Pass Rush Struggles

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Struggles? We were 3rd in sacks last year and led the league in turnovers. I don't think people understand how outstanding that is to be top 5 in both categories. Usually it is one or the other and not both.

 

[Kwyn]

Struggles? We were 3rd in sacks last year and led the league in turnovers. I don't think people understand how outstanding that is to be top 5 in both categories. Usually it is one or the other and not both.

Hush. Anything less than #1 in every category is a sign of dysfunction

 

[quickccc]

Cowboys were tied for top 3 in actual sacks last year so wouldn't say taking down the QB has been a struggle. I will say our sack pace slowed down later in the season, likely because teams refocused on getting the ball out quicker.

Regardless your never always going to bring down the QB even when you get great pressure.

When our sack totals decreased and lessened, I thought of it as Quinn making the proper adjustments vs our struggling
run defense. Adjust the scheme to be more discipline in gap integrity.

Can Quinn now structure the defense to where we can do both stop the run and maintain our sick sack attack ?

 

[baltcowboy]

We’ll see how ‘at home’ he feels week 2. When Gilmore and Diggs are clamping his wideouts and 11 is in his lap every drop back.

Yeah Rodgers won’t have Brown and Bosman to pick on this time. The Jets defense is ferocious though. Two straight good games before Arizona. We need to split.

 

[Coogiguy03]

Most 220 pound QBs are faster and quicker than 270 pound linemen.

That's amazing but most guys that size are stronger than smaller guys yet we struggle at times to bring them down

 

[Reverend Conehead]

This is pretty common around the league, mainly because of the rules associated with trying to sack a qb.

Yes, that plus, in this pass-happy league, so many plays now are super quick release that it's tough to get to the QB. However, if one of our pass rushers can't get there, but instead bats the ball, wasting a down, or even causing a pick, I'm happy with no sack.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Without belittling the defense too much, my one issue I feel we struggle with is actually tackling the QB and taking him down. There's so many times I've seen us come for the QB, and somehow he gets away. I've seen guys come on blitzes and trip over each other, guys running too far up the field and the QB steps up to run or pass.

I hope we work on this, I want to see all QBS who we come after go DOWN for loss of yardage. Please give your thoughts on this topic. I'M NOT BASHING THE D, just pointing out something I've seen us struggle with

The problem with our pass rush is that its basically one guy making all the havoc. You take Parsons out of the equation and its an average pass rush at best.

Parsons makes Quinn look like a genius and LT made Parcells look like one too.

 

[CowboyRoy]

I wouldn’t get too overconfident. Most on this board thought we were going to do a number on Rodgers last year in Green Bay…Oops! Rodgers feels at home at AT&T Stadium. He won his only Super Bowl there. He pulled the rug right out from under us in a playoff game in 2016 at AT&T. Better wait until we see how we look in the opener against the Giants. We haven’t seen our starters on the field since last season.

Until Tyron goes down the Cowboys are a powerhouse. NO doubt about it. Doesnt mean they wont lose a game here and there. And we wont truly know how well MM will use the pieces that he has.

 

[CowboyRoy]

The defense changed a little later in the season because they were giving up too much rushing yardage. They stopped doing some DL games and some of the things that were getting to the QB earlier in the season. This helped shore up the run game at the expense of getting to the QB more often.

Also, once Anthony Brown went down (along with Jourdan Lewis), the side opposite Diggs was pretty consistently open. That allowed QB’s to locate an open receiver and get rid of the ball more quickly than in the first month or so of the season. Bland ended up replacing Lewis effectively, but nobody could stop the bleeding at left CB. They just didn’t have the personnel to do much about it. Even before Brown got hurt, that side could have used better coverage though.

Finally, as you mentioned, offenses started scheming to get rid of the ball more quickly. Offensive coordinators were calling few long developing pass plays by the end of the season.

Those 3 things took Dallas from leading the league in sacks down to third place. Still respectable but not at the torrid pace they started the season at.

What did the team do to help those things? They drafted Mazi and re-signed big Hankins to hold down the middle of the field, allowing the ends and LB’s to focus more on keeping the run from getting to the edges (which was a big problem last season). With disciplined play, the run should not be an issue, but they have to go out and do it.

They also brought in Stephon Gilmore to play the other side opposite Diggs. This was huge and should pay huge dividends in the pass rush. I cannot adequately tell you how important that move was. It is going to be a real problem for offenses who will have to hold on to the ball longer or throw into coverage where there is a ball hawk at every secondary spot. That should help the pass rush immensely.

Gilmore, Diggs, Bland and Lewis all can get INT’s given the opportunity. The Dallas pass rush absolutely has the horses to give the secondary plenty of opportunity.

Shut the run down and the rest will fall into place. That’s where it all will start.

Parsons gets dinged up and he slows down for a while he did last year. He is the MAIN reason for the pass rush. When he is dinged up we can struggle. But with Gilmore, I agree he will help give us that extra half second. And I think teams will have more problem running the ball this year. And our offense should be more consistent and hold onto the ball more. It will also be more explosive. That will result in bigger lead early and often.

 

[KJJ]

We’ll see how ‘at home’ he feels week 2. When Gilmore and Diggs are clamping his wideouts and 11 is in his lap every drop back.

I’m sure you’re confident every week about the Cowboys. Wish we could search everyone’s posting history like we could with the old format just to see what you were saying before games last season. We’ll find out how often 11 is in Aaron Rodgers lap in a couple weeks. I enter every season with a cautious wait-and-see attitude. Even if the Cowboys were to stomp the Giants on opening day, Aaron Rodgers has been a real thorn in the side of the Cowboys for a long time.

 

[JD_KaPow]

Without belittling the defense too much, my one issue I feel we struggle with is actually tackling the QB and taking him down. There's so many times I've seen us come for the QB, and somehow he gets away. I've seen guys come on blitzes and trip over each other, guys running too far up the field and the QB steps up to run or pass.

I hope we work on this, I want to see all QBS who we come after go DOWN for loss of yardage. Please give your thoughts on this topic. I'M NOT BASHING THE D, just pointing out something I've seen us struggle with

They were 3rd in the league in sacks. If you watch any team as closely as you watch the Cowboys, you'll see exactly the same kind of near-misses. For every completely sack, there are many near-sacks: that's just how it works.

 

[T-RO]

That's amazing but most guys that size are stronger than smaller guys yet we struggle at times to bring them down

I can't say I see any difference at all between our pass rushers getting guys to the ground...compared to other teams.

 

[TheFinisher]

I’m sure you’re confident every week about the Cowboys. Wish we could search everyone’s posting history like we could with the old format just to see what you were saying before games last season. We’ll find out how often 11 is in Aaron Rodgers lap in a couple weeks. I enter every season with a cautious wait-and-see attitude. Even if the Cowboys were to stomp the Giants on opening day, Aaron Rodgers has been a real thorn in the side of the Cowboys for a long time.

I bet you would like to search my history.

**** Rodgers.

 

[KJJ]

I bet you would like to search my history.

**** Rodgers.

I would search to see what you said prior to the Green Bay game last season. I feel pretty sure it’s similar to what you’re saying now. Most of this board felt like we would do Rodgers in last season…Oops!

 

[plasticman]

It's difficult for D-linemen to get in the proper position to tackle QB's gently. The defender has to contemplate how the quarterback is going to fall, whether that part of the field has enough cushion to prevent the QB from getting an ouchie.