Enduring the burden of a bad defense

[lukin2006]

The defence can be fixed in an offseason...the Giants fixed their defence in a single offseason, I just don't think we got the coaching staff here to do it even with the right personal...what I saw Sunday was embarrassing, especially the last play, 3-20 or whatever it was and they bring 0 pressure and just let Rogers roam around back there...

 

[Gaede]

We've moved passed simple box score analysis.

This is 2017 not 1995.

says the guy bemoaning a 13-3 season in which we had the best record in the NFC.

i guess you didn't notice the scores until you found one you 'liked'

 

[Toruk_Makto]

says the guy bemoaning a 13-3 season in which we had the best record in the NFC.

i guess you didn't notice the scores until you found one you 'liked'

Where did I bemoan?

I don't think this team is any worse than our current record if we'd drafted defense and went out and gotten a late round rb or one in free agency (my preferred method this offseason).

Resources are finite. It's harder to find elite defenders than it is productive runners especially in our offense.

When I preached it this summer if was no less true than it is today.

 

[Gaede]

Where did I bemoan?

I don't think this team is any worse than our current record if we'd drafted defense and fine out and gotten a late round rb or one in free agency (my preferred method this offseason).

Resources are finite. It's harder to find elite defenders than it is productive runners especially in our offense.

When I preached it this summer if was no less true than it is today.

Yes, you were right that drafting a defensive player would help the defense more than drafting Zeke.

However, drafting defense would not have improved the team the way that drafting Zeke did. The result was the best record in years.You can't argue that. It's fact. We now have an elite, game-changing player. You take that kind of guy anytime you can and don't worry about the rest of your resources

Do you really think a guy like McFadden, Morris, or Perkins would've affected our team in such a way? It's not even just the wins, yards, touchdowns either. But the attitude and confidence Zeke brought.

We could draft Newman's all day and those guys will play well, fill a hole on defense and do absolutely nothing to inspire other people.

And on a personal level, Zeke makes the team fun to watch.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

This is why I was more for Jalen Ramsey than EE. Now, I would take EE over Ramsey even though Ramsey had a terrific rookie season. I didn't think EE would be this good. Furthermore, as poor as our pass defense was this year, it improved noticeably from 2015.

With the pass defense being what it is, we are playing with fire and eventually we got burned against the Packers. We need to create more turnovers, we need better help from our linebackers in coverage, we need a DE that can consistently win 5-10 snaps a game and we need a more versatile SS. It's not all about getting pressure on the QB because QB's tend to get the ball out so quickly that teams can't really get to the QB. I personally think if we get much better at SS and the MIKE, we'll see a noticeable improvement in our pass defense alone. And that may be enough to win us a Super Bowl.




YR

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Yes, you were right that drafting a defensive player would help the defense more than drafting Zeke.

However, drafting defense would not have improved the team the way that drafting Zeke did. The result was the best record in years.You can't argue that. It's fact. We now have an elite, game-changing player. You take that kind of guy anytime you can and don't worry about the rest of your resources

Do you really think a guy like McFadden, Morris, or Perkins would've affected our team in such a way? It's not even just the wins, yards, touchdowns either. But the attitude and confidence Zeke brought.

We could draft Newman's all day and those guys will play well, fill a hole on defense and do absolutely nothing to inspire other people.

And on a personal level, Zeke makes the team fun to watch.

I think people have put way too much credit on our success this year on the running back and not on Dak who was one of the most efficient passers in the league.

Last year we ran the ball effectively. And that was with no passing game.

We are the only team the last 3 years to have a thousand yard rusher. And that's with 3 different backs toting the rock. Only one of them cost the 4th overall pick and 25MM guaranteed.

I'd have rather given half that money to Miller or a quarter of that money to Forte and drafted an elite defensive prospect at 4.

And I think our offense and record would have been something we would all be proud of with a team better positioned for the future. This of course is not true if you think we won 13 games only because of Zeke. I do not think that.

 

[Alexander]

Yep. That is what Jimmy Johnson did with Emmitt. Other clubs simply couldn't stop it. Green Bay couldn't stop Elliott either. Too bad that game was very winnable.

Well probably Norv Turner.

The role of the head coach is to not necessarily call the plays but bring together the offensive and defensive gameplans to make the right decisions to play complimentary and situational choices based off of that. We did that well for much of the season.

 

[willia451]

That’s right, let’s get the guy who hired this coaching staff, the previous coaching staff, the one before that and the one before that again, to hire a new coaching staff and watch as they erase the failures of the last 21 years and we become perennial SB contenders again.

You missed the point of the post.

The point is the players have to be so elite at every position, that they can overcome the horrid decision making and play calling by the coaches and the dysfunction of the owner.

Average or role player contributors simply won't do. Thus........the "Steak on every plate" phrase.

 

[Risen Star]

Yep, we know the defense needs better personnel.

A couple "better" DE's, one "better" safety and a decent corner would go a long way to improving the overall performance.

When you have to begrudgingly admit they need more talent it's easier to do if you put better in quotes.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

When you have to begrudgingly admit they need more talent it's easier to do if you put better in quotes.

You got a problem with my quotes?

 

[WillieBeamen]

The coaches let us down more than the defense, which is sad

 

[WillieBeamen]

Yea, Jalen Ramsey wouldve been the difference. Had we had him, our coaches wouldnt inexplicably stop running on 3rd and 2 when we have the best OL in the league

Our coaches wouldnt have left two timeouts for Aaron rodgers on the last time because of poor clock management

 

[IrishAnto]

You missed the point of the post.

The point is the players have to be so elite at every position, that they can overcome the horrid decision making and play calling by the coaches and the dysfunction of the owner.

Average or role player contributors simply won't do. Thus........the "Steak on every plate" phrase.

Again who hires the coaches?

Who signed off on drafting 3 TEs we could never use, Randy Gregory and Jaylon Smith?

Five 2nd round picks.

I'm sure you could find a Steak or two there.

The focus of your ire is misplaced.

 

[CATCH17]

The coaches let us down more than the defense, which is sad

I agree with this.

The gameplan vs Rodgers got us down 21-3 before we knew it.

When we adjusted to press coverage and blitzing we slowed him down somewhat.

 

[willia451]

Again who hires the coaches?

Who signed off on drafting 3 TEs we could never use, Randy Gregory and Jaylon Smith?

Five 2nd round picks.

I'm sure you could find a Steak or two there.

The focus of your ire is misplaced.

I'll put it to you another way.

If you assume that having an elite player at every position is impossible (a steak on every plate), which of course, any reasonable person would conclude it is impossible.

Where does that leave you?

Maybe I'm being too nuanced in my replies.

I'll try again.

This owner and coaching staff is good enough to do well on occasion in the regular season. But not good enough to reach an NFCCG without a Super-Team (a steak on every plate). If you rightly conclude that having a Super-Team (a fantasy team as it were) is impossible. Not just for the Cowboys but for any team really.

Then where does that leave you?

If you also assume that the owner and coaches are not going anywhere because people think they did well enough in 2014 going 12-4, 2015 is a pass, and 2016 was great at 13-3. As many have already posted.

I can tell you where that leaves you.

Ground Hog Day.

 

[IrishAnto]

I'll put it to you another way.

If you assume that having an elite player at every position is impossible (a steak on every plate), which of course, any reasonable person would conclude it is impossible.

Where does that leave you?

Maybe I'm being too nuanced in my replies.

I'll try again.

This owner and coaching staff is good enough to do well on occasion in the regular season. But not good enough to reach an NFCCG without a Super-Team (a steak on every plate). If you rightly conclude that having a Super-Team (a fantasy team as it were) is impossible. Not just for the Cowboys but for any team really.

Then where does that leave you?

If you also assume that the owner and coaches are not going anywhere because people think they did well enough in 2014 going 12-4, 2015 is a pass, and 2016 was great at 13-3. As many have already posted.

I can tell you where that leaves you.

Ground Hog Day.

BINGO We have a winner!

While Jerry continues along the path he's followed these past 21+ years then the results are likely to repeat themselves.

Why do you think the Chargers, Browns, Lions etc. are perennial losers?

Not enough top 10 draft picks? or maybe their owners keep doing the same things over and over.

Ground Hog Day here we come!

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Rodgers did the same thing to a really good defense last week.

Let's not make this rocket science. Proper gameday coaching and we win that game in a shootout.

Yes.


And again, we did not lose that because of "defense".
A prepared team doenst spot Green Bay 21 points without his WR and NO RB. A WR 88 was their running back.

 

[percyhoward]

I'll still take points, we clearly limited the other team's ability to score with our running game. Maybe if we had stuck to that principle on Sunday, we might have won.

We limited the Packers' ability to score by keeping their offense off the field to an extent, which is something that teams with much better defenses than ours (Seahawks, Vikings, Giants) couldn't do offensively.

The saying that "the best defense is a good offense," assumes you already have a good defense to start with. We obviously don't. You can win some games while having one unit that's much better than the other, but it isn't a formula for winning consistently. Championship teams have always been more balanced.

 

[percyhoward]

I think people have put way too much credit on our success this year on the running back and not on Dak who was one of the most efficient passers in the league.

Last year we ran the ball effectively. And that was with no passing game.

We are the only team the last 3 years to have a thousand yard rusher. And that's with 3 different backs toting the rock. Only one of them cost the 4th overall pick and 25MM guaranteed.

I'd have rather given half that money to Miller or a quarter of that money to Forte and drafted an elite defensive prospect at 4.

And I think our offense and record would have been something we would all be proud of with a team better positioned for the future. This of course is not true if you think we won 13 games only because of Zeke. I do not think that.

We bought ourselves more time by finding Dak, but if the last seven years are any indication, time doesn't build a good defense. We're actually going to have to commit some resources.

 

[haleyrules]

In the end...most Clubs go as far as the Defense takes them. There have been some exceptions...Defense wins in the Playoffs.