Gimmesix's final 2011 roster analysis (defense)

[gimmesix]

It was easy to see this season that Dallas needs a lot of help on this side of the ball.

DEFENSE
Ends Jason Hatcher, Marcus Spears, Kenyon Coleman, Sean Lissemore, Clifton Geathers
Analysis Dallas is suffering here from an overload of decent players and the absence of one who makes defensive coordinators sit up and take notice. Hatcher was a pleasant surprise, showing more against the run and pass than he had in any of his previous seasons in Dallas. He wasn’t a consistent threat, but he was good enough to hold on to a starting role. Spears and Coleman both had moments, but not enough of them to be considered anything more than good subs. Lissemore made more plays per playing time than both of them and needs to be considered for the other starting job if Dallas doesn’t decide to, or can't, get a lineman who can consistently push around single blocking and force teams to adjust to his presence, opening up things for Jay Ratliff and DeMarcus Ware. Geathers could end up replacing Coleman in the rotation or simply not making the team.

Nose tackle Jay Ratliff, Josh Brent
Analysis Ratliff gets a bad rap. He’s stuck between two guys (no matter the end that’s out there) who do nothing to take defenses’ attention off him. From that aspect, he might be better off lining up at right end with DeMarcus Ware behind him, but I’m not advocating a move from nose tackle. If you saw Sean Lee making a lot of plays this year, one of the reasons for that is Ratliff. If you saw the run being contained, one of the reasons for that is Ratliff. The only thing Ratliff didn’t do as well as he has is provide a push up the middle on a consistent basis, but teams game-planned to stop him. Brent seems to be developing into a decent backup, fitting more in the mold of Marcus Spears and Kenyon Coleman than Ratliff. Dallas could upgrade here and get some real competition for Ratliff, but it’s a low priority unless the Cowboys do decide to beef up the middle and move Ratliff to end ... but there's no telling if Ratliff will have the same effect at end as he does in the middle.

Inside linebackers Sean Lee, Bradie James, Keith Brooking, Bruce Carter
Analysis I’ll admit that I didn’t realize exactly how inadequate Brooking and James were until seeing what Lee could do in their place this season. Granted, Lee is not a run-of-the-mill player, but one of the building blocks of this defense. There are few gaps, if any, in his game. He can fight through traffic and get to the ballcarrier between the tackles. He can read the outside run and take the right path to the ballcarrier. He can drop into coverage, read the quarterback and make the play, including interceptions. About the only thing he doesn’t seem to do well is rush the passer. (Well, that and stay healthy all season.) In comparison, James and Brooking, especially, look like they are running in mud. If either is brought back, it needs to be James, because he hasn’t completely lost it as a starter. He can still get up in the hole and take on blockers at least. The hope here has to be that the speedy Carter makes a similar leap to Lee’s in his second season. But that’s tough to count on, and Dallas needs to at least look for one more ILB in the draft to help.

Outside linebackers DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, Victor Butler, Alex Albright
Analysis This position is all about Ware. If he doesn’t bring the pressure, not much is going to come. That puts a lot of pressure on Ware to produce, and he still does it. Some have unrealistic expectations of him, but he is simply one of the best in the game at his position. What he needs is for someone else to be a consistent threat. Spencer hasn’t proven to be that player. He gets sporadic pressure while playing the run mostly well, except for forsaking his containment at times and letting the run get outside of him or a back get open in the flat. Spencer is not a bad player, but he is the type of just OK player that is part of the problem with this defense. Dallas badly needs to seek to upgrade this position. If it can’t, I’m not sure that moving Butler to that side as the starter would be any worse. Butler is sporadic, too, and doesn’t make many plays against the run as Spencer, but I’m not sure there’s much of a drop-off there, if any, because Butler is the better pass rusher. Albright is a decent special-teammer and a try-hard player who really doesn’t show any reason to receive as much playing time as he did, which wasn’t much. Him developing into a starter or even quality backup would surprise me.

Cornerbacks Terence Newman, Mike Jenkins, Orlando Scandrick, Alan Ball, Frank Walker, Mario Butler
Analysis I thought Newman had enough left to make it as a starter for one more season. I was wrong. He didn’t play poorly the entire season, but it fell apart for him in the second half. It almost seemed like he just lost all confidence in his ability and was afraid to challenge receivers. He gave them too much room and they took advantage of it. And now it’s time for him to go. The trouble is I’m not sure Dallas has a second starter to replace him. Jenkins, playing through all kinds of injuries, was Dallas’ best corner. He made some mistakes, but was strong in coverage overall and even went against his reputation by playing the run hard. Scandrick periodically played well, but always seemed a beat off in coverage or didn’t play the ball when it was there for the taking. He still made enough plays to be considered a good nickel corner, but it’s questionable that he’s the answer as a starter. Ball is not the answer as either a starter or reserve. Making a few plays here and there seemed to build up a false faith in him, while Ball continued to be targeted and give up plays. He’s a good special-teammer, but Dallas just can’t afford to have him on the field covering receivers. Walker’s about the same as Ball, but seems to at least have a better sense of how to play his position. Two new corners are needed here, a starter and a better fourth guy. Could Butler be the fourth guy? I think there’s a pretty good chance he couldn’t be any worse.

Safeties Gerald Sensabaugh, Abram Elam, Barry Church, Danny McCray
Analysis The safety play wasn’t bad, and Dallas could probably live with both of the starters returning next year. Neither is a star, though, so it would not hurt to upgrade if possible. Sensabaugh and Elam were far from perfect, but they avoided the glaring mistakes made by others on this defense, and made some plays to help this team win. If Elam leaves in free agency, there’s a possibility that Church could step in as the starter. He has good instincts and plays hard, but will probably always leave a little to desire in coverage. McCray doesn’t really offer that much on defense to justify his time on the field, but is a special teams mainstay.

 

[Eskimo]

Albright flashed quite a bit in TC and then had a few moments in preseason so I wouldn't give up on the kid. He had a good start to his career at BC and recorded 8.5 sacks as a sophomore in 2007. Then he had a major injury. He also broke his leg in 2010 in an October game so he may not even yet be at 100% in his recovery due to lost time training.

The other thing to look at his is his athleticism is quite remarkable based on his pro-day results. His shuttle was 4.03. His 10-yard split was 1.60. His 3-cone drills was 6.98. In comparison Ware was 4.07 short shuttle, 1.62 10-yard split and 3-cone drill was 6.85. Albright had a good vertical at 36 inches (Ware 38.5 inches). He has a good frame.

I think the kid just needs a chance to stay healthy and work with good trainers and maybe we can see some more of that athleticism come out. His 40 yard dash wasn't great but his burst was very good which is more important for pass rushing. He has excellent agility and change of direction skills. He has a good frame at 6 4.5 and 255 pounds with long arms. He could use a bit more strength with only 22 reps on the bench. He is a reasonable developmental prospect, he can play ST and he cost us nothing.

We need to add an OLB to the mix if we don't re-sign Spencer. I am of the mind we should let Spencer go and use cap dollars elsewhere. We can try to find a player who is a better fit for our defense. I know some names have popped up such as Melvin Ingram or that OLB from Alabama. I would like Ingram in a trade down to the early 20s if possible (if DeCastro is off the board) but the situation will become more clear after the Combine.

As for ILB, Carter has to start next year. He was a high second round pick and we have to give him a chance to succeed as we need his athleticism on the field. The backup could be James as a vet min re-sign or maybe even Orie Lemon off the PS. We could again be looking for a ILB in the late rounds as a developmental pick.

 

[Tusan_Homichi]

Just looking at the defensive roster is depressing. While the offense really has just one hole (interior oline), the defense is just full of them.

We need CBs, ILBs, Dline, and a safety. You could also argue (and I'd agree with you) that we need another passrusher to go opposite of Ware. There's a lot of work to be done on that side of the ball.

 

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

Just looking at the defensive roster is depressing. While the offense really has just one hole (interior oline), the defense is just full of them.

We need CBs, ILBs, Dline, and a safety. You could also argue (and I'd agree with you) that we need another passrusher to go opposite of Ware. There's a lot of work to be done on that side of the ball.

We definitely need another pass rusher opposite Ware.

 

[Eskimo]

Just looking at the defensive roster is depressing. While the offense really has just one hole (interior oline), the defense is just full of them.

We need CBs, ILBs, Dline, and a safety. You could also argue (and I'd agree with you) that we need another passrusher to go opposite of Ware. There's a lot of work to be done on that side of the ball.

And despite the lack of playmaking ability here or even average play at a number of positions, many here advocate spending a king's ransom for Carl Nicks and matching any offer that Laurent Robinson gets in FA.

We really need to focus on bringing in at least one CB to take Newman's snaps.

It'd be great if we could replace Elam with someone faster but at least he doesn't make many mistakes. The draft is supposedly poor in safeties and FA is also apparently bad. I think the best solution is to try and draft someone and groom him for a year behind Elam.

As for the DL a starting front 3 of Hatcher, Ratliff and Lissemore is not that bad. We may have Geathers, Spears and Brent as backups. There is also the kid we took off of Detroit's PS earlier in the year who may be in contention. I don't think we're so hard up here because we do have some prospects. I would look hard in the draft but I'd still go BPA because of all the needs we have.

As for OLB I would let Spencer go rather than be stuck with an expensive who doesn't give us what we need. I really hope we go for a draft pick at this position, preferably someone in the first 2 rounds.

So for the defense I would rank the draft needs as follows:

1. CB (no prospects for internal improvement, good draft for CBs. Hopefully we get someone in the 2nd or 3rd)

2. OLB (some guys could provide below average production for a year and we really need another dynamic athlete across from Ware to take this defense to the next level. Hopefully get someone in the 1st or 2nd).

3. Safety (starters are okay, draft is poor, pick BPA if there is a good one to groom for a year). This position is highly instinctive and requires a physical player. Please do not pick a college CB and then try to convert him in the pros. It usually doesn't work out.

4. DE: We need a better, more athletic front but we have a couple of prospects for internal improvement in Geathers and Lissemore plus the kid on the PS from Detroit. I would pick a BPA but it is lower on the needs list right now.

5. NT: we have been looking for someone to take some snaps from Rat. Brent is okay and we should just give him more snaps so Rat is fresher at the end of games and at the end of the year. We have paid Rat a ton of money so it is hard to justify spending a lot of money on a FA or using a high draft pick. If a dynamic gamechanging player was available in the draft I would take him but I don't think there is one. The best prospect in awhile was taken a round early last year in Phil Taylor so they are hard to get because they are so coveted. We should probably just go with what we have here and play Brent more but keep an eye open for a future Rat replacement as he probably only gives us two more productive years.

6. ILB: We have 2 second rounders from the last 2 drafts. We have to let Carter compete for the spot because he was heavily invested in for this defense. Ryan and Eberfluss have to make that pick work or find a cheap solution. Lemon can be the backup or we can bring James back for a year. I wouldn't make this spot a huge priority in the draft but we could use a bit of depth. We may look UDFA here.

 

[Venger]

Pretty good post again - though I think everyone in their gasping admiration for Lee forgets just how easy it is to move this guy if you get a body on him. Sometimes I think a strong wind will move him. It's not anything he can change - he just isn't built that way, and that same issue also means he's ball hawking and quick to the point of attack, so it's a double edged sword. But I think that means the other ILB needs to be something of a monster. Whether Carter is that... hmmmmm not sure about that, hoped for a little more than we got from him, but I guess it's worth seeing if time will tell, unless a better solution presents itself.

 

[Iago33]

I think pressure is more important than cb. The pressure could be OLB or Dline, but all corners are going to get beat without pressure.

 

[Joe Realist]

We need minimum of 2-3 new corners. After Jenkins and Scandrick, there is noboby else to keep.

 

[ufcrules1]

Just looking at the defensive roster is depressing. While the offense really has just one hole (interior oline), the defense is just full of them.

We need CBs, ILBs, Dline, and a safety. You could also argue (and I'd agree with you) that we need another passrusher to go opposite of Ware. There's a lot of work to be done on that side of the ball.

Makes me think we have ANOTHER rebuilding year in 2012. No way we can properly fill all these gaps in one year.

 

[ufcrules1]

Pretty good post again - though I think everyone in their gasping admiration for Lee forgets just how easy it is to move this guy if you get a body on him. Sometimes I think a strong wind will move him. It's not anything he can change - he just isn't built that way, and that same issue also means he's ball hawking and quick to the point of attack, so it's a double edged sword. But I think that means the other ILB needs to be something of a monster. Whether Carter is that... hmmmmm not sure about that, hoped for a little more than we got from him, but I guess it's worth seeing if time will tell, unless a better solution presents itself.

Yeah, it was weird with Carter because there were several times we could have used him next to Lee but they still went with the old tired veterans and that bothers me a bit. Is he not doing enough in practice to warranty starting? He looked good on special teams to me. Made some big hits a few times.

 

[gimmesix]

Albright flashed quite a bit in TC and then had a few moments in preseason so I wouldn't give up on the kid. He had a good start to his career at BC and recorded 8.5 sacks as a sophomore in 2007. Then he had a major injury. He also broke his leg in 2010 in an October game so he may not even yet be at 100% in his recovery due to lost time training.

The other thing to look at his is his athleticism is quite remarkable based on his pro-day results. His shuttle was 4.03. His 10-yard split was 1.60. His 3-cone drills was 6.98. In comparison Ware was 4.07 short shuttle, 1.62 10-yard split and 3-cone drill was 6.85. Albright had a good vertical at 36 inches (Ware 38.5 inches). He has a good frame.

I think the kid just needs a chance to stay healthy and work with good trainers and maybe we can see some more of that athleticism come out. His 40 yard dash wasn't great but his burst was very good which is more important for pass rushing. He has excellent agility and change of direction skills. He has a good frame at 6 4.5 and 255 pounds with long arms. He could use a bit more strength with only 22 reps on the bench. He is a reasonable developmental prospect, he can play ST and he cost us nothing,

I'm not advocating casting Albright aside. You want to give him a chance to show if he's worth keeping around. I'm just saying I didn't see anything this season to make me think he's worth keeping around.

Maybe he comes into training camp next season and tears it up. But I'm just not counting on it. I'm tired of counting on things with this defense only to get let down by them. From now on, I live in the show me state.

 

[gimmesix]

Yeah, it was weird with Carter because there were several times we could have used him next to Lee but they still went with the old tired veterans and that bothers me a bit. Is he not doing enough in practice to warranty starting? He looked good on special teams to me. Made some big hits a few times.

Much like Lee the previous year, he could have been having a hard time transferring what he was learning onto the field. You don't want a player out there who doesn't know his assignments or is too busy trying to make sure he does them right that he doesn't use his instincts.

Now, that doesn't automatically mean he's going to adjust as quickly as Lee did, or even at all, which is why I don't think the starting job can just be handed to him next year.

 

[gimmesix]

Makes me think we have ANOTHER rebuilding year in 2012. No way we can properly fill all these gaps in one year.

I do think we could get by (contend), though, if we can fill about five or six total starting positions. Two OL, CB, DE, OLB, throw in a S, ILB or another CB. That likely means at least three top-shelf free agents.

 

[ufcrules1]

I do think we could get by (contend), though, if we can fill about five or six total starting positions. Two OL, CB, DE, OLB, throw in a S, ILB or another CB. That likely means at least three top-shelf free agents.

They would all have to be really good. If the Commanders get a good QB, I see them and Philly being extremely tough in our division. Not to mention the Giants.

 

[Blue Eyed Devil]

Albright flashed quite a bit in TC and then had a few moments in preseason so I wouldn't give up on the kid.

I'm not advocating casting Albright aside. You want to give him a chance to show if he's worth keeping around. I'm just saying I didn't see anything this season to make me think he's worth keeping around.

Maybe he comes into training camp next season and tears it up. But I'm just not counting on it. I'm tired of counting on things with this defense only to get let down by them. From now on, I live in the show me state.

He's a pet cat of mine, love the guy as a developmental player.

His pass-rushing tools are the best on the team except for Ware.

Vertical Jump: 36"
Short Shuttle: 4.03

Those are DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller insane good numbers for pass rushing.

Can he turn that athleticism into NFL playmaking? Who knows. But I can find a spot on my 53 for a guy like that to see what he can learn.

 

[gimmesix]

Can he turn that athleticism into NFL playmaking? Who knows. But I can find a spot on my 53 for a guy like that to see what he can learn.

I don't want that. Too many players on this team have been given free rides based on potential or the fact that we simply didn't bring in anyone able to challenge them.

If this team is going to get any better, we need to have real competition not just for roster spots, but starting spots. Someone like Montrae Holland can't simply be expected to step in because Dallas decides to cut dead weight (pun intended). Costa and Nagy don't need to end up with starting jobs simply because Dallas has no other options.

Albright doesn't need to make the 53 to "see what he can learn." If he earns his spot, then I'm for it ... but Dallas really needs to make him and everyone else earn it.

 

[Blue Eyed Devil]

You don't get a dozen #1 draft picks. Your players for the future have to come from somewhere.

The reason we had to go to Holland is that we had guys like Corey Proctor on this team who were clearly incapable but stuck around for 4 years.

I don't disagree that this roster needs churn. But I would be looking to churn the guys like Stephen McGee who've had 4 years to learn but haven't or guys like Costa and Alan Ball who've had their chance and failed spectacularly.

Cut those guys. But you need to make space for your young guys with potential. If Alex Albright doesn't amount to a hill of beans cut him next year, but at least give him one off-season. You need to find your Miles Austins, Tony Romos, and Doug Frees for any NFL team to be a success.

 

[Dodger]

You write some really good stuff. It reads like a story. Both of those linebacker paragraphs were spot on.

 

[gimmesix]

You don't get a dozen #1 draft picks. Your players for the future have to come from somewhere.

The reason we had to go to Holland is that we had guys like Corey Proctor on this team who were clearly incapable but stuck around for 4 years.

I don't disagree that this roster needs churn. But I would be looking to churn the guys like Stephen McGee who've had 4 years to learn but haven't or guys like Costa and Alan Ball who've had their chance and failed spectacularly.

Cut those guys. But you need to make space for your young guys with potential. If Alex Albright doesn't amount to a hill of beans cut him next year, but at least give him one off-season. You need to find your Miles Austins, Tony Romos, and Doug Frees for any NFL team to be a success.

Oh, I'm not saying cut him now. Albright is the type of young player who needs to spend an offseason getting ready to compete for a roster spot. But he does not need to be just handed a roster spot. We need some real competition for those on this team, from the starters down to the lowest reserve.

Some of that's going to come through the draft and some of that is going to come from cherry-picking through the lower-cost vets available. I believe we need to go after three or four top-notch free agents and add those other guys to up the competition level for roster spots.

I wasn't impressed with Albright when he got playing time during the season, but that doesn't mean that should be his last shot at making an impression.

 

[gimmesix]

You write some really good stuff. It reads like a story. Both of those linebacker paragraphs were spot on.

Thanks. I don't really get to write articles anymore since I took a job that keeps me in the office editing but also keeps me from working over 40 hours a week (while giving me better pay). So this is my way of "getting it out of my system," although I wish I wasn't being distracted by work while trying to write these things.