, film study, work ethic just like they would with Lee.

 

[MagicMan]

I agree that Gardner is one of the guys who I think is going to jump ahead of the other pups and contribute to the rotation this year. He reminds me of Chad Hennings and I think he has gotten bigger because he will be moving inside-------I think he plays better and rushes better from the inside. And that is the only way he will stick on this team with the overload on DEs. If Marinelli can turn the pilot light on in Ryan Russell and use him to his strengths, which I believe he can, this guy is going to be a load to handle as well. Whaley and Bishop will be the other guys to make that final four cut among the subs.

I agree with your top 7 on the rotation. And they will carry 11 on the DL. You've probably noticed that this team is being built from the trenches out. The OL is also being strengthened. Controlling the LOS is the name of the game.

 

[waving monkey]

Marinelli will sacrifice size/power for more pass rush ability. Paea was his 1tech in Chicago. The Cowboys OL really pushed Paea around but Paea had more sacks than the average 1tech for the season.

In the Red Zone those fast lite guys give ground to hogs chunks of yards each down.

 

[xwalker]

You like the idea of drafting injury replacements? It would be one thing if we incorporated Esco ove the last two seasons, but the team doesn't make the attempt; wasted pick? Drafting for injury is new to me. Drafting for future is great if the current TE has "shown a willingness" to give up snaps for his "replacement"? Somethig tells me Dez would get flack over this sabotage if he was a vet in the same position? Fasano, Marty, Escobar; Witten don't want no 2nd TE

When they drafted Escobar, they said they were going to give the 2nd TE a bigger role in the passing game, but that never really happened on a consistent basis. Escobar did have a great game in 2014 when they made him a focus in the passing game. IIRC, it was the home game against the Giants. He has been what was expected when giving the opportunity in the passing game. I'm sure they probably expected him to progress faster as a blocker when they draft him. The Cowboys media guys did say he looks much bigger this off-season. He did have 4 TDs for the season.

In general, I think fans get upset when the team has good depth at a position; however, depth is a huge asset and we've seen where a lack of depth can be a huge problem. The Cowboys and Romo have built a passing game that is heavily dependent on the TE. If something happened to Witten, it is very important to have a quality backup.

MartyB has shown since leaving the Cowboys that he had the talent to be worth the pick they used to get him. They really could have used a 2 TE set as their base offense if he had lived up to his ability while he was with the Cowboys. He was a terrific inline blocker. He showed terrific ability in practice as a receiver but just could not transfer that ability to real games. He also was never focused enough to function in a move-TE/H-back role which forced them to use John Phillips way more than they should have with MartyB's superior physical ability.

The best draft strategy is to focus on BPA with just a slight lean towards need. That strategy is never going to result in a perfect roster balance but it does result in more successful picks and far fewer players that just can't play at the NFL level. If you stick to a BPA strategy then you'll draft LeSean McCoy in the 2nd when you have him ranked as a 1st round talent even when you already have Barber and Felix on the roster. More often than not that is going to work out when you get a talented player like McCoy. Occasionally, it's just going to result in more depth like it did with Escobar.

 

[xwalker]

So Dlaw will play LDE now ? I still think he is the best option at RDE till Hardy comes back,we can give Gregory some snaps every game.

Yes, when Hardy is active, it appears that Lawrence is going to play LDE. At the beginning of the season when Hardy is suspended, I don't know exactly who plays where. I suspect that Lawrence and Mincey would be the starters with Gregory playing RDE in passing situations.

 

[xwalker]

In the Red Zone those fast lite guys give ground to hogs chunks of yards each down.

I thought they were going to have Brent for those situations. I think Bishop will be good in those situations. He was visibly stronger than Hayden even as a rookie from a very small college.

 

[Kaiser]

My guess if they carry 11:
1, Hardy
2. Gregory
3. Lawrence
4. Mincey
5. Crawford
6. McClain
7. Hayden
8. Bishop
9. Whaley
10. Russell
11. Gardner

I think its that group but they carry ten with Russell on the Practice Squad. Another point to add on Ken Bishop is that in the Green Bay playoff game he had 5 tackles, including a tackle for loss. I would make the argument he is already a solid backup based on how last season ended.

 

[USMarineVet]

I was just reviewing the DL after the Josh Brent announcement. I'm still confident in the players they have including at DT. I prefer Ken Bishop over Josh Brent long term anyway.

Many are worried about DT, but they have a lot of options. McClain was never healthy last season, Bishop now has some NFL experience. Whaley is like having a mid round draft pick this year. Some of the DE(s) can play inside like Hardy and Mincey.

IMO, they might not be stacked with elite talent at DT but they have some depth and are going to cut some players that will likely get a job somewhere as a rotational DLineman.


76 DE Hardy, Greg - RDE
94 DE Gregory, Randy – RDE. Can play inside also.
90 DE Lawrence, DeMarcus - LDE
92 DE Mincey, Jeremy – Probably LDE this year. Can play inside also.

99 DE Russell, Ryan – Seems ideally suited to LDE but might project inside also.
93 DE Gardner, Ben – Probable LDE but played inside at times in college.
58 DE Crawford, Jack – Best game in 2014 was at DT.
64 DE Edwards, Lavar – Played some in 2014 then got injured.
79 DE Boatright, Kenneth – Promoted to the 53 late in the season.

98 DT Crawford, Tyrone – Starting 3tech
64 DT Whaley, Chris – Like having an extra draft pick this year after being on IR all of last year. Probably a 3tech but played both in college.
66 DT Bishop, Ken – More of a Marinelli type 1tech than Brent was because he has quickness to provide some pass rush but is also very strong. Did a decent job in limited action last season including a playoff game.
60 DT Coleman, Davon – Jokester with some talent.
96 DT Hayden, Nick – Marinelli seems to love him, but he is not very talented. He does get outside and to LB depth to make some tackles that you wouldn’t expect of a 1tech, but not strong at the point of attack and not much of a pass rusher.
97 DT McClain, Terrell – Combo 1/3 tech. Another Marinelli type 1tech that has pass rush ability. Was never completely healthy last season but showed flashes of being a good pass rusher.

46 DE Efe Obada – Appears to have been switched to TE.

They probably keep 10 on the 53 although they had up to 11 at times since switching to the 4-3.
The top 6 or 7 seem like locks for the 53.
Hardy
Gregory
Lawrence
Mincey

Crawford
McClain

Hayden – Sadly probably a lock again this year.

That leaves 3 or possibly 4 spots for 8 players.
Bishop – Seems like the idea Marinelli 1tech that is strong but has some pass rush ability.
Whaley – Probable 3tech but also played 1tech in college.
Russell – Physically seems ideally suited to LDE. Has good size, strength and long arms.
Gardner - Good short area quickness and explosive measurable(s) but really short arms.
Coleman – Good physical ability as a 3tech but immature.
J. Crawford – Looked really good at 3tech in 1 game, just OK at DE.
Boatright – Probably has PS eligibility remaining.
Edwards – Might be out of PS eligibility. Has good physically ability considering he’s about the 15th ranked DL on the team.

My guess if they carry 11:
1, Hardy
2. Gregory
3. Lawrence
4. Mincey
5. Crawford
6. McClain
7. Hayden
8. Bishop
9. Whaley
10. Russell
11. Gardner

If they go with 11, these would be my guess as well. Good job X.

 

[xwalker]

I think its that group but they carry ten with Russell on the Practice Squad. Another point to add on Ken Bishop is that in the Green Bay playoff game he had 5 tackles, including a tackle for loss. I would make the argument he is already a solid backup based on how last season ended.

Yes, 5 tackles in 1 playoff game vs 2 tackles total in 2 playoff games for Hayden.

 

[slick325]

Bishop had 5 tackles in a game that the defense gave up 101yds on the ground to Lacy on 19 carries. 119 total rushing yards were given up. Bottom line is...there is time to see if they can improve the 1tech from within since there are only two on the roster (T. McClain proving he can actually stay healthy and perform or Bishop making a jump from his 1st year to 2nd year in the League) or maybe a player gets released during camp by another team or a trade is made to acquire one.

But, as I have stated many times, Dallas needs to start taking that position seriously like it finally has viewed the Guard position on the OL. May not be a flashy position but it requires quality over quantity. Period! In order to get to your Nickel package...you have to win 1st and 2nd downs making the other team be faced with 3rd and long. In order to do that...you have to stop the run. That is football and always will be football. Having a beast at 1tech makes everyone's job easier. The DE's face more one on one blocking, the 3tech faces one on one blocking, the LB's are clean and able to run to the ball and make plays, a safety is not needed in the box...all because that 1tech is occupying two linemen and occasionally making the play himself.

 

[Bluefin]

I'm still not clear about the 1tech DT .
They want him to eat space but get to the passer
A space eatin pass rusher seems like he'd be a little scarce .
I know thats not the case but combining strength and quick step?

It is definitely frustrating and confusing.

NT and SLB just aren't priority positions in Rod Marinelli's scheme.

He wants UTs and WLBs, athletes that can play wherever needed.

Marinelli wants his NT to be stronger against the run that the UT, but not at the expense of being able to get up the field.

And he wants athletic WLBs capable of playing all three positions.

NT and SLB, both early (run) down positions, aren't as important in today's wide open, feature the pass NFL.

The biggest thing is that Marinelli is going to have a rotation that keeps the DT's from getting worn out. If you just have one starter at 1-tech, he needs to be bulky to hold up over 4 quarters. A smaller guy will eventually get worn out. A rotation of two more mobile guys who are smaller will need rest... but that is just what Marinelli gives them. They're both fresh for the 4th quarter.

The DL rotation is huge.

The best players will still play a lot of snaps, but having a deeper rotation will hopefully keep the others from getting overused and exposed.

PFF credited Nick Hayden with 585 snaps last season, which was 3rd on the DL behind Jeremy Mincey (724) and Tyrone Crawford (643).

That's simply too many snaps for Hayden, who led the entire unit in 2013 with 843 snaps (that's just ghastly).

I'm not a fan of Hayden, but he won't be as big of an eye sore if on the field for fewer than 400 plays this season.

 

[dallasdave]

Bishop had 5 tackles in a game that the defense gave up 101yds on the ground to Lacy on 19 carries. 119 total rushing yards were given up. Bottom line is...there is time to see if they can improve the 1tech from within since there are only two on the roster (T. McClain proving he can actually stay healthy and perform or Bishop making a jump from his 1st year to 2nd year in the League) or maybe a player gets released during camp by another team or a trade is made to acquire one.

But, as I have stated many times, Dallas needs to start taking that position seriously like it finally has viewed the Guard position on the OL. May not be a flashy position but it requires quality over quantity. Period! In order to get to your Nickel package...you have to win 1st and 2nd downs making the other team be faced with 3rd and long. In order to do that...you have to stop the run. That is football and always will be football. Having a beast at 1tech makes everyone's job easier. The DE's face more one on one blocking, the 3tech faces one on one blocking, the LB's are clean and able to run to the ball and make plays, a safety is not needed in the box...all because that 1tech is occupying two linemen and occasionally making the play himself.

Good post, Whoo! To be the man you have to beat the man!!!!

 

[cowboys1981]

Maybe Hayden stays so the other linemen can see what they shouldn't look like on the field?

 

[dallasdave]

I was just reviewing the DL after the Josh Brent announcement. I'm still confident in the players they have including at DT. I prefer Ken Bishop over Josh Brent long term anyway.

Many are worried about DT, but they have a lot of options. McClain was never healthy last season, Bishop now has some NFL experience. Whaley is like having a mid round draft pick this year. Some of the DE(s) can play inside like Hardy and Mincey.

IMO, they might not be stacked with elite talent at DT but they have some depth and are going to cut some players that will likely get a job somewhere as a rotational DLineman.


76 DE Hardy, Greg - RDE
94 DE Gregory, Randy – RDE. Can play inside also.
90 DE Lawrence, DeMarcus - LDE
92 DE Mincey, Jeremy – Probably LDE this year. Can play inside also.

99 DE Russell, Ryan – Seems ideally suited to LDE but might project inside also.
93 DE Gardner, Ben – Probable LDE but played inside at times in college.
58 DE Crawford, Jack – Best game in 2014 was at DT.
64 DE Edwards, Lavar – Played some in 2014 then got injured.
79 DE Boatright, Kenneth – Promoted to the 53 late in the season.

98 DT Crawford, Tyrone – Starting 3tech
64 DT Whaley, Chris – Like having an extra draft pick this year after being on IR all of last year. Probably a 3tech but played both in college.
66 DT Bishop, Ken – More of a Marinelli type 1tech than Brent was because he has quickness to provide some pass rush but is also very strong. Did a decent job in limited action last season including a playoff game.
60 DT Coleman, Davon – Jokester with some talent.
96 DT Hayden, Nick – Marinelli seems to love him, but he is not very talented. He does get outside and to LB depth to make some tackles that you wouldn’t expect of a 1tech, but not strong at the point of attack and not much of a pass rusher.
97 DT McClain, Terrell – Combo 1/3 tech. Another Marinelli type 1tech that has pass rush ability. Was never completely healthy last season but showed flashes of being a good pass rusher.

46 DE Efe Obada – Appears to have been switched to TE.

They probably keep 10 on the 53 although they had up to 11 at times since switching to the 4-3.
The top 6 or 7 seem like locks for the 53.
Hardy
Gregory
Lawrence
Mincey

Crawford
McClain

Hayden – Sadly probably a lock again this year.

That leaves 3 or possibly 4 spots for 8 players.
Bishop – Seems like the idea Marinelli 1tech that is strong but has some pass rush ability.
Whaley – Probable 3tech but also played 1tech in college.
Russell – Physically seems ideally suited to LDE. Has good size, strength and long arms.
Gardner - Good short area quickness and explosive measurable(s) but really short arms.
Coleman – Good physical ability as a 3tech but immature.
J. Crawford – Looked really good at 3tech in 1 game, just OK at DE.
Boatright – Probably has PS eligibility remaining.
Edwards – Might be out of PS eligibility. Has good physically ability considering he’s about the 15th ranked DL on the team.

My guess if they carry 11:
1, Hardy
2. Gregory
3. Lawrence
4. Mincey
5. Crawford
6. McClain
7. Hayden
8. Bishop
9. Whaley
10. Russell
11. Gardner

Great info, and Dallas has depth and quality on DL now. I see Mincey inside a lot this year, and our best pass rush since the early to mid 90's.

 

[CCBoy]

I initially thought Brent was probably out of shape and they were going to cut him or they really got on his case about it; however, there was a quote by Marneilli they he worked his arse off this off-season to become the 1tech that they wanted.

Bishop went to a small college. It was impressive that he was even active as a rookie especially in a playoff game. His college game footage is really fun to watch. He was about as dominant as any player that you'll ever see.

I agree on Bishop getting a vote of confidence apparently and projects forward in competition.

 

[TheEnigma]

Well Hardy count against the 53 while suspended?

 

[Bluefin]

76 DE Hardy, Greg - RDE
94 DE Gregory, Randy – RDE. Can play inside also.
90 DE Lawrence, DeMarcus - LDE
92 DE Mincey, Jeremy – Probably LDE this year. Can play inside also.

Everything I've seen indicates Jeremy Mincey will remain the starter at RDE this season while Greg Hardy serves his suspension, however long it ends up being.

DeMarcus Lawrence will move to left end and focus on that, rather than beginning as the right end and then changing whenever Hardy is given the green light.

Mincey arrived last year as a large human being and has been trimming down ever since.

Part of leading by example figures to be coming into camp in better shape. Mincey said he came into last year weighing 300 pounds. He’s down to 280 now, and hopes to play around 265.

“As you noticed last year I started getting a lot better after six, seven games because I was shedding so much weight,” Mincey said. “This season I’m going to start in front of the eight ball instead of behind it.”

 

[Bluefin]

Well Hardy count against the 53 while suspended?

No.

The team will have to open a spot for him when the suspension ends.