I think the defense will be better than expected

[Setackin]

The combined production we lost from those players can be made up. Losing players is one thing and losing their production is another and the 2 need seperated. We lost far more in name recognition than production IMO.

How can u replace there production, when the only person they've brought that is PROVEN is melton... and he is coming off an ACL injury. Yes, some player will step up a little bit. Don't kid yourself this "defense" is going to breaking all kinds of records this year, and not the kind you want.

 

[big dog cowboy]

How can u replace there production, when the only person they've brought that is PROVEN is melton...

Oh so they have to be proven. Well that certainly changes everything. I guess that means Martin is a great unknown also so maybe we should be worried about our OL after all.

 

[Setackin]

Oh so they have to be proven. Well that certainly changes everything. I guess that means Martin is a great unknown also so maybe we should be worried about our OL after all.

MARTIN IS UNKNOWN!!!!! HE IS A ROOKIE!!! Just because he is lighting it up in camp DOES NOT mean he can play pro football. No, the OLINE will be fine it has PROVEN players smith Fredrick and free.

 

[Apollo Creed]

The combined production we lost from those players can be made up. Losing players is one thing and losing their production is another and the 2 need seperated. We lost far more in name recognition than production IMO.

We lost like 20 sacks between Ware & Hatcher. The best linebacker and captain of the defense. Arguably our best corner for 4 games.

That's quite a bit of production to make up for by an injured rookie DE, a one legged Anthony Spencer, Tyrone Crawford, and a twice retired linebacker that isn't quite sure if he wants to play football.

We were historically bad last year and somehow managed to get worse.

Believe me, I tried to convince myself & a coworker the same way, stopped mid-sentence and said, "Nevermind bro we're gonna be terrible."

There is a silver lining, the offense can be electric. Maybe not 98 Vikings good, but still put up 30+ comfortably and use that dominant o-line (finally) to grind out games with a very incentivized Murray. In a contract year, I expect a Hatcher like season out of him.

Dez is playing for a deal as we'll but he was already on pace to be a perennial all-pro. Williams is a weapon and Romo has 3 first rounders protecting that 20 million dollar back.

Even with the rough schedule I think they'll be right around the .500 mark with a chance to sneak in the playoffs, imagine a 4th straight win in and you're in situation. Ugh.

Pardon the rant, in short - nah man this defense is going to be so bad we might not carry a punter on the 53 man roster.

 

[big dog cowboy]

this defense is going to be so bad we might not carry a punter on the 53 man roster.

OK I LOL'ed. Actually a lot.

 

[blumayne38]

defense is a big problem but I think people get the defense thing all mixed up thinking about sacks...if Dallas can keep it simple and say hey lets figure out how to get turnover when we can and get off the field on third downs. We can let the offense help us do the rest. Dallas isn't asking for the defense to be the best..and Jerry knows that..he wants an inspired bunch of ""RKG""s to rally behind a electric offense kinda like the saints last year..which is the smart and only choice Dallas has of now

 

[wileedog]

defense is a big problem but I think people get the defense thing all mixed up thinking about sacks...

No, no one is mixing anything up with sacks. They are thinking about pressure though. The only pure pass rusher now on this team is a 2nd round rookie with a broken foot who's first ever NFL game action will be mid season when the LTs he will be facing are in mid-season form. And we won't even see him until October if we are lucky. Everyone else on this front 7 is a guy who may get to the QB occasionally, maybe, hopefully.

That's not even getting into the fact that the word of camp so far is the inability to stop the run inside. I won't go further there until we see more, but if that continues and we are a team that can't pressure QBs or stop the run consistently, we are in deep doo doo.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I don't really see the point in deducting from a historically bad defense to make a point. If that is your mindset to build off of that then I think you are doomed from the outset.

Instead what would do these guys need to accomplish to be average.

24 median ppg.
40 sacks
16 interceptions
7 ypa
85 QB passer rating
240 pass ypg
110 rush ypg
6 fumbles recovered
60 plays of 20 yards or more

Those are the benchmarks of mediocrity and achieving and then surpassing those needs to be the goal.

Where are we going to get 2.5 sacks a game? 1 interception? Can we hold teams under 4 big plays a game?

 

[CCBoy]

I don't really see the point in deducting from a historically bad defense to make a point. If that is your mindset to build off of that then I think you are doomed from the outset.

Instead what would do these guys need to accomplish to be average.

24 median ppg.
40 sacks
16 interceptions
7 ypa
85 QB passer rating
240 pass ypg
110 rush ypg
6 fumbles recovered
60 plays of 20 yards or more

Those are the benchmarks of mediocrity and achieving and then surpassing those needs to be the goal.

Where are we going to get 2.5 sacks a game? 1 interception? Can we hold teams under 4 big plays a game?

Fuzzy, I'll be very happy with four to five drive stops and a pair of turn-overs a game by this defense. That would turn the winning advantage towards the Cowboys.

 

[gimmesix]

This should be fun for the snark patrol (also known as trolls) to criticize:

Looking at individual positions, I just don't see the doom and gloom.

Not sure Todd Archer (one of the few Dallas writers I like) agrees with you.

@toddarcher: It's not as good if we're comparing to what we thought we knew in August 2013. They don't have a DeMarcus Ware. They don't have a Lee. They don't have a Jason Hatcher. They don't have an Anthony Spencer. At least not now. The Cowboys are hoping a lot of guys have career years. Can George Selvie repeat his seven sacks from last year? CanJeremy Mincey find his eight-sack self from 2011? Can Bruce Carter find his 2011 self? Can Rolando McClain find his Alabama self? Can Morris Claiborne find his LSU self? They just have questions pretty much everywhere. Add in Scandrick's suspension and it is worse. I have not seen a defense beaten up by the Cowboys' offense so routinely in a training camp since I've covered them. Now maybe that means the offense is going to be among the NFL's best, but maybe the defense is what we thought it would be to paraphrase Dennis Green.

I think you are overly optimistic about the defense considering the evidence. It doesn't mean that players can't step up, but there is more reason for doom and gloom than there is optimism at this point. As Parcells said, you are what you are ... and right now, the defense is not very good.

 

[Nirvana]

Here's my "glass is half-full" attitude for the start of the day. If Crawford and Spencer can play up to expectations at SDE, if Melton can shine at the 3T, if Lawrence and Mincey/Selvie can get some pressure at WDE, if the rest of the DL can rotate in and provide a spark, if McCLAIN can be a bull at MLB on runs and a rabbit in pass protection, if Durant can play solid at OLB along with Carter, and if the secondary can do their job, we might have something.

 

[xwalker]

Not sure Todd Archer (one of the few Dallas writers I like) agrees with you.

I think you are overly optimistic about the defense considering the evidence. It doesn't mean that players can't step up, but there is more reason for doom and gloom than there is optimism at this point. As Parcells said, you are what you are ... and right now, the defense is not very good.

The offense and OLine could be top 5 this year. I'm looking to the defense to get near top 20. Even if the defense is top 20, they're going to be getting beat up by a top 5 offense and top 5 OLine on a regular basis.

I lot if it depends on health. Selvie has missed a big part of TC. Melton was not going all out prior to the groin injury. Crawford is not going all out an every play either because he building back up from his injury. R. McClain is not at 100% yet, but is on schedule to be there before the season. T. McClain was projected to be the starting 1-tech, but he has been out. Carr missed most of TC. Claiborne is being held out with issues that he could play with if it was the regular season.

They've been moving LBs around to find the best fits. It will help as they get closer to the season and let them focus on their primary position. They've probably worn down some players. They had Bishop play almost all of the snaps in the SD game. In real games they'll rotate about 3 players at that spot. The CB Moore missed several practices but is likely to be the replacement for Scandrick when while he's out. Of the CBs that played in the SD game, probably 1 makes the team, although it could be zero depending on how the guy that they got from New England looks. They've played Safety Heath as the slot CB at times. That's not going to happen in real games.

On offense they've been fairly healthy. They've got about 8 WRs that will probably be on an NFL teams this year. That's causing the CBs to have to take about twice the number of snaps in practice as compared to the WRs that they're covering. They've got starter types on the 2nd team offense with guys like Bern and Nwaneri playing 2nd string OL. You could field a decent offense with most of the 2nd string offensive players.

The offense if going always going to look better in practices where you can't tackle or even hit the offensive players. It's a lot easier for a WR to run around in the middle of the field when they're not going to get hit. It's easier to catch the ball when they know they're not going to get hit.

 

[CCBoy]

X, hope you enjoy tonight's game.

 

[Luther]

I don't really see the point in deducting from a historically bad defense to make a point. If that is your mindset to build off of that then I think you are doomed from the outset.

Instead what would do these guys need to accomplish to be average.

24 median ppg.
40 sacks
16 interceptions
7 ypa
85 QB passer rating
240 pass ypg
110 rush ypg
6 fumbles recovered
60 plays of 20 yards or more

Those are the benchmarks of mediocrity and achieving and then surpassing those needs to be the goal.

Where are we going to get 2.5 sacks a game? 1 interception? Can we hold teams under 4 big plays a game?

Maybe targeting and surpassing the 30th percentile would be a better first step. What would the numbers look like to be 22nd in defense?

I'm not as pessimistic as most and think that is achievable with our players.

 

[snapper]

Hatch and Ware were beloved by all but let's not cloud the reality: Both are past their prime and are just as unknown as the identified talent currently on the roster. I think having them on the roster this season would mean little in terms of overall defensive success. Of course I could be wrong but we'll just have to let the season play out before I go buy some crow.

 

[BAT]

Hatch and Ware were beloved by all but let's not cloud the reality: Both are past their prime and are just as unknown as the identified talent currently on the roster. I think having them on the roster this season would mean little in terms of overall defensive success. Of course I could be wrong but we'll just have to let the season play out before I go buy some crow.

Ware and Hatcher could be on their deathbed and still run circles and accumulate more sacks, or splash plays as Sturm is fond using for big plays, than anyone on current DL.

I also think D will better than expected not just because expectations are at an all time low but primarily because Dallas will field a different D than what we currently see in TC and preaseason. Cowboys would be foolish if they do not acquire a few more key pieces on D & not talking about picking up scrubs that are currently jobless.

 

[TrailBlazer]

I just wanna see 11 guys playing hard, rallying to the football, and trying to create turnovers.

 

[xwalker]

X, hope you enjoy tonight's game.

Thanks.

I enjoy all Cowboys games. It entertains me for a full week reviewing all of the players.

The only time my enjoyment waned a bit was during the first half of 2010 when Wade was still the HC and the players quit. The effort has been much better in the Garrett as HC era.