LB Is A Problem

[Sydla]

LB is a huge issue and easily the weakest position group on the team.

It turns out that shopping for LBs in K-Mart's blue light special bin hasn't paid off. Maybe they should have spent some of that $40 million in CAP space on a quality starter instead of hoping first round busts would pan out on a new team.

It is really disappointing to see Marist Liufau only get 6 snaps and can't beat out Clark or Murray.

Shemar James needs to develop in a hurry because these guys aren't going to cut it.

Play Liufau more and Sanborn less.

Not that Liufau is great by any stretch but he's younger and has more upside. Sanborn is what he is.

 

[fivetwos]

Overshown might be the key to this defense. I think he is the missing piece. I hate to put that type of pressure on this kid.

Yep, and as some have said…they looked slow.

They need Overshown in the worst way, but it’s difficult to count on him. Seems like for decades now, whenever a player is lost it leaves massive hole.

Not sure why Liufau didn’t get more snaps but I’d figure him to get more in the coming weeks.

Either way they need guys who can run and make a play. The vets they picked up are ok depth, but they are seeing too many snaps as of now.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

I mean, elite (any position) are hard to find

Yes they are.......but again IMO they could trade for someone before the Oct. deadline. I'm not sure what possibilities are out there ( will probably check in a few days )

 

[BlindFaith]

When Clark and Osa were out, this was a bad defense. Especially early on when someone decided all of a sudden Fowler could be a three down player. He was awful. Should strictly be a pass rusher. Our backup DTs are awful.

Kneeland, Clark, Osa and Williams should be the DL moving forward. That alone would help the LBs. But with said, LBs are still bad. Worst in the league bad.

Eberflus clearly decided to keep an extra guy deep and not get burned by the pass. He forgot that the QB can run and run he did.

Outside of Elam getting beat deep that one time, the Corners generally played well.

Our safties are anemic. Barely noticed Wilson or Hooker. Now again, some of that could have been by design.

But hey, they only gave up 24 points. So theres that.

 

[blueblood70]

LB is a huge issue and easily the weakest position group on the team.

It turns out that shopping for LBs in K-Mart's blue light special bin hasn't paid off. Maybe they should have spent some of that $40 million in CAP space on a quality starter instead of hoping first round busts would pan out on a new team.

It is really disappointing to see Marist Liufau only get 6 snaps and can't beat out Clark or Murray.

Shemar James needs to develop in a hurry because these guys aren't going to cut it.

It's really not they held Saquon Barkley to 3.3 yards per carry and 60 yards they pretty much protected the middle and I think the game plan was to not let Barkley hurt them just because Jalen Hurts went off he's a special player with his legs when you have a two way go where you have to pick Barkley or Hertz and that offensive line it makes things look bad...

Disagree with most that except I would love to see more of Liafu.. Think he would have been better suited for chasing Jalen Hurts down because of his side to side speed and his aggressiveness he only got eight snaps..

I think you're being a little hard on the linebackers because of the first half but they shut it down in the 2nd half But just beating Saquon Barkley i'm betting he didn't have one game like that last year 60 yards and 3.3 yards per attempt that's the whole center of the defense..

Those outside runs especially by the quarterback are everyone to blame the defensive ends were crashing inside too early but they're in a brand new defense and the safeties weren't doing any safety stuff the corners weren't doing well containing him either because most of those runs were all outside.

Linebackers protected the middle that's what the front 7 supposed to do that is why the defensive ends corners and safeties are supposed to help on those edge plays...

But yes, I hope they take from this game and then they figure out a different grouping for the linebackers not a wholesale change when Overshown comes back I would like to see it be overshown and Liafu getting most of the snaps... I don't think these players are bad bringing being in a brand new defense game one against the Super Bowl championship on the road They need to tighten things up but you're acting like it's just bad and I don't think it is...

This is what you do you take this stuff from the game and you bring it to practice and you fix it and I believe Matt Eberflu's being a linebacker guru will get it fixed But it's not as broke as your mind is seeing in my opinion and it's just my opinion I knew the overreaction by the linebackers is was just gonna be that The problem in the first half was the whole defense especially the edge players they were not doing their job..


But overall, I think we're being too hard on the linebackers I remember this being said during the game and I think you guys are wrong.....

 

[blueblood70]

1st game of the year with 3 new starters playing the super bowl champs.

Too soon to say they are the weakest position group.

Totally agree the over reactions I thought people would change that after the game and this morning have more level heads and he's completely exaggerating he's blaming most of the issues we had stopping Hertz in the edge plays on the linebackers they weren't getting anything up the middle the front 7 was doing their job and that included the linebackers Saquon Barkley 3.3 yards per carry he only had 60 yards..

How is it people can't see that the team has responsibilities the edge players were crashing inside too soon the safeties were not being safeties are supposed to go out and help those edge and the corners were not containing hurts they knew he was running, and he was juking them out of their shoes..

It was game one and I think they tightened it up in the 2nd half and I do believe Matt will figure out a better grouping if he needs to I think the players are here Liafu, who could get more time, but this is more to blame the corners the defensive ends and the safeties are more to blame for those edge plays....

 

[gtb1943]

Eberflus bet the bank on stopping Barkley and decided to let Hurtz beat us and he did

 

[blueblood70]

Eberflus bet the bank on stopping Barkley and decided to let Hurtz beat us and he did

That's not it the center of the defense did their job to stop Bartley His game plan was not to allow Hertz to get on the edge that's the safeties and the defensive ends being in a new defense along with the corners they just weren't tackling in the first half they just weren't containing hurts and sometimes the Super Bowl MVP They did this to Spagnola in the Kansas City Chiefs defense which during last year they were one of the best defenses in the league..

This offense is hard to contain because you have a mobile quarterback with an RPO with Bartley behind him and a great offensive line in front of them..

Game plan wasn't to choose one over the other they did their job is you have to stop the run They did that the quarterback running it was more of the edge players and that's not the game plan they didn't execute in the 1st half but they stopped him in the 2nd half...

This is a game of adjustments they made the adjustments but it was too little too late it's really the drops by CD Lamb and the fumble by Sanders that was a difference in the game everything else was straight up the teams played even pretty much from top to bottom and we lost because the only thing that wasn't even was the score and that was dictated by the mistakes that we made Not by the decision to only stop Barkley. I hardly had any passing yards They literally stopped Barkley they stopped Or should I say slow down the passing game and they got beat by a mobile quarterback that was just the MVP of the Super bowl.... Jackson and Josh Allen do this stuff to teams as well, sometimes they're just you can't cover everyone.

The positive thing is they cleaned it up in the second half and being in first game trying to run around and catch a guy like that it just happened it wasn't the game plan..

 

[phildadon86]

LB is a huge issue and easily the weakest position group on the team.

It turns out that shopping for LBs in K-Mart's blue light special bin hasn't paid off. Maybe they should have spent some of that $40 million in CAP space on a quality starter instead of hoping first round busts would pan out on a new team.

It is really disappointing to see Marist Liufau only get 6 snaps and can't beat out Clark or Murray.

Shemar James needs to develop in a hurry because these guys aren't going to cut it.

But i heard here it was vastly improved.

Sanborn is just like Sean Lee.

 

[boysfanindc]

Yeah LB's did not have a good night, let's hope Eberflus is a LB whisperer and gets it figured it out.

 

[nightrain]

The entire defense is going to be an issue this year. It's a jag roster of talent.

 

[baltcowboy]

Yep, and as some have said…they looked slow.

They need Overshown in the worst way, but it’s difficult to count on him. Seems like for decades now, whenever a player is lost it leaves massive hole.

Not sure why Liufau didn’t get more snaps but I’d figure him to get more in the coming weeks.

Either way they need guys who can run and make a play. The vets they picked up are ok depth, but they are seeing too many snaps as of now.

Yeah Murray and that Chicago cast off were slow to the ball. Murray because of his instincts and Chicago guy issues is he is not athletic enough.

 

[NDGAEDE]

Clark is a below average LB. Murray too, apparently.

Sanborn is limited. Don't know why Liufau didn't play much. He might be our best hope.

Expecting Eberflus to make this group better is a tall order.

 

[droopdog7]

Yes they are.......but again IMO they could trade for someone before the Oct. deadline. I'm not sure what possibilities are out there ( will probably check in a few days )

Sure. Every team is trying to accomplish the same thing and every team could trade for every player. Besides that, the cowboys have made several trades recently and some have worked, some have not. I say let's give this some time to see how it works before we start sending out premium picks.

 

[CCBoy]

The entire defense is going to be an issue this year. It's a jag roster of talent.

Nick Harris
@NickHarrisFWST

Here was the #Cowboys LB snap count in week one out of 62 possible snaps:
Kenneth Murray Jr. - 62
Jack Sanborn - 47
Damone Clark - 41
Marist Liufau - 6


Nick Harris

@NickHarrisFWST
·
13h
This defense needs a lot more Marist Liufau on the field. He's your most athletic guy in the second level.

 

[Ironicalicon]

Whoda thunk it? I felt like this was the 2nd-biggest problem on the team, behind the DTs. Well, with Clark on the team the DTs are clearly better, but as for the LBs, you can't bring in backups and cast-offs and expect them to be good. Let the youngsters play. Liufau logged six snaps and I didn't see James.

 

[John813]

It's the biggest group of meh on the roster, at least until Overshown gets back.

If they can just stay solid, aka known their role and execute it, perfect.

Really is a group that may see all three week 1 starters off the roster next year.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Overshown might be the key to this defense. I think he is the missing piece. I hate to put that type of pressure on this kid.

Lack of speed, poor agility, poor angles.

A lot of times looked to me like guys were in a position to make a play but it just didn't happen.

Dak made one of our best open field tackles of the night.

 

[Ragin_Kage]

Linebackers weren't good, yes.

But it also the first game for a handful of new players in a new system, going against possibly the best team with the best running back and O-line. Lets see how they do next week.

 

[Mikexike]

Clark, sanborn and murray looked horrible