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FIXING THE MISTAKES
Dominant most of the season, Dallas' defense remains confident.
by Ken Sins
On the night of Sept. 20, radio call-in shows in the North Texas market were flooded with Cowboys critics.
There was considerable displeasure among the faithful after Dallas gave up 33 points to the Giants in the regular-season grand opening of Cowboys Stadium. While four turnovers by the offense had put the defense in a bind, fans were upset over 427 yards allowed and the failure to get a stop with the game on the line.
Meanwhile, the men on the defensive side of the ball weren't wracked with self-doubt. Losing to the Giants went down hard, but the voices at Valley Ranch were hopeful that the elements were in place for Dallas to have a very good defense once all the newcomers to the unit had become comfortable with each other.
And the Cowboys defense did tightened up, limiting the next nine opponents to 21 points or less. After 11 games, Dallas was allowing 16.5 points per game, best in the NFC and third overall. The team was also playing tough against the run, standing ninth in the league, although the Cowboys had slipped to 21st in the NFL against the pass.
They were 14th in the league in total yardage allowed, but the bottom line for any defense is how many points decorate the scoreboard.
Some of the happy talk had quieted last week after the Giants completed a season sweep of the Cowboys, with New York putting up 31 points in Dallas' final visit to Giants Stadium.
Dallas was undone by too many big plays from the Giants: a 74-yard catch-and-rumble for a touchdown by burly running back Brandon Jacobs, a 29-yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw, a 36-yard reception by Steve Smith and a 21-yard catch for a touchdown by Hakeem Nicks. A pass rush that had seemingly recovered from a slow start didn't do much to hassle Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
Many of the defensive errors were correctable, however.
"No matter how bad it can be, we've got to figure out a way to win," inside linebacker Bradie James said. "We've got to fix the mistakes, and we had a couple of them. ...We just have to stay together."
There was no panic in the aftermath. The Cowboys felt they could recapture their defensive swagger.
"Everybody on the defensive side of the ball isn't satisfied," nose tackle Jay Ratliff said. "We believe we can do better. As long as we have that attitude, we're only going to improve."
Return to the way the Cowboys defense performed between those Giant-sized losses, and Dallas will be playoff-bound. If not, there'll be another long winter of what-might-have-been.
When the schedule started, there were changes galore for a defense that had been barbequed for 44 points in the season-ending blowout at Philly the previous January. After that showing, something had to give.
First, coach Wade Phillips added defensive coordinator to his job description. Defense is Phillips' expertise, and he rolled up his sleeves to get the group back on track from the end of last season. Phillips has tasted regular-season success as a head coach, but his best work has been done as a defensive coordinator.
"He makes sure everybody's accountable and everything is in tip-top shape," outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware said. "When you have your head coach at every one of your meetings, you're not going to mess up. He knows exactly how the defense should look, where you should fit, and any small mistake he's going to point out."
One priority for Phillips was the introduction of five new starters: defensive end Igor Olshansky, outside linebacker Anthony Spencer, strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh, inside linebacker Keith Brooking, and at right cornerback, where Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick began the season sharing the position.
Gone were strong safety Roy Williams, defensive end Chris Canty, cornerback Anthony Henry, outside linebacker Greg Ellis and inside linebacker Zach Thomas.
Williams wasn't making big plays anymore in the running game or as a blitzer, and his deficiencies in pass coverage were well-documented. Canty received a monster free-agent deal from the Giants, more than the Cowboys were willing to pay. Henry was no more than an average cover corner and was traded to Detroit for backup quarterback Jon Kitna to open the position for one of the kids. Ellis was still effective as a pass-rusher, but management tired of his complaints about money and his role and figured it was time for Spencer to start. And while Thomas piled up the tackles, Phillips felt Brooking would bring more.
With all the alternations, there needed to be a period of adjustment before the unit could jell, although any defense that returns Pro Bowlers Ware and Ratliff and defensive captain James is off to a flying start.
Brooking has been an excellent fit, both as a player and a leader. Olshansky has been stout against the run, an upgrade over Canty, and has also provided some pressure on the pocket.
The right-side trio of Ware, Brooking and Olshansky has been mostly formidable.
"Igor's playing well ... pretty consistently, and that's also helped," Phillips said. "We've got Ware and Igor and Brooking on the same side most of the time. It's a pretty strong group."
Sensabaugh has been an improvement over Williams, whose pass-coverage skills were substandard even when he was going to Pro Bowls.
As for Jenkins, he's far better than his rookie year, providing sticky coverage during that stout nine-game run, pairing with former Pro Bowl pick Terence Newman.
Phillips named Jenkins the starter for the season's fourth game, allowing Scandrick to concentrate on his duties as a Nickel corner.
"Scandrick plays a lot anyway, as many three-receiver sets as you get, 60-65 percent of the sets," linebacker Bobby Carpenter said. "They're both playing well."
The inside tandem of James and Brooking has meshed almost from the start. They've been one-two on the team in tackles all season.
"It's comforting to have a guy like that beside you who you can depend on every play and know without a doubt that he has your back," Brooking said.
Phillips taking charge of the defense has had a positive effect. To a man, members of the unit give Phillips high marks for his ability to implement his scheme and get players in the proper position.
"Wade and our defensive staff have done a great job of getting the guys in the right position," Carpenter said. "Then it's up to the players. It's attention to detail. You can give up some yards as long as you don't give up scores. You obviously want to be as stingy as possible and get the best field position for your offense. But at the end of the day, when you keep them off the scoreboard, it's tough for them to win."
Said situational pass-rusher Jason Hatcher: "We got a better understanding of the scheme. It's (Phillips') defense. He designed it. But it's not just the calls. You have to make the calls work. The good thing is, there are no individuals on this defense. You can't have just one guy stand out."
Added Ratliff: "It's great that he's the head coach, but we've been at this for three years. The light bulb turns on, everybody knows where everybody else is supposed to be. We're comfortable with it, and when you're comfortable, you can play harder and faster."
Phillips has confidence the Cowboys can get back on a roll.
"I think we have a winning team," Phillips said. "If you have a bunch of winners, I think you're going to bounce back from losses. I think also they do take it one game at a time and that's what we need to continue to do."
Dominant most of the season, Dallas' defense remains confident.
by Ken Sins
On the night of Sept. 20, radio call-in shows in the North Texas market were flooded with Cowboys critics.
There was considerable displeasure among the faithful after Dallas gave up 33 points to the Giants in the regular-season grand opening of Cowboys Stadium. While four turnovers by the offense had put the defense in a bind, fans were upset over 427 yards allowed and the failure to get a stop with the game on the line.
Meanwhile, the men on the defensive side of the ball weren't wracked with self-doubt. Losing to the Giants went down hard, but the voices at Valley Ranch were hopeful that the elements were in place for Dallas to have a very good defense once all the newcomers to the unit had become comfortable with each other.
And the Cowboys defense did tightened up, limiting the next nine opponents to 21 points or less. After 11 games, Dallas was allowing 16.5 points per game, best in the NFC and third overall. The team was also playing tough against the run, standing ninth in the league, although the Cowboys had slipped to 21st in the NFL against the pass.
They were 14th in the league in total yardage allowed, but the bottom line for any defense is how many points decorate the scoreboard.
Some of the happy talk had quieted last week after the Giants completed a season sweep of the Cowboys, with New York putting up 31 points in Dallas' final visit to Giants Stadium.
Dallas was undone by too many big plays from the Giants: a 74-yard catch-and-rumble for a touchdown by burly running back Brandon Jacobs, a 29-yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw, a 36-yard reception by Steve Smith and a 21-yard catch for a touchdown by Hakeem Nicks. A pass rush that had seemingly recovered from a slow start didn't do much to hassle Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
Many of the defensive errors were correctable, however.
"No matter how bad it can be, we've got to figure out a way to win," inside linebacker Bradie James said. "We've got to fix the mistakes, and we had a couple of them. ...We just have to stay together."
There was no panic in the aftermath. The Cowboys felt they could recapture their defensive swagger.
"Everybody on the defensive side of the ball isn't satisfied," nose tackle Jay Ratliff said. "We believe we can do better. As long as we have that attitude, we're only going to improve."
Return to the way the Cowboys defense performed between those Giant-sized losses, and Dallas will be playoff-bound. If not, there'll be another long winter of what-might-have-been.
When the schedule started, there were changes galore for a defense that had been barbequed for 44 points in the season-ending blowout at Philly the previous January. After that showing, something had to give.
First, coach Wade Phillips added defensive coordinator to his job description. Defense is Phillips' expertise, and he rolled up his sleeves to get the group back on track from the end of last season. Phillips has tasted regular-season success as a head coach, but his best work has been done as a defensive coordinator.
"He makes sure everybody's accountable and everything is in tip-top shape," outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware said. "When you have your head coach at every one of your meetings, you're not going to mess up. He knows exactly how the defense should look, where you should fit, and any small mistake he's going to point out."
One priority for Phillips was the introduction of five new starters: defensive end Igor Olshansky, outside linebacker Anthony Spencer, strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh, inside linebacker Keith Brooking, and at right cornerback, where Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick began the season sharing the position.
Gone were strong safety Roy Williams, defensive end Chris Canty, cornerback Anthony Henry, outside linebacker Greg Ellis and inside linebacker Zach Thomas.
Williams wasn't making big plays anymore in the running game or as a blitzer, and his deficiencies in pass coverage were well-documented. Canty received a monster free-agent deal from the Giants, more than the Cowboys were willing to pay. Henry was no more than an average cover corner and was traded to Detroit for backup quarterback Jon Kitna to open the position for one of the kids. Ellis was still effective as a pass-rusher, but management tired of his complaints about money and his role and figured it was time for Spencer to start. And while Thomas piled up the tackles, Phillips felt Brooking would bring more.
With all the alternations, there needed to be a period of adjustment before the unit could jell, although any defense that returns Pro Bowlers Ware and Ratliff and defensive captain James is off to a flying start.
Brooking has been an excellent fit, both as a player and a leader. Olshansky has been stout against the run, an upgrade over Canty, and has also provided some pressure on the pocket.
The right-side trio of Ware, Brooking and Olshansky has been mostly formidable.
"Igor's playing well ... pretty consistently, and that's also helped," Phillips said. "We've got Ware and Igor and Brooking on the same side most of the time. It's a pretty strong group."
Sensabaugh has been an improvement over Williams, whose pass-coverage skills were substandard even when he was going to Pro Bowls.
As for Jenkins, he's far better than his rookie year, providing sticky coverage during that stout nine-game run, pairing with former Pro Bowl pick Terence Newman.
Phillips named Jenkins the starter for the season's fourth game, allowing Scandrick to concentrate on his duties as a Nickel corner.
"Scandrick plays a lot anyway, as many three-receiver sets as you get, 60-65 percent of the sets," linebacker Bobby Carpenter said. "They're both playing well."
The inside tandem of James and Brooking has meshed almost from the start. They've been one-two on the team in tackles all season.
"It's comforting to have a guy like that beside you who you can depend on every play and know without a doubt that he has your back," Brooking said.
Phillips taking charge of the defense has had a positive effect. To a man, members of the unit give Phillips high marks for his ability to implement his scheme and get players in the proper position.
"Wade and our defensive staff have done a great job of getting the guys in the right position," Carpenter said. "Then it's up to the players. It's attention to detail. You can give up some yards as long as you don't give up scores. You obviously want to be as stingy as possible and get the best field position for your offense. But at the end of the day, when you keep them off the scoreboard, it's tough for them to win."
Said situational pass-rusher Jason Hatcher: "We got a better understanding of the scheme. It's (Phillips') defense. He designed it. But it's not just the calls. You have to make the calls work. The good thing is, there are no individuals on this defense. You can't have just one guy stand out."
Added Ratliff: "It's great that he's the head coach, but we've been at this for three years. The light bulb turns on, everybody knows where everybody else is supposed to be. We're comfortable with it, and when you're comfortable, you can play harder and faster."
Phillips has confidence the Cowboys can get back on a roll.
"I think we have a winning team," Phillips said. "If you have a bunch of winners, I think you're going to bounce back from losses. I think also they do take it one game at a time and that's what we need to continue to do."
