I think the defense will be better than expected

[NoLuv4Jerry]

Here is what I will say. Claiborne...#6 overall pick. Also gave up a 2nd to get him....was labled coming out of college as being Deion Sanders like. Now we know that is not the case, but when you give up that much to get a guy.....that should be a Pro Bowl caliber player. The consensus on him accross the league coming out of college was a blue chipper. So you cannot FAULT Jerry if this guy does not live up to his draft grade.

Brandon Carr - most expensive free agent CB 2 years ago. Was regarded as the #1 CB in free agency that summer.

Scandrick - I am going to say he is a top 5 slot CB...and maybe the highest paid 3rd CB in the NFL.

Mincey - his reputation speaks for itself.

Carter - 2nd round pick. Would have been a 1st round pick if not for an injury.

Dixon - 3rd round pick...and that is nothing to sneeze at for the Safety position. Where was Kam Chancelor for the Seahawks drafted? 4th? 5th?

Crawford - 3rd round pick.

Lawrence - 2nd round pick

Lee - though injured...he was a 2nd round pick and would have been 1st round if not for injury history.

So while there are not a bunch of top 10 picks over there. That is no excuse. What defense in the NFL us full of top 10 picks? You only get one 1st round pick every year. And lately we have spent them onthe OL.....which is being reported as one of the best in the NFL. So we now will have to do the same with the defense over the next few years. But in the meantime....if you coach/manage a game correctly...there is enough talent on this offense (and defense) to finish up the year with a ranking between 20 - 22. If that Super Bowl worthy? Of course not! But this team was not going to the Super Bowl anyway this year. But we can compete in this division. We competed in this division up until the final drive last year...and that was with the 3rd worse defense in NFL history. So hopefully Garret has matured as a coach...and has a beter understanding of how to manage a game....protect his defense.

 

[bark]

Our offense will keep us in games. Our defense will lose it for us. I am predicting another 8-8 season. This all changes if Melton steps in and shows us 2012 production, Selvie has another 7 sack season, Spencer comes back by the second game of the season and shows us 2012 production, our 1 technique clogs up the middle (be it McClain or Brent), Rolando McClain plays like a top 10 pick, Claiborn plays like a top 10 pick, and Carr plays like a 50 million dollar corner.

Agree right up to the point where Tonys back gives out. If he's right, the offense will be a handful.

 

[CCBoy]

You can put as much lipstick as you want on this pig, buddy.

I think you need to brace yourself for what everybody else has already come to terms with.

This defense is bad...........and that might even be optimistic.

I once had a white Cheshire named Arnold. Instead of rooting, he would climb over the fencing. The fencing got slightly over four feet tall, and we would still get calls from a neighbor to come and get that rooting hog out of their front yard. Go figure how that can change things...

 

[CCBoy]

Here is what I will say. Claiborne...#6 overall pick. Also gave up a 2nd to get him....was labled coming out of college as being Deion Sanders like. Now we know that is not the case, but when you give up that much to get a guy.....that should be a Pro Bowl caliber player. The consensus on him accross the league coming out of college was a blue chipper. So you cannot FAULT Jerry if this guy does not live up to his draft grade.

Brandon Carr - most expensive free agent CB 2 years ago. Was regarded as the #1 CB in free agency that summer.

Scandrick - I am going to say he is a top 5 slot CB...and maybe the highest paid 3rd CB in the NFL.

Mincey - his reputation speaks for itself.

Carter - 2nd round pick. Would have been a 1st round pick if not for an injury.

Dixon - 3rd round pick...and that is nothing to sneeze at for the Safety position. Where was Kam Chancelor for the Seahawks drafted? 4th? 5th?

Crawford - 3rd round pick.

Lawrence - 2nd round pick

Lee - though injured...he was a 2nd round pick and would have been 1st round if not for injury history.

So while there are not a bunch of top 10 picks over there. That is no excuse. What defense in the NFL us full of top 10 picks? You only get one 1st round pick every year. And lately we have spent them onthe OL.....which is being reported as one of the best in the NFL. So we now will have to do the same with the defense over the next few years. But in the meantime....if you coach/manage a game correctly...there is enough talent on this offense (and defense) to finish up the year with a ranking between 20 - 22. If that Super Bowl worthy? Of course not! But this team was not going to the Super Bowl anyway this year. But we can compete in this division. We competed in this division up until the final drive last year...and that was with the 3rd worse defense in NFL history. So hopefully Garret has matured as a coach...and has a beter understanding of how to manage a game....protect his defense.

Good reflection...and I haven't given up on contributions by Anthony Spencer just yet!

 

[Wezsh0T]

Was it last season that no one was scoring on our defense during preseason or was it the season before? Either way, our defense wasn't very good either of those years. It's always tough to gauge the exact quality of the units during preseason. It is easier to see individual performances. That being said, the defense hasn't been looking good in practice(from most reports) or in the first game.

 

[DallasEast]

For this defense to be adequate, I believe Rod Marinelli must sacrifice pressuring the quarterback consistently for shoring up run defense. This will lead to more offensive shootouts with other teams, but I think he should strongly consider beefing up the run defensive scheme as much as possible. If the other teams' pass and run games are clicking, the defense will be less than adequate in keeping scoring down enough for the offense to offset.

However, I do think health will play an important factor in offsetting the other teams' passing attack. If Melton and Lawrence are healthy enough to pressure the quarterback (not necessarily accumulating sacks, but generating hurries), the defense should be adequate in that aspect too. Right now, season-long health is a major issue at a number of positions.

 

[coach steele]

With as many people who have been injured, its difficult to know how bad or good we will be. I think I'm setting my expectations low so that I can be pleasantly surprised in the end. Even if Spencer comes back, there is no guarantee that he will be the same player. Prognosis for recovery from that injury is way worse than Romo's back injury. There are so many questions that need to be answered for me to be optimistic at this point. Still though, I will root for this team to win and die inside if they do not.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I am not a troll nor part of the snark patrol.

However I think this defense is going to be bad again this year. We have to hope that all players get healthy, hope that all players stay healthy, hope that a few of our low round guys pull a ratliff or hatcher, hope that some of our undrafted guys pull a selvie (at least last years selvie), hope that our secondary rebounds and hope we get some lucky calls and bounces.

I think the bad games by the defense will FAR outweigh the good ones.

This does not mean I am belittling anyone that thinks there is some promise by this or that player or the defense as a whole. I just don't think they will be very good this year and even if it is better I don't know that it would be by a margin that will make much difference in the final win/loss or stats tally.

 

[DallasEast]

With as many people who have been injured, its difficult to know how bad or good we will be. I think I'm setting my expectations low so that I can be pleasantly surprised in the end. Even if Spencer comes back, there is no guarantee that he will be the same player. Prognosis for recovery from that injury is way worse than Romo's back injury. There are so many questions that need to be answered for me to be optimistic at this point. Still though, I will root for this team to win and die inside if they do not.

I'm not holding much hope about Anthony Spencer's productivity this season. He has given me a injury vibe worse than Terry Glenn since the first quarter of last season. If he can be 80% of what he was before his injury, the defense will be more stout versus the run at least.

 

[CCBoy]

I am not a troll nor part of the snark patrol.

However I think this defense is going to be bad again this year. We have to hope that all players get healthy, hope that all players stay healthy, hope that a few of our low round guys pull a ratliff or hatcher, hope that some of our undrafted guys pull a selvie (at least last years selvie), hope that our secondary rebounds and hope we get some lucky calls and bounces.

I think the bad games by the defense will FAR outweigh the good ones.

This does not mean I am belittling anyone that thinks there is some promise by this or that player or the defense as a whole. I just don't think they will be very good this year and even if it is better I don't know that it would be by a margin that will make much difference in the final win/loss or stats tally.

lol, that's a valid look...

I'm looking for a touch more turn-overs with a solid four to five stops by the Cowboys defense each game. That would result in a playoff run.

 

[Kaiser]

I agree with the last post, its human nature to "fight your last war" and view everything through a lens of last year, but the defense should be better - on balance.

Everyone starts with the D Line but we basically had 1 starter and 3 backups for our entire rotation last year. Right now we have 2 starter and 3 backups, plus Crawford who should improve to the level of starting. Plus we will have Lawrence and Spencer back by game 4 or so, both of whom are starter potential.

The LBs should be about the same or slightly better if Carter is more consistent.

The DBs will be better because last year we were one deep at Safety and two deep at CB. This year we will be 3 or 4 deep at Safety and 3 or 4 deep at CB when Scandrick returns - though consistency from Carr is a big question mark.

 

[the_h0wey]

Here is what I will say. Claiborne...#6 overall pick. Also gave up a 2nd to get him....was labled coming out of college as being Deion Sanders like. Now we know that is not the case, but when you give up that much to get a guy.....that should be a Pro Bowl caliber player. The consensus on him accross the league coming out of college was a blue chipper. So you cannot FAULT Jerry if this guy does not live up to his draft grade.

Brandon Carr - most expensive free agent CB 2 years ago. Was regarded as the #1 CB in free agency that summer.

Scandrick - I am going to say he is a top 5 slot CB...and maybe the highest paid 3rd CB in the NFL.

Mincey - his reputation speaks for itself.

Carter - 2nd round pick. Would have been a 1st round pick if not for an injury.

Dixon - 3rd round pick...and that is nothing to sneeze at for the Safety position. Where was Kam Chancelor for the Seahawks drafted? 4th? 5th?

Crawford - 3rd round pick.

Lawrence - 2nd round pick

Lee - though injured...he was a 2nd round pick and would have been 1st round if not for injury history.

So while there are not a bunch of top 10 picks over there. That is no excuse. What defense in the NFL us full of top 10 picks? You only get one 1st round pick every year. And lately we have spent them onthe OL.....which is being reported as one of the best in the NFL. So we now will have to do the same with the defense over the next few years. But in the meantime....if you coach/manage a game correctly...there is enough talent on this offense (and defense) to finish up the year with a ranking between 20 - 22. If that Super Bowl worthy? Of course not! But this team was not going to the Super Bowl anyway this year. But we can compete in this division. We competed in this division up until the final drive last year...and that was with the 3rd worse defense in NFL history. So hopefully Garret has matured as a coach...and has a beter understanding of how to manage a game....protect his defense.

I wish I could share your optimism.

 

[Kaiser]

There is another factor people are overlooking that will make our defense better this year and it isn't even on the defense. We are going to have a very good O Line that is capable of controlling the clock in a lot of games. That's a huge factor and it was made much worst last year when we not only couldn't control the clock but had to rotate in street FA's at DL in an overworked defense.

 

[xwalker]

Isn't it funny how we can bring in players, some that are / were very good with previous teams, some were ok, but better than what we had last year. And a change of scenery may be all that is needed.
But they are here and some fans see it as they suck, they are scrubs, or whatever.
But put that player or one of equal staus on any other team, then these same fans will say that team makes all the right move, looked who they signed, why can't out FO do that.
You know, the double standard crap.

Oh, well, we shall see soon, and I think we will like what we see.

People need to see Super Star players. They can't understand that a team like the 2013 Seahawks didn't have any Super Star players on their DLine. Their 2nd and 3rd DTs were free agents after the Super Bowl and only got contracts averaging 3M and 3.75M per season.

The Cowboys don't have to have Super Stars, they just need players that are better than Nick Hayden and Jeff Heath were in 2013. They also need to stay healthy enough to avoid having the 7th LB and 5th Safety starting games at some point like they did last season. Even if some of the players are not super talented, they will have the benefit of being in training camp which was not the case for a large portion of the 19 or so DL that played last season.

 

[Plankton]

Lost my interest right about here.

Not a graceful way to start a thread, IMO.

Exactly right.

snark patrol/trolls = people who disagree with me

 

[DFWJC]

Honest question- is there a team out there which has less proven talent on defense than ours?.

Legit question.
Depending on health you have a couple of former Pro Bowlers in Melton and Spencer.
Carr has had some good years.
But really, not much proven yet.

 

[CrownCowboy]

I once had a white Cheshire named Arnold. Instead of rooting, he would climb over the fencing. The fencing got slightly over four feet tall, and we would still get calls from a neighbor to come and get that rooting hog out of their front yard. Go figure how that can change things...

Don't know how fences and your neighbors can change our defense, but if it's for the better then I'm all for it.

 

[Corso]

It's the run D that scares bejeebers out of me.

 

[CCBoy]

Don't know how fences and your neighbors can change our defense, but if it's for the better then I'm all for it.

I agreed from the start as to getting better. Just was interjecting that directions of expectations are not always the route taken. Applied, this is a group that scraps as good as any team that the Cowboys have fielded. They are young, so they need to still come together as a team.

That's still the element of maturation that is required in every organization that was successful in the NFL. Even the Steelers need five 'rooks' to come together in one season to become a Dynasty.

As Cosner said in the Post Man: 'Things are getting better every day, and then, they did.'

 

[jterrell]

There is no doubt this COULD be a solid middle of the road defense.
Now betting that means catching breaks they haven't caught in a few years.
And getting some breakthrough play from a myriad of young guys.

It's probably too early to predict gloom and doom but very unrealistic to expect much success either.
simply too many question marks.

spencer - obvious health question mark and then add rust upon return. but he's played at a pro bowl level before.
d. lawrence - hate to see a young guy miss camp because that limits them all year. is he back in week 4, 6, 8? upside in year 1 is probably 3rd down pass rusher now. long term upside is great but this year is very in doubt.
melton - not very disruptive as of yet coming off injury. may need time.
t mcclain - another health concern. but could be huge piece of long term dl puzzle.
r mcclain - head case concern. could be major league hit tho. has pro bowl athletic potential.
mo - bigger, stronger mo with chip on his shoulder seems a good bet to succeed. but can his body handle extra weight properly?
carr - declining player with huge salary who is dealing with emotional turmoil and missed a lot of TC. good bet to be successful but it hasnt been on display yet in 2014.
wilcox - physical and athletic. has he learned schemes?
church - can he stay healthy? can he make big plays?
carter - can he cover anyone? can he keep his head in the game after a bad play and play with good technique.
wilber - does he have NFL talent at any position?
durant - can he actually play MLB?

It is very fair to criticize the current defensive talent level.
But it is also fair to say that talent level has little to do with what we'll see week 4 or 5 because so many guys are out.

I certainly think this team could start hot offensively and win a few weeks with offense and special teams play.
If they did that and let the defense improve both through returning players and experience they could end up better than expected in record and defensive standings.