How bad is this DL?

[Denim Chicken]

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Right now the defense is 18th in sacks with 4 and 23rd in yards given up per attempt.

Not glowing stats but to call it the worst defense every is melodramatic.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Again, not a good defense, but not out & out horrible either.

Some folks need to take a step back and hit the reset button.

 

[Sydla]

Right now this defense reminds me a lot of the 2014 defense. They fight hard and came up with the plays in crunch time stopping the 4th down play as Durant make an excellent play to prevent the skins from getting the 1st. The defense held the Commanders to 0 4th qrt points and got a big sack and turnover late in the game.

Yes this defense has issues but they do play hard and with a lot of heart.

Durant is mediocre but it's still better than Hitchens. He has to play more IMO.

 

[CATCH17]

Durant turning it on late yesterday was a nice surprise. Let's hope he keeps it up.

I also liked the athleticism Nzeocha showed this preseason and we desperately need that type of athleticism and coverage ability right in the middle of our defense.


Hitchens looks awful..


A lot of us hated the Hitchens pick in the draft.. We all thought we were wrong on the player after his rookie season.. Well somehow he has has regressed since his rookie year and is proving the majority of us who thought this was a bad pick right.

He needs to prove us wrong again or we need to find an answer.

If I were Dallas i'd be on the phones with any veteran that got cut for a youth movement. We need smart players on defense that will at the very least be in the right spot like Durant was yesterday.

 

[Doomsday101]

Durant is mediocre but it's still better than Hitchens. He has to play more IMO.

I expect both to play. I know this is not some top 10 defense so I am past that now I look at the reality and that is these guys go out and play hard, they went out and stopped the skins in some critical situation and did not allow any points in the 4th. For this group that is a big win

 

[Sydla]

Again, not a good defense, but not out & out horrible either.

Some folks need to take a step back and hit the reset button.

Seems like it's hair splitting to say they aren't the worst in the NFL but still aren't all that good.

That's like saying well, this dog poop smells bad but at least it doesn't smell as bad as that horse poop.

 

[CATCH17]

Again, not a good defense, but not out & out horrible either.

Some folks need to take a step back and hit the reset button.

We know these stats have giant asterisks next to them.. It's not the game of the week that we get on the radio. WE get to actually watch these games. The Dallas defense is just awful.

Im glad the point total is low but the stats are not the reality of this defense.

 

[Plankton]

The scary thing is that as bad as the DL is, the linebackers are worse.

 

[Sydla]

The scary thing is that as bad as the DL is, the linebackers are worse.

I was watching that game last night and the Vikings trotted out Greenway, Kendricks and Barr at LB.

Yowsers.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Seems like it's hair splitting to say they aren't the worst in the NFL but still aren't all that good.

Not really when you have 32 teams in total.

I don't have any problem with anyone pegging this defense exactly what/where they are which if you go by the stats they're mediocre at best and below average at worst. But to claim any worse than that is agenda driven from my perspective.

 

[MileyDancer]

game on the line, pure pass rush situation and we send out 4 DT's to get after the QB. Can't make this stuff up

That's more on our "amazing" DC than the actual line itself.

 

[Denim Chicken]

Again, not a good defense, but not out & out horrible either.

Some folks need to take a step back and hit the reset button.

So far, it's been exactly what many predicted: a tad better than 2014--still early, though. Good thing is our best rusher is coming back in two games.

 

[Doomsday101]

We know these stats have giant asterisks next to them.. It's not the game of the week that we get on the radio. WE get to actually watch these games. The Dallas defense is just awful.

Im glad the point total is low but the stats are not the reality of this defense.

Reality is not giving up points, you get 0 points on the board based on yardage. Yardage means nothing and counts for nothing. You are right this is not a great defense but they stood up yesterday they came up with a big Int and a big sack as well as a 4th down stop that helped this team win. Are they great? No and likely will not be great on the season but it they can manage to keep teams out of the endzone and come up with some big plays they can help this team win.

 

[CATCH17]

McClain. Lawrence.

Anyone watch Minnesota and GB? Did you see how active both fronts are? Only a pure homer would watch those teams play and then conclude we are in the same ballpark as them in terms of generating pressure.

The Vikings have a real shot at the superbowl simply because they play real defense.

I could forgive the Cowboys had they made real efforts to improve the defense this offseason.

We're an offensive based football team that doesn't use dynamic playcalling to get the most out of the offensive talent and defensively we have next to nothing.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I was watching that game last night and the Vikings trotted out Greenway, Kendricks and Barr at LB.

Yowsers.

They have good linebackers.

I'd rather have a good line/good secondary.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

So far, it's been exactly what many predicted: a tad better than 2014--still early, though. Good thing is our best rusher is coming back in two games.

Exactly right.

Some like to make it sound like it's the awful 2013 defense and it's a far cry from that.

 

[dstew60105]

You mean like DLaw and Gregory? Those draft picks high enough for you?

Exactly. It's not like they haven't tried to address the problem. The problem is drug suspensions.

 

[Sydla]

Not really when you have 32 teams in total.

I don't have any problem with anyone pegging this defense exactly what/where they are which if you go by the stats they're mediocre at best and below average at worst. But to claim any worse than that is agenda driven from my perspective.

Stats, especially after only two games, can be deceiving. We faced a team yesterday that their QB went brain dead and missed some pretty easy plays against us. I'll take the win but I also won't be naïve and blind to the realities here.

This defense is likely a bottom third of the league team in terms of talent that took the field on Sunday.

 

[CATCH17]

Reality is not giving up points, you get 0 points on the board based on yardage. Yardage means nothing and counts for nothing. You are right this is not a great defense but they stood up yesterday they came up with a big Int and a big sack as well as a 4th down stop that helped this team win. Are they great? No and likely will not be great on the season but it they can manage to keep teams out of the endzone and come up with some big plays they can help this team win.

Agree with that but what is our standard around here? This is ok for the Cleveland Browns but it's not what Dallas Cowboy football should be about. We shouldn't excuse and sell hope like JErry Jones has for totally skipping out on Free Agency for defenders and drafting guys with premium picks that can't help our defense.

This defense is not acceptable. We knew it was a problem and we virtually ignored upgrading it in a real way and it may be another season down the tube because of it.