Even Without A Talent Infusion, The Dallas Cowboys Defense Should Continue To Improve

[waving monkey]

One of the first articles I wrote as a front-page writer was a look at the educational theories of Jean Piaget, and what those ideas meant in regards to learning a new defensive scheme. I think that's an underrated part of football. We get so caught up in the idea of coaches as masters of x's and o's that we forget the primary aspect of coaching is teaching. So with that in mind I want to look at another basic teaching concept and see how it relates to the Dallas Cowboys. Today we're going to look at the ideas of Semyonovich Vygotsky and why coaches want to bring in "their guys".

Internalization: While not a central idea of Vygotsky's, internalization is extremely relevant to coaching football. It refers to the "inner monologue" a learner uses when completing a task. Think of a child learning his ABC's. If you ask a child just learning his alphabet to put something in alphabetical order, he might sing the ABC's out loud each time he is sorting an item. Over time the child can stop singing the alphabet out loud, and just sing it in his head. Eventually the child will be able to stop "singing" the alphabet completely and "just know" that M comes after G. At this point the knowledge has become fossilized or second nature

What does that have to do with football? Well, everything really. Take a linebacker reading his keys. If he is just learning the keys he might actually be muttering them to himself before the snap. As he begins to memorize them, he can start reciting them internally to himself. Eventually the keys are fossilized and he doesn't have to verbalize them externally or internally. Now who is going to react faster? The player who has internalized his keys, or the player who has to think about them? In a game where you might only have seconds to process information before the snap, internalization is extremely important.

link/http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2015...ion-the-dallas-cowboys-defense-should-improve

 

[Risen Star]

I agree. The maturation of Lawrence and Crawford alone should make the defense better.

But, for the love of God, flush as many of these defensive players as possible in the offseason.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Brace yourself.

Reinforcements are coming.

 

[Eddie]

OMG. Piaget, Vigotsky ... I'm back in educational grad school hell.

 

[Crown Royal]

I think you can expect improvement from Lawrence, Crawford, Wilcox, Hitchens, Patmon, Heath, and maybe a couple of the seventh rounders.

You can expect the same or marginal difference from Mincey, Hayden, Carr, Scandrick, Carter, McClain (both), Lee, Church, Wilbur, Moore, maybe a couple more I'm not considering.

You can expect a step backwards for Spencer and Melton.


The problem here is that for the defense to be significantly better with the exact same players, I would need to see MAJOR improvements from Lawrence, Wilcox, Hitchens and Patmon. More than I can count on. I still worry about depth in the LB corps, and I don't want to count on four of the six people I listed as being improvements as really improving so much as to have an impact. I think if you get one to really break out that's great, two you are laughing to the bank, and three you are on PEDs. But I'm just not going to count on that.

Player improvement happens and people do get better, but usually after 2-3 years you can tell what someone is or is going to be.

 

[pacboyX]

Umm draft a FS and stop joking.

 

[Hook'em#11]

Man, if one or two of those DE's or DT's can sustain any kind of pressure on the QB.. It's a whole different defense.

 

[Gameover]

Crawford and Lawrence continued growth will lead to improvment.

 

[Idgit]

I don't see any way we can improve enough defensively without upgrading at least two positions in the DL rotation significantly. If we can do that, and then nibble at improving depth or marginal starters across the defense, we should take another step forward this season.

We'll need to, though, because we're probably going to take steps back elsewhere when we lose Murray and, probably, Harris on offense and on teams. I'm also concerned a bit about what we were seeing out of Bailey there at the end of the season. We also need/want to improve our QB position depth because it's possible we need to rely on somebody other than Romo for more than 6 quarters next season. There's a lot of work to do in Dallas this offseason.

 

[Gridiron Man]

Even Without A Talent Infusion

Talent infusion pleaaasse!! Did I hear somebody say talent infusion?

Put me down for a talent infusion.

 

[Silver N Blue]

I think you can expect improvement from Lawrence, Crawford, Wilcox, Hitchens, Patmon, Heath, and maybe a couple of the seventh rounders.

You can expect the same or marginal difference from Mincey, Hayden, Carr, Scandrick, Carter, McClain (both), Lee, Church, Wilbur, Moore, maybe a couple more I'm not considering.

You can expect a step backwards for Spencer and Melton.


The problem here is that for the defense to be significantly better with the exact same players, I would need to see MAJOR improvements from Lawrence, Wilcox, Hitchens and Patmon. More than I can count on. I still worry about depth in the LB corps, and I don't want to count on four of the six people I listed as being improvements as really improving so much as to have an impact. I think if you get one to really break out that's great, two you are laughing to the bank, and three you are on PEDs. But I'm just not going to count on that.

Player improvement happens and people do get better, but usually after 2-3 years you can tell what someone is or is going to be.

Sorry I just don't see Heath as a vialbe asset on defense...special teams yes..

 

[Crown Royal]

Sorry I just don't see Heath as a vialbe asset on defense...special teams yes..

I said he may improve. Not that he would improve well enough for him to be any good.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

I think you can expect improvement from Lawrence, Crawford, Wilcox, Hitchens, Patmon, Heath, and maybe a couple of the seventh rounders.

You can expect the same or marginal difference from Mincey, Hayden, Carr, Scandrick, Carter, McClain (both), Lee, Church, Wilbur, Moore, maybe a couple more I'm not considering.

You can expect a step backwards for Spencer and Melton.


The problem here is that for the defense to be significantly better with the exact same players, I would need to see MAJOR improvements from Lawrence, Wilcox, Hitchens and Patmon. More than I can count on. I still worry about depth in the LB corps, and I don't want to count on four of the six people I listed as being improvements as really improving so much as to have an impact. I think if you get one to really break out that's great, two you are laughing to the bank, and three you are on PEDs. But I'm just not going to count on that.

Player improvement happens and people do get better, but usually after 2-3 years you can tell what someone is or is going to be.

Why would you expect Melton to take a step back?

 

[Silver N Blue]

I said he may improve. Not that he would improve well enough for him to be any good.

lol got it

 

[KingintheNorth]

Complacency and hope were our downfalls the last time this team made the playoffs.

Get better. Improve. Compete.

The D Line needs to get better. The safeties need to get better. At least 1 CB is needed. Fixing some of those might improve the others. Not fixing any of them means you should expect similar results.

 

[Doomsday101]

Dallas can compete with what we have but frankly I would rather increase my chances by getting more talent especially along the DL.

 

[LatinMind]

I agree. The maturation of Lawrence and Crawford alone should make the defense better.

But, for the love of God, flush as many of these defensive players as possible in the offseason.

Think adding a guy like Odighizuwa and Prewitt on the back end would do alot of good for this defense.

 

[Idgit]

Dallas can compete with what we have but frankly I would rather increase my chances by getting more talent especially along the DL.

We're good-enough, or almost-good-enough in a lot of places. Meaning, we can get better with the right guys almost anywhere. That's a good and a bad thing. It's good, because while we don't have areas where we're specifically getting victimized, there ought to be a lot of guys in both VFA and the draft who'd represent upgrades. So we have options for improving. It's bad, though, because what we really need at this point on defense are difference-makers. And those guys are either really really expensive or not available by definition. And it's not reasonable to expect one as a rookie at 27 in the draft.

We're getting one defensive difference maker back in Sean Lee, whether people want to remember it or not. He was our best defender before last year, and that includes Hatcher and Ware.

I'd be interested in adding Greg Hardy if he's available--despite his legal issues--for this same reason. He's a young difference maker at a position of obvious need who would fit the bill if the commissioner allows him to play and he's legally available to do so.

Other than that, though, there aren't a ton of those guys available in FA. Suh is one. But he's going to break somebody's bank. Who else?

If we don't go that route, it's regular incremental improvement and letting young players continue to develop. Improve DL rotation and depth, generally, and get better that way. That's probably something that gets snorted at, but I think we can at least continue the upward trajectory on defense going that route. We can improve at 4-5 spots easily and add competition without breaking the bank. Who knows? Maybe we get lucky again and find another play maker like Rolando McClain on the scrap heap. Do that often enough, and it eventually adds up.

 

[LatinMind]

We're good-enough, or almost-good-enough in a lot of places. Meaning, we can get better with the right guys almost anywhere. That's a good and a bad thing. It's good, because while we don't have areas where we're specifically getting victimized, there ought to be a lot of guys in both VFA and the draft who'd represent upgrades. So we have options for improving. It's bad, though, because what we really need at this point on defense are difference-makers. And those guys are either really really expensive or not available by definition. And it's not reasonable to expect one as a rookie at 27 in the draft.

We're getting one defensive difference maker back in Sean Lee, whether people want to remember it or not. He was our best defender before last year, and that includes Hatcher and Ware.

I'd be interested in adding Greg Hardy if he's available--despite his legal issues--for this same reason. He's a young difference maker at a position of obvious need who would fit the bill if the commissioner allows him to play and he's legally available to do so.

Other than that, though, there aren't a ton of those guys available in FA. Suh is one. But he's going to break somebody's bank. Who else?

If we don't go that route, it's regular incremental improvement and letting young players continue to develop. Improve DL rotation and depth, generally, and get better that way. That's probably something that gets snorted at, but I think we can at least continue the upward trajectory on defense going that route. We can improve at 4-5 spots easily and add competition without breaking the bank. Who knows? Maybe we get lucky again and find another play maker like Rolando McClain on the scrap heap. Do that often enough, and it eventually adds up.

I think once hardy is found guilty he is going to be suspended for awhile. League is going to make an example out of him watch.

 

[Idgit]

I think once hardy is found guilty he is going to be suspended for awhile. League is going to make an example out of him watch.

They might. It's so hard to say what they'll do anymore. There's really no consistency at all.