Thoughts on Mazi thus far

[DallasDW00ds0n]

He’s one of the players on what is probably the best defense in the NFL. Say what you want but he’s worth it.

He is one of the players, however he only had 11 snaps; if the coaching staff thought he was ready, he’d have more.

 

[quickccc]

a DT who doesn't rush the passer should never be taken in the first rd,I would be hesitant to take one even in the 2nd rd.

That used to be the Cowboys past thinking for some time - probably brought on by ex- DC Rod Marinelli.
That's why they supposedly past up on DT Sheriff Floyd.

Marinelli was hell bent upon " quick-twitch" among his DTs. even the 1 techs. And of course we've had
a long revolving door history of both 1 techs ..and 3 techs.

But run defense has always been so weak and porous with this team for so long, even in the Marinelli era,
... and for most part of even current DC Dan Quinn.

It wasn't until Hankins was acquired that the bleeding even stopped. And the Cowboys apparently were not
taking any more chances with supposedly the best run stuffing DT in the NFL draft in Mazzi Smith.

 

[DuncanIso]

a DT who doesn't rush the passer should never be taken in the first rd,I would be hesitant to take one even in the 2nd rd.

Agree.

Especially after they already signed Hankins, who can pass rush.

I hope Mazi works out.

 

[DuncanIso]

He's a rookie. It'll take time for him to find his role. He's also gonna play a position that isn't really stats heavy in DT.

Hankins stats look good.

 

[DuncanIso]

If they are happy with Hankins, and they gave him a new deal before the draft, then why burn a 1st on a raw DT, just to backup Hankins?

Doesn’t make any sense.

They could have picked up another 1T in the later rounds.

 

[kskboys]

If they are happy with Hankins, and they gave him a new deal before the draft, then why burn a 1st on a raw DT, just to backup Hankins?

Doesn’t make any sense.

They could have picked up another 1T in the later rounds.

Hankins is old. Makes all the sense in the world.

 

[kskboys]

That will help but his pad level is too high. It allows G to get under him and lift him up which negates his power. If Mazi can just learn to get under G's pads he would already improved by 100%.

That is pretty much all that's missing w/ him.

 

[kskboys]

a DT who doesn't rush the passer should never be taken in the first rd,I would be hesitant to take one even in the 2nd rd.

NT's rush the passer by collapsing the pocket. Football 101.

 

[gtb1943]

That used to be the Cowboys past thinking for some time - probably brought on by ex- DC Rod Marinelli.
That's why they supposedly past up on DT Sheriff Floyd.

Marinelli was hell bent upon " quick-twitch" among his DTs. even the 1 techs. And of course we've had
a long revolving door history of both 1 techs ..and 3 techs.

But run defense has always been so weak and porous with this team for so long, even in the Marinelli era,
... and for most part of even current DC Dan Quinn.

It wasn't until Hankins was acquired that the bleeding even stopped. And the Cowboys apparently were not
taking any more chances with supposedly the best run stuffing DT in the NFL draft in Mazzi Smith.

That whole must have quick twitch BS drove me up the wall.

The obsession with pass rush is WHY our middle D was weak for so long.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

He was drafted to fix the run defense ....... and it has been outstanding compared to before he was drafted.

The difference between the 2022 run defense and this season thus far says he's doing his job. That's why he was drafted, right?

Can we kill this nonsense? He's played a total of 28 snaps. The idea that he has somehow singlehandedly changed the run defense is ridiculous lol.

Depending on the metrics you use, the run defense isn't even better. It's better by EPA (though unsustainably so), but worse by success rate.

 

[darealvelle]

He did play a major part with picking up that running back that helped get parsons his second sack on Sunday.

 

[TheFinisher]

We haven’t gotten into a slugfest yet. He’s here to bolster our physicality against the Niners and Eagles.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

We haven’t gotten into a slugfest yet. He’s here to bolster our physicality against the Niners and Eagles.

Bolster to what? This is what I don't understand.

Neither of those offenses was good against the Cowboys last year. Minshew was the most effective against them, but it was all through the air, and he had 3 turnovers.

 

[kevm3]

Mazi didn't 'pop out' on any plays tor me, but we've been begging for a big NT and we got one. Hankins is great, but we need youth at the position.

The fact that the Jets and Giants could barely run on us despite having great runners on their team tells us something is being done riight.

 

[TheFinisher]

Bolster to what? This is what I don't understand.

Neither of those offenses was good against the Cowboys last year. Minshew was the most effective against them, but it was all through the air, and he had 3 turnovers.

The eagles and niners running games are difficult to stop. Mazi is here for those types of games to help us win 1st and 2nd downs and force those teams to beat our pass defense.

Hankins was a nice pickup last year and our run D definitely got better with him, it he was the only true beef we had. Now we have a young guy to rotate in with him so we don’t get worn down in a physical game.

 

[jterrell]

Mazi is going to be key to keeping this DT group fresh.
He is a meat shield catching blocks.
He is not in a make plays position or role so people are overreacting to his snaps.

 

[beware_d-ware]

Mazi was definitely a need for this defense.

People won't like to hear it, but DQ's front seven is pretty similar to Rod Marinelli's front seven. They both love to play undersized, high-energy pass rushers and run huge amounts of stunts with them. Quinn really likes to overload one side of the formation as well.

On top of that, DQ doesn't really like deploying traditional linebackers. He basically uses box safeties for that role. Again, trading size for speed underneath.

So he needs at least a couple run stoppers in there. He's going small up front, and sacrificing gap integrity to set up pass rush games. You need a big NT who can put a dent in the line, or more physical teams like the Niners are just going to push your entire front off the ball.

In Seattle, Quinn had Brandon Mebane on the nose. In Atlanta, he had Grady Jarrett, who was sort of a unicorn as an excellent pass rusher and run defender. Here, he didn't have anything besides the usual Garrett-era Nick Hayden types. Even pulling Johnathan Hankins basically off the scrap heap made a big difference, so I totally get the need for a young and talented player there.

The need is there, the scheme fit is there, but I just did not like Mazi as a prospect. It's like Taco Charlton... DE was a huge need when we picked him, but drafting a bust DE didn't fix that. Rule zero of the draft is "try to pick a good player", and I just did not think Mazi is one.

He's young. We'll see how he develops.

 

[thunderpimp91]

NT's rush the passer by collapsing the pocket. Football 101.

Bingo. They rarely rack up the sack numbers, but those edge guys will as the QB can't step up. I remember the last couple years DWare was with the Cowboys and they were just so weak up the middle. The guy could have had 20+ sacks as he was on top of his game, constantly beating LTs with his speed, but QBs had no issues with stepping up and taking him out of the play.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

The eagles and niners running games are difficult to stop. Mazi is here for those types of games to help us win 1st and 2nd downs and force those teams to beat our pass defense.

Hankins was a nice pickup last year and our run D definitely got better with him, it he was the only true beef we had. Now we have a young guy to rotate in with him so we don’t get worn down in a physical game.

Those teams did not run the ball well against Dallas last year.

So again, what is the actual expectation?

 

[TheFinisher]

Those teams did not run the ball well against Dallas last year.

So again, what is the actual expectation?

They both ran for over 100 yards against us in the games they beat us. Both of those teams use the running game as their foundation on offense. Dallas wants to improve their run defense and interior physicality to help counter what those teams want to do.

Getting through the NFC playoffs will require you to shut down teams running games. It’s not that hard to understand why they brought Mazi in.