Spencer vs Crawford

[Verdict]

I'm looking for some intelligent, rational discussion about who is better suited to play defensive end for us this year as this might shed some light on the Cowboys' short term and long term plans for Spencer.

If I remember correctly, Crawford is a bigger player who is similar to Spencer in that he is a lunch pail type of guy who has a pretty decent motor, but neither are abnormally fast. Spencer is likely a slightly better pass rusher (not much) and Crawford is probably slightly stronger against the run (not much). I would expect that Crawford would be much better against the run in a short yardage or goal line defense because of his size.

My concern for Spencer isn't that he can't rush the passer as an end. I think he will actually be pretty good at that. But I would think that his biggest asset against larger players (his speed advantage) will be largely negated on running plays because he will be operating in less "space" as an end. I think playing him at end will increase his sack numbers, but will make him much less effective against the run because offensive players will be able to get their hands on him much easier.

Thoughts?

 

[JBS]

Highly unlikely anyone on this team is better against the run than spencer, let alone Crawford.

 

[Verdict]

Highly unlikely anyone on this team is better against the run than spencer, let alone Crawford.

There are lots of guys better against the run than Spencer. Just not all of them can play end. LOL.

 

[JBS]

There are lots of guys better against the run than Spencer. Just not all of them can play end. LOL.

More like none of them can play end.

 

[conner01]

spencer played de in college and was much better against the run than crawford was in college.
spencer is much faster but playing the run is more about technique than size. spencer keeps the defender away from his body and thats key.
i'm betting if you weighed them both today there is'nt 10lbs difference in their weight and again technique is much more important
i like crawford but he is raw and still has alot of things to learn to be a good nfl player. i think he will be in time but he is far from ready to start in the nfl.
he will get much more playing time this year and if spencer stays on the tag he could be the guy to step in next year and take over the spot. but as of today there is a huge difference in the players abilities

 

[Verdict]

spencer played de in college and was much better against the run than crawford was in college.
spencer is much faster but playing the run is more about technique than size. spencer keeps the defender away from his body and thats key.
i'm betting if you weighed them both today there is'nt 10lbs difference in their weight and again technique is much more important
i like crawford but he is raw and still has alot of things to learn to be a good nfl player. i think he will be in time but he is far from ready to start in the nfl.
he will get much more playing time this year and if spencer stays on the tag he could be the guy to step in next year and take over the spot. but as of today there is a huge difference in the players abilities

If you were to compare Spencer and Crawford in terms of their ability at identical stages of their careers I'm not sure that Crawford isn't as good a player as Spencer was. It is safe to say that Spencer was a late bloomer.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

I just haven't seen enough of Crawford to give a accurate opinion on him. His role was rather limited last year. For his draft status and what he's actually shown there is a reason to like his potential progression but at this point its just potential.

 

[DFWJC]

i'm betting if you weighed them both today there is'nt 10lbs difference in their weight

I'm sure Spencer will add a few lbs, but they were 30-35 lbs apart.

Otherwise, I agree that you can't project Crawford at this early stage and he very well may never be the player Spencer is. Hopefully he will be, but we have no idea.

 

[conner01]

If you were to compare Spencer and Crawford in terms of their ability at identical stages of their careers I'm not sure that Crawford isn't as good a player as Spencer was. It is safe to say that Spencer was a late bloomer.

there college numbers are'nt even close. after their first full season crawford has 20 tackles no sacks. spencer had 36 tackles and 3 sacks. crawford has potential but has'nt played a ton of football. he may develope into a solid player but he is not yet

 

[pancakeman]

Do y'all think we'll see Spencer dropping back into coverage (zone blitz) from the DE position with some frequency? Wouldn't he be more suited for that than your average defensive end?

 

[tm1119]

Guy who made the pro bowl last year vs a 3rd round pick who played sparingly. Hmm...this is a tough one

Crawford is a big time tweener for the 4-3. I think he can be a pretty good rotation player at both DE and DT, but I'm not sure he can be a good full time starter at either. Big questions of whether he is a good enough edge rusher to play DE full time and whether he is big and strong enough to anchor against the run as a DT.

 

[Future]

There are lots of guys better against the run than Spencer. Just not all of them can play end. LOL.

Uh...who?

 

[ABQcowboyJR]

Spencer is a far better player at this stage in his career than Crawford. I like Crawford's potential and think we could get by with him at the end position. However, Craw isn't even close to being able to play the DE better than Spencer. Now if you wanted to use performance/cost as a measuring stick I like what Crawford brings to the table more.

 

[Verdict]

Guy who made the pro bowl last year vs a 3rd round pick who played sparingly. Hmm...this is a tough one

Crawford is a big time tweener for the 4-3. I think he can be a pretty good rotation player at both DE and DT, but I'm not sure he can be a good full time starter at either. Big questions of whether he is a good enough edge rusher to play DE full time and whether he is big and strong enough to anchor against the run as a DT.

Yeah, Spencer was a pro bowler in his first full season too. Rolling my eyes too.

 

[Verdict]

Uh...who?

Maybe you missed the point. I think several play the run better, but not all play DE.

 

[Verdict]

Spencer is a far better player at this stage in his career than Crawford. I like Crawford's potential and think we could get by with him at the end position. However, Craw isn't even close to being able to play the DE better than Spencer. Now if you wanted to use performance/cost as a measuring stick I like what Crawford brings to the table more.

Spencer was a fairly solid player at OLB in a 3-4 defense. It remains to be seen how well he will do on an every down basis in a 4-3.

 

[conner01]

Spencer was a fairly solid player at OLB in a 3-4 defense. It remains to be seen how well he will do on an every down basis in a 4-3.

he has more experience as a 4/3 de than crawford does and the same as ware does. people keep saing it reamins to be seen if he can play de. well thats what he played in college and was very good at it. the question was could he convert to a new position, which he did
i don't expect him to be an everydown player. i suspect we will rotate crawford in there and if he does'nt sign an extension thats really the ideal situation. play them both and let crawford learn on the field

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

there college numbers are'nt even close. after their first full season crawford has 20 tackles no sacks. spencer had 36 tackles and 3 sacks. crawford has potential but has'nt played a ton of football. he may develope into a solid player but he is not yet

This is correct.


After Spencer's first full season, he has 22 Tkls, 15 Solo, 5.5 TFL, 2 Sks.

After Crawfords first full season, he has 32 Tkls, 13 Solo, 13.5 TFL, 7 Sks.

If you look at both of these players, they are almost the same player with regards to athletic abilities, coming out of college. Crawford is a little bigger but otherwise, they are very similar.

 

[Verdict]

he has more experience as a 4/3 de than crawford does and the same as ware does. people keep saing it reamins to be seen if he can play de. well thats what he played in college and was very good at it. the question was could he convert to a new position, which he did
i don't expect him to be an everydown player. i suspect we will rotate crawford in there and if he does'nt sign an extension thats really the ideal situation. play them both and let crawford learn on the field

That might work well, but I wouldn't think the Cowboys would be paying him 10 million plus to be a part time player simply due to economics.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

he has more experience as a 4/3 de than crawford does and the same as ware does. people keep saing it reamins to be seen if he can play de. well thats what he played in college and was very good at it. the question was could he convert to a new position, which he did
i don't expect him to be an everydown player. i suspect we will rotate crawford in there and if he does'nt sign an extension thats really the ideal situation. play them both and let crawford learn on the field

Did you watch Crawford at Boise St by any chance? He played DE at Boise, just like Spencer did at Purdue. Seriously, they are almost the same player at similar stages of their respective careers.