How bad is this DL?

[CATCH17]

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.

This defense will have good stats.. It's what these Marinelli type of defenses do. They post solid statistical numbers but they absolutely suck.

 

[Sydla]

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.

That's my biggest gripe. Everyone knew the defense was short on talent after the 2015 season. Shoot, even Jones came out and ripped the pass rush.

And then they spent the next 6 months throwing band aids at the defense thinking it was going to result in a noticeable difference.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

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.

Stats are stats.

Watch other teams games and you'll see a lot of bad quarterbacking and the opposing defenses benefitting from such.

 

[Idgit]

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.

I liked Nzeotcha in preseason, too. He's got a chance to be a nice all-around contributor.

Hitchens does look like he's regressed last year. Not sure what's going on there, but I'd have to say that people who were sure he was a bad player before he even played a snap were proven wrong the minute he stepped on the field and played well. Players regress for other reasons after a few years in the league that have nothing to do with draft position. If Durant really is rounding into shape, there's always putting Lee at Mike and Durant at WIL. I don't know if it's the knee hobbling him a bit, or what, but Lee doesn't look much like his old self yet, either.

 

[Stash]

The line is pretty bad. Lawrence is legitimately a good player and will help. What surprises me the most is teams have been able to run on us inside fairly regularly. I expected to struggle with pressure, but I thought we'd be able to stretch, fill, and contain fairly well. As it is, we don't do much of anything well yet.

We don't have any right to be surprised. We don't have talent on defense. What should surprise us is we're not imposing our will on anybody with the offensive running game, either.

Great post!

 

[Sydla]

Stats are stats.

Watch other teams games and you'll see a lot of bad quarterbacking and the opposing defenses benefitting from such.

I watched a game last night with two QBs playing well and the defenses of both teams were noticeably better than ours.

Team lacks real talent on defense. And that's going to hold them back until Jones wakes up to that reality and doesn't spend an offseason thinking he can fix the defense with cast offs from other teams simply because Will McClay likes a guy.

 

[Plankton]

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

Yowsers.

It's light years above what the Cowboys roll out. Sean Lee is very good, but it's JAG city all around him.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I watched a game last night with two QBs playing well and the defenses of both teams were noticeably better than ours.

Team lacks real talent on defense. And that's going to hold them back until Jones wakes up to that reality and doesn't spend an offseason thinking he can fix the defense with cast offs from other teams simply because Will McClay likes a guy.

It is what it is.

 

[Stash]

Stats are stats.

Watch other teams games and you'll see a lot of bad quarterbacking and the opposing defenses benefitting from such.

You saw the huge opportunities that Cousins missed yesterday, just like the rest of us.

 

[Denim Chicken]

This defense will have good stats.. It's what these Marinelli type of defenses do. They post solid statistical numbers but they absolutely suck.

Points against is reality. You can't skew that stat and it's the most important.

 

[Idgit]

It's light years above what the Cowboys roll out. Sean Lee is very good, but it's JAG city all around him.

That MIN defense is fun to watch. Zimmer knows what he's doing over there, for sure.

 

[Sydla]

It is what it is.

It really stuns the senses that they looked at their defensive front and concluded they did a fine job this offseason. LOL.

 

[CATCH17]

I liked Nzeotcha in preseason, too. He's got a chance to be a nice all-around contributor.

Hitchens does look like he's regressed last year. Not sure what's going on there, but I'd have to say that people who were sure he was a bad player before he even played a snap were proven wrong the minute he stepped on the field and played well. Players regress for other reasons after a few years in the league that have nothing to do with draft position. If Durant really is rounding into shape, there's always putting Lee at Mike and Durant at WIL. I don't know if it's the knee hobbling him a bit, or what, but Lee doesn't look much like his old self yet, either.

Also, I think Bruce Carter got too much money but our defense has really missed that guy and the Cowboys should've done more to get him back when he was cut from Tampa.

They must not like him or something but Bruce Carter would make this defense better.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

You saw the huge opportunities that Cousins missed yesterday, just like the rest of us.

You bet.

I watched the Bronco/Colt game and saw similar.

I watched Bradford do the same last night.

I watched Tyrod Taylor miss opportunities against the Jets on Thursday.

It happens.

 

[Sydla]

You bet.

I watched the Bronco/Colt game and saw similar.

I watched Bradford do the same last night.

I watched Tyrod Taylor miss opportunities against the Jets on Thursday.

It happens.

Actually Bradford didn't miss a ton. He played very well last night. Certainly much better than Cousins did.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

It really stuns the senses that they looked at their defensive front and concluded they did a fine job this offseason. LOL.

This team is already many million over the cap for '17.

When you have as many resources as they do tied up in the offense, then that's what's going to happen.

 

[weaver21]

I'll refrain from sounding like a homer and complaining about our fans whining after a big road divisional win and actually say that we have to remember this defense is not at full strength. Getting Lawrence back will be huge for this defensive line and hopefully we see Gregory and Tapper down the line as well. If Gregory can stay out at trouble and be used in pass rushing situations, he has a chance to make a serious impact. We know he has talent, he just has stay away from the drugs and keep his mind on football. The defense is not good and I think we all know that, but they came up big yesterday and I can respect that.

 

[CATCH17]

Points against is reality. You can't skew that stat and it's the most important.

Yeah.. Well I watched Cousins and Manning both constantly chip away and end drives with points and I saw Cousins miss several wide open WR's which have his coach and teammates criticizing him.

That's the reality but it will be forgotten about in the offseason when we repeat like dummies that Dallas only allowed 23 points against Washington.

 

[Doomsday101]

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.

our standard? the season has started this is our defense good and bad. As for overpaying in FA sorry I'm not for it. Josh Norman was a great FA pick up yet the skins still are 0-2 to start the season so all that big money did nothing. Dallas has taken that road before paying out big money and fans B##tched about that as well. Fact is our fans are going to complain about Jerry that is a fact, no matter what he does. I don't excuse anything but I also do not spend my live complaining. This defense will have to play their tails off and fight for everything and I knew that going into the season.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I'll refrain from sounding like a homer and complaining about our fans whining after a big road divisional win and actually say that we have to remember this defense is not at full strength. Getting Lawrence back will be huge for this defensive line and hopefully we see Gregory and Tapper down the line as well. If Gregory can stay out at trouble and be used in pass rushing situations, he has a chance to make a serious impact. We know he has talent, he just has stay away from the drugs and keep his mind on football. The defense is not good and I think we all know that, but they came up big yesterday and I can respect that.

Exactly right.

Good defense- No

Horrible defense- No

Chance to get better as the season progresses? - There is some possibility of that