Off-season defensive questions will be answered during season

Bobhaze

Bobhaze

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All NFL off-seasons are hopefully about your team getting better on both sides of the ball. Looking at our defense going into OTAs and training camp there are a several key questions that can only be answered during the season. Sure we will get some feedback from TC and Ps games, but those are somewhat tainted because they often aren’t against all starters and with no game planning. Only the regular season will really reveal where our defense will be.

Here is a list of off-season questions about our defense that only time will tell the true answers:
  1. Will Mike Zimmer‘s new approach, scheme and coaching style have an immediate positive impact in the regular season?
  2. Has this team added enough to make our long time problem of being vulnerable against the run improve?
  3. Will Micah Parsons be used more than just primarily as a pass rusher?
  4. Will the addition of FA LB Eric Kendricks teamed with Damone Clark and possibly a healthy DeMarvion Overshown and perhaps rookie Marist Lufaiu be enough to improve the run stopping abilities of this defense?
  5. Will Trevon Diggs return to form as top CB after his knee injury last year?
  6. Will CB Daron Bland continue to be a ball hawking corner who is one of the best in the league?
  7. Will DE Sam Williams show improvement and maturity and have more of an impact in his third year?
  8. Will Zimmer’s style of defense be less aggressive or more aggressive than Dan Quinn’s?
  9. The Cowboys finished 13th in sacks last year with 46. Will the team have more or less sacks in 2024?
  10. Will Mike Zimmer’s defense do better against the more physical opponents this year? (Something this D struggled with last year)
Obviously there are many more questions than listed above. As I said to start this thread, we won’t know how this defense will really stack up until at least October.

What additional questions do you have?
 
Bobhaze

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rags747 said:
Lots of NO’s in that 1-10 list, to me at least.
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I think most improvements that are needed on any NFL team are rarely snap of the finger instant change. Our defense has had problems stopping the run for decades and with multiple defensive coordinators and HCs.

Which is why I say we won’t immediately know if this defense is appreciably better for weeks into the regular season.
 
ArtClink

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I’m not confident that our defense can stop the run because that’s been the Achilles heel of this team for a long time.

I like Bland better than Diggs because I think Diggs is overrated. We’ll know this season if I’m wrong.

I worry if the game has passed Zimmer by. He’s been out for a year or two but I do like Zimmer and he has the potential to do some great things.
 
Hawkeye0202

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We should remember that Zim is trying to install his defense with Quinn's players. I'm sure some current players will fit his scheme, but he is missing a few. Not to mention, he may only have one year.
 
ArtClink

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Another question is do we have the personnel to run Zimmers defense or will it take several years?
 
Chasing6

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Bobhaze said:
All NFL off-seasons are hopefully about your team getting better on both sides of the ball. Looking at our defense going into OTAs and training camp there are a several key questions that can only be answered during the season. Sure we will get some feedback from TC and Ps games, but those are somewhat tainted because they often aren’t against all starters and with no game planning. Only the regular season will really reveal where our defense will be.

Here is a list of off-season questions about our defense that only time will tell the true answers:
  1. Will Mike Zimmer‘s new approach, scheme and coaching style have an immediate positive impact in the regular season?
  2. Has this team added enough to make our long time problem of being vulnerable against the run improve?
  3. Will Micah Parsons be used more than just primarily as a pass rusher?
  4. Will the addition of FA LB Eric Kendricks teamed with Damone Clark and possibly a healthy DeMarvion Overshown and perhaps rookie Marist Lufaiu be enough to improve the run stopping abilities of this defense?
  5. Will Trevon Diggs return to form as top CB after his knee injury last year?
  6. Will CB Daron Bland continue to be a ball hawking corner who is one of the best in the league?
  7. Will DE Sam Williams show improvement and maturity and have more of an impact in his third year?
  8. Will Zimmer’s style of defense be less aggressive or more aggressive than Dan Quinn’s?
  9. The Cowboys finished 13th in sacks last year with 46. Will the team have more or less sacks in 2024?
  10. Will Mike Zimmer’s defense do better against the more physical opponents this year? (Something this D struggled with last year)
Obviously there are many more questions than listed above. As I said to start this thread, we won’t know how this defense will really stack up until at least October.

What additional questions do you have?
Click to expand...
Playing more good teams will only expose our run D and even more.
 
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