Long trips force teams to try three-time-zone defense

[arync]

By John Clayton
ESPN.com
(Archive)




Q: Dallas' defense has lots of talent, but their schemes seem very vanilla. DBs are always playing 10 yards off the ball and almost every play playing zone. When they rush four, which is most of the time, it seems they only let DeMarcus Ware bull rush or speed rush, as well as others … not much scheming. When the ball is snapped I can tell you where they're coming from. Ware never loops to center and shoots; they never disguise the blitz like Philly, Chicago and others. They have as much or more talent on D than the rest of the league, but [they're] so plain vanilla, and they repeat even if it's not working … your thoughts?
Thomas
A: You're right in the sense that the Cowboys' defense has underachieved. They have too much talent to be giving up 22 points a game. I think a lot of that is the teams that they've played. The Cowboys have played teams with a 47-33 record from last year including two teams that made the playoffs, the Commanders and Packers. When they left Lambeau Field with a victory over the Packers, everyone including myself proclaimed them the top team in the league. The schedule gets softer in the second half, and that's when the defensive numbers will start coming down. Wade Phillips runs a nice version of the 3-4. He's doesn't limit his defensive linemen to two-gapping 60 plays a game, so the linemen get to shoot through gaps and attack the quarterback. To me, it doesn't look as though they will fix their coverage holes at safety until next year when they move Anthony Henry to full time. Terence Newman can't shake injuries this season. Adam Jones is rusty after being suspended last year. Plus, he's not as comfortable in zone coverages yet. Mike Jenkins is a rookie who is still learning. I'm a little concerned about a lack of dominance at the nose tackle position. But overall, they will be fine.

 

[bayeslife]

I get the feeling Henry never makes that switch.

 

[Word Mofo]

Lack of dominance at NT? Whaaa...?

 

[khiladi]

The Cowboys have played teams with a 47-33 record from last year including two teams that made the playoffs, the Commanders and Packers. When they left Lambeau Field with a victory over the Packers, everyone including myself proclaimed them the top team in the league.

Tampa Bay's defense dominated the Packers and were killing their QB, and we are supposedly a much better team up-front and in our secondary. Hell, I don't even know who is that great in the Tampa Bay secondary, but they surely got to the QB and nobdy was rarely open. The idea that it had to do with a play-off team is BS...

This defense is underachieving...

 

[Alexander]

Lack of dominance at NT? Whaaa...?

If Ratliff is not dominant at NT, then nobody is.

I don't see any other 3-4 nose guard doing what he is doing every week.

Not Casey Hampton.

Not Vince Wilfork.

 

[khiladi]

If Ratliff is not dominant at NT, then nobody is.

I don't see any other 3-4 nose guard doing what he is doing every week.

Not Casey Hampton.

Not Vince Wilfork.

Shaun Rodgers has similar numbers this year....

 

[TNCowboy]

If Ratliff is not dominant at NT, then nobody is.

I don't see any other 3-4 nose guard doing what he is doing every week.

Not Casey Hampton.

Not Vince Wilfork.

I think our D would be far better off to get a huge traditional NT to play more like SD and NE use their NTs, and use Ratliff at DE. He does get overwhelmed inside sometimes, though his play has been stellar.

 

[Alexander]

I think our D would be far better off to get a huge traditional NT to play more like SD and NE use their NTs, and use Ratliff at DE. He does get overwhelmed inside sometimes, though his play has been stellar.

Perhaps. But Phillips has made it clear he can operate either way. He inherited Williams in San Diego/Williams in Buffalo and he worked with them. He also used smaller nose tackles in Denver and Atlanta and worked with them.

I see that some point that out as a weakness and a necessity in the draft next April. I do not see it that way. If we have an opportunity for a good one, fine. I cannot think of a truly dominant nose tackle in college football right now. They are hard to find and we certainly do not need to push for one. If we take a chance in the middle rounds for some depth and hope they do surprise that sounds the most reasonable.

I would still think seriously about Marcus Spears there fulltime.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Tampa Bay's defense dominated the Packers and were killing their QB, and we are supposedly a much better team up-front and in our secondary. Hell, I don't even know who is that great in the Tampa Bay secondary, but they surely got to the QB and nobdy was rarely open. The idea that it had to do with a play-off team is BS...

This defense is underachieving...

Hmmm...funny seeing that we sacked him more, we didn't allow him to throw a TD pass, and we held them to less points than the Bucs. But, yeah, the Bucs definately did better.

 

[khiladi]

Hmmm...funny seeing that we sacked him more, we didn't allow him to throw a TD pass, and we held them to less points than the Bucs. But, yeah, the Bucs definately did better.

Did you even watch the game? They forced Rodgers out of the game... Brooks could have had 3 INTs in Green Bay territory, but he just dropped them. They were makign Rodgers throw ducks all game...

Rodgers had only one TD pass, which was freakin' an all-world TD pass that was between two defenders and nobody could have stopped it.. The only reason they even got that TD was because of the field position off the INT they got when Tampa Bay was moving the ball and had reached the red-zone with ease... It was similar to the INT Green Bay had against us last year in our own red-zone, when the ball went off the hands of TO... Tampa Bay was moving the ball at will.. Another TD of the Packkers came on a Woodson return for a TD, on a horrible pass by Griese... Griese gave them 3 INTs... If Romo gave Rodgers 3 INTs the way Griese did, our defense would have given up like 50 points...

Anybody watching the game would say the tampa Bay defense dominated the Packers in all aspects of the game...

 

[AdamJT13]

I get the feeling Henry never makes that switch.

Considering that Clayton reported during training camp that it already happened, it's not surprising that he still thinks it will.