Easy to tell why our defense has been poor

[pugilist]

Draft some good Dlinemen next offseason and you will see a difference in this defense.

that and maybe pick up a solid guy in FA

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

I agree that the coaching hasn't been perfect, but your examples are way off. First of all, every team covers RBs with linebackers, what are they supposed to do...put Scandrick on Woodhead? Manning does not have a weak arm so idk where that idea comes from. If Sims finds himself in man against Welker, the players have to make that switch on the fly. Greg Jennings led all Vikings receiver sure...but he had a whopping 56 total yards.

jennings would have had zero yards if scandrick was lined up against him. He is their best wr dont put a rookie 5th round pick on him. And i only gave one example of LBs vs RBs, i said you dont ISOLATE a LB against a RB without safety help. Go back watch the film we got out coached. The chargers were clearing out the field and running woodhead down the seam ISOLATED with no safety help. That was by design and we could not adjust .

 

[Roadtrip635]

Kiffen's scheme also requires quality safeties and the Cowboys just don't have any.

 

[IrishAnto]

The only stat worth anything is scoring defense and TO's.

If the offense could pull there heads out of there you know what, we might be ok.

Spot on!

The defense has put this team in position to win more that 5 games.

We would be at least 6-3 if the offense held up its end of the bargain.

Now factor in the injuries to the defense and people are still crying about the coaching!!!

 

[kramskoi]

A lot of people want to blame Kiffin, and honestly I'm not ready to do that just yet. It appears like he doesn't adjust, but you have to remember you have to have the players to make those adjustments. I would like us to play with more defensive backs, but I guess we just don't have them. I really did think it was questionable going into the year with only 3 cornerbacks with any playing experience... and then 1 rookie...

But let's look at why the defense has so grossly underperformed.

1. Defensive line injuries: First and foremost we talked all offseason about how in order for Kiffin's defense to work we needed a pass rush. The idea was that we would have Ware, Hatcher, Ratliff, and Spencer on the defensive line, and that Ratliff might take a while, but originally was supposed to be ready by the start of the season. We currently have 1 starter playing, and he was the worst of the 4. It doesn't look like he'll be playing against New Orleans either.

I think Marinelli has done an amazing job for what he is working with. And look forward to what he can do next year with some draft picks.

2. Poor linebacker play. Bruce Carter has just played so much more poorly than we had all hoped. No one expected him to be better than Sean Lee, but he played downright bad, which caused him to get benched. Sean Lee wasn't playing all that inspired early in the season either.

I've got to say the decision to keep Eberflus seems like a head scratcher at this point. The guy was primarily a 3-4 linebackers coach, and he hasn't done anything to develop these guys in the 4-3. The entire linebacker corps is underperforming. I know they liked him for what he did with the linebackers in the 3-4, but we're not running a 3-4...

3. Secondary play. Morris Claiborne has turned into just a terrible pick. And Carr has really been a mixed bag this year. Either he is really good or really bad. The safety play has been for the most part uninspired as well..., but I think most of us expected that, especially after Matt Johnson got hurt again.

Jerome Henderson has really gotten a lot of hype since we brought him in here, but I don't see anything he has done that has been impressive in the secondary. He hasn't developed a single player since he has been here.

I think both Henderson and Eberflus need to be gone next year. We've put a lot of draft value and money into those positions and we're not seeing any return.

With safety, it really does go all the way back to Darren Woodson [2004] does it not? He was a very special player against both the run and the pass. A complete football player with very good instincts. Claiborne was brought in for his man coverage abilities and then they change the scheme. Very unsettling for the guy, who is not high on the Wonderlic to start with. He will need more time and Kiffin will need to mix more man coverage into is system, otherwise you've got a square peg in a round hole. Dallas needs to get away from those types of solutions. Put the player in the best position to win his man on man battles. Jimmy Johnson preached that.

Lee, after a shaky start and a bad outing versus San Diego, has turned into to a one man wrecking ball. Nobody on the defense is playing quite at his level right now. The turnovers have to keep coming or the Cowboys will crash and burn before they even reach the playoffs. The defense is simply surrendering an exorbitant amount of yardage, especially without Claiborne and Wilcox. Mr. Carter better eat hearty, along with Lee, because Sproles and Graham are a terrible tandem. Gates put on a clinic @ San Diego, while Woodhead wheel-routed Carter straight to the bench. They can't let this happen in New Orleans or it will get ugly in a hurry.

That said, hopefully the return of Ware will give some much needed buoyancy to the d-line, but Marinelli should be going over stunts ad nauseum because to leave Brees unperturbed will be disaster. The NO offensive line is dysfunctional right now but the Chargers game showed us that it might be a big deal only on paper.

Bottom line...if Garrett is going to win a championship with the type of offense they run currently, the defense has to become the more dominant unit BY FAR! We don't really know what this thing looks like after a good offseason, draft and free agency but minus injuries there can be no excuses next year for insufficient harassment of quarterbacks named Rivers, Manning and Stafford. They will have to start taking down the big boys if they want some hardware.

 

[joseephuss]

Problems with the defensive line cause problems for the other units. If you have a solid, dependable line then that will take pressure off of the linebacking corp and the secondary. Everything works together.

 

[perrykemp]

Not overly optimistic. He has been a Cowboy for just over 18 months. Because he can't walk on water yet, he is a bust? Please.

I don't think he can be considered a bust this early on in his career.

Having said that, I challenge anybody here on CZ to claim that if he played for another team and wasn't a high 1st round draft pick and you were watching him play he wouldn't come across as non-descript, as average, and as un-remarkable as the slew of other average'ish CBs in the league.

There is nothing YET that jumps out when you watch Mo Claiborne that indicates he can be a special player in the league.

I hope I am wrong.

 

[Future]

jennings would have had zero yards if scandrick was lined up against him. He is their best wr dont put a rookie 5th round pick on him. And i only gave one example of LBs vs RBs, i said you dont ISOLATE a LB against a RB without safety help. Go back watch the film we got out coached. The chargers were clearing out the field and running woodhead down the seam ISOLATED with no safety help. That was by design and we could not adjust .

I don't remember him catching a single pass down the seam. Both of his touchdowns were near the sidelines iirc.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Carr had a terrible game for the ages but going into said game people were talking pro bowl / All Pro.

Now he's a complete mixed bag?

Genius that is our fanbase strikes again.

 

[Crown Royal]

I am not down on the play of the secondary. I think they have been good. LB play has been bad; Manning FEASTED on them in the Denver game.

 

[Crown Royal]

Carr had a terrible game for the ages but going into said game people were talking pro bowl / All Pro.

Now he's a complete mixed bag?

Genius that is our fanbase strikes again.

Are you talking about the Detroit game? Carr didn't do an amazing job, but at some point leaving ANY db on an island against megatron is just a bad idea over time.

 

[OhSnap]

Who could predict Ratliff, Spencer and Crawford never playing a snap? Ratliff maybe but Spencer and Crawford were supposed to be chasin QB's. This defense has some legitimate reasons to be lacking. Imagine how bad it would be if Hayden Selvie and Hatcher didn't turn up.

 

[theSHOW]

I am seeing Carter as a more than solid LB he suxcked it up and was benched after the Denver game but had more PT vs Minnesota and easily outplayed Simms who struggled. Best thing about Garretts system is that salary does not determine who starts. You pay a penalty when you don't deliver.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

I like the direction our defense is headed in.

They seem to play well for 3 Quarters and then crap out. But it doesn't help that the offense is throwing the ball 65% of the time and just keeps the defense on the field for longer. And that the offense's 'wait and see' approach means they don't capitalize enough on turnovers forced by the defense.

The defense is ranked 18th in Defensive Efficiency according to FO.com. That's a lot more important and accurate than 'yards allowed' defensive ranking.

What this team really needs is to stay healthy, replace Church and get Carter and Claiborne in gear. Get a good D-Lineman that is a real threat as a pass rusher (opposite Ware and Hatcher)....then look out.





YR

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

I don't remember him catching a single pass down the seam. Both of his touchdowns were near the sidelines iirc.

You're right about the sideline but they were by design . The safeties should have been over the top . Give the chargers coaching credit they cleared out the safeties and isolated carter with woodhead . End of story .

 

[Future]

You're right about the sideline but they were by design . The safeties should have been over the top . Give the chargers coaching credit they cleared out the safeties and isolated carter with woodhead . End of story .

Why should the safeties be over the top of that? You don't scheme for wheel routes, especially when you have one of the most athletic LBs in the league covering the guy. Its on Carter.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Having said that, I challenge anybody here on CZ to claim that if he played for another team and wasn't a high 1st round draft pick and you were watching him play he wouldn't come across as non-descript, as average, and as un-remarkable as the slew of other average'ish CBs in the league.

Completely agree.