Thoughts about the Defense

[Clove]

I don't know what this defense will be, it depends on the pressure up front, like all teams. I think/hope, that the change in coordinators will be the biggest difference.

 

[Dday22t]

I hope the D turns out to be average/acceptable. Then we have a chance. If it's history making bad again doesn't matter what Romo, Dez, DeMarco or anyone else does on offense.

 

[CCBoy]

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2014...l-us-about-the-chances-of-the-cowboys-defense

So as fans, what should we be thinking? For starters, ignore the "worst defense in the NFL" remarks. There are two reasons. One, YPG doesn't seem to be a good indicator of how bad or good a defense really is...at least not when it comes to winning games. Second, we are in, for all intents and purposes, the "juiced ball" era of NFL offenses. Until someone finds a way to normalize stats across different NFL eras we will continue to see "historically" bad defenses, and "historically" good offenses. It doesn't really tell us much.

That's not to say that everything is rosy in Cowboy land. We still had a bad points per game average, and most advanced stats ranked our defense poorly. If we want to improve our team and our defense let's look at stats that actually correlate with winning, and find ways to improve in those areas.

 

[xwalker]

Good stuff as usual but why do you hold Church with such high esteem? Other than not being able to fix every position in one off season, I don't understand why he gets a pass? He is the old school SS that is just too slow, love his tackling though.

I wan't really saying anything about Church's skill level, I just thought it was a funny comment.

I'm not sure that Church is as slow as most people believe. He lost weight prior to the 2012 training camp. He was 222 at the combine and stayed in that range his 1st couple of years with the Cowboys. He then got down to about 212 and was visibly faster. He is listed at 218, but he said in an interview that he is playing at about 212.

Church is probably not talented enough to carry the defense, but if he is surrounded by talent, then I believe that he is good enough to be a quality NFL starter. If Seattle replaced Kam Chancellor with Church I don't think they would miss a beat.

 

[burmafrd]

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2014...l-us-about-the-chances-of-the-cowboys-defense

So as fans, what should we be thinking? For starters, ignore the "worst defense in the NFL" remarks. There are two reasons. One, YPG doesn't seem to be a good indicator of how bad or good a defense really is...at least not when it comes to winning games. Second, we are in, for all intents and purposes, the "juiced ball" era of NFL offenses. Until someone finds a way to normalize stats across different NFL eras we will continue to see "historically" bad defenses, and "historically" good offenses. It doesn't really tell us much.

That's not to say that everything is rosy in Cowboy land. We still had a bad points per game average, and most advanced stats ranked our defense poorly. If we want to improve our team and our defense let's look at stats that actually correlate with winning, and find ways to improve in those areas.

we pretty much DID have the worst defense in the NFL. FACT. if we could reach mediocre this year that would be a very significant step up.

 

[CCBoy]

we pretty much DID have the worst defense in the NFL. FACT. if we could reach mediocre this year that would be a very significant step up.

lol Burma...how you doing today?

 

[slomoxn]

If what I'm reading about this years scheme is true I think they will be better; running the lineman in in waves, resting or limiting snaps to keep them fresh has seemed to have a positive effect on the teams running it. Our old teams, the Giants of the past few years and others have succeeded using this strategy. If our guys aren't good enough all game keeping them fresh should help when the olines start getting tired in the third and fourth quarters.

 

[jday]

The defense could be very good if just 1 player at each position lives up to their potential.

Obviously, it could also be terrible if some key players fail to meet expectations; however, when I look at the top players at each position, I see a greater than 50 percent chance of that position being very good.

They have to stay healthier than last season.

They could start out slow due to all of the new players. It's difficult to instantly have a cohesive unit with as much roster turner as they've had on defense.

I'm not going to list all players, but just the projected starters and some thoughts about some of the possible backups.

RDE
Lawrence - Has the talent. The position is simple in this scheme so it should not take too long for him to adjust.
Mincey - He's been a good pass rusher and really good run defender in the past.
Wildcard: Wilson - Super Athlete could be boom or bust.

LDE
Selvie - Could be better than last season if he doesn't have to play as many snaps.
Crawford - He could be a good LDE in the base and move to DT in the Nickel.
Wildcard: Rayford - Very good size/speed athlete. Boom or bust.

3-tech DT
Melton - Past Pro Bowl player. Only 27 now. Knows the scheme.
Crawford - Probably gets snaps at DT in the Nickel.
Okoye - Has started about 69 NFL games. Knows the scheme. Still only 25.

1-tech DT
McClain - Based on review of past game footage appears to be a significant upgrade from Hayden.
Bishop - Dominated small college unlike anything I've witnessed at any level of football.
Coleman - Late bloomer in college partially due to playing DE originally.

WLB
Carter - Has the physical ability. Has played well in the NFL in the past.

MLB
McClain - Has the physical ability to be a very good MLB in the base defense.
Durant - Experienced player with good athleticism.

SLB
Holloman - Shows signs of a high upside last season. Started 2 games at MLB.
Wilber - Almost identical measureables to Seattle's SLB. Looked decent last season with zero prep.

CB 1
Carr - Good in 2012. Good in some games in 2013. Probably tried to do to much.

CB 2
Scandrick - Good in 2013.

CB 3
Claiborne - Terrific in college. Good as a rookie. Struggled with scheme and injuries in 2013.

Safety 1
Church - Good enough if surrounding players do their jobs and/or he doesn't play out of position.

Safety 2
Wilcox - Very good in TC. Good enough to get the starting job over vet Will Allen early in the season.
Matt Johnson - Cowboys are sold on his ability, if healthy.
Hamilton - Good reviews in OTAs.

Nice write up, Walker. But I'd say the whole defense, all things considered, has boom or bust potential, if you include injury concerns.

 

[xwalker]

Nice write up, Walker. But I'd say the whole defense, all things considered, has boom or bust potential, if you include injury concerns.

Agree. They have to stay reasonably healthy. IMO, they have enough talent to be a good defense if things click which includes not having too many injuries.

I think they might have improved their probability of not being destroyed by injuries this year as compared to last year. They are much younger and younger players have a lower probability of injury.

If you look at a position like RDE, last year it was Ware with Everett Brown getting the most snaps as his backup. This year Lawrence is not Ware at his best, but is much more likely to be healthy. Combine that with a 2nd player in Mincey that is not a star but he's most likely a huge upgrade from Everette Brown. When you consider Ware with his injuries and backups like Brown, the combination of Lawrence and Mincey should average out to a higher level of play over all snaps even if neither can match Ware in his best moments. If either Lawrence or Mincey were injured, their still in a better situation than when Ware got injured last season.

They've also given themselves multiple options in the event of injuries. Guys like Spencer and Okoye appear to be insurance. They could start out on the PUP and if everything goes well, they might never be activated.

 

[jday]

Agree. They have to stay reasonably healthy. IMO, they have enough talent to be a good defense if things click which includes not having too many injuries.

I think they might have improved their probability of not being destroyed by injuries this year as compared to last year. They are much younger and younger players have a lower probability of injury.

If you look at a position like RDE, last year it was Ware with Everett Brown getting the most snaps as his backup. This year Lawrence is not Ware at his best, but is much more likely to be healthy. Combine that with a 2nd player in Mincey that is not a star but he's most likely a huge upgrade from Everette Brown. When you consider Ware with his injuries and backups like Brown, the combination of Lawrence and Mincey should average out to a higher level of play over all snaps even if neither can match Ware in his best moments. If either Lawrence or Mincey were injured, their still in a better situation than when Ware got injured last season.

They've also given themselves multiple options in the event of injuries. Guys like Spencer and Okoye appear to be insurance. They could start out on the PUP and if everything goes well, they might never be activated.

All things considered, I agree with you. While they don't exactly have starters that match the potential of guys like Hatcher and Ware, they don't have the exact same injury potential considering youth and the fall off in talent is not nearly as dramatic.

With Marinelli hoping to send guy's in waves, it very well could be better than last year, but that defense still has alot to prove in that regard. I like the potential; hate the uncertainty. But I guess most team's deal with a similiar level of uncertainty even with proven starters. From one year to the next, you never truly know what you have because alot depends on how the players handled their offseason responsibilities. Proven players have been known to rest on their laurels and completely fall off. Transversley, guy's you expect nothing from can work hard and turn in Pro Bowl caliber seasons.

Given the level of criticism that his been poured on our defense, the one thing I think we can count on is that no one has reason to feel as though they have arrived. Every single player from the penciled in starters down have something to prove. Hopefully, they take advantage of this opportunity to prove their doubters wrong. If they do, this Cowboys team could be very very good...the best we have seen since 2007. And that is not something I've felt comfortable hoping for since.

 

[burmafrd]

If what I'm reading about this years scheme is true I think they will be better; running the lineman in in waves, resting or limiting snaps to keep them fresh has seemed to have a positive effect on the teams running it. Our old teams, the Giants of the past few years and others have succeeded using this strategy. If our guys aren't good enough all game keeping them fresh should help when the olines start getting tired in the third and fourth quarters.

the giants had guys like Osi, JPP, Tuck, etc. Do we have ANYONE of that caliber as a pass rusher at all?

 

[5Stars]

the giants had guys like Osi, JPP, Tuck, etc. Do we have ANYONE of that caliber as a pass rusher at all?

We are going to find out, huh?

I think this defense is going to surprise some people. Pride, organizational, is a hell of a motivator. If the defense makes the other team punt at least a few times a game, I think the offense can handle the rest.

 

[Alexander]

I don't know what this defense will be, it depends on the pressure up front, like all teams. I think/hope, that the change in coordinators will be the biggest difference.

A change in coordinators? Kiffin is still in the building. Marinelli is his protégé. Eberflus and Henderson also have returned.

What change?

The better route is hoping they learned from past mistakes and are open to changing what they have consistently done all along.

 

[5Stars]

A change in coordinators? Kiffin is still in the building. Marinelli is his protégé. Eberflus and Henderson also have returned.

What change?

The better route is hoping they learned from past mistakes and are open to changing what they have consistently done all along.

Don't forget that coaches can do only so much. The play on the field by the players are what counts.

This team has rid itself from some vets/older players that maybe thought things should go their way. An influx of new players might help change the culture of what has been.

 

[Alexander]

Don't forget that coaches can do only so much. The play on the field by the players are what counts.

This team has rid itself from some vets/older players that maybe thought things should go their way. An influx of new players might help change the culture of what has been.

But the players they dumped like Ratliff and Ware were once considered shining examples of excellence. Some as recently as a year ago.

This staff's biggest problem is self scouting. It shows up every year.

The coaching and scheming is based off of what you think you have. If you think wrong, then whose fault is that?

 

[5Stars]

But the players they dumped like Ratliff and Ware were once considered shining examples of excellence. Some as recently as a year ago.

This staff's biggest problem is self scouting. It shows up every year.

The coaching and scheming is based off of what you think you have. If you think wrong, then whose fault is that?

That would be the front office, I think. But, who knew the Rat would do what he did, and who knew Ware would struggle as much as he did last season? One was a clown, and the other was getting older and just needed to get another job while still playing at a good level, plus the money that it would have counted, and did, with the Rat.

I hope Spencer, the most disliked player on this team to me, comes back to play for the Cowboys, not to just cash another paycheck! If he has pride to play for the Dallas Cowboys, he better show it.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

That would be the front office, I think. But, who knew the Rat would do what he did, and who knew Ware would struggle as much as he did last season? One was a clown, and the other was getting older and just needed to get another job while still playing at a good level, plus the money that it would have counted, and did, with the Rat.

There wasn't a single person out there who posted last offseason that they thought Ratliff wouldn't play a down for the Cowboys in 2013. Not one.

Even the most pessimistic person said something to the affect of "Ratliff hasn't been a good player for a couple years" and not that he wasn't going to contribute a single down.

And even an old, broken down Ratliff would have been light-years better than Hayden.

 

[5Stars]

There wasn't a single person out there who posted last offseason that they thought Ratliff wouldn't play a down for the Cowboys in 2013. Not one.

Even the most pessimistic person said something to the affect of "Ratliff hasn't been a good player for a couple years" and not that he wasn't going to contribute a single down.

And even an old, broken down Ratliff would have been light-years better than Hayden.

I agree...I wish he would have got into the program.

 

[gmoney112]

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that in Year 2 of a new scheme, we'll improve. It also doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that as long as we're not starting guys that were delivering pizza's in August, we'll improve.

And people questioning the defensive staff can shove it. Marinelli was singlehandedly responsible for carrying Chicago to the playoffs nearly every season when their offense just gave Rice the ball 30 times a game.

It's also convenient how the haters forget that we went from being terrible in producing TO's to being one of the tops in the NFL in one season, with a historically bad defense.

Eberflus was Ryan's secret man crush and Henderson developed both Joe Haden and TJ Ward.

Can't wait for the epic backtracking when this defense turns out to be surprisingly decent.

 

[jobberone]

A change in coordinators? Kiffin is still in the building. Marinelli is his protégé. Eberflus and Henderson also have returned.

What change?

The better route is hoping they learned from past mistakes and are open to changing what they have consistently done all along.

90+% of the problems are from not enough talent a lot of which last year was injury. If you get enough NFL talent on the field then you can begin to start evaluating the coaching on defense.