The Defensive Philosophy

[TwoDeep3]

In the history of this team there came a point in which a coach new to the league was building from the ground up. Now that may sound like Landry, and he did go through something similar, but in this case it was Jimmy. The team he inherited was a 3-13 team headed downward.

Jimmy had the number one over-all pick that year and picked at the tops of each round in the draft. His 1989 draft looked like this:

....
YearNo.RoundPickPlayerNamePositionCollege
19891111Troy AikmanQBUCLA
22129Steve Wisniewski GPenn State
321139Darly JohnstonRBSyracuse
43157Mark Stepnoski CPittsburgh
531268Rhondy WestonDEFlorida
64185Tony TolbertDETexas-El Paso
751113Keith JenningsTEClemson
857119Willis CrockettLBGeorgia Tech
9513125Jeff RothDTFlorida
1071168Kevin PetersonLBNorthwestern
1181196Charvez FogerRBNevada
1291224Tim JacksonDBNebraska
13101252Rod CarterLBMiami (FL)
14111280Randy ShannonLBMiami (FL)
15121308Scott AnkromWRTexas Christian

Jimmy was rebuilding the defense, as well the rest of the team. Over the next several years he put together a defense that was at the top of the game. His desire was to put speed on the field at every position. He coveted answering big bulky offensive players with players that could get to the ball quickly and tackle.

So, what is the philosophy of this current team's defense?

The team went from Phillips 2010 to Ryan 2011-2012 to Kiffin 2013.

What is the identity of this defense?

This is more than simply a 3-4 or 4-3.

Are they built for speed? Basically to stop the run? To stop the passing game?

We all can agree the defense has had two years of terrible injury issues. So some of the results are directly contributed by that fact.

But if healthy, the defense that was put out on the field the first game of the season - the one expected, not the one realized - what was the defense built for?

This is where I have the biggest issues with this team. I'm not certain the General Manager has a defensive philosophy and is building the team toward a goal.

He has had three different voices in four years making demands on what that person needed to build a defense that could be effective.

Shouldn't the General Manager buy into one premise and stick with it, including hiring the right coaches to keep a continuity toward the goal of a defensive philosophy?

I don't have an answer here. So I am asking.

This pile of crapola that walks out on the field every week is being constructed to resemble what defense?

What is the philosophy?

What are the individual parts which being acquired with what in mind for the over-all picture?

Is there a plan, or is this reacting to the previous year's results which has sent the team down three different paths in four years?

 

[TwoDeep3]

Sorry about the formatting of the drafted players. This thing timed out too quickly for me to make it make sense.

This is the link to the Dallas drafts.

http://www.drafthistory.com/index.php/teams/cowboys

 

[theSHOW]

I see where you are talking about creating an identity with the defense but your selection chart you gave us shows the Cowboys spent the 1st 4 picks on offense. then after 2 defenders another 2 on offense. Add in the sup pick not listed which was next years 1 also on another offensive player.
Myself I like the BPA selection but keep in mind we can trade out of picks that have no defender at the top of our board if that is what we need desperately. This team will make a decision if we will stay at the 4-3 or make a change again. From there I am confident that 2014 will be loaded with defensive players at all 3 levels.

 

[maxdallasfan]

If I was building a defense, I would have 4 monsters on the D Line. 3 safeties playing LB, and 4 CB's manning the backfield.

Yep, pure speed.

 

[TwoDeep3]

I see where you are talking about creating an identity with the defense but your selection chart you gave us shows the Cowboys spent the 1st 4 picks on offense. then after 2 defenders another 2 on offense. Add in the sup pick not listed which was next years 1 also on another offensive player.
Myself I like the BPA selection but keep in mind we can trade out of picks that have no defender at the top of our board if that is what we need desperately. This team will make a decision if we will stay at the 4-3 or make a change again. From there I am confident that 2014 will be loaded with defensive players at all 3 levels.

I was only referencing his first years pick before the Walker trade. I should have been more specific.

However, if you remember when he picked up Emmitt, Jimmy did make a promise that he would pick defenders. But he was after James Francis from Baylor. When he went Jimmy saw Emmitt falling and could not believe it, so he moved up to get him.

 

[punchnjudy]

Whoever coaches this team next year needs to be the coach for the next five years. I don't care who it is--their job should be guaranteed another five years come hell or high water.

There are going to be a lot of big decisions coming this off-season, including the status of the hc, oc, and dc and potentially picking their replacements. Plus, they will have to decide what to do at practically every DL position and, in the cases where they jettison those players, pick their replacements. Then there's of the issue of whether they select an incumbent QB and who they select.

 

[xwalker]

In the history of this team there came a point in which a coach new to the league was building from the ground up. Now that may sound like Landry, and he did go through something similar, but in this case it was Jimmy. The team he inherited was a 3-13 team headed downward.

Jimmy had the number one over-all pick that year and picked at the tops of each round in the draft. His 1989 draft looked like this:
YearNo.RoundPickPlayerNamePositionCollege
19891111Troy AikmanQBUCLA
22129Steve Wisniewski GPenn State
321139Darly JohnstonRBSyracuse
43157Mark Stepnoski CPittsburgh
531268Rhondy WestonDEFlorida
64185Tony TolbertDETexas-El Paso
751113Keith JenningsTEClemson
857119Willis CrockettLBGeorgia Tech
9513125Jeff RothDTFlorida
1071168Kevin PetersonLBNorthwestern
1181196Charvez FogerRBNevada
1291224Tim JacksonDBNebraska
13101252Rod CarterLBMiami (FL)
14111280Randy ShannonLBMiami (FL)
15121308Scott AnkromWRTexas Christian

Jimmy was rebuilding the defense, as well the rest of the team. Over the next several years he put together a defense that was at the top of the game. His desire was to put speed on the field at every position. He coveted answering big bulky offensive players with players that could get to the ball quickly and tackle.

So, what is the philosophy of this current team's defense?

The team went from Phillips 2010 to Ryan 2011-2012 to Kiffin 2013.

What is the identity of this defense?

This is more than simply a 3-4 or 4-3.

Are they built for speed? Basically to stop the run? To stop the passing game?

We all can agree the defense has had two years of terrible injury issues. So some of the results are directly contributed by that fact.

But if healthy, the defense that was put out on the field the first game of the season - the one expected, not the one realized - what was the defense built for?

This is where I have the biggest issues with this team. I'm not certain the General Manager has a defensive philosophy and is building the team toward a goal.

He has had three different voices in four years making demands on what that person needed to build a defense that could be effective.

Shouldn't the General Manager buy into one premise and stick with it, including hiring the right coaches to keep a continuity toward the goal of a defensive philosophy?

I don't have an answer here. So I am asking.

This pile of crapola that walks out on the field every week is being constructed to resemble what defense?

What is the philosophy?

What are the individual parts which being acquired with what in mind for the over-all picture?

Is there a plan, or is this reacting to the previous year's results which has sent the team down three different paths in four years?

FYI - They didn't really draft Steve Wisniewski. They picked him for the Raiders in a trade.

The roster coming into 2013 was not any more suited to a 3-4 than a 4-3. Both NTs, Ratliff and Brent, are gone. Spencer is the only one suited to play the 3-4 Strong-Side OLB and he only played a few snaps this season.

The secondary might or might not fit Kiffin's scheme, but that's not specific to the 4-3. He said that he wanted to play a defense similar to Seattle's which would be a perfect fit for Carr and Church. The problem is that he does not have the other players for that scheme.

 

[Beast_from_East]

We were suppose to be building the Seahawks defense, but something went horribly wrong