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OXNARD, Calif. – As former U.S. Marine who served a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam, Rod Marinelli approaches the task of teaching the Dallas Cowboys how to create turnovers with the intensity of a drill sergeant turning raw recruits into fighting men.
“We’re going to take the ball away,” the 64-year-old defensive line coach said with conviction after a recent practice. “And you don’t emphasis it just in a drill – it’s all day long.
“I don’t care where we are at, we should go after the ball as fast and as hard as we can. It’s a mindset and you can’t get a strip if you don’t attempt it. Every snap should be a strip attempt and you got to sprint to have a strip attempt. It’s hustle.”
With Rob Ryan calling the defensive shots last, Dallas forced just 16 turnovers. Their seven interceptions tied for the NFL low with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Those meager numbers are one of the reasons they hired Monte Kiffin, 73, to coordinate the defense and change the base scheme from a 3-4 to a 4-3. In his 13-year run as Tampa Bay’s coordinator from 1996 to 2008, the Buccaneers averaged 33 turnovers per season.
Hiring Kiffin was also one of the keys to hiring his good friend Marinelli. As defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears last season, he led a unit that produced a league-best 44 takeaways.
“Chicago created all those turnovers last season compared to our what, 16?” Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr said. “We see it now. Last year, we talked about it. But, at the same time, we didn’t really go about it the way we go about it now as far as the way we practice, the tempo and our mindset as far as guys getting to the ball.”
With Marinelli exhorting them, the defensive players scoop the ball up off the ground after every incomplete pass. They also practice the “Peanut Punch” perfected by Bears cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman, who finished last season with an NFL-best 10 forced fumbles.
“The proof is in the pudding and we see it on film,” Carr said. “They show us all types of clips of the defense they’ve coached, where guys are just creating turnovers on simple plays…Guys are seeing it now and buying into it.”
After a recent practice, Carr demonstrated to a group of reporters how to perform the “Peanut Punch” to dislodge the ball.
“It’s a craft. It’s a short jab,” Carr said. “I know he’s probably worked it thousands of time, but we are trying to make it a habit. I’m working it. I’m trying to get it right.”
As if Marinelli’s prodding wasn’t enough, the players receive regular reminders about the importance of creating turnovers from coach Jason Garrett.
“The Bears had 28 more scoring opportunities – close to two more per game. That’s really, really significant,” Garrett said.
“Turnovers are a huge emphasis for our team. We have…get the ball on defense. At the end of the day, it’s about scoring more points than they do. The way to do that is to make sure you have as many opportunities as you can.”
A lot of that falls on Carr, who led the team with just three interceptions last season after signing a five-year, $50 million contract with about $25 million guaranteed.
“I’m not going to put any added pressure on myself,” he said. “I’m still going to do it in the framework of our defense. I want to go out there and be that lockdown, shutdown corner and make some turnovers.”
As far as generating fumbles go, Marinelli believes it comes down to one word: hustle.
“It’s all about sprinting to the football every play,” Marinelli said. “And we have guys who can do it. We have guys that can run. We have good athletes here.
“But you got to emphasize it every day.”
Continue reading...
“We’re going to take the ball away,” the 64-year-old defensive line coach said with conviction after a recent practice. “And you don’t emphasis it just in a drill – it’s all day long.
“I don’t care where we are at, we should go after the ball as fast and as hard as we can. It’s a mindset and you can’t get a strip if you don’t attempt it. Every snap should be a strip attempt and you got to sprint to have a strip attempt. It’s hustle.”
With Rob Ryan calling the defensive shots last, Dallas forced just 16 turnovers. Their seven interceptions tied for the NFL low with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Those meager numbers are one of the reasons they hired Monte Kiffin, 73, to coordinate the defense and change the base scheme from a 3-4 to a 4-3. In his 13-year run as Tampa Bay’s coordinator from 1996 to 2008, the Buccaneers averaged 33 turnovers per season.
Hiring Kiffin was also one of the keys to hiring his good friend Marinelli. As defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears last season, he led a unit that produced a league-best 44 takeaways.
“Chicago created all those turnovers last season compared to our what, 16?” Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr said. “We see it now. Last year, we talked about it. But, at the same time, we didn’t really go about it the way we go about it now as far as the way we practice, the tempo and our mindset as far as guys getting to the ball.”
With Marinelli exhorting them, the defensive players scoop the ball up off the ground after every incomplete pass. They also practice the “Peanut Punch” perfected by Bears cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman, who finished last season with an NFL-best 10 forced fumbles.
“The proof is in the pudding and we see it on film,” Carr said. “They show us all types of clips of the defense they’ve coached, where guys are just creating turnovers on simple plays…Guys are seeing it now and buying into it.”
After a recent practice, Carr demonstrated to a group of reporters how to perform the “Peanut Punch” to dislodge the ball.
“It’s a craft. It’s a short jab,” Carr said. “I know he’s probably worked it thousands of time, but we are trying to make it a habit. I’m working it. I’m trying to get it right.”
As if Marinelli’s prodding wasn’t enough, the players receive regular reminders about the importance of creating turnovers from coach Jason Garrett.
“The Bears had 28 more scoring opportunities – close to two more per game. That’s really, really significant,” Garrett said.
“Turnovers are a huge emphasis for our team. We have…get the ball on defense. At the end of the day, it’s about scoring more points than they do. The way to do that is to make sure you have as many opportunities as you can.”
A lot of that falls on Carr, who led the team with just three interceptions last season after signing a five-year, $50 million contract with about $25 million guaranteed.
“I’m not going to put any added pressure on myself,” he said. “I’m still going to do it in the framework of our defense. I want to go out there and be that lockdown, shutdown corner and make some turnovers.”
As far as generating fumbles go, Marinelli believes it comes down to one word: hustle.
“It’s all about sprinting to the football every play,” Marinelli said. “And we have guys who can do it. We have guys that can run. We have good athletes here.
“But you got to emphasize it every day.”
Continue reading...