Safety is not priority number one in this draft

[jterrell]

Dallas had a SS playing safety that they expected to be on the practice squad. Thats how deep the injuries went this yr.

Injuries are an excuse for the DL but not at safety.
We didn't have a decent FS on the roster entering nor leaving camp.

Matt Johnson is all they lost at FS....

Dallas THOUGHT good DL play and good CBs would enable them to play bad safeties.

Detroit and other teams are still laughing about that.

 

[Miller]

I find this argument funny. It's not that a strong defensive front doesn't make a difference. It does. But Seattle drafted Earl Thomas because they knew the difference he could make. The argument goes both ways. A safety that coach back there and who can effectively take away deep balls and hit gives a D line a split second more to turn the corner. Even when Ware was at his best e still had trouble in the secondary. And we consistently avoid getting a top safety. Do you remember Ronnie Lott making a difference or the 49ers D line most of the time? I remember Lott giving that D line what it needed. It goes both ways.

 

[Idgit]

That defense is just scary good at all levels. But make no mistake that defenses best two football players are Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman.

QFT. Obvious truth.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

If Dallas drafted a safety early in the upcoming draft I'd snap.

I can't see giving up on Wilcox and Heath at this point. And who knows if Johnson will actually see the field but you simply can't keep drafting players for a position over and over and over again without seeing if any of your young prospects can play.

There are more pressing needs.

 

[Idgit]

Injuries are an excuse for the DL but not at safety.
We didn't have a decent FS on the roster entering nor leaving camp.

Matt Johnson is all they lost at FS....

Dallas THOUGHT good DL play and good CBs would enable them to play bad safeties.

Detroit and other teams are still laughing about that.

Would you draft a S in the first if the DL is there as well? I go back and forth on it. DL is the higher priority for me, because I do think we've got players with the potential to develop in their second/third years at S, but I'm so sick of not addressing such an obvious liability. If we could add two veteran DLs in free agency that we like well enough, and use other high picks to bolster the line....I don't know. We really need two number ones or a giant bluebird from somewhere to add the talent I think we need to add defensively this year.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Just for grins I looked up where all the starters ranked on the Seattle defense and every one of them ranked in the top 15 for their positions.

 

[reddyuta]

Everybody agrees that our DL is in shambles but I don't want to pass on highly rated safety to take the 3rd or 4th ranked De or Dt.

 

[jterrell]

I find this argument funny. It's not that a strong defensive front doesn't make a difference. It does. But Seattle drafted Earl Thomas because they knew the difference he could make. The argument goes both ways. A safety that coach back there and who can effectively take away deep balls and hit gives a D line a split second more to turn the corner. Even when Ware was at his best e still had trouble in the secondary. And we consistently avoid getting a top safety. Do you remember Ronnie Lott making a difference or the 49ers D line most of the time? I remember Lott giving that D line what it needed. It goes both ways.

Evidence is impossible to deny.

Dallas has had a pro bowl DL virtually every year. Many times 2 or more while the defense overall has sucked.
Yet the last time a Cowboys DB made the pro bowl we made the playoffs. 2009.
The last time this team looked dominant was 2007. Ken Hamlin and RW31 BOTH made the Pro Bowl.

You can't get by without pressure on the QB. CAN NOT do it. But you also can't use all your resources on pressure guys and expect to get by with a bum at Safety much less a bum plus a near bum.

Dallas let a top 10 pick in RW31 go and didn't bother replacing him at all. We've been content to toss round 4 and round 5 picks at the position and we're obviously terrible at evaluating that position.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I would like to see how the young Cowboy safeties play with:

1. Additional experience.
2. Linebackers that are consist in their pass drops.

Personally I think the safeties get a bum-wrap because the linebackers (even Lee) were not consistent in dropping into coverage for much of the season, which left the middle of the field wide open.

Now I'm not saying Chuch, Wilcox, Heath are world beaters but they need to be given more of a chance.

 

[jterrell]

Would you draft a S in the first if the DL is there as well? I go back and forth on it. DL is the higher priority for me, because I do think we've got players with the potential to develop in their second/third years at S, but I'm so sick of not addressing such an obvious liability. If we could add two veteran DLs in free agency that we like well enough, and use other high picks to bolster the line....I don't know. We really need two number ones or a giant bluebird from somewhere to add the talent I think we need to add defensively this year.

IMHO you draft the best player in any of the major areas of need: SDE//WDE/3T/FS/OLB.
If one of those is not available I'd Frederick it and trade down.
I'd obviously have to seriously consider any exceptional value players who fell.
I'd not touch a RB/TE/P/K first 3 rounds for any reason.

My offseason goal would be to enter 2014 with a legit 8 NFL DL(have 4/5 under contract). 4 NFL CBs(I think I have that) and 3 NFL safeties. (I have 1 with 3 possibles)

I have free agency to try and find some answers tho obviously not all.

The Cowboys have the advantage of seeing where guys like Spencer/Bass/Crawford/Lee/Carter are right now.
They can make educated decisions while as fans we can just guess.

 

[jterrell]

I would like to see how the young Cowboy safeties play with:

1. Additional experience.
2. Linebackers that are consist in their pass drops.

Personally I think the safeties get a bum-wrap because the linebackers (even Lee) were not consistent in dropping into coverage for much of the season, which left the middle of the field wide open.

Now I'm not saying Chuch, Wilcox, Heath are world beaters but they need to be given more of a chance.

Linebackers don't help on 40 yards post patterns where the safety is in place but just never gets off the ground to play the ball.
The number of times we has Wilcox out of position or Heath draw a PI but get it declined because the WR caught the ball anyway was flat alarming.

Agree overall that we need better LB play.
This LB group was pretty poor in the 4-3. As quiet as it's kept even Lee struggled for a few weeks.
The rest were largely bad all year.

Safety play last year was equivalent to rebuilding. We basically forced ourselves to miss the playoffs by playing Heath and Wilcox so many snaps.

 

[Idgit]

IMHO you draft the best player in any of the major areas of need: SDE//WDE/3T/FS/OLB.
If one of those is not available I'd Frederick it and trade down.
I'd obviously have to seriously consider any exceptional value players who fell.
I'd not touch a RB/TE/P/K first 3 rounds for any reason.

My offseason goal would be to enter 2014 with a legit 8 NFL DL(have 4/5 under contract). 4 NFL CBs(I think I have that) and 3 NFL safeties. (I have 1 with 3 possibles)

I have free agency to try and find some answers tho obviously not all.

The Cowboys have the advantage of seeing where guys like Spencer/Bass/Crawford/Lee/Carter are right now.
They can make educated decisions while as fans we can just guess.

I'd say that's almost exactly how I see it. So...something like 5-6 NFL-quality players, with three draft picks (unless we trade down) and a couple value veteran FA contracts and two 'maybes' at the S position. And no reaching in the draft. In other words, very little margin for error.

 

[Idgit]

Agree overall that we need better LB play.
This LB group was pretty poor in the 4-3. As quiet as it's kept even Lee struggled for a few weeks.
The rest were largely bad all year.

Safety play last year was equivalent to rebuilding. We basically forced ourselves to miss the playoffs by playing Heath and Wilcox so many snaps.

Durant was better than he gets credit for, especially, I thought, and MBL where he played well for us when Lee went out. Lee struggled early, but he got his responsibilities down eventually. Carter was a train wreck, and Sims can't stay in position or get off a block. I wish he could, because he's a guy I want to root for, and not just because he has his own zoo.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Linebackers don't help on 40 yards post patterns where the safety is in place but just never gets off the ground to play the ball.
The number of times we has Wilcox out of position or Heath draw a PI but get it declined because the WR caught the ball anyway was flat alarming.

Agree overall that we need better LB play.
This LB group was pretty poor in the 4-3. As quiet as it's kept even Lee struggled for a few weeks.
The rest were largely bad all year.

Safety play last year was equivalent to rebuilding. We basically forced ourselves to miss the playoffs by playing Heath and Wilcox so many snaps.

Hey I agree the safety play has not been good/consistent for several seasons.

But I think the strong safety position is Church's. I can't imagine Dallas drafting another safety like him.

That leaves the FS spot and quite frankly I'm not seeing a lot of folks there that I think would come in and play the deep safety spot on the field with fewer errors (the upcoming season) than either Wilcox or Heath. You're going to have that learning curve with any of them.

 

[peplaw06]

You're fooling yourself if you think anybody thought Kam Chancellor was any good before revisionist history hit this year. Kam Chancellor was a bum who was a head hunter and couldn't cover to save his *** until after Sunday. Get real.

lol

You probably think Heath, Wilcox and Church are better.

 

[CATCH17]

D Line with some more OL sprinkled in.


This needs to be the motto every year for awhile.

 

[CATCH17]

If Dallas drafted a safety early in the upcoming draft I'd snap.

I can't see giving up on Wilcox and Heath at this point. And who knows if Johnson will actually see the field but you simply can't keep drafting players for a position over and over and over again without seeing if any of your young prospects can play.

There are more pressing needs.

Agree with all of this.

Church is already a nice player and someone else could and should develop into a good safety.



We need DL and LB's far worse than we need anything else.

Bruce Carters season really hurt us as well as far as how we plan for this offseason.

 

[chicago JK]

outside of Cornerback, Tight End and running back if I come out of the first two rounds with talents like Dez Bryant and Sean Lee....sign me up...regardless of position. If that is a play making safety and bookend Right Tackle, I would be fine. There is no doubt Dallas lacks almost any talent on the DT and DE is also a very big need moving forward but if you could add two talents like a dez and Lee, then go for it.

 

[Idgit]

Hey I agree the safety play has not been good/consistent for several seasons.

But I think the strong safety position is Church's. I can't imagine Dallas drafting another safety like him.

That leaves the FS spot and quite frankly I'm not seeing a lot of folks there that I think would come in and play the deep safety spot on the field with fewer errors (the upcoming season) than either Wilcox or Heath. You're going to have that learning curve with any of them.

If we really are playing a lot of single high next season, with press coverage on the outside and Church up (where he really should be in that defense)...you really comfortable with an improved Wilcox in the lineup? If he goes down, Heath? I'm not comfortable counting on that.
I'd be ok with Wilcox playing up if we had the rangy coverage S on the roster. And I think Johnson has something to offer in that capacity if he can just stay on the field, but it'd be insane to count on it.

Now, S is one position where you can get a quality veteran who can play adequately at a somewhat reasonable price in VFA (and I'm not talking about a Will Allen type). But, if we're committed to playing the coverage we're talking about here, I can tell you right now that I'm absolutely uncomfortable going into the year with just the specific players we've got on the roster. And finding an upgrade in anything other than the first or second round is really not an option. It's definitely possible Wilcox develops into a capable long term starter in just one offseason--I expect him to have a big jump this year, honestly. But we'd be literally one-deep at one of the most important positions on the field then.

 

[chicago JK]

Let me add, just because you don't draft a certain position high doesn't mean you need to rely on spares like Alan Ball, Phil Costa, etc. Good front offices can find solid players regardless if it is from the draft, UDFA, or smart Free agent signings. Drafting in the first two rounds or throwing 50 million dollars at a player are not the only ways to find talent.