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11:42 AM Tue, Jan 06, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
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According to the Associated Press voters, DeMarcus Ware had the second-best season of any defensive player this year. We debated whether that was accurate yesterday.
Today's debate: Where does Ware's season rank among all the great campaigns by Cowboys' defensive players?
I'm going to place it third, with apologies to the guys that played in the '60s. Due to a lack of stats from those days, it's difficult to say which season was the best of Hall of Fame DT Bob Lilly's career. (Experienced readers, feel free to make suggestions.) Hall of Fame DB Mel Renfro's 10-interception campaign in 1969, when the 11-2-1 Cowboys allowed 15.4 points per game, just missed the cut.
Follow the jump for the top three:
3. OLB DeMarcus Ware in 2008 -- Racked up 20 sacks, forced six fumbles and was a force against the run. His presence played a large part in many of the Cowboys' league-leading 59 sacks, even when he didn't get close to the quarterback. Many of the Cowboys' blitzes were designed to flood the side opposite of Ware, because the coaches knew teams had to design their protections to try to slow down No. 94.
2. DT Randy White in 1978 -- The Manster had career highs in tackles (123) and sacks (16) during this 12-4 season, which ended with a Super Bowl loss to the Steelers. Cut those numbers in half, and that's a heck of a season for a defensive tackle.
1. DE Harvey Martin in 1977 -- The NFL recognizes Michael Strahan's 22.5 sacks in 2001 as the league record. But the Cowboys credited Martin with 23 this season (five years before sacks became an official stat). That was in 14 games. The Cowboys held 10 opponents to 10 or fewer points, including all three playoff foes. Martin shared Super Bowl XII MVP honors with Randy White and was named the Defensive Player of the Year, the only Cowboy to earn that honor.
Tim MacMahon http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg E-mail http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg News tips
http://cowboysblog.***BANNED-URL***/assets_c/2009/01/martinwhite-thumb-250x190-31384.jpg
According to the Associated Press voters, DeMarcus Ware had the second-best season of any defensive player this year. We debated whether that was accurate yesterday.
Today's debate: Where does Ware's season rank among all the great campaigns by Cowboys' defensive players?
I'm going to place it third, with apologies to the guys that played in the '60s. Due to a lack of stats from those days, it's difficult to say which season was the best of Hall of Fame DT Bob Lilly's career. (Experienced readers, feel free to make suggestions.) Hall of Fame DB Mel Renfro's 10-interception campaign in 1969, when the 11-2-1 Cowboys allowed 15.4 points per game, just missed the cut.
Follow the jump for the top three:
3. OLB DeMarcus Ware in 2008 -- Racked up 20 sacks, forced six fumbles and was a force against the run. His presence played a large part in many of the Cowboys' league-leading 59 sacks, even when he didn't get close to the quarterback. Many of the Cowboys' blitzes were designed to flood the side opposite of Ware, because the coaches knew teams had to design their protections to try to slow down No. 94.
2. DT Randy White in 1978 -- The Manster had career highs in tackles (123) and sacks (16) during this 12-4 season, which ended with a Super Bowl loss to the Steelers. Cut those numbers in half, and that's a heck of a season for a defensive tackle.
1. DE Harvey Martin in 1977 -- The NFL recognizes Michael Strahan's 22.5 sacks in 2001 as the league record. But the Cowboys credited Martin with 23 this season (five years before sacks became an official stat). That was in 14 games. The Cowboys held 10 opponents to 10 or fewer points, including all three playoff foes. Martin shared Super Bowl XII MVP honors with Randy White and was named the Defensive Player of the Year, the only Cowboy to earn that honor.
