Graziano says Defense the key

[CoCo]

I really don't see how we can be worse, to be honest. The problem, as I see it, is we have to be substantially better at running the ball, not marginally better. Even if we are marginally better than last year, we would still end up average at best. Our running stats for the past 2 years are disgraceful.

So...yes - I do think we will be better as well. The questions remains - how much better and will it be enough to get us over the hump.

I think its interesting to note that in the one week we had Costa at Center we blew the top off the run game. Now I'm sure some of that was Baltimore's struggles stopping the run. But I also wonder how much was Dallas geetting some run blocking inside that opened a whole new set of possibilities. Ryan Cook, our primary Center last year, is ahorrible run-blocker.

That is part of why I think we'll have a better run game - the upgrade at Center.

 

[Alexander]

I think its interesting to note that in the one week we had Costa at Center we blew the top off the run game. Now I'm sure some of that was Baltimore's struggles stopping the run. But I also wonder how much was Dallas geetting some run blocking inside that opened a whole new set of possibilities. Ryan Cook, our primary Center last year, is ahorrible run-blocker.

That is part of why I think we'll have a better run game - the upgrade at Center.

Do not forget about Frederick's ability to make the line calls, something we missed since Kosier.

 

[Eskimo]

I liked this post and mostly agree with it.

In a general way you're right about TOs. For Tony that is a good deal on him not to turn the ball over. No fan understands the pressure this guy gets consistently more than I do. So if you say balance then I think you've got an OL that is giving him some more protection, a better pocket with less collapse, receivers running to the right spot and making the right reads, and a decent running game that takes some of the pressure off Tony to carry the O. I can understand wrong reads and routes but it's on Tony not to throw some on those INTs despite the pressure he gets. Understandable all but ball protection is his number one concern as it is for any QB.

Right, I was implying it is one thing to tell Romo not to turn over the ball but then you have to make it possible for him to make plays under more controlled circumstances. That mostly means avoiding negative plays, staying out of 3rd and longs and giving him adequate protection when attempting to throw the ball downfield. It also means making sure WRs know how to make the proper route adjustments before getting on the field with Romo or limiting what they have him do so he understands a more limited set of responsibilities. It also means the whole team playing well enough so that he isn't constantly trying to pull us back into games where we've fallen far behind. It means getting some short fields to work with so that he can get some shorter scores.

I will the same as you about the CBs. I may be more concerned about the depth but again that's a perennial problem for all teams at that position. While I'm concerned I'm also optimistic esp for Claiborne and Webb and some Moore. OScan is so up and down I'm not sure that'll change but the slot is hard to play so expectations there need to be a little constrained IMO. Carr will likely do reasonably well this year but I agree he's limited and overpaid for his talents. IMO, he would be a pretty good FS and I wouldn't hesitate to put him there if I had someone who could play his CB position. I doubt many here feel or see that but I'm comfortable with that idea however unlikely it is this year.

I have hopes for Johnson and Wilcox. It might be unreasonable to expect too much from Wilcox but he appears to be a FB player. All I know about Johnson is how excited they are about him. Well, I hope they're right.

I agree there are a lot of good pieces in the secondary but much of it has little experience. The top 3 CBs really is probably amongst the best in the league and none is older than 27. None is a superstar yet but Mo could become one if he starts snagging passes. I really don't think many teams have as good a set of #4 and #5 CBs as we do. Back in 2011 our #4 CB was Allan Ball and #5 was Frank Walker - now that was lack of depth

I think we are doing the right thing at Safety. We used to be too much focused on bringing in "athletes" at Safety like Sensy and AOA and even Allan Ball. All those guys were very fast and could jump but none were very good football players. They had low football IQs and struggled to deflect passes, come up aggressively against the run and generate turnovers. This new crop are all ballplayers who seem to be a physical and instinctive bunch with acceptable measurables. I I agree about the inexperience of Johnson and Wilcox but Allen is here to fill in as a stopgap until they are ready to take over. One of the big strengths of the new system is it is apparently built to make the Safeties job easier and Kiffin and Marinelli seem to have had good play wherever they have been. I also think the inexperience we are talking about (esp. for Johnson) is not like it was for AOA who basically was playing just a notch up from high school football in some kind of a rover position and for Ball who was basically a fringe CB with questionable tackling skills and horrible angles. The inexperience of Johnson in purely just not having put on the pads against NFL players and competing full-speed. He has been around the league now for over a year so he understands everything but just needs reps to adjust to the speed of the game.

Now the other thing that gets me excited is the ball skills of the new group. Johnson had 17 INTs in college and looked like he had an idea of how to play the ball in his highlight reel. The players have said in practice that he has great ball skills so the skill has translated at least at the practice level. We don't know as much about Wilcox here but he was a former RB and WR so he understands how to go after the ball and take it away from the other guy.

 

[Eskimo]

Yep - I'm a little surprised that more fans aren't dwelling on the lack of the running game and lack of quality run blocking. It can very easily and singlehandedly be what keeps this team either out of the playoffs. In a nutshell, it is a HUGE concern for me personally.

The thing is that we were much better in 2011 with Kosier and Holland at OG and Costa at Center with the same OTs. I don't see us being weaker on the interior this year with Frederick being one of the cogs. I think Leary will probably steal one of the two OG jobs and he will be a good run blocker. I also have hopes that Bernadeau will pick up where he left off in the second half of the season and play better. We all have to remember that Bern came from a Div 3 school and didn't have much experience playing pro ball before he came here. He was impaired with the two leg surgeries and it took a few months to really get his legs back. I also think he was really hampered by trouble getting off on the snap and hopefully they correct that this offseason.

I really think our best set of 3 interior players for this year is Costa, Frederick and Leary/Bernadeau. I am very worried that Livings knee issues are chronic (we have the darndest luck with OL) and that he will not make the final roster. I am still not 100% convinced why Costa can't play OG even though he could go up against NTs fine.

I suspect we may hope to develop another from what we have on the roster in Kowalski and Arkin but have my doubts about Arkin and think Kowalski is more of a Center. I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't dip into the draft again next year for a premium OL to add to our group.

Having said that our #1 area that we need to improve upon is pass defense on the back end. I would say #2 concern would be pass blocking. I would put pass rush #3. I would probably put run blocking at #4. I do see it as a concern but am not convinced we can't go far with what we have. We just need to get back to the 2011 level which I think is a definite possibility. We won't be an elite running team but that isn't worth much anymore anyways. I prefer to spend resources to create a dominant passing attack over a dominant running attack. The combination in the increased size and strength of DL over the years and the liberalization of the passing rules has made the NFL a passing league more than it ever was before.

 

[footballnflstyle]

just my two cents..this team on offense has to run the ball better as we all know,and execute the passing game as designed and not rely on tony buying time so much.this works ok alot of times but at crunch defenses zero in on tony and dont give him the wiggle room which stalls alot drives in big moments.plus lets face it tony is getting less and less elusive as each seasons passes..oh and the defense stays fairly healthy this team has a shot!!

 

[DogFace]

People always focus on the conclusion and not on the "process". Of course, TO differential is very higly correlated to winning but it's not so easy to say just turn it over less and force more turnovers. I think the key is establishing balance and letting Romo play within himself most of the time with better judgment about when to take some risks. The defensive adjustment will be huge but I believe in people over scheme and I think we have the right people here to install this defense and make it work here. It may take a year or two to get it down pat but I think we'll be fairly good right out of the gate.

At CB I was never so enamored with Carr from the beginning. He is young, has high character and plays hard. I don't think he'll be an epic bust but I also don't think he will ever be worth the contract we gave him. Hopefully he'll be able to press more this year which is where he has been successful playing with physicality rather than with loose hips and great burst. You don't get a CB who is so limited and then not let him play to his strength - this is why Ryan lost him job, IMO. He promised a certain style of play, had two years, big resources invested and he never put up anything more than a mediocre offense that let QBs put up ridiculous QB ratings. He wasn't fooling anyone except his own players. We are better off now that he is out of here. I am really excited about this whole group of CBs. I really think Mo will do well in this new scheme and I hope we see those ball skills. I am not as sure about OScan but he should be okay for the year and has always played well going downhill. I really like the 4th and 5th CBs in Webb and Moore. We are actually pretty blessed to have a group like this.

As for the Safety spot, I really think that Church is going to be good. I saw enough last year through the first 3 games to see he was the best Safety we've had since Roy Williams went soft in 2006. If he was moving well in mini-camp then I know he will be good. As for the other Safety spot, I am not convinced Allen is the starter when the season opens. It'll be a good competition and I won't be shocked if Johnson steps up and wins the spot.

I do agree that our defense needs to step up with all the big expensive parts we have invested in (Spencer, Ware, Rat, Mo, Carr, Lee, Carter, OScan) it and these guys are at their collective peak and need to play better as a unit than they have in the past. Perhaps we have overrated them and overpaid them and overdrafted them but mostly I think we have coached away from their strengths. We assembled the pieces of an attacking 4-3 defense but made them play a style of ball that they weren't built for. Ware and Spencer are more small DEs than large OLBs and always have been. Rat is a 3-tech DT who has been forced to play NT. We have aggressive and physical press corners who have been playing well off the WRs. Kiffin and Marinelli are smart guys who have been around the game for 40-50 years and I think they'll tweak what Seattle has been doing to optimize the skills of these players. I salivate at the notion of Ware attacking from a wide 9 stance with all that speed, power, flexibility and change of direction skills flying off the edge to hunt QBs. I love the idea of Rat going 1-on-1 with an OG. I love the idea of Lee and Carter flying around all over the field to fill in gaps in the zone coverages. I think it is going to be a treat to watch it all unfold but we do need the stars to stay healthy to make this thing work.

Excellent post.