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Gosselin: What a dominating Cowboys defense depends upon
Follow @RickGosselinDMN rgosselin@***BANNED-URL***
Staff Columnist
Published: 30 May 2015 07:28 PM
SportsDay columnist Rick "Goose" Gosselin hosted a chat Tuesday morning to talk everything sports. Here are some of the highlights:
Question: Whenever Hardy is able to play, do you see it as more likely that he slides inside on Nickel, or DeMarcus Lawrence slides inside? (Assumption is Randy Gregory is on the right side in that situation.)
Gosselin: I see Lawrence coming off the left edge and Gregory coming off the right edge — at least for the first 10 weeks while Hardy sits. When Hardy returns to the field, I see a three-player rotation with Hardy spelling both Harvey on the right side and Lawrence on the left. Gregory has to stay on the right side because of his lack of stature. But Hardy is big enough to play either side and Lawrence will have the experience on both sides to play wherever Marinelli asks him. They give the Cowboys fresh legs in the pass rush — exactly what they had with Haley, Jeffcoat and Tony Tolbert when they were winning Super Bowls. There will be enough pass rush opportunities for all three of these players.
Question: With Sean Lee back, Rolando McClain back, the addition of Greg Hardy, Randy Gregory, Byron Jones, another year for Anthony hitchens and DeMarcus Lawrence — can this defense be special?
Gosselin: It all depends on the pass rush. If this bunch can get the Cowboys in the 42-47 sack range, this can be a special defense. If Hardy sits for 10 games and Gregory struggles as a rookie and this team again finds itself in the 28-35 sack range, special isn't a word I'd use to describe this defense. Super Bowl champions have averaged almost 43 sacks per year. The Cowboys need to get near that to have a dominating defense.
Question: Did the Cowboys go with two linebackers last year on a majority of third downs because they didn't feel like they had one who could cover? If so, will it be any different this year?
Gosselin: The NFL has become a two-linebacker league because of all the passing. The fact that Sean Lee will be one of the two linebackers this season will be a major plus for the Cowboys because he is the best cover linebacker on the team. But when offenses are flooding the field with four wide receivers and flanking tight ends, you'd better have folks who can run with them. Cornerbacks and safeties give you a better chance than linebackers. This year the Cowboys can slide Lee out to cover the tight end. He can also chase backs out of the backfield. Once upon a time third-and-2 was a running down. Now it's a passing down. So you want coverage players on the field, not tacklers. So the linebackers leave and the nickel and dime backs arrive.
Click here to read the full chat transcript.
Rookies, RBs among Cowboys practice storylines to follow
Follow @RickGosselinDMN rgosselin@***BANNED-URL***
Staff Columnist
Published: 30 May 2015 07:28 PM
SportsDay columnist Rick "Goose" Gosselin hosted a chat Tuesday morning to talk everything sports. Here are some of the highlights:
Question: Whenever Hardy is able to play, do you see it as more likely that he slides inside on Nickel, or DeMarcus Lawrence slides inside? (Assumption is Randy Gregory is on the right side in that situation.)
Gosselin: I see Lawrence coming off the left edge and Gregory coming off the right edge — at least for the first 10 weeks while Hardy sits. When Hardy returns to the field, I see a three-player rotation with Hardy spelling both Harvey on the right side and Lawrence on the left. Gregory has to stay on the right side because of his lack of stature. But Hardy is big enough to play either side and Lawrence will have the experience on both sides to play wherever Marinelli asks him. They give the Cowboys fresh legs in the pass rush — exactly what they had with Haley, Jeffcoat and Tony Tolbert when they were winning Super Bowls. There will be enough pass rush opportunities for all three of these players.
Question: With Sean Lee back, Rolando McClain back, the addition of Greg Hardy, Randy Gregory, Byron Jones, another year for Anthony hitchens and DeMarcus Lawrence — can this defense be special?
Gosselin: It all depends on the pass rush. If this bunch can get the Cowboys in the 42-47 sack range, this can be a special defense. If Hardy sits for 10 games and Gregory struggles as a rookie and this team again finds itself in the 28-35 sack range, special isn't a word I'd use to describe this defense. Super Bowl champions have averaged almost 43 sacks per year. The Cowboys need to get near that to have a dominating defense.
Question: Did the Cowboys go with two linebackers last year on a majority of third downs because they didn't feel like they had one who could cover? If so, will it be any different this year?
Gosselin: The NFL has become a two-linebacker league because of all the passing. The fact that Sean Lee will be one of the two linebackers this season will be a major plus for the Cowboys because he is the best cover linebacker on the team. But when offenses are flooding the field with four wide receivers and flanking tight ends, you'd better have folks who can run with them. Cornerbacks and safeties give you a better chance than linebackers. This year the Cowboys can slide Lee out to cover the tight end. He can also chase backs out of the backfield. Once upon a time third-and-2 was a running down. Now it's a passing down. So you want coverage players on the field, not tacklers. So the linebackers leave and the nickel and dime backs arrive.
Click here to read the full chat transcript.
Rookies, RBs among Cowboys practice storylines to follow
- Sabin: Why Cowboys' offseason plan of stocking up on linebackers defies conventional wisdom
- Bob Sturm: Why I have 'high hopes' for Cowboys defense
- Machota: With Hardy suspended, my pick for Cowboys' sack leader
You can't make this stuff up.