The Super Three: Canty, Ware, Spears

[GimmeTheBall!]

They have been so low key this season sometimes they just blend into the scrum.
The Boys' rushing defense is good. Very good. But maybe we have Canty, Ware and Spears so busy trying to wall up the rush that they are not being used as pass rushers or Haley-like stalkers of the QB.
Those three are talented. They are forces waiting to be unleashed fully.
I like Zimmer but wonder if that is a part of the D that is not working. And maybe he should adjust.
.:skins:

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

Yeah something has to change, the front 7 needs to get more consistent pressure on the QB without blitzing all the time....

 

[parchy]

You can't really ask Canty or Spears to pressure the QB. That's not their role.

Ware, though... he's got to improve, but it's his second season. I'd say he's right where he should be at this point in his career. Remember, the guy was a down lineman for his entire college career.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

You can't really ask Canty or Spears to pressure the QB. That's not their role.

Ware, though... he's got to improve, but it's his second season. I'd say he's right where he should be at this point in his career. Remember, the guy was a down lineman for his entire college career.

Ware is overusing the speed rush, he needs to come back inside on the tackles and guards. It's O.K. to set them up with the speed rush outside but spin back inside sometimes he'll get there more I believe...

Also it wouldn't hurt to use the bull rush more...

 

[Aikbach]

Whatever they did in the second half Sunday Night it was great. That is the kind of front seven performance necessary. It looks as though Ellis will once again lead the team in sacks.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

Unleash them already....please!

 

[Eddie]

I disagree with you guys ... nothing new.

I'm happy with the play of the three down boys. Their job is to stop the run first.

I'd much rather have the Cowboys D have 0 sacks all year and give up 0 yards rushing, than to light up the sacks and get scorched on the ground.

Look what happened to Carolina. They were so caught up with trying to sack Romo, their DL was out of position to stop our running game. Remind me what the score was? Something like 35-14???

Our primary objective is to maintain our lanes and stop the run. Tiki took it to the house against us. I don't want to see that again.

Did you also notice that without our rookie FS back there giving up 70 yard bombs, our run-first D actually stopped the pass as well. Amazing no???

Stop the run, and force our opponents into a one dimensional passing attack. 300 yard QB's lose alot more than 100 yard runners.

 

[Avenging Hayseed]

The key to the passrush is when we switch to 4 down lineman on passing plays/3rd downs. When Hatcher comers back I expect things to improve on 3rd downs..L.E...Greg Ellis L.T ...Jason Hatcher R.T....Jay Ratliff R.E....Demarcus Ware. THATS what we will be doing on 3rd down passing situations.

 

[Avenging Hayseed]

Oh, and Blitzing Kevin Burnett...........

 

[Redball Express]

You guys are not mentioning his play and he is virtually the 4 or 5th rusher. Techically, he's a LBer and he's blitzing, but usually, that means somebody is dropping off during the pass rush, into the short areas.

Ellis was the key to the defense on Sunday Night. I haven't seen him play like that since his rookie year. One play which surprised me alot was when a TE caught a pass in front of him and I expected the TE to pull away for a big gain, but Ellis took a good angle and caught him before it became a big play.

That is something that earlier in the season, would have been a huge play against us as teams have been trying to isolate Ellis in passing situations all season.

He's really showing something.

As for the rest of the DL, it appears to me that the defense has taken the approach overall of not letting the big play beat them. The Pass rush is there but they are keeping their lanes in order to avoid big runs and cutbacks. This stops them from an all-out pass rush like you'd like to see.

All out pass rushes also exposes our safeties to have to play more LBer type of pass coverages and they get exposed more as to our LBers.

I think the defense has been playing well overall and if we continue to avoid injuries, will get stronger as the season goes on.

parcellswaterboy

 

[baj1dallas]

Ware is overusing the speed rush, he needs to come back inside on the tackles and guards. It's O.K. to set them up with the speed rush outside but spin back inside sometimes he'll get there more I believe...

Also it wouldn't hurt to use the bull rush more...

He uses the bull rush as often as anything else, his spin isn't that good (it ain't easy, can you do it?) and he often sets guys up and tries to cross over their face to the inside.

As far as Canty and Spears, they're doing their job for the most part, if they were stronger they'd do a better job collapsing pockets.

 

[LD Fan]

I disagree with you guys ... nothing new.

I'm happy with the play of the three down boys. Their job is to stop the run first.

I'd much rather have the Cowboys D have 0 sacks all year and give up 0 yards rushing, than to light up the sacks and get scorched on the ground.

Look what happened to Carolina. They were so caught up with trying to sack Romo, their DL was out of position to stop our running game. Remind me what the score was? Something like 35-14???

Our primary objective is to maintain our lanes and stop the run. Tiki took it to the house against us. I don't want to see that again.

Did you also notice that without our rookie FS back there giving up 70 yard bombs, our run-first D actually stopped the pass as well. Amazing no???

Stop the run, and force our opponents into a one dimensional passing attack. 300 yard QB's lose alot more than 100 yard runners.

I'm all for stopping the run but if you can't create pressure, you won't beat well QB'd teams. Go watch the Denver/Indy game. Peyton looked like he was in a 7 on 7 drill and disected the best D in the NFL.

 

[joseephuss]

Ware is overusing the speed rush, he needs to come back inside on the tackles and guards. It's O.K. to set them up with the speed rush outside but spin back inside sometimes he'll get there more I believe...

Also it wouldn't hurt to use the bull rush more...

I don't think Ware uses the speed rush enough. He hardly burst upfield against the Panthers.

 

[superpunk]

I disagree with you guys ... nothing new.

I'm happy with the play of the three down boys. Their job is to stop the run first.

I'd much rather have the Cowboys D have 0 sacks all year and give up 0 yards rushing, than to light up the sacks and get scorched on the ground.

Look what happened to Carolina. They were so caught up with trying to sack Romo, their DL was out of position to stop our running game. Remind me what the score was? Something like 35-14???

Our primary objective is to maintain our lanes and stop the run. Tiki took it to the house against us. I don't want to see that again.

Did you also notice that without our rookie FS back there giving up 70 yard bombs, our run-first D actually stopped the pass as well. Amazing no???

Stop the run, and force our opponents into a one dimensional passing attack. 300 yard QB's lose alot more than 100 yard runners.

Eddie, when you're not *****ing about Madden 2007, you make some good points....like the doozy above.

Very well summed up. It's great to have QB pressure. The best teams, however, run the ball and stop the run. One thing I notice with our front four rushing, is that we are very disciplined. They shrink the pocket, and there is nowhere to go. They're no getting the sack, but QBs like to step up, find a lane, and deliver the ball. We are preventing that for a good measure.

Of the teams ranked above us in sacks (there are only 10), only 3 are allowing a lower opponents QB rating (CHI, BAL, and PIT). They are also the only teams up there besides the Cowboys that are allowing a negative TD-INT ratio.

Individual stat-lovers miss this, somehow. Somehow it's also overlooked that these guys they're complaining about are second year pros, ina second year defense. I've never seen any fans complain so much over a top 5 defense.

 

[followthestar]

I don't have a tape of the game (oh how i wish) but it seems to me even early on, I saw more blitzes and they were successful. Not the obvious all-out ones we're used to, but concerted attacks from LBs for the most part. Was it my imagination? I don't think I've seen anyone comment on this...

 

[MichaelWinicki]

They have been so low key this season sometimes they just blend into the scrum.
The Boys' rushing defense is good. Very good. But maybe we have Canty, Ware and Spears so busy trying to wall up the rush that they are not being used as pass rushers or Haley-like stalkers of the QB.
Those three are talented. They are forces waiting to be unleashed fully.
I like Zimmer but wonder if that is a part of the D that is not working. And maybe he should adjust.
.:skins:

Canty and Spears were never great pass-rushers in college. If they had 8 sacks between them for a full season I'd be shocked.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

Why is waterboy smiling so broadly?

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

Forgive me for not stating my case better.
I have noticed that we are getting pass rushers in the backfield. And they have been so close to recording twice as many sacks. It has just been frustrating. So close yet many times the QB gets the ball for a 10-yard completion.
Let me repeat. Our run defense is superb. I would like to continue to see that along with more pressure on the QB. Think Jimmy Johnson's teams of the early 1990s. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Go Cowboys!!!!
It's the best day ever, and Sunday the boys will slap the Skins silly. Oh, yeah, bay-beeeee!

Cowboys 31, Skins 17

 

[AtlCB]

I'm all for stopping the run but if you can't create pressure, you won't beat well QB'd teams. Go watch the Denver/Indy game. Peyton looked like he was in a 7 on 7 drill and disected the best D in the NFL.

Denver lost that game for other reasons as well.....

They couldn't cover Reggie Wayne (10 catches, 138 yards, 3 TD's)
They couldn't stop Joseph Addai (5.5 ypc)
They lost the turnover battle (forced 0 to's, fumbled the ball once)

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

Canty and Spears were never great pass-rushers in college. If they had 8 sacks between them for a full season I'd be shocked.

You are correct about that, although they both provided occassional pressure on the QB neither was considered more for their pass rush abilities but more so for the overall package..