Norm Hitzges - Is the talent on the Cowboys Defense Overrated?

[Maikeru-sama]

Norm - Nobody wants to address the cowboys talent level

Norm -This city is not like any other city, because what we seem to do, we find alot of excuses rather than saying they are not good enough

Norm -Mismanagement, blame the officals, blame circumstances and bad luck

Norm -Fans don't want to admit we may not be good enough

Norm -Is the Cowboys Defense good enough, talent-wise?

Norm -Good enough means are they good enough to win a Super Bowl?

Norm -Now, there are teams where the offense carries the defense.

Norm -I take you back to the Baltimore championship, it was because their defense was so overwhelmingly good and had good special teams. These units compensated for an average offense.

Norm -Looking at the Cowboys Defense at face value, you run the risk of sounding cruel and talk radio can be that way. But I look at this defense and ask myself, what players would other teams want.

Norm -Demarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff, come to mind immediately. Bradie James for his leadership. Terence Newman would get looks because of the lack of corner play in this league.

Norm -Im not saying the other players are not NFL players, I am just asking are they difference makers. Ware, Ratliff are difference makers. Newman and James are good. After that, the rest have a place in the NFL. However, can you have those 7 other guys be starters on your defense.

Norm -I have seen teams start to chip or double Demarcus Ware and when you take him out of the game, the Pass Rush is non existent. Ratliff has been okay, but the rest have not produced.

Sean - It is about the person next to you. It is about chemistry and complimenting each other. Spencer doesn't compliment Demarcus Ware.

Norm -Spencer showed hope last yaer, but not much this year.

Norm -Charles Haley and Tony Tolber. Haley would create havok, Tolbert would clean up plays.

Norm -Is this a Defense that can be a top rated defense. There is time for some of the young players to grow up, but through 2 games, they have given up 876 total yards, no turnerovers and no sacks. They have gotten close a few times, but when teams pass 80 times, you are going to get close.

Norm -Are we overrating the talent on this team, in particular the Defense. Can you coach talent up, yep, you sure can. But there is a certain amount of talent that has to be there. And is that level on this defense.

 

[Doomsday101]

I guess they are over rated until they prove otherwise. For me I'll hang with this group and believe they can get this turned around.

 

[tunahelper]

I guess they are over rated until they prove otherwise. For me I'll hang with this group and believe they can get this turned around.

I agree with you, but they have these symptoms dating back to late last year. It makes you think they are not capable of making big plays and give up too many big plays?

 

[Doomsday101]

I agree with you, but they have these symptoms dating back to late last year. It makes you think they are not capable of making big plays and give up too many big plays?

Not exactly the same group. I agree though they have to put it all together and for me I think they can. We are week 2 of the season unlike some I have not given up on these players or this team.

 

[Ken]

At this point they absolutely are overated.

Our only hope this year is if Spencer, Jenkins, Scandrick and 1 or two of the young LBs starts to come on. Other wise we have serious issues.

I think a few of these will happen. I don't think Spencer is as bad as some people are making out but we need some people to start to make things happen.

Bad rut we are stuck in at the moment.

 

[WoodysGirl]

Maybe fans have overrated the Cowboys defense, but no one else outside of the organization has thought they were a great defense.

There were expectations of greatness due to the play of some of the great players, but it's never been a great defense. It's always been solid. Even in 2007, the team allowed 20 ppg. That's middle of the road numbers.

If the team could continue to field a middle of the road defense, then the team will win some games. If they continue to be a sieve as they've been the last three games, then this is going to be a long season no matter what Romo & co does.

 

[zrinkill]

Probably yes.

 

[ScipioCowboy]

The defense is most certainly overrated. Even when it has a decent ranking in terms of yardage, it still surrenders entirely too many points to be considered an elite defense, or even a top 10 defense quite often.

It's especially disappointing when we consider all the first round picks Dallas has spent on defense over the past decade and the head coach is one of the more highly respected defensive minds around the league.

I often wonder if the problem stems from a lack of speed in the back 8.

 

[TheCount]

Agreed. I don't think our defense has an identity really, which is another way of saying they don't have chemistry to play off each other. On that rare occasion where it's clicking, like our run defense was last game, it's beautiful to watch but it's rare than the front 7 and secondary play well in the same game.

Our coverage hasn't been anything better than "okay", for years.

Maybe fans have overrated the Cowboys defense, but no one else outside of the organization has thought they were a great defense.

There were expectations of greatness due to the play of some of the great players, but it's never been a great defense. It's always been solid. Even in 2007, the team allowed 20 ppg. That's middle of the road numbers.

If the team could continue to field a middle of the road defense, then the team will win some games. If they continue to be a sieve as they've been the last three games, then this is going to be a long season no matter what Romo & co does.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I've said this forever. Great defenses are built in the front seven, and we have one superstar player there (who hasn't played like it thus far this year) and one really good player in Jay Ratliff. That's it.

At least we drafted a few guys in that area this past draft, even if none of them were really picks. I was still very disappointed we didn't take a single lineman, but maybe the board didn't fall right for us.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

we don't have 4 LBs, Brookings and Spencer are average

we have 1 guy on the Dline who can penetrate

the front 7 is a good group against the run, they just don't move very well in space other than Ware and Ratliff

forget about the safeties, Sensy is fast, but is nowhere to be seen, Hamlin is just horrible, and that puts pressure on the CBs, and we only have 4, 3 of them are raw and inexperienced, and it seems that Newman is struggling with the new coaching, and may have lost something

so yeah, people who bought into all the sacks, thinking the D is great, makes it overrated, but when you really get down to it, we're still missing alot of pieces, and some of our highly regarded picks, haven't panned out

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Some of the talent is most likely over-rated to some degree.

 

[kramskoi]

Norm - Nobody wants to address the cowboys talent level

Norm -This city is not like any other city, because what we seem to do, we find alot of excuses rather than saying they are not good enough

Norm -Mismanagement, blame the officals, blame circumstances and bad luck

Norm -Fans don't want to admit we may not be good enough

Norm -Is the Cowboys Defense good enough, talent-wise?

Norm -Good enough means are they good enough to win a Super Bowl?

Norm -Now, there are teams where the offense carries the defense.

Norm -I take you back to the Baltimore championship, it was because their defense was so overwhelmingly good and had good special teams. These units compensated for an average offense.

Norm -Looking at the Cowboys Defense at face value, you run the risk of sounding cruel and talk radio can be that way. But I look at this defense and ask myself, what players would other teams want.

Norm -Demarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff, come to mind immediately. Bradie James for his leadership. Terence Newman would get looks because of the lack of corner play in this league.

Norm -Im not saying the other players are not NFL players, I am just asking are they difference makers. Ware, Ratliff are difference makers. Newman and James are good. After that, the rest have a place in the NFL. However, can you have those 7 other guys be starters on your defense.

Norm -I have seen teams start to chip or double Demarcus Ware and when you take him out of the game, the Pass Rush is non existent. Ratliff has been okay, but the rest have not produced.

Sean - It is about the person next to you. It is about chemistry and complimenting each other. Spencer doesn't compliment Demarcus Ware.

Norm -Spencer showed hope last yaer, but not much this year.

Norm -Charles Haley and Tony Tolber. Haley would create havok, Tolbert would clean up plays.

Norm -Is this a Defense that can be a top rated defense. There is time for some of the young players to grow up, but through 2 games, they have given up 876 total yards, no turnerovers and no sacks. They have gotten close a few times, but when teams pass 80 times, you are going to get close.

Norm -Are we overrating the talent on this team, in particular the Defense. Can you coach talent up, yep, you sure can. But there is a certain amount of talent that has to be there. And is that level on this defense.

...O-V-E-R-A-T-E-D...mix in a coach with a talent for excuse-making and the recipe is debacle, the likes of which we witnessed sunday night...for all i've seen...i'd take Henry and Williams back in the lineup...

...i think the secondary will be a work in progress this year as it struggles to find chemistry and identity...Scandrick and Jenkins need work...Newman needs to find his form again because he looked like a rookie sunday night...without Newman playing to form the secondary will find tough sledding this year...but how would that be different from the previous 3 - 4 years...

...the strength of this team continues to be the offense, and when it goes south the ship sinks...

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

Overrated to me...

 

[AdamJT13]

Norm -Looking at the Cowboys Defense at face value, you run the risk of sounding cruel and talk radio can be that way. But I look at this defense and ask myself, what players would other teams want.

Don't worry. If they become free agents and sign huge contracts with the Giants, they'll suddenly become vital, highly talented stars.

 

[Rampage]

good coaching can make up for lack of talent. we don't have good coaching though atleast on the defensive side of the ball.

 

[Big D]

I think maybe that Greg Ellis was underrated.

 

[RS12]

Ratliff is a star, a pro bowler at NT, who would be a 10-12 sack a year guy in a 4-3. Right now playing better than Ware, who needs to kick it up several gears.

 

[wileedog]

Our coverage hasn't been anything better than "okay", for years.

I would say its been a great deal worse than "okay" for years. Especially with Newman's injury issues, Roy back there and 1 decent year out of Hamlin followed by last year's no show.

The things I thought we could hang our hat on this year would be the pass rush, and hopefully that the lack of turnovers last year was a fluke. Generally a team leading the league in sacks gets better results with turnovers.

First two games - hno:

 

[theebs]

I dont think there is any question.

We are playing with players who were backups to last years team as starters at three spots, that is huge. Throw in brooking and olshansky who are just average players and there is a serious talent problem over there.

Then you throw in Ken Hamlin.

well, as much as I dislike wade phillips, I am not sure it is his fault, except he signed off on these guys.

if the secondary would wake up and play better the whole thing would look different, but no one back there appears to be able to do that. Newman is just a mystery at this point. I would be willing to bet the coaching staff doesnt know what they will get out of him come next week.