Doomsdayblitz
Cogan
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I must have created dozens of mock drafts on what our beloved Cowboys would do in this year's draft-especially the first round. Not only did I never once include Anthony Spencer in the FIRST round, I never even thought of him at all! Oh, sure, I gave him a passing nod as I read my draft publications, but nothing serious.
I'm sure glad I'm not the one making the final decisions around Valley Ranch. After reading & listening & watching countless bits of information on the guy, I came up with this conclusion: There is not another player I would rather the Cowboys have taken! Pretty strong, eh? Well, let me explain, then come to your own conclusion.
This team gave up more passing yards & points per game the last four games of the season than ANY team in the NFL! Not the Lions, not the Browns, not the Bucs--the Cowboys. I don't know about you, but that stat scared the living crap out of me. 'Cause it doesn't matter if you can stop the run for two downs, if you can't stop the pass on third down. In fact, after a while, it becomes down right demoralizing to stop teams cold the first two times, only to watch them pick you apart the third.
I know our secondary stunk up the joint, & partly because of Anthony Henry's injury, but our pass rush rated 19th in sacks last year. That just doesn't cut it for a Dallas Cowboys defense. DeMarcus Ware was our only pressure player, & he needed a counterpart--desperately. Well, he got one---in spades.
Here is what Pat Kirwan of NFL.com had to say about our selection of Spencer:
I really like this player. In the new Cowboys 3-4 defense, they really are a four-man rush team and occasionally a five-man rush team. Spencer had 21 sacks in college and 11 forced fumbles, which might be the best in the whole draft. The ripple effect of this selection is Bobby Carpenter probably moving inside. When I interviewed Spencer, I was shocked at how strong he is. Try these numbers on for size -- 525 pounds on the bench press, 610 pounds on the squat, 365 pounds power clean. This guy is NFL-ready now.
Do you see those numbers in bold? Incredible? Amazing? Yeah, I'd say so. In fact, I know so. Because I went through every bio of every Offensive & Defensive lineman drafted along with Spencer. Of all of those behemoths, mostly bigger & heavier than him, only one, Manuel Ramirez, had higher numbers than Spencer. ONE! That basically makes him the strongest player in the draft, if you go by weight. Ramirez is 70 lbs. heavier than our boy Spencer.
Can he move? How about a 4.6 40?
Yeah, you say, but can he turn all of that into functional play on the field? How about 93 TKLs, 26.5 TFLs, & 10.5 sacks his senior year? However, what impressed me most was the opinion of the players he battled on the field. When asked who the toughest player to block was, many OTs, including the top two in the draft, Joe Thomas & Levi Brown, didn't hesitate--Anthony Spencer.
Ladies & Gentlemen, we have a winner. With DWare on his opposite side, a new, attacking defense catered to his strengths, and the fact that he is a flat out DUDE!, Spencer just might make Mel Kiper's prediction of DROY look prophetic. I just know I can't wait to watch #93 & #94 meet at the QB.
I'm sure glad I'm not the one making the final decisions around Valley Ranch. After reading & listening & watching countless bits of information on the guy, I came up with this conclusion: There is not another player I would rather the Cowboys have taken! Pretty strong, eh? Well, let me explain, then come to your own conclusion.
This team gave up more passing yards & points per game the last four games of the season than ANY team in the NFL! Not the Lions, not the Browns, not the Bucs--the Cowboys. I don't know about you, but that stat scared the living crap out of me. 'Cause it doesn't matter if you can stop the run for two downs, if you can't stop the pass on third down. In fact, after a while, it becomes down right demoralizing to stop teams cold the first two times, only to watch them pick you apart the third.
I know our secondary stunk up the joint, & partly because of Anthony Henry's injury, but our pass rush rated 19th in sacks last year. That just doesn't cut it for a Dallas Cowboys defense. DeMarcus Ware was our only pressure player, & he needed a counterpart--desperately. Well, he got one---in spades.
Here is what Pat Kirwan of NFL.com had to say about our selection of Spencer:
I really like this player. In the new Cowboys 3-4 defense, they really are a four-man rush team and occasionally a five-man rush team. Spencer had 21 sacks in college and 11 forced fumbles, which might be the best in the whole draft. The ripple effect of this selection is Bobby Carpenter probably moving inside. When I interviewed Spencer, I was shocked at how strong he is. Try these numbers on for size -- 525 pounds on the bench press, 610 pounds on the squat, 365 pounds power clean. This guy is NFL-ready now.
Do you see those numbers in bold? Incredible? Amazing? Yeah, I'd say so. In fact, I know so. Because I went through every bio of every Offensive & Defensive lineman drafted along with Spencer. Of all of those behemoths, mostly bigger & heavier than him, only one, Manuel Ramirez, had higher numbers than Spencer. ONE! That basically makes him the strongest player in the draft, if you go by weight. Ramirez is 70 lbs. heavier than our boy Spencer.
Can he move? How about a 4.6 40?
Yeah, you say, but can he turn all of that into functional play on the field? How about 93 TKLs, 26.5 TFLs, & 10.5 sacks his senior year? However, what impressed me most was the opinion of the players he battled on the field. When asked who the toughest player to block was, many OTs, including the top two in the draft, Joe Thomas & Levi Brown, didn't hesitate--Anthony Spencer.
Ladies & Gentlemen, we have a winner. With DWare on his opposite side, a new, attacking defense catered to his strengths, and the fact that he is a flat out DUDE!, Spencer just might make Mel Kiper's prediction of DROY look prophetic. I just know I can't wait to watch #93 & #94 meet at the QB.
