gimmesix
Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life
- Messages
- 40,028
- Reaction score
- 37,185
Line
WHO'S HERE Chris Canty, Jay Ratliff, Marcus Spears, Stephen Bowen, Terry Johnson, Jason Hatcher, Marcus Spears, Remi Ayodele, Junior Siavii, Marcus Dixon
WHO'S GONE Jason Ferguson
ANALYSIS The only change in the roster that might occur is Bowen getting beat out, but even that seems like a long shot. Bowen wasn't consistent, but provided a nice push as a pass rusher at times. So it's likely that any newcomer will have to make the practice squad. There could be a change in the rotation, though, with Hatcher moving ahead of Spears. It appeared that Dallas wanted that to happen last year, but then Hatcher was set back by injury. I was hopeful that Dallas would keep Ferguson and move Ratliff to end, but I understand the decision not to since the line was fine without Ferguson last year. Ratliff and Johnson are a good rotation at nose tackle, with both able to create problems with their quickness. Spears is a pretty decent run stuffer, but lacks Hatcher's quickness to get after the quarterback. Canty really started coming on and adjusting to the new role asked of the linemen in this scheme. It seems to be a pretty balanced rotation that lacks great players, but has several really solid ones. The Cowboys stacked up against the run well 90 percent of the time with this group, and got a decent amount of pressure.
Linebacker
WHO'S HERE DeMarcus Ware, Zach Thomas, Bradie James, Greg Ellis, Justin Rogers, Kevin Burnett, Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Spencer, Erik Walden, Darrell Robertson, Tearrius George, Khary Long, Alain Karatepeyan
WHO'S GONE Akin Ayodele
ANALYSIS We've got a great group of outside linebackers with Ware, Ellis and Spencer, and it will be interesting to see whether Robertson and Walden can give us one more, overtaking Rogers for the fourth spot, although Walden or Rogers could end up inside. On the inside, I think Thomas is a great pickup. He's a leader, he's a student of the game who knows how to read offenses (which will also help his teammates) and he just knows how to get to the ball. Even though I liked Ayodele, he didn't show that he was any of those things. I also think Thomas' ability in coverage is something we were lacking at the inside spots, so he can take away some of the underneath stuff to the tight ends in our base formation. Yes, he's older and he had a bad concussion, but in the games he played for Miami last year, I didn't see any drop-off in his play, and he was one of the Dolphins' better defenders against us (see his coverage of Witten on several plays). Hopefully, he can also take Carpenter under his wing and help him live up to his athletic ability. Carpenter won't start no matter what, but if he can show that he's ready to start, we can prepare for life after Thomas. I'd expect Burnett to continue in the nickel role for another season, if for no other reason than to cut down Thomas' number of plays, so Thomas will be the main change to this group, although Carpenter might be worked in some if warranted. The only other "change" I think we can expect, although I'm sure Phillips will get more creative now that the team is used to his scheme, is to see more of the "Cowboy" package that puts Ware, Ellis and Spencer on the field at the same time.
Cornerback
WHO'S HERE Anthony Henry, Terence Newman, Alan Ball, Adam Jones, Mike Jenkins, Orlando Scandrick, Evan Oglesby, Justin Phinisee, Jerron Wishom
WHO'S GONE Jacques Reeves, Nate Jones
ANALYSIS There was no doubt we needed to upgrade this position, with Reeves being a weak link and Nate Jones being just a versatile guy. Dallas accomplished that goal even if Adam Jones isn't reinstated. The third corner will either be Jones or our first-round pick. If we go four corners, we'll have both of them on the field, or, if Adam Jones isn't reinstated, will have to turn to Ball or our fifth-round pick. Obviously, we're better off if Adam Jones keeps his nose clean. Having a couple of quality corners behind our starters also protects us from the injuries that seem to strike this group every year. Losing one would still not be a good thing, but at least we'd still be able to go three-deep and possibly four. Also, it means players like Oglesby, who didn't really do anything to earn a roster spot, will be gone. We should no longer have a weakness in our three- and four-corner packages and that will likely force teams to stick with more conventional formations instead of trying to spread us out. If there was one thing on defense we had to take care of this year, this was it.
Safety
WHO'S HERE Ken Hamlin, Roy Williams, Courtney Brown, Patrick Watkins, Dowayne Davis
WHO'S GONE Keith Davis
ANALYSIS We still need a few camp bodies at least at the two safety spots, but it's possible a couple of the corners will be tried here. Losing Davis hurt our depth, but he was more of a special teams guy anyway. It appears that if something were to happen to Williams, Hamlin would slide to strong safety and either Brown or Watkins would take over at free safety. I'm not enamored with that because neither of the backups has shown he can handle starting, but Brown seemed to be coming on some as the season progressed. As far as Williams goes, something does need to happen to him on the field. First, having the extra corners should help take away some of his deep coverage responsibilities and allow him to play to his strengths. But he is going to be isolated some and has to regain his confidence in his coverage skills. He's never going to be perfect, but he can be pretty good when he doesn't overthink it. Hopefully, Dave Campo can help him rediscover those skills and get back the killer instinct that seems to have been muted some by new rules. (Even if he does, Williams will likely be taken out in obvious passing situations because of the quality depth at corner.) Hamlin was solid in his first season, playing the center fielder and field leader roles well, but I'd really like to see more of him before Dallas gives him a long-term deal.
WHO'S HERE Chris Canty, Jay Ratliff, Marcus Spears, Stephen Bowen, Terry Johnson, Jason Hatcher, Marcus Spears, Remi Ayodele, Junior Siavii, Marcus Dixon
WHO'S GONE Jason Ferguson
ANALYSIS The only change in the roster that might occur is Bowen getting beat out, but even that seems like a long shot. Bowen wasn't consistent, but provided a nice push as a pass rusher at times. So it's likely that any newcomer will have to make the practice squad. There could be a change in the rotation, though, with Hatcher moving ahead of Spears. It appeared that Dallas wanted that to happen last year, but then Hatcher was set back by injury. I was hopeful that Dallas would keep Ferguson and move Ratliff to end, but I understand the decision not to since the line was fine without Ferguson last year. Ratliff and Johnson are a good rotation at nose tackle, with both able to create problems with their quickness. Spears is a pretty decent run stuffer, but lacks Hatcher's quickness to get after the quarterback. Canty really started coming on and adjusting to the new role asked of the linemen in this scheme. It seems to be a pretty balanced rotation that lacks great players, but has several really solid ones. The Cowboys stacked up against the run well 90 percent of the time with this group, and got a decent amount of pressure.
Linebacker
WHO'S HERE DeMarcus Ware, Zach Thomas, Bradie James, Greg Ellis, Justin Rogers, Kevin Burnett, Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Spencer, Erik Walden, Darrell Robertson, Tearrius George, Khary Long, Alain Karatepeyan
WHO'S GONE Akin Ayodele
ANALYSIS We've got a great group of outside linebackers with Ware, Ellis and Spencer, and it will be interesting to see whether Robertson and Walden can give us one more, overtaking Rogers for the fourth spot, although Walden or Rogers could end up inside. On the inside, I think Thomas is a great pickup. He's a leader, he's a student of the game who knows how to read offenses (which will also help his teammates) and he just knows how to get to the ball. Even though I liked Ayodele, he didn't show that he was any of those things. I also think Thomas' ability in coverage is something we were lacking at the inside spots, so he can take away some of the underneath stuff to the tight ends in our base formation. Yes, he's older and he had a bad concussion, but in the games he played for Miami last year, I didn't see any drop-off in his play, and he was one of the Dolphins' better defenders against us (see his coverage of Witten on several plays). Hopefully, he can also take Carpenter under his wing and help him live up to his athletic ability. Carpenter won't start no matter what, but if he can show that he's ready to start, we can prepare for life after Thomas. I'd expect Burnett to continue in the nickel role for another season, if for no other reason than to cut down Thomas' number of plays, so Thomas will be the main change to this group, although Carpenter might be worked in some if warranted. The only other "change" I think we can expect, although I'm sure Phillips will get more creative now that the team is used to his scheme, is to see more of the "Cowboy" package that puts Ware, Ellis and Spencer on the field at the same time.
Cornerback
WHO'S HERE Anthony Henry, Terence Newman, Alan Ball, Adam Jones, Mike Jenkins, Orlando Scandrick, Evan Oglesby, Justin Phinisee, Jerron Wishom
WHO'S GONE Jacques Reeves, Nate Jones
ANALYSIS There was no doubt we needed to upgrade this position, with Reeves being a weak link and Nate Jones being just a versatile guy. Dallas accomplished that goal even if Adam Jones isn't reinstated. The third corner will either be Jones or our first-round pick. If we go four corners, we'll have both of them on the field, or, if Adam Jones isn't reinstated, will have to turn to Ball or our fifth-round pick. Obviously, we're better off if Adam Jones keeps his nose clean. Having a couple of quality corners behind our starters also protects us from the injuries that seem to strike this group every year. Losing one would still not be a good thing, but at least we'd still be able to go three-deep and possibly four. Also, it means players like Oglesby, who didn't really do anything to earn a roster spot, will be gone. We should no longer have a weakness in our three- and four-corner packages and that will likely force teams to stick with more conventional formations instead of trying to spread us out. If there was one thing on defense we had to take care of this year, this was it.
Safety
WHO'S HERE Ken Hamlin, Roy Williams, Courtney Brown, Patrick Watkins, Dowayne Davis
WHO'S GONE Keith Davis
ANALYSIS We still need a few camp bodies at least at the two safety spots, but it's possible a couple of the corners will be tried here. Losing Davis hurt our depth, but he was more of a special teams guy anyway. It appears that if something were to happen to Williams, Hamlin would slide to strong safety and either Brown or Watkins would take over at free safety. I'm not enamored with that because neither of the backups has shown he can handle starting, but Brown seemed to be coming on some as the season progressed. As far as Williams goes, something does need to happen to him on the field. First, having the extra corners should help take away some of his deep coverage responsibilities and allow him to play to his strengths. But he is going to be isolated some and has to regain his confidence in his coverage skills. He's never going to be perfect, but he can be pretty good when he doesn't overthink it. Hopefully, Dave Campo can help him rediscover those skills and get back the killer instinct that seems to have been muted some by new rules. (Even if he does, Williams will likely be taken out in obvious passing situations because of the quality depth at corner.) Hamlin was solid in his first season, playing the center fielder and field leader roles well, but I'd really like to see more of him before Dallas gives him a long-term deal.
