The greatest benefactor from our switch to our 4-3 is...

[DFWJC]

The Cowboys need to get younger on the DL. Spears and Coleman need to go. Maybe you keep Ratliff another year.

We really need an impact player there in the draft.

1st round would be just fine with me if the right guy is there.

 

[InDakWeTrust]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Risen Star

The Cowboys need to get younger on the DL. Spears and Coleman need to go. Maybe you keep Ratliff another year.

We really need an impact player there in the draft.

1st round would be just fine with me if the right guy is there.

Honestly, Spears will keep his job because of the move to the 4-3. He can rotate at the 1 technique with Lissemore and whoever else is brought in.

But my votes were going to be for Sean Lee and Barry Church. Lee would be getting even more chances to make plays on the ball and Church gets to be a in the box safety. Something he will excel at. I would think Crawford can make a impact from the 3 technique especially facing slower guards on passing downs. I'm still interested to see where we go regarding the SDE. Spencer can do it, but I'd like a guy who could play like Ratliff did 6 years ago, or La'Roi Glover used to.

I would have loved to stay at the 3-4 but this team struggled mightily at forcing turnovers. Imagine this past season if we had twice as many..we'd have probably won at least one more game...


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[jrumann59]

Fact? Only in your own little dream world. He is NOT a "very very good" football player in any scheme. He was average in a 3-4, his best scheme.

And if the cowboys were playing Duke and Arkansas next season then I'd give two craps about how he did in college (he's almost a 10 year vet, what he did in college at this point is irrelevant).

How can we say 3-4 was his best scheme when he came out as a 4-3 DE and Dallas asked him to bulk up, pretty much forget about rushing the passer. Though he did put on a lot of weight this past off season, I think he will be above average in a 4-3 right now unless he sheds weight and picks up some quickness he lost with the weight gain.

 

[SkinsandTerps]

Spears was indeed a 4-3 DE.

He does not fit in the 4-3 at his weight right now, with his knees.

However, he was always overrated. He is JAG. Always has been on the Pro level.

 

[Doomsday101]

Unless the Cowboys have some draft picks no one knows about I doubt they will create another hole to fill by getting rid of Spears. He is still under contract until 2015 and his cap hit is 2.7 mill and by todays standards that is cheap.

Many are quick to get rid of these players yet where is a legit plan to fill the hole created by cutting him as well as filling holes we know already have to be filled.

 

[JeffInDC]

Marcus Spears.

Since being a 1st rounder, there's no question that the overall sentiment has labeled Marcus a bust.

I'll go out on a limb and say he was never meant to play in a 34 defense.

He's got all the intangibles to do precisely what DTs in Marinelli's D-line are assigned to do.

My best guess for most improved player of 2013

IF Spears is on the roster come training camp, his ONLY position could be the 1T (NT) because of his size and lack of quickness. On the plus side, he has been a pretty good run defender since he got here. But nothing more than that.

 

[LarryCanadian]

Mickey keeps saying Spears is running around on 2 degenerative knees that continue to get worse. I think we cut him and he retires.....

There has been talk of this for 2 seasons - about how his mobility really struggles despite his efforts and good attitude.

We need to go younger and hopefully cheaper in replacing Spears.

Lots of change on Dline......

 

[Frosty]

I'm not even sure we'll keep Spears.

But him at at DT in this 4-3 could keep him around.[/QUOTE

With Spencer on the verge of leaving, Ratliffs constant stupidity the Cowboys might need to keep SPEARS now

 

[Echo9]

Spears has degenerative knees and has a $2 million base salary. I'll be surprised if he's even on opening day roster.

And there ya have it. He may end up retiring.

 

[Future]

Should edit your post & replace Spears with Ratliff.. I would 100% agree with you if that was the player

Agreed....although at this point his status on the team could be in jeopardy as well.

I agree with those who say that Carter could really thrive in this system. The cover-2 is tailor made for athletic LBs, and he's about as athletic as they come.

 

[Supercowboy1986]

Mickey keeps saying Spears is running around on 2 degenerative knees that continue to get worse. I think we cut him and he retires.....

There has been talk of this for 2 seasons - about how his mobility really struggles despite his efforts and good attitude.

We need to go younger and hopefully cheaper in replacing Spears.

Lots of change on Dline......

are "degenerative knees" an actual diagonse or are their many forms of it? Is it the same kind of knees Greg Oden has as well?

 

[LarryCanadian]

I think "degenerative" refers to the knee cartilledge (meniscus) wearing away more and more - you get bone on bone grinding and constant pain/swelling - really limiting strength and mobility. Basically (as you get older) this turns into osteo-arthritis (I have this, which is why I know - it came from 2 ACL tears as a late-teen - and then wear and tear on "degenerative" knees).

The oline FA we signed just after the last draft probably has same sort of thing - you can play on it for awhile but it slowly (and sometimes quickly) gets worse and worse, and you just aren't the same (speed, strength etc).

 

[Richmond Cowboy]

So by my count we are now supposed to let Spencer walk, cut Ratliff for being stupid, cut Coleman for being old, and cut Spears for his degenerative knees. And this is all while going from a 3 man line to a 4 man line? We are reducing our supply and increasing our demand...what could possibly go wrong? Oh yeah and we have huge holes on the OL and S.....awesome....

 

[superpunk]

Maybe if it had happened years ago.

Spears might hold up a little longer in this scheme but I doubt it makes him much more effective. I don't think he's an effective pass rusher who has simply had some down years because he's been forced to two-gap it. He's just not a pass rusher.

 

[Supercowboy1986]

I think "degenerative" refers to the knee cartilledge (meniscus) wearing away more and more - you get bone on bone grinding and constant pain/swelling - really limiting strength and mobility. Basically (as you get older) this turns into osteo-arthritis (I have this, which is why I know - it came from 2 ACL tears as a late-teen - and then wear and tear on "degenerative" knees).

The oline FA we signed just after the last draft probably has same sort of thing - you can play on it for awhile but it slowly (and sometimes quickly) gets worse and worse, and you just aren't the same (speed, strength etc).

Thank you for the explaniation buddy. You're a good man.

 

[Deep_Freeze]

So by my count we are now supposed to let Spencer walk, cut Ratliff for being stupid, cut Coleman for being old, and cut Spears for his degenerative knees. And this is all while going from a 3 man line to a 4 man line? We are reducing our supply and increasing our demand...what could possibly go wrong? Oh yeah and we have huge holes on the OL and S.....awesome....

Yeah basically we are supposed to cut half the team, then draft the replacements when its highly unlikely you can get more than 2 automatic starters out of the draft.

Thinking we don't need a guy anymore is alot different than actually cutting the guy. There isn't a position group on this team that can't be upgraded or some bad contracts be cut from right now.

 

[EvilJerry88]

Beneficiary not benefactor.