Sabin: Why Cowboys' offseason plan of stocking up on linebackers defies conventional wisdom

[Alexander]

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Staff Writer
Published: 24 May 2015 08:26 PM
Updated: 25 May 2015 01:07 AM

In today’s NFL, it’s no secret teams love to throw the football. Passing numbers are inflated across the league, and quarterbacks dominate the stat sheet more than ever. Defenses have tried in vain to adjust and take back the ground ceded to offenses in recent years. But it’s an ongoing process, and the Cowboys will gladly attest to that.
“That’s just the reality of it,” head coach Jason Garrett said recently.

Last season, Dallas used its nickel package 66 percent of the time. Sterling Moore, the ex-Cowboy who served as the team’s third cornerback, played 98 more snaps than the most active linebacker, Rolando McClain. And when the offseason started in January, it appeared the Cowboys would allocate resources toward their secondary after Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, while injured, torched them in the divisional round of the playoffs. The performance of Rodgers and the fact that the Cowboys were in the position to be defeated by him at that stage of the postseason suggested that this would be an area of need.

http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sports/...on-linebackers-defies-conventional-wisdom.ece

 

[Section446]

You have to stock up when you lose one (Carter), another is the least dependable player in the league (Lee), and the other is a head case (McClain).

 

[Alexander]

You have to stock up when you lose one (Carter), another is the least dependable player in the league (Lee), and the other is a head case (McClain).

It is more about the lack of dependability and reliability of McClain and Lee than just free agent losses.

No other team added five new faces at the position group this offseason (drafted two linebackers and added three in free agency). Only a couple of teams added as many as four between the draft and free agency.

Either we are pacesetters or there was a miscalculation or an overkill because of the uncertainty of the main players.

 

[darthseinfeld]

It is more about the lack of dependability and reliability of McClain and Lee than just free agent losses.

No other team added five new faces at the position group this offseason (drafted two linebackers and added three in free agency). Only a couple of teams added as many as four between the draft and free agency.

Either we are pacesetters or there was a miscalculation or an overkill because of the uncertainty of the main players.

I think what they did at DE was much more substantial then LB. To me every LB they added outside Willis and Gachkar are either camp bodies or damn near close to it. I dont think you will even see Brinkley on the 53 and
Nzeocha makes the PS IMO.

Essentially we replaced Carter and Durant with Willis and Gachkar

 

[tyke1doe]

Sabin is putting the ineffectiveness of stopping Rodgers on the secondary?

 

[cheftjpeck]

Sabin is putting the ineffectiveness of stopping Rodgers on the secondary?

Yeah that's basically when I stopped reading

 

[texbumthelife]

Sabin is putting the ineffectiveness of stopping Rodgers on the secondary?

Maybe if we had hit him once.......?

 

[Alexander]

Maybe if we had hit him once.......?

That was the bigger problem. He was not just throwing strikes off of quick action plays. He was standing back there and packing a lunch, hobbling on one leg. Even the sacks they did get from the outside (Mincey's forced fumble) were the result of Rodgers taking too much time.

They also got no push up the middle consistently, which explains why no DTs were added and we got more linebackers. Or something.

 

[Galian Beast]

Whoever wrote this has no idea what they're talking about.

First Keith Rivers likely doesn't make the team. He was brought in for depth because we didn't know how the linebacker situation was going to develop.
Jasper Brinkley was brought up because McClain might not have been retained.
Andrew Gachkar was brought in solely for special teams, our worst unit last year by far.

Did the investment exceed what we made in the secondary?

Compare both groups and tell me which is more expensive. We spent a 1st round draft pick on the corner safety this year, on top of spending a 3rd round on wilcox, millions on carr and scandrick, and two picks on Claiborne.

It's not about raw numbers. Only 6-8 linebackers are going to make this team. The Cowboys want 6-8 guys they can count on.

Very dumb article.

 

[Alexander]

First Keith Rivers likely doesn't make the team. He was brought in for depth because we didn't know how the linebacker situation was going to develop.
Jasper Brinkley was brought up because McClain might not have been retained.
Andrew Gachkar was brought in solely for special teams, our worst unit last year by far.

We did not know how the situation was going to develop with McCain, but we still selected two more linebackers in the draft. They double dipped, for whatever reason you want to single out.

Did the investment exceed what we made in the secondary?

In terms of new investments, of course they invested more in the linebacker group.

Compare both groups and tell me which is more expensive. We spent a 1st round draft pick on the corner safety this year, on top of spending a 3rd round on wilcox, millions on carr and scandrick, and two picks on Claiborne.

This is not about how much money we are overinvesting in the secondary as a result of previous contracts and draft choices.

It was about new resources devoted to what position group from 2014 and you could very easily say that LB was where they pushed the emphasis to.[/quote]

 

[bayeslife]

That was the bigger problem. He was not just throwing strikes off of quick action plays. He was standing back there and packing a lunch, hobbling on one leg. Even the sacks they did get from the outside (Mincey's forced fumble) were the result of Rodgers taking too much time.

They also got no push up the middle consistently, which explains why no DTs were added and we got more linebackers. Or something.

Not that I don't think a stout D-line is priority #1, but I think the whole "push up the middle" argument is maybe a little overblown. When I see elite defenses play they are almost always putting pressure on from the outside.

 

[jnday]

It is more about the lack of dependability and reliability of McClain and Lee than just free agent losses.

No other team added five new faces at the position group this offseason (drafted two linebackers and added three in free agency). Only a couple of teams added as many as four between the draft and free agency.

Either we are pacesetters or there was a miscalculation or an overkill because of the uncertainty of the main players.

I think it is overkill. It does speaks volumes about the starters and the lack dependability that the starters offer. They should have signed a dozen RBs. Maybe they could have found a starter out of the buch.

 

[Alexander]

Not that I don't think a stout D-line is priority #1, but I think the whole "push up the middle" argument is maybe a little overblown. When I see elite defenses play they are almost always putting pressure on from the outside.

I don't believe it is overplayed at all. Our interior pressure consisted of Crawford and that is it. This scheme rarely blitzes and if Crawford did not win or there was a successful double team on him, the pressure was very minimal and the QB can easily step up since the other tackle is practically holding ground in a best case scenario. You have to have one tackle who can win more often than not. It gives the OL more to think about.

 

[Doomsdayblitz]

Sabin is putting the ineffectiveness of stopping Rodgers on the secondary?

While I agree that the pass rush, or lack thereof, was the major culprit, there was a lot of room for improvement all across the secondary.

 

[Alexander]

They should have signed a dozen RBs. Maybe they could have found a starter out of the buch.

That is not necessarily the right way either.

It would be a little like signing 10 QBs hoping one sticks.

Bad thing is, you will never get enough reps to all of them to ensure you get a good idea of what they can do. Four-five seems like a good number to address an every down, 3rd down type and one that can do both.

At least with linebackers, they are specialized to the point that you can look for depth that can play all three downs as well as play special teams.

 

[xwalker]

Sabin is putting the ineffectiveness of stopping Rodgers on the secondary?

He also tries to use a misleading stat. The 3rd CB got more snaps than the "most active" LB because none of the LBs started and finished all 16 games.

Sterling Moore, the ex-Cowboy who served as the team’s third cornerback, played 98 more snaps than the most active linebacker, Rolando McClain.

 

[Doomsdayblitz]

I agree in the fact that the team did do more to stockpile LBs than they did DBs, which was a greater need. I was hoping for at least two pass rushers & two corners to be taken in the draft, especially since we lost Moore. In fact, if they hadn't signed Collins afterwords, I would have given them a B- grade. I think that passing up on Ifo Ekpre-Olomu for LB Mark Nzeocha, a STer at best, will prove to be a poor decision. The Browns took Ifo for the future, & I hope the 'Boys start thinking that way, once they get to the back half of the draft.

 

[xwalker]

Whoever wrote this has no idea what they're talking about.

First Keith Rivers likely doesn't make the team. He was brought in for depth because we didn't know how the linebacker situation was going to develop.
Jasper Brinkley was brought up because McClain might not have been retained.
Andrew Gachkar was brought in solely for special teams, our worst unit last year by far.

Did the investment exceed what we made in the secondary?

Compare both groups and tell me which is more expensive. We spent a 1st round draft pick on the corner safety this year, on top of spending a 3rd round on wilcox, millions on carr and scandrick, and two picks on Claiborne.

It's not about raw numbers. Only 6-8 linebackers are going to make this team. The Cowboys want 6-8 guys they can count on.

Very dumb article.

They paid Gachkar to be more than just a Special Teams player. They signed him to be legit LB depth.

I agree with the other comments.

They wanted to make absolutely certain that they didn't get to the point of having guys like Cam Lawrence or Keith Smith taking snaps on defense which happened last season.

 

[Galian Beast]

They paid Gachkar to be more than just a Special Teams player. They signed him to be legit LB depth.

I agree with the other comments.

They wanted to make absolutely certain that they didn't get to the point of having guys like Cam Lawrence or Keith Smith taking snaps on defense which happened last season.

They haven't paid Gackhar anything. His salary is barely above the league minimum. You're looking at his entire contract, which he probably never sees.

 

[tyke1doe]

While I agree that the pass rush, or lack thereof, was the major culprit, there was a lot of room for improvement all across the secondary.

I agree we needed to upgrade our secondary. But he cites it as a major reason. It was not the major reason. Not being able to get to Aaron Rodgers was the major reason our defense failed. Now, if Jordy Nelson or Randall Cobb were hobbling on one leg yet still beating our defensive backs, I would agree with the analysis that the secondary was the major culprit. But it was Rodgers who was hobbling on one leg and STILL had time order carry-out and complete a pass to his receiver.