Do CB and safety become a priority over pass rush?

[Carson]

Pass rush is the biggest issue.

I will stand by this ..

Starting secondary day 1...

CB - Carroll, Brown, Scandrick
FS - Jones
SS - Heath

Will gladly eat crow if I am wrong. This just smells like the Alan Ball, Keith Davis "give them a chance" secondary season.

 

[dagreat1_87]

Sensible has also morphed into stupid.

The defense needed upgrading but a total deconstruction when you do next to nothing to upgrade in free agency is not that intelligent.

Not only will we have to nail the draft, we don't even have the flexibility to take the best players. We are now chained to the secondary.

Couldn't agree more. The fact that we haven't hit on a long term secondary player in the draft outside of Newman in 03 is what worries me the most about relying on the draft

Edit: scandrick has been decent too

 

[Leadbelly]

DB was always the priority. DL is a sub package system. Our top DBs play nearly every defensive snap.

We lost 3 starters and a solid backup on a single position group. That's going to be a lot of on-the-job training to start 2017. That kind of thing can lead to starting a season slow and giving up some early games we should win. Adding 4.5 sacks from some late RD1 DE isn't going to do squat to cover up DB deficiency in '17.

 

[CCBoy]

My bet was the 1st rounder was going to be a secondary player anyway.

And there is strength there? Six defensive backs and six defensive ends will go even before Dallas picks...great fixing material here.

 

[Vinnie2u]

This is what happens when we waste second rounders.

 

[Nova]

The FO is screwing the pooch right now. Can't afford to be cheap considering our defense draft history.

BOLDED PLAYERS WON'T BE OF USE IN 2017


’12
Claiborne – bust/always injured now gone.
Crawford – okay player, not worth what they resigned him for
Matt Johnson-- always injured, never got on field
Caleb McSurdy -- not here, don't even know what happened to him


‘13
Wilcox – serviceable, but now gone
BW Webb – wasted pick
Devonte Holloman – career brought to end by injury defect


‘14
DeMarcus Lawrence – decent, often hurt, not worth the trade up
Hitchens – okay depth player
Gardner – didn’t make it past yr 1
+4 other guys who didn't make it out of camp


‘15
Byron Jones – Decent player, nothing spectacular
Randy Gregory – drug problems
Damien Wilson – serviceable depth player
Ryan Russell – doing okay after being released
Mark Nzeocha – can’t get on the field


‘16
Jaylon Smith – probably won’t ever play*
Maliek Collins – starter
Charles Tapper – appears to be defective*
Anthony Brown – Good, Starting quality CB
Kavon Frazier – special teams player


Where do they think they're going to get help from if not from FA?

 

[MrPhil]

It's always a priority over pass rush.





Get with the program.

I have visions of RS clutching his chest.....or reaching for a bottle of Whiskey.

 

[JBS]

We talk crap about our sorry secondary for years...then we get rid of all the trash and now everyone is worried...lol

Do we have holes in the secondary? Absolutely...we've had them for years

 

[Smashin222]

The FO is screwing the pooch right now. Can't afford to be cheap considering our defense draft history.

BOLDED PLAYERS WON'T BE OF USE IN 2017


’12
Claiborne – bust/always injured now gone.
Crawford – okay player, not worth what they resigned him for
Matt Johnson-- always injured, never got on field
Caleb McSurdy -- not here, don't even know what happened to him


‘13
Wilcox – serviceable, but now gone
BW Webb – wasted pick
Devonte Holloman – career brought to end by injury defect


‘14
DeMarcus Lawrence – decent, often hurt, not worth the trade up
Hitchens – okay depth player
Gardner – didn’t make it past yr 1
+4 other guys who didn't make it out of camp


‘15
Byron Jones – Decent player, nothing spectacular
Randy Gregory – drug problems
Damien Wilson – serviceable depth player
Ryan Russell – doing okay after being released
Mark Nzeocha – can’t get on the field


‘16
Jaylon Smith – probably won’t ever play*
Maliek Collins – starter
Charles Tapper – appears to be defective*
Anthony Brown – Good, Starting quality CB
Kavon Frazier – special teams player


Where do they think they're going to get help from if not from FA?

I think they disagree with your Smith and Tapper bolds. That probably explains the disconnect.


Irving, Crawford/Collins, Paea/Collins, Lawrence
Lee, Smith, (Hitchens)
Brown, Scandrick, Carroll, Jones, Drafted/FA Safety.

Is that a world beating team? no. Is that a major dropoff from last year? Not really. Do they need to draft guys to fill out the roster and fill in rotations? Yes.

 

[jwooten15]

This just shows me that they aren't prioritizing winning next season. They see their window of opportunity being wide open again, and are cutting their losses and wanting to build the defense from the ground up. Unless we get really lucky with Jaylon and Tapper, this defense is going to be putrid.

 

[Killerinstinct]

I always wanted SS and CB addressed early. I think at DE we need a situational pass rusher and that can be had in later rounds.

 

[Doomsday101]

I think Cowboys had a price in mind with each of these players. If Dallas felt they needed Carr, Mo, Church or Wilcox that bad they would have signed them. I don't think Cowboys are going into this blind they knew what they had in each of those players. Unlike some I don't panic that easy, I think as this off season plays out the Cowboys will make some moves in FA and the draft to get this defense moving forward.

 

[Alexander]

We talk crap about our sorry secondary for years...then we get rid of all the trash and now everyone is worried...lol

Do we have holes in the secondary? Absolutely...we've had them for years

That is not the point.

The point now becomes that more resources have to be devoted to the secondary, more than likely two draft choices at minimum and probably the first or second round pick. That comes at a price and it will affect the ability to get more rushers that were already needed.

This is why free agency needs to provide an offset. It does not have to be a bunch of high priced signings. It does have to be calculated and allow you to not have more than a couple of pressing needs going into the draft.

 

[bayeslife]

I highly doubt we're going to find a cornerback tandem better than Claiborne and Carr as rookies, especially since we're going to be picking near the end of each round and given the fact it usually takes corners years to develop. Anthony Brown is about to get the Carr treatment from fans once he's getting lit up due to being forced to cover other team's number 1s and having virtually no pass rush and inexperienced safety play once Jones leaves the field.

I'm curious why you highly doubt that. Carr and Claiborne were potatoes.

 

[Alexander]

I think at DE we need a situational pass rusher and that can be had in later rounds.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

This braintrust will elevate the DBs over the rush. It is what they believe in.

Marinelli can just manufacture "rushmen".

Has little to do with that.

Offenses have changed. Pass patterns are shorter, the ball gets out of the QB's hands more quickly and from the shotgun and the passes are more out to the perimeter.

Good luck getting to a QB consistently when they can get rid of the ball in 1.7 seconds or less. In 2015 we couldn't stop pick plays to save our life and no matter what type of pass rush we had, we would have been eaten alive by the pass.

The big difference between 2015 and 2016 is that we were far better against the pick play (it also helped that the refs started to call offensive PI's for once). But, you're in a division with 3 very pick heavy passing schemes in the Eagles, Giants and Skins. Hell, Jamison Crowder basically pass interferes almost every down.

Obviously, we need a pass rush because once you start stopping those quick passes you need to prevent the QB from having too much time to deliver on the deep passes and when the play breaks down. But, if you don't have a defensive backfield in today's game...you're screwed. And putting the pass rush over the DB's in today's game is putting the cart before the horse.

The best defenses can mix up zone coverages and man coverages. It's pretty much a fundamental in the NFL and without it, you're just going to get what the Cowboys have had...little confusion for the opposing QB as to where to go with the ball and little chance for the defense to get INT's, sacks and force turnovers.





YR

 

[Killerinstinct]

I think they disagree with your Smith and Tapper bolds. That probably explains the disconnect.


Irving, Crawford/Collins, Paea/Collins, Lawrence
Lee, Smith, (Hitchens)
Brown, Scandrick, Carroll, Jones, Drafted/FA Safety.

Is that a world beating team? no. Is that a major dropoff from last year? Not really. Do they need to draft guys to fill out the roster and fill in rotations? Yes.

I suspect Wilson will be the starting SAM with Hitchens and Smith playing the middle.
A starting CB and SS will come from the draft.

 

[SportsGuru80]

This draft is deep thank goodness.

 

[MarkP88]

This braintrust will elevate the DBs over the rush. It is what they believe in.

Marinelli can just manufacture "rushmen".

Why hasn't he done so yet?

 

[JoeKing]

Secondary or pass rush: I don't believe we should place either of those positions as a priority over the other. They are both huge needs so when considering replacements for those specific positions, draft BPA. We'll get both anyway, but this way we get the best bang for the pick.