The Football Educator: Sizing Up the 2014 Cowboys Defense

[boysfanindc]

Wouldn't they have required a picture of me in there somewhere. The horror of that notion just boggles the mind.

I can assure you, I would have been looking elsewhere.

 

[erod]

As good of a summation as you'll find on internet.com. Well done.

This defense will be better. I'm sure of that. How much is the question.

It will be better simply because it's younger, healthier, and not reliant on aging veterans with major question marks surrounding them. Ware, Ratliff, and Spencer had to be great last year for that thing to work. They weren't, and it didn't.

This year, we won't have to suffer through an assembly line of nobodies in an effort to patch a defense together from week to week. How much scotch tape and Elmer's did Marinelli go through last year. Surely the injury epidemic will subside with all the young-uns around.

Guys I absolutely expect to play better include Wilcox, Church, Crawford, Carter, Carr, and even Claiborne. I think the two McClains could also make impacts, as will Lawrence as the season wears on. Add Melton and God-willing, Spencer, and there's no way this isn't better than that junk last year.

The offensive line can do wonders for these guys if it can limit their playing time, but this group has to stand up and be counted this year nonetheless. It's got to be top 15 in the league.

 

[casmith07]

I hope that Hitchens or Ro McClain comes aboard at middle linebacker and makes Sean Lee wholly expendable. As good as he is, I'm with others in that he can't be trusted to stay healthy, and my opinion has nothing to do with the torn ACL, which I understand happens. It's all the other "nicked up" injuries that had him missing full games - toe, hamstring, neck.

 

[Hostile]

There is no link to this article yet, because I shared it here before it even posts, and since I am the author I posted the entire content. I did it out of respect for the posters here.

http://www.thefootballeducator.com/

I was under the apparent false assumption that most people grasp that when they see a thread title with ESPN: or DMN: and then a title that it was coming from those sites.

 

[Irving Cowboy]

What site did the Football 101 articles come from? Serious question.

 

[jobberone]

Not going to close this thread so I suggest you guys take your shots at each other somewhere else. Next guy that trolls or posts crap gets a vacation.

 

[AsthmaField]

If one more person calls him "Hutchins", I think I'm going to scream.

 

[jobberone]

What site did the Football 101 articles come from? Serious question.

Try here. Just one of many but this one leads to a lot of sources. I don't know which ones require an active membership though.
http://www.glazierclinics.com/coach_resources/coaching_websites

 

[jobberone]

If one more person calls him "Hutchins", I think I'm going to scream.

Will Hutchins as Sugarfoot. Never cared for it.

 

[Hostile]

If one more person calls him "Hutchins", I think I'm going to scream.

I think Hutchins will fail like his brother Chad did at QB.

I have a lot of hope in Anthony Hitchens too.

 

[5Stars]

I hope this defense has been reminiscing about last year and what a joke they have become! I hope the Coaches remind them everyday that they were the laughing stock of the NFL last year. And, I also hope that these new players and the existing ones have some damn hard core motivation to change the way they are being portrayed!

And, I want some damn fight out of this crew! Some..."we might not make you punt again in a game, but you better be dame glad the game is over, win or lose"! Grow some balls and get after it...change this perception if being last in the NFL...pathetic, and I hope to hell they know that.

Motivation is a hell of a drug.

 

[jnday]

I hope this defense has been reminiscing about last year and what a joke they have become! I hope the Coaches remind them everyday that they were the laughing stock of the NFL last year. And, I also hope that these new players and the existing ones have some damn hard core motivation to change the way they are being portrayed!

And, I want some damn fight out of this crew! Some..."we might not make you punt again in a game, but you better be dame glad the game is over, win or lose"! Grow some balls and get after it...change this perception if being last in the NFL...pathetic, and I hope to hell they know that.

Motivation is a hell of a drug.

I am impressed by this post. Yes, I am serious. I didn't know you had it in you. Something to consider though, they can be reminded every single day about their sorry play from last year , but many of them don't have the talent to do anything about it. I see a small difference in the defense that will be fielded this year and that is age. To answer a question from an earlier post, sure there will be a pass rush, but it is a good chance that it will be a bad one. There was many changes on the defense in the offseason. The youth movement was needed, but the young players are unproven and their talent is in question. It is not like there are some really talented high draft picks that have been added to the team. Some players are returning from injury, but even these players are unproven and their play has been nothing to write home about. The biggest change on the defense is that now there is a little hope. There
is hope that a couple of these late round draft picks can become decent football players. With players such as Ware, Rat and Hatcher, the only hope was that maybe they could stay healthy and play. The youth movement provided change. Change doesn't guarantee any improvement, but it does provide hope. It is not often that throwing a bunch of young, unproven players on the field together provides big improvement. If there was a couple first round draft picks in the bunch, the chances would be better. Even then, rookies struggle. This season can and should be very important for the defense. I don't expect a big improvement , but it can be the first step in putting together a good defense for the future. Maybe a couple of these young guys can step up and provide long term answers at their positions. There was no future hanging on to the older players and hoping for just another healthy season without being able to provide long term solutions.

 

[5Stars]

I am impressed by this post. Yes, I am serious. I didn't know you had it in you. Something to consider though, they can be reminded every single day about their sorry play from last year , but many of them don't have the talent to do anything about it. I see a small difference in the defense that will be fielded this year and that is age. To answer a question from an earlier post, sure there will be a pass rush, but it is a good chance that it will be a bad one. There was many changes on the defense in the offseason. The youth movement was needed, but the young players are unproven and their talent is in question. It is not like there are some really talented high draft picks that have been added to the team. Some players are returning from injury, but even these players are unproven and their play has been nothing to write home about. The biggest change on the defense is that now there is a little hope. There
is hope that a couple of these late round draft picks can become decent football players. With players such as Ware, Rat and Hatcher, the only hope was that maybe they could stay healthy and play. The youth movement provided change. Change doesn't guarantee any improvement, but it does provide hope. It is not often that throwing a bunch of young, unproven players on the field together provides big improvement. If there was a couple first round draft picks in the bunch, the chances would be better. Even then, rookies struggle. This season can and should be very important for the defense. I don't expect a big improvement , but it can be the first step in putting together a good defense for the future. Maybe a couple of these young guys can step up and provide long term answers at their positions. There was no future hanging on to the older players and hoping for just another healthy season without being able to provide long term solutions.

I'm willing to bet that this season's defense will not go one game without making the other team punt just one time! That is improvement to me.

 

[jobberone]

I'm willing to bet that this season's defense will not go one game without making the other team punt just one time! That is improvement to me.

LOL. I love a man who enjoys the small things in life.

 

[5Stars]

LOL. I love a man who enjoys the small things in life.

lol I don't hold out much expectations about this team, be it the defense, Romo and the offense, the play calling, the mishaps by Garrett, because it has not happened yet...just please...make the other team punt for once...or twice, or all the damn time!

This years defense may surprise some of us. If in the first game the other team punts...hey, I'm good.

 

[peplaw06]

I am impressed by this post. Yes, I am serious. I didn't know you had it in you. Something to consider though, they can be reminded every single day about their sorry play from last year , but many of them don't have the talent to do anything about it. I see a small difference in the defense that will be fielded this year and that is age. To answer a question from an earlier post, sure there will be a pass rush, but it is a good chance that it will be a bad one. There was many changes on the defense in the offseason. The youth movement was needed, but the young players are unproven and their talent is in question. It is not like there are some really talented high draft picks that have been added to the team. Some players are returning from injury, but even these players are unproven and their play has been nothing to write home about. The biggest change on the defense is that now there is a little hope. There
is hope that a couple of these late round draft picks can become decent football players. With players such as Ware, Rat and Hatcher, the only hope was that maybe they could stay healthy and play. The youth movement provided change. Change doesn't guarantee any improvement, but it does provide hope. It is not often that throwing a bunch of young, unproven players on the field together provides big improvement. If there was a couple first round draft picks in the bunch, the chances would be better. Even then, rookies struggle. This season can and should be very important for the defense. I don't expect a big improvement , but it can be the first step in putting together a good defense for the future. Maybe a couple of these young guys can step up and provide long term answers at their positions. There was no future hanging on to the older players and hoping for just another healthy season without being able to provide long term solutions.

Good post...

There's "hope" every year, because everyone starts the season 0-0. There is "hope" that the defense would be healthier than last year, because how can you have that many injuries? But there's not really hope that they will be completely healthy, certainly not now, and even before Lee's injury, because all teams have to deal with injuries. The key becomes how much depth do you have to deal with the injuries you do encounter. What number of injuries is too many for what depth you do have to overcome?

We don't have any depth to speak of. We are already scrambling to find a starting Mike. Our DL has added some pieces, but also lost some, and I wouldn't say we are any deeper at the position than last year. If we have 2-3 DL injuries this season, we're going to end up in the same boat. Our deepest relative position is probably at CB, but if we have 2 injuries to starters there, it will be a fiasco. The safety position is one semi-reliable starter and a bunch of guys we "hope" pan out.

So like I said, all teams have "hope" before the season starts. But if you have to hope upon hope upon hope, it becomes more and more tenuous. We hope our DL is healthy and provides a pass rush, we hope we can find a serviceable MLB, we hope Claiborne is not a bust, we hope Wilcox/Hamilton/Heath can play opposite Church.... I don't feel particularly confident about any defensive position.

 

[jnday]

Good post...

There's "hope" every year, because everyone starts the season 0-0. There is "hope" that the defense would be healthier than last year, because how can you have that many injuries? But there's not really hope that they will be completely healthy, certainly not now, and even before Lee's injury, because all teams have to deal with injuries. The key becomes how much depth do you have to deal with the injuries you do encounter. What number of injuries is too many for what depth you do have to overcome?

We don't have any depth to speak of. We are already scrambling to find a starting Mike. Our DL has added some pieces, but also lost some, and I wouldn't say we are any deeper at the position than last year. If we have 2-3 DL injuries this season, we're going to end up in the same boat. Our deepest relative position is probably at CB, but if we have 2 injuries to starters there, it will be a fiasco. The safety position is one semi-reliable starter and a bunch of guys we "hope" pan out.

So like I said, all teams have "hope" before the season starts. But if you have to hope upon hope upon hope, it becomes more and more tenuous. We hope our DL is healthy and provides a pass rush, we hope we can find a serviceable MLB, we hope Claiborne is not a bust, we hope Wilcox/Hamilton/Heath can play opposite Church.... I don't feel particularly confident about any defensive position.

I don't think many of these "hopes " are going to work out, don't get me wrong. Several of the players and situations that you named are not going to have a happy ending, but it hasn't happened yet, so the hope remains. Short-lived hope is better than none at all.

 

[jobberone]

It is improbable the defense is worse this year.

 

[Aven8]

Bravo!

Positivity. What a concept.

 

[waving monkey]

Hostile I cant believe the effort you put in to this post,respect.
you summed it up perfectly in my view.
we're going to have a interesting season
thanks