Goldenrichards83
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HOW GOOD IS THE DALLAS DEFENSE, PART TWO? http://theboysblog.com/
Last year’s Cowboys team won the Super Bowl on fumes. Its defense was decimated by holdouts, suspensions and injuries. It just managed to hold off a charging Steelers team in the Super Bowl. This year, the Cowboys are back at the top of the NFL defensive standings, ranking first against the pass, and second overall.
Much has been written about the Dallas secondary, namely the blue chip tandem of Deion Sanders and Kevin Smith. Less attention has be lavished on the front seven, but it is their play which has been the most pleasant surprise. This was the part of the Cowboys defense that was supposed to slip after Russell Maryland, Dixon Edwards and Robert Jones left for big free agent money.
They were not that strong to begin with. Dallas ranked sixteenth against the run in 1995 and was run over by Terry Allen and Rodney Hampton, among others. Through eight games, the Dallas rushing defense ranks third. How have the Cowboys done it, with bargain-basement salaried players like Fred Strickland and Broderick Thomas in the lineup?
The Cowboys have improved in part by changing their base scheme. Through the first years of the Jimmy Johnson-Barry Switzer era, the Cowboys played the now familiar wide-end 4-3, shown below:
FS SS o o WLB MLB SLB o o o CB CB o DE DT DT DE o o o o o__________________________________________________ o o o o o o o o TE o o oThe weakside end in the scheme played the outside shoulder of the weakside offensive tackle. The strongside end played over the opposition’s tight end. The three linebackers played inside the ends and several yards behind the line of scrimmage.
The philosophy was to get fast ends and linebackers. With the ends playing so far outside, running plays could be funneled inside, where the backers would swarm to the ball. When Dallas had a deep defensive tackle rotation and could keep linemen fresh, this system worked.
In recent years, however, teams began to exploit the middle of the Cowboys line. Norv Turner showed last year that big, mobile linemen could overwhelm the Dallas front. In both Commander wins, the Cowboys appeared powerless to stop Allen on counter plays. With three starters departing, the Cowboys could not afford to stand pat.
They didn’t. This year, the Cowboys have played a variant of the undershifting slant 4-3 run so effectively by Minnesota in recent years.
31 o 28 o 59 55 o o 26 21 94 78 95 92 51 o o o o o o o___________________________________________________ o o o o o o o SE o TE o QB FL o FB o RBThis is the base defense used most of the time in ‘96. It has three defensive linemen undershifted, or set on the weak side of the formation. Instead of playing off the line, strongside linebacker Broderick Thomas (51), plays over the tight end. The strongside tackle, in this case Chad Hennings (95), lies up in the gap between the center and guard.
The benefits of this new scheme are many. Thomas is not a typical Cowboys linebacker in that he is not effective in space. He has trouble with his pass drops. But he is 250 lbs. and can handle tight ends, something the 230 lb. Dixon Edwards was not asked to do. By having Thomas over the tight end, Dallas has made it harder for teams to run to Dallas strong side. Putting Thomas on the line also gives Dallas more options rushing the passer. Thomas has played rush end at Minnesota and was a blitzing OLB at Tampa Bay. He gives opposing linemen one more rusher to account for on passing plays.
Having Hennings in the strongside guard/center gap makes better sense for him and MLB Fred Stickland (55). Hennings is a quick player but has always had problems holding his own against double teams. Washington and Philadelphia made a living running traps and counter plays at him, since they often buried Hennings at the point of attack. By making him responsible for one gap instead of two, he can use his speed to penetrate.
Putting Hennings in the gap also lets him tie up two players, meaning that Strickland is harder to block. Strickland is more instinctive than Robert Jones, so the extra instant needed by centers and guards to reach him gives him the time needed to make the play.
Undershifting the line forces the weakside guard to handle Leon Lett (78) one on one. This has been a no-win proposition for the league’s guards. If the formation is shifted to Lett’s side, he lines up in a gap, meaning that the offensive linemen get poor blocking angles on him. As a result, Lett has had the best start in his career.
A final feature of the scheme is that it stacks the speedy Darrin Smith (59) behind the defensive line. Offensive linemen are screened from him, so he is able to chase down plays to either side of the field. Smith thrives in space and is one of the team’s leading tacklers.
Early in the season, Dallas was hurt by short passes to the fullback. Thomas lacked the speed to stay with quick fullbacks like Chicago’s Raymont Harris and the Colts’ Zack Crockett. The Cowboys have countered this by giving Thomas more responsibility for the tight end and having Darren Woodson cover the back. This makes Thomas’ job easier since he can jam the tight end off the line and slow down his patterns.
This system is not foolproof. When teams go to two tight end formations, Thomas is again responsible for the H-back. Miami burned him on a wheel route when fullback Stanley Pritchett set as a second tight end and got behind Thomas.
Nonetheless, this scheme is a much better fit for the personnel the Cowboys have on the field. It allows the Cowboys linemen to attack more and disrupt plays before they get started. The defense’s much improved rankings show the wisdom of this adjustment.
My bad fellas, sorry for the read.
Last year’s Cowboys team won the Super Bowl on fumes. Its defense was decimated by holdouts, suspensions and injuries. It just managed to hold off a charging Steelers team in the Super Bowl. This year, the Cowboys are back at the top of the NFL defensive standings, ranking first against the pass, and second overall.
Much has been written about the Dallas secondary, namely the blue chip tandem of Deion Sanders and Kevin Smith. Less attention has be lavished on the front seven, but it is their play which has been the most pleasant surprise. This was the part of the Cowboys defense that was supposed to slip after Russell Maryland, Dixon Edwards and Robert Jones left for big free agent money.
They were not that strong to begin with. Dallas ranked sixteenth against the run in 1995 and was run over by Terry Allen and Rodney Hampton, among others. Through eight games, the Dallas rushing defense ranks third. How have the Cowboys done it, with bargain-basement salaried players like Fred Strickland and Broderick Thomas in the lineup?
The Cowboys have improved in part by changing their base scheme. Through the first years of the Jimmy Johnson-Barry Switzer era, the Cowboys played the now familiar wide-end 4-3, shown below:
FS SS o o WLB MLB SLB o o o CB CB o DE DT DT DE o o o o o__________________________________________________ o o o o o o o o TE o o oThe weakside end in the scheme played the outside shoulder of the weakside offensive tackle. The strongside end played over the opposition’s tight end. The three linebackers played inside the ends and several yards behind the line of scrimmage.
The philosophy was to get fast ends and linebackers. With the ends playing so far outside, running plays could be funneled inside, where the backers would swarm to the ball. When Dallas had a deep defensive tackle rotation and could keep linemen fresh, this system worked.
In recent years, however, teams began to exploit the middle of the Cowboys line. Norv Turner showed last year that big, mobile linemen could overwhelm the Dallas front. In both Commander wins, the Cowboys appeared powerless to stop Allen on counter plays. With three starters departing, the Cowboys could not afford to stand pat.
They didn’t. This year, the Cowboys have played a variant of the undershifting slant 4-3 run so effectively by Minnesota in recent years.
31 o 28 o 59 55 o o 26 21 94 78 95 92 51 o o o o o o o___________________________________________________ o o o o o o o SE o TE o QB FL o FB o RBThis is the base defense used most of the time in ‘96. It has three defensive linemen undershifted, or set on the weak side of the formation. Instead of playing off the line, strongside linebacker Broderick Thomas (51), plays over the tight end. The strongside tackle, in this case Chad Hennings (95), lies up in the gap between the center and guard.
The benefits of this new scheme are many. Thomas is not a typical Cowboys linebacker in that he is not effective in space. He has trouble with his pass drops. But he is 250 lbs. and can handle tight ends, something the 230 lb. Dixon Edwards was not asked to do. By having Thomas over the tight end, Dallas has made it harder for teams to run to Dallas strong side. Putting Thomas on the line also gives Dallas more options rushing the passer. Thomas has played rush end at Minnesota and was a blitzing OLB at Tampa Bay. He gives opposing linemen one more rusher to account for on passing plays.
Having Hennings in the strongside guard/center gap makes better sense for him and MLB Fred Stickland (55). Hennings is a quick player but has always had problems holding his own against double teams. Washington and Philadelphia made a living running traps and counter plays at him, since they often buried Hennings at the point of attack. By making him responsible for one gap instead of two, he can use his speed to penetrate.
Putting Hennings in the gap also lets him tie up two players, meaning that Strickland is harder to block. Strickland is more instinctive than Robert Jones, so the extra instant needed by centers and guards to reach him gives him the time needed to make the play.
Undershifting the line forces the weakside guard to handle Leon Lett (78) one on one. This has been a no-win proposition for the league’s guards. If the formation is shifted to Lett’s side, he lines up in a gap, meaning that the offensive linemen get poor blocking angles on him. As a result, Lett has had the best start in his career.
A final feature of the scheme is that it stacks the speedy Darrin Smith (59) behind the defensive line. Offensive linemen are screened from him, so he is able to chase down plays to either side of the field. Smith thrives in space and is one of the team’s leading tacklers.
Early in the season, Dallas was hurt by short passes to the fullback. Thomas lacked the speed to stay with quick fullbacks like Chicago’s Raymont Harris and the Colts’ Zack Crockett. The Cowboys have countered this by giving Thomas more responsibility for the tight end and having Darren Woodson cover the back. This makes Thomas’ job easier since he can jam the tight end off the line and slow down his patterns.
This system is not foolproof. When teams go to two tight end formations, Thomas is again responsible for the H-back. Miami burned him on a wheel route when fullback Stanley Pritchett set as a second tight end and got behind Thomas.
Nonetheless, this scheme is a much better fit for the personnel the Cowboys have on the field. It allows the Cowboys linemen to attack more and disrupt plays before they get started. The defense’s much improved rankings show the wisdom of this adjustment.
My bad fellas, sorry for the read.
