Nolan vs Eberflus vs Parker through their first 5 games

[links18]

Offense sells tickets; defense not so much. Jerry and the NFL in general want shoots outs. Defense as an element of the game is in a long decline in general and it will only get worse. It's not so bad for them that the other team scores; it makes things exciting!

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

There is absolutely a correlation.
It can be argued it was causation.

Sacks by season

• 2026: 17 (projected)
• 2025: 35 - Clowney - 8.5
• 2024: 52 - Parsons - 12
• 2023: 46 - Parsons - 14
• 2022: 54 - Parsons - 13.5
• 2021: 41 - Parsons - 12
• 2020: 31 - Lawrence - 14
• 2019: 39 - Quinn - 11.5
• 2018: 39 - Lawrence - 10.5
• 2017: 38 - Lawrence - 14.5
• 2016: 36 - Mayowa ! - 6

Not only did Parsons lead the team all four years he was here, he made the other pass rushers better.

Quinn also had both Bland and Diggs during their brief prime.

I’ve said it several times but it’s common for fans to be uncomfortable with the idea that the talent is the issue.

You can fire a coach overnight and hire someone the next day

You can’t do that with your entire pass rush.

Damn did Lawrence really have that many sacks?

 

[slick325]

Damn did Lawrence really have that many sacks?

His numbers surprised me too, Nip.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

That’s a good point that roster building is a long game. If you’re depending on your rookie class to save you, you’ve got problems.

I was curious to see how our offensive players have looked over the past 4 draft classes:

2023:
TE Luke Schoonmaker
OL Asim Richards
RB Deuce Vaughn
WR Jalen Brooks

2024:
OL Tyler Guyon
OL Cooper Beebee
WR Ryan Flournoy
OL Nathan Thomas

2025:
OL Tyler Booker
RB Jaydon Blue
OL Ajani Cornelius
RB Phil Mafah

2026:
OL Drew Shelton
WR Anthony Smith

A few observations:
2023 was terrible.

2024 was decent in that we got 3 starters. But no stars, so let’s see if they get a second contract. Guyton was on bust territory but might have turned it around.

2025 is mixed. Booker was a home run. Best pick in years. But the rest of the class is terrible.

2026 looks like a bust too. Are those guys even on the team?

Overall, we’ve done a pretty terrible job drafting RB and WR. We draft a lot of OL, and have done pretty well. A few home runs (Smith and Booker), a few solid picks (Guyton and Beebee), and a few busts.

Offense looks bad too those years. To be screwing up so many picks they do have some talent. This is why im for trading picks for talent.

 

[Redsfan_83]

The room.

Well isn't that a who's who of nothing for the most part...maybe 2 guys in '26? We have to stop drafting guys whose last names start with Over and look for an Under

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

His numbers surprised me too, Nip.

I remember thinking 7 or 8 was good for him..,,,14.5 I guess I just suppressed those years in the back of my head.

 

[reddyuta]

why are we always stuck with idiots at DC?

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Well isn't that a who's who of nothing for the most part...maybe 2 guys in '26? We have to stop drafting guys whose last names start with Over and look for an Under

4of those guys have shown potential in 2026.

 

[cmoney23]

What I can't understand is how EVERYONE here couldn't let this play some out before they had to anoint him? SMH

 

[Sydla]

Damn. Parker might actually be The Godfather III of this trilogy.

LOL, what a run of DC hirings we are on.

Impressive.

 

[Kwyn]

Damn did Lawrence really have that many sacks?

He did and it’s an interesting comparison.

Parsons didn’t have a bunch of elite pass rushers yet that squad had pretty good sack totals

Tanks pass rush partners weren’t significantly more or less talented but as a group they struggled even though Lawrence had good numbers for himself.

Again, Quinn had significantly better talent than Nolan, Eberflus or Parker but a lot of people really don’t want to admit that and want to say it was all coaching.

 

[calicowboy54]

I've said this before, we do not have the players in the DB room to play his scheme, we have BR (Bump and Run) Corners not Zone Corners. you need more Zone DBs and we just do not have it. your going to need to play Shell with Safeties and Man under neath to be successful. he said in his opening Press conference he would adjust to the players. and IMO that has not happened. We are getting No pass rush so you need to be Bump and run to knock off the WR to give the DL / EDGES time to get there.

for Parker D to work you need DL / EDGE that can consistently get to the QB and rattle them maybe not sack but rattle and get off the mark. You need zone cbs that are good and breaking on balls as the QB gets rattled. we have neither of those right now. Our Safety Room is more inline with what he's looking for but not on the outside at CB and defiantly not our EDGEs they cannot get home.

 

[gtb1943]

I thought with Nolan we could not get worse; then thought with Everflop it could not get worse.
I apologize in sixteen different positions for being so wrong again and again.

 

[McKDaddy]

We should have accidentally gotten better by now

Exactly. It's HARD to keep being the worst version of the assembled parts.

 

[McKDaddy]

Damn did Lawrence really have that many sacks?

Yes. When people rue Parsons being dealt, while DLaw was the more consistent player. Not as flashy by the time Parson arrived but not a one trick pony.

Glad he got away from this mess and got a ring.

 

[CT Dal Fan]

Calm down everyone, we're just evolving. Jerry reassured us already.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

All look like crap. Just different smell. It still all stinks

 

[kumizi]

I can't wait until the next D-coordinator is hired and 90% of the forum proclaims: Of course the defense will be a lot better. There's no way it can be as bad as it was under the previous coach. That's all I read on here every single day for months.

 

[nalam]

Where is all run D improvement?

 

[CT Dal Fan]

I can't wait until the next D-coordinator is hired and 90% of the forum proclaims: Of course the defense will be a lot better. There's no way it can be as bad as it was under the previous coach. That's all I read on here every single day for months.

Well we assumed they already hit the bottom and it couldn't get any worse.

Nobody told me Parker would show up with a shovel.